Issue 2 (autumn 2009) is hot off the press! 
Visit www.alphabetsoup.net.au to subscribe, or to purchase single copies online. If you prefer to go into a store, we are pleased to advise that there are now two stores stocking the magazine in Western Australia:
Westbooks, 396 Mill Point Rd, Victoria Park WA
Zero to Ten, 330 South Tce, South Fremantle WA (Zero to Ten are open Tues to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays 9 am to 5 pm.)
Gleebooks Children’s is holding an event for children under 9 years. Put on your favourite superhero outfit (or create a new one!). Here are the details:
You are invited to join the exclusive Baxter branch of Superheroes.
Apply between 3 and 4 pm on Saturday, 4th April 2009 at the little church hall, opposite St Johns Church, St Johns Rd Glebe.
Extraordinary Ernie and his marvellous sidekick Maud the sheep, along with Fearless Frances Watts, will encourage you to take up your crimefighter cloak and meet Housecat Woman, the Amazing Desmond, Valiant Vera and Super Whiz.
Expect:
Cape swirling
Zooming
Easter egg hunt
Book launch
Special superhero bargain of 2 books for the price of 1
Story reading
Don’t forget to wear your superhero costume. Come as your favourite, or create a character of your own!
Admittance $5
RSVP Essential: events@gleebooks.com.au
Issue 2 of Alphabet Soup magazine is at the printer’s – you’ll be reading it by Wednesday 18 February!
To subscribe (only $29.80, including p&h), or to order single copies, go to www.alphabetsoup.net.au.
If you’re in Western Australia and prefer to buy through a store, Westbooks children’s bookstore should have this issue in stock by 20 February. You can find Westbooks at 396 Mill Point Rd, Victoria Park, WA.
Alphabet Soup magazine now has online ordering for local (Australian) and overseas addresses! (Go to www.alphabetsoup.net.au and click on the subscribe tab.)
Issue 2 will be out next week! Inside you’ll find: a Q&A with Duncan Ball, what’s cool about scuba diving, stories, poems, book reviews, crossword, kids’ writing, our issue 1 competition winners, and a new writing competition for kids.
Don’t miss it!
Now everyone is back at school and settling into first term, it must be time for a spot of reading. Or several spots.
If you live in SA, you can take part in the 2009 Premier’s Reading Challenge, SA.
If you’re in Vic, you have the 2009 Premier’s Reading Challenge, Vic.
And if you’re in NSW, you’ll be after the 2009 Premier’s Reading Challenge, NSW.
Happy reading!
Students in years 7, 8 and 9 (living in NSW and the ACT) may be interested in the Sydney Writers Festival ‘writenow’ Competition.
There are iPods and books up for grabs!
For more info, see http://www.swf.org.au/writenow-competition/
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.
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!
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!
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!
alphabetsoup.net.au 