What a glorious evocation of the joy of winter and of snow in particular. Hare and Fox had been born in the spring and over the months have become close friends. When they feel a change in the weather, heralding the change from Autumn to Winter they are told that ‘snow’ is coming, but they…
This is a book that has to be read in a quiet time when as Hans Christian Anderson said, “Where words fail, music speaks”. Wonderfully illustrated and with few enough lines of writing, this book is about a boy playing his bamboo flute and how the music speaks to Chi the panda. Chi lives in…
We Have a Dream by Dr Mya-Rose Craig Illustrated by Sabena Khadija Magic Cat Publishing ISBN 9781913520205 £12.99 As it says on the inside page of the fly sheet ‘the time has come to listen to a generation of young people of colour demanding urgent change to the world they will inherit.’ In this book…
The Small Things by Lisa Thompson Illustrated by Hannah Coulson Barrington Stoke ISBN 978178129647 £6.99 Anna thinks that her friends at school lead more interesting lives than she does. So, when she is asked to befriend Ellie, who is at home due to illness, she feels totally inadequate. Ellie accesses school through a small robot…
Sisters, Egg and Spel, have grown up in an orphanage for ‘Wicked Girls’ and are constantly being told that they need to be cleansed and gain their souls. All the girls are there because a parent was a murderer and the sin has passed to the child; a concept that we would find hideous. When…
Interview With A Shark and Other Ocean Giants Too by Andy Seed. Illustrated by: Nick East Welbeck’s Children’s Books ISBN 9781783125678 £9.99 This extremely well written fun book allows the young reader to become familiar with 10 extraordinary ocean giants. The question and answer format is a very constructive way for children to learn about these…
What the Elephant Heard by Charlotte Guillain Illustrated by Sam Usher Welbeck Children’s Books ISBN 978191351919 £12.99 This is a beautifully non-fiction picture book that has a story told in gentle rhyming verse that follows the story of a herd of African Elephants as they journey across the parched savanna in search of a waterhole.…
This book is based on a tale that many will recognize from Chaucer. Chanticleer is the cockerel who rules the farmyard, letting everyone know when it is time to start the day. Whilst he is liked by all the other animals, he has an unfortunate tendency towards being rather proud and not always too clever.…
Elephant Me by Giles Andreae Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees Orchard Books ISBN 9781408356562 £6.99 The time has come for the young elephants to show what skills they have to the elephant king and they will then receive their adult name based on what they can do; when Num-Num tries to show his skills, he fails…