Issue No. 131 - November 2001
This issue's cover is from Andrew Matthews' and Angela Barrett's The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories.
Angela Barrett interviewed by Quentin Blake .
Thanks to Orchard Books for their help with this November cover.
Articles In This Issue
Joanna Carey has sifted through the great pile of picture books and gift books published for the Christmas market. Here are her choices of the very best for Christmas giving.
MORE »How did the historical moment impinge upon, inform and preoccupy Shakespeare? Michael Rosen’s Shakespeare: His Work and His World draws young readers into the world behind the plays. Here, he explains the impetus behind the book.
MORE »How are folk and fairy tales published today? Can authenticity and the art of the storyteller be preserved? Brian Alderson looks at the issues raised by current publishing practices.
MORE »Julia Eccleshare on the novels of Lynne Markham
MORE »Teacher Arthur Shenton on TV guides and the world of magic which have persuaded his reluctant reader son that reading is sometimes worth the effort.
MORE »It’s Jack’s first birthday and reading has become ‘a high octane activity’. His father, Gary McKeone, explains.
MORE »
Angela Barrett interviewed by Quentin Blake
MORE »The Book Art Project
MORE »NEWS
MORE »This year’s Carnegie winner and some of the shortlisted titles reviewed by Year 7-9 (11-14 year old) pupils from Fernwood Comprehensive School, Wollaton, Nottingham.
MORE »Christmas Bargain! Not one classic but one hundred and fifty (more or less) and all by Hans Christian Andersen, if not in one volume. One example …
MORE »Reviews In This Issue
Believing him to be ‘all alone in the world’, three teddy bears adopt a baby they find in the woods and bring him up. In the tradition of feral children of legend, the baby grows up believing himself to be a teddy bear (he walks like one and growls like one although he can’t quite manage the leg swivelling) and he is reluctant, when reclaimed by his mother on his fourth birthday, to become a boy – until she gives him ‘the biggest bear hug he’d ever had’. Being lost and then found has great meaning for younger readers and this is an amusingly original picture book take on this powerful theme. All ends well when we discover that the mother has long been searching for her lost son and that she is prepared to extend her maternal affections to include the three kindly bears who have nurtured her son. Varley’s sketchy, unpretentious line and wash illustrations complement the story with warmth.
An autobiographical novel by the then 16-year-old Lebert, Crazy opens with his arrival at Castle Neuseelen boarding school, his fifth school and one on which his parents are pinning hopes for improved grades.
Here we discover the causes and formation of acid rain, how it gets to where it does damage, what that damage is, and what we are doing about it. This is a fine example of a book that teaches as it goes, first establishing basic information and then building upon it.
This 'Little Wise Guide', written by a primary headteacher with 30 years' experience of helping troubled children, will support 7-year-olds and upwards in dealing not only with bullying, but also with the wider issue of misunderstanding due to lack of communication.
Lissa's father is in jail and her comfortable life has been turned upside down. Hurt and angry, she rejects her closest friends and forms a collusive alliance with Diane, a new girl at school. Diane is used to having her own way and enjoys goading Lissa into persecuting her vulnerable classmates.
When 14-year-old Finn, recently orphaned, goes to stay with some distant cousins in the Irish countryside, one of his first encounters is with Tara, a sparky and self-assured girl just slightly younger than himself.
Of these two above average football yarns, Brooksie is a reissue from 1998. Lee Brooks is a talented footballer whose internationally capped father, 'Brooksie', has lost form, gone off the rails and become the butt of the nation's jokes. Lee moves into a down-market home without his dad and hates it. Then Lee pals up with Dent and his mates but with no pitch to play on, there is a major problem. The father of the housing estate's resident bully, Tyler, is a shifty councillor who is determined to stop Lee from reclaiming some council owned wasteland for their pitch. As with many football stories, the end is a bit predictable, with a triumph for Lee and a remarkable return to form for his dad.
These four 'Motley Crew' books in the 'Rocket' series, intended for children who have just started reading independently, are tremendous fun. Forget Captain Pugwash, here we have the crew of the Hesmerelda, led by Captain Motley with Squawk, his rhyme-speaking parrot, eager cabin boy Kevin, scruffy first mate Smudger and the hopless cook Doris McNorris. Each story sees the crew of the Hesmerelda coming up against their arch enemy Horatio Thunderguts, a maritime Dick Dastardly if ever there was one! Thunderguts rightly gets his comeuppance with Captain Motley and his crew earning brownie points from the Chief Pirate who always seems to arrive at the right moment.
The structuring of an information book round a child's day or week has long been a favourite device to help children gain a foothold in the social and cultural life in a particular country. In this new series we meet each child in the family setting, joining them at breakfast and then following them through the rhythm of the school day. Some things happen everywhere -- food is prepared, work carried out and leisure activities enjoyed when school or work is finished. But there are interesting differences -- in religious observance, language and in the formality of relationships.
Rachel remarks that 'families can be a mess'. Too true in this pinch of salt tale about our heroine's trip to Rhodes with father and new girlfriend, plus brother and new girlfriend's son. As coincidence would have it, maternal grandmother played away from home on the same Greek island, in her teens, resulting in Rachel's mother, and so now our Rachel bears a striking resemblance to a girl (Christina), who disappeared two years ago, understandably leaving her own family an emotional mess.
While these titles in a new DK series continue to trade under the 'Eyewitness' brand, they look like a move back towards more conventional information book presentation, particularly in their use of commissioned illustrations. Crusades favours small, intricate scenes in which a huge cast is deployed like figures in war gaming, each appearing on their own base like pieces of landscape. In this way, Dennis conveys both the numerous battle scenes and the notion of the Crusades as a momentous clash of historical and cultural forces. In Cleopartra, by contrast, Molan's illustrations depict the epic conflict of powerful personalities as representatives of Roman and Egyptian civilisation: big in scale and atmosphere, and good at suggesting how the story has continued to inspire dramatists and film makers.
How are writers made? In this companion to Talking Books, James Carter provides excellent guidance for teachers who are keen to support the developing authorship of their students. Creating Writers includes sections on writing workshops, poetry, fiction, non-fiction and making the most of author visits.
While these titles in a new DK series continue to trade under the 'Eyewitness' brand, they look like a move back towards more conventional information book presentation, particularly in their use of commissioned illustrations. Crusades favours small, intricate scenes in which a huge cast is deployed like figures in war gaming, each appearing on their own base like pieces of landscape. In this way, Dennis conveys both the numerous battle scenes and the notion of the Crusades as a momentous clash of historical and cultural forces. In Cleopartra, by contrast, Molan's illustrations depict the epic conflict of powerful personalities as representatives of Roman and Egyptian civilisation: big in scale and atmosphere, and good at suggesting how the story has continued to inspire dramatists and film makers.
A new series from Cassell that promises to build into an encyclopedic resource for both adults and children. Closer inspection reveals that these compact little books were originally produced in France.
These four 'Motley Crew' books in the 'Rocket' series, intended for children who have just started reading independently, are tremendous fun. Forget Captain Pugwash, here we have the crew of the Hesmerelda, led by Captain Motley with Squawk, his rhyme-speaking parrot, eager cabin boy Kevin, scruffy first mate Smudger and the hopless cook Doris McNorris. Each story sees the crew of the Hesmerelda coming up against their arch enemy Horatio Thunderguts, a maritime Dick Dastardly if ever there was one! Thunderguts rightly gets his comeuppance with Captain Motley and his crew earning brownie points from the Chief Pirate who always seems to arrive at the right moment.
'Read All About It' Drugs is in the Franklin Watts series on social issues and is a move away from the just say no approach to drugs. Described as a newspaper-book, this title will appeal to younger teenagers.
A powerful fantasy which draws the reader into the harsh medieval world of the 'Kingdom' for a fourth and final time. Elske escapes brutal death at the hands of the wolf people who have brought her up and makes her way out into a new life, with nothing but her character.
Two of a series of six titles featuring Farmer George, his wife Dotty and their animals. In Snowstorm , Farmer George rescues a frozen Larry (lamb) with the help of Tam (sheepdog) and Sidney (carthorse) and nurses him back to health while in Piglet , the said animal’s fear of the dark leads to sleepless nights until Perry discovers the joys of mud.
Two of a series of six titles featuring Farmer George, his wife Dotty and their animals. In Snowstorm , Farmer George rescues a frozen Larry (lamb) with the help of Tam (sheepdog) and Sidney (carthorse) and nurses him back to health while in Piglet , the said animal’s fear of the dark leads to sleepless nights until Perry discovers the joys of mud.
A useful resource for libraries and schools, this is one of two books (the other is about poets) which introduce children to the creators of well known books. Each spread has one page of background information about the writer in question, quotes from one of their books, a photograph of a front cover, a selected bibliography as well as suggestions of other authors to sample.
The post A level gap year and Laura is going to explore the 'real' Spain with her friends Yaz and Ruth and Ruth's boyfriend Tom -- in his car. The book starts with the tensions: Tom and Ruth shut out the others: they only have eyes for each other and it is not the real Spain that he is after.
The latest collection from the premier team that gave us Please Mrs Butler and Heard it in the Playground is again based around a single subject, but it is football this time rather than school life.
15-year-old Katie, in search of a new partner for her widowed mother, tries her hand at matchmaking, only to be out-manoeuvred when her mum gets off with the new English teacher at Katie's school. This felt like an update of Beverly Cleary's Fifteen to me -- all cappuccinos and clubbing, slang and snogging but no alcohol ('s-o-o twentieth century') and no drugs, smoking or spiked drinks either.
Here are two books, part of a previously seen series, which warn us (on the back cover, to protect the sensitive) that they are 'newspapers'.
Now, newspapers hide their best bits for days - weeks even - revealing them only when they're being used for their secondary purpose of cleaning windows, covering the carpet or travelling to the paper-bank. It is then that the truly engrossing and informative paragraphs leap out and stop you in your tracks. So, for me at least, the idea (not at all new) of dressing up a book as a newspaper and using the tabloid's blunt instrument technique to hammer home facts and evoke opinions is to induce a punch-drunk apathy. In these days when every information-orifice emits 'news' at a virtually inassimilable rate, surely the bandwagon is full to bursting.
Baby's efforts at training one of Daisy's three puppies to sit, lie and speak prove more successful than mum's with Daisy herself in Kopper's latest picture book featuring the lovable bull terrier. Th
A pair of gentle perambulations each comprising just two sentences (punctuated by minibeasts and toy vehicles) telling of a small toy elephant's favourite occupations indoors and out. The grey hand-written text and pictures in soft grey outline and misty watercolours evoke a sense of security and tranquillity as Humphrey begins to explore the world.
A pair of gentle perambulations each comprising just two sentences (punctuated by minibeasts and toy vehicles) telling of a small toy elephant's favourite occupations indoors and out. The grey hand-written text and pictures in soft grey outline and misty watercolours evoke a sense of security and tranquillity as Humphrey begins to explore the world.
After 10 years of siege, Troy falls, and Aeneas begins his long journey in search of a new home. His travels lead him through danger, temptation and bloody conflict before he fulfils his part in the eventual founding of Rome.
A new series from Cassell that promises to build into an encyclopedic resource for both adults and children. Closer inspection reveals that these compact little books were originally produced in France.
This is a perfect match of words and pictures. Woelfle's text is conversational and understated, just right for a domestic tale which turns into high drama. Katje the cat feels displaced from the young miller's affections and her comfortable life in the home, first by his new wife and then by his new baby.
These four 'Motley Crew' books in the 'Rocket' series, intended for children who have just started reading independently, are tremendous fun. Forget Captain Pugwash, here we have the crew of the Hesmerelda, led by Captain Motley with Squawk, his rhyme-speaking parrot, eager cabin boy Kevin, scruffy first mate Smudger and the hopless cook Doris McNorris. Each story sees the crew of the Hesmerelda coming up against their arch enemy Horatio Thunderguts, a maritime Dick Dastardly if ever there was one! Thunderguts rightly gets his comeuppance with Captain Motley and his crew earning brownie points from the Chief Pirate who always seems to arrive at the right moment.
This bright picture book with flaps turns a shopping expedition into a counting adventure. Dad attempts to supervise helpful toddler Anna as the numbers 1 to 5 appear in descending order, with Anna's reward of 1 ice-cream at the end.
Non-fiction presented in cartoon format tends to divide readers into two camps - you either love it or hate it. If you veer towards the latter, this lively and engaging series from A & C Black may well convert you.
These are three of the seven titles in Watts' new series 'World Organizations'. They are organised in chapter form but with generous space given to colour photographs and topic boxes. Each title pays attention to the history of its subject and the way that the organisations are run and funded. Yet there are differences of treatment. Prior's book concentrates on specific problems of disease and poverty and the solutions that UNICEF offers to alleviate them.
The structuring of an information book round a child's day or week has long been a favourite device to help children gain a foothold in the social and cultural life in a particular country. In this new series we meet each child in the family setting, joining them at breakfast and then following them through the rhythm of the school day. Some things happen everywhere -- food is prepared, work carried out and leisure activities enjoyed when school or work is finished. But there are interesting differences -- in religious observance, language and in the formality of relationships.
In the middle of a very hot summer, Phelan goes with his mother to the zoo wearing a new green anorak. While he shares ice cream with the animals there, a quick-witted penguin sees this anorak as a chance to escape from the zoo and go to the South Pole.
These two volumes are the first in a series of six about the perils and pleasures of step-families. Each has a chapter-length extract from the next book in the series as an addition to the main narrative and a rather complicated family tree at the beginning, thus leading readers through the series.
Here are two picture books from the 'Hodder Toddler' series. In Squeak! Squeak! Grandad, Grandma, Mummy and Daddy all join toddler Nelly as she marches and makes monster steps and bunny hops in her smart new shoes. However, a curious squeak, squeak follows the family around. There is a well-constructed pause as each adult whispers to Nelly what they think the squeak might be, whilst the reader is introduced to the concept of the think bubble in the illustrations. The resolution is beautifully handled in text and pictures.
Joey is a London costermonger, selling fruit and vegetables to make a meagre living. His ambitions are simple -- a home of his own with his beloved Rose and enough money to start his own business. However, there are complications -- a mystery surrounds his birth as it is rumoured that he is the illegitimate offspring of Lord Rivers' daughter.
'If you're gay, people think that's all you are as though there aren't any other dimensions to your personality. They think all you do is have sex.' Out of the Shadows is a story of love and friendship, which illustrates with remarkable simplicity and clarity the distinction between sexuality and sex.
The structuring of an information book round a child's day or week has long been a favourite device to help children gain a foothold in the social and cultural life in a particular country. In this new series we meet each child in the family setting, joining them at breakfast and then following them through the rhythm of the school day. Some things happen everywhere -- food is prepared, work carried out and leisure activities enjoyed when school or work is finished. But there are interesting differences -- in religious observance, language and in the formality of relationships.
Presented in diary form, Polly's monologue charts the period leading up to the birth of a new baby in the family. She is sharp, caustic at times, providing a commentary on her family, teacher, friends (and ex-friend) and the subjects studied in school -- she displays a keen interest in the Tudors' practice of throwing their poo out the window.
In the latter part of Queen Victoria's reign, Tom has to choose between a life of fishing or mining. He is not attracted to either job, and it is through his love for a pony that the story develops and comes to a surprising but rewarding ending.
Here are two books, part of a previously seen series, which warn us (on the back cover, to protect the sensitive) that they are 'newspapers'.
Now, newspapers hide their best bits for days - weeks even - revealing them only when they're being used for their secondary purpose of cleaning windows, covering the carpet or travelling to the paper-bank. It is then that the truly engrossing and informative paragraphs leap out and stop you in your tracks. So, for me at least, the idea (not at all new) of dressing up a book as a newspaper and using the tabloid's blunt instrument technique to hammer home facts and evoke opinions is to induce a punch-drunk apathy. In these days when every information-orifice emits 'news' at a virtually inassimilable rate, surely the bandwagon is full to bursting.
Familiarity with characters and situations enhances a child's reading and understanding of a story, argues Victor Watson, which is why series fiction, often neglected by reviewers and despised by teachers and parents as being a lightweight option, is so popular with children themselves.
In this inventive story 11-year-old Sebastian travels into various past times in order to restore the lost grave goods of his Stone Age ancestor. Well supported by his friends Joss and Emily, Sebastian addresses several issues pertinent to his age-group, from the difficulty of changing school, to a growing understanding of an individual's small place in the vast continuum of time.
These four 'Motley Crew' books in the 'Rocket' series, intended for children who have just started reading independently, are tremendous fun. Forget Captain Pugwash, here we have the crew of the Hesmerelda, led by Captain Motley with Squawk, his rhyme-speaking parrot, eager cabin boy Kevin, scruffy first mate Smudger and the hopless cook Doris McNorris. Each story sees the crew of the Hesmerelda coming up against their arch enemy Horatio Thunderguts, a maritime Dick Dastardly if ever there was one! Thunderguts rightly gets his comeuppance with Captain Motley and his crew earning brownie points from the Chief Pirate who always seems to arrive at the right moment.
Here are two picture books from the 'Hodder Toddler' series. In Squeak! Squeak! Grandad, Grandma, Mummy and Daddy all join toddler Nelly as she marches and makes monster steps and bunny hops in her smart new shoes. However, a curious squeak, squeak follows the family around. There is a well-constructed pause as each adult whispers to Nelly what they think the squeak might be, whilst the reader is introduced to the concept of the think bubble in the illustrations. The resolution is beautifully handled in text and pictures.
Of these two above average football yarns, Brooksie is a reissue from 1998. Lee Brooks is a talented footballer whose internationally capped father, 'Brooksie', has lost form, gone off the rails and become the butt of the nation's jokes. Lee moves into a down-market home without his dad and hates it. Then Lee pals up with Dent and his mates but with no pitch to play on, there is a major problem. The father of the housing estate's resident bully, Tyler, is a shifty councillor who is determined to stop Lee from reclaiming some council owned wasteland for their pitch. As with many football stories, the end is a bit predictable, with a triumph for Lee and a remarkable return to form for his dad.
'Who is that child I see wandering, wandering...' Harvey has captured the childhood Charles Causley's poem 'Who?' remembers and celebrates all aspects of childhood in this anthology of poems. She has brought together poems old and new by poets traditional and contemporary to mark the many experiences, moods and memories of childhood.
Gemma lives in a close, protective relationship with her dad since her mother died when she was a baby. Through a series of somewhat unlikely circumstances her dad is gaoled for a robbery which he didn't commit.
This is the first of Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' novels to be written for young readers, and it is a postmodern children's book, which will not deter its intended audience but will give extra pleasure to their elders.
Non-fiction presented in cartoon format tends to divide readers into two camps - you either love it or hate it. If you veer towards the latter, this lively and engaging series from A & C Black may well convert you.
Stammering Lewis, bullied, struggling to be noticed, longing to prove that he really can do what his mind tells him he can, is hampered by an ambitious mother, overly anxious about his academic achievement and the social status of his friends.
Non-fiction presented in cartoon format tends to divide readers into two camps - you either love it or hate it. If you veer towards the latter, this lively and engaging series from A & C Black may well convert you.
Catherine Storr died in January 2001 aged eighty-seven, and this posthumous children's novel is published over sixty years after her first. Like her most famous book, Marianne Dreams, it blends the supernatural with social and psychological realism.
Thank goodness Collins has had the wisdom to reissue these tapes of the 'Chronicles of Narnia' and not to re-record. (All seven titles in the sequence are newly available.) Marisa Robles' atmospheric harp music which she plays herself sets up the magical background while Michael Hordern's fast reading with its emphasis on the drama and not the weighty overtones of the story leads the listener unre***sistingly from reality to Narnia.
Shaun Tan's hero is, mostly, a bottle-top collector. Once, however, when he was out down by the beach collecting bottle-tops, he found a Lost Thing. It was friendly enough, though melancholy. So our hero took it home, and then to the Federal Department of Odds and Ends, where he was given several reams of forms to fill in.
It is depressing to think after all the campaigns to raise awareness on this issue of race and colour in America, especially during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, that this issue won't go away.
You may recognise the style of these illustrations, because Thomas Taylor was cover illustrator for the first Harry Potter. Perhaps that may have suggested him as suitable for this earlier tale of magic and mayhem.
Non-fiction presented in cartoon format tends to divide readers into two camps - you either love it or hate it. If you veer towards the latter, this lively and engaging series from A & C Black may well convert you.
This picture book is a pleasant retelling of this well known tale in a dual text version. The text (Chinese printed directly above the English version) is superimposed on full page illustrations which are quite striking in both form and colour.
This, the third adventure of Topher and his time-travelling cat, starts with many changes in the young boy's life -- new home, new school and the establishing of new friendships. The last of these proves the most problematic as Topher combats a mysterious bout of bullying.
This is a bargain bumper assortment of space facts whose main selling point seems to be the 'over 40 web sites' whose addresses it provides. Now I am well over 40 and the website dimension thrills me not one whit, so I am happy to be able to read 'Computer not essential -- this book is a complete, superb self-contained information book by itself.' And 'by itself' is probably right, because although the doubtless admirable Paul Dowswell is credited as its author, so much of the book's make-up is provided by a galaxy of consultants, designers and 'digital manipulators' that it has the look of something auto-assembled.
Ant eaters, goats, rattlesnakes and woodpeckers -- there's a poem for every animal in this lively collection of word play poems. Unfortunately the rhymes and the subject matter just go on and on with little respite or variation.
How would two very different artists get on if they lived and worked side by side for two months? This vividly illustrated book, published in association with The Art Institute of Chicago, tells the story of the time Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin spent together in the Yellow House in Arles.
Who should read the narrative voice of a young boy? A man's voice is too low but the use of a woman's voice often jars, too. Here Jan Francis's voice -- inevitably -- sounds womanly and instantly the intensity of Tom's magical adventure, much of which comes from the reader's complete identification with Tom, is lost.
The extended title reads: 'Boy Genius of the Stone Age and His Search for Soft Trousers'. Ug is ahead of his time: wondering about heating the cave, cooking, boats that float, balls that bounce and, above all, replacing his chilly stone trousers with something a little more comfortable.
These are three of the seven titles in Watts' new series 'World Organizations'. They are organised in chapter form but with generous space given to colour photographs and topic boxes. Each title pays attention to the history of its subject and the way that the organisations are run and funded. Yet there are differences of treatment. Prior's book concentrates on specific problems of disease and poverty and the solutions that UNICEF offers to alleviate them.
These are three of the seven titles in Watts' new series 'World Organizations'. They are organised in chapter form but with generous space given to colour photographs and topic boxes. Each title pays attention to the history of its subject and the way that the organisations are run and funded. Yet there are differences of treatment. Prior's book concentrates on specific problems of disease and poverty and the solutions that UNICEF offers to alleviate them.
This bold, die-cut board book shaped like a teddy is appealing to the eye. Its rhyming text bounces along: 'What does Teddy like to wear? He doesn't like to go out bare.' The visual clues will help the youngest child predict the rhyming words on subsequent reads.
This is the story of how Julian and his friends, Gary and Ed, set out to write and publish a joke book. The jokes are gathered, argued over and there is much discussion of what makes a good joke. Language and its shifting nature is at the core of the research for the book and there is plenty of potential for discussion in English classes here.
Traditionally, the wolf has been the victim of a bad press but more recently writers like Janni Howker with Walk with a Wolf, have challenged the Big Bad Wolf image of folk and fairy stories. In Wolf Summer Anna is sent to stay with her grandmother in an attempt to stop her seeing her boyfriend.
The structuring of an information book round a child's day or week has long been a favourite device to help children gain a foothold in the social and cultural life in a particular country. In this new series we meet each child in the family setting, joining them at breakfast and then following them through the rhythm of the school day. Some things happen everywhere -- food is prepared, work carried out and leisure activities enjoyed when school or work is finished. But there are interesting differences -- in religious observance, language and in the formality of relationships.
These two volumes are the first in a series of six about the perils and pleasures of step-families. Each has a chapter-length extract from the next book in the series as an addition to the main narrative and a rather complicated family tree at the beginning, thus leading readers through the series.