News — ottie and the bea

Before putting the shutter down at the shop last night I spoke to all the toys and explained why we all needed to take a little holiday. So, they've all promised to look after each other and to take turns reading stories. I've banned drawing on the walls and partying too late into the night.

At the end of my first day at home I'm already missing them and you all dreadfully!

Today I've been wondering what we can do to help.... so, I have popped some useful links and resources and recommendations here. As we hear about other wonderful offers we will keep you updated - I promise.

Okido Magazine- a science and art magazine is a wonderful resource for 3-7 year olds. You can sign up for a subscription online. You can also enjoy their website and the free resources they have put up there.

Authors of Funny Books

Mac Barnett - Kid Spy storytime on Instagram a chapter every evening - (can be watched after the event) 

Phoenix Magazine - a brilliant comic from David Fickling Publishers.

Check out their offer on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pg/phoenixcomic/posts/

Middle Grade Fiction Authors

Lisa Thompson- insta live

Piers Torday- instagram book readings

Abi Elphinstone- youtube resources and check out authorfy

Scoop Magazine is a wonderful resource for children 8+ who like reading / books/ stories and you can sign up to receive the magazine.

Suggested resources: •

Authorfy- sign up for free and their resources are brilliant!!!

Walker Books YouTube channel - We have an array of authors interviews, readings and book trailers available to watch

Simon and Schuster Publishers-

Downloadable activities on our website: https://t.co/lV9lRZejlp?amp=1

Teaching resources & book notes on TES: https://t.co/NtQAOd0Brh?amp=1

Children's YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyK02hpIHfPA1ZkVGy7MiiZ-ey0VnsDwJ

Toppsta.com is a great resource for getting reading recommendations for your children by age and interest. They are also launching a new #ToppstaBookClub running every weekday on Twitter at 10am.

• BookTrust – the charity BookTrust have a number of book reviews, interviews with authors and illustrators, and tips and advice on sharing stories as a family.

• CLPE – The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education – CLPE have a number of free Primary materials and teaching resources from their Power of Pictures project • National Literacy Trust also host a number of resources on their own page as well as the child friendly site http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/

• CBeebies Bedtime stories – There’s a delightful array of picture book readings from Cbeebies bedtime stories available on iPlayer

• Down the Rabbit Hole podcast – DTRH is a radio show dedicated to children’s books, broadcast on Resonance FM and then available to download as a podcast. They have 70 episodes available to listen to now, packed with reviews and book discussions and author and illustrator interviews.

Art Activities

DJECO- who we love have posted some activity sheets for you to print out and use

http://www.djeco.com/kids/en

...we all look forward to seeing you all again soon

x

 

We are thrilled to have teamed up with Greenwich Kindness for their Art Competition.

"What does KINDNESS look like?" 

Read more

How to celebrate turning 8? Time flies...I find it hard to believe that we opened the doors to Ottie and the Bea 8 whole years ago- amazing!

And we now have two wonderful new Saturday staff - Scarlett used to come to our book club when it first started- i mean years ago and the other is Dicky Bird's wonderful daughter Meg -and I have known since she hit double figures.

Back to the how to celebrate....hmmm tricky...

And then the perfect solution just fell into place- Sparkle Child running a charity workshop to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. So, on Saturday 22nd September we were totally covered in sumptuous sparkle courtesy of Sparkle Child.

A stack load of sparkly mini meringues seemed like the perfect solution to a Birthday cake this year- so a big thank you to @ChristinaReynolds- they were / are delicious!!

Krystal who runs Sparkle Child is most definitely the Queen of Sparkle and was definitely very busy at our making table this afternoon. And we love her creations at Ottie and the Bea.

So, what do I wish for the year ahead.....well now that'd be telling but....

As I am sure you are all aware it isn't easy on the High Street at the moment. I didn't ever set Ottie and the Bea up to make a fortune - the intention has always been to become a part of our local community and to take home a weekly wage.

The big guys seem to just get bigger these days and as Amazon and Waterstones continue to grow I have to say that I feel really privileged to be a part of your lives and if we can provide a little bit of magic, well, I am a very happy lady.

Over the past couple of days I have suddenly become aware of the number of conversations in the shop that have centred around what is important in life. And I have to say that every day on leaving my home or dropping Ottie at school as I bump into folk on my way to work and say good morning, hello, how are you... I have to say I feel so lucky to live and work where I do!

Thank you all yet again for all your support

Julia x