This is the true story of Bandoola – an Asian timber elephant of Myanmar, which was for a time a colony of the British Empire. The story focuses on Bandoola’s adult life around the time of World War 2, when elephants were used to help move and haul hardwood teak. The elephants at this time were looked after by ‘Oozies’; men who cared for the elephants, but perhaps in a way that didn’t always show these majestic and intelligent animals the respect that they deserved.
Things changed when James Howard Williams arrived to work for the timber company, and soon saw the true nature of the hard-working elephants. World War 2 eventually arrived in Myanmar, and the people of the country were forced to leave. Bandoola and Williams led 53 elephants and over 200 refugees to safety in Northern India, on an unbelievable and treacherous journey that saw them scale mountains and tested them to the limit. This incredible journey showed an astonishing trust between humans and animals, with a remarkable level of understanding and bravery that saw them reach their destination in one piece.
Having enjoyed William Grill’s compelling retelling of Shackleton’s Journey in his wonderfully sensitive yet engaging style, it was a joy to have the opportunity to read another. Grill has a talent for finding incredible stories; stories with historical importance and that show the best (and sometimes the worst) of humanity.
‘Bandoola’ is visually and literarily compelling, powerful, and thought-provoking, providing a new angle among the range of WW2 book options.
This month sees another impressively comprehensive non-fiction offering from Britannica and What On Earth Books, following from Christopher’s Lloyd’s Children’s Encyclopedia and Kate Hale’s Factopia. Listified is a robust, 400-page hardback compendium brimming with intriguing information on a range of topics – each presented in list form. This is an absolute treasure trove for readers who love dipping in and out of information books and impressing their friends and family with a host of unusual trivia.
Divided into eight chapters on various themes – from space and nature to inventions and the body – the book is bursting with pocket-sized facts and snippets all grouped into lists. It’s easy to get lost in the list of animals that have visited space (although I’m sure I’m not the only one who was grateful for the footnote explaining what a Tardigrade is) or in the list of five things that scientists would need to do in order to clone a T-Rex. Many readers will be intrigued to learn that a bolt of lightning is the same width as a human thumb and five times hotter than the sun, or that on Liechtenstein’s National Day (15th August), the monarch invites the whole population for a party and funfair at the castle.
Many of the lists are just as humorous as they are informative (it’s easy to imagine that some readers will jump straight to ’10 Sounds the Body Makes and Why They Happen’ or guffaw at the section about smart underpants that can automatically measure how much your buttock muscles move in order to tell you if you need to exercise more). Coupled with Andrés Lorenzo’s appealing illustration as well as photographs, diagrams and prompts to move to other pages to find out further related information, the book takes on a playful nature without ever compromising on the density of content.
Suitable for KS2 and beyond, this is a cornucopia of information that would make a great gift for inquisitive individuals or a worthy investment for school libraries.
The Treeple lived up high in the trees. They liked to build houses of sticks, climb with lemurs and make papaya pies.
But most of all, the Treeple loved to make things.
The Seaple lived deep down in the ocean. They liked to build houses out of shells, swim with the fishes and bake seaweed pie.
But most of all, the Seaple loved to watch nature.
The Treeples aren’t bad but they are thoughtless. They continue to make things without thinking about whether or not they need them and when they run out of space on the land, they decide a good place to put it would be in the ocean. This is when the problems start for the Seaple.
This is a lovely book to use as an introduction to caring for the environment and why we need to make sure that we don’t drop plastic and litter. The Seaple go on to reuse and recycle items that the Treeple had discarded. This would be a great conversation starter and would encourage children to think about everyday items that could be reused and how we can recycle products and what could be made from them.
The illustrations by Paddy Donnelly are beautiful and really add to the mood of the story. The worlds of the Treeple and Seaple come alive and the characters are very engaging. A section at the back of the book gives ideas on how everyone can help to be an ocean hero and keep the seas and beaches clean. A donation of 3% of the cover price goes to the Marine Conservation Society.
Nell lives with her clan in the cave. Her best friend is a small cave bear, who will grow very large as he gets older. One day Nell overhears some of the adults talking about giving Cave Bear away as a gift for another clan. Nell is horrified and decides to run off with Cave Bear. They follow the stream from their village in search of somewhere they can be safe. On the way they meet mammoths and other less friendly clans and a fierce wildcat kitten. All the time Nell is searching for a way that she can remain with Cave Bear.
This is a very charming story, filled with gentle humour and a very mildly scary level of adventure. The pictures are drawn in much the same way in a blue wash and create a sense of the story and the jokes in the text. There are also allusions to other well-known stories like Bear Hunt and Winnie the Pooh.
The final pages have instructions for how to look after a cave bear and this was possibly my favourite bit of all. Martin Brown is the illustrator for the Horrid Histories series and some of that humour has definitely rubbed off on this book.
This is a heart-warming story about friendship and is going to be the first in a series about Nell and Cave Bear. I think it will prove a popular choice among children who are just starting to read independently as it is not too long or difficult.
Fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax will be thrilled to see the arrival of the long-awaited sequel this month.
A year ago, Peter met his former pet fox, Pax, for what he assumed was the last time. Since then Pax has been happy as part of a new family in the wild. Thirteen year old Peter, on the other hand, has now lost not just his mother and his beloved pet but also his father, killed in the war. That just leaves his grandfather, who makes him feel inadequate. He’s determined to bury his feelings of guilt, hurt and loss by striking out alone and shunning close relationships.
He sets off to join the Water Warriors, cleaning up water that has been contaminated by the war near to his old home. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Pax is travelling in the same direction – towards Peter but also towards the contaminated water. Slowly, surely, inevitably, their paths collide.
Told alternately from the points of view of Peter and Pax (although always in the third person), this story will break your heart and warm it at the same time. It’s a superb and sensitive portrait of how emotions can become tangled and how grief can become toxic. It draws you into the vivid tale of companionship between boy and fox and compels you to ponder the complex relationships between loss and guilt, loyalty and love.
Despite being a sequel to Pax, it stands alone very well, although I would recommend reading the books as a pair. Doing so heightens the pathos of watching Peter follow the emotionally self-destructive path set by his father and, ultimately, finding healing and redemption through love.
The emotional content of the book makes it ideal for broaching difficult subjects like bereavement and mental wellbeing. The setting and context link it to environmental issues, most of all the importance of water. The story as a whole is a joyous read – perfect reading for pleasure material. I read it with tears running down my face and since I’ve finished it, I’ve felt somewhat bereft myself.
Onjali Q Rauf’s loyal fanbase will be pleased to hear of a new novel. True to form, the Lion Above the Door explores important social issues while capturing voices from the younger generation in a most relatable manner.
The story broaches the topic of cultural blindspots in history education, posing questions about the missing and ignored figures from the history topics taught in schools. Young Leo is intrigued to find a WW2 memorial in which he recognises his own name; being of Singaporean heritage he has become used to rarely seeing people like himself reflected in the history books. As Leo and his classmates research their relatives’ roles in the war, important stories come to the surface and it’s up to the children to make sure these histories get the spotlight they deserve.
This is a sincere and timely story that gently turns over themes of prejudice, cultural underrepresentation, racism and the courage to put right societal injustice – while at once holding out the mantle to young readers to invite them to be the catalyst for change.
Meet Hack and Whack – the worst behaved Vikings in the village! They revel in creating chaos and causing carnage wherever they go with hilarious consequences – and what is more, their parents are proud of them!
This series of 3 short stories set in the frozen fjords of a Viking kingdom, the two terrible twins (along with their wolf cub Bitey-Bitey and their friends Twisty Pants and Dirty Ulf,) plunder and pillage the polite and perfect Elsa Gold Hair’s birthday party, track a troll and attempt a daring and dangerous raid of a nearby island.
As well as plenty of laughs and make believe, this book includes some more accurate historical details too; describing longhouses with smoke holes and thatched roofs, iron cauldrons and the need for foraging for rood and smoking fish to name a few. It would be a great addition to a class library during a Viking topic to use alongside non-fiction texts.
Francesca Simon is best known for the Horrid Henry series but also harbours an interest in Norse mythology after having read Old and Middle English at Oxford. These stories bring the author’s expertise in all things Vikings into the full spirit of Horrid Henry’s comic revelry. The variations in font and the comic illustrations by Steve May really add to the humour and engagement of the story for young readers. It is a fantastic early chapter book – a really accessible read for those starting out tackling longer texts. It will also engage and amuse older but more reluctant readers and would also be great fun to read aloud.
Anyone who has ever wanted the world to recognise their talent or dreamed of going viral will resonate with Brandon’s story. Brandon believes that he is the best at everything and he loves to boast about it. But there is one thing that he really is good at – counting. When he boasts that he can count to ten million, he’s challenged to follow up on his claim and before he knows it, the world really is paying attention to what he can do.
Carnegie-medal winner Melvin Burgess is well-known for his novels for Young Adults, but here he perfectly hits the spot for younger children with Count. I was really charmed by this laugh-out-loud story of an oft-heard playground boast that – in this case – quickly snowballs to global proportions, perfectly capturing the essence of childhood ambition and stubbornness in one sweep. The story also explores the cost of fame and the power of self-belief.
At just over 170 pages, this is a short and entertaining read that is packed with humour and accompanied by Chris Mould’s fun illustrations. Count is likely to go down a treat in lower KS2 classrooms or with Upper KS2 readers who appreciate a quick and humorous read.
A spring-infused delight of a story, where two children rally the whole community in creating a bee corridor to help encourage local wildlife, while celebrating their cultural diversity and customs.
As with any good picture book, there are so many layers to this book. The main theme throughout is that of sustainability. The children of Class One encourage the members of their community to plant wild flowers in order to boost the numbers of bees in the area. They help deliver envelopes of seeds to all the houses between the school and park. This book helps children understand how vital bees are in order to pollinate and provide food. It will inspire children to think about how they can create bee corridors in their local community too. Katie Cottle’s illustrations bring another layer of vibrancy to the story. They radiate warmth and joy.
There are also other aspects of story that can be explored, such as developing friendship, cultural identity and LGBTQ+ representation. When Omar brings honey cake to Show and Tell and explains that his grandpa used to keep bees ‘a long way away’ among the ‘apricot trees and jasmine bushes’, it sparks the idea of creating a bee corridor – but, more than that, it brings an opportunity for Maisie and Omar to connect and build a friendship. It also gives Omar – the new child in the class – a chance to show his Syrian heritage as well as an opportunity for their teacher Mr Ellory-Jones and his husband to help to deliver the envelopes of seeds with the class in a true community project.
The end pages are gorgeous and filled with essential bee facts and a recipe for a delicious honey cake. This book is perfect for all children to explore and a great starting point for so much learning.
This is a beautiful picture book that follows a herd of African elephants as they journey to find water in the African savannah.
The Matriarch leads the herd and tells of times gone by and stories of how the landscape used to be. Soon, the story moves on to the invasion of humans and how they drove some of the other animals away from their natural habitat by building, making loud noises and causing destruction of the landscape.
The threat from poachers forces the herd to move on, still searching for the elusive water. As the situation looks bleak for the herd, Grandma Elephant smells that familiar smell that she was taught to look for when she was a calf and the elephants arrive at the watering hole.
Told in gentle rhyming couplets and accompanied by wonderful illustrations, this is a heartfelt story told in a way to help young children understand some of the challenges faced by Africa’s majestic giants.
Accompanying the story, readers can delve into a fantastic non-fiction section at the back of the book. A non-chronological report, information about how to care for elephants and the work of wildlife rangers, and messages about conservation efforts allow the reader a greater understanding of the plight of these animals. Readers are also encouraged to be a local wildlife hero.
This book will be great to use in a primary schools. The range of mini texts types gives a rounded approach to the topic and offers superb model texts to use in the classroom. The stunning illustrations will be ideal for initiating discussion and deeper thinking around the themes explored. The book also links to topics of conservation, habitats and animal survival. I can’t wait to share this with my class.
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
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Curriculum links (if relevant)
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