Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
Hello! My name is Jaclyn and after having my son in April 2016 I left my Facilities Manager role in London and I now run Lingotot Gravesend. I live in Hoo in Kent with my husband and our son Finn who is 2.5, and we love to travel to see my parents who live in rural Spain. I’m part of a book club who meet monthly and I love to read, sadly I don’t have as much time as I used to when I used to commute to London and had hours to read, but I now enjoy reading with my son who loves to sit down with a new book and read it over and over (and over…) again!
What is your son’s favourite book?
Finn’s current favourite is Oi Frog! By Kes Gray & Jim Field – it’s a hilarious rhyming story about a frog who discovers that all animals have their special places to sit. Finn loves saying the relevant rhyming word to the animal (i.e. cats sit on mats, foxes sit on boxes) and he’s learnt lots of new words as a result. There are lots of different animals in the series and I can’t wait to get more books for us to read.
Which book do you most like reading to him?
I Want A Zoo – A little young for Finn now but it’s a simple book for young children and I love how much children of any age enjoy it. The pop up animals are great for interaction, and when I read the Spanish version of it in my classes, the children are totally enthralled as they know the story already but are learning new words and so understand everything that’s read to them.
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
I can’t recall a particular favourite but I did love Enid Blyton books and the Famous Five! Roald Dahl was also another favourite – The Twits was the one I loved most and when they got made into films it was fantastic.
Who is your favourite children’s author?
I love Julia Donaldson – all of her books are beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler, simple to read and are a joy to immerse yourself in. I am always amazed at how Julia can come up with so many different stories and topics to write about and her rhyming is wonderful.
What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your son?
Something which will engage him, something he’ll learn from and lots of bright colourful pictures and easy to understand words that he can repeat, but also something I’d enjoy reading too!
About Lingotot Gravesend
Lingotot Gravesend teaches languages to children aged 0-11 in parent & child classes, in schools and nurseries. Our classes are full of fun with stories, games, songs and lots of wonderful props, and we are the only company to offer a qualification in languages to year 6 children at school. Lingotot have branches all over the UK and offer French, Spanish, German, Italian, Welsh, Mandarin and Arabic.
www.lingotot.com/centre/gravesend
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