Learning & development: Book choice
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
THE TROUBLE WITH DRAGONS
by Debi Gliori
Bloomsbury Children's Books, hardback, £10.99
Dragons multiply and spread 'all over the place', leaving in their wake a mess, with the forests chopped down, the sea levels rising and the atmosphere punctured with big holes. But the prospect of a world without wildlife prompts the dragons to heed the advice of the other animals to 'respect all Earth's creatures and cherish the land, recycle, reuse and reduce your demands'. Climate change, pollution, waste and the world's finite resources are all tackled in this engaging book that seeks to remind readers young (and old) of the beauty of the world and the urgent need to preserve it.
LITTLE GOOSE GOES OUT OF STEP
by Jean-Francois Dumont
Zero to Ten, paperback, £5.99
Newcomer Zita struggles to march in time with the rest of the geese as they make their way down to the pond, and gets sent back home. But while leader Igor may object to the irregular rhythm of Zita's step, the other birds and animals love it and add their own sounds to create a rhythm that leaves everyone dancing. Sweet story with great use of onomatopoeic language.
PURRFECT!
by Sarah Nash and Pamela Venus
Tiger loses his stripes in the washing machine, and so Tyrone works his way round his family members looking for ideas about how to restore Tiger's stripes. In the end, Nana offers the best solution - knit him a stripy suit!
DOGS
by Emily Gravett
Macmillan Children's Books, hardback, £10.99
Stroppy and soppy, stripy and spotty, scruffy and smart... Dogs of every shape, size and colour bound through the pages of this charming tribute to man's best friend. This book features wonderful pencil and watercolour illustrations and has a twist in the tail - the narrator is a cat!
BIG EYES, SCARY VOICE
written by Edel Wignell, illustrated by Carl Pearce
Tamarind, paperback, £5.99
The sun is setting when Tania and Josh hear a scary voice echo through the park. They go in search of what turns out to be an owl with eyes as scary as its hoot. The children flee in terror but are persuaded by their mum to return to have a closer look at the 'feathery thing' and its two chicks. A simple story, but the descending darkness and park attractions, such as the fountain with an illuminated lion's head, give it great depth.
