2025 It’s 31st December 2025 and I’m evaluating my attempts to reach the objective I set out for myself on 1st January 2025 – ‘let reading come alive in 2025’: I’m following a wise man’s advice (aka Theodore Roosevelt) and continuing to do what I can, with what I have, where I am. As theContinue reading “Read With Julia: The Story So Far…”
Tag Archives: reading
Relationship Check
On Thursday 16th October, amid news of the UK government’s target for 90% of 5-6 year old pupils to reach the expected standard in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (PSC), my family attended the funeral of our dearly beloved friend, Jan Britton, at Margam Crematorium in Wales. Jan was an Early Years’ teacher. HerContinue reading “Relationship Check”
Just keep it simple
I believe Quentin Blake’s ‘Mrs Armitage on Wheels’ has some valuable lessons to teach us…
The Treasure of a Lively Inquiring Mind
I enjoy reading biographies best of all. I recently read Volume 1 of Iain Murray’s biography of Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Murray describes ‘the Doctor’ as a prolific reader and records Lloyd-Jones speaking about the motivation behind his reading: ‘”I have always believed,” he once said, “that the business of reading is to make oneContinue reading “The Treasure of a Lively Inquiring Mind”
‘The Whales’ Song’ by Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe
Have you experienced the poignant power of picturebooks? Can I give you a window into my world? Are you sitting comfortably?
BookTrust and Waterstones New Children’s Laureate for 2024-2026: Frank Cottrell-Boyce
It’s been an exciting week: Frank Cottrell-Boyce was appointed as the new Waterstones Children’s Laureate on Tuesday, followed by a new UK government and a new MP for North Herefordshire on Thursday! These changes feel like a breath of fresh air from where I’m standing.
Has learning to read in 2024 become a chore and a bore?
Saturday 29th June marked the end of my ‘Read with Julia’ pilot project at Ledbury Community Hub. If you look at the numbers, it wasn’t a rip-roaring success – but it’s given me plenty of food for thought…
Read with Julia 