Tamarind will be on the road again this autumn, sharing the list with education practitioners. We’re visiting the Hilton hotel in Croydon on 27th September to meet local needs for inclusive resources. All the schools in the borough have been invited. It’s always a great exhibition to be at.
Here are some pics from last year’s show:
Pore over a range of resources that you couldn’t find elsewhere. Equip your school with inclusive resources. Enjoy workshops and meet the people who create and distribute multicultural books. Tamarind will be among the exhibors at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) book fair. Several titles will be selling at only £1 each.
Multicultural Resources Fair
Wednesday 29th September 2010
12pm – 6.30pm
CLPE, Webber St, London SE1 8QW
CLPE is holding its seventh multicultural book fair where specialist booksellers and publishers display and sell their books and resources. The book fair will be of interest to teachers, early years practitioners, parents, librarians and students. www.clpe.co.uk
This week Ealing Council held its Early Years conference. Tamarind founder and author Verna Wilkins gave the keynote speech. Verna shared a lifetime of experience and success with local practitioners. The event was held to launch Building Futures: Believing in Children, a government document giving guidance on inclusion in the Early Years. Verna brought the Tamarind titles to life, injecting heart and humour into good inclusion practice. Here’s what the audience thought:
“She was so inspirational. Every word she said had a deep meaning to it. I thoroughly enjoyed her speech.” - Attendee from Ealing Montessori School
“[Verna's speech] reminded me as to why I am still in teaching. Does she do talking books???!!! What a fantastic reader.” – Delegate from Greenfields Children’s Centre
“We should have more sessions like this to enhance our creativity and understanding of the world.” – Attendee from Sudbury Hill Montessori School
“[Verna] encouraged me to look and think about what children say and to promote children learning through their personal experiences.” – Delegate from Windmill Children’s Centre
Multicultural bookseller Colourful Kids displayed the full range of Tamarind’s Early Years titles on the day.
During the bank holiday, Tamarind sold over 200 books at the Afro Hair and Beauty Show in Islington. Princess Katrina and the Hair Charmer went down a treat, and A Safe Place and The Night the Lights Went Out were particularly popular. Five hundred catalogues were taken away, and 45 attendees signed up to the e-newsletter. Patsy ran a creative writing workshop for those interested in writing multicultural books for children. The exhibition has been running for 29 years and is an iconic event in the UK black community. Most buyers asked where they could find Tamarind books in their local areas. The books can be ordered through any book shop.
Patsy ‘the Commissioner’ Isles was interviewed by Colourful Radio’s Rosemary Laryea at 11.30 this morning. Listen again to hear our Comm Ed on cover controversy, what makes a hot submission and Tamarind’s modus operandi.
http://podcasts.colourfulradio.com/life/
February marks the North American celebration of Black History Month. To celebrate, we’re giving away a book of the day every day on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Tamarind Books to see the book each day and win!
On December 6th, author Odette Elliott addressed her local church, introducing the parents and children there to her work with Tamarind. The church audience reflects a cross-section of the community, particularly African and Caribbean families, of whom 50% are regular churchgoers. Odette’s picture book
My Big Brother JJ and the Tamarind catalogue proved particularly popular with the youth group and with a social worker in the congregation who works with foster carers in Brent.
Donna Panton’s independent business, Colourful Kids, was founded only about a year ago, but it is already established in North West London as a great source of books and toys that reflect children from diverse backgrounds.
In November 2009, Colourful Kids held a launch event to celebrate its new online buying tool. Tamarind supplied activity packs and posters for children attending the event, which we’re told went down a storm. After an inspiring speech from Tamarind founder Verna Wilkins, £500 worth of books was sold in 30 minutes!
Tamarind Books staff were swamped at the NUT Black Teachers Conference, selling £400 worth of books in just 30 minutes. Eager teachers were three people deep around the Tamarind stand during the first break of the annual conference at Stoke Rochford Hall in Lincolnshire, with popular titles such as Barack Obama, Malorie Blackman and Benjamin Zephaniah selling out by the end of the day. All 140 delegates also received a Tamarind catalogue as part of their conference pack.
Over 100 books were sold, making it Tamarind’s most successful year as an exhibitor at the event. “Your stand was so popular I thought you were giving the books away for free!” said one teacher later in the day. A testament to the lure of Tamarind…
Powered by Flickr Gallery
