Posted on: 29/01/2021
Following the reading by Amanda Gorman of her poem, The Hill We Climb last week at the inauguration of Joe Biden, we have been both moved and inspired. Gorman - America's first ever youth poet laureate, spoke to both hearts and minds and had an important message for us to take away: the hope that can come from realising that we have control over how we respond to things and that we can bring about change*. The erudite and eloquent 23- year- old asserts, For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it. Openly quoting from Lin Manuel Miranda’s highly acclaimed musical, Hamilton, the poignancy from Gorman’s lines, so lyrically written and breathtakingly read, stems from the need for America as a nation to heal and the important change that still needs to happen in terms of democracy, freedom and love for all: And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us but what stands before us. Whilst this composition and the performance of it pertains to all that his voters are hoping Biden puts in place and leaves behind, we cannot help but think that there is an important message in terms of helping our children not only come out the other side of this pandemic but sees that there is also great hope for the future too. So how can we help children and young people see beyond ‘what stands between us’ and look to ‘what stands before us’? How can we help them (and ourselves) manage to keep swimming for terra firma in order to allay the feelings of being completely at sea at this point in history? As ever, well- chosen literature is our go-to and so we have curated a selection of the newest children’s fiction and non-fiction that we feel will support schools and parents having discussions with the children around rights, diversity, inclusion, social responsibility, eco-awareness and …the sea!
Perfect for pre-schoolers and children in key stage one, this delightful book written in rhyme takes children through the oceans of the world. What we found so attractive isn't just the book’s simple rhyming pattern, or the fact that there is clever typography where key nouns are in bold and words are often set out in a pattern that supports with comprehension, but the muted colours and quirky illustrations give this book a certain charm. Charm also comes from the fact that each ocean has been drawn a little face and gives the reader a little spiel introducing themselves and explaining a bit about the type of creatures you will find there. The ‘feel’ is gentle and soothing and puts us in mind of picture books from when we ourselves were children. The often- lyrical lines such as, And watch out for the sleek blue- fin tuna flashing past with the flick of their tails also contain high level vocabulary that will support language acquisition in the youngest children in our school. Children are exposed to words such as fast, bustling and sleek and are simply invited to remember, whilst sitting in their own bath-tub, which is an ocean of sorts we suppose, to take care of the oceans and seas. Would work nicely alongside books such as The Journey Home by Fran Preston- Gannon and Ocean Meets Sky by Eric Fan and The Fan Brothers.
This – the astounding debut from Hannah Gold - cleverly weaves together careful research of the subject with a heartfelt tale of the bond between a child and a wild animal. Finding herself on a 6-month trip to an Arctic outpost, to where her father has travelled to conduct scientific research, April has been told that there are no polar bears left on Bear Island: the tragic result of global warming. But then, under the midnight twilight sky in a place that never really becomes dark in summer, April experiences an encounter that is to change the rest of her life and, quite possibly, the future of one special polar bear. The characterisation of April makes for delightful reading - there is something rather nostalgic in her turn of phrase that is reminiscent of books from a bygone age. Tender and poignant, this is a perfect read for exploring the concept that, no matter how desperate something might seem, there is always hope. Not only this but also that we must not allow children to grow up with the sense of inertia that stems from feeling powerless and insignificant: instead, we must help them build courage in order that they are brave enough to be the light. We feel this book would be perfect for any child in key stage 2, be that as a read aloud book for younger children or an independent read for the older child. Brilliant for vocabulary development, there are also many examples of how an author uses dialogue to ‘convey the character and advance the action’ – a National Curriculum objective that can be quite hard to support the development of.
Long awaited second novel for Farook, this is every bit as thrilling as her first book, The Girl who Stole an Elephant. And in a similar vein to that first novel, the main protagonists must be brave and go forth in order to solve a great mystery. Razi – and eventually twin-sister Shifa - become embroiled in an adventure when Razi, innocently watching the newly-hatched turtles make their way across the sand and down to the sea, chances upon a mysterious boy who has clearly been drifting in a dinghy for some time. The boy is barely conscious, dehydrated and severely sunburnt. But who is he? What is his story? And why are these aggressive men after him? Enlisting the help of Shifa, Razi Sets out to help Zheng. But to do so means that he himself must overcome a huge fear: that of water.
What is so utterly brilliant about the author is how she portrays a sense of self- awareness and humility within her characters: often do they reflect upon their actions and their mistakes but also how to put them right. This is something that takes courage and we think is a really important teaching for children and young people. Perfect for children in upper key stage 2.
If you want children to understand the zeitgeists of particular periods of time in terms of the political history then this is the perfect book. Presented in chronological order from the suffragette movement and related protest marches right up to the protests following the brutal murder of George Floyd last year, this is powerful food for thought in terms of the history around the people’s voice and how we mustn't see the fight – demand, even, for change as being futile, however small we feel our role in this may be; or however small and powerless we ourselves might feel. Because coming together as one voice can be the very thing that is needed to bring about change.
A vehicle through which to empower and spur children onwards, this is perfect for children of most stages in the primary school, especially if you were to dip in and out of it, cherry- picking specific marches. If you were studying Suffragette by David Roberts then this would be an excellent accompanying text to develop children’s understanding of the reasons for protesting.
*Change Sings – A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long (#1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of President Barack Obama’s picture book Of Thee I Sing, making him the perfect choice of illustrator for this book) is to be published on September the 21st of this year.
Posted in: Literature Review
