book reviews

What’s That? Blog Tour post

Posted on
 
Hi. Robbie I really enjoyed the first book Freddie’s Impossible Dream that you and your dad produced together.
Thanks for the opportunity to talk to you about your new book, What’s That?

 

1) Can you talk me through your art process, from first idea, first sketch, to final drawing. Perhaps with a few examples from the pictures.  

 

1) I always start with a pencil sketch, which I ink over when I am happy with it. I don’t draw straight into the computer for the book yet as I am still learning how to use the computer properly and I get my best drawings on paper. My dad then puts it on the computer for me to colour in digitally. Finally, I add shading to give it some depth, and then it is finished. The space picture wasn’t originally in the book. It was supposed to be a matador and my dad decided to change his mind after he read it to some children at school. So he asked me to draw a space scene. I got one of my dad’s books out that had planets in and I tried to draw them as best as I could to make them look realistic. I did draw the planets straight on the computer though, which I am pleased with. My dad was very impressed with them when I showed him.

2a.  How did you decide what Idris and Umo would look like?
2b.  I love the expressions on the kids faces but especially Umo, the girl.  How did you learn about how to draw the different facial expressions?  What tips would you have for other kids?
2)a) Well for Umo, my dad used to teach a girl called Umo and he described what she looked like to me, so I started there. Once I have finished a drawing, I show it to my Dad and Step-Mum and they give me feedback on bits they like and bits they think could be better. If I agree, then I will redraw until we think it is perfect.
 
2)b) I learn mostly from YouTube. I watch lots of videos on how to draw on there. My advice would be to focus on adding the right amount of  wrinkles. Too many and the person looks old. I always look at myself in the mirror doing the expression I am trying to draw. I always find that helpful.

 

3) Because of the imaginative nature of the story there were many options for the pictures of what you could have drawn. For a few pictures can you tell me about how you decided on what you would draw in that scene?
3) Well, my dad gives me the words that are going on the page and once I read them a picture always just appears in my head and that is what I draw. When I was drawing the pictures for the book I was drawing a lot of realistic characters, so I decided to try to make the cowboy as realistic as I could. With the giant, I decided to add in a beanstalk because I wanted to make it obvious that it was a giant and when I think of a giant I think of Jack and the Beanstalk. I also added mountains in the background to add to the perspective.

 

4) I know that in your first book Freddie’s Impossible Dream you added a Crab to every page, which added an extra element to the story. 
So I wasn’t surprised to see you had done something similar this time!  But, I wondered what made you choose a worm and a Seagull? (I thought they were a great choice by the way) What do you think they add to the story?
 

4) I chose the seagull (Siago) because we were originally going to have a one in Freddie, but I decided on a crab instead. I chose the worm because I wanted Siago to have a purpose. Crabby is going after the ice-cream so I thought Siago could go after Wormington. I just wanted to add something to the story to make people laugh. That is why I thought Wormington could be running away and hiding from Siago.

Four original non-fiction books on Ancient Egypt

Posted on
 

The topic of Ancient Egypt is one that intrigues me and IT IS a popular choice in primary schools. For this blog post I wanted to highlight some slightly different book on Ancient Egypt. I have focused my choice on ones that text wise are accessible to year 3 and year 4 students, but they will also appeal to older children. 

Meet the Ancient Egyptians - James Davies

The bright, bold and clearly presented style of this book grabbed my attention. This will both capture children’s attention and keep them reading. What I wasn’t expecting is how jam packed with information this small format paperback book is, but with everything laid out in a really accessible way, giving a comprehensive overview of Ancient Egypt. 

There is a map and timeline (at end) and black banners clearly identify the topic covered on each double paged spread, making it easy to skim through the pages to find a topic of interest.

It begins with an almost narrative like introduction to the Nile. Then goes on to cover daily life, including the clothes people wear, and the strange pets they have. Then it explores Pharaohs , gods and goodness, magic and medicine, pyramids and how they bury their dead and what happens in the afterlife. 

The Egyptians: Hide and Seek History - by Jonny Marx and Chaaya Prabhat

A gorgeous colourful lift the flap book on Ancient Egypt. That covers a range of topics, from the archaeologists who study ancient things, pyramids and mummies, and life on the Nile. I loved how the flaps help the reader explore the layers to a sarcophagus and that when you lift the flap of the boat on the Nile it tells you about ports and trading goods. The approach lets the reader take in the bigger picture and then explore nuggets of interesting information in more detail. 

It covers less topics than James Davie’s books, but would be great as engaging introduction to the topic and for children to enjoy together. With 80 flaps to encourage exploring and interaction. 

King Tutankhamun Tells Al l by Chris Nation and Guilherme Karston

The perspective of this book is clever, it is told by the boy King Tutankhamun himself. 

This gives the book a chatty and sometimes humorous edge. The points on each page are broken into bite sized chunks helping to engage the reader. It breaks up well the different aspects to the Kings story, including how he became a boy king, theories on why he’d died early and how Howard Carter discovered the body in a secret tomb. 

Written from the perspective of the boy King, you get some great fun insights into what they had for spiritual security in the after life and ‘dinning with the dead’. There is lots to explore and enjoy in this book. 

If I have one niggle it is that the font its chosen whilst clear is a little curly, which may make it more of a challenge to read for some less confident readers. However, it’s another book that would be great for kids to read together.

Mummies unwrapped by Tom Froese (British Museum, published by Nosy Crow)

My daughter was fascinated by the mummification process when she studied Ancient Egypt in year 4  so a book devoted to this topic got my attention.  This book takes you the entire process of mummification, including information on the embalmers, how the organs are removed and the rebuilding of of the mummy, topics which often aren’t covered in more general texts.

Colourful illustrations help bring the civilisation of Ancient Egypt and is practice of mummification of its dead to life for the readers. With some useful information boxes. However, please note the text level of this book is more difficult than the other three and in longer chunks in places, making it more suitable for year4/5 when reading alone. 

 

All book are available to order from me at Readers that Care

Storm Horse by Jane Elson – Blog Tour

Posted on

 

I am delighted to be taking part in the Storm Horse Blog Tour for Dyslexia Awareness Week. 

Part A:  A review of Storm Horse by Melissa Jordan 

 

“My great-great grandad. Cuthbert H Brown Junior, lived in a car. His ma slept in the front seas, his pa in the driving seat and Cuthbert H Brown Junior, who was small like me, curled up on the back seat with his sister Dora and brother Frank…” p1 Storm Horse, by Jame Elson 

The main character is a boy called Daniel Margate who lives on the Beckham Estate. You immediately know this story features characters often not portrayed in children’s books. 

You learn that Daniel went to the food bank two months earlier with his mum, that he finds it difficult to find any quiet space in his flat and that he is Dyslexic. I love how it shares through the story how Daniel is supported to find out more about his Dyslexia and encouraged to think of it as ‘being different but good’.

I haven’t even mentioned the horses, two feature in the story one historical and one modern day. 

When Daniel needs to escape he goes to a shed near the Animal Rescue Centre where his mum works. There he reads his great-great-grandfathers scrapbook, which contains letters he wrote to the legendary Seabiscuit, the race horse that was too short and had knobbly knees, but who despite the odds won races, giving hope to millions of American’s devastated by the American Great Depression. 

The second horse is Jamie Dodger, which Daniel names after his favourite biscuit. When one stormy night a horse turns up at the shed.

In an unlucky twist of fate Daniel some how manages to be entered into a national reading contest and a running race on the same day, when he isn’t much good at either.

But, when a band of misfits, 4 boys and one girls group together to form the ‘Secret Horse Society’ and make a pact to keep him Jamie Dodger (the storm horse) secret until the day of the contest to and look him their lives open up in many ways. 

Part B: “World Beyond the Book:  Opening the up the world of Rescue Animals to Young People. ” by Jane Elson 

Find out about author Jane Elson’s passion for animals that influenced her books Storm Horse and Moon Dog.
What shaped her writing of ‘gritty middle grade realism’ In her blog post below  which I am sharing as part of the storm horse blog tour. 
My challenge as an author is to make the extraordinary happen within the ordinary – 
that challenge is what excites me.

 

Some children want to jump into the pages of a book when they finish it and stay there. I was one of those children and as an author of gritty middle grade realism it’s very important that I am responsible in the world that I offer children, after they have finished the last page. For example, Will You Catch Me? is about Nell Hobbs, the child of an alcoholic, so at the back of the book I’ve included the details of charity Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics nacoa.org.uk) so that if a reader thinks, ’This is my world, this is happening to me,’  they have somewhere to go. I am now a proud ambassador for Nacoa.

Storm Horse and my previous book Moon Dog are both partly set around the Beckham Animal Rescue Centre. My hope is that children who read these books will become rescue-animal minded, and want to love and care for the creatures around them.

The Beckham Animal Rescue Centre is fictitious but as an advocate for the rescue charity All Dogs Matter, it is really important to me that the way it exists on the page is bound by realism. I don’t offer a world where children charge into rescue centres, wandering around by themselves, taking over and independently rescuing animals willy nilly in an unrealistic way.

I know that All Dogs Matter get many phone calls from parents asking if their children can volunteer in their centre. To volunteer at ADM you have to be 18 and over, so it’s really important that I don’t show children working in rescue centres in my books. However, my books do show them how they can be rescue animal minded as young people.

 

My challenge as an author is to make the extraordinary happen within the ordinary – that challenge is what excites me

My extraordinary within the ordinary in Storm Horse is that the children find a horse and keep him secret, but again I spent hours justifying how it could be possible, and constructing a scenario where Daniel would have access to the resources in order to do this.   

It’s really important when writing realism that I keep an eye on the world around me. My books have happened to overlap with topical issues  again and again. Moon Dog raises awareness about cruel puppy farms where puppies are bred on a mass scale with little thought for the animals’ welfare, often kept in terrible conditions resulting in disease and heartbreak. I had no inkling whilst writing Moon Dog that the pandemic was about to happen, and that the demand for buying puppies would fly up. Everybody decided they wanted a dog and puppies have been sold for ridiculous prices on the Internet by dodgy puppy farmers and backstreet breeders. To make matters worse, when people realise they’ve made a mistake and no longer want their puppy, rather than doing the responsible thing and taking it to a rescue centre they are reselling the poor little thing online to get some of their money back. The result is a population of puppies with separation anxiety.

 Whilst writing Storm Horse and Moon Dog, I was in full consultation with Ira Moss, the general manager of All Dogs Matter throughout. I could not have written the books without her. She checked all the rescue centre content for me and gave me very useful notes resulting in several parts being rewritten. For example, at no time was Daniel ever wandering around the Beckham Animal Rescue Centre on his own as this is not allowed and any interaction he had with animals was done responsibly – even though the children were keeping a secret horse!

All Dogs Matter rescue and rehoming charity work in and around London to transform the lives of unwanted and abandoned dogs, they have also rehomed dogs from overseas. An example of their work is in 2019 when they rehomed over 370 dogs with new owners and found homes for 27 unwanted and abandoned dogs from China, Italy and Egypt. I  am in awe of the work they do.

All Dogs Matter are such a creative charity and run lots of fun competitions, so if you do have an animal-loving youngster in your life or indeed if you yourself feel like entering, do checkout their website. They have a wonderful scheme called Mini Paws with lots of fun ideas for young people to get involved in fundraising. Here is the link: https://alldogsmatter.co.uk/team-mini-paws/

I’m often invited to judge their competitions and am counting the days until live events can happen again as they are always an important part of my calendar.

Find out more about All Dogs Matter here. 

 

You can buy Storm Horse by Jane Elson as one of the choices in my 4 for £24 Chapter book bundle below.
Can also be added to Bespoke book bundles at www.readersthatcare.co.uk 

Raccoon and the Hot Air Balloon by Kristen Humphrey and Jill Atkins

Posted on

I was delighted to have the chance to review this new picture books from Maverick publishing, and be part of the blog tour. The front cover is eye-catching and the kind of image that will immediately grab children’s attention. I can see this being a popular choice in libraries. There is something exciting about stories that involve flight and the possibilities that this offers for different visual perspectives and adventure.

The Raccoon in this story is an especially loveable character. The illustrator Kritsten Humphrey has done a great job with the Raccoon’s expressions which will help young readers understand what she is feeling at different points in the story. 

At the start of the story the Raccoon rescues a chick from a tree. The Raccoon dreams of being able to fly, this page reminded me so much of Mog the Forgetful cat, where he dreams about flying. 

I love how the image of the hot air balloon is repeated across the page so you get the sense of movement. However, some young children might need it explaining that this is the same hot air balloon and not 4 moving across the page!

Most of the story is about the accidental ride the Raccoon takes in a hot air balloon. Towards the end the Eagle (who’s chick Raccoon rescued) and it’s friends rescue her. It would be a great additional task to try and identify all the birds in this picture.  A story of adventure, kindness and looking out for others. 

 

The author Jill Atkins has created a strong narrative story. She also cleverly introduces her reader to some great descriptive words and a number of sound words.I have listed the sound words below. Also attached at the bottom of this blog is a downloadable resource sheet with the 5 sound words and 5 matching pictures. 

  • screech 
  • roaring
  • whooshed
  • swoosh
  • chugging 

This story would make a fun and engaging read aloud for 3 to 7 year olds. There are also some great ways you could link it to the  curriculum. 

Click here to download the Sound Words ACTIVITY SHEET

Melt by Ele Fountain: Author Q and A

Posted on

 

As my stop on the Blog Tour for Melt I decided to ask the author Ele Fountain a few questions about her writing process.

You can also read my book review here.

1) I thought the part where Bea is trying to settle into a new place and new school was really well done and you could really get a sense of what she had to deal with.  Where did the inspiration for this part of the story come from?

Teenagers have a lot to deal with. It’s a time when many kids want to work out how they fit in and are struggling with what people see on the outside versus how they feel inside. Bea experiences an intense version of this. I wanted to show that there are many ways to ‘fit in’, but you will probably be happiest with those who let you be yourself.

 

2a) The character of Yutu is clearly rooted in his traditional Arctic village. How did you find out about or research the background for this character?  (I am particularly interested in this as you mention in the back that your wrote this book in lockdown?)

I love research. Writing a book allows you to become briefly expert in many things from how to take off in a light aircraft, to the distance an average snowmobile can travel on one tank of fuel. My sources are diverse. From scholarly to home videos. The trouble is, research can be such a rabbit hole – the more I learn, the more I need to know. As I began to research Inuit language and culture, I became fascinated by the clothing made from sealskin and caribou. There were waterproof bodysuits and winter footwear made of up to five different layers. I wanted the richness of this incredible adaptation to infuse the story too.

 

2b) I noticed how it is the inter-relationships between Yutu and his Granma (whom he lives with) that help you to understand the character. Any tips on how you can use the communication and/or dialogue between two characters to help you understand them?

I find that with dialogue it’s as much about what characters don’t say, as what they do. Miki chooses her words carefully; much of the time she listens. Resisting the urge to make your characters speak when they wouldn’t, or say more than they should, I find really helps.

 

3) In the second part of the story, there are quite a bit of layering, as the different parts of the plot come to light.  I love how you reader begins to make sense of what is going on as Bea herself does. (I notice you did this in Lost, your story set in India too). It gives a real-time feel and sense of urgency to the narrative. Did you know where your story was going when you started or did it evolve?

I always plot my stories, but many of my favourite details weave themselves into the narrative as I go along. I know from my many years as an editor, the disaster that can lie at the end of an un plotted story. What I didn’t know, until I started writing myself, is quite how much your imagination can take over as you write, adding all kinds of ‘extras’.

You can purchase this book from me at Readers that Care here. 

To find out more about this book be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour.

Melt by Ele Fountain: Book Review

Posted on

A heart-warming coming of age story set against the back drop of fast paced survival adventure in the snowy wilderness of northern Canada. This story has it all: well developed characters, an action-packed adventure in the wilderness, secrets to unravel and some wider messages about: taking risks, global warming and how we treat our planet.  I highly recommend it for ages 9 to 80!

Written as a dual narrative from the perspective of two teenagers Bea and Yutu. The young people don’t know each other at the start of their story, but they end up depending on each other for their survival. 

Bea and Yutu are struggling with transitions in their lives. Bea has just moved house for the 5th time in 5 years.  She is finding it hard to find her place in her new school, and her dad seems distracted and distant with his work. Yutu lives with his grandma in a remote Arctic village not accessible by roads. He is beginning to wonder about his future in the world and what lies beyond his village. He is wondering if his grandma will let him take the necessary risks to explore the wilderness on his own.

Bea and her dad share an interest, which is flying small aircraft together. So when Bea’s dad asks her to accompany him on a work flight into the Arctic circle she in initially excited. However, when things take a turn for the worse, her life collides with Yutu and they find themselves depending on each other for their survival. 

To find out more about this book and for some insights into Ele Fountains writing process check out my Blog Tour post here. 

Thank you to publishers Pushkin Press for an advance copy of the book and inviting me to take part in the blog tour (details below, insert jpeg). 

To see my interview with author Ele Fountain check out my next post

 

The books is available to buy from me at Readers that Care click here.

 

 

Escape: One day we had to run – Spotlight blog tour

Posted on

.     

 

Mini-book Review: Escape: One Day we had to run by Ming and Wah, and illustrated by Carmen Vela

I was delighted to invited by Lantana publishing to take part in the Escape: One day we had to run blog tour.  This picture book explores why people around the world are forced to flee their homes. It takes a unique angle on the topic. Choosing 12 words and a personal story to go with each word. Each is presented on a double page spread with bright and bold illustrations, which combine with powerful effect.

I love the range of stories included. There are examples from different time periods and places in the world. It includes: Syria, Climate Refugees fleeing Pacific Islands, a long-distance runner escaping Eritrea, Bonnie Prince Charlie in Scotland and someone escaping the Cultural Revolution in China.

This book will help broaden the readers understanding of why people have to flee their homes, and help them to see the individual stories behind the headlines. It provides plenty to discuss, and is likely to prompt further research. Highly recommend for 9 to 80 years.

 

Spotlight: Blog Tour

The publisher asked us to choose a person to spotlight for the Blog Tour. I ended up choosing two people. Read on to find out why.

 

Flee 2007 Ioane Teitota left the Pacific Islands for New Zealand

I wanted to feature Ioane’s story for several reasons. Firstly, it’s the first time I have come across environmental and climate reasons for a person fleeing their country in a children’s book.  In Ioane’s case rising sea levels were destroying the Pacific Island he lived on.

Secondly, when I looked into his story, I realised it had taken him a 13-year struggle to get official Refugee status. Because until recently environmental and climate reasons were not recognised as qualifying criteria which forced people to leave their homes.

In January 2020 Ioane Teitota and his family took their case to the United Nations Human Refugee Committee. It became a landmark case in the rights of people fleeing their homes for environmental or climate change reasons. Shortly, afterwards Jacinda Arden established a special status for a small number of ‘Climate Refugees’ from the Pacific Islands and Ioane and his family were granted the right to stay in New Zealand. This is another example of the forward thinking and compassionate leadership of New Zealand’s president Jacinda Arden.

 

Fly – Ivo Zdarsky Czechoslovakia to Austria 1984

 

I chose Ivo’s story because it has always interested me the extra-ordinary lengths a few individuals went to escape Soviet Russia and/or the Eastern bloc during the Cold War. Ivo Zdarsky in 1984 did something very brave he built his own light aircraft and flew it across the border to Austria.

Another reason for choosing this example was to highlight the economic benefits refugees can bring to the new county they settle in. Ivo was helped by a refugee group to emigrate to the Unite States. Where he eventually built a successful aircraft propeller business called Ivoprop. I decided to do a bit more research about Ivo and was fascinated to find out more about what he went on to do next. A story which will interest many young people.

I also hope that by spotlighting this story readers will be encouraged to look up some of the different ways people escaped the Soviet Bloc or from East to West Germany (which is also featured in the book).

To watch a video about Ivo Zdarsky’s life click here (scroll to bottom of article)

 

Escape: Once Day we had to Run is available to purchase in all good bookshops from 6th May in UK and from 4th May in USA and Canada.

purchase from me at Readers that Care for £11.49, free postage to Mainland UK. Click here. 
You at also purchase direct from Lantana publishing, click here. 

 

 

Darwin’s Dragon by Lindsay Galvin

Posted on

I loved reading Darwin’s Dragon, one of my most anticipated books of the year which has finally arrived. My daughters a big fan of Lindsay Galvin’s the Secret of the Deep, so I was expecting great things. It didn’t disappoint. 

The story begins in 1835. It’s about what could have happened during one of Darwin’s expeditions to the Galapagos Islands.  It is written from the perspective of Syms Covington. Who first joined Darwins ship the Beagle, as a cabin boy and a fiddler. He then worked his way up to become Darwin’s assistant. With short chapters, and plenty of nail-biting action there is lot’s to draw readers in. 

The story is a most intriguing and unique combination of historical fiction, weird and wonderful detail on the animals and habitats of the Galapagos, and fantasy (a real life Dragon). There is a survival theme running through the story. To begin with is is how Sym survives on an uninhabited island and later it’s about the lizard.  

In chapter 2 Syms rescues Darwin from the sea, but is then swept away and is washed up on a strange uninhabited island. On the island he is befriended by a lizard, who he names Farthing after his copper coloured eyes. She helps him survive on the island and escape the dragon. 

I found some of part 2 harder to read. I think at that point I was still getting my head round there only being one human character and lots of the weird landscape of the Galapagos which is so well portrayed in Lindsays writing. If using in the classroom some real pictures of the Galapagos might help. I mention this as some readers may benefit from being read the beginning of part 2 as they will love the next bit. 

I loved how Syms fiddle features in his survival story, and serves as a tool to introduce us to some of his back history and to help him survive the present. And the clever placing of the objects in the cave, which helped Syms and the eggs to escape the island was really clever storytelling, which could be used to help children write their own stories.

After Syms is rescued, Darwin’s ship makes its voyage back to London.  In London we get to find out more about Farthing, the lizard and the dragons eggs. We also see Syms taking on a role in looking out for Farthing.  There is also a great fictional connection to Queen Victoria.

The story covers a number of years in Darwins’s life, not just his expedition to Galapagos. With insights into the collating and publishing of his work on evolution in London, and the need for him to stay away from additional controversy as his ideas on the Origin of the Species were controversial enough at the time.  Finally a the end Syms re-visits the island with one of his daughters.

Cleverly interweaving real facts and information with action packed adventure, and fantasy and cleverly twisted facts to create believable fiction this is not to be missed.  A story that will keep you in the moment and which you will want to re-visit. Highly recommend for 9/10+ to 99 years. 

Thank you to the publishers Chicken House books for a free advance copy.

 

Darwins’s Dragons is published on 7th January 2021. Available to pre-order from me an independent bookseller at Readers that Care. In a special 2 book bundle, choose 2nd book from a selection of over 20 titles. 

Freddie’s Impossible Dream, blog tour: a chat with farther and son about the creative process

Posted on

 

Freddie’s Impossible Dream is based on a true story of the author Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward life,  who overcome many obstacles to realise his dream of being in a band. Robbie who is now aged 9 years,  illustrated the story. As my stop on the blog tour I wanted to find out how farther and son worked together to produce the book, and in particular how they collaborated to decided on the pictures for the story. I discovered how the inspiration for Crabby the crab came about and that Freddie Mercury’s life helped give Nigel the confidence to ask to join a band.

I asked Nigel:
1. Having decided to write and illustrate a book together, how did you decide to break up the story into pages that could be illustrated?

Initially, I wrote the story down in a notebook with some basic notes about what I imagined the illustrations might look like. I also showed Robbie some pictures that I took at the First Light Festival, as he did not attend this event. Secondly, I wrote the story in a sketch pad, placing the text where I wanted it on the page. Robbie then got to work on drawing the images. To start with, Robbie and I conflicted with what the pages should look like. His vision and mine didn’t really align.

However, I realised that I was killing his creativity for the project. So, I made the decision to let him complete the first draft before I saw any of the images. I am so glad that I made that decision and he really took off with the project and I think he did an outstanding job with them.

.   

2.  Where did the inspiration for the story come from?

The story is autobiographical. Freddie is me. It is the story about how I joined a band called The Rogue Shanty Buoys. We sing sea shanty songs. Our website is www.shanties.co.uk

I called the story Freddie’s Impossible Dream because the night before I went to the festival, and saw the band perform, I watched the Bohemian Rhapsody, about Freddie Mercury. The film inspired me so when I saw Stephen (The lead singer of the band) on the beach I decided to be brave and ask about joining the band. Maybe, if I hadn’t watched the film I wouldn’t be in the band and the book wouldn’t exist.

 

I asked Robbie (The IllustraTor):
3. I Notice  a crab keeps appearing in the story.  How did the idea of the crab come about?

The crab character in the story (Crabby) is my creation. Dad did not have a crab in the story at all to start with. Our publisher asked us to draw a back cover, as we hadn’t done one already. After completing it, dad said to me that it is a little bare and we need to add something else in. This is when I drew Crabby. Then I had lots of ideas of how we should add Crabby in other parts of the story too. I thought it would be funny if Crabby liked ice-cream and that he could skydive. Whenever I tell anyone about Crabby they always laugh, so I think people will like him.

     

 

4. What materials, techniques and/or tools did you use to draw the pictures?

I use a pencil – HB and a normal rubber. I just love drawing and I do a lot of it. I have filled up all my sketch books and I keep having to ask Farther Christmas for more. Sometimes I use fine liner pens to draw around the outline of the picture I am drawing.

5. What are your Top Tips for other children that might help them to illustrate a story?
  1.  If you want to illustrate a book then find an author or write a story yourself.
  2.  Practice drawing what is going to be in the book, like if the story is about cars the practise drawing cars.
  3.  Finally be positive about it because I have done it and so can you.

 

You can pre-order a copy of the book. Straight from the publishers Grace Wright publishing, here. 

 

Lori and Max by Catherine O’Flynn

Posted on

Lori and Max by Catherine O’Flynn – Book 1

I absolutely loved book one in the Lori and Max detective series, book two is dues out in October so I thought it was a great time to do a mini review of it.

Two heart-warming characters with eye opening insights into how tough some kids lives can be. I also love Lori’s perceptive observations on her year 6 class.  Combine this with an exciting detective narrative that keeps you turning the pages this is not to be missed. I would highly recommend it for children aged 9+ years.

Max
  • Max has moved house a lot and school a lot
  • She has a book that she loves to look at called: ‘Wildlife Atlas of the World’ which has been with her on all her house moves. It’s the book she retreats to when things get tough. I love the way the author Catherine has interwoven this with the story line.
  • Max lives above a fried chicken takeaway
  • Her dad has a gambling problem and keeps taking the family money.
Lori
  • Lives with her Nan Lori’s parents died when she was a baby
  • A wannabe detective who would like a really life mystery to solve not just her Nan’s glasses down the back of the sofa!
  • Lori keeps a secret notebook, where she writes down clues.

One day Lori has a real mystery to solve. When both Max and some money go missing Lori is the only person who doesn’t think Max has stolen it. Written in dual narrative, with separate chapter for each character you get great insights into what each is thinking. You really hope Lori will find out what is going on before it is too late. With walkie talkies instead of mobiles (as there is no reception), a links to a fisherman, the class hamster, a coded message with something about ‘dandelion and burdock’ there is plenty to intrigue and unravel.

Book 2 is out on 8th October: Lori and Max and the Book Thieves
You can buy the books from me at Readers that Care