Read For Empathy – Poverty & Hunger

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

For harvest this year, we are asking for donations to Coventry Foodbank. As we did last year, crates will will be placed in bike sheds so that donations can be put in before and after school during next week (from Monday 4th October to Friday 8th October).

Books are a brilliant way for children to explore the lives of others, and this week’s books all link to families who may find themselves in need of their local foodbank.

It’s a No Money Day by Kate Milner is a moving insight into the sad rise and necessity of foodbanks from the perspective of society’s most vulnerable, and an essential book to help develop empathy in younger readers.

Mum works really hard, but today there is no money left and no food in the cupboards. Forced to visit the local foodbank, Mum feels ashamed that they have to rely on the kindness of others, but her young daughter can still see all the good in her day like reading and drawing, and even the foodbank. Maybe one day things will be different but for now together they brighten up even the darkest of days.

The Invisible by Tom Percival is a moving, powerful story that shines a light on those that feel invisible in our world – and shows us that we ALL belong.

The Invisible is the story of a young girl called Isabel and her family. They don’t have much, but they have what they need to get by. Until one day, there isn’t enough money to pay their rent and bills and they have to leave their home full of happy memories and move to the other side of the city. It is the story of a girl who goes on to make one of the hardest things anyone can ever make…a difference. And it is the story of those who are overlooked in our society – who are made to feel invisible – and why everyone has a place here. We all belong!

Poverty & Hunger by Louise Spilsbury and Hanane Kai is a beautiful picture book for older children, that explores what poverty and hunger are and how they affect children all over the world.

The Children in Our World picture book series helps children make sense of the larger issues and crises that dominate the news in a sensitive and appropriate manner. With relatable comparisons, carefully researched text and striking illustrations, children can begin to understand what poverty and hunger are, how they affect people in countries all over the world and how readers can help those affected.

Where issues aren’t appropriate to describe in words, award-winning illustrator, Hanane Kai, uses striking, sensitive, age appropriate illustrations to help children visualise the people and situations impacted by poverty and hunger.

For our older readers, Make Me Awesome by Ben Davis is a hilariously, heart-warming story about the power of self-belief and friendship. Make Me Awesome highlights the issues surrounding poverty and mental health, and their impact on families. Freddie turns desperation into determination and will have you crying with laughter as he embarks on various schemes to be awesome. I loved that the school library was at the heart of this story as a place for everyone to go, meet up with friends, old and new, try out new things and have fun. Did I say it was awesome? It’s more than awesome – it’s MAWESOME!

When Freddie’s Dad loses his job, the Smallhouse family hit tough times, and have to move in with Uncle Barry. When he announces that he has a job in Germany and will be selling his home, Freddie knows he has to do something. With the help of awesome life coach, Chuck Willard, he sets out to save himself and his parents from living in a B&B. Can the Make Me Awesome programme help Freddie to be as awesome as Chuck and turn his family’s fortunes around?

 

Friday Library Recommendations…

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

This week has been The Great British Beach Clean Up and also Recycling Week, so this week’s books all have an environmental theme.

Clean Up by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola is a heart-warming, timely and empowering picture book, showing how we ALL can make a difference.

Join lovable, passionate Rocket as she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she’s shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day?

Being just about as far from the sea as we can be, I’ve also picked Tidy by Emily Gravett, which is a wonderfully humorous woodland story about the perils of being too tidy, with a subtle environmental message about preservation of our environment.

Pete the badger likes everything to be neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as the collecting of one fallen leaf escalates and ends with the complete destruction of the forest! Will Pete realise the error of his ways and set things right?

Perfect for newly independant readers, Sona Sharma: Looking After Planet Earth by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Jen Khatun is another fabulous story set in Sona’s bustling family household, spotlighting daily life, culture and traditions in Chennai, India. Perfect for younger readers looking for a mirror to their own family life, or window to an authentic view of a different culture, they will relate to the school setting, while the cultural detail will immerse them into Sona’s world. Jen’s delightful illustrations highlight Chitra’s characters in beautiful, expressive detail, and bring the settings, family and traditional drawings to life.

When Sona learns about the climate crisis at school and is very worried that no one is doing enough to combat it, she takes up the challenge herself. But Appa isn’t amused when Sona throws out her baby sister’s nappies and Thatha isn’t happy when she tells him to get rid of his colour-coded plastic files. When Sona learns that many of the kolams – the traditional art that people draw in front of their homes to celebrate the winter months and the festival season – are not organic, she sets out to make some big changes by getting everyone involved.

For older children, Pop! by Mitch Johnson is a jaw-dropping look at consumerism and profiteering above all else, the damage it creates to our world, and fizzy drink addiction. Mitch combines the perfect amounts of satire, suspense and serious laughs to create a gripping story fizzing with Mitch combines the perfect amounts of satire, suspense and serious laughs to create a gripping story fizzing with flabbergasting moments where I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I mainly laughed, but when you stop and think… The exaggerated boardroom scenes are both hilarious and horrifying.

When the priceless recipe to the world’s most popular drink – thought to be lost forever – washes up at her feet, Queenie’s life instantly changes. Everyone wants it, and with a $10 million bounty on her head, Queenie’s soon on the run. Pursued by bounty hunters, black-ops helicopters and angry mobs, Queenie’s journey involves a trip to Area 51, a man-eating alligator and an unlikely new friend, Todd.

But being on the run also makes Queenie begin to see the world around her more clearly – a world in which a big corporation’s excess has left the planet covered in its plastic bottles and waste. Suddenly, the home she always dreamed of escaping, and the ocean she grew up with and took for granted, don’t seem so bad. If Queenie and Todd can bring down the bad guys, maybe she can go back home and make a difference…

And finally, Old Enough To Save The Planet by Loll Kirby and Adelina Lirius is a beautifully illustrated non-fiction browser celebrating young people who have made a difference to our planet.

From Shalise in Australia cleaning up pollution from the shores, to Amy and Ella in the UK committed to eradicating single-use plastics, we see 12 inspiring ideas to help save our planet. Meet kids – just like you – taking action against climate change. Learn about the work they do and discover how the future of our planet starts here… with you. Maybe it will inspire you to take action at home or maybe even in school!

If you like Roald Dahl, try…

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

Tuesday 13th was Roald Dahl Story Day, so to celebrate, I’ve chosen books inspired by his funny, fantastical stories.

For younger children, I’ve picked The Secret Of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton, a magical tale of finding the truth to the legends that surround Black Rock. Highly imaginative, with a gentle environmental message, Erin’s tale is a fabulous read with dazzling illustrations.

Erin loves to lie on the jetty, looking for the weirdest fish in the sea the weirder, the better! And she knows the best ones must be further out, where her mum won’t let her go…

Out there in the deepest sea lies the Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! Can Erin uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend?

For Year 3 and up, I’ve chosen The Magic Place by Chris Wormell. Stunning illustrations bring this charmingly funny story to life. with villains reminiscent of the Twits, this is sure to be a hit with Dahl fans.

“And even though she only saw it in her dreams, she felt sure it was real.”

Clementine works as a slave for her wicked aunt and uncle. But she dreams of a magic place, and she’s determined to escape and find it. With the help of a very clever cat, she sets off on an adventure that might just make her dreams come true.

For older children, Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard, is full of charm and quirkiness, with characters to both love and loathe – a tale of mystery, adventure and beetles with a side order of slapstick that just cries out for one more chapter. The first of a trilogy that gets better with every book!

Darkus can’t believe his eyes when a huge insect drops out of the trouser leg of his horrible new neighbour. It’s a giant beetle – and it seems to want to communicate. But how can a boy be friends with a beetle? And what does a beetle have to do with the disappearance of his dad and the arrival of Lucretia Cutter, with her taste for creepy jewellery?

Happy reading!

Running like Usain Bolt

/ / Year 3

Year 3 had a fun afternoon of Science finding out about Usain Bolt and his world record in running the 100 metres. First, they predicted how long it would take them to run the same distance. Then using trundle wheels, they measured the exact distance and worked in groups with stopwatches to record their times. We have some great athletes in Year 3, who will no doubt be breaking records like Usain Bolt very soon!

Welcome to the first Friday Library Recommendations of the school year!

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

It’s lovely to see all of the children back in school! I completed the Summer Reading Challenge 10 times over (more than 60 books!) and these are a few of my favourites.

For Reception and Key Stage One, Ten Delicious Teachers by Ross Montgomery and Sarah Warburton is a monstrously dark  book told in verse about the perils of missing the bus home and walking through the woods. Laugh out loud funny, Sarah’s delightful illustrations are the perfect backdrop to Ross’s raucous rhyming tale that is bound to have children joining in. With plenty to discover in each spread, this is a book that I am sure will be read over and over again.

For Year 3 and 4, and beyond, Peanut Jones And The Illustrated City by Rob Biddulph, the man behind the world record breaking #DrawWithRob event last year, is glorious celebration of imagination and creativity, Peanut Jones And The Illustrated City is a laugh out loud funny adventure with a huge heart. Highly illustrated throughout, this is exactly the kind of book I would have loved as a child. Short chapters mean just one more could easily extend to three or four more… Dastardly villains, brave heroes, and an eclectic supporting cast in a beautifully created world will have you routing for Peanut and her companions as they work together using their unique skills to tackle every obstacle that comes their way. Creativity, physics and code-breaking are all required to stay one step ahead of Mr White’s Razers. There is even a glossary at the end for anyone who wants to find out more about the artists we encounter along the way.

For Year 5 & 6, we have Adam-2 by Alistair Chisholm. a dystopian sci-fi set in a world at war. Packed with twists and turns from beginning to end, this is a thrill-a-page story with much to discuss beyond the story, from the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, to the rights and wrongs of war, and how differing cultures can come together and live in harmony. While much of the story is dark, it is hopeful and heartfelt.

And finally, a picture book that is suitable for everyone and sings of our school values. All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman is a celebration of every one no matter their race, religion or background. Bright, bold illustrations accompany the uplifting verse, with the repeated refrain of All Are Welcome Here, reminded me of the wonderfully kind, friendly, diverse community that makes up Cannon Park Primary School.

Cannon Park Display

/ / Art & Design, English

We’re pleased to announce that the finalists from the City of Culture writing and art competition, led by Cannon Park Shopping Centre, are on display outside Wilko and Iceland at Cannon Park Shopping Centre. Well done to the finalists – please do pop down and take a look at your amazing writing and artwork.

We’ll see you all back in September – enjoy the rest of the holidays!

Summer Reading

/ / Friday Assembly, Library

Hello everyone, it’s the last Friday Library for this school year, so I’m going to share a couple more books that tie in with the Summer Reading Challenge theme of #WildWorldHereos, and then I have a special book for Year 6.

Don’t forget, you can sign up to the challenge at https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ or pop into your local library. It’s totally free!

First up I have Amara And The Bats by Emma Reynolds.

Environmental activism gets a nocturnal twist in this utterly charming picture book about a young girl and her mission to save the bats! Amara loves bats! Her favourite thing to do is to collect bat facts and watch the amazing mammals fly at night by her house. But when Amara moves to a new town, she learns that her beloved bats no longer roost nearby because they are losing their habitat. Amara is upset. What can she do to help? She’s just one person, and the problem feels so much bigger than her. But after doing some research, she discovers that there are many young people making big changes all around the world. Inspired to take action, Amara gathers her new friends to help save the bats. Together, she knows they can make a difference! Emma Reynolds crafts an inspiring story about community action, perseverance, and what to do in the face of climate anxiety. At its heart, this is a story about hope and finding a place to call home.

Next up is The Most Important Animal Of All by Penny Worms, illustrated by Hannah Bailey.

A beautiful picture book where a teacher challenges her class to decide which is the most important animal of all. Seven children champion a different animal for the top spot. Is it bees as master pollinators, or bats who are night-time predators and pollinators? Is it elephants who shape their landscapes and spread seeds, or beavers who create watery habitats? Is it tigers or sharks who keep populations in balance so there is food for all? Is it tiny krill, food for so many whales and sea creatures? Packed with information about a myriad of species, and combining captivating illustrations and photographs showing them up close and in their habitats, this is a brilliant book to introduce the concepts of habitat loss, endangered species and climate change to younger readers.

Song Of The Far Isles by Nicholas Bowling is a stunningly beautiful, evocative writing bring this gripping adventure to life.

Oran lives on Little Drum, where music is everything. Every islander has a birth instrument and a life song – and the ancestors, called ghasts, linger to hear the music. But when the Duchess arrives from the mainland bringing orders of silence, she threatens the ghasts’ existence, the very soul of the community. When Oran hears of a mythical instrument with the power to manipulate hearts, she brings her ghast best friend, Alick, on a quest to find it, play it, and change the Duchess’s mind…

And finally, for Year 6, You Are A Champions by Marcus Rashford.

A brilliant book to help ease any worries you may have about moving on to secondary school, and build the skills you need to be the best you can be. It shows you how to:

  • Be comfortable with who you are – you can’t be a champion until you’re happy being you!
  • Dream big
  • Practise like a champion
  • Get out of your comfort zone and learn from your mistakes
  • Navigate adversity in a positive way
  • Find your team
  • Use your voice and stand up for others
  • Never stop learning

As Marcus says, you are already a champion – you just might not know it yet.

 

 

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