Guest Book Archives - Ivy's Library

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Guest Book

Mon
04 ^th

Guest Post:
The Joy vs. the Mechanics of Reading
by Molly Scanlan

Molly Scanlan is an experienced ex-teacher who has taught phonics from nursery through to Key Stage 1. Here she shares her thoughts on the the joy versus the mechanics of reading.

“Think back to your childhood and your favourite memory of reading. Does it involve flashcards? How about the last great book you read recently? Did you love it because you recognised some unusual spellings?

I’m hoping the answer is no.

We love books because they make us laugh or cry or teach us something new. Or – if it’s a particularly good one – all three. My favourite books from childhood are the ones that transported me to fantasy worlds, the ones I reenacted in the garden, the ones my parents read to me while snuggled up at bedtime.

Wed
26 ^th

Guest Post: Creative Writing
for Creative Mothers
by Sarah Parrott, Owner of Write Sparks

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

I’ve met lots of wonderful women since starting my blog but without doubt one of the nicest is the lovely Sarah Parrott.

Sarah runs Write Sparks, a small business based in South East London which offers creative writing clubs for kids as well as learning support for schools.

In this guest post she talks about how creative writing has helped her cope with the trials and tribulations of parenting, and why she thinks you should try it too.

“Throughout our IVF adventure, a complicated pregnancy and a fairly turbulent time with our son’s medical needs, it was writing (and an unholy number of bourbon biscuits) that kept me going. I bought a cheap notebook early in my pregnancy, which soon became one of the most valuable things I own; filled with writing for Joel, for me to give to him when he grows up, or if he chooses to have children of his own.

Mon
27 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Sharan Hartley-Sagoo, Founder, The Happiest Brownie

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

I’m Sharan, I’m 41. I live in South Wales with my husband (Tommy) and our two daughters, Iona (5) and Ada (2). I grew up in Bedfordshire, but moved to South Wales for University and have pretty much been here ever since.

During the day I work in Public Protection, when I’m not trying to home school. When the house is quiet I am the Founder and Chief Baker at The Happiest Brownie, a postal brownie company. Tommy helps me out a lot, I couldn’t do this without him. He makes sure that he keeps the kids distracted for long enough periods of time, so I don’t have to bake with a small child hanging off my legs, or shouting “Brownies” at me and standing there with their mouth open until food is given. He is also chief printer.

Mon
22 ^nd

Ivy’s Guest Book: Rachel Notarbartolo,
Owner & Designer, Ivy White

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hi, I am Rachel! I am the owner of Ivy White, a luxury stationery and design studio. I am a graphic designer specialising on branding for small businesses and creating beautiful wedding stationery. I absolutely love my job! Having a home business is also great as it allows me to be with my little ones more.

I live in Windsor with my husband and our two children, Eva who is 4 and a half (the half is very important!) and Leo who is 2 and a half.

What are your children’s favourite books?

Eva loves so many books its hard to choose. She adores fairy tale stories, any princess falling in love with a prince and living happily ever after is right up Eva’s street. One book she does always go back to that isn’t a Disney tale is Room On The Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It’s a funny, rhyming story of quick wits and friendship. It starts with the witch and her cat flying happily around on their broomstick until strong winds hit, leading them to make new friends along the way and a dragon!

Tue
16 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Tricia Keracher-Summerfield, Founder, Portrayed Photography

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hello! I’m Tricia, – photographer, wife and mum to Mia (12), Isla (9) and Tristan (7). I grew up in Canada and moved to London more than 22 years ago. Over those years, I’ve had a few different jobs but nothing that really satisfied me. After the arrival of my third child, I decided it was time to follow my passion and turn my hobby into my career and launched Portrayed Photography. With three children under five years of age, the early days were a struggle and my time was very limited. Now that all three children are in school, I’ve been able to grow my business and expand from family photography to include personal branding and headshots for small business owners and freelancers. I photograph on location across London and the South East whether that be my client’s office, home or local park and in my South East London studio.

Mon
08 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Jennifer Warwick, Paediatric Speech & Language Therapist

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hi, I am Jennifer Warwick, I am a paediatric speech and language therapist and mama to two girls aged nearly 3 and nearly 5. I live with my girls and husband Alex in South East London. We love exploring the libraries and great selection of local independent book shops in our area. Books are something that I have always loved to buy so we are lucky to have a huge selection at home.

What are your daughters’ favourite books?

A longstanding favourite of my elder daughter’s is ‘Creaturepedia’ by Adrienne Barman. She was given it nearly a year ago and she returns to it at least a few times a week. It’s a pretty big book for a 4-year-old which I think she likes as it makes her feel grown up carrying it around! The book groups the animal kingdom into different headings with beautiful illustrations and unusual facts which my daughter loves to share with people, I mean who knew that an elephant seal could held their breath for 100 minutes!

Mon
01 ^st

Ivy’s Guest Book: Michelle Wiseman,
Founder, Little Wise Toys

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

My name is Michelle. I am based in South East London and live with my nine year old daughter who goes by her very own business name of Little Wise Junior (she is my Artistic Director too!). I am also the creator and owner of Little Wise Toys where I have designed and developed a range of screen-free educational and home learning toys for young children aged 3-6 (with a new product for 6-12 year olds focused on emotional development in the pipeline).

As Michelle’s daughter is in a slightly older age bracket than the usual focus of this blog series, they’re both going to cast their minds back to some of the early books they used to enjoy together in the pre-school years. Little Wise Junior is going to kick things off…

Mon
25 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Alice Boland, Co-Founder, Tiny Treat Boutique

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hello! I’m Alice and I run Tiny Treat Boutique with my sister Caroline. I live Hastings and I have a daughter aged 4.

What is your daughter’s favourite book?

We love reading ‘Diary of a Wombat’ by Jackie French. It’s about a wombat and his struggles with his humans. It is very funny and has a great rhythm, which we can take turns reading and reciting.

She is also a big fan of Don’t Put Your Finger in the Jelly, Nelly! There’s a hole on every page for her to poke her finger through and upset the monster on the other side.

Mon
18 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Sam O’Neill, Founder, Balance the Load

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hello my name is Sam, I’m founder of Balance the Load, parent of a 3-year-old firecracker called Sally and a 10-month-old meatball called Frank. We live in Nottingham but are originally from the south where houses cost too much for us. My partner and I are attempting to split childcare right down the middle – especially now we are on lockdown – which is making for some interesting conversations and challenges but also means we’re getting a lot of quality time with the kids and plenty of time for reading together.

What are your children’s favourite books?

My daughter Sally absolutely loves Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. Julián’s daydreams of being a mermaid are made reality when he smears on his grandmother’s lipstick and tears down her curtain to use as a tail. The beautiful watercolour illustrations and fantastic character designs captivate Sally each time we read it together. It also helps that she’s as fanatical about mermaids as Julián is.

Mon
11 ^th

Ivy’s Guest Book: Janine Green, Founder, Janine Green Coaching

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

I originally hail from Yorkshire, but have been in London for nearly half my life now. I live in Sydenham, South East London, with my husband, our 8 year old daughter and our 5 year old son.

What are your children’s favourite books?

Together, they absolutely love the ‘You Choose’ series of books, by Pippa Goodhart. They provide endless options for telling their own stories, and are accessible to all ages, so they can read them together. They can get lost in them for hours (I may be exaggerating there…), creating their ow worlds. They provide lots of opportunities for questions and discussion too.

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