BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued A Big Day for Migs! HHHHH
Jo Hodgkinson, Andersen Press, 32pp, 978-1-7834-4164-8, £6.99, pbk
The endpapers show us Migs with six friends, all happily involved in different activities, all having FUN! But Migs, the small brown mouse, is reluctant to leave his Mum and start school. Miss Doodle, (a poodle, dressed in colours reminiscent of Rupert Bear) settles everyone with an activity, but Migs hides behind the dressing-up unit, wishing he were not so shy. Donning a hat, boots and a long green cloak, he finds a new identity as he looks in the mirror and declares he is Mighty Mouse, as strong as any bear, not a shy mouse any more. He creates havoc as he careers around the room, smashing up and disrupting everyone else’s games. The combination of his speed and the long cloak result in several of the other animals becoming quite upset. The resolution is beautifully handled, Migs’s first attempts to put things right failing woefully. But then Migs tells Miss Doodle his idea to make everyone feel better, and they all work together to achieve just that. What a feeling of warmth and co-operation oozes from this book, as Migs says, waving goodbye to his new friends, ‘Mum, if it’s okay, can I go back there every day?’ The illustrations are perfect, the author/ illustrator empathising so well with all her characters. She adds much detail, down to a little mole nodding off in story time, as we see parents outside waiting to collect their little ones. The handling of Migs when he becomes Mighty Migs and creates havoc is sensitive, and the transition from individual play to full co-operation of the group in a joint activity is an example of the best early years practice. A wonderful book, told in rhyme, and one which will reassure those starting school as well as those already attending.
GB
Are You the Pirate Captain? HHHHH
Gareth P Jones, ill. Garry Parsons, Andersen Press, 32pp, 978-1-7834-4219-5 £11.99 hbk
Here on the endpapers is a piratical ship, skull and crossbones flying, provisions on the quay, hinting at some fine adventure
as we open the book. On the sails of the ship is a sea shanty, ‘We need a pirate captain, before we can depart; a buccaneer who will strike fear in every sailor’s heart.’ There follows a catchy ‘Ho diddle-ho and hey diddle-hey’ chorus … and there, squawking loudly, is a scruffy seabird, clutching the melody for the shanty, set in the key of C for ease of singing, guitar chords included! From the crow’s nest, First Mate Hugh yells that the ship is ready to sail … for it has been mopped and swabbed and scrubbed, and even the crew has had a wash. BUT they have lost Scurvy Sea Dog Sid, their last captain, to a giant squid! So the search must be on for a new captain. Hugh and crew approach several likely looking seadogs, but not one will take up the offer when asked ‘Are you the Pirate Captain?’ The last sailor challenged replies that no, he is going to a dressing-up party. But he does offer to help them in their quest to find someone with courage, brains and heart. What they need is someone to lead the crew, not just look the part. The crew have a pow-wow on deck, and realise they are all agreed: it must be Pirate Captain Hugh, for he is clever, brave and bold!! In comes seabird, with a corked bottle in his beak. Inside it is the other half of S S Dog Sid’s lost treasure map … and so they all set sail for far off lands.
This book is such fun, filled with humour in text and pictures, characters being drawn with just the right amount of authenticity. There
streets with dandies wearing the most outlandish wigs and frills, buckles sparkling on their high heeled boots, and long-bearded captains with eye patches and missing teeth. Each crew member is drawn with great individual characteristics, and their part in the tale is told solely in the illustrations, e.g. their growing despair at not being able to locate a new captain. First Mate Hugh is small, and so boyish by comparison with the rest of the crew. Young shipmates reading this for themselves will have ample opportunity to empathise with little Hugh. The book would be great for dramatising, having such a variety of characters, with lots of opportunity for improvisation. Author and illustrator have worked together brilliantly to create a book full of ‘avast’s and ‘yo, ho ho’s, and the text bounces along in rhyme, swishing readers along to a satisfying end. It just begs to be read aloud! GB
are Georgian
The Only Pupil in the School HHH
Liu Hsukung, trs. Wang Xinlin, Balestier Press, 48pp, 978-0-9932-1541-4, £8.99 pbk
Written by a Korean author and translated from Chinese, this book tells the amusing story of one little girl who turns up for school, only to find that there are no other pupils. She becomes the focus of unwelcome attention as all the teachers want to teach her. In turn, they present their case for why ‘all good pupils’ should excel in their subject. Eventually, frightened and anxious, she creeps out of the school unnoticed whilst the teachers are busy arguing with each other and posturing for position.
As the colours of the illustrations become increasingly vibrant, the girl spends her time in imaginative play and exploration. She goes on a mini- beast hunt, plays in the park, learns to make soup, finds a hidden city and finally falls fast asleep on a library floor after making a book about her day.
When her worried teachers find her, they read her book and discover for the first time that learning can be fun. All’s well that ends well, as the teachers throw a party and school becomes so enjoyable that it is soon full of happy pupils.
The subtext of this story is a pertinent one – that learning should be fun, that curiosity should be nurtured and that imagination is a powerful motivator of learning. It goes to the heart of the definition of education. Colour is used very effectively in the images, which tell the story without the need for text.
The intended audience for the book is not clear. The central character is obviously a young child, and although a young reader could read the story from images alone, the text is too challenging to be read independently by many five-year-olds. That said, it would be an interesting story to prompt discussion with children about their views of school and what they think makes for effective learning.
GR
Where The Bugaboo Lives; An Interactive Adventure
HHHH
Sean Taylor, illustrated by Neal Layton, Walker Books, 56pp, 978 1 406324143, £12.99 hbk
Taylor and Layton
value for money in this wonderfully produced interactive storybook with
8 – 10 Junior/Middle
The Secret of the Blue Glass HHHHH
Tomiko Inui, trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori, Pushkin Children’s Books, 192pp, 978-1-7826-9034-4, £7.99 pbk
When Miss MacLachlan leaves Japan, she leaves behind a secret – a secret she entrusts to her favourite pupil, Tatsuo,
glass. For Miss MacLachlan brought with her from England two tiny people, Fern and Balbo. Now she leaves them behind in a country where she
together with a tiny blue
hopes they will find a safe, peaceful existence. And they do, together with their
children, Iris and Robin. But times change: Japan enters World War II. The Tiny People now under the care of Yuri, Tatsuo’s daughter, must leave their safe little corner to face a big and dangerous world.
This is an old-fashioned book; indeed it was first published in Japan in 1959. However, it is captivating and absorbing – and as all good books do, it opens a window onto another world. The predicament of the Tiny
24 Books for Keeps No.214 September 2015
People mirrors and moves in parallel with that of Yuri. Through them we learn what it would have been like to live during the Second World War in Japan; the experience of this war was not confined to Europe. There are no heroics – this is not The Silver Sword – but instead, like Bawden’s Carrie’s War, we learn about the privations faced by ordinary families, the trauma of separation as children are evacuated, the tensions caused by propaganda and patriotism. Like their human counterparts the Little
People have to grow and change – and the result may be a surprise. The translator here succeeds in creating a
language to another. The prose flows smoothly allowing the young reader to travel to another country without difficulty. A very welcome addition to the library shelf and one that would lend itself to being read aloud in the classroom or at home. FH
seamless transition from one offer fantastic
countless routes to read it. Floyd and Ruby have to venture into the dark valley to retrieve their ball but that’s just where all the terrible creatures live. Worst of all is the Bugaboo. The children come face to face with all manner of scary things but Ruby has a clever retort for each of them. That is, until she comes face to face with the Bugaboo himself! Ruby is all out of answers, but can Floyd shine in his sister’s moment of peril?
This big, brilliant format will delight youngsters and their nostalgic parents in this choose your own adventure style
encounter the reader must decide on the next direction and turn to the corresponding page to continue their journey. The monsters are mad, the illustrations are fantastic and the book will be browsed again and again to find out which twists and turns can be taken next. Great fun indeed!
KC
The World-Famous Cheese Shop Break-In!
HHHH
Sean Taylor, illustrated by Hannah Shaw, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 32pp, 978 1 84780 4303, £11.99 pbk
Taylor and Layton offer fantastic value Daddypops has got a plan. It’s the World-Famous Cheese Shop Break-In. Again! But when walking through the front door fails, and being shot out of a catapult misses the mark it’s time to come up with a plan that actually works. The children have their own idea - how about
own shop instead of breaking into someone else’s? But
Daddypops is already set on digging. It still doesn’t work, but sometimes a failed tunnel can create a different kind of breakthrough!
A surprise ending gives this fun picture book a cheeky twist in the tale. Children
plans and the idea that the children are the brains all along. Hannah Shaw is brilliant at drawing rascally rodents and
Sean Taylor’s first person narrative beautifully. Taylor has the magic touch when it comes to picture book writing and this clever viewpoint takes this story to the next level. He is a name to look out for!
KC her illustrations complement will love Daddy’s rubbish
opening their disillusioned
story - after each terrifying
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