Lindsay CampReseñas

Lily is always asking her father questions, however he gets annoyed sometimes. One day something strange happens and her dad becomes proud of her that she asks him why.

This book is about someone, the hippo, trying to change his or her self in order for the another person, the cheetah, to want to be friends with them. However, by the end of the story, the hippo realizes that it is too hard to become the cheetah's friend, so the hippo sticks to what it likes to do, and eventually the cheetah realizes how good of a friend the hippo was and comes back to make amends in the end. I liked that this book showed how you shouldn't have to go out of your way to change in order for someone to like you. It is good to just be yourself. I'd recommend this book for grades 3-5.

The Biggest Bed in the world is a story of a family who share a 'family bed'... a family which keeps growing bigger. Chaos ensues. My child finds this book very funny, and he enjoys hearing it read.

This is a cute and easy book to read. It's about a dad who has to build a big bed because his family is growing and everyone wants to sleep together. The bed is so huge that it causes the house to fall apart. One day when dad wakes up, he realizes that the bed that they are all sleeping on has floated into the water. So he makes all the children sleep in their own beds. One night he realizes that he actually misses all the children sleeping in the same room as he and his wife so he allows them to come back. This book is a good read, but for entertainment only.

Answer: Not really.

I've wanted to brush up on my persuasive writings skills for a while as it's something I've been using quite a bit in recent months and I always failed that part of my English language studies at school. I picked two books: this one (obtained from the library) and Persuasive Writing: How to Harness the Power of Words (which I bought). I'm glad I made this decision.

Can I Change Your Mind? isn't as useful as I was hoping, whereas quickly flicking through my other choice saw me finding some very clear and immediately handy tips. Of the four sections, the first is the worst. The layout and formatting didn't help which is notably better in Persuasive Writing. Camp rambles so I skimmed, proving him right that 'the reader never reads from start to finish', but helpfully, someone who'd read this book previously had underlined the key points in pencil. Defacing a book is wrong, but in this case, acceptable.

'Understanding the reader' is the best chapter of Section One, but although Camp says we shouldn't assume our reader is an idiot, only lacking knowledge, he appears to treat his readers as such because most of what he advises is exceedingly obvious.

The main points to take away are:

✺ Remember (what's appropriate to) the Reader and the (intended) Result
✺ Is this useful / relevant to the reader?
✺ Is it interesting?
✺ Is it enjoyable?
✺ Will it encourage a favourable Response?
✺ Is it Rewarding to the reader? Is it worth reading?

Section Two is comprised of a 61-page A-Z of tips which is the most useful part of the book e.g. adjectives, alliterations, (being) boring, etc.

Badly Behaving Author sensitivities

'For me, true creative writing - Writing as Art, if you like - comes from a completely different rules apply. Ad the most important of these, I believe, is that genuine artists should be driven by self-expression.

This doesn't mean, of course, that they don't care about how people respond to their work. But what it does mean is that they can never let this dictate to them. Artists must always give absolute priority to finding the best possible way of giving shape and substance to their own vision; regardless of whether that makes it more or less 'accessible' to the general public; easier or harder to understand. A real creative writer would never change a single comma just to please the reader.

As persuasive writers, on the other hand, we're perfectly happy to tweak our punctuation - and do much more besides - if it makes our reader more likely to respond in the way we want.' [Chapter 1, underlining mine]

What?! Why are authors of fiction exempt from being classified as persuasive writers? They have to convince readers to finish their story by making it interesting and enjoyable, and generally worth reading. If you want a favourable response from your potential readers, you have to cater to their tastes. If you don't, then you can't complain when few enjoy your work, as Badly Behaving authors often do, with little respect to their reputations.

Therefore, all BBAs should read Section Three, Chapter 5 for how to handle feedback:

✺ Don't panic
✺ Don't take it personally
✺ Don't get pissed off
✺ Be positive - because some feedback helps

editing

Something that really good persuasive writers never stop doing. [Section Two]

Again, authors of fiction are persuasive writers. Also, this book could've been better edited based on the grammar and syntax. What a coincidence.


So while Camp is chatty, and therefore the opposite of concise, there are some helpful tips to be had, but I wouldn't buy this; borrow it, like I did.

Favourite quote:

Think of wit as verbal viagra: a little something that can spice up the relationship between reader and writer.

The story of a family that chooses to all sleep in the same bed and the struggle, and change of heart, that the dad has through it all. It's told in a very fun way to entertain kids, but it also is very touching when the dad realizes that he wants to stay close to his whole family. Since cosleeping is becoming very popular amongst new, young families, it was interesting to find a book about it. I thought it was a good read.

With mom, dad, and Ben in the bed, dad could not sleep so well so he bought a bigger bed. Another baby was born so dad had to buy and even bigger bed. Twins were born so dad had to build a bed big enough. Triplets were born and the bed got so heavy that it busted through the house. Eventually dad built bunk beds for all the children to sleep and by them mom and dad couldn't sleep because they got so used to all the children sleeping with them so they all ended up in the little bed in mom and dads room.

Nobody wants to sleep in their own bed, but the family is growing and the bed isn't! A father solves that problem by tearing down walls and creating the biggest bed in the world. The entire family can sleep sound knowing they are all together.½

This is a favorite in our house and very funny.

Lily does one thing that drives her dad mad. It was something she said all the time -- first thing in the morning, at breakfast, out shopping, when her dad read her a story, and at bedtime. She asks, "Why?" And she keeps asking it to her father's frustration. Until one day while playing in the park something astonishing happens -- a gigantic "Thargon" spaceship lands and out pop some unfriendly-looking Thargons who announce, "Tremble, Earthlings! We have come to destroy your planet" -- and everyone trembles, except Lily, who asks, "Why?" And she keeps asking why until the Thargons consult with each other and come to the conclusion that their approach to Earth may be wrong, so they announce their decision to go home and think about it. Lily's father wisely puts his hand over her mouth just in time to prevent her from asking "Why?" and the Thargons leave in peace. That night Lily's father tells her how proud he was of her today and how he would never complain about her asking "Why?" again. (Of course, she asks "Why?")

The endpapers of the hardback edition are covered in crayoned translations of the word "Why?" in various languages.

Fun book about a father who gets progressively bigger and bigger beds to cope with his growing family and get a decent night's sleep. Eventually the bed he builds breaks free from the house and runs amok. He tries putting everyone in separate beds, but he can't sleep. The entire family, cats, hamsters, rabbits et al all end up back in their old very cramped bed.