I regularly rave about the Maverick Early Reader scheme as it had such a massive impact on my son’s reading journey. Written in natural English and book-banded in line with The Institute of Education’s banding system, these stories are entertaining, engaging and fabulously illustrated – just the ticket for encouraging children to read for pleasure…
One of the things I was looking forward to most when I was pregnant for the first time was being able to read to my baby and hopefully pass on my love of books right from the start. Well, my daughter soon put paid to that idea as she would scream merry hell if we…
‘You offered to save me from my mother’s high hutch. I don’t really need saving, though, thanks very much.’ This is what we like! A very funny re-take of the classic Rapunzel tale, with a kick-ass heroine who can take care of herself with her own brand of ‘carroty karate’ (which I SO wish I…
I’ve been doing some more vicarious travelling during lockdown, this time to the Sri Lankan jungle… In her small village ruled by a selfish King, Chaya is a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to help the poor. One day she goes too far, though, stealing jewels from the Queen and unwittingly implicating her…
Goodness me, what a book this is. It tells the story of Olive, who lives with her father and grandfather after the loss of her mum. She seems to be the only person who can see a big grey elephant following her dad around as he struggles with his grief and she sets out to…
I couldn’t put this down yesterday: a fascinating and compelling read for all British children (and adults) regardless of skin colour and heritage – synopsis below. I struggle to understand why our national curriculum (rightly) ensures that the major faiths of British communities are taught, yet doesn’t replicate this inclusive approach when it comes to…
This has been such a useful book for us during lockdown 3. My daughter and I have dipped into it regularly to help us manage our ‘raincloud’ thoughts: yesterday neither of us did very well, but today has been better. Don’t let the ‘first mindfulness book’ fool you, it’s not just for traditional picture-book-aged children…
I immersed myself in this gem of a read last night – James Haddell’s debut book, The Lost Child’s Quest (swipe for synopsis). For those of you who follow James’ book reviews on Instagram and Twitter, you’ll know he is an eloquent writer and so it’s no surprise that this crosses over into his storytelling.…
Does anyone else suffer from the phenomenon that is the TBR (To Be Read) black hole? I was so excited to read this sequel to Brightstorm that I had it on pre-order: it arrived on publication day last year, was placed on my TBR trolley (which is now a TBR cupboard 😱), and then got…
I take my hat off to picture book authors who have the emotional intelligence and skill to take difficult topics and distil them in such a way that young children can understand them. These superb books are a fantastic example of this, helping children to explore and better understand their emotions, as well as offering…