This is the first book in the series about Emba Oak. Originally called Emba Oak and the Terrible Tomorrows, the book has undergone a name change. This book is full of jokes and slightly gross humour (all right, very gross humour in places) and it is delightfully silly. I can see lower KS2 children absolutely loving this, with its fast-paced plot and amusing characters. It has the feeling of someone chatting to you and telling you this story; the voice is so clear and individual.
There are strong themes of friendship and courage, as well as this being a really fun and easy-to-read book. David Dean’s cover and internal illustrations are a delight, and many will appreciate the great dragon pictures! The chapter heading font and the layout also add to the feeling of a book about a quest, which is exactly what this is.
A truly inspiring story. What an incredible talent Lily was! – Steve Wilson, Match of the Day Lily is one of the most talented footballers of her time but, when football is banned for women, she has to battle prejudice to play the sport she loves. Based on the incredible true story behind English football player, Lily Parr and her trailblazing success.
Renni and Mahu are brothers, but they are complete opposites. When Mahu hatches a plot to rob the tomb of a long-dead general in the Valley of the Kings, Renni is swept into the crime to help his family. But taking the general’s heart scarab sets a much greater chain of events into motion, which are governed by dark and mysterious powers. Will the brothers and their friend Balaal manage to return it before Anubis, the god of death, comes to collect their souls? Or will they, and the general, be cast into the Great Darkness forever?
Danny wants a pet but the only trouble is he is not sure which type of dinosaur is right for him. With a little help from the eccentric Mr Ree, the owner of the Wondrous Dinosaurium, Danny tries out a few different types and soon discovers that pet dinos are quite a handful! This colourful and humorous picture book is a popular storytime hit for children aged 3-7.
A fun and original early chapter book on the theme of space, that suitably fills the chasm between this topic’s many great picture books and those middle grade novels pitched at older readers. This book charts the inter-planetary correspondence between space traveller Jon and his primary school class back on Earth. As well as letters, his adventures on Pluto are documented in a scrapbook-style collection of leaflets, newspaper articles, homework reports and other paraphernalia collected along the way. Readers will delight in the way in which the story unfolds with skilful humour and creativity, as the imagined space settlement on Pluto is steadily brought to life through the sequence of letters.
A witty, vibrant story that begins with the weather forecast predicting the weather to be ‘very froggy’. Soon, there are frogs all over the place causing chaos at sea, on the farm and in the city with only the children embracing the mayhem! Filled with word play and imagination, this is a fun and memorable picture book that takes the phrase ‘raining cats and dogs’ in a whole new direction.
This picture book was inspired by Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Foraker, a talented seamstress who created the spacesuit worn during the memorable Apollo 11 1969 Moon Landing. There is a lovely dedication to her on the very first page, and as you read through, it is clear to see what an inspirational woman Ellie Foraker really was.
From a young girl, Ellie enjoyed sewing and creating items with neatness and detail. As an adult, a passing engineer who noticed Ellie’s talents encouraged her to go up against military designers in a Space Competition with the opportunity to create a spacesuit worthy for a moon expedition. With the help of other seamstresses, Ellie and her group of women would help to change the world of exploration forever.
This book not only has beautiful, bright illustrations created by Ariel Landy, which really bring the story to life, but it also contains interesting facts about space and the moon landing that will hook younger and older readers and guarantee lots of discussions around the subject. It also has a glossary of key terminology and a QR code if any reader – or teacher – wanted to access more facts. What a great touch!
A Super Sticky Mistake brilliantly retells the story of Harry Coover. He was a scientist who worked in the USA during World War Two. He was tasked with developing a plastic that needed to be strong, solid and transparent. His team created a new substance that did not meet the brief; instead creating a super sticky substance called ‘Cyanoacrylate’. Rather than giving up, Harry continued to work on his scientific research and returned to try his new sticky compound when he needed a new material that would be strong enough to stick aircraft windshields.
The material was found to be particularly strong and useful in so many ways; from mending broken bones to repairing spacecraft.
At the age of 92, Harry was presented with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for his work; one of the highest scientific accolades in the field.
The story is a brilliant way to introduce themes of perseverance, determination and creativity. It is full of humour and the illustrations show some of the frustrations of the rest of his team alongside Harry’s optimism; which could lead to some fantastic discussions.
It is perfect for use in Key Stage One and Lower Key Stage Two or as a text to read with the whole school in assembly….
Within a floating ice palace high above the clouds, the Snow Queen operates a snowflake machine, ensuring that it produces perfectly identical flakes. But one day when the Queen leaves her daughter Princess Ellie in charge, the machine breaks and Princess Ellie has to find a new way to make the snowflakes. Princess Ellie creates exquisite and unique snowflakes by hand, making the most beautiful snowfall ever.
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
