landscapes and nature

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

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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

Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns

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Adapted by Richmond Clements and illustrated by Inko

 

Having Scottish connections and being a fan of manga art I jumped at the chance to join a blog tour for a graphic novel adaption of the famous poem Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns which has recently been published by Cranachan publishing.

Who was Robert Burns?

Robert Burns is Scotland’s National bard (poet). His poetry and songs are famous across the world. He was born on the 25th January 1759 in Alloway, Ayshire in Scotland. There are links in the back of the graphic novel to the National Trust for Scotland website where you can find out lots of great information. Tam O’Shanter is one of Robert Burns most famous poems, partly because it is set in the village of Alloway where he spent his early childhood. The poem was first published in March 1791 in the Edinburgh Herald and Edinburgh magazine.

What is Tam O’Shanter About?

   

The Tam O’Shanter is a narrative story told as a poem. It is written in both Scots and English, and makes use of the linguistic qualities of each language to build the narrative and create the mood. The Scots does make it a more challenging read. However, once  I had an understanding of the basic premise and narrative structure of the poem I found Inko’s illustrations really helped to to bring it alive.

The story of Tam O’Shanter is structured around a journey or quest. It features Tarn who after a day drinking in an Inn rides his horse, called Meg through a storm and the village of Alloway to return to his home. It’s useful to remember this was set in 1759 so there were no cars or buses, so the only way to get home on a wild night was on horseback!  After leaving the cosy Inn, a slightly drunk Tarn sets out into the storm. On the journey he tries to keep up his moral by singing old Scotts songs. Eventually he comes across a scene in the ruined church of Alloway Auld Kirk. Where witches and warlocks are having a party. Unseen he gets more and more interested in watching the ‘winsome wench’ dance and her short skirt, which in old Scots is ‘cutty sark’. He is then chased by this ‘hellish legion’ of spirits and creatures over the Brig O Doon, which is a bridge that still exists today. Legend has it that evil spirts can not cross water. When Tarn is almost home his faithful horse Meg loses her tail to the witch. Finally, he arrives safely home.

The Manga illustrations by Inko

Being a relative newcomer to Robert Burns poem the Tam O’Shanter I found the National Trust for Scotland website really helpful. Inko is a UK based Japanese manga artist. Combining a famous classic poem with modern manga artwork was an ingenious idea by publishers Cranchan publishing. In Inko’s illustrations the colours used provide a great contrast between the warm cosy pub, and the dark story night.

This could be used to encourage children to come up with a list of feelings and emotions to describe the two settings, which would help them in understanding the poem. Also, there are many other ways the pictures could be used to encourage writing about other journeys on dark stormy nights.

Two important Scottish places that feature in the poem

Alloway Auld Kirk

The 16th century church was already a ruin when Robert Burns was born. You can visit the ruins of the church and the graveyard today.

   

The Brig O’ Doon

Is the original 15th century cobblestone bridge which crosses the River Doon. You can still visit and stand on it today.

I would highly recommend this for children aged 10+ years, and it would be of considerable interest to adults too. But, teachers who are interested in using this with 10-12 year olds, would need to look closely at the witch and wench scenes to decide it was appropriate for their class.

Support a bookshop near you and buy this graphic novel through Hive. 

 

Useful links to understand more about Tam O’Shanter:

National Trust of Scotland website:

www.nts.org.uk

In particular look up: Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

Phtographs of Brig O’Doon and Alloway Auld Kirk today were taken from the National Trust for Scotland website.

This is a really useful article:

Blog post on NTS website, November 2018: Through thick and thin: interpreting Tam O’Shanter in Alloway.

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/through-thick-and-thin-interpreting-tam-o-shanter-in-alloway

 

Maisie’s Scrapbook by Samuel Nash and Jo Loring-Fisher

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Maisie’s scrapbook is a gentle but inspiring story about a girl who is brought up by parents from two different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. In many respects it is a simple story, about the little things in life. From playing hide and seek with her mum to watching the stars and the sunset with her dad. Her two parents, nurture, play and chat to their daughter, helping her blend two cultures and become her own person. It is cleverly linked to the passing of the seasons, which gives lots of emotion and atmosphere.  The colourful collage like illustrations by Jo Loring-Fisher are wonderful and really bring the tale to life.  The fact that the story progresses over different seasons has enabled the illustrator to make good use of a range of warm and bright colours, which add so much more to the story’s message. It is quite a tricky story to review as the subtle interplay between the words and the text give it it’s own special magic.

It is great to see a mixed race family doing ordinary things together. It is also a celebration of a parents love for their child, and how both parents and their child often ‘grow’ together in their understanding of themselves and their place in the world.  This is a story that will resonate across cultures and with all sorts of  families. There are also some wider messages. These includes celebrating differences, whilst also recognising that people can be different but work towards the same goal in a mutually supportive way, in this case bringing up their own child.  It would make a heart-warming addition to any home or school library, and I would highly recommend it for any child or parent.

I also wanted to see what a mixed race family made of this story. So I leant it to a mum called Emily. She is white and her husband is from Jamaica (where he was born and raised), they have a mixed-race toddler.

Emily’s review:

“Maisie’s Scrapbook is a refreshing read for the young and old. Maisie’s parents have grown up in very different cultures, this story highlights some of the cultural contrasts faced by mixed race partnerships.  Although Maisie is adventurous; she’s grounded by the love of her parents. They have different cultural references and they use different words to describe the same thing, ‘Mama says tomato. Dada says aamo’, but they love and nag her in the same way. “

“I enjoyed the way the author portrays the differences between the parents through the eyes of Maisie and how each parent contributes to raising her to be herself. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the story well. Hopefully more stories like Maisie’s will help a generation of mixed children feel more visible.”

 

Thank you to Lantana Publishing for a review copy. You can find out more about their books here.
You can find out more about the author Samuel Narh here.
You can find out more about the illustrator Jo Loring-Fisher here.
You can buy it direct from Lanta publishing or  me at Readers that Care or  a good local independent bookshop.

Original stories with a nature and science connection for young readers

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Introducing two wonderful stories which will appeal to children who like to explore the natural world around them and/or are interested in animals. They are aimed at 6 to 9 year olds, but many older children and adults would love them too.

In the summer of 2014, my daughter who had just turned 7 was transitioning to chapter books, and was finding it difficult to find something she wanted to read. She liked animals and was interested in being a vet. However, we found many of the classical animal stories didn’t have enough human interest and other more readily available animal series my daughter quickly lost interest in as she said: ‘they had little plot, nothing really happened in them”. Both these book are distinctively different from many other books with an animal theme for 6 to 9 year olds. They deserve a place in any primary school library, as for some they may be a ‘game changer’, as the book/series that gets them reading.

Zoe and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows
Author: Asia Citro Illustrator: Marion Lindsay.  p96

This was a great find I stumbled across whilst looking for something else. It  got my attention initially because I have been keeping an eye out for stories for 6 to 9 year olds, with black protagonists that are the kind of story that might appeal to any child. I had no idea when I ordered a copy of this book what a gem of a story and series it was, published by an innovative fairly new publisher called Innovation Press.

It is about a girl called Zoey and her cat called Sassafras who loves exploring the natural environment near her home. One day she makes an amazing discovery that her mum has the ability to see and speak to magical creatures, and that she has inherited this gift too. If an animal needs help a magical doorbell rings in the Barn next to their house. Whilst Zoe’s mum is away at a science conference Zoey and her cat have to help a baby dragon.

A beautiful blend of real and magical with an introduction to scientific questioning and hypotheses, this engaging story has plenty to appeal to a variety of readers. Add to this some great role models, from a dark skinned girl with frizzy hair as the main character, a mum who is a scientist and a stay at home dad, and you have a very original story.

This is the first book in a series of 4, soon to be 5 books. It is probably a good idea to read book 1 first (or at least read aloud enough p1 to p28), but they can then be read in any order.

 

A Kitten Called Holly
Author: Helen Peter Illustrator: Ellie Snowdon.  p132

In case you haven’t guessed from one of my previous posts, my son (who is now 7 years old) is cat crazy, so a story with a cat in is a great start. But, like his sister he is very particular about the books he reads and does prefer stories with a strong narrative and a bit of depth to them, which this story certainly has.

One day Jasmine and her friend Tom find an old shed in the garden to play in, and they accidentally come across a wild cat and her kittens. Jasmine’s mum is a vet, from whom she has learns a lot about how to look after animals. So Jasmine and Tom know not to touch the kittens and wait for their mum to return. When the mother cat returned she took the kittens somewhere else. But, later one of the kitten’s gets left behind and Jasmine and her friend help to feed and look after it. But, will Jasmine have to give the Kitten away at the end? You will have to read it to find out!

My son loved this story being read aloud to him. The strong narrative along with detailed and accurate information about how to look after a kitten really kept his interest. He kept asking for one more chapter.

With great descriptive detail you feel like you are really there, a story which is heartfelt and sometimes funny. This book is sure to appeal to a variety of children, including those that usually prefer non-fiction.

It is part of the Jasmine Green series published by Nosy Crow. This is not the first book in the series, but the characters are introduced well so I think you could read them in any order. I suggest starting with which ever animal your child is most interested in.

Zoe and Sassafras Series:

Jasmine Green Series:

 

 

 

Fir for Luck by Barbara Henderson

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ffl-ebook-cover-final-2

On holiday in Scotland, last summer I enjoyed finding out about the Scottish clearances, which sparked my curiosity in this period of history. So I jumped at the chance to review a copy of Fir for Luck. The historical context and the face on the front cover, a girl with a fire in her eye, looked like a winning combination, and it is!

Fir for Luck tells, through the eyes of a 12 year old, called Janet, a Scottish hamlet’s struggle to survive at time of upheaval in Scottish history. You find yourself rooting for Janet and wanting her to save her village. There are surprises and last minute twists. It is a cracking read, at times it is ‘brutal’, but there is gentleness too. I left with a real sense having been on a journey through both the landscape and a period of history.

I love that you get a sense of the wild landscape from: remote sparse heathlands to windswept coastal shores. You also get a sense of a community closely connected to the landscape. This is cleverly portrayed through descriptions, which refer to the shape of the land, passing light and the seasons. For example:

“The surf pounds the rocks down at the Cove, and the limited light from the tiny windows takes on a golden tint.” p4

“Ceannabeinne is bathed in a lovely autumn glow that simply doesn’t allow misery” p67

Read my guest post to find out more about the central importance of the landscape to the story and Barbara Henderson’s love of the Highlands.

In chapter five a gentleman of the law arrives at Janet’s hamlet with the intention of serving a ‘Writ’. If it is served Janet, her family and her community will be forced from their homes. Here the story really gets going. Janet (as we are discovering) is a girl who is not afraid to speak out or stand up for what she believes in. What can she do to protect her village? Added depth is given through flashbacks to 1814, when Janet’s grandma was brutally forced off the land. This helps the reader to understand what Janet and others might be feeling when they face a threat to their homes, 30 years later. However, it does make it a little more difficult to read. The flashbacks could be used creatively in a classroom context and would be great to read aloud.

The first four chapters beautifully introduce the setting, but it isn’t until chapter 5 that things start to fall into place, and the tension builds.  This may make it harder for some younger or less confident children to get into the story. However, there are several solutions to this possible problem. The first is as a parent or educator is to read the story to yourself first. You will then get a sense of the history and your enthusiasm for the story will show. Secondly, there is much potential to explore this story in a classroom, and for role play. The publishers Cranachan have produced a free education pack which will be available to download free on their website. There is a handy Glossary (p194) of the traditional Scottish words used in the story.

The name title: Fir for Luck, features in the story. It was a traditional Scottish practice to put a fir in the hearth chain above the fire for good luck. It is a beautiful and touching addition, which is also used very effectively towards the end. For any child or adult curious about the Scottish clearances and/or love of the Scottish highlands this would make a great read.

Fir for Luck is available to buy from the 21st September.