Author name: Miss Cleveland

Coventry Inspiration Book Awards: The First Evictions

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

It’s time to say goodbye to the first books in this year’s competition. Make sure you keep voting so that your favourite book doesn’t get voted out!

What’s The Story? said goodbye to I Don’t Like Books. Never Ever. The End by Emma Perry and Sharon Davey. Mabel hates books. She gets given loads of them but has no interest in reading them whatsoever. Instead of reading them, she uses them for all sorts of things, from juggling to sledging, but she never looks at the stories inside. One night, the books have had enough and piled up in her bedroom they come alive. The stories jump out of their covers and off the pages so that they can show Mabel their story worlds. She is intrigued by a detective adventure, excited by the chance to board a spaceship and take a trip to the moon, delighted by the thought of accompanying a knight on his quest to seek castles and to duel with dragons. However, there is no way she can find out what happens next in these stories unless she begins to read the books!

If you enjoyed Mabel’s story, try You Choose: Fairy Tales by Pippa Goodhart, illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Make up your very own fairy tale adventure where YOU CHOOSE what happens next!
Which fairy tale hero would you like to be today? Where will you go on your fairy tale quest? And what fairy tale baddy would you least like to meet? The possibilities are infinite in this captivating creative toolkit which will inspire children from three up to make their own stories again and again.

Telling Tales lose Sohal Finds A Friend by Jion Sheibani. Sohal worries about a lot of things: the dark, mutant sheep, being alone – you name it, he worries about it! So one night he tries drawing his worries to make himself feel better – and somehow they look a lot less worrying once they’re scribbled down. But then imagine Sohal’s surprise when he wakes up the next morning to find a set of funny, furry friends at the end of his bed! His worries have come to life, and it’s not long before Hurt, Fail, Anger, Big and Alone have turned his world upside down. Now it’s up to Sohal to work out how to keep his worries under control – and have some serious fun while he’s at it!

If you enjoyed Sohal Finda A Friend, try Sam Wu Is Not Afraid Of Ghosts by Katie and Kevin Tsang. The first in a brilliantly funny series about the bravest scaredy-cat in the world. Sam Wu is NOT a scaredy-cat (except he is). When a trip to the Space Museum goes terrifyingly wrong, Sam begins a mission to prove to the school bully, and all of his friends, that he is a fearless space adventurer. A truly laugh-out-loud, voice-led and madcap story of ghost hunting, snakes and mischievous pet cats called Butterbutt

The first book out of Hooked On Books is The Last Gate Of The Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen. Often in trouble for his thrill-seeking antics and smart mouth, those same qualities make Yared a star player of the underground augmented reality game, The Hunt for Kaleb’s Obelisk. But when a change in the game rules prompts Yared to log in with his real name, it triggers an attack that rocks the city. In the chaos, Uncle Moti disappears. Suddenly, all the stories Yared’s uncle told him as a young boy are coming to life, of kingdoms in the sky and city-razing monsters. And somehow Yared is at the centre of them. Together with Besa and the Ibis – a game rival turned reluctant ally – Yared must search for his uncle… and answers to his place in a forgotten, galaxy-spanning war.

If you enjoyed The Last Gate Of The Emperor, try Skywake: Invasion by Jamie Russell, an exciting and original debut sci-fi adventure trilogy for the gaming generation, from a screenwriter, film critic and gamer. Fifteen-year-old girl gamer Casey Henderson is obsessed with smash-hit game SkyWake – and she’s good at it, too. Little does she realize it’s actually an alien training tool created by an evil extra-terrestrial race. When the aliens swoop down on a national gaming tournament, Casey and her teammates discover they’re abducting the best gamers to fight in a distant alien war across the galaxy. And they’ve got her brother. Casey’s gaming skills are her best hope of stopping the aliens – but first she and her online teammates must learn to work together in real life…

If you don’t want your favourite book to be evicted next week, make sure you keep voting here!

It’s the Year of the Tiger!

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

With Chinese New Year on Tuesday, we have entered the Year of the Tiger. The children have produced some fabulous writing and artwork based on these fearsome creatures, some of which is on display at Cannon Park Shops – do make sure you go and have a look!

My books this week feature tigers, and other animals.

First, I have The Tyger Voyage by Richard Adams (Watership Down) and Nicola Bayley.  A gentleman tyger and his son set sail from Victorian England into the timeless unknown. Together they roam across the seas, through jungles, past ice-covered mountains and erupting volcanoes and many more unexpected hazards along the way.

Told in verse using language to capture the era the story is set in, which is also evoked in Nicola Bayley’s stunning illustrations, this is as captivating today as it was when it was first read to me as a child.

Next, I have Interview With A Tiger by Andy Seed, illustrated by Nick East. Get familiar with 10 fierce and furry beasts as they step up to the mic and share their habits, behaviour, likes and dislikes, favourite foods, and more. Each animal has its own story to tell… and its own attitude…

Having made a tranimalator, Andy Seed has scoured the planet to conduct some amazing interviews with ten spectacular, clawed creatures, including a tiger, wolf, and my personal favourite, a snow leopard.

Each interview is packed with fascinating facts about the animals and their habitats, with each creature’s personality shining through. It has to be said, their views on humans don’t show us in a particularly good light.

Nick East’s fabulous illustrations pair perfectly with Andy Seed’s trademark wit and warmth to create a perfect pleasure browser that can be dipped in and out of, but once I started, I found I wanted to meet all of the animals at once.

Finally, I have chosen Carnival Of The Animals by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. Morpurgo’s poems are inspired by The Carnival of the Animals – a humorous musical by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Building on this classic framework, Michael has added many more animals – they speak in their own voices, full of humour and vivacity, to tell of their lives and the impact of humanity on their habitats.

With full colour illustrations throughout, this celebrated partnership has created a gift book with a strong ecological message that will also ignite a love of poetry in young readers and will appeal to fans of The Lost Words. Above all it is a celebration of the natural world in verse, a book to treasure and to inspire.

 

 

 

Year 5: Fact or Opinion?

/ / English, Year 5

To increase our knowledge of the type of information that goes into biographies, Year 5 have been exploring the (sometimes subtle) differences between fact and opinion using a range of beautiful non-fiction books.

We even found facts about opinions, such as Albert Einstein really didn’t like school, while Abraham Lincoln loved animals.

Year 6: How did propaganda influence behaviour during World War II?

/ / History

As historians, we have been looking at propaganda posters produced during World War II.

We worked out who the intended audience was, and how the words and images would evoke an emotional response in different sections of society. This was so that they would be more likely to behave in the way that the Government wanted them to, whether that be mothers from big cities sending their children to live with others in the country, women going to work in factories or on farms, or growing your own veg!

Then we created our own posters to persuade the British population to help the war effort in different ways.

Year 5: A roving reporter questions characters.

/ / English, Year 5

Year 5 are looking at traditional tales in English, and have been exploring an Ancient Egyptian version of Cinderella called Cinderella Of The Nile by Beverly Naidoo, illustrated by Marjan Vafaeian.

Having looked at similarities and differences between this version and the Brother’s Grimm version, we are now looking at the story in more detail.

We acted out the whole story, and then a roving reporter dropped in to see what the women in the crowd waiting to try the slipper on might have said, and to find out why Rhodopis was hiding in the bushes. We will use this experience to make our speech writing more exciting for the reader.

Library: A celebration of squirrels!

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

We are really lucky to have such beautiful school grounds that are home to lots of wildlife, including squirrels. As today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, I thought I’d share a couple of books starring these crepuscular creatures.

The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright and Jim Field is a brilliant reminder about the importance of teamwork, sharing and kindness that will have you giggling along as the greedy squirrels fight over the last nut of the season.

As the nut bounces crazily though the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and – ARGH! – right to the edge of a waterfall! Working together might be the only way to save themselves now…

Flora And Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell blends traditional storytelling, full page illustrations and graphic novel format seamlessly to produce a gripping story that is endearing, heartfelt and laugh out loud funny with a whole host of eccentric characters!

It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw it coming – the vacuum cleaner, that is. As for self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, she has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You! so she is just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight and misspelled poetry. And Flora will be changed too as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.

 

Library: Coventry Inspiration Book Awards 2022

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

Over the last two weeks, children have been introduced to the shortlisted books for their age group, and we have loved hearing their thoughts about each title. Once again, each category has a wide range of genres for children to explore, enjoy and be inspired to read by. In Key Stage 2, each class will be choosing their favourites as class read alouds for story-time this term, while Reception and Key Stage 1 will have read all of the shortlisted picture books.

Now, it’s time to get voting for your favourites to keep them in the competition!

The first eviction will be on Monday 7 February and subsequently, one book will be knocked out each week in each category until we reach the final three books on Monday 7th March. You then have 10 days to vote for your winning books which will be announced on the website and on social media on Wednesday 16 March.

 

Library: Welcome Back!

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and have come back refreshed and ready to read. There has been lots on the news again over the last few weeks about Covid-19, and lots of conflicting information that can be confusing, so this week’s books link to facts about viruses and how we can keep ourselves and our friends and families as safe as possible.

Now Wash Your Hands by Matt Carr is the perfect picture book for explaining what germs are to younger children and how handwashing can banish them before they can bug you.

There’s a very special guest at the school for little animals, and her name is Doris – Doris the Doctorpus. She’s here to help the animals learn to wash their hands because of something very very small called GERMS!

Doris explains that washing your hands can send germs packing and she’s got her very own hand-washing song too.

The Bacteria Book by Steve Mould is a fun and informative introduction to a STEAM subject that brings kids up-close to the big world of tiny science.

Meet the bacteria, viruses, and other germs and microbes that are all around, but too small for us to see, in this children’s science book by bestselling author and science comedian Steve Mould.

What do a squid that glows, fungus that grows, and tiny creatures in the soil under your toes all have in common? Find out in this dynamic and engaging book all about bacteria, viruses, and other germs and microbes. The Bacteria Book perfectly walks the line between “ew, gross!” and “oh, cool!”, exploring why we need bacteria and introducing readers to its microbial mates: viruses, fungi, algae, archaea, and protozoa.

With remarkable photography, kooky character illustrations, and lots of fun facts, this book uses real-life examples of microbiology in action to show how microbes keep our bodies and our world running.

The Virus by Ben Martynoga is great for older children who want to know more about Covid, where it came from, and how we can beat it. Explore the science behind viruses and the COVID-19 pandemic in a fascinating story of hijacked human cells and our own internal emergency services.

It’s 15,000 times smaller than a flea and we can kill it with a bar of soap – so how did a tiny, fragile virus change the world? Join science expert Dr Ben Martynoga and illustrator extraordinaire Moose Allain on a fascinating, sometimes funny, and occasionally scary journey through the world of viruses.

Along the way, you’ll learn what viruses are, how they work, and how we can overcome – or at least learn to live alongside – those that do us harm.

Michael Rosen’s Sticky McStickstick is a joyous book packed with hope, endurance and resilience, and a heartfelt message of thanks to our wonderful NHS, and is a powerful and personal story from one of Britain’s best-loved authors about his recovery from coronavirus.

After being admitted to hospital in 2020 with coronavirus, Michael Rosen had to learn to walk again. With the support of doctors and nurses and a walking stick he names “Sticky McStickstick”, he manages to embark on the slow steps to recovery.

This moving picture book from the former Children’s Laureate, with illustrations from Tony Ross, is a testament to the importance of overcoming fear and learning to accept help.

 

Library: Books to help with grief

/ / Library
It’s National Grief Awareness Week and this is something that we will all face and have to come to terms with in life.  There are some beautiful books that can help us with strategies to work through our grief together as families. Who Will Love Me When You’re Gone? by Anna Friend, illustrated by Jake Biggin  is a moving yet reassuring journey through a child’s feelings of grief. With his mum very poorly, Jack is worried about what will happen when she’s gone… Will Mummy take her love as well?

“My love for you can never leave, 

It’s like the sun, the air you breathe…”

With mindfulness activities for families to do together to combat feelings of sadness, Who Will Love Me When You’re Gone is beautifully illustrated and simply written, and allows the reader to understand how a child might be feeling and gives a voice to those thoughts that are pinging around a child’s head making them feel wobbly and upset. It can be shared with younger children or read independently. It’s honesty and simple language is designed to start conversations and provide comfort. Written by clinical psychologist, executive coach and founder of childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish, Julie Stokes OBE, You Will Be Okay is a toolbox for children navigating grief. It is a kind and compassionate, straight talking look at the whole host of emotions we can go through when someone important in our life dies, whether it’s a family member, friend or someone else in our lives. With real-life examples, Julie takes us through different ways we might react, and what we can do to help get ourselves back on track, so that we can move on without that person, while holding them close. Each chapter guides us through different strategies we can employ to help us be kinder to ourselves while we come to terms with the loss we feel. I particularly liked the use of “grief muscles” that can help give us the strength to carry on without storing up grief, and the use of a simple sentence that allows us to explain what has happened in a way that feels right for us. The death of a parent, sibling or friend is one of the most traumatic experiences for a child and it can be hard to know how to talk to them about it. In this honest, comforting and strength-building guide, children will be able to look toward the future with hope. Miss Cleveland also has a number of picture books that can also be used to help discuss the death of a loved one including:
  • Badger’s Parting Gift by Susan Varley
  • Ocean Meets Sky by The Fan Brothers
  • The Sad Book by Michael Rosen. illustrated by Tony Ross
  • Maia And What Matters by Tine Mortier & Kaatje Vermeire
For older children, The Dream House by Laura Dockrill, illustrated by Gwen Millward is a short story that packs an emotional punch. Heart breaking and hopeful, The Dream House is a gentle exploration of bereavement, grief, growing up and the healing power of tea. We are drawn swiftly into the new world that Rex finds himself in, lost in grief and in need of time and space to come to terms with the death of his father. His godfather, Sparky, is a gentle soul who allows Rex to feel and do what comes naturally as he navigates the fear he faces as memories surface. Switching between prose, poetry, playscript style speech and a letter, Laura’s description immerses you in The Dream House. You can hear the branches rustle, smell the leaves rotting and feel the softness of the sofa and warmth of the mug of tea. Gwen’s sketches and illustrations adorn the pages of this special little book perfect for Year 6 and up.   If you would like to borrow any of these books to help support your whole family, please contact us through the Wellbeing email.

Year 5: Welcome to Victorian School!

/ / History, Year 5

Today, Year 5 experienced what life was like in a Victorian School. They practised their times tables and handwriting, the capital cities of Europe, and completed drill, which was the Victorian equivalent of PE. Not all of the children adjusted quickly to the extremely strict rules and found themselves wearing the Dunce Hat, and one or two even faced the cane. We even had a go at some Victorian playground games.

 

 

Here’s what the children thought:

  • The rules were really strict! I’m glad in modern schools the staff can’t hit us!
  • It makes you feel as though you have to concentrate more because if you don’t you’ll get punished really badly.
  • There was a lot of chanting and repeating things we had to learn.
  • It was really hard trying to write with my right hand. It would have made me feel really sad to be treated like that every day just because I am left-handed.
  • It was a really fun way of learning how different life was because we got to do lessons in a different way.
  • I never knew Mrs Reihill and Miss Cleveland were so good at acting mean…
  • I’m really grateful I wasn’t a child in Victorian times.
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