When Ivan’s little brother is stolen away by the terrifying Starjik, Ivan sets out into a cold, inhospitable world to bring him back. Ivan’s chances in this frozen world seem slim, and Starjik has a wild, cruel magic on his side. And yet as his adventure continues, it becomes clear that Ivan may have a friend – and a little magic – on his side too. When I was younger I read this book endlessly. It’s one of those stories you experience with your heart in your mouth, right through to the very end.
Could there be any greater adventure than setting sail across unmapped seas, guided by an unreliable Bellman, to a mysterious island where the Snarks live? This story has everything you could possibly want: humour, heart, tragedy, a man who’s forgotten his own name and a beaver. The magical element really comes in the Snarks themselves. Imagine: a beast that can cause you to softly and suddenly vanish away… If your Snark be a Boojum, that is.
It’s another icy adventure (I’m starting to think there could be a hidden theme here…)! This time we’re with a girl whose hippy mother named her Owl, who’s on a mission to find out about the dad she’s never known. But the person he turns out to be is certainly not the one she’s expecting! And besides, why do strange frost patterns keep appearing on her skin? This is a joyous read that – for me – really captures the wild and captivating magic of winter, rooted gloriously in folklore and the realms of spirits.
Leonard the lion, who is gentle and kind, is different to the other lions he meets. He likes to talk about poetry and philosophy with his like-minded friend Marianne the duck. When Leonard encounters a group of bullies in the park, they threaten to chomp Marianne before turning on Leonard for not being fierce enough. Leonard and Marianne work together to communicate to the bullies that there is more than one way to be a lion.
This is a touching and warm story about friendship and standing up to bullies. Ed’s squiggly lines create oodles of character and the book is beautifully designed. It champions staying true to oneself and sticking to one’s principles. This is an inspiring and adorable picture book about a pair of unlikely friends who face down a pack of bullies.
‘A bloodcurdling howl that stops him dead in his tracks. And then he sees it. Silhouetted against the sky, head raised: unmistakeably, a wolf.’ Innis is puzzled: wolves became extinct in Scotland centuries ago, didn’t they? Set on a tiny fictional island off the Isle of Skye, the book walks the ridge between ancient traditions and contemporary technology. A gripping plot with a likeable hero and plenty of mystery.
You’ve met the Iron Giant, the Big Friendly Giant and the Selfish Giant. Now meet the Green Giant! A young girl, Bea, and her dog, Iris, are staying with her grandad in the country. Bea is bored, but Iris’s adventures lead them to the small and rusty old greenhouse next door. Inside the greenhouse, Bea finds… a giant. A giant made entirely of plants and greenery. Bea is scared, but the giant reassures her and explains that he has escaped from the grey city. Bea and the giant become friends, and together they try and find a way to make the grey city a greener place. This is a lovely picture book and Katie has recently released a follow on, ‘The Blue Giant’, which addresses issues of plastic waste in the oceans.
This is the first of the Katie Morag Stories which went on to become a successful series (and TV programme too). It’s easy to fall in love with Hedderwick’s beautiful illustrations, and the characters feel like old friends. Struay may be a fictional island, but the books are inspired by the author’s own years of living on the isle of Colonsay. Perfect island escapism in words and pictures! All the stories are great, but I have a huge soft spot for Katie Morag and Tiresome Ted.
McDarkly lives alone in the swamp, happily tending his neat garden of orchids in peace. But then, one day, in rides the pompous and rather rude King, who wants to turn McDarkly’s peaceful (if slightly dank and dark) home into a roller skate park!
Luckily, the young princess is a botantist at heart, and manages to win the swamp a reprieve – the King and his retinue of minions will return in ten days to see the orchids bloom. McDarkly believes that with hard work, and a LOT of shovelling, he can be ready….that is, until the orchid-munching caterpillars descend!
King of the Swamp is a lovely picture book to read aloud – the lilting, rhyming text just begs to be read out loud in a sing-song voice. The watery colour scheme of the swamp has the perfect balance of dripping weeds and big-eyed critters peeping from behind reeds and logs. With a gentle happy ending, as the swamp becomes a nature reserve, the book would link well in the classroom with units on things that grow and care for the environment. Catherine Emmett’s text and Ben Mantle’s illustrations are a successful pairing and I hope to see them working together again soon.
This book was the winner of the prestigious Kelpies Prize for new Scottish writing and, set on the Isle of Cumbrae in southern Scotland, it deserves much wider attention. Lily’s family is less than perfect, but when she hears a ghostly voice warning her not to go to the island, things get messier. A beautifully written and funny adventure, but with depth and heart.
Emma Read’s ‘Milton’ series really is just fab! My kids loved the first in the series, ‘Milton The Mighty’, and are really excited to read the second one! The first book introduced us to Milton, a very small spider with very big plans to protect his species. In this second book, Milton and his friends fly to Hawaii! There Milton encounters an endangered spider species and an unscrupulous ‘golf-course-building billionaire’ who is intent on building his golf course- whatever the environmental cost…
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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