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Topic: Literacy

A First Book of the Sea

Poetry

From Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton, the multi award-winning team behind Tiny and Lots , comes a spellbinding collection of poems about the oceans of the world and their shores. With this book, children can swim alongside dolphins and flying fish, pore over rockpools and sail from pole to pole and back, learning about everything from phosphorescence and plankton to manta rays and puffins – all in the comfort of their bedroom. Emily Sutton’s exquisite watercolours capture the breathless excitement of a child’s first glimpse of the sea, the majesty of ancient trading ships and the sheer, staggering wonder of the humpback whale.

flotsam book

Flotsam

Picturebook

A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam-anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there’s no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share . . . and to keep.

The Big Book of the UK

Non-fiction

Introduce children to the wonders, history, culture and customs of the United Kingdom with The Big Book of the UK. Learn about the sport of “dwile flonking”, find out where black diamonds come from, ,eet the supernatural animal that haunts the Scottish Highlands and discover the British sweets that helped Hillary and Tenzing scale Everest. Filled with facts about wildlife, food, sports, geography, language and some very silly place names, this book will help you uncover national secrets and unearth local legends from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Flood

Picturebook

With intensely coloured, gorgeous artwork, Alvaro F. Villa depicts the effects of a devastating flood on a family and their home in this wordless – and startlingly beautiful – picture book.

Where the Forest Meets the Sea

Picturebook

When a young boy visits a tropical rain forest, he pretends it is a long time ago and that extinct and rare animals live in the forest, and aboriginal children play there. But how much longer will the rainforest remain, he wonders?

What a Wonderful World

Non-fiction

From the author of the BBC’s children’s book Blue Planet II, this book takes you on a breathtaking tour of our planet – from towering mountaintops, through grasslands, jungles, rivers, deserts, polar wildernesses and into the blue ocean – to discover the incredible variety of life that calls it home. Along the way, read the stories of 35 inspiring Earth Shakers – children and adults, from tree-planters to scientists, from all around the world – who have taken action to protect it.

Plus, there are lots of practical tips and handy resources inside that give you the tools to make a positive change today. Every budding young activist will be inspired to make a change for a better future.

Amazon River

Non-fiction

Beginning with a tiny trickle high in the mountains, smaller streams join until they form the world’s largest river. Crossing a continent, it winds through lush rainforests until it meets the ocean. From piranhas to the giant anaconda, this mighty waterway is home to the world’s most incredible ecosystem. Welcome to the Amazon River.

This stunning illustrated guide to the world’s most famous river and its surrounding rainforest is packed with incredible facts about South America’s wildlife, people, geography and history.

The Queen’s Wardrobe: The Story of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Clothes

Non-fiction

The story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, told through her clothes and jewellery – and a gorgeous gift to treasure.

Includes a foreword by Michele Clapton, costume designer for series one of Netflix’s The Crown, giving a peek behind the scenes at the recreation some of the Queen’s most famous outfits.

Did you know the Queen’s crown weighs as much as a bag of potatoes? Or that she has her own tartan nobody else is allowed to wear?

Written by the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-winning Julia Golding, The Queen’s Wardrobe is packed with fascinating stories and astounding facts about our record-breaking Queen. The detailed, humorous and colourful artwork from bestselling Kate Hindley shows what it’s really like to grow up as a princess.

This book brings to life the story of a young princess who grew into one of the world’s best-loved and most famous royals, touching on wartime truck-fixing, ration-book wedding dress making, splendid gowns, trusty wellies, the Crown Jewels and jumping out of a helicopter with James Bond.

Race to the Frozen North

Chapter book

Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, and offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become navigator, craftsman, translator, and right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds and the many prejudices that faced him to become a true pioneer. This is his incredible and often untold story. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Henry’s Freedom Box

Picturebook

A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.
Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday — his first day of freedom.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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