BfK 5 – 8 Infant/Junior continued


spring has sprung. Her grandad tells her about the singing orchid and Lola sets off to find it for her grandad. She is a very spirited bear and with her small rucksack and canoe manages to make it up the Amazon River to explore a new setting. The book is full of foliage like the rainforest but there are also smaller drawings, annotated, like an explorer’s


diary


which adds to the feel of the book. A bit of a calamity befalls Lola but, with her new jungle friends, she is able to survive and complete her adventure. Rentta


uses great vocabulary


throughout and the book is great to read out loud. Animal Explorers is the first in the series with Animal Doctors and Animal Railways to come but I’m sure the rest will prove equally popular with lots of different aged children. SG


Hello, Crow! HHHHH


By Candace Savage, ill. Chelsea O’Byrne, Greystone Kids, 32pp, 978-1-77164-444-0, £12.99, hbk


‘Franny skipped down the steps and into the bright morning air. Every bug, every petal was shimmering with wonder…’ According to Franny’s dad, she’s


a dreamer – someone who doesn’t think about what she’s doing and leaves the kitchen in a mess. But Franny does pay attention to things that


really matter – things like


backyard shadows and birdsong. So when a big, black crow approaches her, pecking at her sandwich crumbs, she watches him. ‘He’s beautiful and shiny!’ Franny


tells Dad, later that evening. But Dad won’t believe she’s made friends with a bird. And when the crow brings gifts – a bead, a tiny silver heart – Dad calls her a featherhead and accuses her of inventing silly stories. So Franny takes Dad to meet her new friend. ‘I know you want to believe…’ Dad says, as they wait by the rock. Then a glossy black bird swoops down out of nowhere and lands on Franny’s head, and Dad has to change his mind. ‘From that moment on,’ says the wise and gentle text,


‘Franny’s dad did


his best to pay attention to what she said’ – a well-judged wish-fulfilment outcome which will resonate with many readers. Candace


Savage loves crows,


writes non-fiction as well as stories and understands the importance of connecting children with the natural world. When she heard about a girl in Seattle who received gifts


from


the crows she was feeding, Savage decided to write a book ‘infused with crow facts’ that would prompt readers to


explore their


gardens and city skies. Chelsea


O’Byrne’s


own balconies, artwork


captures the open-minded wonder of Savage’s text and takes it somewhere even deeper and more resonant. Richly-saturated colours make these


illustrations glow, with crayon details adding form and texture to the timber planking, tiles and backyard greenery. Franny and Crow share the same dark heads, bright eyes and alert interest, which highlights their connection, but Crow is not anthropomorphized. We are not invited to think of him as a pet, but as a fellow creature deserving of our interest and care. There’s a quietly special quality


about this book – it’s one to treasure and share, and the ‘Curious about Crows’ facts on the final page are a welcome extra. CFH


A Book of Bears: At Home


with Bears Around the World HHHH


By Katie Viggers, Laurence King, 32pp, 978-1-78627-290-4, £11.99 hbk


Bursting with engaging facts about the world’s bear families, from the petite Sun Bears of South East Asia to the rather more substantial Polar Bears of the Arctic, this warm-hearted information book takes a creative approach and will please children who usually prefer stories as well as those who opt for non-fiction. Throughout


this charmingly-


illustrated of


their likes and dislikes, and size comparison


the eight families chat charts


informative panels about the bears’ homes


book, representatives about


sit alongside


spreads depicting the bears involved in collaborative activities


and habits. Five themed including


Hey, Water! HHHH


Antoinette Portis, Scallywag Press, 48pp, 978 1 912650 26 2, £12.99 hbk


This strikingly illustrated nonfiction picture book seems simple but works effectively on several levels. With its spare text and conversational style, it depicts a young girl as she explores the world of water, even addressing it directly, ‘Hey, Water!’. The book works well as an introduction to a science topic for young children. It also skilfully introduces the concept of one element, water, being found in different


forms, fog, stream, river,


ocean, lake, pool, in different states, ice, snow,


steam, cloud, and


from different sources, tap, hose, shower. All these concepts and facts are brilliantly presented in the matt, aqua-coloured illustrations with their tactile,


brushstroke effects. The


shapes and patterns of the water, the wave effect endpapers and the clear, pastel fonts are all eye-catching. The whole book presents a science topic from a young child’s perspective and combines playfulness and learning in an appealing way. The final pages are aimed at


older children, parents and teachers and give more detailed information on water


forms, the water cycle,


conservation of water and some fun facts and activities. This would be an excellent addition to school, public and family libraries as it combines themes of science and conservation with striking design and use of colour to appeal to a range of ages. SR


swimming and climbing help readers focus on similarities and differences between the families – on the athletics track, for example, Brown Bear is finishing the race before Panda has so much as broken into a trot, and all eight bears are tucking into very different meals around a check-clothed bistro table. Individual bears also take part in anthropomorphic pursuits, such as fishing with a rod and line, and contribute


to the bears don’t all discussion: ‘we live in one place,’


observes the Brown Bear, obligingly. ‘We just got


together today to help


make this book.’ Occasionally this blurs the line between fact and fiction (with the potential to confuse younger or more imaginative readers) but overall Viggers’ approach is spot-on for maximum engagement. There’s much fun to be had with this book, and lots too. CFH


of learning opportunities,


whatever the book says has become a chore, and the biggest bear is keen to get their message across. ‘You can’t quit!’ says the writer. ‘We can,’ says the bear, ‘and we


just did.’ So the writer has a go at making


the bear participate – in a tutu, on a bicycle. The bear needs to strike a deal, and fast. But his friend the elephant is too big to fit inside a picturebook, and none of the other animals will do. The peacock is too fancy, the marmoset too silly and the dodo too extinct. As for the blobfish… seriously? Bear is out of options, but that’s OK because the writer has a cunning plan - a story upgrade, because it’s easy to change things when you’re in charge. “One day the bear fell asleep and hibernated,


uninterrupted, for


eight long months.” And if that leaves Goldilocks working with a leopard, a monkey and a kangaroo, it’s only for a while.


The Buntings live and work in


Australia, so readers will meet some exciting animals alongside the usual suspects – think flying fox and echidna, as well as cat and horse – and the gently transgressive interplay between bear and writer will be appreciated by young audiences. The humour in this book is visual as well as verbal, and opens the door to other literary pleasures. By drawing attention


to


expectations, story structure and the relationship between creative ideas and finished product, Another Book about Bears may give children a taste for playing the impresario. You don’t have to be a grown-up to boss a story- character


creative power can be the best kind of fun. CFH


Midge and Mo HHHH


Lara Williamson, Becky Cameron ill, Little Tiger, 96pp,


978 1 78895 111 1, £7.99


We first meet Midge, a small pale, frightened boy peering up at


unfamiliarity of the the


entrance to his new school. It is his first day in his new surroundings and he is struggling to cope with the


situation.


We learn his parents have recently separated and that it is more than just


Another Book about Bears HHHH


Laura and Philip Bunting, Scholastic, 32pp, 978-0-702302-35-0, £6.99 pbk £6.99


Have you ever wondered why there are


so many bears in children’s


books? Or what they think about being at a writer’s beck and call? The bears in this book don’t like


being woken by the bear alarm just as they’re having a nice doze. Being forced to jump right up and do


24 Books for Keeps No.242 May 2020


starting a new school that is causing Midge great sadness. Everything has changed for Midge and he wants everything to go back to the way things were. ‘If I was on a bike, I’d make it go


backwards not forwards,’ he thinks to himself. ‘If I could, I’d walk backwards too.’


His new teacher pairs him with Mo, a friendly, positive and animated character to help show him around the school and keep him company. Mo is determined to cheer Midge up but it seems the harder she tries the more distant and sad Midge becomes, as though her attempts to cheer only serve to remind him of happier times. Mo begins to despair


around, and using your


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