What We'll Build: Plans for Our Together Future

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What We'll Build' is a timeless classic in the making for every parent and educator building a future for the children in their care. Oliver Jeffers can do no wrong when it comes to beautiful picture books. His latest offering is a companion book to Here We Are. Here We Are was written for his son, while What We’ll Build has been written for his daughter. She is the main character alongside Jeffers himself in the story.

Here we have a narrative that to me reads as a widowed father building a new life with his young daughter. There’s a wedding ring but no mother/wife. Dad and his daughter make their own home, they keep out and then let in their enemies, go on trips, collect treasured things. Agenda books: Anti-Racist Baby, Feminist Baby. I gave my kids Buddhist baby books and I already feel embarrassed/silly about it. Like I'm taking advantage of their age and impressionability to start a brainwashing campaign. Anyway, these are the books that have Important Values that the parents are anxious to impart on their kids, but that are probably just waaay over the kids' heads and I almost feel bad dragging them into the shitty parts of society (prejudice, etc), especially when it's clumsily written. Don't get me started on the anti-racist baby book: "point to policies, not people" - right. I'll tell that to my toddler. : Now think carefully about the word build. What do you think of when you first hear this word? What sort of things do you think can be built? Make a list of all the things you can think of. This week in Meadows we have been looking at the story ‘What We’ll Build’ by Oliver Jeffers. This lovely story gave us the opportunity to talk about the different materials and tools we may use to build, as well as discussing including everyone in our plans.Problematic classics: All that mostly Medieval, pre-20th century stuff where children are eaten by witches or ogres if they disobey their parents, or otherwise mutilated (fingers cut off, turned into mince pies, etc), or terribly sexist stuff where women are almost always damsels in distress/princesses in towers waiting on some plastic Ken doll. Colorful, fun, something we choose to basically never expose to our kid except via movie time (i.e. old Disney). Next week we will continue our outdoor learning so please continue to ensure your child has waterproofs and wellies in school. Before I became a parent, I didn't - obviously? - traffic in any of the Parenting Industrial Complex and various parenting subcultures. I had zero knowledge of "attachment parenting", zero opinion on "parenting philosophies", and basically zero experience in any of this stuff. Family- and child-centric entertainment and culture had mostly eluded me for the ~20 years between me being a teenager (and rejecting "kid stuff") and me actually having a kid. In rhymes, Jeffers also shows us the family they create together, a dad and girl curled up at night by a fire, a pair using their imaginations to ‘play’ games where they visit the moon. In the classroom, 'What We'll Build' is a great starting point for Primary-age children to articulate their hopes and aspirations for the future and the 'tools' they might need to achieve them. This is the perfect accompaniment to 'Here We Are: plans for Our Together Future' that many schools, including my own are using as a whole school text this September. Once again, Oliver Jeffers has created a book that can be appreciated on many different levels, again making it versatile enough to be enjoyed across school.

The lines on his left index finger? Jeffers’ wife Suzanne was biting him so hard as she gave birth to their daughter Mari, he thought she would break the skin (though he was given short shrift by the doctors when he interrupted the labour to say he was in pain). “The next day,” he says, “I still had those big indentations and I thought, ‘There’s something nice about that.’ So I had her teeth marks tattooed in that place.” In small group times, we have been talking about friendship and how we can share using kind words with our friends, such as using ‘my turn, your turn’. We are continuing to share our talking boxes in group times for those children that have been the focus of that week. It has been lovely to hear about all the special things in our children’s lives, we can’t wait to hear more! Talk about what is happening here. Who can you see? Whose hands do you think these are? What makes you think this? How can you describe the hands? Children will love his playbook for building a future of love and imagination, and they will delight in the special relationship the father and daughter share.”— BooklistOliver Jeffers is talking about his many, many tattoos. He has sold millions of picture books all over the world – beautifully drawn creations about, say, friendly aliens in broken-down spaceships – but his most personal illustrations by far are the ones that are etched into his own skin. The crosses on his wrist? To mark the spot where he had surgery for a torn ligament “to remind me that my body is fragile and to be careful”. The striking illustrations in Jeffers’ instantly-recognisable signature style are simply delightful and so detailed that each time of reading you will notice something new. Young children will enjoy spotting the little pink pig throughout the story and the penguin, a well-loved recurring character in Jeffers’ books makes an appearance. The story begins with the father and daughter building a door, symbolic of the many doors we can open for our children as parents and educators. Open doors stand for opportunity, hope and positivity which are recurrent themes in the book. In the classroom, ‘What We’ll Build’ is a great starting point for Primary-age children to articulate their hopes and aspirations for the future and the ‘tools’ they might need to achieve them. This is the perfect accompaniment to ‘Here We Are: plans for Our Together Future’ that many schools, including my own are using as a whole school text this September. Once again, Oliver Jeffers has created a book that can be appreciated on many different levels, again making it versatile enough to be enjoyed across school. Oliver Jeffers does it again with another visually stunning and narratively endearing book, this time written for his young daughter. The text is sparse, reflecting how each word and phrase was carefully chosen to convey a tone of care, wonder, and determination. Accompanied by colorful, expressive, and detailed illustrations, this book highlights life’s endless opportunities and a parent’s enduring love. It’s the perfect read for any kind of new beginning~ beginning of the school year, beginning of the calendar year, beginning of a new birth year, or even the beginning of a new life (an excellent baby shower gift for parents to read to their littlest little)~the perfect book to inspire littles to plan and work together to build the future of their dreams, while reassuring and affirming them that you will be there to support them and build alongside them the entire way.

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) has produced a set of teaching notes to provide schools with sessions that focus on the importance of illustration in building a narrative and supporting children’s response. They build on their work supporting teachers to use picture books to enhance critical thinking and develop creative approaches in art and writing. The teaching notes show how picture books can be used in schools to enhance children’s reading comprehension and composition of their own creative writing. There are strong links with geography here ... and it hits Ofsted's 'reading across the curriculum' focus too (a key element of their Education Inspection Framework [EIF]). Modern hits from the recent, post-my-own-childhood past: Strega Nona. The Day the Crayons Quit. Press Here. Stuff like that - stuff that's enjoyable to both the parents and the kids. This week is road safety week. As a class we have talked about the importance of holding an adult’s hand when crossing the road, as well as looking at the different road signs and what they mean. We played a game where we needed to look and follow the road signs such as stop and go. Just when you think Oliver Jeffers' work can't get any better, he releases yet another stunner. Every bit as wonderful as his other books 'What We'll Build' is the story of parenthood; the hopes and dreams we have for our children's futures, the protection we give them and the sharing of ever-lasting love. When you have thought of something, take a piece of paper and a pencil and draw what you imagined. You could add some colour as well if you like.When you’re someone who loves books, there is a tendency to pass on your love for reading and making more people read. In a world dominated by technology, take my word when I say that young children feel delighted to read something as physical and personal as a book, and reading Children’s books with your kids, or nephews and nieces is enjoyable for them as well as for you. His 2018 work My Northern Irish Passport showed a travel document bearing the words: “United Kingdom of Great Britain and … eh ... Is there supposed to be another bit?” He says: “That was part of a show I had in London after the Brexit vote. A review in an art magazine at the time didn’t even get it. I was, like, that just proves the point.” His latest book is dedicated not just to his daughter but also his late mother, Marie, who died when he was 20 after living with multiple sclerosis for almost his entire life. He believes the experience gave him a “superpower” of sorts. “It underlined what was important. I liken it to being given a stepladder and being able to look over the parapet of everydayness. You can see past a lot of the pettiness, a lot of the bullshit, a lot of the minutiae. You can see to the heart of what’s worth living for, what’s worth fighting for.” We will also be setting you a Half Term challenge to make up your own dance to one of your favourite songs! Look out for a video on Evidence Me towards the end of the week!

Nonetheless, even while despairing about the “tribal thinking” of the Brexit negotiations, Jeffers retains a bouncy hopefulness. “I have described myself in the past as a grim optimist,” he says. “And even when I’m pointing out dark things, I still think there’s a lightness of touch there because otherwise I’d just be a nihilist. And what’s the point in hopelessness?” The father-daughter duo build their home, the only material thing they construct, and then they invest their time in the importance of building love, hope, resilience, forgiveness and warmth. The tools are laid out at the very beginning, a selection of hammers, saws, drills (and a tiny pink pig!) from a shiny, red toolbox but we come to realise that the real ‘tools’ we need as parents when building our futures together are trust, comfort, compassion, unconditional love. The toolbox appears throughout the book as if to remind us that we carry these tools around with us on our parenting journey. Just when you think Oliver Jeffers’ work can’t get any better, he releases yet another stunner. Every bit as wonderful as his other books ‘What We’ll Build’ is the story of parenthood; the hopes and dreams we have for our children’s futures, the protection we give them and the sharing of ever-lasting love. Task 1:Think again about what you think these two characters might build. See if you can imagine the things they are building and think about them building those things. Where are they? What do they look like? What are they building? What are they using to build? Purples and pinks dominate in this beautiful book that speaks of a father and daughter as they dream, plan and build for the future. The text rhymes and is written as a poem. It is also about relationships – that between the male figure and the young girl, but also about solving problems, forgiveness, and dealing with anger.

The Great Race - Chinese Zodiac

It’s as much about what you read into it as what Jeffers tells us. So adults and small children alike will be able to connect with the words and the characters. Children will love his playbook for building a future of love and imagination, and they will delight in the special relationship the father and daughter share." -- Booklist Jeffers wrote this book for his daughter Mari and it is the story of a father and daughter exploring the endless possibilities and adventures that they can enjoy as they build their lives together.