A toolbox is a fair weight when you heft it to see what it will involve to get it to a venue. (Which is why they have wheels!) Each toolbox is made to cope with about twenty kilograms of books. The books come in sturdy book-bags and are filed according to topic. The actual titles […]
How big is a toolbox – and what’s in it? Read More »
This entirely novel concept could have a boring title like ‘Project Book’. Book-Book says a lot more. We experimented with these books during lockdown, when we could only wok remotely with children. We found it created a tremendous sense of pride and achievement. The books were beautifully decorated and presented. (Illustration is a whole different
Torchbearers – a series of four books by Wendy Maartens published by Penguin Random House in SA in 2021. These remarkable books each hold the stories of three South African women who have been exceptional achievers in widely differing activities, from poetry to sport by way of political activism and law. We have been waiting
Book Review – Torchbearers Read More »
We are excited about the more cheerful beginning to 2022 and hoping against hope that the signs of cautious optimisim in South Africa continue. Whole books could be (and have been) written on the subject. But we believe in planning for the best possible outcomes and forging ahead with a vigourous plan – one that
A positive slant on the year Read More »
The Toolbox Project explained For five years now, CBN has been writing, creating, discussing (and testing with upper primary schoolchildren) a different way to encourage reading. Our toolboxes are not a ‘reading scheme’ with graded readers. Neither are they library boxes with carefully chosen books in them. They are something different, something new. They have
The Toolbox Project Explained Read More »
Not to difficult to guess! They cost a lot. A book, by its very nature, is going to be expensive. It is, or at least should be, a fine, quality object to be treasured, stroked, sniffed, cherished and – above all – enjoyed. It should last for years and give endless pleasure to a crowd
The other problem with books … Read More »
When we began the toolbox project, we thought the book selection would be easy. What a pleasure to read a hundred books, or so, choose some, and develop materials around them. It wasn’t easy at all. The nature of publishing has changed over the last two decades so that it is hardly recognizable as the
The problem with books Read More »
After a short break for refurbishing (a longish-short break!) we are back in full flow.CBN never paused or faltered. We were storming along all the time, holding many workshops, developing new materials, increasing the number of book clubs … making big plans. We can’t guess yet what 2022 will throw at us, but we are
Our Website is back in action! Read More »
• Children’s Book Network encourages and promotes reading with 9-14 year-old learners • We do this in small workshops (following strictly Covid protocols) • We have nine book-box libraries circulating at present and this will grow • We have adapted our Reading Toolbox Project to be more child-friendly and will be distributing more of these
Thank you. That is what the children, and the team at Children’s Book Network wish to say. Thank you for the kindnesses ranging from small to really large. Thank you for the belief in the work that we do. Thank you for the friendship and interest. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for the
The launch of a new project to assist with the essential reading aloud that used to happen at workshops, and now has to happen in more restricted circumstances. Hearing stories is an essential part of learning to read – and they have to be well read, well produced – and well organized. When we looked
Wilien must sometimes wonder, as she opens the door to the CBN ‘office’ in my dining room, what is waiting for her THIS time. It could be pretty well anything and it is time to acknowledge her part in nursing our projects through the most difficult year any of us have known. We have had
Our Amazing Administration Manager Read More »
We began, nearly ten years ago, as a workshop-focused NPO (Not-For Profit-Organization). During hundreds of workshops in rural and township venues, we learned a lot about how to engage – and keep – an interest in books with children between 10 and 13 years of age. Reading at this stage is particularly important, but not
CBN in the pandemic – what we are doing Read More »
The Children’s Book Network (CBN) has taken the opportunity to reach more children in other areas of our lovely town. In partnership with the Stanford Library, who graciously allowed us to use the library as a venue for our workshops, and Okkie Smuts Primary School. The workshops are conducted under strict Covid-19 regulations, with only
Stanford Library Workshops Read More »
One of our more difficult tasks is to find stories and texts that are completely suitable for the children we work with. This does NOT mean that everything they read has to come from their own culture. Far from it. We seek out challenging and thought-provoking material from all over the world as well as
Writing the reading material for CBN Read More »
For those with little time available, there is a summary at the end of this article and, to keep things as short as possible, links to particular aspects of this big project that you may be interested in. BACKGROUND Children’s Book Network is now in it’s tenth year of working with children who do not
CBN: Different paths – same destination Read More »
From the very first day, CBN has enjoyed a close and warm association with Rotary both in South Africa and overseas. Richard Parson, recipient of the Paul Harris Award and member of Rotary Cape of Good Hope, saw early on that we needed advice with matters such as a constitution, a board and a bank
Rotary and Children’s Book Network (CBN) Read More »
There is a lot going on. So much, that the website has been a bit neglected. So much to do, that everything else, that is not directly related to children and reading, has been neglected too. But it is time to catch up and keep our friends and supporters in the loop. It is hardly
What has CBN been up to in the last weeks? Read More »
We are hoping to achieve … Always to remember the purpose of CBN, which is to get children reading and enjoying books! BASICs • More accurate registration and membership • Creating a community identity and maybe involving older teenagers from community • A monthly workshop to present each theme (25 children maximum at a time).
CBN Plans from May to July Read More »
A common question, this time with no satisfactory answer. The year of 2020 has had a serious, and very negative, effect on our children. We know this is a global phenomenon and are monitoring reports from elsewhere about how it is being handled. As always, the impact of disaster is greatest on the most vulnerable.
And how are the children? Read More »
