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Fri
13 ^th

My First Book of the Cosmos
by Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferrón & Eduard Altarriba

Since reading City Moon by Rachael Cole we’ve taken a few evening walks around our neighbourhood. Ivy really enjoys spotting the moon and the stars and it’s prompted lots of questions about Space. This isn’t my specialist subject at all so I’ve been turning to our copy of ‘My First Book of the Cosmos’ for help!

Aimed at children aged 8+, this fascinating book introduces kids to a complex subject in a really fun way. It breaks down a wide range of topics in to manageable chunks and does a great job of explaining it all in a way which is easy to understand (even for me!).

There are pages on gravity, galaxies, the big bang, stars, planets, black holes, wormholes and the possibility of other life forms. The layout is engaging, with brightly coloured illustrations, simple graphs and accessible examples.

Thu
12 ^th

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice
by Nikki Grimes & Laura Freeman

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

When little Eve slams the door on her return from school her Mum instantly knows that something is wrong. She listens carefully as her daughter explains that a boy in her class had laughed at her when she said she wanted to be President one day because “Girls can’t be President, stupid.” Her Mum sits her down and tells her a story about a girl from their own town – a girl called Kamala…

What follows is a detailed but child-friendly look at the life of Kamala Harris, the Vice President-elect of the United States. We learn about her heritage, her childhood and how the quest for justice and peace has been a part of her life since she was a baby. We follow her story as she deals with family separation, moves to a new country, graduates college and fails an important exam. Whatever the obstacles she has to face in her own life, she never stops fighting for the rights of the people around her as she edges ever closer to her dream.

Mon
09 ^th

The Spots and the Dots
by Helen Baugh & Marion Deuchars

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This is a very clever book which features two stories – the first one you read traditionally from the front cover, then you flip the book over to read the second story from the back cover. The two stories meet in the middle which makes for a very smart twist.

The Spots are little red dots who live at the bottom of a very steep hill. They live in little tent-like pods and they love to bounce around and have fun. However the Spots live in fear of the terrible Dots who are rumoured to live on the other side of the hill. From when they are babies, the Spots are taught by their parents that they must never go up to the top of the hill because the terrible Dots will take them away. The story is passed down through generations of Spots and the children play games of Spot vs Dot where they always come out on top.

Flip the book over and we see another little community, telling a story which is somewhat familiar…

Mon
09 ^th

Ella Has A Plan
by Davina Hamilton & Elena Reinoso

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It’s the day of the big family party and everyone at Ella’s house is busy getting ready. Kind-hearted Ella can’t wait for her relatives to arrive but she’s also a little bit worried. Two of her cousins, Taye and Jade, have a habit of arguing and bickering and she’s concerned that this might ruin the party for everyone else.

Mum tells her to go and chat to Great Grandad Frank who apparently has a great story about how he once tricked two of his children into playing nicely together. Ella speeds off to find him, but sure enough, a fight breaks out before he gets the chance to share his wisdom.

As Ella steps between Taye and Jade she realises that she needs a plan. How can she get the two cousins to understand that they are more alike than they realise, and that arguments are not the answer?

Mon
09 ^th

Together
by Charles Fuge

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If you have been searching for the perfect snuggly bedtime book then you can stop now as I have found it! This beautiful story feels like an enormous hug.

In a vast landscape of ice and snow a polar bear and cub find warmth and comfort in each others company. We watch as they explore their surroundings, battle snowstorms and find joy in small things. They dream of faraway lands, gaze at the stars in the night sky and master new skills. Life in the snow may be tough at times but they know they will never be lonely as they have each other.

Written in gentle, reassuring rhyme this story celebrates love and kindness. The icy tones of the illustrations are really calming and the bears are depictied beautifully. I find myself drawn to the depth of love you can see in their eyes as they live their lives peacefully side by side.

Sun
08 ^th

Rabbit & Bear: Rabbit’s Bad Habits
by Julian Gough & Jim Field

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It’s time for another chapter book review and this one is the first in a fab series which will have your kids laughing out loud!

Bear wakes up early from hibernation to discover that someone has sneaked in to her cave and stolen all of her food. How rude! But Bear is a ‘glass half full’ kind of girl so she decides to make the most of her early start by building a snowman.

Whilst rolling the snow into a suitable shape she encounters a rabbit who doesn’t quite share her joyful view of the world. Rabbit is grumpy and he wants everyone to know about it. Rabbit has never built a snowman but he knows that if he did it would definitely be better than Bear’s!

As the two busy themselves on their creations they start to talk and Rabbit gives Bear a rundown on how awful it is to be a bunny. He even lets slip that he has to eat his own poo!

Fri
06 ^th

Bob Goes Pop!
by Marion Deuchars

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Bob is an artist and he’s very proud of his work. He revels in the fact he’s the best artist in town, so he’s not very happy when Roy suddenly makes an appearance.

Roy is a sculptor and his creations are so wacky that everyone is talking about him. Naturally Bob is less than impressed. He seeks out this new ‘artist’ and discovers that he makes giant versions of everyday objects – like a giant hamburger (the HAMMYbammyCHEESYbunny) and a giant paintbrush (the GREENblobPAINTBRUSHsplob).

Bob refuses to believe that these sculptures can be classed as art and he tells Roy so. Roy counters that anyone can make boring old paintings. An argument ensues and the pair become locked in a bitter feud, trying to prove who is the best artist in town.

Fri
06 ^th

Only A Tree Knows How To Be A Tree
by Mary Murphy

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This gorgeous book celebrates the fact that we are all unique and we all have something special to share with the world.

The joyful pages take us on a tour of some of the wonders of nature and show us how they contribute to our lives. From trees and oceans to dogs and birds, everything on earth has something wonderful to offer and every single one is different. Every tree is different and every bird is different – and only a tree knows how to be a tree, and only a bird knows how to be a bird.

But what about people? There are billions of us on earth and we all function in pretty much the same way – but each of us is unique. We all have different thoughts and feelings – and only you know how to be you.

Thu
05 ^th

City Moon by Rachael Cole & Blanca Gómez

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A few weeks ago I shared a collection of books about different kinds of families and a discussion began in my instagram comments about how there aren’t enough books out in the world which depict single mothers. Somebody recommended this one and the author chimed in to confirm that she indeed had single mothers in mind when she wrote the story. Intrigued, I bought a copy and I am so glad I did as it is BEAUTIFUL!

One Autumn evening a young mother bundles her child in to pyjamas, a coat and boots and together they head out in to the crisp night. They are going on a walk to look for the moon! Hand in hand they traverse the city streets, catching brief glimpses of the moon as it hides behind buildings and trees. They talk about stars, reflections, the bustling pavements and the flashes of light from the speeding cars until eventually they return home and the child is tucked up warm and safe in bed.

Thu
05 ^th

Here Be Dragons!
by Susannah Lloyd & Paddy Donnelly

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***COVER REVEAL***

We’re very excited to be part of the cover reveal team for this fab new book by Susannah Lloyd and Paddy Donnelly!

Publishing in February 2021, ‘Here Be Dragons!’ is a fiercely funny story about a hapless knight on a dangerous mission to find and slay a dragon.

His friends have all told them that the fiery beasts don’t exist, but he has discovered a map which seems to suggest otherwise. Determined to prove them wrong, the knight sets off into the wilderness.

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