Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd

Gloria’s Porridge

Picturebook

Inspired by an Ethiopian folk tale, Gloria’s Porridge shows young children how one act can cause a chain reaction and affect other people’s lives.

When Cat wanted some of Gloria’s porridge, he ignored her saying no and ate it all. Gloria then scares Cat who tickles the donkey, who interrupts the bees who then frighten the hen. It is up to the fox then to show the others the importance of not letting this setback slow them down.

This re-imagined folk tale tackles difficult ideas like having to take responsibility and overcoming setbacks in a fun and simple manner, ideal for young readers. Toby Newsome’s colourful illustrations are inspired by his South African surroundings.

The Phoenix of Persia

Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif & Sally Pomme Clayton

Picturebook

The Phoenix of Persia is a modern retelling of one the stories from the Shahnameh, an epic poem by the 10th century Iranian poet, Ferdowsi. The book is published by Tiny Owl, who really has delivered a rich offering from acclaimed author and storyteller, Sally Pomme Clayton.

As the story unfolds, we hear of a king whose son is born with white hair and so is banished to the forest. The boy is saved by a phoenix or ‘Simorgh’ – a character that still enthrals us in tales from all parts of the world. The magical creature takes care of the baby, who grows up to be Prince Zal, the hero of many other stories in the Shahnameh. It’s a story of forgiveness and what it is to be truly wise, and it has echoes of folk stories and myths from other cultures passed down from generation to generation.

There are many things that make this book special. The sumptuous illustrations from award-winning illustrator Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif are a visual feast. At the front of this book is a QR code, which links to an audio retelling of the story, narrated by the author, with original music played on traditional Iranian instruments, each of which represent different characters within the story. Moreover, the book comes with a teacher resource book full of ideas for cross-curricular links.

This edition feels like a masterclass in the art of traditional storytelling and can be explored in so many ways, which children will love. This is definitely a book to treasure.

Under the Great Plum Tree

Reza Dalvand & Sufiya Ahmed

Picturebook

Tiny Owl’s ‘One Story, Many Voices’ range celebrates a rich global heritage of story-telling. It explores how many stories from around the world have their own flavour but also striking similarities. Sufiya Ahmed’s recent addition to the series, Under The Great Plum Tree, is based upon the stories of the Panchatantra, a collection of ancient Indian animal fables.

Miss Bandari, the kind-hearted monkey, and Mr Magarmach, an old crocodile who likes to tell stories of his youth, have become unlikely friends. Each day they meet under a plum tree to share fruit and tales. Until the day when Mr Magarmach decides to take Miss Bandari for lunch at King Crocodile’s swamp. Will they just enjoy a nice meal together or is King Crocodile trying to manipulate their friendship to get his own tasty lunch?

This is a beautifully written picture book about the nature of friendship and forgiveness. It would be a wonderful text for exploration and discussion relating to work in PHSE or Philosophy for Children. It could form the basis of a debate on the importance of forgiveness in friendships and family relationships. Due to the underlying message of Under The Great Plum Tree, it also could be used for comparing/contrasting with fables from other traditions.

Reza Dalvand’s strikingly vibrant illustrations are inspired by Indo-Persian tradition. The depiction of the lush foliage in the jungle lends itself well to the study of shapes found in nature. The use of pattern and marking would make a great stimulus for exploration in sketchbooks.

I absolutely loved Under The Great Plum Tree and think it’s a must for traditional tale collections!

Christmas Cobwebs

Ema Malyauka & Pippa Goodhart

Picturebook

A charming new Christmas story from acclaimed author Pippa Goodhart and artist Ema Malyauka – for ages 5 and over.

Christmas is the most magical time of the year, and Old Bear is excited to spend it with her friends! If only these spindly spiders would stay out of the way! The tree is decorated perfectly for the party, but whilst Old Bear sleeps, the spiders come out to play, decorating the tree with their wondrous webs! Will Old Bear and friends see the beauty in the spiders’ hard work?

Old Bear is nostalgic for the Christmasses of her childhood, when everything felt magical – maybe she can recreate that feeling with her friends this year by throwing a party! Shooing away the pesky spiders, Old Bear decorates her house from top to toe, with a glorious Christmas tree, delicately iced cookies and colourful paper chains. While she sleeps soundly that night, the spiders, sad that they haven’t been invited, decide to peek at the jolly decorations and weave their winding wondrous webs. Morning dawns and Bear is distraught – what will her friends think?! But when the spiders beautiful work is revealed in the sunlight to the party guests, it evokes the magical Christmas feeling Bear was craving all along.

Lots of Dots

Anna Doherty & Pippa Goodheart

Picturebook

Jaguar is feeling very lonely being all on her only! Why doesn’t anyone else look like just like her? When clever Ladybird comes to play, she points out that they have more in common than Jaguar might think – they both have simply spectacular spots! Snake and Rockhopper are dotty too, and so the top secret dotsy club is formed! Zebra is so sad when he can’t join the club because of his stripes. The club will just have to become a PATTERNS club so he can join in the fun too! But wait! What is a game that all the animals can play together? No one can think of anything! Monkey has an idea, but he’s all plain – he can’t join the patterns club! Yet, Monkey doesn’t mind one bit. He is part of the best secret club of all, the Everybody Club, and anyone can join – the badge of honour is in your heart! The animals agree that the Everyone Club is the best of all.

Cinderella of the Nile

Beverley Naidoo & Marjan Vafaeian

Picturebook

Beautifully retold by the award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, this earliest-known version of Cinderella is brought to life for the modern-day reader. Rhodopis is a Greek girl who is sold into slavery by bandits and taken to Egypt. Along the way she becomes friends with the storyteller Aesop and a host of playful animals. Her master gives her a pair of beautiful rose-red slippers, making three other servants jealous. But when Horus, the falcon, sweeps in to steal her slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt.

Paris Cat

Dianne Hofmeyr & Piet Grobler

Picturebook

Paris Cat is a fun and exuberant picture book that provides a glimpse of the arts and music scene in Paris in the 1930s.

Cat doesn’t want to spend all of her life fighting over fish heads from the local poissonnerie with the rest of her large extended family. She wants to get out and see more of the world, so she leaves the narrow, smelly alleyway in which she’s been living and goes to explore the rest of Paris. On her journey, she meets the legendary figures of Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker and discovers a world of glitz, glamour and music and dance. But will her new found fame bring happiness or is there another option for Cat?

This is a warm, delightful story about seeking out new experiences and following your interests and passions. Dianne Hofmeyr’s writing features a sense of musicality and rhythm- ‘the scrimp scrimp of scissors and the whirr whirr of sewing machines’- that suits the theme of music and performance in the storyline. Similarly, Piet Grobler’s lively illustrations brilliantly evoke the movement and energy of this historical period. The endpapers feature a map of Cat’s journey around Paris, pointing out the important settings in the story plus major landmarks in the city (and the many poissonneries). This means that it’s a great text for teachers focusing on general map reading skills or a more focused unit on Paris or France. The map is written in French which also allows teachers to link to language work in MFL – perhaps designing maps for their own fictional city and labelling in French.

During Cat’s journey she visits Madame Delphine’s atelier where a range of glamorous outfits are being made. This would be a wonderful opportunity to explore fashion design and manufacture during this period and potentially to produce some simple sewing projects. Paris Cat is a warm, enjoyable story with plenty of exuberance to enjoy and lots of possibility for cross-curricular links in the classroom.

Reviewer: Jenny Holder

Dare

Lorna Gutierrez & Polly Noakes

Poetry

Dare is a picture book that urges very young children to stand up for what matters, see the goodness around them and make a difference in the world. Like many Tiny Owl books, Dare includes inspirational messages and a diverse mix of characters, this time brought to life by Polly Noakes’ vibrant and uplifting illustrations.

Lorna Gutierrez’s simple-yet-meaningful rhyming text on each page repeats the idea of daring children to do something different and brave. All of the ‘dare to…’ messages encourage children to think about how they can strive to be a good person, having a positive impact on themselves, others and the world around them. Variations in font and placement of text on each page help each new message stand out from the one before it.

The illustrations mix elements of the characters’ reality and their imaginations, merging them together to form the child’s view of the world. The is cleverly reiterated by the use of some aspects of every page being line drawings that pull the emphasis towards the central, colourful illustrations.

With an important message emphasising that small actions from small people can make a big difference, this is a joyful picture book recommended for children in EYFS and KS1.

There’s Room for Everyone

Anahita Teymorian

Picturebook

This is the first book in a new series called ‘Hope in a Scary World’ from publisher Tiny Owl. The story uses words and images to tackle the subject of immigration in a sensitive and creative way, with a positive message about the impact of kindness.

The narrator of the story recalls a childhood with enough space for everything; from the toys in his bed to the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea. Growing older, he begins to observe that human beings constantly seem to be fighting for space. The narrator puzzles over the spaces for which people fight when surely, he says, if we are kinder then there will be enough room for everyone.

There is so much to think about in Anahita Teymorian’s painted illustrations as each page is cleverly filled with shape and pattern motifs that emphasise the contrast between the open and crowded spaces. Readers will have fun noticing the playful composition of the double-page spreads as Teymorian manipulates the page boundaries to fit the amusingly tall characters and oddly shaped creatures into the page.

The author had the idea for the story as she was feeling angry watching news items on the television, but the mood of the book is more of a call to positive action and tolerance than an expression of frustration.

A striking picture book with much to discuss and think about, this is highly recommended for KS1 classrooms.

The Neighbourhood Surprise

Sarah van Dongen

Picturebook

Koya and her friends, Hassan and Alex, love to visit their neighbour, Mrs Fig. When they find out Mrs Fig is moving to a retirement home, they want to help their parents plan her going away party! When cooking for the party, the children are aware of everyone’s dietary needs and are excited to prepare yummy vegan and vegetarian food everyone will be able to eat! Everyone on Redbird Road gather to celebrate Mrs Fig and enjoy the food!

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