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    A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story
    Unavailable
    A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story
    Unavailable
    A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story
    Audiobook12 hours

    A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story

    Written by Brenda Ashford

    Narrated by Jean Gilpin

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Brenda Ashford is the quintessential British nanny. Prim and proper, gentle and kind, she seems to have stepped straight out of Mary Poppins. For more than six decades Nanny Brenda swaddled, diapered, dressed, played with, sang to, cooked for, and looked after more than one hundred children. From the pampered sons and daughters of lords ensconced in their grand estates to the children of tough war evacuees in London's East End, Brenda has taught countless little ones to be happy, healthy, and thoroughly well bred. In this delightful memoir, Brenda shares her endearing, amusing, and sometimes downright bizarre experiences turning generations of children into successful adults.

    From the moment Brenda first held her baby brother David she was hooked. She became a second mother to him, changing his nappies, reading him stories, and giving him all the love her warm heart contained. Knowing a career caring for children was her calling in life, Brenda attended London's prestigious Norland College, famous for producing top-notch nannies. It was a sign of privilege and good taste for the children of the well-to-do to be seen being pushed in their Silver Cross prams by Norland nannies, who were recognizable by their crisp, starched black uniforms with white bib collars, and their flowing black capes lined with red silk. And what skills were these trainees tested on daily? Lullaby singing, storytelling, pram shining, bed making, all forms of sewing, cooking simple meals, and dispensing first aid-including knowing the best way to help the medicine go down.

    In A Spoonful of Sugar, Brenda recalls her years at Norland and her experiences during the war (after all, even if bombs are dropping, there's no reason to let standards slip), and recounts in lovely detail a life devoted to the care of other people's children.

    Sprinkled throughout with pearls of wisdom (you can never give children too much love, and you should learn how to sew a button, for goodness' sake), this delightful memoir from Britain's oldest living nanny is practically perfect in every way.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 2, 2013
    ISBN9780385362429
    Unavailable
    A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story

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    Reviews for A Spoonful of Sugar

    4.5/5

    15 ratings4 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Easy but interesting read. Brenda Ashford was a nanny for sixty-something years, meaning she had a front-row seat for all the changes in child-rearing methodology over several decades. Her recollections were interesting, and I picked up a couple of things that I will probably put into practice if/when I have children of my own. But there's nothing mindblowing and it's not a parenting how-to, by any means -- just the thoughts of a longtime nanny (who, interestingly, never had children of her own) looking back over decades of service to more than a hundred children.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely delightful.
    • 5/5
      When you have trained in Britain’s oldest nanny school and by draconian matrons of 1930s hospital wards, Hitler and his army hold no fear.A Spoonful of Sugar is a charming memoir, giving insight not only in the work of a Norland nanny – considered THE best – but also in the British culture as well as family life in Britain during the war years.In her 92 years Brenda has lived through much and has many a story to tell. Seemingly stand-offish and sometimes archaic (which I loved!) – as Brits are prone to be – it is clear that Brenda has a heart for her charges, without putting up with any nonsense. She has a clear view on how to raise children, being very firm in her convictions, but her understanding of present day challenges shines through again and again.Pearls of wisdom – even if mostly from a bygone era, nevertheless still ring true for today – are shattered throughout the book. Each chapter starts with the text of a nursery rhymes, which is sweet and her schedule at that time, showing a nanny is always on call.Developments around the country / world are placed within the context of her life, think of the changes in child care and care of/for pregnant women, the forming of national health care, the appearance of the ultrasound and the pill.What I loved most was the particular British English expressions.…cheek by bowl…jolly well… people rubbed along together nicely…Tom had scuttled off.oh, how marvelous!…I don’t give two hoots…… the loveliest thing I had ever clapped my eyes on…… we had a whale of a time…oh, crumbs…A lovely, delightful and marvelous read!
    • 5/5
      As is my usual preamble, I received this book for the fat sum of exactly nothing because of a GoodReads giveaway. Despite that kind consideration my candid opinions follow.The summary of this one is easy. Our author is 92 and for 62 of those years she has dedicated her life to taking care of children. In that time I daresay she's seen it and done it all and she shares some of those experiences and wisdom in her book.My first concern on cracking open this book was that it would be rather whitewashed. When you liken your life to the story of Mary Poppins in your subtitle, this seems a fairly reasonable concern. I was delighted to see though that she does not take this tact. Most certainly her life was a primarily happy one dedicated to her craft but she's not afraid to share some of the darker times with her readers too. Her memoirs are refreshingly honest and complete. We're treated to the good and the bad, a life as balanced as any.The second concern was that the author might be preachy but again, Ashford speaks with well-earned wisdom and she's not afraid to state an opinion but she is anything but preachy. Her delivery of parental correction is gentle, effective and well-practiced. She's like the benevolent grandparent that you listen to because they've been rearing children for three times longer than you've been alive. She clearly and emphatically points out examples of bad parenting but does so with a glowing benevolence that's hard to resist. This is the sort of person you'd like to sit down and talk to for months at a time. In addition to sharing her life and her wisdom, our author also shares some recipes and provides us with a history lesson. While skillfully avoiding the pedantic tone of many history lessons she illustrates in vivid color how child-rearing has changed over several decades. She not only appreciates the advantages of modern parents (no more heating an iron on the stove) but also the pitfalls of the internet and other modern temptations.In summary, Ashford's book is part memoir, part history lesson, part recipe book and part parenting guide. Her presentation is gentle and inspiring but not afraid to be opinionated. In her 62 years on the job she's earned the right to tell parents how they should raise happy, healthy children and she's knows how to pass along her knowledge. While it would be cliche to say that this is a "must-read" for any new parent, I would say that it certainly couldn't hurt. If even on parent remembers to just sit on the floor and play with their child because of Ashford's careworn wisdom then the world will be a better place. Just plain exceptional.