Highly original and likely to appeal to reluctant readers, this humorous picture book conjures up the legend behind the popular playground game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. The three characters of Rock, Paper and Scissors are transformed into superhero-style warriors on a quest to become all-time battle champions, until they each encounter the other two and reach a hilarious deadlock. Filled with hyperbole, visual gaffs and a little bit of cheekiness (like describing an apricot as a “a fuzzy little butt”), this clever and boisterous picture book from the author of The Day the Crayons Quit is an excellent choice for KS1 and lower KS2. Now available in paperback.
The Light Jar is an intriguing and enjoyable story that features a boy who is compelled to find coping mechanisms for real and metaphorical darkness. What is exceptional in this text is the way in which the real and the imaginary are seamlessly merged so that its sober themes (including domestic abuse) can be processed through fairytale filters of cottages in the woods, jars of light and mystery treasure hunts. This brave and thought-provoking book brilliantly captures the feeling of finding oneself caught on thresholds that will seem familiar to readers in upper KS2, such as childhood versus adolescence, attachment versus separation and reality versus imagination. This is the kind of book that you will read quickly but find yourself pondering over for a long time after.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Alison (@booksfortopics), founder of www.booksfortopics.com
The Light Jar features a boy who is compelled to find coping mechanisms for literal and metaphorical darkness. I loved the way in which the real and the imaginary are seamlessly merged so that the book’s sober themes (including domestic abuse) can be processed through fairytale filters of cottages in the woods, jars of light and mystery treasure hunts. This brave and thought-provoking tale brilliantly captures the feeling of finding oneself caught on thresholds that will seem familiar to readers in upper KS2; childhood versus adolescence, attachment versus separation and reality versus imagination. This is the kind of book that you will read quickly but find yourself pondering over for a long time after.
This is a warm-hearted picture book that taps into the awe and comfort brought about by the presence of the stars in the sky. A little boy finds a special star and does exactly what small children do when they discover something interesting; keeps it in a jar to carry around and treasure. However, as darkness falls the other stars create a message calling for the special star to be returned to its rightful place, leaving the boy and his sister (who narrates the story) to figure out that they can set it free and still take comfort in its splendour. We love how the illustrations enchantingly contrast the dark blanket of the night sky with the illuminated star that almost seems to be glowing from the pages. This is a real story-time treat that is well suited to Reception and KS1 classrooms.
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)
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