Posted on: 31/01/2019
This month’s review explores the theme of perspective, in two senses of the word: keeping things in perspective and looking at things from others’ perspective. We need to be very careful that children have time and space to be still; to just ponder; to experience awe and wonder and sometimes to simply look at the still image, or a thing of beauty, or simply into the distance. As teachers (and parents perhaps) there are those children who we may view as being day-dreamers but, actually, this time-out in the day could be really beneficial. Mindfulness is very much a hot-topic at the moment with schools factoring this in; research around the benefits for mental health and attainment and (perhaps ironically) countless Apps for this. And it is this stillness of being that can help one maintain perspective, we feel.
But what about exploring another’s perspective? Developmentally, it is said that children can begin to empathise from around the age of 5 although arguably this happens earlier: babies will often mimic emotions and expressions of others but whether this mimicry is in part empathy or a mimicking of emotions, we cannot really tell. What we do know however is how important literature is in supporting children to see things from a different perspective. And we think in the books that we’ve chosen to feature in this month’s review that we’ve found literature that does exactly this whilst also helping children keep things in perspective. We’ve selected: Another by Christian Robinson; Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway and Pop -up Moon by Anne Jankeliowitch and Olivier Charbonnel.
(Athenium Books for Young Readers, 5th March 2019)
We often talk about the power of the wordless picture book and think that this new offering from Robinson- due out early March - is perfect for children in Early Years and KS1. Not only is it so beautifully illustrated, so too is the message - if it’s not too much of a contradiction in terms, given that this is a wordless book - is beautifully articulated. This is about different perspectives in a physical sense and of self but also in a figurative sense: of others; seeing others’ points of view. Or at least it would be a springboard into a discussion of this. And this is why it would be ideal for looking at the statement from the EYFS statutory framework around knowing that others’ enjoy different things from me. In short, understanding that others see the world differently. Now, whilst developmentally this is an abstract concept for the very young (not least because until about age 5-6 children are inherently ego-centric; see above) this is such a good book for supporting the development of this particular awareness in children. So whilst the humble wordless book may seem like ‘just some pictures with no story’ it is so much more than that. Additionally, in an age where there is so much in terms of brightly-coloured, noisy, screen-based, electronic, robotic, ‘toys that do things for children’ (and even reading devices that are tablets that can be poked with a stylis to help children read), we feel that it’s refreshing to have a text like Another where - because of the absence of words - the possibilities are endless! Just perfect!
(Piccadilly Press, 7th February 2019)
We were lucky enough to acquire a pre-release copy of this and it is every bit as delightful as one might imagine a story about a hotel mostly run by animals, for animals, to be. Anna is bequeathed Hotel Flamingo by her Great Aunt Mathilde and is determined to turn things around as the hotel has become near-derelict and devoid of custom. Why? Well the opening of The Glitz - a fancy new hotel up the hill from Animal Boulevard where Hotel Flamingo sits - stole custom and wowed with razmataz. But, as we all well know, all that glitters ain’t gold and bully-boy Ronald Ruffian - owner of The Glitz, and turner-away of creatures he dislikes - is usurped by steely and determined Anna. She is accepting of all and refuses to believe that unkindness needs to feature in her business. And love - and friendship and teamwork - overcomes when the hotel is saved. The perspective element? Well, there’s the assumption that the gloriously depicted chef Madame Le Pig is a bit of a nightmare and whilst she is fierce - yes - she does the necessary and actually helps hugely. And there’s also Mr Roachford the cockroach and his compadres: Anna welcomes them into the hotel like she does all creatures great and small and there’s a nice twist at the end of the story involving a certain Hotel Inspector that goes by the name of Grayson. What’s so lovely is the consideration Anna and all the creatures, really, have for each others’ specific dietary and accommodation needs. We always say that a good book asks more of its reader and whilst this is perfect for children in year 2-3 to read independently so too would it be a great stimulus for discussion around themes and making links to other literature.
(Thames and Hudson Ltd, 17th January 2019)
What a stunning book this is! And how it fits within the theme? Well it’s simple: time out and time ‘out of this world’ is what you’ll get sharing this book.
Upon reading this, the cut- outs, pull- outs and pop-ups were met by gasps by our team. But not only is it cleverly crafted in terms of design but the factual content is beautifully written and- crucially - at a level that would suit key stage two children more than it would KS1; not your usual pop-up book.
The book isn’t just factual but relatable in terms of human beliefs and human nature:
Human beings have always believed that the moon has strange powers. People used to think that more babies were born on nights when the moon was full. The moon was also thought to influence some people’s behaviours…
Hmmm. Speak to any teacher or midwife and they’d actually agree but the point we are making here is that this is the very sort of book that we feel rather grounding - even if that seems to be oxymoronic. It’s that sense of the world being far bigger than we’ll ever really know and that - in the grand scheme of things - we are mere twinkling pinpricks; just pausing to consider that with children, being still and ‘feeling’ our place on earth is a worthwhile activity. So, sense of perspective is relevant here, too, as is the theme of shift in perspective: Earth from space or space from Earth
This would be perfect for children to enjoy in class when studying Earth and Space but would also make the most fabulous gift for children age 8 and up.
Posted in: Literature Review
