My daughter and I went to a book reading this Saturday at The Bookworm. The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson captured my attention as we have a copy at home. One of my dearest mommy friends gave it to our family as a farewell gift when we left London to move to Beijing. We met on a bus in London when her first daughter was only three weeks old. Since that moment, we braved many story times in the libraries around east London. I was happy to find a bit of this magic back in Beijing at The Bookworm.
The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson is about a girl who finds a magic paintbrush and the adventures that follow are both magical and an ethical lesson for children. The kids were all listening and en enraptured by our story teller, Karin Markowski, a teacher at the Pakistan embassy college. She had a little riddle for the kids, of course some painting after the story telling, and hot chocolate and cookies followed after.
This morning proved story telling is still a great way of spending time together, in a magical environment where books line the walls. The Bookworm makes it a bit easier for parents with coffee and breakfast. I would not mind spending every Saturday morning at The Bookworm with a latte.
While there, I found out what else was going on at The Bookworm. They will host a flea market this Saturday November 26 from 12pm till 6pm on their rooftop terrace. The following Saturday, December 3 Karin Markowski will resume her story telling with another favorite by Julia Donaldson, Stick Man. Be sure to brings some sticks to create your own stick man after the story.
Find more information about The Bookworm here:
http://www.chinabookworm.com/
Pauline van Hasselt has just started working for beijingkids. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.
