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Charlotte Guillain Books

the river that flows beside me

The River that Flows Beside Me

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Non-fiction, Picturebook

The River that Flows Beside Me follows the course of a river from its source, high in the mountains, to its mouth where it meets the sea. It travels across a dam, past meadows and farms and, finally, through a town and a port. As we follow the river we see some of the wildlife which use it as a food source as well as a home. We see how different natural features are formed over time, such as an oxbow lake and a gorge. We also see how humans use the river, from farming to leisure activities such as canoeing as well as for transporting both people and goods.

The book contains a wealth of subject-specific vocabulary, especially if you are studying rivers, and is beautifully illustrated. The illustrations are labelled with points of interest (such as animal names) and the text is broken up into small, manageable chunks.

One of the best features of this book is that the pages fold out, allowing you to follow the whole course of the river as it flows across the pages. The pages themselves are made of a sturdy card which will stand up to many foldings and refoldings.

A gem of a book!

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what the macaw saw

What the Macaw Saw

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Picturebook

Told in gentle rhyming verse, this beautiful non-fiction picture book follows the story of a flock of colourful macaws as they live their lives in the Amazon rainforest. Through the voice of one of the macaws, we hear about the bounty of the rainforest, as well as the challenges they have faced – threatened by the destruction of their home through machinery and forest fires to make room for vast plantations. Still, there are some areas where the land is protected and they can live a life of freedom among the trees… perhaps in the future, humans will learn the true value of the forest once again?

Accompanying non-fiction pages at the end of the book include information on on endangered macaws, the importance of the rainforest, and the causes of deforestation, as well as what we can do to help.

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What the Elephant Heard

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Non-fiction, Picturebook

This is a beautiful picture book that follows a herd of African elephants as they journey to find water in the African savannah.

The Matriarch leads the herd and tells of times gone by and stories of how the landscape used to be. Soon, the story moves on to the invasion of humans and how they drove some of the other animals away from their natural habitat by building, making loud noises and causing destruction of the landscape.

The threat from poachers forces the herd to move on, still searching for the elusive water. As the situation looks bleak for the herd, Grandma Elephant smells that familiar smell that she was taught to look for when she was a calf and the elephants arrive at the watering hole.

Told in gentle rhyming couplets and accompanied by wonderful illustrations, this is a heartfelt story told in a way to help young children understand some of the challenges faced by Africa’s majestic giants.

Accompanying the story, readers can delve into a fantastic non-fiction section at the back of the book. A non-chronological report, information about how to care for elephants and the work of wildlife rangers, and messages about conservation efforts allow the reader a greater understanding of the plight of these animals. Readers are also encouraged to be a local wildlife hero.

This book will be great to use in a primary schools. The range of mini texts types gives a rounded approach to the topic and offers superb model texts to use in the classroom. The stunning illustrations will be ideal for initiating discussion and deeper thinking around the themes explored. The book also links to topics of conservation, habitats and animal survival. I can’t wait to share this with my class.

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The Skies Above My Eyes

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Picturebook

Some books are made for sharing and ‘The Skies Above My Eyes’ is a wonderful example of one. The book folds out into a beautifully-illustrated 2.5m long double-sided journey up through the layers of the atmosphere, with small chunks of informative text along the way.

Starting on ground level with a girl standing on a busy street, readers can follow her gaze upwards to pass towering skyscrapers, various aircraft and space vehicles and finally to planets and stars. On the reverse, the girl lays on the grass at the foot of a mountain, looking up towards birds, paragliders, through weather systems, meteoroids and comets.

Much like its predecessor ‘The Street Beneath My Feet’, this book is likely to be a huge hit in the classroom as children will love gathering around the fully folded-out pages to pore over the many details and facts hidden around the different layers of the atmosphere. The text helps to direct the reader to tiny details that they may not have already spotted in the illustrations. Reading the information from the bottom to the top on one side and then the opposite way round on the reverse feels like jumping into a spacecraft and blasting off on a trip to the ends of the solar system and then descending back to the Earth’s surface.

Yuval Zommer’s bold and bright illustrations are hugely appealing and joyful as he masterfully captures the variation of hues and textures that make the skies above us such a visual delight. The thick paper of the book’s concertina pages feels durable and ready to withstand being opened out and refolded many times.

This is a book that young readers will love to treasure and share and one that will hold a strong appeal across the whole primary age range.

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The Sea Below My Toes

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Non-fiction

From the Look Closer series, this richly illustrated concertina book takes you on a journey through the deep dark waters, all the way down to the seabed, before floating back up to the surface.

A follow-up to The Street Beneath My Feet , The Skies Above My Eyes and The World Around Me, this visually stunning book ventures to the very bottom of the sea on a journey of discovery.

Through the waves and into the deep, you’ll spot all kinds of weird and wonderful marine creatures, explore the seabed and discover the impact humans have had on the underwater world.

As you dive below the surface, past sea otters playing in fields of giant kelp, you will see sea lions and shoals of mackerel playing in the shallows, before passing orcas hunting in pods in the deeper water.

As well as animals, discover the technology which is used under the sea , from scuba breathing apparatus to oil pipelines and deep sea submarines.

As you reach the very bottom of the sea, the ‘twilight zone’ where very little light can filter through, you will meet the mysterious creatures of the deep such as Lanternfish and the luminous swell shark.

This book is part of the Look Closer series , a set of concertina books which help teach us about the mysteries which can be found in the world around us.

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Mountains (World of Wonder)

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Non-fiction

Take a hike through alpine landscapes and snowy mountain peaks and discover Earth’s diverse and delicate ecosystems.

From the mighty Himalayas to the majestic Rockies , this book will take you on an amazing journey into the world of mountains. See the different flora and fauna , learn about the diverse range of species and understand the importance of maintaining these beautiful, natural habitats.

This lyrical picture book shines a light on our planet’s fragile mountain ecosystems, from the Himalayan jumping spider to stealthy snow leopard, gently covering important topics such as global warming and the impact of humans on the natural world. An author’s note, world map and ‘Find Out More’ section in the back pages will inspire readers to learn more about the world around them

Immersive illustrations are complemented by imaginative, evocative text, making this an ideal book for adult and child to read together, or for young readers to explore independently.

Running through the book are themes of the interdependency of the species, the food web, and the importance of maintaining the delicate balance between creatures in mountain habitats around the world.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

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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

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