Blog author, Robert Hart and Carole Fletcher are creatives and educators who have worked together on large inspirational internet education projects over 20 years and have a pedigree in various art forms. We are passionate about reflecting life's journey through stories, paintings and photographs.
The Little Angel Press launched in June 2009 with its first publishing project, Robert’s novel Rebecca’s Secrets and Carole's luscious Seascape and Landscape photographs.
Giving Children a Voice
Robert and Carole also want to give children a voice and an interested audience. As founders of the Bafta-winning Intuitive Media, a global social enterprise dedicated to nurturing children’s creativity, we have inspired over a million children around the world to be writers and artists. Now, with partners Scholastic UK, and Intuitive Media we want to bring children’s writing and art to a new audience.
In August 09 we published our first books written by children: Young Authors of the Year with 65 award-winning stories from children aged 7 to 13 and Imagine - a full colour picture essay about life and the universe by 12 year old Anjit Tandahar.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Little Angel Press
Just Imagine
Many adults think we have all the answers and that our role is to teach these to children, but we have found that children ask themselves highly challenging questions and their curiosity and quest for understanding can generate imaginative ideas and sometimes they come up with very practical solutions to world problems. We are proud to present Imagine - the thoughts of Anjit Tandukar.
Always questioning, challenging and reflecting, Anjit puts forward some remarkably sophisticated theories about the future of the universe, the environment, technology and the human race that would make even the world’s most eminent scientists stop and think. At the same time, children and young people will be captivated by Anjit’s imaginings.
As well as sharing with us his logic, intuition and charming unbridled imagination; Anjit also invites us into his inner personal world. With unusual insight he explores the feeling of being the only human being alive. His musings on this question will challenge the greatest philosophical thinkers whilst at the same time striking a chord with all young people on the brink between childhood and young adulthood who wonder about their own sense of identity and individualism.
Young Authors of the Year
“We are committed to inspiring children to enjoy writing and to become authors, so we launched The Young Author of the Year Competition in 2008. Thousands of children took part and submitted stories showing their huge talent and creativity The children wrote their stories at school and at home, taking hours, even days, to perfect them and the results are amazing – inventive, imaginative, entertaining and often very funny."
This book includes stories from all the shortlisted writers and of course the two winners, ten-year-old Abhyankar from SuperClubsPLUS and twelve-year-old Katherine from GoldStarCafe, selected by children's authors Rachael Wing and Dan Freedman.
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Rebecca's Secrets
At last my first novel is published here! Here's the blurb...
What happens when a boy starts asking questions? It’s New Year’s day, 1956, and as the low winter sun penetrates the dark corners of Eric Street, it sets fire to a boy’s curiosity.
“Until this day I’d lived unaware. I didn’t live my life — it lived me. But I did know I was different from other kids. There was something secret about me and my family. That morning I became curious. That day I started asking questions.”
Charming, funny and sad, this novel is based on a true story. Tommy Angel is an orphan growing up with his grandparents, Rebecca and Daniel, in the East End of London in the Fifties.
Tommy tries to make sense of the world around him but his questions arouse shameful memories, stir the family ghosts and open a box of dark family secrets. Gradually he uncovers the truth about his lost sisters, his real father and mother.
The author, a distinguished educator, born in 1945, grew up in an extended Jewish family in the East End of London. This debut novel is based his childhood.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
200,000 Kids Cross the Greenland Ice Cap
Niall McCann (left) and Murray Smith (right) of Team Epic (Patron Sir Ranulph Fiennes) are good friends of SuperClubsPLUS and GoldStarCafe, so were happy to take about 200,000 children with them on their epic 25-day crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap.
They journeyed on foot, unsupported – just the two of them, hauling 90kg sleds 335 miles up and over the mile thick ice cap, from Tasiilaq on the East coast to Kangerlussuaq on the West coast. While on the ice they risked close encounters with polar bears, they spent whole days skiing in whiteout conditions with gale-force winds and temperatures as low as -25°C plus wind-chill. Their ski bindings broke. They suffered blisters, sunburn, snow blindness, and frostbite in some awkward places. Murray even met one of Santa's Elves.
They shared all the risk, all the effort and sometimes the excruciating pain with the children of SCP and GSC who walked with them every step of the way through their blog in the Adventure Club and their courageous efforts inspired over 100 children to write accounts of their own real life adventures.
Monday, 27 April 2009
Must-Read Report from ACMA
I recommend a read of the latest report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority on developments in internet filtering technologies and other measures for promoting online safety (Apr 2009)
Check out p. 43 for a good overview of the use (or not) of age verification to validate children online.