Dig Dig Dinosaur
By Anjali Goswami and Maggie Li
Nosy Crow
July 2024, pp36, £7.99
ISBN: 9781805132042
Reading age: 3-6 years
Join three little explores as they go off on an adventure to dig for something really, really big! Readers will be enthralled by this fossil-hunting exploration. Each section contains die-cut holes and spotting activities, which lead on to reveals of both the skeletal version (as found by palaeontologists), as well as what the dinosaur was like when alive. Basic facts accompany the latter that help to build simple vocabulary and support an understanding of what these creatures were like – introducing readers to basic palaeontology.
Clearly delineated nouns alongside simple illustrations make this book accessible for even weaker readers. It will also be a useful tool to support discussions around shape, size, colour and identifying similarities and differences.
Readers will love to uncover the huge fold-out surprise at the end, which can be used to introduce simple maths topics (such as scale) and support an understanding of how varied these dinosaurs were. A lovely fun, fossil-hunting book that will get much use in settings.
Zahra's Blessing: A Ramadan Story
By Shirin Shamsi
Illustrated by Manal Miraza
Barefoot Books
March 2022, pp32, £7.99
ISBN: 9781646864942
Reading age: 4+ years
This is a delightful story full of warmth, courage and the importance of giving, all set within Ramadan. Readers follow Zahra, who is longing for a baby sister, and her family throughout this season as they observe the customs and practices of Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr.
Zahra goes with her mother who volunteers at a local shelter, and there they meet Haleema. Zahra looses her beloved teddy bear, and this is used as a symbol to show readers how people in shelters have lost much more.
Other big themes explored include fostering and seeking asylum, which are gently handled through the innocent eyes of Zahra, making them accessible and understandable to young readers.
Despite being a fictional story, readers learn much about Ramadan and the principles of giving to others, praying, fasting and the blessings that return as a result.
The final double page contains further information about different themes covered by the story, which will be ideal for stronger readers.
Time for Tea: A First Book of Cookery
By Shirley Hughes
Walker Books
September 2024, pp61, £8.99
ISBN: 9781529504002
Reading age: 3-9 years
A lovely reprint, this is a collection of easy-to-read recipes, perfect for use with young children.
Themed around everyday family adventures, each section contains a short narrative text before the recipes. Examples include Car Rides, People in the Pond, Happy Birthday Mum, and Saturday Shopping to name just a few. This structure allows readers to perfectly dip in and out depending on what they would like to explore and discover.
The Old Bones section with the Dinosaur Crunchies recipe is my favourite and shows how versatile these recipes are, able to support a wide range of the EYFS areas.
Lovely classic illustrations accompany each section. On first glance, final images of what is being cooked are missing; however, this is perfect for less confident cooks who may become frustrated if their creations don't match such images.
This book really supports a mindful introduction to cooking, where young readers can revel in the process. A lovely versatile book for one-to-one and group settings.
