Mr. JJ Bola Books

There is a thoughtfulness and beauty to the story ‘Shy Girl’. The story revolves around a nameless ‘shy girl’, so it is easy to put yourself in her shoes. She loves to sing and also the sound of music; however, when others were looking at her, she would become nervous and was scared that she would be laughed at.

This is a truly lovely story about self-belief and confidence in oneself, after having self-doubt and worries about not being special like everyone else. The key message of everyone being special and unique is a strong theme throughout. The illustrations are amazing, and when the girl sings, the colours swirl and burst around her, often full of musical notes. There is not a lot of text on each page, so this story would be suitable for an early reader or for a child who enjoys a story with lots of pictures.

It is an excellent book to share with a class where most children can think of a time when they feel nervous to do something, but with courage and encouragement, they too can ‘find your voice and shine bright’. It is a book that could be used within class to support confidence-building and celebrating who you are.

Fly Boy is a powerful picture book that provides teachers, parents and children with a story from which to explore how anger can impact on the opportunities to engage with and fully experience the joy and possibilities of life.

Fly Boy’s anger at home and school is shown through simple but vibrant illustrations. He is depicted as being weighed down by two, huge red wings. Exploring the way the wings are shown in each illustration is a fabulous starting point for discussing anger –  how it consumes, burns, weighs down and takes over a person’s very being. Fly Boy is jealous of Thomas, who also has wings – but blue, swirling wings that allow him to fly and to embrace life.

What this book does is present quite a complex set of ideas about how anger can limit us but also does not reach for the easy solution – a hug won’t instantly get rid of deep-seated hurt and pain, but it can help. A person can be supported by others but the story makes it clear that it is Fly Boy who has to understand his own anger, sadness and jealousy before being able to fly.

This is an accessible and beautiful picture book that will support children to begin to understand their feelings of anger and how it might impact on their view of the world.