Thursday 28 July 2016

Inside Out - Handwriting practice by Disney Learning


BOOK REVIEW: I got this book for my nearly-6-year-old daughter but after only doing a few pages she has not done anymore saying that it isn't fun.

She has another handwriting book that she prefers. I note that the other one starts with her having to draw squiggles and outlines of shapes before moving onto letters. This one however has only letters. Also this book has a lot of white space compared to the other which is more colourful. Also both have stickers but whereas the other gives a reward sticker after every double-page spread is completed this one doesn't and loads of pages go by with no stickers being used as the sticker pages are very concentrated and few. So there is not the incentive there for my daughter.

There are a few story pages, and these could easily have been more incorporated into the exercises more, for example getting my daughter to trace in missing words.

So overall this hasn't been fun for my daughter.

Tuesday 26 July 2016

Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER BOOK REVIEW:
"Diamonds are Forever" - the fourth of the James Bond novels. This edition features an intro by Giles Foden who writes "clearly, by the time of this novel, Fleming had established some of Bond's traits, including a love of women, alcohol, cigarettes and, above all, action." So you know what to expect - a girl, in this case (pardon the pun) Tiffany Case, the drink ("martinis, shaken and not stirred") and all the action which revolves around diamond smuggling.

The plot quickly gets into the action with the start of the diamonds journey. Then there is the usual meeting between M and Bond where the details as known are detailed. "The British got hold of the [Diamond] business at the beginning of the century and we've managed to hang on to it. Now it's a huge trade. Fifty million pounds a year. The biggest dollar-earner we've got. So when something goes wrong with it the Government gets worried." 

Bond is then sent into the pipeline acting as smuggler Peter Franks. He smuggles into America where he gets into contact with the gangs there, "violence and cruelty were their only weapon." Luckily he has a friend, Felix Leiter making a return to the books, and also the girl, Tiffany Case.

The plot (as briefly outlined above) sounds similar to that of the film but they are different. There is no Blofeld here, and no Bond being cremated alive. You still get the action-packed ride though.To quote the Shirley Bassey theme song you have here "all I need to please me".

James Bond will return in From Russia with Love.


Sunday 17 July 2016

Moonraker by Ian Fleming

Book review: Moonraker, the third of the James Bond novels, follows the normal formula, namely Bond being despatched to defeat the physically unusual villain, this time the scar-faced Hugo Drax, with a girl in tow, this time Gala Brand (not Holly Goodhead like in the movie). The only difference here is that it is set in England so there aren't the exotic locations you normally associate Bond with, such as Brazil, Venice and outer space no less as in the movie. 

The plot hinges around Sir Hugo Drax and his Moonraker, not a space shuttle but "a super atomic rocket with a range that would cover nearly every capital in Europe - the immediate answer to anyone who tried to atom-bomb London." So everyone thinks Drax is a national hero (hence his knighthood from the Queen) for building this rocket "designed exclusively for the defence of our beloved island", and that his intentions are honourable, when in fact they are not. M though has a problem with the man so confides in Bond - "There's only one thing... Sir Hugo Drax cheats at cards."

So the book starts with a high-stakes card battle between Drax and Bond, not unlike Bond's previous exploits in Casino Royale of course. Then strange going-ons at Drax's plant lead to Bond having to go there too.

There may not be laser battles, and a villain called Jaws but you do get a thrilling read all right.

Saturday 16 July 2016

Teletubbies: A Rainy Day


Teletubbies: A Rainy Day 
Book review: I got this for my 2-year-old boy to enjoy. He took to it immediately saying “Teletubbies” over and over. Since then he has also taken it to bed with him and flicked through it many times (his favourite bit is where Noo-noo is there so he can say "Noo-noo" over and over. (Admittedly he doesn't have a massive book collection so that may be a factor in him cherishing it so much.)

It is a hard board book so he can easily turn the pages on his own (although he won’t always wait for you to read the text first before doing so). Each page is bright, glossy and colourful and features the Teletubbies on them.The cover looks better than the image here because the rain drops are obscuring the Teletubbies too much here.

The story is what you'd expect from the Teletubbies. A lot of "uh-oh"s when the rain arrives, a big hug, some tubby toast and so on. So for my 2-year-old it is perfect.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Finding Dory - Telling the Time, Ages 5-6 by Disney Learning


Book review: I got this book for my 5-year-old daughter who is currently near the end of her reception year at school and is within the age group stated on the cover of the book (5-6). 

The book provides exercises in reading the time and progresses along quite nicely. My daughter was doing alright up until the part of the book where we had to say what the time would be an hour in the future or half an hour in the past which she found a bit harder. 

There are some good tips in the book for her. Like “don't worry if you make a mistake - everyone does when they are learning!” And there are some Finding Dory stories to break up the exercises. The first story is incorporated into an exercise but the other two are unrelated to the exercises which is not what I was expecting. Also on these stories I would say that a child of 5-6 would struggle to read these independently so I do think adult supervision is required.

We did notice a mistake though as we were going through the book with one of the stickers (saying half past 6 instead of half past 2). This could lead to confusion for a child who might think they have mastered the art of telling the time only to find this mistake and then doubt themselves.  

Disney could have made this book better by providing a mechanical clock face. True at the very end of the book they give you instructions on how to make your own clock face from a paper plate (which would have been useful to have at the beginning of the book, before going through the exercises) but a clock face with arms that moved in tandem would have helped with the exercises telling the time in the future or the past. 

All-in-all then this is ok but could be better.


Tuesday 5 July 2016

Shankly's Village by Adam Powley & Robert Gillan



Book review: Glenbuck was "the village of football". A village in Ayrshire its rise and decline followed the same trajectory as the rise and decline of the British coal mining industry upon which it was built. The village, now demolished, produced a half-century of footballers. "Over a period of roughly 50 years the village produced four English FA Cup winners, five full internationals, and 50 professionals out of a population that never exceeded 1,700." "Such a rich concentration of quality has never been equalled." This book covers the village's story plus profiles of its footballers, including its most famous son Bill Shankly.

"Football and Glenbuck were an irresistible, passionate and long-lasting marriage." Football provided a release from the mines, and for some an escape altogether. Glenbuck had its own Junior League club Glenbuck Athletic latterly known as Glenbuck Cherrypickers and it is through them that many of their footballers passed through. Players such as Terrible Tait, Bogey Brown and Wee Wallace.

I think this book would be of interest of people interested in the history of Scottish coal mining in the Ayrshire area. As for the football a lot of the profiles of the players are no more than a paragraph, plus some of them never even played a first team match for their professional teams, or only played a handful of games. Also these players have been written about before in "The Cherrypickers: Glenbuck, nursery of footballers", although that was a generation ago.