Beth writes

Tag: children

  • A Look at Allan Ahlberg and Children’s Books

    Little boy sits in a tent reading a story
    Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com

    “In a dark, dark town there was a dark, dark street
    and in the dark, dark street there was a dark, dark house,
    and in the dark, dark house there were some dark, dark stairs
    and down the dark, dark stairs there was a dark, dark cellar
    and in the dark dark cellar….

    Three skeletons lived! ” – Funny Bones, Allan Ahlberg

    If you grew up in the 80’s and early 90’s there wasn’t much choice in children’s books. One of the big names there was Allan Ahlberg, who died this week.

    Allan and his first wife, Janet, created Happy Families, Funny Bones, and Please Mrs. Butler. And let’s not forget The Jolly Postman either. These were school staples in my childhood.

    The rhymes, stories, and poems had children giggling and engaged with beautiful pictures and smashing tales.

    The question is though, have they stood the test of time?

    In my opinion, while not overly diverse, these stories still can be found in many a library, and bookstore.

    Let me know your favorite in the comments?

  • Are kids always innocent?

    child hides in a corner of the library, hugging their knees.
    Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

    We all have met kids who were mischievous, rebellious, or aggressive to others right. But are they still innocent? Someone on Threads yesterday believed kids who bully should be treated like adult criminals.

    Now, that statement alone says a lot about what the writer has been through.

    I’ve seen how bad bullies can be in school, and I still bare the scars. I have learned though that they were kids and still innocent.

    My perspective is that that kids do things that aren’t alright, sometimes. Let’s face it – they can bully, damage property and break the law – but they are still kids!

    The thing to ask is where are they learning to act like this. Sometimes, this is down to what they witness at home or in community, but not always.

    Even when a kid is abused and has their innocence taken from them, they are still the innocent party.

    Feel free to challenge my logic in the comments.