The Issue Ofhumour
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The issue ofHUmoUR and Lis iriendsT3ill Barnacle dSam TO 2 BOOKS FOR KEEPS No. 7 MARCH 1981 Reviewers - the magazine of the in this issue Editor's Page 3 School Bookshop Association News and comment from the Editor MARCH 1981 No. 7 Whatever Makes You Laugh 4 Lance Salway talks about humorous books and recommends titles to raise some ISSN: 0143-909X necessary laughter Editor: Pat Triggs Designer: Alec Davis Typsetting by: Curtis Typesetting, Reviews 7 Gloucester Printed by: Surrey Fine Arts, Redhill Paperback Surrey Nursery/Infant Jill Bennett infant/Junior Editorial correspondence: Jill is an infant teacher, currently on a Lower Junior Pat Triggs course at the Institute of Education in Junior/Middle 36 Ravenswood Road London. She is Literary Editor of Child Middle/Secondary Bristol, Avon, BS6 6BW Education and on the Board of the SBA. Tel: 0272 49048 Hardback 11 New titles for new readers Subscriptions and advertising: Richard Hill Asterix and his Creators 12 1 Effingham Road Anthea Bel) talks about Translating Lee, London, SE12 8NZ Goscinny and Tony Bradman meets Uderzo Tel: 01 -852 4953 ©School Bookshop Association 1981 Authorgraph No, 7 14 No. 7 March 1981 Beverly Cleary Registered office: National Book League, Book House, Steve Bowles How to ... Stock your 17 45 East Hill, Wandsworth, London SW18. Steve was a secondary English teacher and co-producer of Reviewsheet until it ceased Bookshop publication. He is now writing full-time. Brian Joyce recommends learning from All photographs, unless otherwise credited, the customers by Richard Mewton. If I had some money I would 18 buy this book . _ can be obtained Children look at non-fiction on subscription by sending a cheque or postal order to the Subscription Secretary, Is Everything Dandy with 20 SBA, 1 Effingham Road, Lee, London SE12 8NZ. Beano? Tel: 01 -852 4953 Brian. Walsh and Nicholas Tucker consider comics Annual subscription for six issues: £4.50 UK, £7.50 overseas. Colin Mills (left) News 22 Single copies direct from the SBA: Colin is in the Division of Teaching Studies at 75p UK, £1.25 overseas. Worcester College, where he helps run a Diploma in Children's Literature. He's taught Opinion 24 in a comprehensive school, a primary school Steve Bowles swipes at Celebrity Snares and worked in radio. Published by the Bill Boyle (right) Sound and Vision 25 School Bookshop Association Bill teaches in Middle School in Wirral. He News and views about books on radio, TV was founding Deputy Editor of Junior and films with the help of Lloyds Bank, Education. six times a year. You Tell Me 26 Roger McGough and Michael Rosen prove that poetry can be fun too SBA news 28 Cathy Lister Cathy teaches in a middle school in Staffordshire, with responsibility for English and Language across the Curriculum. LOOKING AHEAD In the May issue we are going to town on Poetry and Picture Books. Front cover illustrations: Burtyio Bluegum & friends, Nurse Matilda and Mat Stanley, see pages 4 & 5; Dandy, Beano and Topper Plus news, reviews and all our characters, see pages 20 & 21; Asterix, regular features. pages 12 & 13. David Bennett David (no relation to Jill) is a-former librarian, and currently Head of English in a Nottinghamshire secondary school. BOOKS FOR KEEPS No. 7 MARCH 1981 3 EDITOR'S PAGE You'd think producing an issue of Full of humour, she is also the magazine on the theme of perceptive and thoughtful, humour would be one long laugh. I especially about children and what should have known — they say we are doing to them. She talked humour is a serious business. about a recent visit to New Zealand, We've hovered between disaster 'I left there feeling that we don't do and farce (more about the farce well by children in the USA. In later); but as in all good stories it New Zealand they were such good all came right in the end, and here's listeners. When I talk with children Books for Keeps No. 7 with lots of at home they are so busy thinking ideas, information and comment. about themselves and their Available in hardback questions that they don't listen to Ann Thwaite wrote to us about Seriously though .., the answers.' That sounded all too another anthology, her own All What about comics? Have you familian Then there was her story Sorts of Poems, recommended in noticed that children invariably of meeting children fishing for the Magnet paperback edition in read them with dead pan faces? Not minnows by the Thames, When Books for Keeps 6. 'I think I a smile in sight. Adults still get asked what they were doing, the should point out, in justice to the steamed up about them. Only a few boys were friendly and forthcoming, publisher who took on the book in weeks ago a contributor to the keen to explain; the girls' response the first place, and to help any Sunday Times suggested that the was, 'We're not doing anything school librarian who can actually glorification of naughtiness and wrong, Miss.' Food for thought? afford hardbacks, that it is also anti-social behaviour in comics was Beverly Cleary wrote the Henry available in a rather sumptuous having a bad effect on kids. We Muggins books in the Fifties but edition with sepia illustrations from asked Nicholas Tucker what he they have only recently been Angus and Robertson at £3.95.' thinks. (See page 20) available here. In April Hamish In the same article Bill Boyle also Still contemplating comics we Hamilton publish a third title, mentioned Hist Whist!, out of print discovered that Uderzo, the man Henry in the Clubhouse, and in Piccolo but still available in who draws Asterix, was making a Fontana Lions promise Henry and hardback from Evans, rare visit to this country. Beezus in the autumn. There's also a new Ramona book on the way. In our next issue We despatched Tony Bradman, All of which brings me very neatly who claims to speak fluent French • New in this issue to the next issue which is about (Is there no limit to the man's Opinion (page 24) is a new feature Poetry and Picture Books. Michael talents?) to interview him. (See which we intend to run regularly. Rosen, Quentin Blake, Eleanor page 13). Space to blow your top is what we Farjeon, David McKee are just a Asterix has millions of fans, not offer. We shall be inviting people to few of the people featured. To whet least of which, we hear, was the contribute but if you have your appetites three first-class late President De Gaulle. He something to say just sharpen your picture books are published this enjoyed Asterix so much that at pencil (or your stiletto) and get month. The Most Amazing Hide- one cabinet meeting in the Elysee writing. Who better to start us off and-Seek Counting Book (Kestrel, Palace he called the register of than Steve Bowles? £4.50) is Robert Crowther's follow- ministers (something he did at up to his Alphabet book, and is, if every meeting; they had to say • Getting started . Keeping going possible even more inventive. In the 'present') using the names of New too, and now available is the same pop-up, move-around style is characters from the Asterix books. completely re-designed and re- Eric Carle's The Honey Bee and Uderzo says a minister who was written SBA Handbook, How to the Robber (Julia MacRae, £4.50), present told him the story. I've been Set Up and Run a School a story/information book in the wondering how they worked out Bookshop. We think it's pretty same tradition as his Very Hungry who he thought was which! good (well, really fantastic actually) Caterpillar, The extra large pages One person who has no trouble and we know it's full of good, of Peter Spier's People (Worlds with language is Anthea Bell. I've practical ideas because we got them Work, £4.95) are literally crammed long admired her translations and from people who have made them was delighted when she agreed to work. Every bookshop should have write about Translating Goscinny, one. (For details see page 28) (Page 12) Unfortunately there Coming soon for those just getting wasn't space to include anything going, Starter Lists with suggestions about Nicholas, a Goscinny for your opening stock. character who never fails to make me laugh. • Never the twain shall meet? Or so it seemed when I spent the It says for 7-10 year olds on the best part of a week in February not books; but that didn't seem to stop meeting Roger McGough. (I said 150 parents and teachers we'd get to the farce later.) The appreciating the jokes in Dad first time there was I ringing the Makes the Decisions (the first bell of his flat in the Fulham Road; chapter of Nicholas on Holiday) there was he sitting around at with all sorts and conditions of when I read it to them recently. Penguin hoping someone would tell There's also Nicholas and the people. A super book which Gang and Nicholas and the Gang him what he was there for. The celebrates the sheer variety of Again — all from Beaver, second time he was in his flat; but I human kind. was stuck at the printers — and so A Family Favourite it went on. In the end he went to Happy Easter • Going to meet the author of a Australia. But he did send a letter T favourite book is always a little must oil my digeridoo and put on worrying.