April 2021

Month

Fri
30 ^th

The Whale Who Wanted More
by Rachel Bright & Jim Field

Humphrey the whale is never quite satisfied. He glides through the ocean with his many possessions strapped to his back, always on the look out for the next new thing to capture his attention. However, no matter how many treasures he amasses, he always wants more.

Driven by his desire to consume, Humphrey lives a lonely and dissatisfied life until one day he spots a reef which is bursting with colour and life. There are so many shiny, fun things – surely this is what he has been looking for? He circles above, constructing a plan.

Unbeknownst to him, the creatures who live below are also unhappy. Instead of seeing the beauty of their magical surroundings they bicker and shout at each other, jostling for space amongst the coral. They’re too busy being grumpy to notice the covetous whale start to swim down towards them…

Thu
29 ^th

What Happened To You?
by James Catchpole & Karen George

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On an ordinary day, in an ordinary park, a little boy called Joe is playing pirates. As he leans over the edge of his ship and waves his trusty sword in the faces of imaginary (moustached!) sharks, he is interrupted by a shout from another child. “YOU’VE ONLY GOT ONE LEG!” she yells – and just like that, Joe’s game is ruined.

It’s clear that the girl hasn’t seen anyone with a missing limb before and she has a lot of questions. She wants to know where the leg is and she’s determined to get some answers. Soon other children join in and they each try to guess what has happened to Joe. Did his leg fall off? Was it stolen by a burglar? Was it eaten by a lion?

For the group of children, the fact that Joe has one leg seems extraordinary, but for Joe this is his everyday reality. He’s perfectly aware he only has one leg but he doesn’t want to talk about it all the time and he certainly doesn’t want to talk about it in the middle of a game of pirates. There are sharks to defeat and crocodiles to vanquish!

Wed
14 ^th

Sonny Says Mine!
by Caryl Hart & Zachariah Ohora

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When Sonny finds a pink bunny in the sandpit he is beyond excited. A new toy just for him! He gives it a snuggle and names it Bun-Bun. Sonny likes the bunny so much he is completely consumed by it. He feeds it sand, reads it a story and swings it around with joy.

However in his excitement Sonny has forgotten all about the friends he came to the park to see. Mid-game he looks up and sees his pals Honey and Suki walking towards him. Suki is crying because she has lost her favourite pink bunny – the exact same bunny that Sonny has been playing with. Sonny panics that his new toy will be taken away and quickly hides it under a bucket. He even lies when Honey asks him directly is he has seen it.

Wed
14 ^th

Isobel Lundie: How To Draw Edmund The Elephant Who Forgot

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We recently shared a review of ‘Edmund The Elephant Who Forgot‘ and it was very popular indeed!

Ivy and I were extremely fortunate to get the opportunity to do a Q&A with author Kate Dalgleish (which you can read here) and the wonderful Isobel Lundie has created us our very own step-by-step guide to drawing lovely Edmund.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your kids and your colouring pencils and dive in!

Download the step-by-step guide now

We would love to see your creations. Make sure you post them on instagram and tag us @ivylibrary . We’ll share the best ones in our stories!

Mon
12 ^th

It’s So Quiet
by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tony Fucile

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It’s nighttime at the farm but little Mouse can’t sleep because it’s just too quiet. He tosses and turns in his bed until his mother comes to sit with him. She suggests that he snuggles down and lets the soft noises of the night carry him into slumber.

The mouse listens carefully and soon his little ears pick up the sounds of a bullfrog croaking nearby and some crickets chirping in the long grass. The old screen door bangs, the wind whistles through the trees and somewhere in the distance a coyote howls.

Alarmed the Mouse gets out of bed and opens the window. Where once it had all semed quiet, now he can hear nothing but pure noise. Owls, dogs, snoring, creaking, tapping – where is all this noise coming from and how on earth is he supposed to get to sleep?

Sat
10 ^th

Interview: Hannah Carmona,
Author of ‘Anita and the Dragons’

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Hello Hannah! Thank you so much for chatting to me about your new book ‘Anita and the Dragons’. Could you give us a quick overview of what the book is about?

Hi Shelley and Ivy, wonderful to chat with you! Anita and the Dragons is about a young girl named Anita who lives in the Dominican Republic. She watches the planes come and go from her island, which she refers to as dragons. One day the time comes for her to face the dragons and leave the island she loves. It’s a story of bravery and finding the power within.

What inspired you to write this story?

It was inspired by my mom’s immigration story from the Dominican Republic to America when she was a child. I admire her courage to make that transition so young. She’s always led by example in showing us how to face our fears and take big steps in life.

Fri
09 ^th

The Boys
by Lauren Ace & Jenny Løvlie

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“No boy is an island and the bravest way to face problems is to talk and to listen.”

‘The Girls‘ by Lauren Ace and Jenny Løvlie is one of our all-time favourite children’s books. It celebrates female friendship in such a relatable way and instantly made me want to buy copies for all of my childhood friends. When I shared my review back in 2018 the response was universal – we need this for boys too! It’s been a long time coming but ‘The Boys’ is finally here, and it is everything I hoped it would be.

The story is about four boys who are as close as brothers. Rey, Nattie, Bobby and Tam spend much of their childhood playing on their favourite beach under the watchful eyes of their mothers (who will look very familiar to you if you have read The Girls!). Each boy is very different but together they make a phenomenal team. The foursome build sandcastles, fly kites, learn how to swim and gather to tell stories around the campfire. Their worlds are completely entwined and they revel in each others company.

Sat
03 ^rd

Edmund The Elephant Who Forgot
by Kate Dalgleish & Isobel Lundie

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“Elephants never forget, but Edmund did forget… a lot.”

Poor Edmund. Everyone knows that elephants have fantastic memories so he’s very self-conscious about the fact he is a little forgetful. Fortunately his mum is on hand to help, teaching him songs and writing him lists to help him remember important things.

However today Edmund is a little stressed as he’s been tasked with collecting some essentials for his brother’s birthday party. As usual, Mum has written him a list but Edmund has accidentally left it behind! Edmund panics but then he hears the voice of his friend Colin the Caterpillar. Colin knows what was on the list so as they approach the Party Shop he shouts out each item to Edmund.