Blog Tour (Review & Guest Post: Books that encourage care): My Pet Star – Corrinne Averiss (Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw)

Blog Tour (Review & Guest Post: Grumpycorn: introducing… JELLYFISH!) – Sarah McIntyre

Blog Tour: FCBG Children’s Book Award: What Do You Do if Your House is a Zoo? – John Kelly (Illustrated by Sarah Laberis)

March 11, 2019March 10, 2019Leave a comment

‘Guaranteed to bring the most beaming of smiles and the loudest of laughs… this story showcases the bond between person and pet so perfectly and is sure to become its reader’s best friend.’

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Title: What Do You Do If Your House Is a Zoo?
Author: John Kelly
Illustrator: Steph Laberis (@StephLaberis)
Publisher: Little Tiger Press (@LittleTigerUK)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 9th August 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1848699496

Perfect for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. House 🏠
2. Pets 🐕
3. Friendship 🤝

Oscar is getting a pet!
But which pet should he pick?

And what on earth will he do when they all move in?
His house is like a zoo.

A book for animal lovers, BIG and small.

Review: I am absolutely delighted to be hosting What Do You Do If Your House is a Zoo?, one of the four picture book titles in the 2019 FCBG (The Federation of Children’s Book Groups_ Children’s Book Award blog tour. This is my very first year on this tour and it is such a privilege to support this award, the only national award voted for solely by children from start to finish and is highly regarded by parents, teachers, librarians, publishers and children’s authors and illustrators as it truly represents children’s choice.

What Do You Do if Your House is a Zoo? is a beautifully-told picture book of the time when Oscar, our main character, is given permission to get the pet he’s always wanted from his mum and dad. The only thing is that he can’t decide and there’s way too many to choose from.

Dogs, cats, parrots, elephants, snakes, fish, hamsters – all these animals and so little time to pick. So he lets nature take its course and puts an advert in the classifieds section of his local newspaper only to become inundated with replies from the very animals themselves!

As the replies flood through Oscar’s letterbox thick and fast through hand-written letters with handwriting that wittily matches the characteristics of their animal sender (a perfect learning opportunity to look at this wild letter writing), Oscar’s choice becomes even more confusing with ostriches, meerkats, horses, gorillas, wolves, bulls, beavers and whales joining the picking party.

As Oscar deliberates and ponders over his choice, things go bad from worse as the animals arrive at his home to set up camp and Oscar gains his own massive menagerie right outside his front door.

Creating absolute carnage and chaos, this zany zoo of animals soon take over not just his garden, not just his next door’s neighbour’s garden and not just his front road but even the inside of his house! Taking cover in a tent outside, the only option is for all the animals to go. All except for the appearance of a letter from a pet that Oscar had missed reading…

With an ending that will melt even the coldest of hearts, this is a special story told with complete and utter sincerity. There is nothing like the irreplaceable, mutual bond between person and pet and this book showcases this so perfectly. This story is sure to become its reader’s best friend. Brought to life by the bright, bold and brilliant illustrations of Steph Laberis, this tale is one to treasure that’s guaranteed to bring the biggest of beaming smiles, the loudest of laughs and is one with a message to hold close to your heart.

Big thanks to Kate for inviting me to be a part of this year’s FCBG (Federation of Children’s Book Groups) blog tour showcasing the ten choices for this year’s Children’s Book Award. I would love to be involved again next year!

Mr E

If you’d like to follow other blogs on this year’s blog tour, you can find them below:

1st March 2019 (@Fi_BGB): The Wondrous Dinosaurium by John Condon & Steve Brown (Maverick)
4th March 2019 (@toppsta): Mixed by Arree Chung (Macmillan)
8th March 2019 (@Readitdaddy): The Last Chip by Duncan Beedie (Templar)
11th March 2019 (@MrEPrimary): What Do You Do If Your House is a Zoo? by John Kelly & Steph Laberis (Little Tiger)
13th March 2019: Picture Book Round Up (FCBG)

18th March 2019: Mr Penguin and the Fortress of Secrets by Alex T. Smith (Hodder/Hachette)
22nd March 2019: The Dog Who Lost His Bark by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P. J. Lynch (Walker)
25th March 2019: Funny Kid – Stand Up by Matt Stanton (HarperCollins)
29th March 2019: Younger Readers Round Up (FCBG)

1st April 2019: The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson, cover illus. by Mike Lowery (Scholastic)
5th April 2019: The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine Doyle, cover ills. by Bill Bragg (Bloomsbury)
8th April 2019: Armistice Runner by Tom Palmer, cover illus. by Tom Clohosy Cole (Barrington Stoke)
12th April 2019: Older Readers Round Up (FCBG)

The voting will open shortly here: http://childrensbookaward.org…. and if you’d like to keep up with all the news and updates, you can follow FCBG on Twitter.

Blog Tour: (Review & Guest Post) Danny and the Dream Dog – Fiona Barker (Illustrated by Howard Gray)

October 22, 2018October 21, 2018Leave a comment

‘Capturing perfectly the character, companionship and camaraderie (and sometimes… the chaos) that a dog naturally brings to a home, this is a heartfelt story that’ll warm the hearts of animal lovers everywhere.’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: Danny and the Dream Dog
Author: Fiona Barker (@Fi_BGB)
Illustrator: Howard Gray (@hwigray)
Publisher: Tiny Tree (@TinyTreeBooks)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 25th October 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1910265659

Perfect for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Dreams 💭
2. Dogs 🐕
3. Friendship 💓

Danny really, really wants a dog, but Mum says no.

Find out whether a new neighbour can help Danny achieve his dream and much more besides.

A story about finding friendship in unexpected places.

Review: Danny is like most schoolchildren up and down the country. He dreams of having his very own dog. But unfortunately for him, his dreams come crashing down as his mum puts to a stop to this very thought. So what can he do? Well he’s already asked nicely, pleaded, whined and finally begged… but it all appears that it’s in vain. Doing his best to try to hound(!) his mum to get him a dog, he even does a pretty convincing job at looking after his toy dog.

But mum’s better judgement still wins through as she explains to Danny that this is the sensible option because there’ll be no-one to care for Danny’s dream dog during the day so for now, Danny’s dream dog stays… well… a dream.

That all changes however when a new neighbour moves in downstairs and Danny’s dream becomes a bit closer to home. Mum’s lined him up for the job of walking Mrs Owen’s dog, Maximus and Danny thinks all his Christmases have come at once.

However upon meeting Maximus for the first time, Danny’s best laid plans go awry as Maximus behaves more like a cheeky monkey than a show dog. Rabbit-chasing, squirrel-hunting, puddle-splashing Maximus ends up being the talk of the town, sometimes for all the wrong reasons!

But Maximus is far too loveable to stay mad at and Danny ends up growing increasingly fond of seeing him, but only at the end of the day.

Realising that looking after a dog takes far more effort than he first thought, Danny like the rest of us recognises the power of man’s best friend and falls under his spell… and his wet tongue!

This is a heartfelt story that’ll warm the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. Growing up as someone who’s always had a dog by my side, this book with Howard’s charming illustrations, reminds me why I always have and captures perfectly the character, companionship and camaraderie (and sometimes… the chaos) that a dog naturally brings to a home.

Empathy, education and emotion are at the heart of this touching story that children will want read and re-read again, so much so that it’ll probably end up becoming dog-eared (which is a very good thing!).

I am delighted to welcome Fiona Barker to The Reader Teacher, as part of the Danny and the Dream Dog blog tour, with a brilliant insight in to her working with a charity as part of writing it…

I didn’t write this as an ‘issue’ book or a charity book but when you finish Danny’s story you will see some information about The Cinnamon Trust.

I didn’t write the story with the Trust in mind but once I had written it then it felt very relevant as it covers the theme of how helping someone look after their pet can bring people together. That’s what The Cinnamon Trust does. It’s an amazing charity helping people in their last years and their companion animals, including dogs. The Trust maintains a register of 15,000 volunteers who help owners care for their much-loved pets in their own homes. The Trust helps over 30,000 people and their pets stay together every year. I hoped I could help raise awareness of the charity through telling the story.

While working on the book, I was privileged to meet volunteers Caz and Elaine and dog owners Chris and Tony. You can watch their stories in these short videos:

It really is a win-win-win situation for the owners, volunteers and pets. That’s what we’ve tried to sum up in the penultimate spread.

The Trust is always looking for new volunteers across the UK if you think you might be able to help.

Tips for working with a charity on a book:

Approach them early on in the process

Explain clearly what you are planning

Negotiate what you will provide and what you expect from them – make it clear whether or not this is a financial arrangement or something reciprocal about raising awareness.

Put it in writing – this doesn’t need to be a formal contract but make sure both sides are happy.

Keep them informed throughout the journey to publication.

I’m really looking forward to spreading the word about the Trust at author events and school visits. I’m hoping that along with hearing the story and having some dog-themed fun at an event, children and adults will take home a little bit of knowledge about the Trust and its wonderful volunteers, almost without realising!

Danny and the Dream Dog is available to pre-order online and from any good bookshop.

Big thanks to Fiona for inviting me to be a part of this brilliant blog tour, for writing her fantastic blog post and for sending me an advance copy of Danny and the Dream Dog!

Mr E

Keep a look out this week and last for more review posts and exclusive content from Fiona and Howard on the Danny and the Dream Dog blog tour!

Blog Tour (Review): How Rude! – Clare Helen Welsh (Illustrated by Olivier Tallec)

September 27, 2018September 26, 2018Leave a comment

‘How utterly brilliant! A book, brimming with empathy, that can not only make our young readers cry with laughter but also change their ways and attitudes to become better people.’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: How Rude!
Author: Clare Helen Welsh (@clarehelenwelsh)
Illustrator: Olivier Tallec
Publisher: words & pictures (@WordsPicsBooks)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 2nd October 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1786033598

Perfect for Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Manners 👍
2. Rude 😝
3. Duck 🦆

Join Dot and Duck in a hilarious story about being rude and making up.

Because in a world where we can be anything, isn’t being kind the greatest kind thing of all?

Review: Manners are, for me, one of the greatest qualities of a person to show. Kindness, honesty, common decency – these are the things that are the basics of life that most people are brought up on. What some and what I call the small things. This is why books of the quality of How Rude are so very much needed, today more than ever.

Through the combination of carefully-chosen and considered text and charismatic illustrations, this story tells the tale of Dot and Duck who start off as friends, become somewhat of an annoyance to each other and end up making up through a life lesson.

This is a story that should be used in foundation stage and early years classrooms up and down the country because this is a book, that is brimming with empathy, that not only has the potential to make young readers cry with laughter but also has the power to change their ways and attitudes and help them to reflect on their behaviour to become better people.

How ~~rude~~ utterly brilliant!

‘How utterly brilliant! A book, brimming with empathy, that can not only make our young readers cry with laughter but also change their ways and attitudes to become better people.’

Big thanks to Clare for inviting me to take part in the wonderful How Rude! blog tour!

Mr E
📚

How Rude! is available to pre-order online or from any good bookshop.

Look our for the rest of the How Rude! blog tour full of review and posts from these brilliant book bloggers!

Blog Tour (Review): Maybe the Moon – Frances Ives

September 20, 2018September 23, 2018Leave a comment

‘Unbelievably good… The words, the message, the illustrations; it’s just everything a picture book should be!’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: Maybe the Moon
Author: Frances Ives (@francesives)
Publisher: Michael O’Mara (@OMaraBooks)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 20th September 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN:978-1910552827

Perfect for Reception to Year 4.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Moon 🌕
2. City 🌆
3. Friendship 👫

“Maybe the moon, so high above,
Is shining on me and the friends I love.”

Eric feels like the luckiest boy in the world,
living in the forest with his animal friends for company.
When he moves to the city, Eric wonders if he can discover
happiness there, away from the homes he loves.

Review: From the moment I set eyes on this absolutely beautiful book, I knew it would be a good one. However I actually underestimated how good it would be. It’s unbelievably good.

Maybe the Moon is Frances’ debut picture book and wow, what a truly stunning book it is! The story was inspired by her own relocation of moving to London from the countryside, and the effects that this change in environment can have.

Each turn of the page is an absolute joy as Frances’ characterful, unique and completely wonderful illustrations coupled with her words that move you as much as the illustrations, ensure that is a treasure to read that gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling. The combination of its words, its message, its illustrations together make this everything a picture book should be.

I am already eagerly anticipating the next offering from Frances because maybe, just maybe, this is my favourite picture book this year. Mark my words, if you haven’t read Maybe the Moon you’re definitely missing out!

Big thanks to Alara and Michael O’Mara for inviting me to take part in the Maybe the Moon blog tour.

Mr E
📚

Maybe the Moon is now available to order online or from any good bookshop.

Be sure to check out the Maybe the Moon blog tour and other bloggers for more reviews of this beautiful book!

Blog Tour: Review: You’re Safe with Me – Chitra Soundar (Illustrated by Poonam Mistry) & Guest Post – Chitra Soundar

May 7, 2018May 7, 2018Leave a comment

‘Words and illustrations that are repetitively rich in prose, palette and pattern make this not only a soothing story but also a spectacle for the senses… it’s like mindfulness for younger readers meets The Jungle Book.’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: You’re Safe with Me
Author: Chitra Soundar (@csoundar)
Illustrator: Poonam Mistry (@pmistryartist)
Publisher: Lantana Publishing (@lantanapub)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 3rd May 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1911373292

Perfect for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Soothing 😊
2. Striking 😍
3. Spectacle 🌄

When the moon rises high and the stars twinkle, it is bedtime for the baby animals of the Indian forest. But tonight, when the skies turn dark and the night grows stormy, the little ones can’t sleep. SWISH-SWISH! CRACK-TRACK! FLASH-SNAP! goes the storm. Only Mama Elephant with her words of wisdom can reassure them. “You’re safe with me.”

The first line(s):

When the moon rose high and the stars twinkled, it was bedtime for baby animals. But that night, when the skies turned dark and the night grew stormy, the little ones couldn’t sleep.

Review:

The dark; the crack of a thunderstorm; the flash of lightning, the gust of the wind and the rush of the river will never be seen in the same way again after reading You’re Safe With Me. As the animals settle down for bedtime, the little ones find they cannot get off to sleep due to the strange noises around them and so it is only the words of wisdom whispered from Mama Elephant that can allay their deepest fears and hopefully help them to feel worry-free and drifting off in to the land of dreams.

The jungle landscape is so beautifully imagined through Poonam’s authentic, striking and tribal-traditional inspired illustrations that it makes this a complete spectacle for the senses. Weaved in so wonderfully and distinctively amongst Chitra’s words, they help to ensure it becomes a story that will stay long in the minds of its readers. Repetitively rich in prose, palette and pattern whilst echoing all the natural, earthy sounds and sights of the Indian forest, it’s like mindfulness for younger readers meets The Jungle Book.

With inclusions of animals that young children will be both familiar and unfamiliar with (a little monkey, a tiger cub, a loris and even a pangolin to name a few!) it’s the perfect introduction to the marvellously diverse wildlife that inhabits the tops of the trees and the floors of the forest.

Full of splendour, this is really a book that offers more with every turn of the page. Memories will no doubt be made reading this book; making this most definitely a story to share. A book that will captivate, comfort and calm children enough to send them soundly to sleep, in the best possible way and the way in which it was originally desired!

As if written as an ode to mother nature and seemingly alluding to one of life’s greatest morals and messages: knowledge is power. With a more reasoned understanding of the unknown, a different perspective can be thought about things. If children can choose to be passionately curious about the world around them rather than approach it with trepidation, the sense of fear becomes almost fought off and faced with a feeling of familiarity and fascination and ultimately fear becomes fearless.

Lantana should be really proud of this book belonging to their catalogue and as such, they are really making themselves one of the publishers to watch in 2018.

Big thanks to Katrina at Lantana Publishing for sending me a copy of this beautiful book and HUGE thanks to Chitra for inviting me to take part in her You’re Safe with Me blog tour!

You’re Safe with Me is available to order online or from any good bookshop.

Mr E
📚

Today I am also delighted to welcome author of You’re Safe With Me, Chitra Soundar to The Reader Teacher. Here, she shares with The Reader Teacher readers about exploring fear, facing the unknown and how this has been used to inspire the creation of You’re Safe With Me!

We all fear things. As teachers, parents and citizens of this world, we fear natural disasters, the neighbour’s annual summer barbecue and maybe the next Ofsted visit.

Often fear comes from the anticipation of facing the unknown. The creaking door is terrifying until you see who’s visiting. We anticipate and worry about things that might harm us because it’s unfamiliar and unknown to us.

A child that’s still discovering the world cannot and should not live in this fear. Because pretty much everything around him or her is new, unfamiliar and the unknown. Their fear comes from what they are often told rather than what they have learnt first-hand. “Don’t touch the fire, it will burn your fingers.” “Don’t walk backwards on an escalator, it terrifies me.”

As a 6 year old I’ve had first hand experiences of the thunderstorms and floods. Until I understood the fisherman’s forecast on the radio and figured out what a tropical storm was, it terrified me at night. It’s relentless downpour, the water-clogged streets, the power-cuts and the winds that pulled down trees – I feared the storms until I understood them.

As a storyteller, I realised that this fear of the unknown can only be tackled by knowledge. Understanding and interpreting the unfamiliar things makes us accept and respect the things we fear.

You’re Safe With Me is a story that shows you another perspective of a natural force that seems destructive. Are thunderstorms destructive or are they just a natural phenomenon? Can we live without rain and wind? Can we live without the rivers that swell in the floods? Can we avoid the lightning flashes?

So I decided to explain them and reinterpret them. A lightning shattering into stars might not be a scientific fact. But in my imagination that’s what happens. I can hear the groan of the clouds as she carries water and I thank the winds that bring seeds from faraway lands.

My hope is that children enjoy the story and revel in the fabulous illustrations. Then perhaps they would attempt to interpret things they fear using their imagination. How about the dark? What about the volcanoes? Are they afraid of a blizzard? Can they explain how these came to be? Or what they become after they have ravaged the land?Their active imaginations will not only find compassion for the elements they fear, but also find poetry in those moments. And there, your job as a teacher is done. You’ve shown them the way and they’d embrace the journey into life with imagination and empathy.

Chitra Soundar, author of You’re Safe with Me

Chitra Soundar is an Indian-born British writer and storyteller. She is inspired by the rich epics and folktales of India, its diverse culture and its natural beauty. She has over 30 books in print worldwide and has been published by Otter-Barry Books, Walker Books and Red Robin Books.

Blog Tour: Review: Nimesh the Adventurer – Ranjit Singh (Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini)

April 5, 2018April 5, 2018Leave a comment

‘Turning the ordinary in to the extraordinary… this book is a true visual delight that is sure to ignite the imaginations of both young and old taking them on a journey of their mind’s eye where there’s no end to the possibilities’.

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: Nimesh the Adventurer
Author: Ranjit Singh (@RanjittheAuthor)
Illustrator: Mehrdokht Amini (Website)
Publisher: Lantana Publishing (@lantanapub)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 5th April 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1911373247

Perfect for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Imaginative 💭
2. Extraordinary 😃
3. Heartening 💖

Nimesh is walking home from school.
Except…there happens to be a shark in the corridor.
And a dragon in the library!
And why would crossing the road lead to the North Pole?
In this fun-filled adventure, Nimesh is just walking from school… isn’t he?

The first line(s):

Hello Nimesh, is school over?
School? My friend, this is not a school! It’s an ancient cave, and shhhh!
Or you’ll wake…

Review: Join Nimesh on his otherwise ordinary walk home from school that soon becomes an astonishing adventure of amazement. Turning pretty ordinary objects, people and places in to the magnificent, the wonderful and the extraordinary, Nimesh becomes the adventurer he so wants to be.

To Nimesh, the world turns into the biggest blank canvas to his limitless imagination where dreaming can take him absolutely anywhere he wants to go.

It is a true visual delight that combines Mehrdokht’s illustrations and collage with Ranjit’s words in a way that is sure to ignite the imaginations of young and old and take them on a journey of their mind’s eye where there’s no end to the possibilities.

Recently, I attended an event where I had the pleasure of hearing triple laureates, Lauren Child (Waterstones’ UK Children’s Laureate); Casia William (Bardd Plant Cymru/Welsh-language Children’s Laureate) and Sophie McKeand (Young People’s Laureate of Wales) speak about inspiring a love of literature amongst children with a renewed sense of focus upon creativity and a time to dream.

Lauren referenced inspiration coming – as lots and lots of tiny fragments – from everywhere and everyone and that having that time to dream creatively makes those fragments come together and begin to collide, in her case to form the basis for a story. Otherwise those fragments and ideas lay dormant; untouched and unfulfilled. This is another reason why books like Nimesh the Adventurer that encourage imaginative and creative thinking are very much-needed, and, above all, so important to society.

I can really imagine children in class and at home losing themselves deep within these pages; allowing their imaginations to soar and dreaming big. It is the perfect story to share before home time, as every child will be wanting to recreate their own adventures on their way home after reading this. It will also take adult readers back to a carefree time where dreaming big was a natural, normal and daily occurrence and remind them that it so should still be. This would make a very worthy addition to any classroom or school library really encapsulating the power of awe, excitement and wonder all rolled in to one.

Imagination and curiosity is a fragile thing and should be nurtured, encouraged and inspired at each and every opportunity. So next time you’re out and about, ask your children in class and at home what do they see when they look at a classroom? A corridor? A road? A street? A park? A city? Or a line of trees? and see if they see things a little differently, like Nimesh, too! If they don’t, here’s your chance to use this book to open up a land of new opportunity to them!

With more books like this absolute gem to come, Lantana Publishing are certainly a publisher to watch as their catalogue grows and grows.

Big thanks to Katrina at Lantana Publishing for sending me a copy of this beautiful book and inviting me to take part in Nimesh the Adventurer’s blog tour!

You can imagine it because Nimesh the Adventurer is out today and available to order online or from any good bookshop.

Mr E
📚

Blog Tour: Review: Bear Child – Geoff Mead (Illustrated by Sanne Dufft) & Guest Post: The importance of sharing stories – Geoff Mead

March 18, 2018March 18, 2018Leave a comment

‘A heartfelt bear hug of a book that emulates itself in being the perfect bedtime story.’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: Bear Child
Author: Geoff Mead (@NarrativeLeader)
Illustrator (Cover): Sanne Dufft (@DufftSanne)
Publisher: Floris Books (@FlorisBooks)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 22nd February 2018
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1510102118

Perfect for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 & Year 3.

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Heartfelt 💗
2. Charming ☺️
3. Tender 🙂

‘Now that people live in towns
and bears live in the woods,
have you ever wondered
what happened to the bear folk?’

At bedtime Ursula asks Daddy to tell her the story of the bear folks special beings who can choose to be a bear or a person.

Bear folk are strong and clever, kind and caring.
They love to travel far and wide and eat apple pie.

They live among us, even if we don’t realise it.
Perhaps one day we’ll meet one.
Perhaps we already have…

The first line:

“Tell me about the bear folk, Daddy,”
said Ursula.

Today I am delighted that Geoff Mead joins The Reader Teacher, as part of his blog tour, to celebrate the publication of his beautiful new début picture book Bear Child, which is illustrated by Sanne Dufft and published by Floris Books.

Review: Bear Child is a lovingly illustrated and delightfully written picture book, showing a true, mutually creative collaboration between author and illustrator. The story is a bedtime tale told by a father to his daughter. The story is so beautiful and the illustrations complement this by capturing the tenderness, timelessness and warmth of the story perfectly. Written as a gift to Geoff’s late wife Chris and paying tribute to her ‘lifelong love of bears’ (especially of the teddy variety) and her ‘fiercely independent spirit’, it’s a heartfelt bear hug of a book that emulates itself in being the perfect bedtime story.

‘A heartfelt bear hug of a book that emulates itself in being the perfect bedtime story.’

Big thanks to Geoff for writing this fitting guest post and to CJ and Sarah at Floris Books for inviting me to take part in the #BearChild blog tour!

Mr E
📚

Bear Child is available to order online or from any good bookshop.

So it is with great pleasure that I now welcome Geoff Mead who, in his guest post below, will be talking about storytelling in the classroom and the importance of sharing stories…

The importance of sharing stories

The practical educational benefits of storytelling are well known: enhanced listening and
concentration; understanding causality and consequences; creativity and use of imagination; sharing and turn-taking; improved speech and writing, to name but a few. But stories and storytelling have other benefits too, like our personal and moral development.

From an early age, stories act on our imaginations. Stories shape who we believe ourselves to be, how we relate to others and how we make sense of the world. They are fundamental to how we think, feel and act. So, choosing the right stories to share with our children is critically important. We need to distinguish between stories that expand the human spirit and those that distort and constrain our potential.

Young children rely on us as parents and teachers to provide them with a diet of wholesome stories: ones like Bear Child that encourage self-belief and individuality; a generous and inclusive approach to others; and an ethic of responsibility and care for the human and more-than-human world.

I trained as a storyteller at the International School of Storytelling and now work with many kinds of audiences. I enjoy them all, but every time I tell stories to a room full of young children and see their eyes open wide with wonder, I’m reminded why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

Stories can be just for entertainment. But, they can also enable children to begin to consider bigger issues when they are mediated through the experiences of characters in a story, and held in the voice and gaze of a parent or beloved teacher. If the story is good enough, it will convey its ‘message’ perfectly well without the addition of a homily or moral; we don’t have to explain its meaning for our young listeners.

Whether you are reading from a book or telling a story you know, there are three sets of relationships that need attention. One is with your own emotions and sense of wonder so your listeners can connect fully with theirs. Another is the care and attention you pay to the cadences of language and how the unfolding story affects the characters within it. The third is maintaining your connection with your audience by the tone of your voice and by making eye contact.

Reading stories to children can be a wonderful adventure, but I do urge you to try telling stories as well. I don’t mean learning the words of a story by rote and repeating them, but coming to know a story so well that you can tell it in your own words. There’s a wonderful sense of immediacy and freedom when you take the short step from reading to telling a story in this way.

After all, why shouldn’t teachers have fun too?
Geoff Mead, author of Bear Child

————————————————————————————————————————

Who are the bear folk and what makes them special?

Bear Child is an inspirational story of parental love, belief and embracing individuality. This beautiful picture book weaves together Geoff Mead’s charming words with Sanne Dufft’s ethereal illustrations to create a truly timeless folktale.

Follow the rest of the #BearChild blog tour with Floris Books on Twitter and Instagram.

Review: Star in the Jar – Sam Hay (Illustrated by Sarah Massini)

February 19, 2018March 18, 2018Leave a comment

‘Incandescently, radiantly, resplendently brilliant!
It’s a dazzling delight that will truly shine on your bookshelf.
Full of feeling, friendship and fulfilment brought to life and beautifully realised with the finest of writing and illustrations.’

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Title: Star in the Jar
Author: Sam Hay (@samhayauthor)
Illustrator: Sarah Massini (@SarahMassini)
Publisher: Egmont (@EgmontUK)
Page count: 32
Date of publication: 11th January 2017
Series status: N/A
ISBN: 978-1405284301

Perfect for: Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 & Year 4

#3Words3Emojis:
1. Charming ☺️
2. Heart-warming 💝
3. Uplifting 🌟

Up high, in the dark, dark sky . . . a message: LOST, ONE SMALL STAR.

When a little boy stumbles across a special star, he puts it in a jar and takes it on adventures.

But the poor star misses its home…

Can the little boy and his big sister find a way to send the star safely back?

The first line:

My little brother likes looking for treasure.

Review: As soon as I opened this book and began to read, my eyes lit up and my heart warmed at the sight of these beautifully-drawn illustrations that help to really set itself apart from many of its contemporaries. This story is both preciously told in word and beautifully depicted in picture which combine to make it an absolute joy and pleasure to behold. Bringing plenty of warmth and light, it really does give us the little lift we all need!

Star in the Jar opens with both main characters playing within one of many of Sarah Massini’s richly distinctive, vivid and characterful double-page spreads.

Narrated through the eyes of his older sister, we start to see that her younger brother loves nothing more than to rummage through absolutely everything searching for all kinds of treasure (‘Tickly treasure… glittery treasure… even litter-bin treasure!’). One day, he finds himself a solitary star. However this is not just any star, this is a star so special he knows that it must indeed belong to someone else.

After tirelessly trying to track down who they think may be it’s proper owner, he keeps it safe enclosed within a jar and fondly befriends it by choosing to take it everywhere(!), in turn becoming increasingly attached to it.

Whilst marvelling at the night sky one evening, he realises the star is not quite as happy as he and so sets out to return it to its rightful home.

At first… slightly unconventionally.

And then with the bright ideas of his older sister…

But ultimately, does losing his star mean that he loses his friend too?

I am sure that this will be both a clear winner and a resounding success at story time. For children, parents & teachers alike will no doubt cherish this tale so much that they find themselves coming back to enjoy reading it time and time again. This story will keep putting a starry feeling in your heart and after reading this, children in your class and at home will be wishing for their own star in a jar.

One that I will be highly recommending to teachers and schools to share. Several schools that I visit utilise a praise system whereby pupils place a star in the jar for demonstrating positive behaviour and so this would definitely enhance and complement that practice.

An exceedingly enchanting story that encapsulates both the awe and wonder of the stars, the night sky and of the unique bond between siblings. So much so that I can really envisage this book being both a superb choice and a thoroughly rewarding experience for older children to read to their younger siblings.

Incandescently, radiantly, resplendently brilliant.
It’s a dazzling delight that will truly shine on your bookshelf.

Look, even Brian May agrees!

A huge thank you so much to Sam Hay for sending me an early copy of this stunning book. You’re a star! 💫

Star in the Jar is available to order now online or from any good bookshop.

Mr E
📚

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