Books that Belong

As part of our deep winter clean, I have audited our children's book collection, considering which stories truly belong on our shelves and whether they are still relevant, applicable to current culture, inspiring, and aligned with our core values at Little Brympton.

I asked myself 'would I want a child to pick up this book independently and, if so, what meaning it might hold in the context of their experience here?'

I was surprised by what ended up in the out-pile. Some books had beautiful illustrations but no particular depth or message. Others were familiar classics which, upon rereading, I realised gently reinforced power dynamics, or ideas about fitting in, rather than belonging. Some skirted around important themes, while others presented a narrow or homogenous view of society.

Letting these books go wasn’t easy, but releasing outdated books has created space for children to view the books more easily and even explore new stories elsewhere, including the books that they can choose on our visits to the mobile library in the village.

This process reminded me of the value of quality over quantity. The books I kept reflect a diverse, modern society, promote connection to nature and ecology, celebrate outstanding rhythm and rhyme, and link meaningfully with the seasonal rhythms.

Finally, I sorted this treasured collection into groups to align with our plans for each of the holiday openings.

Easter

Getting out and about - landmarks in our community, on our village walk, using maps. Bikes, wheels, engineering and journeys, aligning with our annual metal wheel sculpture trail through the garden. Cultural festivals. Bird watching and learning bird songs, making wild garlic pizzas.

May Half Term

Insects, butterflies and moths (we will be setting a moth trap), wildflowers. Open-ended play.

Summer Holidays

Stories about fruits (to match the abundance in our garden), the seaside, travel, and making new friends.

October Half Term

Books that reflect the changing season: rain and stormy weather, stormy emotions, fire safety, making soups and sharing hot meals, being indoors more, box play, mud and muddy walks, dental and body hygiene, and the contrast between light and dark.

I look forward to joining the children in enjoying these treasures, as the books move off the shelves and into children’s hands — where they truly belong.