A ‘First Field Guide’ to the bamboo-loving bear from China.
Panda’s don’t hibernate; 43% of their time is spent napping; they poo up to 40 times a day; they are classed as carnivores but, over time, have evolved to eat mostly bamboo; the males compete to do the tallest handstand; they are now restricted to five mountain ranges in China; and they are generally good neighbours. There’s plenty in these 32 pages to learn and amuse.
I can see this book being very popular across the entire primary school. KS2 children will glean facts and figures on habitat, diet, habits, development, conservation and classification, when researching for writing assignments or exploring curriculum topics (e.g. animal biology, habitats, different ecosystems). It could also be used by teachers as an example of how a non-fiction text is presented, with its inclusion of headings, Contents, Glossary and Index. KS1 children will enjoy the funnier snippets of information, and learn from the bold illustrations, as much as from reading the text.
In summary, this well produced book, with its striking cover andadorable end papers, is a good addition to any primary school library and many a classroom book corner. The small, hardback format may even lend it an advantage over less durable, more unwieldy volumes.
What’s not to love?
Reviewer: Jane Rew
We’re big fans of Elle McNicoll’s books here at BooksForTopics HQ. We were excited to hear that Elle’s newest book takes a firm step into the magical realism genre. Elle says,”This book is a love letter to readers of A Kind of Spark who wanted to see neurodivergent girls with real magical powers. I loved magical books as a child, and still do now, so to have a neurodivergent heroine in a fantastical world, it meant a lot to me to write. I’m thrilled readers are going to meet Ramya.”
At its heart, this is an exciting magical fantasy with a quest to save an endangered town. Ramya is a feisty heroine whose dyspraxia can make her feel misunderstood and disconnected from the world around her. Ramya can also perceive things that most people can’t – seeing through the Glamour that disguises magical creatures. As the story unfolds, Ramya learns to trust her own instincts more, despite feeling weary from a world that fails to give value to the way she is. Her unique way of seeing things is her superpower and her quest confirms to her that her whole unique self is powerful, wonderful and of greater value to the world than she dared to imagine.
Fantasy lovers will enjoy the imaginative cast of magical characters (beware – the fairies in this book are not at all as you might expect) and the idea that a co-existing magical world is thinly veiled all around us is one that has a timeless appeal in children’s literature. Many young readers will relate to Ramya’s struggle to navigate the emotional connections with different family members. We were pleased to see that this is only the beginning of Ramya’s adventures and that there is more to come from the magical world she inhabits, with a sequel due in Spring 2023.
Archie, the boy at the centre of this story, is a Year Six child who lives with his mum, after his parents split up. He regularly visits his dad but his dad often cancels their days together so that he can spend time with his new wife and baby daughter. Archie’s mum is poorly, and has been for quite some time, but he has to keep it a secret from everyone. He also gets bullied at school and is never picked for the school sports teams. It’s no wonder that he has low self-esteem when we first meet him!
After a visit to his friend, Archie falls off his bike. When he wakes up, he sees his favourite football player, Lucas Bailey, who gives him nine wishes! Archie tries hard to use his wishes wisely but they never have the effect he expects! However, unlike many other moral tales of the same type, Archie’s wishes really do help him to see himself in a much more positive light.
The story is a brilliant take on the traditional ‘Aladdin’ tale and brings in so much to think about; Archie’s complex home life makes him a really interesting and thought provoking character.
The story is perfect as a class read for a Year Five or Year Six class or could be used as a focus text within Anti-Bullying week. Although there are many sensitive themes addressed, there is also a huge amount of humour too…and a great twist at the end!
Reviewer: Claire C
Talking History is an incredible book. It takes the reader through some of the greatest speeches of the past 150 years and gives insight into why the speech held so much importance, both in the past and today. The range of orators is wide and shows how globally significant some great people have been. From Abraham Lincoln to Greta Thunberg, it is clear that words have immense power to make change happen.
The author has clearly taken time to balance gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation within the selection, and has chosen speakers from around the world, enabling younger readers to engage with figures such as Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India after independence; Rene Cassin, who created the Charter of Human Rights, and Angela Merkel, who challenged world leaders to work together to fight disease.
As a resource within Upper Key Stage Two, the book is invaluable. It sets the speeches within history and would be superb to support topic work on all manner of aspects of recent world history; citizenship, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, health, WW2, Law and exploration are all featured within the book and presented in a way which is accessible yet mature.
It is also set out in a way which is instantly engaging. There is so much information to enjoy on each page; each part carefully illustrated to reinforce the content.
The book is a stylish (the illustrations and striking colour choices are wonderful) and original reference book that would be a superb addition to Year Six bookshelves.
Reviewer: Claire C
Mel Taylor-Bessent offers her own masterclass in writing for children in the form of her debut chapter book, The Christmas Carrolls. Sprinkled with seasonal goodwill and a good dose of ho-ho-ho, this is a perfectly heart-warming and humorous read for the festive season.
Holly Carroll and her family are crazy about Christmas, but with a little help from a special new friend, Holly discovers that the festive season is not always as cheer-filled for everyone as she once thought. When the world begins to lose its sparkle, Holly finds a way to channel her inner Christmas spirit to embrace her community and make a real difference to those in need.
We thoroughly enjoyed this feel-good read with its loveable cast of characters, festive puns aplenty and themes of kindness, inclusion and sparing a thought for others in the community.
All the fun of You Choose is met with a new dollop of imaginative charm in Nick Sharratt’s Super Silly Museums. This bright and colourful picturebook with fold-out flaps takes the reader on a journey through a host of whimsical fictional museums.
Once you get started, there’s no stopping the imagination when it comes to museum types. Young readers will love the snoozeum filled with sleeping animals, the confuseum of optical illusions and the shoe-seum featuring an alphabet of footwear. Those who love a bit of toilet humour will be drawn to the pooseum (exhibiting of unusual toilets and a ‘wee-search’ centre), while readers who prefer getting to grips with new words will enjoy poring over the Q-seum. There’s plenty to entertain and amuse under the museum flaps and there’s lots of information to absorb among the labelled exhibitions too. Right at the end of the book, the author sets up a ‘You-seum’, to be completed by the reader.
Nick Sharratt’s wit and illustrative flair makes the book oodles of fun for young and old and will no doubt spark additional hours of entertainment as readers make up their own museum types or add ideas to the existing exhibitions. Just like You Choose, many readers will be drawn into simply poring over the bright and busy pages, noticing details, identifying personal preferences and taking in the variety of different items on display.
A perfect book for sharing.
Reviewer: Alison Leach
The end page of this book has a quote from Anni Lanz – a human rights activist who has a focus on refugee policy. It says “Use your anger to transform the world around you” and this is the positive message of a book that focuses on anger, rage and fury – an emotion felt by us all and an emotion felt particularly keenly by children and young people with deeply held views on the issues of the day. That is why this is such a useful and meaningful book for the four year old and the young adult alike.
When I See Red is a stunningly illustrated book that tells the ‘story’ of anger. Anger in this book is seen like a storm: we see how the storm gathers and blinds, as well as how the storm heralds ‘the change’ that anger can inspire. Britta’s choice of words to describe the storm compliment the illustrations – stunning print designs – which show the main, unnamed character’s journey through her rage and ‘the storm’. The all-encompassing feeling of anger is fabulously described through poetic language and illustration. Every few pages there is a double page spread of illustration which seems to mirror the way anger can take over our whole being. Despite this, what is so refreshing is this picture book puts the angry young girl in charge of her fury – clearly in control, knowing what she is doing, knowing what and whom she is calling on to demonstrate her rage. The suppression felt before the anger is allowed to spill out is made evident as well as the positive nature of the outpouring.
I think it may be easy to cast this book as a KS1 or early years text and yet it is a really powerful tool for discussion with older pupils too about the need for anger as a means to instigate change. Anger is seen not only as a storm but also embraced as a journey that takes the girl to a stronger, braver and more powerful place. As the storm of anger clears, what is left is a new confidence and a new journey, a new way forward. This is a stunning book with huge opportunities for discussion and reflection.
First things first, Max Counts to a Million is utterly brilliant.
Writing for the 7-9 age bracket is a balancing act of plot, vocabulary, humour and depth; keeping the book accessible without sacrificing complexity. Jeremy Williams has produced a debut that will be devoured by children but also loved by parents and teachers too.
Max is a typical eight-year-old, happily pootling along through life when March 2020 arrives. Suddenly all the talk is of new words like ‘pandemic’, the supermarket feels weird with half-empty shelves and the adults are telling Max not to worry while behaving in worrying ways. There are many things here that children (and adults) will immediately identify with from the start of the pandemic: not seeing grandparents, cancelled birthday parties, teachers’ anger at the fun new game ‘coronavirus tag’, school closures and finally lockdown.
To begin with, Max, a pretty bouncy and out-going character, is relatively unfazed. The sun is shining, his dad (an ear, nose and throat doctor) is home more, Max is allowed to ride his bike on the traffic-free roads, and, best of all, his mum (a nutritionist) relaxes some of her healthy eating rules. But then Dad moves into a hotel to help in the hospital, and Mum is busy working from her home office/bedroom corner. When everyone starts getting on each other’s nerves and when Max is sent to his room to ‘count to one hundred and calm down’, he just decides to keep going. What follows is a funny and light journey through Max’s counting odyssey, a way to manage the ups and downs. Max’s epic count also makes a handy metaphor: “Sometimes, just keeping on going makes you a hero”.
Short chapters and large spacing make Max Counts to a Million perfect for newly confident Y3-4 readers. The books also wears it’s learning incredibly lightly – in the 6 short pages of Chapter 4, it manages to explain the etymology of the word pandemic and how viruses work through the metaphors of train travel and Minecraft, while also being funny and moving on the plot. Max counts to a Million would make a fantastic class reader for teachers wishing to gently explore the impacts of the pandemic. There is a QR code to access teacher discussion notes, with activities include ‘Recognising and naming emotions and feelings’ and ‘Managing emotions and dealing with change’.
Reviewer: Carol Carter
The Ice Whisperers is set in beautiful, mysterious, icy Siberia. When Bela’s mother dies, she is summoned to deepest Siberia to stay with an uncle she’s never met. Exploring his strange scientific workshop, she uncovers a secret she was never meant to find – a doorway that opens to an icy land, frozen in time and full of legends come to life. But this frozen land is in danger, and it’s up to Bela to find a way to save it. To succeed, she must join forces with the impossible: a long-lost sister she never knew she had, born 40,000 years before . .
The book is perfect for children who love fantasy novels; Ren-ya’s land is filled with ancient creatures and references to myths from long ago. The theme of friendship and the intense bond that sisters have draws comparisons with Frozen too.
This would be a fantastic novel to share with a lower key stage two class and would fit perfectly with topics that deal with frozen landscapes as well as prehistory. There are themes of ecology to draw upon and it would be a great novel to use in order to commence a geographical study of this landscape that contrasts so starkly with our own.
Reviewer: Claire Coates
Gretel, a woolly mammoth from prehistoric times, has been encased in ice for thousands of years until one peaceful Tuesday morning when the ice cracks and she pops out to greet the world again. At first, everything is marvellous – she learns about the modern world, shares amazing stories and is loved by the locals (some very friendly seabirds). But all these new changes are a little fast and overwhelming and, being the last mammoth left on Earth, Gretel starts to feel a bit lonely.
Gretel the Wonder Mammoth shows us that, no matter your size, how many talents you have and even if you are surrounded by friendly faces, everyone can feel anxious, alone and sad. It demonstrates how important it is to speak up and share your feelings when life becomes overwhelming and stressful. This very relatable story is perfect for younger pupils and teaches its readers that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is ask for help.
The illustrations are fun and engaging, with simple language and cheeky sea birds adorning the pages. The colours link to the emotions of the text and one cannot help but instantly take to the gentle, gregarious Gretel.
I would highly recommend this book for younger readers – in PSHE lessons, assemblies or for children requiring support in overcoming their fears.
Reviewer: Gabby McConalogue
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Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
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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
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