This book has been a real godsend lately – I get the biggest smiles of the day when I start browsing through it because the kids know that it’s time to have fun. There are 52 creative ideas in the book involving drawing, painting, mixed media and sculpture, but to be honest, each idea provides…
This is the second in Saviour Pirotta’s historical junior fiction ‘Wolfsong’ series and just like the first, it’s both a corker of a read and illustrated superbly with Davide Ortu’s distinctive, eye-catching art, which really captures and enhances the mood of the story. In this instalment, Wolf has returned to his village after retrieving the…
Just a very quick post to say how much we are enjoying this new picture book! Published in partnership with the Imperial War Museum, it’s full of interesting information, includes some top-secret spy skills and has bold, colourful illustrations. Not only have we learnt lots about 8 real-life spies (and I really love the diversity…
I’ve had my eye on this highly visual book for some time, so I was thrilled when Quarto gifted me a copy recently. Regular followers of the blog will know that I really love Quarto’s factual editions as they pack a such a mighty punch, and this is absolutely no exception. Featuring Yuval Zommer’s impressive…
I bought this brilliant picture book after seeing it featured on #bookstagram recently. Beautifully illustrated, it tells the story of Emma Lilian Todd, a self-taught engineer, who became the first female airplane designer. Born in the late 1800s and growing up in a family of innovators, Lilian loved to tinker and invent things. As she…
Released earlier this year, this is the sequel to Karen McCombie’s superb Little Bird Flies and is aimed at readers aged 9+. It picks up the story of Bridie’s travels as she begins a new life in America (after fleeing her homeland during the Highland Clearances), living initially in New York before heading for life…
I think one of the best ways to get children reading, particularly those who are not naturally inclined to pick up a book, is to find books on subjects they are interested in. My son is a great example of this. Ask him to read a chapter of a school reading book and he’ll moan…
With all the madness and disruption that Coronavirus has caused, there hasn’t been much time for books these past couple of weeks. I really enjoyed, therefore, sitting down last night to read Jennifer Killick’s latest release. Lance and his Year 6 classmates embark on a school residential to Crater Lake activity centre, which turns into…
Many children first experience loss and grief through losing a pet. While we have lost 2 dogs since our kids were born, the children were a bit too young to understand what was happening first time around, and so my 6-year-old in particular was hit quite hard when we had to say goodbye to Chester…
Cerrie Burnell’s first middle grade book, The Girl With the Shark’s Teeth, was without doubt my favourite read of 2019 and so I was quite excited when my copy of The Ice Bear Miracle, which was released last month, arrived. Life with bears is dangerous, as Marv Jackson knows – the large crescent moon shaped…