Courage Archives - Page 6 of 9

Prince & Knight By Daniel Haack & Stevie Lewis

I think representation is SO important in children’s books so when I spotted this LGBT-friendly book I knew we had to add it to our library.

Prince & Knight is a beautiful fairy tale set in a magical world of castles and dragons which has a wonderfully diverse twist. The prince of the realm has come of age so his parents set about trying to help him find a bride. He meets many, many ladies but none of them catch his eye. He’s looking for something different but he just doesn’t know what that is.

Whilst they are on their travels, the kingdom is attacked by a mighty dragon and it seems like all may be lost. The brave Prince rides off on his horse and soon come face to face with the fire-breathing monster – but it seems that he will not have to fight this battle alone. A magnificent Knight appears and they work together to bring the evil dragon down.

Sat
02 ^nd

What The Ladybird Heard By Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks

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‘What The Ladybird Heard’ is one of our favourite books by Julia Donaldson and we’ve been reading it since Ivy was just a few months old.

The story is about a tiny ladybird who lives on a farm. All of the animals around her are very noisy but she just quietly goes about her business, not saying a word. Then one night everything changes. She overhears a conversation between two burglars (the wonderfully named Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len) and discovers their evil plot to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow.

She goes to the other animals and for once she speaks up, telling them about her fantastic plan to thwart the burglary. The animals listen carefully and they all agree to play their part, which involves impersonating each other in order to confuse the thieves.

Wed
30 ^th

Mermaid By Cerrie Burnell & Laura Ellen Anderson

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Luka lives by the seaside and is fascinated by the ocean but his family don’t share his interest at all. He really wants to learn to swim but he doesn’t have anyone to teach him so instead he watches the waves and wonders what it might be like.

One day he spots a girl having fun in the water and she moves so gracefully that he thinks it must be a mermaid. He watches her for a long time until she swims up to the pier and is pulled gently out of the water by her father. He is so mesmerised by her that he barely notices the fact she uses a wheelchair on land – all he can see is her smile.

She tells him that her name is Sylvia and she offers to teach him to swim. By the end of the next day Luka is able to float on the waves all by himself and his family are very proud of his achievement.

Sun
27 ^th

Izzy Gizmo By Pip Jones & Sara Ogilvie

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Little Izabelle loves to invent things. Her house is full of things she has made – from the Beardtastic grooming machine to the Swirly Spagsonic mealtime helper – but the problem is that they’re all in states of disrepair. Izzy loves to make things but when they break down she is too frustrated to try and fix them. She just gives up and moves on to the next project.

One day an injured crow falls in to her path. The local vet tells her that he has a broken wing which can’t be fixed so Izzy takes him home to look after him. She tries lots of ways to keep him entertained on the ground but the poor little crow just wants to be airborne again.

Spotting an opportunity to invent something new, Izzy sets about making a pair of wings but they’re too heavy and don’t work. Disillusioned, she immediately wants to give up but her grandpa and the crow won’t let her! They gently encourage her to have another go so she tries again. And again. And again.

Tue
22 ^nd

Space Tortoise
by Ross Montgomery & David Litchfield

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This lovely story is about a little tortoise who lives all on his own in a bin in a disused old park. He has a nice cosy home but his life is missing one thing – friends! He has searched all over the park but has never seen another animal so he feels very lonely.

One evening, as he sits holding a tiny candle and gazing out at the world, he spots lots of little lights in the sky. He wonders if it is possible there are lots of other animals up there also holding candles, and if so, how can he get to them?

The next day he finds a book about rockets so he fashions himself a space suit and sets off in the direction of what looks like a rocket in the distance. He braves a great desert (a sandpit) and sails across a wide ocean (a paddling pool) but when he gets there the rocket isn’t quite what it first seemed.

Tue
08 ^th

The Princess And The Pony By Kate Beaton

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This book has caused a lot of laughs in our house since we first bought it, mainly because it features a farting pony and what toddler wouldn’t find that funny?!

Princess Pinecone lives in a kingdom full of fierce warriors and she wants to be one to, but she has one big problem. She is tiny and adorable, which makes being a warrior a little tough!

For her birthday she requests a big, strong horse to ride in the next great battle, but her parents don’t get it quite right. They buy her a cute, round pony with flatulence issues who eats everything in sight. Dismayed, Princess Pinecone tries to train him up but the poor little pony is hopeless.

Thu
03 ^rd

A Rule Is To Break By John Seven & Jana Christy

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We love this little guide to anarchy which encourages your child to test their boundaries and not to follow the status quo.

It shows how it’s healthy to question authority and to ask why when someone asks you to do something. It suggests getting muddy and messy to build things and grow things and to figure out how things work. It tells you that you should always think for yourself.

The core message is that a little anarchy is a good thing. It doesn’t encourage your child to be naughty – although it does suggest they make a lot of noise and try staying awake all night to see how it feels! – it just highlights that life is better when you try new things, embrace change, listen to others thoughts and walk your own path.

The cheeky illustrations are perfect for the subject matter and always make Ivy giggle – there’s a bare bottom on one of the pages which cracks her up every time!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2JQxn3D

Fri
27 ^th

The Gruffalo By Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

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Today’s book needs no introduction as it’s a modern classic. I’m sure most of you already have this in your child’s library but a collection of children’s book reviews doesn’t seem complete without it!

An enterprising young mouse is taking a little walk through the wood when he encounters a number of creatures who are keen to make him their dinner. Thinking on his feet he explains to each of them that he can’t stop because he is off to meet a Gruffalo. What’s a Gruffalo? the fox, the owl and the snake each ask in turn.

As he describes this imaginary, terrifying creature the details become more and absurd. He has terrible teeth, a poisonous wart on his nose, orange eyes and purple prickles all over his back! Scared of the mouses terrifying friend, the animals decide to let him go on his merry way.

Tue
10 ^th

She’s Not Good For A Girl, She’s Just Good! By Suzanne Hemming & Jacquie Hughes

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The star of this story is a little girl called Florence who shows promise at all things sporty from a very young age. Spotting her potential, her father nurtures her abilities and together they have lots of fun practising running and throwing.

However when Florence starts school she is immediately faced with prejudice. A little boy called Frank tells her that girls are rubbish at sport and that boys are better and stronger. He tells everyone that it must be true because this is what his dad says.

Enraged, Florence challenges Frank to a race after school. Can Florence prove that boys and girls are equal or will Frank’s outdated opinions win the day?

This is an empowering book about gender equality with something for both girls and boys to enjoy. The intelligent rhyme is coupled with gorgeous illustrations (by Jacquie Hughes)and the message is one that I wish we saw more of in children’s literature today. Girls are strong enough and smart enough to look after themselves!

Fri
30 ^th

The Race That Stops The Outback By Doug Bray & Hammans Chan

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This lovely book was a Christmas present from an old friend and made its way to us here in the UK all the way from Australia!

Rusty is a small kangaroo who loves to race and his ultimate goal is to take part in the biggest competition of all – The Race That Stops The Outback. However when he tells the other kangaroos his plan they all laugh and tell him he”s not tough enough to do it because he’s too small.

Determined to prove them wrong, he turns to his friends for help and they suggest that he try something a little different. All of the kangaroos will be hopping but if he could learn to run then maybe he could move twice as fast! It’ll be tough but Rusty is up for the challenge.

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