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.

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.

Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 14 November in 2021, is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. We remember the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, the vital role played by the emergency services and those that have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism.

This week’s books all focus on stories about the people who gave their lives during World War I.

Where The Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey is a thought-provoking, sensitive poem to introduce younger readers to World War 1, and a touching tribute to honour all those who sacrificed so much for the cause of peace. Set in a bygone age, the carefree childhood of Ben and his best friend Ray becomes a distant memory when they join the army to serve their country. But, in the midst of battle can their friendship survive?

Owen And The Soldier by Lisa Thompson is a tender and touching story about loss, the importance of remembrance and standing up for your beliefs. A crumbling stone soldier sits on a bench in the park. Only Owen understands how important he is. At home, Owen and his mum are struggling and there’s nobody he can talk to. Hidden away in the park, Owen feels free to be himself. When the war-weary soldier is listening, his worries slip away. But nobody else cares about the soldier, and the town council want to tear him down. Owen’s the only one who can save him but can he find the courage to speak up before it’s too late?

Armistice Runner by Tom Palmer is a heart-wrenching story of family history, resilience and bravery, beautifully told against the stunning back drop of the fells in the Lake District, and the shocking realities of life in the trenches.

Watching Lily come to understand who her great-great-grandfather was and what he did during the war is as heart-breaking as it is uplifting, especially seeing her take inspiration from him to keep on trying at her sport. With a strong message about kindness and supporting each other, this is a brilliant read for empathy that if read with older generations may prompt families to share their own stories, preserving them for future generations.

Lily has lots of worries. She’s struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, she’s losing her gran to Alzheimer’s. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfather’s diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win?

And now for something completely different…

The last two weeks has seen the 26th United Nations Conference of the Parties take place in Glasgow where leaders from over 200 countries have come together to try to tackle climate change and any decisions taken could lead to big changes to our everyday lives in order to hit to hit climate targets, like people driving electric cars, moving away from gas heating, eating less red meat and not taking as many flights in the future.

So this seems to be the perfect time to share It’s Up To Us: A Children’s Terra Carta for Nature, People & The Planet by Christopher Lloyd, with a foreword by His Royal Highness The Prince Of Wales. We are shown how, over time, people have harmed the delicate balance of nature on Earth; polluting the air, land and sea, damaging habitats, and putting ours needs above every other creature living here.

I loved exploring the differing illustration styles adorning each spread from the 33 illustrators picked from across the globe, and spotting the cultural references and details within them. Vibrant and engaging, they underpin the messages that sit alongside them. The addition of the foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, and the original preface to the Terra Carta show just how important the messages with It’s Up To Us really are.

From the clear explanation of the harm we have done to the easy to understand pledges that everyone needs to sign up to in order to stop and try to reverse some of the damage we have done, this is a must for every school to continue the work on climate change and environmental damage they are already undertaking to grow an ecologically educated generation that are understand why implementing the Terra Carta is essential to saving all life on Earth, including our own.

The Terra Carta is a roadmap to sustainability issued by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his Sustainable Markets Initiative. More than 400 corporations have already signed on, agreeing to put the health of Nature, People & Planet at the heart of their activities. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure our leaders keep their promises.