The True Author of Naomi's Tonsils

Photograph of the actual book cover "Naomi's Tonsils" On the image you can see
the Author:
Rosemary Kahn and the Illustrator Ian Lusted

In order to give a good service to our readers we regularly check the Feedjit to see what our readers are searching for that brings them to our blog. Recently we noticed a number of readers came searching for Naomi's Tonsils.

We decided to do a google search and to our dismay discovered that there are a number of websites that list this book under a different author. When emailing to request that they correct their error, we received a reply that there appears to be multiple authors.

We would like to draw your attention to the truth.

Naomi's Tonsils is a delightful book written by Rosemary Kahn specifically to ease the process of children needing to go to hospital for a tonsillectomy. There is and always has been ONLY ONE author. The book was published by Juta Publishers in South Africa and Rosemary Kahn holds the copyright for this book.

Jutas did sell the book to Nationale Pers however there was never any change of author.

If you are reading this post and have seen another author listed, please notify us as we wish to ensure that all information regarding this or any other books authored by Rosemary Kahn is correct.

If you are reading this and have a website with the erroneous information, kindly correct the error and notify us that you have done so.

Many thanks

Shoshanah
Manager of the Official Blog of Rosemary Kahn
http://rosemarysbookcorner.blogspot.com

While a Child is in the Book Corner

One of our readers wanted to know what to look for or observe when a child is in the book corner.

The truth is that you don't have to observe anything. Allow the child to enjoy the book corner. When children are permitted to have time looking at books on their own, they will tell themselves the story from memory. They might add to or subtract from it according to their own tastes, memory, mood, what is on their mind, what is troubling them, how they want the story to be.

Children may also take a book that has not as yet been read to them, and tell themselves about the book / story according to the pictures. In this way, they have the opportunity to develop their imagination and creative thinking and also to increase their memory skills.

Although they will not be formally reading, this too is an important aspect of enabling a child to learn and to appreciate and enjoy books.

Children's Book Corner, With Photographs - Part 1

Some readers have been searching for images of children's book corners. In this post we will start to give some thoughts with a few images. We hope to photograph a few other book corners too, so as to provide a little more variety and ideas for parents.

The images below are not placed in any special order.

This photo shows a boy who is already old enough to sit at a table on his own and enjoy looking through a book without supervision or assistance. Notice the enjoyment on his face and obvious concentration in whatever the topic of the book is. Behind him you see two shelves of books.

This could be a book corner or library at school, at a local library, or if his parents are well organized, even at home.

It looks as though the table top is raised slightly to assist him to look more easily. Since we obtained this image from microsofts free images, it is not easy to know for certain.

The next photo shows two boys sharing a book together. They look as though they are enjoying both the company and the book. It could be that a bookcorner is next to them, however not as easy to see in this photo.

What the photo does suggest is the importance of offering smaller children a table and chairs for them to sit at while looking at a book. Preferable table and chairs the correct height so that when they sit down, their feet can reach the ground. This frees children's energy from being busy about their position at the table to being able to concentrate on the book they are reading or looking at.

This photograph shows a father holding his child to show her a book. This could be in a library or next to the parents' bookshelves. Either way, it is another way to help children to realize the importance of books not only for them, but for the whole family. In this way, we can begin to help children to appreciate the value of books and why they should be treated and handled with care.

This photograph is just for fun, to show that a book corner can even be a collection of precious books tied up with a bow. In this image they are high up for the child. The child's own books should be within their reach.

This cute photo shows a little girl, enjoying a book, seated in a chair just right for a child. The chair is positioned in front of her book corner. This is an ideal set up for a child.

It seems from the photo that the child has already learned to appreciate books and is looking with care, her finger pointing or tracing hovers a little above the page.

Remember, when children look at books, it is good practice to teach them to always wash their hands prior to sitting down to look at a book, even their very own books.

We hope to put up some more photo's on this topic soon. In the meantime, if you have questions regarding reading skills either from an experienced teachers perspective or an occupational therapists, please either post a comment or email us.

Enjoy reading with your children.

An Unusual Maths Lesson - Enjoy!

As a teacher, to interest the children, some of their lessons I would call the "wonder of number". For very young children, with a simple pack of cards, one can place 10 at the top and then going down,

9+1
8+2
7+3
6+4
5+5
4+6
3+7
2+8
1+9

Children love patterns and order. They "get it" so easily, if bonds are set out in this way. They need to see the numbers at work with each other. This is harder to do now that calculators are the thing in classrooms. While there is a need for them, and many valuable tricks and games can be introduced using them, children should see these wonderful, orderly patterns on paper, right before their eyes, first. They should have the opportunity to work out magic squares, for instance, and only then should calculators be introduced. The slides below will fascinate young and old alike. Do enjoy it. Right at the end you will find a special message.

Now let us take a look at the following:

From a strictly Mathematical point of view, what equals 100%?

What does it mean to give 100%?

How about ACHIEVING 100%

What equals 100% in life?

Remember, remember the 5th of November….

Photograph courtesy of Shear Success Photographers

Yes, that day has rolled round once again! Guy Fawkes night, which marks the downfall of the Gunpowder Plot of 5^th November, 1605, when a group of Catholics, including Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up London’s Houses of Parliament. It has been celebrated in Britain ever since, and later, in the British colonies.

In Australia, the sale and use of fireworks was made illegal during the 1970’s. Sensible people, the Australians. They thereby protected countless animals from a night of terror, as well as saving money. There is a time and place for wonderful firework displays, but not in one’s back yard.

Here in South Africa, the meaning of the celebration has been largely lost or is ignored, but fireworks are allowed in certain designated areas. In Cape Town, where I live, many of our beaches have been set aside for tonight, as well of some of our sports club’s parking areas. People may gather in those places to light their crackers and their bonfires. However, year after year there are huge complaints afterwards, regarding the litter left behind. I suppose it is hard to clean up in the dark.

My father remembers that, as a child, own his father would bring home fireworks for them all to set off, under his strict control. At that time there was a firework factory on the Cape Flats and all the “cafes” and small corner shops sold them very cheaply. The Cape Coloured community loved Guy Fawkes Night and they even made up tuneful songs which they went round the streets singing, very much like the carol singers do, hoping to raise money to buy their fireworks.

Even today, many people choose to ignore the recent restrictions and continue to set off their fireworks at home, in the suburbs. Loud bangs and the whizzing noises from rockets may be heard all over the city, terrifying household pets and small children.

I suppose this year will be no different, but I for one, am praying for rain!

Rosemary Kahn

On Introducing Your Young Child to a Book Corner.

I believe that it is never too soon to start showing books to babies. Small babies like the movement of the pages and the sounds they make, just as much as they love being held closely. The tone of your voice and the colours and shapes will hold their interest.

We all know the vital role books play in a young child’s life and how they can help with concentration; visual stimulation; language and listening skills and many more benefits. When a child reaches out and wants to hold his or her own book, the time has come to start planning a special “home” for the child’s very own books. This does not have to be elaborate in any way. A big cushion on the floor and a large box or carton to hold the books safely, without getting them damaged, is quite sufficient, as long as the child can reach the books easily.

You might want to clear the bottom shelf of one of your own book cases to house your child’s books. Or, as one of my daughters did for her little one, make and brightly paint a special bookcase for a corner in the child’s bedroom. Once again, the child must be able to reach the books and the experience must be cosy and inviting.

Once this is set out, the child will quite happily go there alone, to “read” for short periods. When the first sign of this happens, some simple rules should be set, in a relaxed and happy manner.

“Oh, good,” you might say “that’s a wonderful idea! I can see you have found your own special book corner. Now you can read your book and I will read mine”.

Toddlers often have very short attentions spans, but most will sit for a while with a favourite book, just looking at the pictures.

At the end of the little book corner session, it is important to make sure the books are returned to their box or shelf, preferably by the child. It is important too, to make sure that the reading activity does not involve any other activity at this stage – scribbling in books, tearing or cutting, is just not acceptable. So keep the crayons far way from the books, out of temptation’s way.

Visits to the children’s section of your local library are also a wonderful way to introduce the child to a home book corner. I have found children well before their second birthdays, know just what to do and where to go in their own special section of the library. There are often comfy little chairs and tables for the children, or cushions on the floor. I think it is a good idea to let the child choose a book unaided. The big picture books might even be in a special basket at just the right height for the child. And children delight in finding a copy of a favourite “home” book on the library shelves. The child will sit down and page through the book, reliving the story that has been read to them at home.

By introducing your child, carefully and lovingly to a book corner at home, you will be starting that child on the road to a life time of reading and enjoyment. Reading, as the child grows older, becomes a solitary pastime and pleasure, and it is never too early to lay the foundations for that satisfying experience.

Rosemary Kahn

Scottish Bird

So, this bird walks into a store.........

Watch! He s-l-o-w-l-y enters the store......and then he runnnnnnns........OUT!

A seagull in Scotland has developed the habit of stealing chips from a neighborhood shop.

The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn't looking (so a camera was installed), and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos.

Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and becomes a feast, for other birds!

The seagull ' s shoplifting started early this month, when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen, Scotland, and helped himself to a bag of chips.

Since then, he ' s become a "regular". He always takes the same type of chips.

Customers have begun paying for the seagull ' s stolen bags of chips,... because they think it ' s so funny!

Miracles DO happen.

It was a day of gale force winds of the worst kind, along the Atlantic seaboard in Cape Town, South Africa. It was not a day to be out and about, but my cousin Raymond, who is not in the best of health and has great difficulty walking, had an urgent dentist appointment.

He and his wife made it safely to the Medical Centre. The procedure completed, they went back downstairs. There they discovered, to their dismay, that the wind had become even stronger. Nola offered to fetch the car, so that Raymond would only have to walk a short distance.

As it happened, he made it to the appointed spot but had to cling onto a pole for support, such was the strength of the wind. With difficulty, Nola brought the car safely along side the kerb and Raymond attempted to open the passenger door with one hand, whilst clinging onto the pole with the other. Because of the wind, he was unable to open the door wide enough to climb inside, so Nola, having pulled up the handbrake, got out of the car to help him.

However, the force of the wind was so great that two things seemed to happen at once. The car began to roll forward just as a powerful gust of wind forced the car door against the pole. Raymond let go just in time, but having no support, he immediately fell flat on his back, with his body on the pavement and his head in the gutter, mere centimeters away from the front wheel of the car, which was still moving forward.

He felt he was done for - certain that terrible injury or even death awaited him, as Nola, shaking like a leaf, rushed back into the car to try to stop its progress.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there appeared a woman, wearing a helmet and riding a motor cycle. Leaving the cycle next to the car, she rushed up to Raymond and with tremendous strength in that very strong wind, she managed to lift his head up and out of the gutter and onto the pavement. She then rushed into a nearby shop and came out with a length of cord. With this, she quickly secured the broken door to the back door of the car, so as to enable the couple to somehow make their way home.

Then, as though it was all in a day’s work for her, and without so much as a backward glance, she mounted her motor cycle and took off into the teeth of the wind.

Raymond, who had thanked her profusely, only managed to get her first name out of her, which he now cannot remember.

Nola, still shaking, pushed Raymond into the back of the car on the driver’s side and somehow managed to get them home.

Who was their saviour? Had they been visited by an angel, or perhaps Elijah the Prophet himself, in one of his many disguises? Perhaps we shall never know, but for Raymond, it was obviously a miracle!