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‘The Tale Of Brian And The House Painter Mervyn’ by Lance Lee is an interesting tale of magic and art intertwined. When Brian is under strict doctor’s orders to stay in bed, he misses everything about the outside. Moab, Brian’s father, sets out to find someone who will paint the white walls of Brian’s room with everything he misses about Sandstone-by-the-Sea, but only Mervyn, a grumpy and mysterious character, will paint the scenery without their artist’s impression, exactly how it is. The results are magical and lead to trouble, as Mervyn becomes more sought after than the witches, wizards, artists and tourist locations throughout the town. There’s a traditional feel to the way this story is told and there’s plenty of bold illustrations throughout for the reader to explore. Because of the traditional feel of the book I expected some sort of parable or message at the end, however I seem unable to find one. I personally found some of the text could have flowed a bit more, in some places it seems quite lyrical, whereas in others it’s quite repetitive. This stood out most to me at the very beginning, when stating Brian “‘was used to a great deal of running around and fun. But when he fell ill from a mysterious disease the Doctor ordered him to be and ended all running around and fun”. I would have liked to see this rephrased slightly to avoid the repeated use of ‘running around and fun’ in such a short space of time. This is a brief and creative story filled with magic and art with lots of vibrant and eccentric characters that could appeal to readers aged 7-9. Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
December 2020 YA Book of the Month | Imparting wisdom from across two decades, Philip Pullman’s Dæmon Voices shares a generous banquet of thought-provoking insights into the art of story-telling and Pullman’s personal processes and passions. As the book’s editor, Simon Mason, writes in his introduction, Pullman is “interested in, above all, human nature, how we live and love and fight and betray and console one another. How we explain ourselves to ourselves,” and this all-encompassing ethos is reflected here, with essays covering everything from the responsibilities of the storyteller, how stories work, and authors’ intentions, to William Blake, Oliver Twist, and writing fantasy realistically. The tone is lively, ablaze with clear-sighted wit, no matter how complex the subject, with many pieces having been delivered at conferences. One of my personal favourites is “Let’s Write it in Red” which begins with an anecdote about a train journey during which the author witnessed children demonstrating the “two great principles of storytelling”. The first principle is that there are rules - among them stories must begin and have unity, and storytellers mustn’t be afraid of the obvious. Stories must have a destination too, and storytellers “must design the path so that it leads to the destination most surely, and with the maximum effect.” The second principle relates to form: “if the story is a path, then to follow it you have to ignore quite ruthlessly all the things that tempt you away from it. Your business as a storyteller is with the path, not the wood.” To these, Pullman adds a third - knowledge. Storytellers should “become more interested in your subject-matter than in the way you appear to others to be dealing with it.” With each of the 32 essays embodying these astute principles, Dæmon Voices is a trove of enlightenment, and entertaining to boot. Recommended for 16+ readers.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful people of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world! Little People, Big Dreams series include: Ada Lovelace Agatha Christie Amelia Earhart Anne Frank Audrey Hepburn Coco Chanel Ella Fitzgerald Emmeline Pankhurst Frida Kahlo Georgia O’Keeffe Harriet Tubman Jane Austen Jane Goodall Josephine Baker Lucy Maud Montgomery Maria Montesorri Marie Curie Maya Angelou Mother Teresa Muhammed Ali Rosa Parks Simone de Beauvoir Stephen Hawking Vivienne Westwood We have a special category for the Little People, Big Dreams series. Click here to view them all.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful people of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world! Little People, Big Dreams series include: Ada Lovelace Agatha Christie Amelia Earhart Anne Frank Audrey Hepburn Coco Chanel Ella Fitzgerald Emmeline Pankhurst Frida Kahlo Georgia O’Keeffe Harriet Tubman Jane Austen Jane Goodall Josephine Baker Lucy Maud Montgomery Maria Montesorri Marie Curie Maya Angelou Mother Teresa Muhammed Ali Rosa Parks Simone de Beauvoir Stephen Hawking Vivienne Westwood We have a special category for the Little People, Big Dreams series. Click here to view them all.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful people of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world! Little People, Big Dreams series include: Ada Lovelace Agatha Christie Amelia Earhart Anne Frank Audrey Hepburn Coco Chanel Ella Fitzgerald Emmeline Pankhurst Frida Kahlo Georgia O’Keeffe Harriet Tubman Jane Austen Jane Goodall Josephine Baker Lucy Maud Montgomery Maria Montesorri Marie Curie Maya Angelou Mother Teresa Muhammed Ali Rosa Parks Simone de Beauvoir Stephen Hawking Vivienne Westwood We have a special category for the Little People, Big Dreams series. Click here to view them all.
Imparting wisdom from across two decades, Philip Pullman’s Dæmon Voices shares a generous banquet of thought-provoking insights into the art of story-telling and Pullman’s personal processes and passions. As the book’s editor, Simon Mason, writes in his introduction, Pullman is “interested in, above all, human nature, how we live and love and fight and betray and console one another. How we explain ourselves to ourselves,” and this all-encompassing ethos is reflected here, with essays covering everything from the responsibilities of the storyteller, how stories work, and authors’ intentions, to William Blake, Oliver Twist, and writing fantasy realistically. The tone is lively, ablaze with clear-sighted wit, no matter how complex the subject, with many pieces having been delivered at conferences. One of my personal favourites is “Let’s Write it in Red” which begins with an anecdote about a train journey during which the author witnessed children demonstrating the “two great principles of storytelling”. The first principle is that there are rules - among them stories must begin and have unity, and storytellers mustn’t be afraid of the obvious. Stories must have a destination too, and storytellers “must design the path so that it leads to the destination most surely, and with the maximum effect.” The second principle relates to form: “if the story is a path, then to follow it you have to ignore quite ruthlessly all the things that tempt you away from it. Your business as a storyteller is with the path, not the wood.” To these, Pullman adds a third - knowledge. Storytellers should “become more interested in your subject-matter than in the way you appear to others to be dealing with it.” With each of the 32 essays embodying these astute principles, Dæmon Voices is a trove of enlightenment, and entertaining to boot. Recommended for 16+ readers.
A beautiful illustrated record of Chris Riddell's time as the Children's Laureate 2015-2017 with cloth quarter binding, ribbon marker and beautiful end papers this truly is a book to treasure.
Thoroughly fascinating exposition of Philip Pullman’s life and work, from a childhood punctuated by impactful travel to the likes of Australia, to anticipating the eagerly awaited, forthcoming The Book of Dust. The chapters covering Science and Religion, and Philosophy, lay down the intellectual landscape of His Dark Materials with depth and rigor, and there are lighter moments too. One notable nugget is the disclosure that Lyra’s habit of crawling college roofs is based on Pullman’s own Oxford undergraduate antics, though he acknowledges that Lyra’s head for heights is somewhat greater than his own! Combining in-depth analysis with illuminating personal insights, and family photos (the book’s esteemed author is a friend of Pullman’s), this lucidly written treasury does great justice to the expansive majesty of Pullman's work. ~ Joanne Owen
April 2017 Book of the Month | Who better to take young readers on a guided tour of the British Library than Mick Manning and Brita Granström? Words and pictures work perfectly together to give children a vivid sense of the greatest library in the world, and some of the amazing books to be found there. It begins with a look at the St Cuthbert Gospel, a photo of the book part of a collage also featuring a representation of the saint in his coffin and sketches depicting the book’s extraordinary history. There are equally lively pages on the Lindisfarne Gospel, Beowulf, Mrs Beeton’s cookbook and many more. The approach is as varied as the books featured, while the facts contained will inform and fascinate readers of all ages. It concludes with notes on the authors of the featured books and a helpful glossary. A unique and fascinating way of examining the history of the book through one of our greatest institutions.
Full of really useful tips and fun writing activities this is a great book for any youngster who enjoys telling stories. As well as breaking them down into the component parts that make up a successful ghost or mystery story, the book is packed too with suggestions on how to plot, create character and build suspense. There are lots of examples of vocabulary and phrases to make your writing more exciting and effective and a selection of tempting story starters too so there’s no excuse for not putting pen to paper and creating some thrilling stories. You can fill it in, scrapbook like, and atmospheric illustrations by Pam Smy add further inspiration. ~ Andrea Reece You might also like the companion guide, Write Your Own Adventure Stories by Paul Dowswell.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful people of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world! Little People, Big Dreams series include: Ada Lovelace Agatha Christie Amelia Earhart Anne Frank Audrey Hepburn Coco Chanel Ella Fitzgerald Emmeline Pankhurst Frida Kahlo Georgia O’Keeffe Harriet Tubman Jane Austen Jane Goodall Josephine Baker Lucy Maud Montgomery Maria Montesorri Marie Curie Maya Angelou Mother Teresa Muhammed Ali Rosa Parks Simone de Beauvoir Stephen Hawking Vivienne Westwood We have a special category for the Little People, Big Dreams series. Click here to view them all.
2016 is another big year for Shakespeare and The Wallbook Timeline of Shakespeare will give readers (of all ages) special insight into all his 38 plays, as well as into the man and his time. A colourful 2 metre long wall chart illustrated with intriguing picture scenes lays out the plays in chronological order, providing a plot summary and introduction to the main characters, and highlighting key quotes. In What On Earth? style a timeline across the bottom tells us what was happening in Shakespeare’s world – political and personal – as his plays were performed. Extra material includes 30 different newspaper-style reports on different aspects of the Bard. Typically of this innovative, inspiring series it will catch young people’s interest and encourage them to discover even more about our greatest playwright. ~ Andrea Reece The wallbooks are an amazing feat of publishing. The What on Earth? Wallbook of Shakespeare is a unique introduction to all thirty-eight histories, comedies and tragedies by William Shakespeare on a timeline set in the iconic Globe Theatre. On the reverse, a newspaper-style narrative reviews all the most significant moments in the legacy of William Shakespeare from his death to the present day. In addition to the Wallbook, The Timeline of Shakespeare also includes a Chronicle which features more than 30 newspaper stories and a quiz.
The Shakespeare Timeline Wallbook will give readers (of all ages) special insight into all the 38 plays, as well as into the man and his time. A colourful 2 metre long wall chart illustrated with intriguing picture scenes lays out the plays in chronological order, providing a plot summary and introduction to the main characters, and highlighting key quotes. In What On Earth? style a timeline across the bottom tells us what was happening in Shakespeare’s world – political and personal – as his plays were performed. Extra material includes 30 different newspaper-style reports on different aspects of the Bard. Typically of this innovative, inspiring series it will catch young people’s interest and encourage them to discover even more about our greatest playwright. ~ Andrea Reece The wallbooks are an amazing feat of publishing. The Shakespeare Timeline Wallbook is a unique introduction to all thirty-eight histories, comedies and tragedies by William Shakespeare on a timeline set in the iconic Globe Theatre. On the reverse, a newspaper-style narrative reviews all the most significant moments in the legacy of William Shakespeare from his death to the present day. In addition to the Wallbook, The Shakespeare Timeline also includes a Chronicle which features more than 30 newspaper stories and a quiz.
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