August Literature Review

Who Lives Here? by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb (Macmillan Children’s Books, 20th July 2023)

This lift the flap book isn’t the first collaboration between Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb, writing The Paper Dolls which published in 2013. This story with the sweetest of illustrations starts with the relatable, A boy in my class asked me round to his house, To play with his toys and to see his pet mouse.  The boy – Dan – explains that he only lives round the corner in South Street … except which house is actually Dan’s? Could it be the house decorated with giant lollypops and plants that appear to have sprouted assorted pastries and cakes instead of flowers? No: a look through the window a good look, And there, inside House Number one, was … a cook! As Dan moves from house to house, his dad watching over him, children will love guessing who lives in each by using the visual cues and the rhyming pattern. At House Number Five though, all seems unremarkable and there’s nothing to see or hear but wait! Where is that water coming from?  Sure to delight pre-school age children, we think this book would also be perfect for a slightly older child to read to a younger sibling and could evoke discussion around different buildings around us and who might reside in each.

The Bedtime Boat by Sital Gorasia Chapman and Anastasia Suvorova (Farshore, 20th July 2023)

Told in rhyme that seems to emulate the lilt of a boat drifting upon a gentle sea, The Bedtime Boat is a cleverly written ‘Made for Bedtime’ story. Chandan is ready for bed: a bath has been taken; teeth have been cleaned; he’s under a snuggly blanket and his mum has read him a story. All is well until the light is turned off… Chandan’s head is busy, Dragons and dinosaurs whizzed round his head, Rabbits and robots raced over the bed. His mum reappears, bringing the bedtime boat. Chandon is instructed to focus on the boat and given a mantra for self-soothing: “Watch the boat, Chandan, it floats on the ocean. It rises and falls with your breath’s gentle motion.” Surely he’ll drift off? But so many things he sees in his mind’s eye that concentrating on the task in hand of falling asleep is proving to be very difficult indeed...a beautifully illustrated, gentle story and there are even instructions for making your own bedtime boat! Perfect for little ones this holiday and ahead of starting or returning to school.

Deep by Stephen Hogtun (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 3rd August 2023)

And from boats that float on the ocean to creatures that swim within, this story of the love and guidance a mother whale gives her calf, is exquisitely illustrated. The little calf is born With the blink of an eye … and the mother raises him to the water’s surface to take in his first breath. Together they journey, sometimes through stormy seas but the mother’s expert counsel drives them both safely forward with pearls of wisdom such as, there is always calm if you seek it, and let the storm and noise pass over your head. He comes to realise that what matters is not how quickly you travel… but who you travel with. But then comes the time for the calf, now grown and knowledgeable about the way of the sea and the whale, to swim alone. The light and joy that emanates from within the artwork gives the reader the sense of the depth of not just the ocean but also the love the whale has for her offspring. The author cites the views from his fjord-side home in Norway as his inspiration and the resultant land, water and sky-scapes are breath-taking.  There’s even a depiction of the Northern Lights, their emerald dance seemingly in time with the mother’s gentle song. Poignant and the sort of book that would be lovely to share with children of any age but may even be a nice gift for primary school leavers ahead of them making the transition to secondary school.

Mama Mammals by Cathy Evans and Bia Melo (Cicada, 6th July 2023)

What a gorgeous introduction to all things reproductive biology this is! Conception, gestation and birth spanning many mammal species, including humans, is gently but accurately depicted through Melo’s soft illustrations and explained through Evans’ matter of fact style. Readers can learn about multiple fertilisation; marsupials and monotremes… whilst we may have been au fait with pouch-dwelling infants; ‘monotreme’ was new a new concept for us: mammals that lay eggs! The only two animals that belong in this category, and have evaded extinction, are the echidna and platypus. Premature babies and their needs are touched upon and the difference between mammals who are born walking and not, is explored. How Mama Mammals feed their babies is covered too with an explanation of the colostrum (early milk) that human mammals produce to protect their babes from infection given that it is so rich in antibodies and other fascinating facts such as the echidna’s unique feeding method: sweating their milk on their babies! Child-rearing and the importance of family groupings for survival in the mammal kingdom is beautifully covered with the inclusion of the sweetest message on the final page: Family today means different things to different people – we can be raised by one mum or two dads or a whole village. As long as we have love and guidance and food and shelter, we can do the things we do best: grow and learn. A perfect book to share with key stage one children – either in one go or to dip in and out of.

One Chance Dance by Efua Traore (Chicken House, 6th July 2023)

Somehow managing to be moving yet also uplifting, Traoré cleverly tells a powerful story of a child – Jomi – whose mother left when he was little to try and make a better life for her child in Lagos. He is in the ‘care’ of his aunty Patience – ostensibly just until he is sent for to join his mum – but Patience is nasty and abusive. And his mum is nowhere to be seen, leaving Jomi to believe that he is as worthless as his aunt tells him he is. One dreadful day, in an already difficult place to live, the diggers arrive and they raze the forests to the ground. All is lost…but then Jomi discovers a now homeless Bush Baby. Rescuing the creature – maybe because he himself identifies with a sense of abandonment – he steals back to his aunty’s, hurriedly left when the diggers arrived. It is then that a shocking betrayal is revealed: his mum has been writing to Jomi all this time, but aunty Patience hid the letters initially and then forbade the post office from delivering them anymore. At this, Jomi decides to leave to find his mum and so begins a fantastic adventure where he and his adopted Bush Baby – named Ghost – find a place where they are accepted and loved.  Could a dance competition really be the key to finding his mother in such a big city, though? And can he help his mum escape her own oppressive situation and will they manage to build a life together? Brilliantly told, poignant and hope-filled, this is a perfect read for children in the upper primary.

Little Experts: Why Money Matters by Deborah Meaden and Hao Hao (Red Shed, 6th July 2023)

The idea of cultural capital and the need to expose children and young people to experiences beyond the academic isn’t new but there is perhaps a need for more rigorous financial education. This is not to be confused with business sense; the GDP of a country and other areas of economics, though. This is about up-skilling future adults so that they can protect themselves financially and go into adult life with their eyes wide open: this, we feel, is a perfect book to do this with. In Meaden’s introduction, she references her own childhood and the fact that her parents were sometimes short of money. She talks about earning from a young age and, supported and encouraged by her parents, she now realises that this was their way of teaching the young Deborah the value of money. We are then taken back in time to explore the origins of money from bartering with seemingly random objects to using tokens such as shells or whatever was deemed to be ‘hard to find’ in that geographical location. Then we move on to the inception of bank notes, created to solve the ‘problem’ (what a problem to have!) of too many coins. Scene set, there are then sections on what banks are; what interest is (including a great try-at-home idea) tax; credit and a section on needs verses wants. Brilliantly written and so beautifully illustrated by Hao Hao, originally qualifying in stage design from Bejing’s Central Academy of Drama, her visual representations of concepts and quirky inclusions make this book not only seem visually pleasing but also feel accessible. A brilliant book for children from year 4 and up BUT could also serve as useful guidance for parents of younger children.