Archives

Polar Bear, Polar Bear by Joan Keir Burnett

Mar31

A Perfect Addition To Any Collection

Polar Bear, Polar Bear by Joan Keir Burnett is a beautiful book for toddlers.

The story explores the senses – see, hear, feel, touch – as we learn what is surrounding baby polar bear.

There is also a climate message as we see the ice caps melting. All the pages provide starting points for discussions with our children, no matter how young they are.

Written in rhyme this book has a wonderful bouncy feel to it. This sing-song pattern enables our children to anticipate what is coming next and to join in, after a few reads through. Repetition also aids the ability for our children to join in as we read the book together.

Continue reading →

Octavia And Her Friends Save The Sea by Izzy Wilson

Mar26

Look After Our World

Octavia And Her Friends Save The Sea by Izzy Wilson is a delightful story for the under fives.

The tale teaches our children the importance of looking after our seas. There is a message that we must not throw rubbish into the sea as it is damaging the coral and could kill the creatures who live in the sea.

We witness that we are stronger together than alone. We need to work together to tackle pollution and conserve our seas.

The sea creatures all look different but they support each other and work together. This gives a message of diversity – we may all look different and have different skill sets but we all need each other.

Continue reading →

Tatty Duck Grown Up by Juliet Deacock

Mar26

A Rich Variety

Tatty Duck Grown Up by Juliet Deacock is a beautiful children’s book for the under fives. The story is based on a real-life duckling who was found orphaned on a pond. We see her photo on the reverse of the book.

The tale is written in rhyme. This bounce along pattern enables our children to help remember the words, to be able to predict what is coming next and to join in, after several read throughs.

I really loved the inclusion of a map at the start, showing the place where Tatty Duck lives. There is such a lot of detail which will be wonderful to look at with our children and to provide talking points – such as, which house would you like to live in? Is that your paddling pool? Who lives in an old hen hut?

All the book is beautifully illustrated. A rich variety of wildlife is shown which can teach our children about what we may see on river walks. All the wildlife looks very friendly, with the exception of the swans!

Continue reading →

In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll

Mar16

Hope In The Dark

In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll is a wonderful children’s dual timeline novel that will enchant the reader. It is perfect for ages ten and over.

The novel is set in present day and 1918 in the form of a series of letters. In both time periods there are sisters waiting for news of brothers – one is at war, the other in hospital. It is a tense time as the waiting seems to take an eternity.

Darkling Wood unites both time periods as the characters live in the same house united by their bloodline. Darkling Wood is rumored to be inhabited by fairies – but surely that cannot be true.

We witness the difficulty of fitting into a new school as one’s peers seem to be a close-knit group. A bond formed with a like-minded character helps to sustain.

Continue reading →