Posted on: 31/12/2019
New Year often brings a fresh start. We may make a resolution or two. At The Literacy Tree? Well, our resolution is to increase the number Literary Leaves on offer for non-fiction texts. And this might actually have become our new favourite thing to do seeing as there’s been an extraordinary rise in publication of the most beautifully written and illustrated non-fiction children’s books in recent years. This has in part been attributed to the availability of digital information and publishers’ fears surrounding non-fiction material becoming obsolete. So what we now have - compared with not so many years ago- is a thrilling change in the world of children’s literature where texts are so rich in information, exquisitely illustrated and lyrically written that we cannot not buy and read them.
Our selection of texts for this review - our first of the shiny new decade- reflects the theme of non-fiction whilst also being rather apt for the time of year and the times in which we are living. We’ve experienced seismic shifts in political landscapes; climate change and eco-awareness are ever pressing concerns as is health and so-called ‘self-care’. Finally, the fires that are currently ravaging Australia; the cyclone in Madagascar; flash-floods in Burundi and the eruption of the White Island volcano in New Zealand shortly before Christmas - all of which resulted in the tragic deaths and severe injuries of several people - highlights the fact that natural disasters can and still do occur. We send our love to the people round the world affected.
And so we bring to you a carefully curated trio: Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts; Earth Shattering Events by Robert Jacobs and Sophie Williams and Gut Garden: A Journey into the Wonderful World of your Microbiome By Katie Brosnan.
This long- awaited fourth book by dynamic duo Andrea Beaty and David Roberts could not have been more perfectly timed to sit within the current political landscape. In fact we are actually drafting this literature review on December 12: polling day here in the UK. True to the first three books in the series, this fourth one also features a child who wants to set the world ablaze. What is so impressive is how Beaty has drilled right down to the core of where a dream of social change might have come from: Sofia Valdez was a baby who got things done, helping her family before she turned one. So begins a delightful talewritten in rhyme of a child growing up whose desire is to bring about change. She is described as being:
A dreamer. A doer. A real- life go-getter. Most people like good but Sofia liked better.
So when she discovers Mount Trashmore (such a clever political and constitutional reference!) she decides that the rubbish must be cleared and a recreation space - complete with cheese kiosk- must be created in its place. But this isn’t without challenge!
A delightful and thought-provoking read, not only for aspiring politicians but also to inspire politicians.Dispels the myth around having to be big, older or most powerful to ring change and, largely thanks to prominent young people like Greta Thunberg, youth activism is at an all-time high. Perfect for key stage 1 classes to support discussion around social conscience, standing up and being counted and - perhaps most importantly- being kind.
(Cicada, October 24th 2019)
Author-illustrator Katie Brosnan has expertly crafted this (yes- we are about to apply this word to all things ‘gut’) delightfully quirky book around a rather niche area of science. And oh how we wish we’d had this when teaching ‘microbes’ in upper key stage 2!
Starting with an introduction to - and definitions - of microbes in their varying forms, we learn that in addition to the ‘standard’ three forms of microbe- fungi, viruses and bacteria- there are also archaea, microscopic animals and protists (forming a protistgroup ...). Not only do these exist but there’re also‘extreme’ microbes! Ones that can withstand the greatest extremes in temperature, the most hostile of environments and - well - they’re tenacious. But although extremely hardy, not all are harmful. Take the ideonella sakaiensis: This microbe’s favourite place is a recycling facility, because it likes to eat certain plastics. Then we are taken through microbes in our body: our mouth, throat, stomach, small intestine right into the large intestine - ‘the gut garden’ where the microbes work and - it seems - play!
Perfect for supporting the science curriculum in key stage two or as a brilliant addition to your book corner or school library provided that you can (sorry - we can never resist a bit of word-play) stomach it!
This brilliant book around natural phenomena - sometimes causing natural disasters on mass-scale is fascinating and slightly sobering in equal measures: the geography and physics of tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, earthquakes and a whole plethora of other ways that mother nature will, from time-to-time, show who’s boss are all covered. The fascination comes from the magnitude of events over history and the power that they have to destroy and devastate all that lies in their wake. But in this equation, humans are neither completely powerless nor completely innocent…
Each section explores what each phenomenon is, the causes and the related scientific and geographical facts. Then what to do to keep oneself safe in eachparticular scenario being described is included as a step-by-step guide to having the biggest chance of surviving the event. Sometimes it is better to stay put, it would seem. Take tsunamis, for example. No-onecan outrun one of these, such is the force and velocity of a tsunami. Instead, advice is to get onto higher ground as fast as possible but to be prepared for being caught by the wave, in which case the advice is this: If you do get caught in the wave, don't try to swim. Grab onto a floating object and allow yourself to be pulled along. This rather puts us in mind of a favourite Aesop’s fable of ours: The Oak and the Reeds…A very large oak was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream. It fell among some reeds, which it thus addressed: ‘I wonder how you, who are so light and weak, are not entirely crushed by these strong winds.’ They replied, ‘You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently you are destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the least breath of air, and therefore remain unbroken, and escape.’
Some sections refer to the impact that humans can - and do - have on geographical features such as the impact that the practice of fracking (that is when water and chemicals are injected into rocks deep underground to extract oil or gas, which can cause the bedrock to crack) has on the stability of the earth’s layers, which can cause earthquakes. This goes to show that man is not infallible and, just because we have the technology and know-how to achieve certain things that were once impossible, doesn't necessarily mean that we should.
This is such a brilliantly written and illustrated book that we feel fits so well within our year 3 Literary Curriculum theme of Pride and Downfall that we’ve turned it into a Literary Leaf which will be available to subscribing schools in early January.
Posted in: Literature Review
