So we're well and truly into the new year and I'm back to school on Monday so I'm trying to make the most of the break by doing as little school work as possible! Anyone else in the same boat?
Here is another new meme for me. It's called 6 Degrees of Separation and is hosted by Annabel and Emma over at Books are me Favourite and Best.
The meme was inspired by Hungarian writer and poet Frigyes Karinthy. In his 1929 short story, Chains, Karinthy coined the phrase ‘six degrees of separation’. The phrase was popularised by a 1990 play written by John Guare, which was later made into a film starring Stockard Channing. Since then, the idea that everyone in the world is separated from everyone else by just six links has been explored in many ways, from ‘six degress of Kevin Bacon‘ to the science of connections. And now it’s a meme for readers.
So, to the meme. On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.
How the meme works
Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge.
A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the ones next to them in the chain.
I liked this meme as quite a bit of thought and work has to go into it. Now as you know, I'm into children's books up to and including middle grade. Annabel and Emma read adult fiction, so I set myself the extra challenge of linking 6 children's books to theirs. As always, I have linked all the books where I can.
So here we go ...
The starting book is Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor-Jenkins Reid.
Book 1: A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Synopsis
Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In his signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations, two-time Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. This utterly simple and wordless story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.
If you didn't notice, I linked the title word Daisy!
Book 2: Wrecking Ball: Diary of a Wimpy Kid book 14 by Jeff Kinney
Synopsis
In Wrecking Ball, an unexpected inheritance gives the Heffley family a chance to make major improvements to their home. But they soon find that construction isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. When things get rough, will the Heffleys be able to stay... or will they be forced to move?
The fourteenth book in Jeff Kinney's hilarious and bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
Book 2 was linked by the word ball in the title.
Book 3: Flat Stanley Pays Ball by Jeff Brown
Synopsis
A charming sports story from Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley for Egmont's Blue Banana series. When Stanley Lambchop joins the rounders team, he discovers that being flat can help him play. But not everyone thinks flat players should be allowed. You can't change who you are, though, as Stanley soon discovers . . . Blue bananas are chapter books for children learning to read, suitable for NC Level 2 readers. They are carefully designed educational books for children, supporting their understanding of how to read and develop vocabulary. Blue bananas uses speech bubbles to aid understanding of dialogue and the text encourages children to explore the feelings of characters.
I could have linked the word ball again but instead I linked the author's first name, Jeff for this one.
Book 4: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle
Synopsis
A classic picture book by Eric Carle and Bill Martin, Jr - Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Exuberantly coloured artwork and favourite animals make this rhythmic story the perfect introduction to looking and learning about colours. Each spread leads seamlessly into the next and young children will delight in Eric's colourful collage animals and simple repetitive language. The book has been printed in a sturdy board book edition - perfect for little hands!
Eric Carle is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of books for very young children. Eric lives in Massachusetts.
For this book I linked the word brown.
Book 5: We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Synopsis
Celebrate 30 wonderful years of We're Going on a Bear Hunt in this special anniversary edition of the much-loved family favourite.
We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. Will you come too? For thirty years, readers have been swishy-swashying and splash-sploshing through this award-winning favourite. This new anniversary board book brings the story to life for a whole new generation of young readers. Follow and join in the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river, squelch through the mud and brave their way through the swirling, whirling snowstorm in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in the cave on the other side of the dark forest!
If you hadn't guessed, I linked the word bear.
Book 6: An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
Synopsis
A thrilling and moving novel about an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war, for anyone who loved The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips or The Butterfly Lion...
By the award-winning former Children's Laureate and author of War Horse.
Dresden, 1945. Elizabeth and Karli's mother works at the zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. Then the zoo director tells her that the dangerous animals - including the elephants - must be shot before the town is bombed. Unable to give Marlene up, their mother moves her into the back garden to save her... and then the bombs start to fall.
Their home destroyed, the whole family must flee the bombed-out city and through the perilous, snow-covered landscape, all the while avoiding the Russian troops who are drawing ever closer. It would be hard enough to do, without an elephant in tow...
For my last book, I linked the first name of the author Michael Rosen with the first name of the author Michael Morpurgo.
Phew! That was hard work but I really enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to having another go next month.
Happy reading,
Allison x
Oh, BRAVA for doing a children's chain! Although my kids are grown and I don't have any grandchildren, I know Brown Bear! My kids loved it when they were little. Here's my chain. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/01/04/6degrees-of-separation-for-january-4-2020/
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in and I'll look forward to chains featuring children's books (sometimes we start with a children's book because they always prompt chains going in all sorts of directions).
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of using children's books! My daughter never really took to Flat Stanley, but she sure loved We're Going on a Bear Hunt. That is always a fun one to read together. And Elephant in the Garden is new to me, but I like the sound of it. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete