"The book’s strength lies in the ability of the contributors to draw conclusions in relation to the reading debate and constructively justify moving away from the reliance on a single phonics approach based on evidence from empirical research. ...The book offers a timely warning against reading becoming synonymous with synthetic phonics instruction, of children becoming mere ‘functional decoders of print’ (p. 53). The argument turns to the very real need for children to develop and understand the ‘joy, relevance and use for reading’ (p. 79); indeed in the current climate of synthetic phonics instruction children are in danger of losing the ability or the will to look at a book for pleasure." Early Years Debates about the teaching of reading and particularly which phonics method teachers should use have been simmering for many years. This groundbreaking book offers critical perspectives on the teaching of reading and phonics, openly challenging contemporary policy in both England and the US. As well as providing refreshing insights into how children encounter texts in the increasingly complex world of literacy, the book celebrates the complexity, pleasure and passion that are the foundations of becoming a successful reader. Each chapter explores in-depth the processes involved as children engage in reading, from their interactions with texts in the very earliest stages through to the primary phase. Drawing on both research and theory, the book also shows how some contemporary understandings of reading are based on over simplistic and rationalised ideas about the reading process.  A unique feature of this book is that it combines academic perspectives with the insights of parents and practitioners. The participation of those most closely involved with children complements the lively debate and contributions from researchers, providing a rich and inclusive range of ideas. Understanding Phonics and the Teaching of Reading is a stimulating read for educational studies students, students of teaching and learning, policy makers, educational researchers and teachers.

Understanding Phonics and the Teaching of Reading

Reference

Lambirth, Andrew

Goouch, Kathy

Words, Language & Grammar

Open University Press

Creativity and Writing

This clear yet authoritative book affirms the vital role of creativity in writing and considers and encourages flexible, innovative practices in teaching. Importantly, the book reflects upon teachers' imaginative and artistic involvement in the writing process as role models, collaborators, artists, and as writers themselves. Arguing that children's creative use of language is key to the development of language and literacy skills, this book focuses on the composition process and how children can express their own ideas. In addition, the authors consider the many forms of creative language that influence the inner and outer voice of children, including reading, investigating, talking and engaging in a range of inspiring activities. Illustrated throughout with many examples of children's writing and drawing, this book also provides suggestions for classroom activities and is a source of inspiration and practical guidance for any teacher looking to deepen their understanding of literacy theory and practice.

Creativity and Writing: Developing Voice and Verve in the Classroom

Politics & Social Sciences

Grainger, Teresa

Sociology

Routledge

A superbly illustrated account of one of the major figures of modern British painting's passion for cats, written with personal knowledge of the artist. By concentrating on a single subject very dear to John Craxton's heart--cats--this volume offers an accessible introduction to this popular artist, who has been championed by David Attenborough and Andrew Marr, among many others. Craxton's significance as an early artist companion of Lucian Freud, his time in Greece, and his collaborations with Patrick Leigh Fermor have generated growing interest in his art. For Craxton, cats were an index of moods and states of mind, and a splendidly apposite vehicle for his visual and verbal wit. Craxton loved cats and lived with them for most of his life. The cat image came readily to mind and hand, whether he was planning a taverna scene in Crete or doodling during a telephone conversation. Cats permeate his art, weaving their way through his paintings, drawings, and prints, bringing humor and mischief to his images, as they did to his daily existence. Affectionate and faithless, they were like so many casual lovers, no better than they should be and gloriously on the make. In many ways, they are a fitting symbol or leitmotif for Craxton's own happy-go-lucky life. A widely accessible introduction to Craxton's work, this delightful book will appeal to the devotee and the uninitiated alike.

Craxton's Cats

Arts & Photography

Individual Artists

Thames&Hudson

Among British artists during the second half of the twentieth century, Ken Kiff displays one of the most individual and distinctive styles. His paintings and drawings in various mediapastel, charcoal, watercolorare often characterized by fantastic flights of the imagination, inspired by such artists as Klee and Mira. Most notable of all is the extensive range of small acrylic paintings on paper (almost 200 in total since 1971), to which Kiff has given the overall title "The Sequence," suggesting a sense of continuity over the decades. Born in Dagenham, Essex, in 1935, Kiff's childhood during the Second World War was blighted by the loss of his father, who was killed in London in 1941. The effects of these traumatic years are inevitably reflected in the style and imagery of much of his work. After leaving school, he continued his studies at the Hornsey School of Art and subsequently taught part-time in London at the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Kiff's travels have included a visit to India in 1981 and several working trips to the United States, where he collaborated with the leading printmaker Garner Tullis at his studios in Santa Barbara and New York City. His works have been shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions in England and Scotland, as well as in various European cities. He has also been featured in exhibitions in New York (the Museum of Modern Art, the Edward Thorp Gallery, and the Pamela Auchinloss Gallery) and Washington (the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden). Works by Kiff may be seen in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and the Ackland Museum, Chapel Hill. 175 illustrations, 150 in color.

Ken Kiff

Kiff, Ken

History & Criticism

A major study of an influential British painter whose work is often marked by humor and eroticism. In the history of postwar painting, Roger Hilton (1911-1975) holds a special position as one of the pioneers of British abstract art. By the early 1960s he had gained international recognition and was chosen to represent the country at the 1964 Venice Biennale. However, despite being much admired as a painter, Hilton's reputation was marred by bohemian excess and rudeness fueled by alcohol, an addiction that would eventually lead to his early death. Hilton's distinctive style began to emerge in the 1940s, and from the mid-1950s he adopted a style that he described as "semi-figurative expressionism." Eventually, by the mid-1960s, he alternated between figurative subjects, often depicting female nudes, and purely abstract works. His interest in the nude is especially evident in drawings, and several thousand works on paper survive, ranging from early sketchbooks to individual sheets from his final years when his ability to work was restricted due to ill health. After his second marriage in 1965, Hilton moved permanently to Cornwall, with only occasional visits to London for medical treatment or to attend exhibitions such as the major retrospective held at the Serpentine Gallery in 1974. This story of Hilton's life and career is enlivened by anecdotes recalling the vicissitudes of his personal relationships with other artists, and is supported by the personal memories of his widow, Rose. Illustrated with works from all stages in Hilton's career, the book provides a visually stunning reminder of the range of his output. 230 illustrations, 170 in color.

Roger Hilton: The Figured Language of Thought

This monograph is a suberb guide to the work of 'the most inventive of living representational painters'. This groundbreaking book contains a new and wide-ranging interview with the artist, a selection of 60 of Kitaj’s finest paintings, drawings and prints, and previously unpublished documentary images from his personal archive. An invaluable introduction to a major artist.An exciting new title, forming part of our Contemporary British Artists series.Ronald Brooks Kitaj was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1932.His early education culminated in a period of travel as a merchant seaman, after which time he served in Europe in the United States Army (1956-58). As a mature student Kitaj enrolled at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University, before transferring in 1959 to the Royal College of Art in London. There he assumed the informal leadership of an exceptionally talented group of students which was to become the Pop generation, and included David Hockney, Allen Jones and Patrick Caulfield. Kitaj's first solo exhibition was in London at Marlborough Fine Art in 1963, the gallery he continues to show with. From student days he made his home in London, until the public fracas surrounding his TateGallery retrospective (1994) and the sudden tragic death of his second wife, the painter Sandra Fisher, persuaded him to abandon England. In 1997 he moved to Los Angeles, where he continues to live and work. Now known simply as Kitaj, he is an internationally acclaimed artist working at the height of his powers to give visual embodiment to a lifetime's observations and perceptions about the human condition. As the eminent critic John Russell has written in the New York Times, 'Kitaj is by a long way the most inventive of living representational painters'.The book forms part of a series that presents a critical appraisal of some of the most innovative and controversial contemporary artists in the world. Each volume will contain an art historical appreciation of the artist’s work and a substantial new interview with each artist, focusing on themes such as technique and working practice.

Kitaj

Philip Wilson Publishers

A superb classical painter and draughtsman, Armstrong also undertook much work in film, theatre, and ballet, as well as being a successful designer of ceramics and murals. As a painter he has often been associated with the surrealists, especially after becoming a member of Unit One, a group formed by his contemporary Paul Nash in 1933 to promote modern art, architecture, and design, although his work resists any easy categorization. Armstrong was also a committed supporter of the Labour party, contributing designs to its election leaflets in 1945, and an active political campaigner. The first major study of Armstrong’s work, this book draws on new and unpublished research that puts into context the highly original vision of a strongly independent and imaginative artist waiting to be rediscovered.

John Armstrong: The Complete Paintings

A superb classical painter and draughtsman, Armstrong also undertook much work in film, theatre, and ballet, as well as being a successful designer of ceramics and murals. As a painter he has often been associated with the surrealists, especially after becoming a member of Unit One, a group formed by his contemporary Paul Nash in 1933 to promote modern art, architecture, and design, although his work resists any easy categorization. Armstrong was also a committed supporter of the Labour party, contributing designs to its election leaflets in 1945, and an active political campaigner. The first major study of Armstrong’s work, this book draws on new and unpublished research that puts into context the highly original vision of a strongly independent and imaginative artist waiting to be rediscovered.

Stephen Chambers is one of the painter Royal Academicians who has emerged as one of the most interesting and resourceful artists of his generation with work in both public and private collections across the world.

Stephen Chambers

Chambers, Stephen

Unicorn Publishing Group

Craigie Aitchison: a Private Collection

London: Waddington Galleries

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lambirth, Andrew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Lambirth, Andrew

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lambirth, Andrew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Understanding Phonics and the Teaching of Reading

Creativity and Writing: Developing Voice and Verve in the Classroom

Craxton's Cats

Ken Kiff

Roger Hilton: The Figured Language of Thought

Kitaj

John Armstrong: The Complete Paintings

John Armstrong: The Complete Paintings

Stephen Chambers

Craigie Aitchison: a Private Collection