So what are you up to these holidays?
July 11, 2019 at 1:00 pm | Posted in children's education, children's literacy, Favourite kids' books | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, sarahbrennanseriously blog
It’s the summer holidays at last! YAY!!!! (Or the winter break if you’re down south of the Equator of course :)). School’s out, you’ve got time on your hands…so what are you up to?
Personally, I’m reading lots and lots of BOOKS! And not just because it’s my favourite way of passing the time! But also because BOOKS ARE BRILLIANT FOR YOUR BRAIN!
The latest scientific research shows that reading lots of books gives you:
- a HUGE VOCABULARY
- HUGE GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
- GREAT WRITING STYLE
- FANTASTIC FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION
- BRILLIANT STRESS RELIEF
- a SUPERB IMAGINATION
- EXCEPTIONAL ORIGINALITY, CREATIVITY and IDEAS (so you can save the world!)
- GREAT COMPASSION FOR OTHERS
- not to mention THE BEST SCHOOL RESULTS (when you get back to school!)
If you don’t believe me, get Mum and Dad to take a look here at my talk to some Australian librarians last year – which sets out all the science they need to read!
So what are you waiting for! Put down that electronic tablet/gaming device/lap top (which only makes you good at playing games and manipulating a mouse) and pick up a fabulous BOOK!
And if you’ve read all your books, it’s time to go to your favourite library or bookshop to get some more! You can tell your Mum and Dad from me that it’s the best investment they’ll ever make for you!
HOORAY FOR BOOKS!
Making the world a kinder, safer place
March 19, 2019 at 2:41 pm | Posted in children's education, girls' education, Room to Read | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Girls' literacy, Global Literacy, Room to Read, Room To Read Writer Ambassador
We all want the world to be a kinder, safer place. And the most effective, most permanent way to achieve that is bringing literacy and education to children. That’s why I’m so proud of being a Writer Ambassador for Room to Read.
Just take a look at the fantastic 2018, Room to Read Year in Review and 2019, Room to Read global fact sheet ! You’ll see just how effective Room to Read has been in lifting children, especially girls, out of illiteracy and into a world of opportunity and possibilities by the end of 2018 – which means that we will all be happier and safer in the future!
If you’re a kid reading this post, please show it to your Mum and Dad. And if you’re a Mum or Dad, please take a look here to find out what you and your family can do to help this fundamentally important cause.
Saturday: Keynote Speech at the ASLA Mini-Conference, Hobart 2018
May 30, 2018 at 10:31 am | Posted in ASLA, Australian schools, children's literacy, Conferences, Hobart | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Christina Booth, Importance of Reading Books in the Digital Age, Scientific studies on reading books
On Saturday I was very honoured to give the Keynote Speech at the ASLA Mini-Conference in Hobart. The theme for the day was School Libraries – Be Passionate! Now anyone who knows me knows that the thing I’m most passionate about in my LIFE (after my family of course!) is CHILDREN’S LITERACY. So this was a theme right after my own heart, and I addressed over 60 Tasmanian librarians with a Powerpoint presentation that gave them the latest science on the importance of reading books for the brain – and for the world! And I proved using scientific studies that book-reading – and I mean reading LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOKS – for leisure and for pleasure – can quite literally save this troubled world! And the only way to ensure this – as well as high academic performance in schools – is to have a well-funded library full of real books, run by a teacher librarian with support staff, in every single school! I’ll be writing more about this on my other blog soon, so I’ll keep you posted!
I was also delighted to meet wonderful Tassie author Christina Booth, author and illustrator of many beautiful Australian children’s books, who treated us all to a fantastic talk about her method in creating picture books! It was fascinating to get insight into such an amazing creative mind!
Huge thanks to the lovely Ailsa Hill and Kate Reid for inviting me, and to the ASLA Committee who hosted the day! More photos to come!
A fab interview with Jed Doherty of Reading With Your Kids in Boston, USA!
June 29, 2017 at 9:44 am | Posted in Children's Chinese Zodiac Books, children's literacy, Podcasts | Leave a commentTags: Books about China for kids, children's literacy, Chinese culture for kids, Chinese history for kids, Chinese Zodiac, Jed Doherty, Reading With Your Kids, United States
I was so excited a few weeks ago to be contacted by one of the United States’ most famous family entertainers, Jed Doherty, from Boston, who asked me to talk all about the Chinese Calendar Tales for his huge Reading With Your Kids podcast audience in the States! We ended up talking for MUCH longer than expected, not just about my books, but also about our shared passion for children’s literacy – and our shared concern about the overuse of digital games and social media which is NOT GOOD AT ALL if you want to be a great reader, with great vocabulary, great writing skills, great general knowledge and a great brain!
We had such a good chat that Jed ended up dividing it into 2 podcasts! The first podcast, all about the Chinese Zodiac, my love of Chinese history and culture, and our funny and fabulous Chinese Calendar Tales, was released to iTunes and iHeart Radio on 22nd June!
You can listen to it here.
And if you want to find out more about Jed and his fantastic work in the States, you can read more here.
Turn off those digital devices, kids! My article in the SCMP Education Post…
March 30, 2017 at 12:04 pm | Posted in children's literacy, media articles | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Digital devices, Digital games, Education Post, John Cremer, South China Morning Post
As you know, I’m passionate about kids reading lots and lots and lots of books…and equally passionate about kids turning OFF their digital devices!! Scientific studies have proven, again and again, that the very best way to become not just a great writer, but also a great thinker, with a strong imagination and an original mind, is to read printed books, widely and well, and A LOT! They’re also proving that spending too much time on digital toys and screens (and the American Association of Pediatrics says that shouldn’t be more than 1 to 2 hours a day in total of high quality content) is very bad for you kids and can seriously affect your intellectual, physical and social development…OUCH!
Read my interview with John Cremer on 28th March in the South China Morning Post Education Post here – http://www.educationpost.com.hk/resources/parents-guide/170328-sponsored-feature-children-should-spend-more-time-reading-books-and-less-time-using-gadgets-says-panellist.
And then turn off your computer and bury your nose in a fabulous BOOK!
YAY!
A Happy Hangzhou Visit!
March 21, 2017 at 4:51 pm | Posted in Hangzhou Schools, HIS Hangzhou, School visits | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Chinese Calendar Tales, Parent workshops, The Tale of Chester Choi, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, The Tale of Rickshaw Rooster
A big HELLO to all my new friends at Hangzhou International School! I had such a fantastic time there on Friday, with the wonderful Paul Wong, librarian and host-with-the-most who organised my transport and my day with great precision! I worked with all the primary years, with the Kindies and Pre-Ks meeting my hungry dragon Chester Choi, the Grade 1s and 2s meeting Pin Yin Panda, and the Grade 3s, 4s and 5s meeting my noisy Rickshaw Rooster, in three funny and fabulous story readings! Then it was time to meet the lovely parents of HIS, with my Creating Literate, Literary Kids in the Digital Age presentation – leaving them with a summary of recommended reading! It was great to meet you all, as well as Primary Principal Russell O’Neill. I feel I’ve made some firm new friends in Hangzhou :).
Wow! Meet a Hong Kong teenage author with more than 6 million readers!!
September 1, 2016 at 5:55 pm | Posted in Being an Author | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Expat Parent magazine
I was just browsing a fabulous Hong Kong parenting magazine called Expat Parent today, when I came across this article, about 14 year old who has clocked up more than 6 million readers with her online book Falling Too Far! She talks about how she became a writer, and how she organizes her week to fit her writing in with school work and all the usual life of a teenager in Hong Kong. Now there’s inspiration for other young writers! Here’s the link: http://expat-parent.com/2016/08/11/bookworm/ . Have a read and see what you think!
If your family loves books…here’s an event for your mums and dads on International Literacy Day!
August 25, 2016 at 10:32 am | Posted in Being an Author, Bookshop event, children's literacy, Uncategorized | 1 CommentTags: children's literacy, Room to Read
What a great way to celebrate reading books and to help kids in need in Asia and Africa to read too! I look forward to seeing you there!
Remember to register here: https://www.anpasia.com/public/event/RegistrationForm/45465E477946455D43
Just 10 more days to enter my Sunny Summer Poetry Competition!
August 21, 2016 at 10:54 am | Posted in Children's Chinese Zodiac Books, writing competitions for high school kids, Writing competitions for kids | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Faraway Short Story Competition, Sunny Summer Poetry Competition
The summer holidays have almost ended for most of us – and some of us have returned to school already! So there are just 10 more days to get your entry into my Sunny Summer Poetry Competition for primary school kids! If you haven’t submitted your entry yet, you’d better get your roller-blades on! See all the details on my Clever Competition page (tab located above). I can’t wait to read your entry!
And if you’d like to enter another competition, and you’re an Australian living anywhere in the world, and you’re between the ages of 7 and 18, there are just 7 days left in the Faraway Short Story Competition – see http://www.creativewriteit.com.au/faraway2016.html for details!
They did it! My 16 Summer Writing Class students 15-19 August finished in style!
August 20, 2016 at 1:19 pm | Posted in Summer writing class, workshops, Writing competitions for kids | Leave a commentTags: children's literacy, Writing workshops
Congratulations to the imaginative, focused and very hard-working students in my Summer Writing Classes from 15 to 19 August. Above is my fabulous morning class (also known as the Quiet Class :)) and below is my feisty afternoon class (also known as the Noisy Class 🙂 – and we all know who were the noisy ones!). But I’m happy to say that both classes knuckled down to produce fantastic stories full of great characters and detailed settings, as well as a lot of exciting action! You should all be very proud of your achievements. I look forward to receiving lots of entries from you in my Clever Writing Competitions in the coming years!
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