"Keep reading. It is one of the most marvellous adventures anyone can have."
Lloyd Alexander
New Releases and Recommended Reads...
Check back here each month for a recommendation of the month for picture books, fiction and non-fiction.
KS1 - Picture Book - What A Day: A Mindful Moment for Bedtime
It’s been a wonderful day and, now, it’s time to sleep.
Beginning with waking up with the sun and eating, playing and exploring the floor and the sky, and ending with knowing that it’s time to sleep: but that the little one’s parent or guardian is always with them. They are safe to drift off to sleep, knowing that they are loved and cherished always.
This is a simply worded book, using in a lovely big, bold font (a plus, if parents are reading this in the semi-darkness before bedtime). Yet, the sentiment is lovely: reminding little ones that their adults love to spend time with them, and that they are always safe and loved. Harriet Hobday’s dreamy, painted illustrations create a feeling of rest and reflection which is perfect to help little ones off to dreamland.
With useful sleep guidance at the end of the book from baby sleep specialist Andrea Grace, this is a charming but also very useful book that parents will love.
(Booktrust)
KS1 - The Ghost Cat Who Saved My Life
Sav is concerned when she hears a cat meowing continuously in the upstairs flat, but her mother says the flat is empty, so she must have heard a ghost. Sav decides she could keep the ghost cat as a pet, as her mum is allergic to real cats, so she and her best friend Liam hatch a plan to capture the ghostly feline. Finding a spare key under the doormat, the pair sneak into the empty flat, but the creature streaks past them and disappears. Sav is devastated as her hopes of owning a cat are dashed. Determined to cheer his friend up, Liam searches for the elusive creature, but when he runs into trouble, an unexpected hero saves the day.
This engaging, heart-warming mystery is ideal for reluctant and dyslexic readers. A special font helps to avoid confusing letter shapes, tinted pages reduce visual stress, and short chapters provide natural reading breaks, helping children to build confidence and stamina. Generously illustrated throughout, the colourful pencil artwork breaks up the text and creates a visual narrative which enhances comprehension. The book also features a selection of fun cat facts and a spot-the-difference game for further entertainment. (Booktrust)
Lower KS2 - Non Fiction - How to Spaghettify Your Dog and Other Secrets of the Universe
It could be said that physics is the science of absolutely everything: clouds to cars, time to rainbows and rain to sandwiches. But, as a subject, it can seem a bit complicated – or, can it?
Fortunately, former physics teacher Hiba Noor Khan is here to explain crazy physics concepts from states of matter to friction, pressure and gravity as well as dark matter, space time, refraction and lots more. Featuring lovely, modern and inclusive high colour illustration from Harry Woodgate, How To Spaghettify Your Dog is a good introduction to physics, using relatable examples and humour throughout.
Even though this is a picture book, the concepts and some of the language in the book means that older primary children would still get a lot from it – indeed, it might be too advanced for children who would usually pick up a picture book for fun. There’s a good focus on space, and the book contains a lot of practical do-at-home experiments that don’t require complicated or expensive materials. (Booktrust)
Lower KS2 - Fiction - The Boy Who Made Monsters
Benji McLaughlin is a visionary. He believes in things other people think are impossible, like that he and his brother Stanley will be happy living with their uncle, and that the Loch Lochy monster is real, and that his parents will come home safely one day.
So when he finds out that Uncle Hamish's holiday business is struggling, Benji's not worried. He has a visionary plan. Together with his new friends, Murdy and Mr Dog, he sets off to prove that the Loch Lochy monster exists, and bring tourists flooding in.
But Benji might have to confront different monsters to the one he expects. (Toppsta)
Upper KS2 - Non Fiction - Knowledge Encyclopedia Plants and Fungi!: Our Growing World as You've Never Seen It Before
Explore the wonderful world of plants and fungi, with everything from cacti and carnivorous plants to trees, flowers, and mushrooms.
Why are flowers colourful and fruits sweet? How does a carnivorous plant kill its prey? Why do stinging nettles sting? How do trees turn light into food? This ultimate nature book for children will fascinate young readers with its microscopic detail and amazing facts on the plant world.
Children aged 9+ will find themselves totally absorbed in the complexities nature, made clear through engaging explanations, intricate illustrations, vivid photographs, and striking 3D images. Knowledge Encyclopedia: Plants and Fungi! teaches kids all about plants and fungi by showing how they work with beautiful illustrations. Peer inside a leaf, watch a seed sprout, follow a root underground, and see how a flower becomes a fruit. (Waterstones)
Upper KS2 - Fiction - Finding Bear
The unmissable follow-up to the phenomenal bestselling and award-winning The Last Bear. Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold and perfect for readers 8+.
April Wood has returned from her adventure on Bear Island, but she can’t stop thinking about Bear.
When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic to find him.
So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and through glaciers. But in Svalbard, April discovers more than she bargained for – a baby polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.
Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and hope that reminds us how change is made from the smallest beginnings, and asks how far we are prepared to go to protect what we love. (Waterstones)
Many of our children have read the 1st book in Hannah Gold's serious, and are eagerly awaiting the chance to read the next one!