When I had my boys (now 9 & 7), reading, of course became an immediate habit. Even at a few months old (despite the fact that most likely they were asleep & I can't even remember), I read to them regularly. Being from New Zealand, I had a plethora of children's books I took for granted. Stories I grew up with, stories my kids were growing up with that were just part of what we read every day. Moving to Spain with a toddler & then to America a few years after that, I quickly came to cherish these native books - tales that once were familiar to all, I now found no one had heard of! Of course over time, we broadened our horizons.... Soon, we were avid fans of The Gruffalo, Aliens Stole My Underpants, The Hungry Caterpillar & countless others. However, myself & my boys still treasure these New Zealand parts of our family traditions & for some books, they can still even chant the key phrases & lines. One such book, we can seldom go past is Lynley Dodd's Hairy MacLary from Donaldson's Dairy. This book became so iconic in New Zealand, I doubt you'd find an inhabitant who doesn't know the familiar ring of at least one of it's classic pages. Whether they know of "Bottomly Potts, covered in spots"; "Schnitzel Von Krum with the very low tum" or "Scarface Claw, the toughest Tom in town".... these words create a familiar sense of home every time we turn a page. My absolute love of the language, the characters, the beautifully simple yet fully expressive illustrations - is something I will never move past. Don't we all have those books that will always be a part of our hearts? This of course, is what motivated me to share Hairy MacLary with our students here at Reed. This story reflects a part of who I am; it encompasses so many elements making it almost impossible not immediately fall in love. For these reasons, this is a the book I chose to introduce myself with to each class - to share a piece of myself & to also learn more of my students as we share our own stories or pets, favorite animals or outdoor adventures!
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Ms CahillWelcome to the on-line home of Reed Library! I'm so pleased you came to visit & hope you keep coming back to read my blog on our latest happenings, new books & our exciting digital citizenship program! Archives
January 2019
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