BfK 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued


he is reluctant to help or even admit to his former life. It is only when Eve is snatched herself from the streets of


Southampton


skills in identifying species. SMc The Phoenix of Persia


by Portuguese


sailors that Jacques steps in to help. An exciting climax leads to a happy ending for Eve, her mother and their new friend. The sights, sounds and smells of


sixteenth century England are brought vividly to life in this beautifully written, fast-paced historical novel. Shocking aspects of Tudor life such as tarred heads on spikes and women pinned by the ear to pillars as a punishment are not shied away from. Diver’s Daughter is based on a true


story. Jacques Francis was in fact an African diver involved in retrieving the treasures of the Mary Rose. This is one of a new series from Scholastic highlighting previously untold stories which uncover the diversity of our history. A gripping and satisfying read. SMc


The Butterfly House HHHH


Katy Flint, ill. Alice Patullo, Lincoln, 32pp, 9 781786 039743, £12.99, hbk


Open the cover of this stunning book to find a warm welcome to a virtual butterfly house in which readers will discover the four-stage life cycle of the butterfly in the hatchery room, what happens at the feeding station and how to identify the differences between butterflies and moths. The major focus of the book is to


introduce the amazing number and variety of butterflies and moths which may be found in a butterfly house, representing the range of species in our world. Readers


are shown


how to identify them, significant behavior and where they may be found in their natural habitats.


The


underrated beauty of the moth family is highlighted, potentially changing some attitudes. The narrative style is friendly and informative,


and


annotation is clear. A glossary may have been a helpful addition for key vocabulary particularly where explained


in context. and the male not Interesting


details are pointed out such as the male sleepy oranges which like mud puddling,


something young observers Ulysses


butterfly attracted by the colour blue,


encountering this species in the wild or in a ‘real’ butterfly house might look out for. The interactive element continues with the last double page spread which invites young readers to look back through the book to identify a selection of moths and butterflies illustrated.


The illustrations are absolutely


stunning, and the book design is very attractive making this a delightful book to browse and share.


The


Butterfly House is likely to encourage young nature spotters to be more observant about butterflies and moths around them and develop


HHHHH


Sally Pomme Clayton, illus. Amin Hassanzedeh Sharif, Tiny Owl, 32pp, 9 781910328439, £12.99, hbk


Open this book and you find yourself in a park in present day Tehran as children and adults eagerly gather to hear a musical storytelling of the Simorgh, the Phoenix of Persia. The story is beautifully told, and we


are swiftly transported to the top of a mountain of gems to find the magical, wise and mysterious Simorgh, or firebird overseeing life in the world below. We then find ourselves in the


royal court in ancient Persia where a familiar


story is playing out. A


king and queen are longing for a child. Unfortunately, when a child is finally born to them, he is rejected by his father because of his strange white hair. With echoes of the fate of Paris in Homer’s Iliad, the child is abandoned in the mountains as the king feels he will bring doom to the kingdom. The young child is rescued by the Simorgh, cared for alongside her own chicks and she teaches him ‘all a prince needs to know.’ Eventually


the king, now white


haired himself and wracked with guilt, goes in search of his abandoned son. Amazingly he finds him, and despite reluctance to leave the nest and his phoenix mother the sixteen-year-old prince goes back to the palace as an anointed king taking some magical phoenix feathers to burn as a signal if he ever needs her help. The book is strikingly illustrated


using an intricate sgrafffito (scratch board) technique which is at its most effective in the colourful illustrations of the amazing firebird. This story provides an insight into


Iranian culture and history and the ancient stories of the Shahnameh, an important text in World literature. It introduces Prince Zal who features in many other stories in this Iranian epic and of course the firebird a mythical creature guaranteed to capture the imagination. There


are themes of love,


regret, rejection and acceptance of difference within the story; Prince Zal is named after the Iranian word for individuals with albinism. The importance


of music in


storytelling generally and Iran in particular is highlighted in this book which includes online access to a retelling of the story by the author accompanied by traditional Iranian instruments


representing the


different characters. The final pages of the book provide information about these instruments. The publisher’s website also includes


additional


resources for schools and libraries including a Shahnameh box. The Phoenix of Persia represents a highly successful project from Tiny


Owl and a wonderful collaboration between storyteller,


illustrator and


musical team. SMc I Have an Idea!


HHHHH


Written and illustrated by Hervé Tullet, Chronicle Books 32pp, 978-1-4521-7858-5, £12.99 hbk


Suddenly you feel a puff of breath… oh! It’s an idea, and it’s magnificent! Or it will be once you’ve survived the messy, bubbly stage and captured it, asked some questions, made some changes and done your best to craft it into shape…. As an artist


and ideas and


visual interactivity page and on the beautifully-designed


creator of


wonderful things, Hervé Tullet knows about


often explores both on the screen. In this hardback with


bright cloth spine, he captures the unpredictability, tension and thrill of creativity and shares his insights with readers both young and not-so-young. With its black hand-lettered font on crisp white pages enlivened by primary- coloured dabs and strands, I Have an Idea! develops the Tullet-aesthetic familiar to readers of his previous books. Here, vibrant DNA-like elements (idea- particles?) are discovered in an explosion of colour amongst monochrome ranks


of unresponsive lines. For inspiration to take shape and spring to life, as Tullet shows, we have only to offer these particles a chance to fizz their way into our hearts and minds. Play with them, he advises. Combine and recombine them, allow them to express themselves and listen – really listen – to what they say and we, too, will be in possession of that most wonderful of things – a good idea. And once we’ve noticed something interesting – something that makes us sit up and think yes! – we can begin the task of recording, organizing, interrogating and amending. There may be seeds of madness in the best ideas, but they won’t flower or bear fruit in fallow ground. Tullet’s wisely entertaining


text acts as a guide, but it’s his illustrations that do the work. The very act of looking at these images communicates something important and really quite profound. For a book to do this so accessibly and with such apparent ease marks it out as a Very Good Idea Indeed. I


have an Idea! will please


audiences from thoughtful four-year- olds to adults and makes a great starting point for discussion as well as offering an intriguing and enjoyable solo read. CFH


10 – 14 Middle/Secondary The Dog Runner


HHHH


Bren MacDibble, Old Barn Books, 256pp, 978-1910646489, £6.99 pbk


With increasing numbers of children and young people taking part climate


in change MacDibble’s protests, new thriller particularly topical and important.


Bren feels It


is set in a near-future Australia in a world in which all grasses, including wheat and oats, have been destroyed by a fungus. The population is in virtual


lock down, waiting for the


army to distribute supplies. With food extremely scarce there’s a horribly plausible sense of society on the brink of breakdown.


Ella lives with


her dad and half-brother Emery, plus their dogs Maroochy, Wolf and Bear, until her father goes out to look for her scientist mum and doesn’t return. Emery decides the two of them will leave the town with the dogs and make their way to his own mother in the country. He’s sure that his side of the family, a mix of Afghan and indigenous Australian, will have found a way to feed themselves and that his father and Ella’s mother can follow them there.


The situation in the city was tense


and claustrophobic but there are even more dangers on their journey across open countryside in a cart pulled by the dogs. The two children run into fellow countrymen driven to do terrible things and when Emery is injured, Ella has to make all the decisions herself.


issues.


While MacDibble presents a terrifying vision of how precarious our society is, the love and loyalty of the dogs provide reassurance and comfort for readers as well as for Ella. This is an excellent


survivalist


adventure story and makes thrilling reading, while also highlighting key environmental


There’s a


clear message about the importance of working together to find ways to reverse the damage we are causing to the natural world and while the book doesn’t shy away from presenting the reality of what we are facing, the abiding message is still one of hope and humanity’s resilience.Well- written, thought-provoking stuff. AR


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32