Learning & Development: Book choice
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
- The Baby in the Hat written by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Andre Amstutz
Walker Books, hardback, £10.99
An epic journey begins when a young boy rescues a falling baby by catching her in his hat. He uses his reward money to sail off round the world, making his fortune along the way. When he returns home, he finds that the baby has grown up into a beautiful woman. They fall in love, marry, and have a baby of their own (who on the last page is seen falling through the air and about to be caught in a hat!)
'It's true!' insists the narrator. A likely story? A real-life fairy tale? Ask the children.
- The Story Blanket by Ferida Wolff and Harriet may Savitz, illustrated by Elena Odriozola
Andersen Press, hardback, £10.99
Babba Zarrah has a beautiful woollen blanket, which the children love to sit on to listen to her stories. When she realises her neighbours need new clothes, she unravels her story blanket in secret in order to knit them the things they need. Soon there is no blanket left, but when the villagers discover her secret, they devise a way for Babba to knit another.
- What is This? by Antje Damm
Frances Lincoln, hardback, £9.99
What is this? A ball of wool? Turn the page and see it transformed into a sheep. The format continues to the end - a slice of bread becomes a mouse, buttons become the noses on four little pigs, a cone becomes a squirrel. Children will love guessing, then recalling, how the objects have been transformed.
- 10 things I can do to help my world by Melanie Walsh
Walker Books, £9.99
Bold illustrations and simple messages for children about how they can improve the world around them: feed the birds in winter, turn the TV off at the wall, recycle, walk to school ...
