Author & Illustrators
This beautiful picture book does so much in just a few pages. It is a book about home, about feeling connected – to people and to our past. It is also hopeful, looking to map a bright future.
When a little girl leaves behind her Granny and dog to move to a new home in a different country, everything feels strange and unfamiliar. To help navigate her new surroundings, Mum creates a map of the local area for her. But she still feels far from the family she has left behind, so the little girl extends the map to include them.
With the help of her friends and family, the map grows and grows, and everything starts to feel closer and more connected, helping her to develop resilience in challenging times and to show her that change isn’t always bad. She even develops the map to manifest a better future for all.
There are fantastic curriculum links to this book, and teachers will feel inspired to use it in Geography (e.g. creating your own local area maps) and in PSHE to learn about navigating change and challenges. It could also be used when thinking about Climate Change and a vision for the future.
This simple picture book tackles one of the most complicated questions: What’s the point of art?
A little boy called Henri (Matisse? Rousseau, perhaps?) has been taken on a school trip to a modern art gallery and he’s not happy about it. He’d much rather be on a beach or swimming. He is also baffled by the supposed ‘art’, questioning the odd colours, faces and soup cans! He eventually finds a piece he likes before entering a room with just a chair and a strange-looking contraption. But is it art?
I won’t spoil the answer, but do feel that Henri speaks for both children and adults alike when encountering modern art: “I just don’t get it,” is a phrase I’ve heard many a time – and who amongst us hasn’t looked at a light feature or a rubbish bin at an art gallery and wondered if this was actually an inspiring piece trying to depict the tragedy of war?
This is a delightful story, with lovely illustrations. Eagle-eyed art lovers will recognise works by Magritte, Picasso, Dali, Mondrian, Warhol and Klein, as well as hints towards chairs in art and Ceci n’est pas une pipe. The story would make a brilliant start to an assembly, a ‘Big Thinking’ question or an art lesson, where it could ‘unleash an explosion of creativity.
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)
Any other comments
Any other comments