May Literature Review

There is much talk in the world of education at the moment around the ‘million word gap’ and we know that there is a direct correlation between how much children are read to and the size of their vocabularies. Unfortunately, this isn’t a problem that is restricted to the UK. Indeed, in recent research conducted by a team of researchers based at The Ohio State University, it has been discovered that ‘Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to’. The evidence is clear within our own schools as we see many children who have not been raised in a literacy-rich environment entering school at a deficit. It is up to us to plan that rich diet of literature for all children if we are to address this problem. And so, our theme this month is words: finding the words to express an idea; finding the right words to explain a concept and finding the right words to tell ones own story; to speak the truth. We have three fabulous new books to share: the long-awaited Anthony Browne book - Little Frida - A Story of Frida Kahlo; John Boyne’s moving new novel for older readers, My Brother’s Name is Jessica and a fabulous, timely new dictionary written by lexicographer Jane Solomonand illustrated by Louise Lockhart: The Dictionary of Difficult Words.

Illustrated biographical narrative for younger readers

Little Frida - A Story of Frida Kahlo by Anthony Browne

(Walker Books, 4^thApril 2019)

 This part-biographical and part-imagined (but based on the true story of her imaginary childhood friend) story is told through the eyes of a young Frida Kahlo. Whilst hers is a story of loneliness and feeling ‘othered’, it is also a story of hope and courage. In that timeless manner that Anthony Browne has, vibrant and clever use of colour and layer upon layer of detail within the illustrations make this utterly sumptuous and absorbing. As a child, dealing with the physical and emotional after-effects of polio, Frida uses drawing and art as a window to the world. And in this world she is set free, for where her legs cannot run in the real world, they run in the world of her dreams - her inner world as Browne calls it in the afterword. There, she meets her alter-ego: The girl was a stranger, but she felt so familiar. We sat and laughed together…We quickly became the closest friends. I’d never had a friend before. It was a wonderful feeling. And her paintings become the words she needs to tell her story and give of herself to the world. A beautiful and moving tribute to arguably one of the greatest artists, who spent many years exploring the idea of identity through her art, amongst other themes. This is a must-have for book-corners and school libraries and would also be brilliant for children who are struggling to find the words that they need to express themselves. 

Novel

My Brother’s Name is Jessica by John Boyne

(Puffin, 18^thApril 2019)

 This is the new novel from the celebrated author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, in which John Boyne wanted to explore ‘how a child would deal with complicated issues of gender and sexuality, not when it’s a struggle that they’re facing, but when the struggle belongs to someone they love’. He states, ‘I hope My Brother’s Name is Jessica will enlighten young readers about the extraordinary courage of transgender youth and help them realize that this is just another facet of human nature that can be celebrated.’

 Finding just the right words needed to say precisely what needs to be said is hard enough at the best of times but for Sam - lonely and unnoticed - it is even harder as he is dyslexic: I’m not good with words, you know that. He is incredibly close to his older brother, Jason, who at the age of 4, insisted upon staying in hospital when his baby brother was in special care. Jason, Sam feels, is everything that Sam is not: sporty, popular and clever but Sam begins to notice a change in Jason: his brother is becoming withdrawn; he turns down a place in a professional football team; he begins growing his hair, tying it in a scrunchie, and wearing a scarf that some might say is only for girls. And then, speaking the words that relieve him of his burden, Jason confides in his family that he’s female; that he’s always felt ‘wrong’ and that his true self is female. 

 The path to acceptance by his family isn’t a smooth one, not least due to the desire to keep up appearances by his politician mother - Deborah Weaver, Prime Minister in waiting. Sam, confused, picked on at school and feeling a sense of grief and loss at what once was, even cuts his brother’s ponytail off as he sleeps: isn’t it this that’s causing all of the family’s problems? But then, after Jason has lived away from home at an aunt’s, Sam and his family become victim to a betrayal and Deborah’s mother’s future career is in jeopardy. And it is at this point - when the family have gathered on their front steps to make the statement to the press that will end Deborah’s race to the top of the greasy polethat Sam chooses precisely the right words to say: ‘There is no Jason,’ I shouted at the top of my voice, the first time I had ever spoken to the reporters, and every single one of them went silent… ‘My brother’s name is Jessica.’

 Perfect for year 6 children for individual reading or as a class read-aloud novel especially for the mind-opening discussion potential that is essential prior to Year 7 transition.

Non-fiction

The Dictionary of Difficult Words by Jane Solomon and illustrated by Louise Lockhart 

(France Lincoln Children’s Books, 2^nd May 2019)

 Perfect for budding wordsmiths, this is such a delightful take on a dictionary where the focus is upon fabulously wordy words! Brilliant for igniting interest in etymology and supporting children to find exactly the word that they seek, this dictionary with a difference explores an A-Z of likely unfamiliar vocabulary replete with fun facts, historical links and gorgeous illustrations. The introduction is particularly effective: Welcome wordsmiths! Words are wonderful. Without words, we wouldn’t be able to share all our ideas with people around us.  It then goes on to define dictionaries, to explain the need for dictionaries and then to set out what is different about this particular dictionary compared with others. Context is also provided for the vocabulary included within: some archaic words that are now unused, some fun and funny and others that sound just as beautiful as the meaning behind them. But then what is so lovely - and, perhaps, unusual - is the ‘How to read this book’ page seeing as reading the dictionary (as in cover to cover) isn’t something that one might usually do, rather ‘looking up’ a word instead. From ailurophile(a lover of felines) to zygodactyls(pertaining to bird feet and deriving from our dinosaur friends) we feel that this would be a brilliant addition to the dictionary shelf in any KS2 classroom to support vocabulary acquisition of all children. It would be fantastic to have a copy for the middle of each table for children to refer to and really could go a long way to redress the word-gap if we were to ignite in children a renewed curiosity for all things lexicographical. We feel it would also make a really lovely family gift and sense that hours could be spent in this book - a fabulous world of words.

Posted in: Literature Review