Happy New Year Breadcrumbers!

Happy New Year to you all!

Welcome to 2020 - a year where I hope to build and extend this blog to include a wider range of book reviews, blog tours, author interviews and just generally be a place which celebrates the power and brilliance of children's literature.

I often wonder whether what I'm doing is needed or relevant. With so many brilliant book blogs out there, how can I ever compete? I have limited time and, sadly, limited reading capacity meaning I will never be able to review or talk about as many books as I'd like.

But I love doing it! I love children's books and I love spreading the word about them...

And then, something kicked off in the New Year that reminded me that, big or small, what I'm doing is very, very relevant and even important...

Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning children's author of Millions, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Sputnik's Guide to Life and who has many other accolades to his name, spoke out publicly about the lack of recognition given to children's literature, particularly in recent years.

https://twitter.com/frankcottrell_b/status/1214099870740615168?s=20

Speaking out in anger and frustration, Boyce made the following statements;

'Children's books are important economically...important culturally...but most of all IMPORTANT TO OUR CHILDREN...However, children's books get very little attention in the arts media...my smallest and worst movie got more coverage than all my children's books altogether...this is important because it means that busy parents and teachers default to a few well-known names, brilliant names but not the whole story...'the mid-list' is where you'll fine bold, innotive, diverse work...this is where good critics come in..in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations...the new needs friends...so this is my resolution...I'm going to use my Instagram to post reviews from brand new and beloved older children's books...and events and festivals...please feel free to send links to blogs..I'm hoping over the months it will build into a useful and joyous place to visit.' (For Frank's full thread, please follow the link above.)

And so, reassured that there is still not only a place, but an urgent need for reviews of children's books - old and new- I will continue to do what I love doing and hope you'll enjoy sharing it with me.

Happy reading, Happy sharing, Happy promoting! Children's book rock :)