Issue No. 124 - September 2000
Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration by Fangorn is taken from Brian Jacques’ Lord Brocktree (Hutchinson, 0 09 176877 2, £12.99), the thirteenth title in the internationally best-selling Redwall series. Salamandastron, the ancestral home of the Badger Lords, is under threat from Ungatt Trunn, an enemy whose power would seem to be absolute and whose evil knows no bounds. The only hope for survival is the badger Lord Brocktree who is drawn to the fortress by an undeniable sense of destiny. Brian Jacques' masterful storytelling as always spins a web of high adventure that will enthral the reader from the first page to the last. Thanks to Hutchinson Children’s Books for their help in producing this September cover.
Articles In This Issue
Published to celebrate Quentin’s Blake’s reign as the first Children’s Laureate, The Laureate’s Party* is a collection of extracts from 50 of Blake’s favourite children’s books. From Little Tim to Madeline , from Emil and the Detectives to Esio Trot , from the Mermaid’s Purse to Figgie Hobbin , Quentin Blake conveys, via his choices, a tremendous sense of enjoyment of many different kinds of writing, and, of course, illustration.
MORE »While the Olympic Games help to ensure that children retain an interest in ancient Greece, the epic film Gladiator with Russell Crowe as the enslaved general with right on his side, has now kindled interest in ancient Rome. With its astonishing state-of-the-art reconstructions of a battle field in Gaul, and its panoramic views of ancient Rome and the Coliseum, this film has certainly inspired children’s historical imagination. Tony Spawforth assesses recent children’s books about ancient Greece and Rome that will build on this enthusiasm.
MORE »How can we encourage boys to read more? Anne Marley of Hampshire County Library discusses a project that has got fathers and sons reading together and which provided valuable information about their tastes and preferences.
MORE »
Robert Swindells interviewed by David Bennett
MORE »Is there a difference between writing for children as opposed to writing for adults? In a radio interview the late Rumer Godden (author of, amongst many other books, Black Narcissus for adults and The Diddakoi for children) described how she wrote a children’s book between every adult novel ‘because of the discipline’. She continued: ‘People write letters to me and say, “I thought I’d start with something easy, such as writing a children’s book.” But it’s the most difficult form of writing next to poetry. And the younger the child the more difficult it is. You’ve got to hold them every moment. You have got to choose your words. Not basic English or anything like that but you choose words that convey and add to the few words you have, because you have very much fewer words. And also, you can’t have a lot of description. Very boring, description.’
MORE »Centre for Language in Primary Education
Webber Street, London SE1 8QW
Tel: 020 7401 3382/3; Fax: 020 7928 4624; email: info@clpe.co.uk
Website: www.clpe.co.uk
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Elidor by Alan Garner
MORE »Reviews In This Issue
Sung all round the world to lull children to sleep, lullabies, as Marina Warner points out in her seminal study of the cultural ways we have to keep the bogies at bay (No Go the Bogeyman, Chatto & Windus), 'imply two narratives at least: the relationship of the singer to the child and, within the words - and to some extent in the melody as well - another story'.
Liberally illustrated with Archbold's humorously wild and scratchy line drawings, this hilarious school story is pure slapstick from beginning to end. Colin Grumbly is a walking disaster zone and the least popular boy in class.
Teachers and parents will find this collection very useful in the face of pleas for 'just one more story'. Most of the 22 stories are drawn from previous collections, but some of these are quite old and are no longer likely to be on bookshelves.
Cosy (Cosima) Walker enjoys a close and supportive relationship with her reclusive invalid mother. When her mother is hospitalised for a period of time life changes dramatically for Cosy. Sent to live with a foster family whose two other charges, Jade and Jemma, seem intent on making life difficult for Cosy, her despair is compounded by her inability to cope with maths homework without help from her mother.
Alison never goes out to play, but no one suspects she is being bullied. One day, when she is feeling particularly fed-up, she meets the Bully Monsters, a large, scruffy pair who seem surprised and perturbed at her well-deserved indignation.
What looks at first like a rather disappointing trip to Windy Hill for Teddy when he accompanies Lily and Mum on their picnic proves to be anything but. Left on guard while the humans fly one kite, Ted soon finds the other one flying him...
Living in the early 1950s in small-town Britain, Sally has been sent to stay next door while her Mum recuperates in hospital. While trying to get the family grandfather clock going again - symbolic of her mother's recovery and the reunion of her family - she knocks it over, causing extensive damage.
After hitting his head in the playground, everyone Sanjay sees appears to be an animal. The headteacher is a polar bear, and his class teacher is a tabby cat. Unfortunately, no one believes him at all when he tells them what he sees.
Like other books in the 'Up the Garden Path' series this one has a most original approach to a particular creature's life cycle. Hatching from an egg, growing to full size, food, predators and hibernation are all covered in a way that encourages children to look further.
Papa Oyibo (aka lan Thomson) has spent time in Nigeria absorbing the myths, legends and rich oral tradition of the Yoruba people; this enchanting tale of elephant and mouse is a product of that experience.
Diversity of cultural experiences and the commonality that ties us together are beautifully captured in the photographs that form the basis of these small format picture books in the 'Small World' series. A section at the back of each book tells us more about each picture such as where it was taken. There is also a brief note to adults on the end page about sharing the book with children. The text in both scripts sit clearly on a parchment coloured background - particularly welcome for dyslexic children for whom print on white paper can be bothersome. All the titles are available in the following dual language editions: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarat, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Diversity of cultural experiences and the commonality that ties us together are beautifully captured in the photographs that form the basis of these small format picture books in the 'Small World' series. A section at the back of each book tells us more about each picture such as where it was taken. There is also a brief note to adults on the end page about sharing the book with children. The text in both scripts sit clearly on a parchment coloured background - particularly welcome for dyslexic children for whom print on white paper can be bothersome. All the titles are available in the following dual language editions: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarat, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Football-mad Max hasn't seen his dad, Jerome Dumont, since he was in nappies (Max that is, not his dad). His dad actually left to live in his native St Lucia. When they eventually meet again Max gets a shock.
Daisy is excited about the arrival of a baby brother or sister. After watching her aunt’s eggs hatching, she cannot wait for Mamma Duck’s egg to open. She decides to help it along by sitting on it herself and wakes up the next morning to the sound of Pip, her new brother.
Science being the investigation of nature, the garden (supposing you have access to one) is as good a place as any to start. In Dig and Sow! we look at soil and what it is, how green plants grow, what worms do all day, garden fauna, pollination and seeds in a friendly domestic way. Many easy to find examples are involved and the simple experiments are nicely fail-safe. This is a pleasant introduction and observation-promoter, but to state that 'gardeners use fertilisers, such as manure, to feed plants' without explaining the nature and origins of manure is to miss a richly nitrogenous opportunity.
Second and subsequent readings of this powerful novel will be necessary if its strengths and subtleties are to be fully appreciated. Its hero, a disabled boy called hannes, is drawn in his dreams to 'back then', the period of Germany's Third Reich, and to an awareness of how, in his disabled state, he would never have survived in a climate dominated by Nazi views of a healthy national body.
Diversity of cultural experiences and the commonality that ties us together are beautifully captured in the photographs that form the basis of these small format picture books in the 'Small World' series. A section at the back of each book tells us more about each picture such as where it was taken. There is also a brief note to adults on the end page about sharing the book with children. The text in both scripts sit clearly on a parchment coloured background - particularly welcome for dyslexic children for whom print on white paper can be bothersome. All the titles are available in the following dual language editions: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarat, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Two stories in one, Farm Boy tells first of the special friendship - and secret - between grandfather and grandson and, in a separate but connected story, of the bet that Grandpa made and won against all the odds.
A story told by a dog is difficult enough to carry off in print but would seem almost impossible in an audio version. Henrietta Branford achieved the first and Eve Karpf's brilliant reading sweeps away any reservations about the second.
Under fives will like these two exhilarating journeys. Flashing Fire Engines takes us along with the crew to answer a fire alarm. We are introduced to all the equipment - helmets, fireproof trousers and masks - and the fire fighting and rescue procedures are clearly explained in pictures and text. Three lively animals in the roles of the guard, help energise the story of a train journey in Terrific Trains. The sounds the train makes, 'chuff-chuff' and 'whoosh!', are written in distinctive print at the top of the pictures. Track, signals and the parts of a train are carefully drawn and explained in the text. Children will be able to link their own experience of seeing trains or travelling on them to what they find here. We accompany the train as it goes over a river on a 'big strong bridge', through a tunnel where 'your ears go pop!' and through a level crossing where 'the traffic has to wait'. In this short book the authors manage to give reasons for things - when too many trains share the same track 'the signals and the points have to hold some back'. They also indicate there are different kinds of train - diesel and steam for instance - and trains have different functions - to carry passengers or freight.
I love these stories and the way they tackle important issues, so it is pleasing to see dual language versions of them appearing. However, it has to be said some look better than others as dual language texts, chiefly because of the length of text on each page.
I love these stories and the way they tackle important issues, so it is pleasing to see dual language versions of them appearing. However, it has to be said some look better than others as dual language texts, chiefly because of the length of text on each page.
I love these stories and the way they tackle important issues, so it is pleasing to see dual language versions of them appearing. However, it has to be said some look better than others as dual language texts, chiefly because of the length of text on each page.
I love these stories and the way they tackle important issues, so it is pleasing to see dual language versions of them appearing. However, it has to be said some look better than others as dual language texts, chiefly because of the length of text on each page.
Fear and secrecy are the bully's most effective weapons, as Suzanne discovers when Karenna and her friends make her school years miserable. Three years on, when Suzanne's Saturday job again brings her into contact with Karenna, she realises she must rid herself of this emotional stranglehold.
One of those 'books' which open up carousel-style to form four pop-up scenes when you turn the covers back to back, this is a pedestrian attempt to inspire interest in shopping. Tabs to pull add some value - a bunch of bananas registering on a weighing scale and a ginger person disappearing into a bag appealed.
When her new brother arrives Gracie finds that Tommy is the centre of attention. Despite Gracie's repertoire of acrobatic stunts, all grown-up eyes are on Tommy and his rapid tiger development as he learns to smile, crawl and walk.
Metaphors for the transition from childhood to adolescence are many and varied in children's books, but one of the most original must be this novel in which Greg, aged thirteen, wakes one morning to find he is no longer a boy but a very large caterpillar.
This shrewd, well-paced, enjoyable novel will ring many bells among sixth formers and those soon to join them. Rich Steele's abbreviated first name is ironic, since he is permanently skint. At seventeen Rich is doing his A-levels, or supposed to be.
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
Ghosts is the third volume of a trilogy set in the 2300s; in this case in 2371. In a society more dystopian than utopian, Europe is governed by the European Federation which intends the human race to remain exactly as it was in the early 21st century.
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
Just for the pinging noise as the nits flit from head to head this tape is excellent entertainment value. It is a much better joke than the slightly laboured excesses of the eponymous Horrid Henry as he thinks up one ruse after another to do down his simpering little brother, Perfect Peter.
The breathless approach of 'Horrible Histories' is here applied to the world of science and maths, but if a child is attracted to the quiz format these neat ringbound stand-up flipbooks will offer a good way to learn and test facts - alone or with a friend.
The classic story of David's solo journey from the camp right across Europe to the woman in Denmark is one of incredible emotion. Deprived of warmth in the camp David knows that his survival depends on not getting involved with others but using his wits to sustain himself and maintain his independence.
Hot on the heels of her successful Clarice bean, That's Me, comes another witty look at family life from Child. There are only two characters this time. Charlie has the unenviable task of finding something that his very fussy little sister will eat.
Stefanie Clark, fifteen, lives with her neurotic mother in a run-down block of flats in Stepney. The flats are soon to be demolished and their occupants re-housed. Helped by her school Camera Club, Stefanie has become a keen photographer, and is making a commemorative portrait folder of the block's tenants, pictured in atmospheric grainy black-and-white, before they all disperse.
'History', as the back-cover blurb reminds us, 'has never been so horrible!' When, as here, the subject is Ireland, it is a reasonable claim, so reasonable in fact that Deary's decision to deal with the country in a format which demands humorous treatment earns immediately some measure of admiration - if not, indeed, amazement: what, for example, can he possibly make of the Great Famine or of 1916 or of the country's apparent obsession with its various 'bloody' Sunday? The humour is generally to be found in the play between the essential seriousness of the content and the essential facetiousness of the style; it is, sometimes, a very precarious balancing act.
Fans of books such as those in the 'Horrible Histories' series will have little difficulty in accommodating themselves to this fairly breathless gallop through the world of ancient Irish stories. Presented in tabloid journalism style as a mixture of retellings and 'top facts', and illustrated in black and white cartoon and comic strip format, this is not, however, a volume likely to appeal to the purist, Irish or otherwise.
This sequel to the Smarties prize-winner Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, has been predictably compared to Bridget Jones - certainly its idiosyncratic use of language, deadpan humour and preoccupation with the opposite sex merit such a comparison, but there is none of the world-weariness of Jones.
Preston Pig marches jauntily through the small format pages of Little Suddenly!, apparently oblivious to the wolf's shadow close behind and, despite Mr Wolf's final sudden leap, gets safely home to bed. My two-year-old was unimpressed; she will, I suspect, be well past board books before the convention of wolf as predator is part of her understanding, never mind the ambiguity inherent here: is this a game or for real?
Lots of flaps to pull in this pop-up book reminiscent of Where's Spot? Little Dragon searches for a place to hide in the cupboard, behind the sofa, under the stairs - but all these familiar hiding places are already occupied by other monsters.
Preston Pig marches jauntily through the small format pages of Little Suddenly!, apparently oblivious to the wolf's shadow close behind and, despite Mr Wolf's final sudden leap, gets safely home to bed. My two-year-old was unimpressed; she will, I suspect, be well past board books before the convention of wolf as predator is part of her understanding, never mind the ambiguity inherent here: is this a game or for real?
An imaginative approach to a topic that is part of the curriculum, this practical guide allows the reader to make, write and illustrate six very different books. Ranging from a Thai folding book and a Japanese scroll to an exquisite medieval book of hours, the sumptuously illustrated pages can be transformed into mini books.
This is a humorous retelling of a Caribbean creation tale, itself based on the familiar Book of Genesis creation story. The main difference is that the Caribbean tale is duo theistic, featuring a male and a female God sharing equal power...
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
This is a perfect birthday present for the child who enjoys monster stories. A lift-the-flap book with a difference, each flap reveals another beneath, so that each double spread resembles a layered scene in a play.
'All that glisters is not gold', but sadly the lasting impression of this new title in Kingfisher's 'Best Book' series has a leaden ring to it. Crystals and gemstones, rocks and fossils inspire a zealot's passion in would-be geologists' hearts.
The breathless approach of 'Horrible Histories' is here applied to the world of science and maths, but if a child is attracted to the quiz format these neat ringbound stand-up flipbooks will offer a good way to learn and test facts - alone or with a friend.
Subtitled 'an entertainment', Whelan's new novel might initially seem merely a Greene-like foray into less serious domains than we find in his earlier work. But the Greene comparison brings with it darker resonances also.
Lily and Jo may seem as alike as peas in a pod, but there are two years between them and they are decidedly different in character. So when Stella, who has baby-sat for them for years, decides to get married, the question of bridesmaids arises.
From the opening sentences it is clear that Rainy Day focuses on a young boy meeting up with an estranged or at least separated father, the title as much to do with family relationships as the weather, Father and son spend the day treading wet pavements, the splashy park and wind-swept seafront, exchanging a few comforting words about the grey clouds (and mother) and how things will get better: 'Rainy days aren't so bad.
From the opening sentence ('It all began the day my brother and I decided to poison our mother') this novel takes us into a childhood summer past where high drama is mostly the stuff of children's fantasy.
The journey of a river from source to end has a natural story shape. This allows the creators of this picture book to provide a sense of an entire process. The fast moving and poetic narrative brings across the variety and movement of the river at each stage and provides children with a good context from which to understand the technical terms in the annotated diagram at the end of the book.
Rock-a Doodle-Do! is an excellent example of how endpapers and the preliminary pages may be used to full effect in a picture book. a bare, prairie landscape set against a large expanse of sky and occupied only by a barn sets the scene on the opening endpapers of Foreman's adaptation of the Grimms' 'The Musicians of Bremen'.
Rosie the hare is so looking forward to her little brother's birth, but when he arrives prematurely and 'only weighs as much as an onion', she is frightened to have anything to do with him. Even after he grows as big as a turnip, she is still afraid.
Ever since Princess Diana's well-publicised African visits to the victims, landmines and their appalling results have been part of public consciousness, but like so many other barbarities they happen in distant places to distant people.
After a while, series (even award-winning series) fatigue sets in. Without checking publication date I could not be sure whether I had seen Electricity before or not. Treatment, delivery and jokes are so uniform to the 'Horrible Science' series that its commendable consistency works, eventually, slightly against it. However this rib-tickling intro to sparkology does not take long to engage the reader with facts like 'You can make electricity from farts' and in 1990 a power surge blew up every television set in Piddlehinton. There is much else, too, as this new member joins its predecessors with a warm welcome.
Diversity of cultural experiences and the commonality that ties us together are beautifully captured in the photographs that form the basis of these small format picture books in the 'Small World' series. A section at the back of each book tells us more about each picture such as where it was taken. There is also a brief note to adults on the end page about sharing the book with children. The text in both scripts sit clearly on a parchment coloured background - particularly welcome for dyslexic children for whom print on white paper can be bothersome. All the titles are available in the following dual language editions: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarat, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
This book is like one of those rarer boxes of chocolates where you find something to savour no matter where you choose. It is a highly individual selection of twenty-six poems (one would expect no less from this compiler who is a respected and popular poet among children) on the theme of family, friends and relationships from different perspectives They embody a variety of moods - joy, wonder, sadness, pathos, embarrassment.
Science being the investigation of nature, the garden (supposing you have access to one) is as good a place as any to start. In Dig and Sow! we look at soil and what it is, how green plants grow, what worms do all day, garden fauna, pollination and seeds in a friendly domestic way. Many easy to find examples are involved and the simple experiments are nicely fail-safe. This is a pleasant introduction and observation-promoter, but to state that 'gardeners use fertilisers, such as manure, to feed plants' without explaining the nature and origins of manure is to miss a richly nitrogenous opportunity.
This book of Caribbean tales, collected and retold by Breinburg (who was born and brought up in Surinam) has an authentic Caribbean flavour, particularly in the storytelling style. The stories are drawn from a wider ethnic range than usual, and includes the indigenous Arawak Indians as well as the migrant Indian communities from Asia.
When Molly is sent to live with her Great Aunt Fay in a traditional, small town community she is certain that her stay is temporary. Initially she remains detached, reluctant to make friends or get involved with her neighbours.
After a while, series (even award-winning series) fatigue sets in. Without checking publication date I could not be sure whether I had seen Electricity before or not. Treatment, delivery and jokes are so uniform to the 'Horrible Science' series that its commendable consistency works, eventually, slightly against it. However this rib-tickling intro to sparkology does not take long to engage the reader with facts like 'You can make electricity from farts' and in 1990 a power surge blew up every television set in Piddlehinton. There is much else, too, as this new member joins its predecessors with a warm welcome.
Any picture book illustrated by Sendak is likely to be an event. His pictures for a tale by the late James Marshall are busy, exuberant and crowded with detail and character. However, Marshall's urbane story, of a down-at-heel wolf who becomes a ballet-lover, proceeds at a leisurely pace.
Under fives will like these two exhilarating journeys. Flashing Fire Engines takes us along with the crew to answer a fire alarm. We are introduced to all the equipment - helmets, fireproof trousers and masks - and the fire fighting and rescue procedures are clearly explained in pictures and text. Three lively animals in the roles of the guard, help energise the story of a train journey in Terrific Trains. The sounds the train makes, 'chuff-chuff' and 'whoosh!', are written in distinctive print at the top of the pictures. Track, signals and the parts of a train are carefully drawn and explained in the text. Children will be able to link their own experience of seeing trains or travelling on them to what they find here. We accompany the train as it goes over a river on a 'big strong bridge', through a tunnel where 'your ears go pop!' and through a level crossing where 'the traffic has to wait'. In this short book the authors manage to give reasons for things - when too many trains share the same track 'the signals and the points have to hold some back'. They also indicate there are different kinds of train - diesel and steam for instance - and trains have different functions - to carry passengers or freight.
Each double page spread in this glossily illustrated title looks at a different group of dinosaurs, with some spreads focusing on key topics, such as feeding, fossils and family life. The encyclopedic approach works very well, with entries accompanied by boxes giving details of the period they lived in, size, order, range and, usefully, pronunciation of names.
When Tracy Beaker is fostered by Cam, she thinks that life will be 'Happily Ever After'. However, she soon comes down to earth with a bump and has to face up to the reality of living with a foster mother who does not always let her get her own way.
Why did the dinosaurs die out? Intriguingly, nobody still really knows. Anyway, extinct they may be but their popularity remains undiminished and this highly appealing title brings dino-mania to the forefront once more.
When Jill goes looking for Jack, she hardly expects a whole genealogy of them, each with a tale to tell. Within a new story of her own, Doherty weaves together five adventures of the great British hero, from Daft Jack to Jack the Giant Killer.
This is a very unusual and ambitious book which attempts to address a wide range of contemporary concerns through the retelling of a universal myth. The tale of the flood is presented from Noah's perspective casting the 600 year-old shipwright as an introspective boozy worrywart, hag-ridden by a termagant wife and restlessly perplexed by the ethical and ecological responsibilities inflicted upon him by his mission.
Kits has been injured in a hit and run accident whilst her friend Lisa has been left unharmed. She is furious at her situation and resentful that she has to transfer to a school which is willing to include her now that she is in a wheelchair.
Gary and Robert of The Dadhunters are faced with the prospect of broodiness now that Gary's mum and dad are back together. They might think that a baby brother, or, horror of horrors, a sister, is a good idea, but Gary definitely is self-centredly aghast and out to change their misguided minds.
This tale is an elaboration of the parable recorded in Matthew, chapter 13, verses 45-46. It has a modern, fresh appeal and a circular format, the opening of the story being revisited in the final pages.
This is the book that refuses to bore! 12 year-old Salvatore d'Amato (see title) might be a bit precocious with language and naively nerdy about girls, but he is a boy with ambition - to kiss a girl (preferably Lucy West) before he has completed his book of 'Dire and Disgusting Ditties', based on the alphabet.
The breathless approach of 'Horrible Histories' is here applied to the world of science and maths, but if a child is attracted to the quiz format these neat ringbound stand-up flipbooks will offer a good way to learn and test facts - alone or with a friend.
The breathless approach of 'Horrible Histories' is here applied to the world of science and maths, but if a child is attracted to the quiz format these neat ringbound stand-up flipbooks will offer a good way to learn and test facts - alone or with a friend.
Why do humans hate cane toads so much? Limpy is determined to find out why, and to do something about it. In his attempts to do so, he travels around parts of Queensland, often narrowly avoiding getting killed en route.
'Tommy Cameron lay awake, waiting. He watched the curtain shadows fade, and the wall between them pinken as another sun struggled skywards. Tommy listened hard for steps in the street below. There'd been no post from Dad for ages.
The transition from teenage to adult fiction is notoriously difficult since young adults have preoccupations rooted in both sides of the age divide. Geras has succeeded in crossing this bridge with Troy: the ten year siege propels her young characters prematurely into the adult world of love, death and responsibility.
This selection of 'wacky' poems about animals and birds is the fourth book in Macmillan's 'Time for a Rhyme' series. Familiar and unfamiliar poets write knockabout poems more to do with rhyme and wordplay than the animal subjects of the poems more to do with rhyme and wordplay than the animal subjects of the poems.
Too often the images of Ethiopia which we see are those of a country ravaged by famine featuring gaunt, enervated people barely able to speak never mind tell stories. This fine collection redresses the balance, for in the face of all the horrendous wars and famine Ethiopia has suffered, a strong tradition of storytelling thrives.
This non-fiction picture book tells the story of William Shakespeare's life and work, act by act, ending with the opening of the reconstructed Globe Theatre. The richly detailed illustrations, backed up by lively and interesting text, bring the story vividly to life, making this a highly accessible introduction.
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
Why does Walker Books, publishers of high quality picture books, many of which are appropriate for beginning readers, feel the need to resort to producing a series such as this? These packs, two featuring a cat, two a dog and two a monkey, each contain four eight-page picture books with a single line of text per page and with the same useful general advice for adults on helping a child to read inside the back cover. If, as I do, we view books as mediators of messages about what reading has to offer, what is there to excite and engage in the mundane prose of these books? An example:
16 year-old Ritch has nothing in his life until he meets Alex. As ambitious and well-educated as he is streetwise, she convinces him to realise his potential and escape the sink estate on which he lives.
When Billy starts school, the other pupils are different from him. They are slimy, spotty, and smelly, or eat strange food with a dribble tongue. Billy wants a friend just like him, so Dad suggests he tries to find one on the computer.
With mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus (surely the first of its kind to be named after a Glasgow thoroughfare) mobilising New York, and tick-borne Lyme disease hitting our headlines at home, biting bugs have never had so good a press since Ronald Ross sorted out malaria.
Two very different girls, coping with the loss of loved-ones, are thrown together in a remote part of Cornwall, mainly because their mothers were childhood friends. London-born Katie might seem the weaker of the two, but ultimately it is the seemingly strong, individualistic Zillah, who requires the most support and understanding to emerge from the deep depression and torment she feels.