Between The Lines: How to teach difference between words and thoughts (Inside Out helps)
Animated feature films have come a long way since Walt Disney’s 1937Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For films in the past two decades, the technical advances of animation are rivalled only by the increasing depth of storytelling. Like many children and parents in Hong Kong and abroad, our family recently watched and loved the […]
Between The Lines: How habit takes the drudgery out of a parent’s decision making
Most people celebrate the New Year on January 1 or the Lunar New Year in January or February. It is a perfect time to set intentions, try new things and to make new commitments to be our best selves. But for me the real New Year begins in late August when the children go […]
Between The Lines: The best books for children under 12 who’ve outgrown kids’ books
There’s plenty of time for children to read Harper Lee’s books, so why not let them tackle more age-appropriate fare, says Annie Ho. Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman has been flying off the shelves of bookshops and libraries around the world, and I wonder whether the copies being sold in Hong Kong should include a label […]
Between The Lines: Two books that teach children how to help others
Every one of us starts life as an egocentric baby, concerned only with having our own needs fulfilled. Somewhere along the road to adulthood, we all become less self-centred, to varying degrees. Some children are so protected from growing pains that they never let go of their self-centredness. Others grow up in an environment that […]
Between The Lines: Schools worldwide consider homework ban, partly to ease burden on pupils and teachers
Homework is stressful for children and leaves them little time to do more constructive things, experts say – but parents like to see their children doing some. Photo: Sherry Lee Homework is so inextricably linked to school it’s hard to think of one without the other. But increasingly, educators and child development specialists are […]
Between The Lines: Parents need to agree about how to raise children. Here’s a book that helps
Children and their feelings were neglected well into the 1960s. Betty Francis (played by January Jones) in the television series Mad Men was probably typical of her era. My husband and I never argued until our children came along. At first, we blamed the kids. Then we blamed the stress of parenting, both external […]
Between The Lines: Why audiobooks are good for multitaskers, travellers and young readers
Karen White at work in her home studio. What book lover among us has not wished that they could get paid to read? For professional audiobook narrator Karen White, the dream came true when she was expecting her first child 16 years ago. Now, with more than 200 books recorded, she says her theatre […]
Between The Lines: Six great Lunar New Year story books for children
This article appeared on Tuesday 10 February 2015 in the South China Morning Post print edition as “Children’s tales for Lunar New Year”. For me, the essence of Lunar New Year is perfectly embodied in A New Year’s Reunion, the award-winning picture book by Yu Liqiong. I didn’t discover it until 2011, and since then I […]
Between the Lines: Discussing books with children improves their creative writing skills
“Why is Goodnight Moon such a big deal?” my friend asked me. The classic story by Margaret Wise Brown doesn’t seem that notable on first glance: a slightly off-putting colour scheme depicting a story without any exciting plotlines or humorous developments. I urged her and her young child to give the picture book another try, and pointed […]
Between the Lines: The joys of letter writing
I have fond memories of writing many letters to many people in my youth. In fact, cherished relationships were built and strengthened through letters. In Year 10, a friend wrote a one-page Arthurian story with characters that mirrored our circle of friends and passed it to me to read. I continued the story by […]
