ALEXANDER THE GREAT, CHILDREN'S READING AND THE LIPSTICK PAPERS BOOK REVIEW

IN ANCIENT GREEK times, Homer's Iliad functioned as the central religious book, and as a young adult schoolbook, where children learnt reading, comprehension and everything about their civilization. Alexander the Great, the legendary Greek king, carried a copy of the Iliad in all of his campaigns. He never lost a battle.

As the centuries wore on, the idea of specialized books for children and young adults began to emerge. Fairy tales and fables were always widely available; the British Library dates a first children's book to 1687 (Nathaniel Crouch's Winter Evenings Entertainments). The Victorians too excelled in the children's book, while some classics were read by all ages with equal pleasure -- Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe, for example.

This is The Lipstick Papers Book Review, and we have We are Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen with illustrations by Helen Oxenbury! 

I love this book so much that I bought it in two formats, as you can see!

This is a lovely adventure, already considered as a classic. What is the meaning of Bear Hunt? I think it has a number of meanings. On one level, it tells us that we should leave animals alone. Animals have their own lives and dignity; humans must not disturb. Another idea, perhaps the most important, is that we should never embark upon a plan unless we have thought very well of the implications and consequences. And third, we have the ambiguous ending. Did the bear hunt the family down, or did the bear want to be friends with them? Readers seem to be divided.  It's all a matter of perception, and you must read it for yourselves to find out!

Have a good evening, always with beauty and a book xxx