Congratulations to Kirsty Leanne brown, you are the lucky winner. Please can you email me your address so your prize can be sent to you. Thanks Michelle michelledpannell(at)gmail(dot)com

I’ve posted quite a few times about my love of reading. For me there is nothing quite like an afternoon snuggled up on the sofa with a good book. Of course with three children it now feels a bit decadent to do that but every so often when they are at school I make sure I take the opportunity. Many busy Mums would treat themselves with a manicure or massage but for me a good book with a cuppa and cake wins every time.
I also like to read in front of them or when they are around
as I think it is so important in this digital age for them to see that reading
is a pleasurable pastime as well as a great way to educate yourself. I’ve
avoided going down the ebook route as it would be all too easy for the kids to
think I am just playing a game or surfing Facebook. So when they see me with my
bible first thing in the morning or my chic-lit when I’m relaxing on my bed
they know exactly what I’m up to and I’m so pleased to see them following in my
footsteps.
JJ, who is 11 years old is an avid reader and I really enjoy
when he comes and sits with me and tells me what happened in the latest book he
just finished. Apparently the Maze Runner (by James Dashner) has a sad ending,
or so he told me yesterday and then he has wasted no time and is straight onto
his next book and is planning to take this away with us to the caravan this
weekend.
Miss M is developing in the same way and can often be found
reading but her enjoyment seems to come from non-fiction and recently we have
had loads of how to care for your dog and puppy books from the library. We don’t have a dog mind, she is just getting
ready for the future and she is 7, lol!
Then there is her twin, Miss E and she is dyslexic so
reading can be a real challenge for her but we have seen massive leaps forward
in this last year and when we take turns to read pages this seems to do her self-esteem
the world of good. What Miss E is really fantastic with is her creativity, she
is a budding artist and storyteller and whilst she may find it hard to get the
words onto paper in a manner that others can read her expression and imagination
are superb.
I’m going to share this short YouTube clip with Miss E when
she is home later. In it Vivian French the well-known children’s
author, illustrator and playwright shares her top tips for writing a good
story. I know these simple tips will inspire Miss E to keep going and to write
her stories out, after all it is the creation of the story and the building of
the characters that is far more difficult than actually capturing well-spelt words on a page.
Vivian French is just one of many authors who has recently
been visiting schools (in Birmingham this time but they go all over the England
and Scotland) as part of the Scottish Friendly book tour. There are six wonderful tours that take place each year
and any school can apply to be part of the tour. Different famous authors go
into the schools and share their story and expertise with the children with the
aim of inspiring a love of reading, writing and illustration. These tours
really are wonderful and certainly every school should aim to have a published author
or poet come in and inspire the children at least once a year; my kids school
did last year and they loved it and have been making up crazy rhymes ever
since.
Competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Giveaway
I’m really pleased to offer you the chance to win a signed
copy of one of Vivian French’s books - The Snarling of
Wolves. All you have to do is answer one question below. The answer can be
found by visiting this page.
Question - Where did the intrepid touring team head south to with
Vivian French?
Answers -
A - Birmingham
B - Brighton
C – Bristol
Terms and Conditions –
This giveaway will close at 11.59pm
on Sunday 12th April 2015. The one winner will be chosen at random.
You must be over 18 years of age to enter and can only enter once (and you must
provide a way to get in contact with you - twitter handle, email address, link
to your blog etc). The prize is one signed copy of Vivian French’s book ‘The Snarling of Wolves’. The prize is not transferable and
there is no cash alternative. Scottish Friendly are responsible for the
fulfilment of this prize. The winner will be announced on this blog and twitter
within 7 days of the giveaway close. The winner will have 14 days from
announcement to email/ tweet me and provide their postal address. If they do
not contact me I will re-draw.
Wishing you the very best of luck!
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