A new academic year is upon us! To start the year off on the right page, parents and students can jump into Nord Anglia’s Global Library, which has inspiration suggestions for books and activities to make the most of the year ahead.
Before the events that brought her to international recognition, Malala Yousafzai spent her summer holidays together with her family watching an Indian children’s TV show about a magic pencil, which could be used to redraw reality. This memory inspired Malala to write her first picture book "Malala’s Magic Pencil" (4 years and up) which tells her own story in a sensitive, child-friendly style. It explores how we can all hold on to hope in the most difficult of times and help build a world where all our dreams can be fulfilled. The book is beautifully illustrated and makes a great conversation starter for families to share ideas for the world we want to create and how we would use our own magic pencils.
In her speech to the United Nations in 2013, Malala memorably said, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world”. She later added that “The Breadwinner" by Deborah Ellis (11 years up) is the "one book I wish all students would read.”