SF Said
@whatSFSaid
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Author of Varjak Paw, The Outlaw Varjak Paw, Phoenix - and now TYGER! I also write about children's books & all things connected to them.
London
Joined November 2013
TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, PARENTS, CARERS! If you're looking for some free resources for your kids, here's a lesson-long virtual school visit I did with @Booktrust all about reading & writing, covering all my books, free for all to watch! #literacy.
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“There’s a crisis in children’s reading, but there’s a very simple solution. Teachers need to read to children for 20 minutes every day, and their minds will be transformed." If you agree – please support the campaign for #StatutoryStorytime!.
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If you want kids to love #literacy - LET THEM READ THINGS THEY LOVE! You can never be too old for a book, or the wrong gender. The books we love are the ones that make us readers, and choice is a right all readers should have. #InternationalLiteracyDay. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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I do not believe books have ages or genders. I do not believe you can ever be too old for a book, or the wrong gender. I believe every reader is different, and should always have the right to choose their own books! #letbooksbebooks. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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I've said this before, but I'll say it again. READING FOR PLEASURE has the most powerful positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So if you want to change their lives - make books & reading central to everything you do. And let them just enjoy it! #literacy.
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If I was in charge, I'd declare this A YEAR OF READING FOR PLEASURE. Forget about tests & exams. Let kids discover the joy of reading for the fun of it, losing yourself in the infinite worlds of the imagination. Once you read for pleasure, everything else will follow! #literacy.
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Happy #WorldBookDay! I believe EVERY CHILD CAN BE A READER. Give them the widest possible range of books, and let them choose freely. Never say they're "too old" or "the wrong gender" for a book. Because every reader has the right to read whatever they love!. Art: Quentin Blake
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When you ask people to name a book that changed their lives, they almost always name a children's book. And they always remember, with the intensity of a religious experience, the feeling they had when they were reading it. Those books go so deep, they become part of us forever.
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I've said it before, I'll say it again: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest impact of any factor on children's life chances. If they're reading & enjoying it, everything else will follow. So please never stop reading to them & with them - it will change their lives! #literacy.
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Don't ever under-estimate children's books. They're the most important books of all. They're the ones that shape us & make us readers in the first place. As such, they're the foundations of our civilisation - there would be no literature without them!. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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If kids are reading for pleasure, they don't need to catch up. THEY'RE ALREADY AHEAD! Reading for pleasure has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So please: encourage them to read books they really want to read, and #literacy will follow!.
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We've lost so many giants of children's literature this year. Jan Pieńkowski, Shirley Hughes, David McKee & now Raymond Briggs. I don't think they were ever truly recognised enough by the culture that they shaped. But those of us who grew up with their work will never forget it.
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Never forget, READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest impact of any factor on children's life chances. It's more important than how rich your parents are! So always make books central; make time to read to kids; and make sure you encourage them to read for themselves. #literacy.
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Children's literature is not a 'lesser' form of literature. Children's books are really books for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. They are books for everyone – and you are NEVER too old to read them!!!. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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I feel sorry for adults who don't read children's books. I think children's books are books written for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. They are really BOOKS FOR EVERYONE – and if you don't read them, you miss out on some of the greatest books of all!.
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Kids who READ FOR PLEASURE do better in every way than kids who don't. So whatever else you do, never stop sharing books with kids. Never stop reading to them, and helping them to read. Never stop giving them ways to understand the world, and everyone in it. #literacy.
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Teachers ARE ALREADY heroes. They have been incredible throughout this crisis. All they are asking is to to do their work in a safe way, showing the kind of grown-up responsibility I wish the government & press possessed. I feel absolutely disgusted when I see them attacked.
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"I'm making a pledge. From January, we will review a new children's book every week." Absolutely blown away to see Ben Lawrence in @Telegraph committing to #CoverKidsBooks every week, citing @frankcottrell_b's @BBCr4today plea for coverage. THANK YOU!!!.
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I heard a heart-breaking thing. A child told me their school was testing them on their reading for pleasure. This shouldn't need saying - but if there is a test, it is NOT reading for pleasure. If you want kids to read for pleasure - please let them just enjoy it! #literacy.
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I can never understand why children's books get left out of "great book" lists. Children's literature is not something separate from literature in general; it is not some lesser form. It's for EVERYONE, and those who exclude it miss out on some of the greatest literature of all.
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I don't remember much about the tests I did at school; I just did what I had to & promptly forgot it. But I will NEVER EVER FORGET the teacher who read us stories – pure reading for pleasure, with no assessment whatsoever. That's the stuff that changes lives! #literacy
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I've said this before, but it still needs saying. The books that we call "children's books" are really books written for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. They're books for EVERYONE - not some lesser form of literature, but the most important books of all!.
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I do not believe books have ages or genders. I do not believe you can ever be "too old" for a book, or the wrong gender. Instead of age-banding & gendering books - I believe we should #LetBooksBeBooks!.
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Children's books are not a luxury. The teachers who work so hard to inspire the love of reading are not a luxury. Libraries & librarians are not a luxury. Lose these things – and #literacy itself will become a luxury, not a basic human right.
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I put 9 long, hard years of my life into writing TYGER because I believe children's books are the most important books of all. So it was beyond incredible to see it win Children's Book Of The Year at the #BritishBookAwards. Thank you @thebookseller @theweekjunior & the judges!!!.
Congratulations to TYGER by @whatSFSaid, illustrated by @DaveMcKean, winner of Book of the Year: Children's Fiction (supported by @theweekjunior)! All the judges agreed that the book already "felt like a classic" @DFB_storyhouse #BritishBookAwards #Nibbies
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What do we do about "vocabulary deficiency"? Instead of more testing & cuts, why not make READING FOR PLEASURE a top priority, and give teachers & librarians the resources they need to do their jobs? Vocabulary will follow! #literacy.
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"Nobody uses libraries." Except EVERY WRITER & READER I'VE EVER MET. And countless millions more. Here's one, explaining why:.#SaveLibraries
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As a new term begins, it's worth remembering that the books we love when we're young change our lives FOREVER. So thank you to everyone out there who's helping kids find the love of books! #literacy
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COVER REVEAL! I am beyond excited to share this with you all at last - @DaveMcKean's incredible cover for my new book TYGER, coming this October 2022 from @DFB_storyhouse!
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My new book TYGER is published today! I started writing it 9 years ago, and it means more than I can say to see it go out into the world at last. I think it's my best book yet. I've put everything I have into it, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
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READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. It really is life-changing! So whatever else you do – keep reading books with kids, and encouraging them to read. There is nothing more important. #literacy.
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I've said this before, but I'll keep saying it until it's government policy. Reading for pleasure should be at the heart of education. If we want kids to love reading & enjoy all its benefits – we must LET THEM READ THINGS THEY LOVE! #literacy. (Art: Bill Watterson)
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Never forget: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So never stop sharing books with kids. Never stop reading to them, and helping them to read. Never stop changing lives. #literacy.
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YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO OLD FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS! The books we call "children's books" are really books written for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. They are books for everyone – so you're allowed to read them & love them at any age!. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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When you ask people about the books that changed their lives - the ones that really made a massive impact, and have never been forgotten - they will almost always talk about children's books. That's why I think children's books are the most important books of all.
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All reading is reading. All books are books. You should read whatever most interests you. You can NEVER be 'too old' or 'the wrong gender' for a book. Every reader is different, and should always have the right to choose their own books! #LetBooksBeBooks. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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James Cleverly is the politician who wanted to replace libraries with kindles. I don't understand why people who know nothing about education are given any say in it. I want EDUCATORS in charge of education; teachers & librarians in charge of everything!.
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There's a kind of magic that happens when adults read books aloud to kids. It's the kind of magic that changes lives forever, and will never, ever be forgotten. #literacy
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I've said this before & I'll say it again. READING FOR PLEASURE has the most powerful positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So if you want to change their lives - make books & reading central to everything you do. And let them enjoy it! #literacy.
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If you want kids to be readers – let them READ FOR PLEASURE! Let them read whatever they enjoy: comics, picture books, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, sports, anything at all! All reading is reading, and all books are books. #literacy.
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Reading for pleasure has the biggest impact of any factor on children's life chances. THE BIGGEST!!! It's more important than how rich you are! So whatever else you do - please keep reading books with kids, and encouraging them to read. There is nothing more important. #literacy.
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Why are children's books important? Because they're the books that make us readers. There would be no reading at all without them. So children's literature is the cornerstone of all literature - and children's books are the MOST important books of all!.
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How do you get kids to read? LET THEM READ THINGS THEY REALLY WANT TO READ! And let them enjoy it, whatever it is: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, picture books, comics, sports reports. All reading is reading! Let it be a pleasure, and #literacy will follow!. (Art: Bill Watterson)
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The @britishlibrary has just launched DISCOVERING CHILDREN'S BOOKS, an amazing resource for kids, teachers, librarians & book-lovers of all ages! I'm honoured to be part of it, sharing pages from 7 drafts of Varjak Paw & talking about the writing process:.
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What is a library? A living body of knowledge, constantly tended for the benefit of all, so fake news is weeded out & we're never exploited for profit. A library is librarians. A library is love. #SaveLibraries #SaveLibrarians.
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I've been off Twitter for ages now, trying to finish my new book TYGER. Incredibly, we signed off on the copy edits today, so the writing is finally done - only took me 9 years this time! I'll tweet more about about it in the new year, but at last I can say: TYGER is on the way!.
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The news is out! I am delighted to be the new @Booktrust #WriterInResidence. My first blog will be appearing in March - but for now, the one thing I would like to say is that READING FOR PLEASURE CHANGES CHILDREN'S LIVES FOREVER - there is nothing more important! #literacy.
📢 SUPER LOVELY HAPPY NEWS ALERT!. We are thrilled to announce that the amazing SF Said is going to be our brand new #WriterInResidence from 1 March!. He is such an incredible advocate for children's books and reading so we are delighted 🎉 . @whatSFSaid
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READING FOR PLEASURE CHANGES LIVES! But how do we get kids to do it? Research shows these are the 3 most crucial factors:.1. Read aloud to them. 2. Give them the widest possible range of books to choose from. 3. Let them choose freely, and never dismiss their choices. #literacy.
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It's my birthday! To celebrate, I'm giving away 3 signed & dedicated copies of TYGER - just RT by 19/5 to enter. And if I could have a birthday wish, it would be for other people to also give copies of TYGER - to children & adults, to schools & libraries. It would mean so much!
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Every school should have a library & a librarian to inspire the love of reading. No child should EVER have to go without access to books & to the expert guidance that will help them to read for pleasure, and enjoy all the life-changing benefits of literacy. #GreatSchoolLibraries.
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I'm not a celebrity author. I'm not any kind of celebrity. I'm an author who believes children's books are the most important books of all, and will always put EVERYTHING I've got into every one I write, because children deserve the very best books we can give them.
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We call them children's books, but really, they're books written for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one - and you can never, ever be too old to read them! I wrote about some of my all-time favourites in this piece for @Foyles :.
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I know many teachers who've paid out of their own pockets to buy books for their classes, because their school budgets can't run to books any more. The underfunding has been chronic for years & that's why teachers are striking. No-one cares more about children & their education!.
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Never forget: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So please keep reading to kids & encouraging them to read. Show them the love of books & let them read the books they love. It will change their lives forever. #literacy.
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Gillian Keegan is the 5th education secretary in the past 4 months who has absolutely no background in education. She also voted against extending free school meals. How is this OK? I want educators in charge of education - or at least people who actually care about children!.
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Why do some adults refuse to read children's books? You can never be "too old" for them. The truth is that we read books in different ways at different ages, getting different things from them each time. If you don't read children's books as an adult, you miss out on so much!.
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One bit of advice I always give kids: hang on to the books that you love right now, your favourites. Look at them again in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. You might just find they were the most important books you ever read: the books that shaped your mind, and changed your life.
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You are never too old for a picture book, or a comic book, or any kind of book. Books don't have ages. The books we call "children's books" are really books for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. They are BOOKS FOR EVERYONE!.
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9 years ago, I began writing a book called TYGER. and today, I held a proof copy of TYGER in my hands!. It's incredible to see it taking shape. Thank you @DaveMcKean for the breathtaking cover; thank you @DFB_storyhouse for the beautiful publishing! It's out in October.
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Children's books are never "just" for children. They are books written for an audience that includes children, but excludes absolutely nobody at all. They are really books for EVERYONE, and you can never, ever, EVER be too old to read them, and to love them!.
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If there was more media coverage of children's books, I might not be so worried about Twitter's future. But this has been the best place to find out what's happening in children's books, and to meet other people who share our love of children's books. I hope this space survives.
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Every single school should have a library & a school librarian, to help every single child find the books that will make them readers & give them all the benefits of literacy! Libraries & librarians change children's lives FOREVER! #SchoolLibrarianDay . (Art: @chrisriddell50)
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Children's books are the books that make us into readers & change our lives FOREVER. That's why I think they're the most important books of all!.#literacy
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If you believe EVERY CHILD deserves to have a library & a librarian in their school - then register your support for #GreatSchoolLibraries here!.
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It is never, ever acceptable to look down or to dismiss children's books. They are the books that make us readers, so they are the foundation stones of literacy, the cornerstones of civilisation. And they are really books for EVERYONE - so you can never be too old to read them!.
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I've been watching with profound admiration as teachers & schools have worked tirelessly to keep their children engaged & learning against all odds through this crisis. They have been so much more impressive to me than politicians. So please: leave education to educators.
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If you want kids to love reading, LET THEM READ THINGS THEY LOVE! Never tell them they're 'too old' for things they enjoy! #literacy
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When you share books with kids, you are giving those kids something magical - something that could change their lives forever. #literacy
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I've said this before, but I'll keep saying it until it's government policy. READING FOR PLEASURE should be at the very heart of education. It's time to #ScrapSATs & give kids a chance to fall in love with reading & enjoy its lifelong benefits! #literacy. (Art: Bill Watterson)
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Imagine British children's books without the work of migrants & their children – all of these & more! #1DayWithoutUs.
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I write children's books because I want to help kids imagine a better world. I want to show them that however different someone else may seem, the things that unite us are greater than those that divide us. And that difference is something to be celebrated, not mocked or feared.
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READING is the most important skill you can teach a child, because it unlocks so many other skills. That's why it's vital to let them read things they enjoy. Once they're reading for themselves, because they want to – they'll find everything else they need themselves! #literacy.
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What's the most important thing in education? If a child leaves primary school with a genuine love of reading, that will have a bigger positive impact on their life chances than any "measurable outcome". There is nothing more important than READING FOR PLEASURE. #literacy.
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Whenever I visit schools that follow this advice, I meet kids with huge vocabularies & massive reading habits. If you want them to love #literacy - READ TO THEM!
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Just a reminder that all books are books. Comic books, picture books, joke books - it's all reading. And all readers have the right to choose their own reading matter, because it's only by reading the things we enjoy that we truly become lifelong readers. #literacy.
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All reading is reading. All books are books. And you can never really know what a child is getting from a book, so please never dismiss their own reading choices. By all means, introduce them to books you like, but all of us deserve to have our choices taken seriously. #literacy.
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You are NEVER too old to read children's books! Anyone who dismisses them is missing out on some of our greatest literature - and greatest art:.
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The books we call "children's books" are really books written for an audience that INCLUDES children, but excludes absolutely no-one. They are really books for everyone - and you can never, ever be too old to read & love them! #InternationalChildrensBookDay. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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When you ask people about the books that shaped them, the ones that went deepest & stayed with them the longest - it's usually books they loved when they were young. That's why I think children's books are the most important books of all; why I give everything I've got to them.
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"Most adults will admit that there was this marvellous book they read when they were 8, or 10, or maybe 15, that has lived in their minds ever since, enlarging their imagination. ". THIS is why I write children's books, and why I think they're the most important books of all!
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What makes a child become a lifelong reader? Not the ability to get good marks on a test. Not the desire to get a good job. It's PLEASURE. Kids who read for pleasure grow up to be adults who read for themselves – and think for themselves. #literacy.
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You are NEVER too old to read children's books. People who dismiss them miss out on some of the very best writing & art. (And hashtags!)
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Books do not have ages. Books do not have genders. Every book is different; every reader is different. If we want kids to be readers, we need to give them the right to choose books for themselves. Respect the rights of the reader, and #LetBooksBeBooks!. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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Next week is #librariesweek! But if we care about the future of our kids, we should celebrate & support libraries EVERY WEEK. #SaveLibraries
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When I was at school, very few teachers read to us. But I'll always remember Mr Evans, who on a Friday afternoon would stop everything & just read us ancient myths. It didn't feel like work - but those lessons changed my life forever. #ReadingTeacher
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Why do so many adults read children's books? I think it's because children's books are really books for EVERYONE. They're written for an audience that includes children, but excludes no-one. So you can never be too old to read them, and to love them!.
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I don't think kids should EVER be discouraged from reading comics. I went through a few years when I read nothing else, and my mum worried that they would rot my brain. But they taught me visual as well as verbal literacy. I still love them & I wouldn't be a writer without them.
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READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So please don't discourage them by telling them they're behind. Encourage them by reading with them & helping them find books they really want to read - and #literacy will follow!.
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If a child READS FOR PLEASURE, that child will do better in almost every way than a child who does not. Reading for pleasure isn't just fun - it's life-changing, and every single child deserves every possible chance to become a reader, and gain all the benefits of #literacy!.
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Why read books? Because books are the most amazing storytelling technology - all they need to work is YOUR OWN IMAGINATION!.#literacy
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Never forget: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So please never stop sharing books with kids - not just today, but every day! Never stop reading to them & helping them to read. Never stop changing lives. #WorldBookDay.
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I've just re-read TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN, and it was even better than I remembered. I think it's one of the greatest books of all time – a book that transcends time, like the garden itself. It was published 62 years ago, but writing this good never goes out of style.
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All the evidence shows reading for pleasure is key to #literacy. The government should recognise this & give teachers the time they need to READ TO KIDS EVERY DAY without testing! If you agree, please support @EgmontUK's campaign for #StatutoryStorytime:.
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EVERY CHILD CAN BE A READER. There is a book for everyone out there - but many kids haven't yet found the right book for them. So whatever else you do, never stop sharing books with kids. Never stop reading to them, and helping them to read. Never stop changing lives. #literacy.
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It's official! It took me 9 long, hard years to write it, but my new book TYGER will be published this October 2022 by @DFB_storyhouse, with stunning illustrations by @DaveMcKean, who also illustrated Varjak Paw & Phoenix. I think TYGER is even better - my best book so far!.
"I believe Tyger is my best book so far. I wanted to write a story even more exciting than Varjak Paw, and even more ambitious than Phoenix", @DFB_storyhouse has signed Tyger, a new tale from @whatSFSaid, with illustrations by @DaveMcKean!
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I do not write books for boys. I do not write books for girls. I do not write books for any gender, or any age. I want my books to be read by ANYONE & EVERYONE who wants to read them, in whatever way they want to read them. #LetBooksBeBooks. (Art: Quentin Blake)
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This means everything to me. I've put everything I have, everything I know, everything I love into Tyger. So it's an emotional moment, holding the finished book in my hands. Please consider pre-ordering; it makes a massive difference to a book's chances:.
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I've seen a kind of magic happen when teachers read BOOKS aloud to kids. It's the kind of magic that stays with you for life. #literacy
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