We’re on the home stretch with issue 2 of Alphabet Soup – it will be out in mid-February! And we’ve finally put a sample of issue 1 on the website. So if you’d like a peek inside the magazine, go to www.alphabetsoup.net.au.
Behind the scenes: January 2009
Greg Mitchell has been very busy, and we’re currently adding his illustrations to the upcoming issue of Alphabet Soup. Issue 2 is due in February 2009 and includes an interview with Duncan Ball (author of the Selby books), an article about scuba diver Liz Brodie, book reviews, stories, poems, kids’ writing, a crossword and a kids’ writing competition!
For more information about the magazine (or to find out how to subscribe), see www.alphabetsoup.net.au and stay tuned!
What we’re reading: Can You Keep a Secret?
In our opinion, children just aren’t exposed to enough traditional rhymes anymore. Sharing them with your children aids memory, and encourages a love of rhythm, rhyme and poetry. It’s also FUN!
Can You Keep a Secret? is a selection of rhymes from a variety of cultures presented in a gorgeous hardback book. The illustrations, by Jobi Murphy, are appealing, colourful and simple.
The rhymes have been selected by Mark Carthew and are divided into sections: nursery rhymes, playtime rhymes, action rhymes, counting rhymes, finger plays, and lullabies and gentle rhymes.
Highly recommended!
Review copy provided by Random House
Wanted: writing by children
Are you aged 12 or younger? Do you like to write stories, poems, plays, book reviews, or letters? Then we need you to pick up a pen and get writing!
We love reading kids’ writing and we are currently considering material for the ‘Write On!’ section of Alphabet Soup‘s May issue. If you’d like to see your work published in the magazine, you can visit the Alphabet Soup website www.alphabetsoup.net.au (click on the ‘writers wanted’ tab) and read the guidelines there.
As well as seeing your work in print, all children who have work published in an issue of the magazine receive an entry into a prize draw for that issue.
And we’ll be announcing our second writing competition in Issue 2 (due out in February 2009) so stay tuned!
Help create a book sculpture at the State Library of WA!
Have you heard that the State Library of WA has been building a children’s library on their mezzanine level? It’s true! And over the school holidays, children can help create a book sculpture for this new area with artist-in-residence, Graham Hay. For more information, go to www.slwa.wa.gov.au/schoolhols.html where they also advertise other family activities over the summer break.
Merry Christmas from Alphabet Soup
Merry Christmas to our Alphabet Soup readers!
Thanks to everyone who subscribed or bought single copies this year – this ensures we can continue to publish the magazine! (Just a reminder – if you’re thinking of placing further orders, the introductory offer of free postage and handling for delivery to Australian addresses expires on 31 December 2008. We will honour orders postmarked 31 December 2008.)
Alphabet Soup News:
- On 29 November Gabrielle Bastow officially launched the magazine in Kings Park. (Gabrielle is a Literacy Consultant to the Benchmarking and Educational Measurement Unit who will manage the central components of the 2010 NAPLAN Testing Project.) Gabrielle gave a great speech! She also suggested we consider including a cryptic crossword (or some cryptic clues, if not a whole crossword) in future issues of the magazine. What do you think?
- We’ve started a new blog for the magazine (www.soupblog.wordpress.com) which has information such as book reviews, news about upcoming writer’s festivals with children’s events and behind-the-scenes info about what’s happening at Alphabet Soup.
- We held our first writing competition and we were impressed with the excellent stories and poems you sent in! Winners will be announced in January and a new competition will appear in the next issue of Alphabet Soup – which is due out in February 2009.
- If you live in WA we are pleased to advise that children’s bookstore, Westbooks, now stocks the magazine! You can find Westbooks at 396 Mill Point Rd, Victoria Park – they have friendly staff, and shelves and shelves of fabulous books. It’s worth a visit!
We hope you enjoy the holidays and find time to curl up with a good book. If Santa doesn’t leave a few books in your Christmas stocking, you can visit your local library! (And if you live in WA, don’t forget to record your books for the WA Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge.
If you’d like to be added to our email list for updates and news about the magazine and children’s book events, please send an email to editor@alphabetsoup.net.au with ‘subscribe enewsletter’ in the title.
Keep reading – and writing!
Rebecca
Editor
Rebecca Newman
Editor
editor@alphabetsoup.net.au
Ph: 0412 820 478
Alphabet Soup Publishing
PO Box 742, Willetton WA 6955
www.alphabetsoup.net.au
Kerry Millard’s website
Today, while looking for information about Duncan Ball’s upcoming book My Sister Has a Big Black Beard, I stumbled upon Kerry Millard’s website.
It’s a fun, colourful site and has lots of her drawings and includes a blog.
It’s worth a visit!
Issue 1’s writing comp closed
The writing competition for issue 1 has now closed. Thanks for your entries! We will start reading them all this week and will let you know the winners in January.
If you were hoping to pen something and just ran out of time, you can either keep an eye out for Issue 2 (out in February 2009) or send us something for the Write On section of the magazine (A poem, short story, letter or book review). Write On is not a competition but it does give kids aged 12 and under a chance to see their writing published in an Australian magazine! Go to the Alphabet Soup website for more details.
WA Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge 2008 – 2009
Visit the Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge website! Information is being distributed to schools and libraries and the challenge starts on 11 December 2008.
Get reading!
Perth Writers’ Festival 2009 – kids’ events!
Did you know that the Perth Writers’ Festival has kids’ events? As part of the Festival, look out for Perth Writers Festival Family Day – a free day of activities for children and their parents on Sunday 1 March at the University of Western Australia for ages 1 to 12! You can register to receive the full program of events by going to the Perth Writers’ Festival website. The program is due out at the end of January.
In the line-up of events, there’s even a children’s stand-up comedian – James Campbell – visiting from the UK! This is what the Perth Writers’ Festival has to say about him:
Warm up your funny bones for the world’s only stand-up comedian for children. Think there is no such thing? Think again. James’ unique style covers everything from parents to Playstations, why we have hair and what he had for breakfast. Top quality stuff for children over the age of 6, their parents and anyone
who likes comedy without the rude words. And there might even be an otter – but probably not.
He belongs on stage THE NEW YORK TIMES
The best sort of absurdist comedy there is THE GUARDIAN
I should have given him six stars – just too brilliant SUNDAY HERALD
My seven-year-old was howling with laughter and so was I DAILY MAIL
His stand-up has achieved almost holy status – don’t miss SUNDAY TIMES
James Campbell is a stand-up comedian for children who talks about topics relevant to kids or anyone who has ever been a kid – everything from parents, Playstations and breakfast foods to deeply philosophical questions like ‘why we have hair?’ His show is aimed at children aged six and above, their parents and anyone who enjoys top-quality comedy without the swearing.
James has made numerous appearances at the Edinburgh Festival, including shows in the Ballroom of the prestigious Assembly Rooms (2004) and at the Spiegeltent (from 2005 to 2007) He has performed his Comedy 4 Kids show at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Hay-on-Wye literary festival, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Comedy Store (London) and many UK comedy festivals. His largest audience to date is 4000 children at the Royal Albert Hall. James regularly hosts special events for charities and frequently works as MC for the Ulster Symphony Orchestra narrating such works as Peter and the Wolf. He completed a highly acclaimed Broadway season at The New Victory Theatre in New York in 2006 and began an extensive tour of Canada in 2007, which will continue in Spring 2008.
James also writes plays, poems, articles and songs.
For more info about James Campbell, you can visit his website: www.jamescampbell.info.
alphabetsoup.net.au 