reviews 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued


throughout. All the more so because of the boy’s words on the two final night time spreads, ‘I think about the bright days of summer and the dark tunnels underground. One day it will be my turn. I’m a miner’s son. In my town, that’s the way it is.’ Sydney Smith’s profoundly beautiful, are


harmony


breathtaking and perfectly with Schwartz’s


evocative illustrations in


lyrical


text. Executed in muted watercolour shades with occasional gouache, and with images thickly outlined in black, they alternate between the bright, sunlit world of hillside town and sea, and the sombre underground mine lit only by the toiling miners’ lamps. Eloquent,


unsentimental


sensitive and


All About Ella HHHH


Sally Nicholls, illus Hannah Coulson, Barrington Stoke, 76pp, 978-1-7811-2533-5, £6.99pbk


Ella is the younger sibling of Sam. Sam has a serious through unspecified medical problem which necessitates periods


transfusion. teacher recites


in hospital and blood Ella’s


the poem Solomon Grundy (born on a Monday) and asks the children to find out on which day of the week they were born. Ella asks her mother, her father and her grandma. All the attention of the family is on Sam and his needs, they can’t be bothered with Ella’s stupid question. So Ella


yet, profound


entirely in


impact: picture books don’t get much better than this one. JB


develops a strong sibling resentment. The book tells the story of how Ella


struggles to establish her own place within the family. She eventually finds that having a brother, even one with serious health problems, can be useful. The role and preoccupations siblings to


of children problem with serious


health or disability issues have been studied and reported by professional academic authorities. The child with the


necessarily receives


so much time and attention from parents,


grandparents and carers


that other children feel neglected and disregarded. They feel punished for not having a problem. The merit of this Barrington Stoke


book is that it presents the issue in a lively fictional context with helpful full- colour illustrations and that it does so without demonising the child with the health problem. RB


Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam Up, Up and Away!


HHHH


Tracey Corderoy illus Steven Lenton, Nosy Crow, 978-0-8576- 3848-9, £5.99 pbk


In these three stories, firm doggy friends Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are at work as professional bakers and part-time detectives. In Up, Up and Away, the two friends are taking part in the Rocky Road Race Day. Their shiny Bakemobile is running so smoothly along the bumpy roads that they are set to win the race. But then luck goes against them – or could it be that their annoying next-


door neighbour is cheating? In To Catch a Thief, they assume the roles of doorman and chamber maid at a posh hotel in order to trap whoever is stealing valuables from the guests. The Mystery Parcel shows them at odds with one another as each lays claim to the amazing dragon costume wrapped inside. In all three stories, cakes, sweets and all manner of culinary gadgets play a crucial role. Capturing the ups and downs of friendship,


the stories abound in


slapstick humour and cheerfulness. The friends are considerate and loving, their actions generous and altruistic


enough the to overcome


selfishness and quarrelsome moments. The stories are divided into short chapters to facilitate young readers yet


vocabulary and


sentence constructions are at times quite difficult. The joyous illustrations in blue and black are fresh and exuberant, set as they often are on a lighter blue background. AF


Alphamals HHHH


Graham Carter, Big Picture Press, 32pp, 978 1 78370 685 3, £10.99 hbk


A stunning collection of animals make up this beautiful alphabet book. Each spread shows a full colour animal illustration with an illuminated letter and a short


factual information about the animal. The artwork will appeal to anyone with an eye for graphic design, and the


gorgeous colours make each


page a beauty to behold. Elegant production as ever from Big Picture Press includes glorious endpapers, hardback


format with gold leaf


detail and a thick luxurious paper. The animals included too, add some variety from the usual line-up, most notably the small but fierce Quoll, the mighty horned Urial and for that trickiest of letters, the X-ray Tetra fish. Alphamals makes a beautiful gift to start a young one’s learning, or a handsome addition to any nature lover’s library. KC


Are We There Yet? HHHH


Dan Santat, Andersen Press, 32pp, 978 1 78344 516 5, £6.99pbk


What happens when your brain gets too bored? A boy and his parents are on their way to wish Grandma a happy birthday when his brain turns the


car journey on its head and verse offering some


suddenly he’s missing out on all the adventures that are happening right outside his window. When he notices what is occurring he takes the books advice and savours the moment he’s in. Pirates, dinosaurs and time-travel are all available to him, but soon he’s ready for a nap and when he wakes up they’ve arrived at Grandma’s house with the lesson that the present is the greatest gift of all. Moments later the boy is wishing his time away again as he’s surrounded by elderly guests at the party; ‘are we there yet?’ has become ‘can we go now?’ Super stylish illustration and a fun page layout that invites you to turn the book upside down adds another dimension to this simple text. The power of imagination is on full display here and the message is simple but effective – don’t miss the moment! KC


8 – 10 Junior/Middle A Story Like the Wind HHHH


Gill Lewis, ill. Jo Weaver, OUP, 80pp, 978-0-1927-5895-8, £8.99 hbk


A fourteen-year old boy Rami is adrift in a boat full of strangers from his homeland; his only possession and reminder of home is his precious violin. The small boat carries the promise of a new life away from the destruction of war but the engine has died and they are all alone in a treacherous sea. The travellers begin to tell each other their names and offer to share their food and drink but Rami feels he cannot take their hospitality as he has nothing to offer in return.


But when he opens his


violin case everyone begs him to play. As Rami begins to play the tension and fear in the boat loosens a little. The music tells the story of a young shepherd boy named Suke and a beautiful wild white stallion who could run like the wind. It is also the story of how the first violin came into being and how music has the ability to cross


barriers of race and language and can bring joy where there is darkness. As the story weaves its magic each family joins in by telling some of their own heart-breaking stories


which


mirror the cruel oppression of the Dark Lord in the story.


This is an extraordinarily striking


and moving fable of love and loss and how the power of stories can transform lives, make connections and bring about change, uniting us in our common humanity. It is a lyrical and beautifully told tale giving a


compassionate and emotional


response to the refugee crisis. The haunting monochrome illustrations complement the text beautifully. This is a book that should be handed to all children and will resonate with all who read it. JC


Goodly and Grave In a bad case of Kidnap


HHHH


Justine Windsor IllusBecka Moor, HarperCollins, 978-0-0081-8353-0, 322pp, £6.99 pbk


Children are going missing all over the city. Who is behind it? Arriving at Grave Hall as the new Boot Girl, Lucy Goodly notices strange things afoot – moving statues, magical books – and clearly Lord Grave has a secret. Might


this be the link? It is up to Lucy to uncover the truth. Debut author, Justine Winsor, has


written a lively, enjoyable and very accessible adventure. There is plenty of humour (anchovy omelettes) and satisfying element of magic, a neat subversion of expectations – and a black panther. If the villains have more than a whiff of the pantomime, this just adds to the enjoyment. Lucy is a resourceful heroine, Lord Grave suitably enigmatic. To add to the pleasure of reading, Becka Moor has illustrated the text throughout. Her images provide welcome additions to what is quite a substantial read, not just as decoration but


really


enhancing the fun. This is set to be the first of a series and I suspect young Lucy will quickly gather a following. Recommended


for KS2 readers


who are both confident and hungry for books that provide a satisfying reading experience that is completely appropriate to their age. FH


Books for Keeps No.224 May 2017 23


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