Author & Illustrators
This is an adorable preschool read.
Bright and colourful illustrations enhance the appeal of the story by drawing the eyes to them while reading. Annabelle learns about life cycles through watching Flower grow, die and reproduce even more flowers throughout the seasons.
Flower gives Annabelle such great joy. I find flowers always brighten my day as they do hers. Repetitive phrases and fairly simple language make this book perfect for emerging and newly independent readers. It’s also a gentle and affirming storytime choice.
A magical adventure with a strong female lead and a real fairytale feel to the writing style. Talented storyteller Matilda Woods spins an enchanting new tale that brings together elements of mythology, fantasy and magical realism.
Brave young Oona feels shunned by her father and mother, who were hoping that their youngest child would be a boy after a prediction made by a travelling fortune teller. Besides, Oona has never fitted in with the other girls in her family – her nature is to be adventurous and bold and she is quite unwilling (unlike her sisters) to accept a fate of being married off to a rich prince at the first available opportunity.
Oona dreams of sailing the Great Northern Seas with her father and his crew, but in her world girls don’t belong on ships or adventures. Oona seizes the only real opportunity to join her father’s sea expedition aboard The Plucky Leopard by stowing away on board and hoping to find a way to win over the crew. The journey is perilous, the crew unwelcoming and her Northern Sea full of surprises.
Readers will enjoy recognising the fairytale tropes woven through the story. Anuska Allepuz’s illustrations also perfectly capture the warmth of the magical atmosphere. A joy to read, this is this is highly recommended for readers in upper KS2.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Justine Laismith (@Justinelaismith), Children’s Author
The story is set in a fictional Scandinavian-like place. On one hand there is folklore, superstition and fortune-telling. On another hand, there are constellations, explorations and naval adventure. The main character addresses today’s call for female leads. The cat, as any animal would in a middle grade book, has great appeal. It’s got swagger, talent, and nine lives. I’ve always been told cats do not like water, yet here cats are mascots for ships. Creative. Furthermore, the childless old couple is a masterstroke. There are many children’s stories with a kind old couple who want nothing more than a child. Incorporating this into the story, together with the folklore and animal, is a winning combination to take on middle grade readers.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
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