Ripping yarns.

We don't have a historic children's literature section here - ours is very much a working collection for teaching practice purposes. However, our nearest neighbour, University of Glasgow, has recently acquired a wonderful collection of items, dating from the middle of the nineteen century up to the nineteen thirties. It includes examples of all the popular contemporary genres, such as school stories, stories with a strong religious/moral element, and adventure stories. Find out more on their blog and flickr.

The Gruffalo ten years on.

The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, has become a modern classic since it was first published in 1999, and it's also soon to be a film. In yesterday's Observer, Robert McCrum puts it in its place in the great tradition of British storytelling for children.