This post has now moved over to Penny Reads, the new home for all my book related blog posts. Click here to read the post in full. If you, like me, have a fascination for old Ladybird books then please take a look at all the books I have featured here on Ladybird Tuesday over the years. There’s a list of the titles I have and links to when I covered them on Ladybird Tuesday here, but I will warn you that it’s rather in need of an update. If you have any old Ladybird books that you no longer want, photos of books in your collection that you want to share, or are trying to track ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: What on Earth are we doing?
No - this isn't some statement about the state of Ladybird Tuesday on this blog (although - maybe it should be!) but instead the question posed in the title of this week's Ladybird Tuesday book choice. What on Earth are we doing? is part of Ladybird's 1970s Conservation series (series 727). These books seem to have been published with two different cover versions, but I have to be honest and say that I'm not exactly sure which version of the cover came first. This title was published in 1976 and judging by the man on the cover of both versions I believe it to be just the covers that ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Islands
It’s somewhat fitting that I’m sat writing this week’s Ladybird Tuesday in a cafe on the island of Jersey (much more on that soon), because this week’s Ladybird Tuesday book choice is Islands from the Ladybird Leader series, number 737. Islands was one of the later titles in the Ladybird Leader series. A series which covers things as diverse as song birds and trains. Sounds and teeth. The aim of the series was to meet the “very real need” for “first information books” for children. Ones which help answer some of the questions that children have, whilst also encouraging reluctant ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Adventure at the castle
It's been a little while since we've visited the Ladybird Key Word Reading Scheme here on Ladybird Tuesday, but that's where we're headed today with book 10b in the series - Adventure at the castle. The early books in the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme are the ones that everyone seems to be familiar with. Simple sentences about Peter and Jane were how many of my generation learnt how to read. I'm guessing that many of us moved on to other books though and didn't progress on to the later titles in the series like this one. By Adventure at the castle we have left Peter and Jane ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Division Made Easy
Shockingly, it's over two years since Multiplication made easy appeared here on Ladybird Tuesday. Back then I wrote about how maths can really divide people as a subject. Some love it and some hate it. I've always thought of myself as being firmly in the "love maths" camp. When at school it was the lesson I always looked forward to. The idea of English or Drama on the timetable filled me with dread. Give me double maths over that any day of the week. I'd like to say that I'm still on the "love maths" side of the fence, but as Little Miss C has advanced through the school system (she's ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: ‘People at Work’ The Fireman
It's been a while since I've bought any new Ladybird books. Partly because I was trying to save money, but also partly because they just weren't to be found in local charity shops at a reasonable place. I've been travelling around the country a lot more recently though, and in doing so discovering new charity shops, and more Ladybird books! The whole of Ladybird Tuesday started with me featuring a book from series 606B, People at Work, when I wrote about In a Hotel. Since then though I've gone on and actually featured quite a few of this series, and it remains one of my absolute ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Trains
Oh the dalliances I'm having with Ladybird Tuesday! It comes back every now and again, before vanishing without even a goodbye. I'm sincerely hoping that this will be the start of a proper return, but bearing in mind how late in the day I'm finally getting round to writing this post this Tuesday, you never know... But enough of that and on to the book itself. Now Master C is more than a little obsessed with trains right now. In fact, I'm not even sure that "obsessed" is a strong enough word to be using. His whole day seems to revolve around either talking about trains, playing with ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: How to Make Presents
Oh dear - we've been AWOL again haven't we with Ladybird Tuesday. This new school routine has taken a bit of getting used to since September, but with half term now out of the way it's time to crack on until Christmas. And talking about Christmas - as my email inbox appears to be doing already this morning - it might be time to start thinking about presents. Ladybird have got this covered with their 1978 book handily titled How to make Presents. Now this title was part of series 633, but one of the additional titles that was brought out in the 1970s. The series was originally called ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: How it Works The Husband
Happy New Year Ladybird fans! All that Christmas card and letter writing put me a bit behind schedule in the run up to Christmas, but now the kids are back at school (and most importantly Master C in pre-school on Tuesdays!) Ladybird Tuesday is back to stay. And how else to start, but with the Christmas best seller The Husband. The Husband is one of the new series of comedy Ladybird titles which take a look at some of the modern day problems that now face those who grew up reading original Ladybird titles. All written by Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley these books combine original ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Ladybird by Design, the exhibition
Well that was a bit of a longer than planned break from Ladybird Tuesday - sorry! There's been no decrease in the Ladybird hunting activity here, but school summer holidays have got a bit in the way of writing about Ladybird books over the last month or so. But as September and the autumn arrives Ladybird Tuesday is back, and restarting with a bit of a different one. I had one of those getting older life events back in July and to mark it Mr C and I had a rare child-free day together in London. Over the years I've learnt that if there's something you really want to do, rather than dropping ... read more