Brambletale Blog
Golden Tickets, Giant Peaches, and Gobblefunk: The Story of Roald Dahl
Dahl often wrote as if he and the child reader shared secret information that the adults had missed.
He knew that children notice hypocrisy. They know when a punishment is unfair, when a bully is hiding behind a title, and when an adult expects respect without behaving respectably. Dahl exaggerated those injustices until they became enormous enough to topple. The greedy became grotesque, the cruel became ridiculous, and the underestimated child discovered a hidden advantage.
Matilda has intelligence and mysterious power. Sophie has courage. Charlie Bucket has decency. Danny has ingenuity and a loving father. None of them begins with much control over the world, but Dahl allows each of them to change it.
He also understood that a children's story can be frightening and funny at the same time. The danger creates suspense. The absurdity lets the reader breathe. Somewhere between those two sensations, courage becomes possible.
Reading Beyond the Book: How Video Games Can Support Kids’ Literacy
Classroom instruction teaches essential reading skills. Books deepen those skills and make room for sustained reading pleasure. Text-rich games can reinforce both by giving children additional reasons to read closely and act on what they understand.
At Brambletale Press, we will always advocate for teachers, books, libraries, and reading for the sheer fun of it. We also believe stories should be gateways, not gatekeepers. For a child who already enjoys video games, a thoughtfully chosen game can become another path into language, not a detour away from it.
If a game persuades that child to chase a clue, care about a character, puzzle over a sentence, or look up a word because the next door will not open without it, literacy is not being defeated.
A reader is at work.
The Very Hungry Imagination of Eric Carle
Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, but his childhood took a major turn when his family moved back to Germany when he was six. He studied art there and graduated from the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. Still, Carle never lost his fond memories of America. In 1952, he returned to New York with a portfolio and just forty dollars in his pocket.
Green Eggs, Grinches, and Genius: The Legacy of Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss eventually found his true calling in children’s literature, and he completely changed the way kids learn to read. The Cat in the Hat was written to replace dull school primers, using only a limited list of simple words.
Jungle Adventures and Talking Animals: Who Was Rudyard Kipling?
Rudyard Kipling became a writer and wrote many famous tales, like The Jungle Book, Just So Stories, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. His stories were filled with brave animals, curious children, and important lessons about courage, kindness, and loyalty.