Blog Tour: Bears Don’t Wear Shoes written and illustrated by Sharon Davey

Today I am delighted to join the blog tour for Bears Don’t Wear Shoes and welcome a guest post from author and illustrator Sharon Davey describing her creative process.

How to write character led stories by Sharon Davey.

Character led stories are at the heart of picture book making and perfect for young readers who like to know whose point of view they are following from the very first page.

For me, most stories start with a character sketch that makes me laugh. It could be a penguin stuck in a teapot or a leopard sunbathing. Now to write the rest of the story.

I use the who, what, where and want approach.

Who – Suzy – the only child in a family of parents and grandparents. Also affectionately known as Dearie and Little Lady. She’s bubbly and playful with the confidence that only another pre-schooler would understand.

What – she’s a natural negotiator and creative organiser. She likes biscuits, painting and colouring and dressing up. She doesn’t like waiting.

Where – she’s between houses and feeling pretty worried about that.

And then we give her a problem.

Want – she wants a friend. Someone to play with and to persuade into doing her favourite activities.

A popular picture book sequence is to create a character, give them a problem, make it worse, resolve and end with a twist.

When you start with a character rather than a theme or story idea your biggest challenge is often how to end the story.

I find it useful to work your way through the problem.

Problem-Suzy wants a friend,

Worse -Suzy’s new friend is not as cooperative as she would like, and they disagree.

Resolve -Suzy learns to compromise, she loves Mr. Bear (Even without the shoes)

Twist – Suzy now wants to find a friend for her friend, for when she’s at school so he doesn’t get lonely.

If you create a super appealing character and are looking for a story to write around them try keeping it simple and following the problem all the way to the end.

Thank you so much Sharon for the insight into your writing process and for the use of your beautiful illustrations. I absolutely adored this book with its vibrant colours, lively protagonist and message of acceptance. It recognises a situation which raises anxieties in many children; will they find a friend as they start or change nursery, pre-school or school and resolves the problem with humour and empathy. Suzy is a delightfully appealing character and her interactions with Mr Bear reveal so much about their personalities. I particularly love the scene above where she is interviewing him for the position of best friend with all the confidence of a pre-schooler who has got their hands on a clip-board!

For me, this book had echoes of two classic picture books, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Not Now Bernard; I heartily recommend that you add this to your picture book collection where I am sure it will be much loved by children from 3-6 and any adults with whom they share it!

I am grateful to New Frontier Publishing UK for inviting me to join this blog tour and for providing me with a review copy of Bears Don’t Wear Shoes, and to Sharon Davey for the guest post and artwork. Do read the other posts by a wonderful selection of book review bloggers on the tour throughout this week.

#MGTakesOnThursday: Diagnosis Danger by Roopa Farooki

Image created by @MarySimms72 and used with permission.

This is a weekly meme started and hosted by @marysimms72 on her brilliant Book Craic blog which I urge you to read. Also, please check out all the other posts and Tweets with the #MGTakesOnThursday tag, you will be sure to find many fantastic recommendations!

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Cover art by Mike Lowery, published by Oxford University Press

Author: Roopa Farooki

Illustrator: Mike Lowery

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

‘ Where’s all your stuff?’ asked Jay, noticing that the girls didn’t have the regulation burst-to-the-seams plastic bags.

This book in three words: Twins – Trouble – Deception

The double detectives are back and ready to take you on a second heart-stopping, life-or-death medical mystery!

Diagnosis Danger begins two weeks after the end of Tulip and Ali’s first mystery, The Cure for a Crime; you could read this book as a standalone but I would recommend that you read the books in order to fully appreciate the story.

When Ali and Tulip are around adventure is sure to follow and this book plunges you straight into the drama from the moment you open the cover. At first it is just Ali losing her cool as the girls walk home from school with neighbouring twins Jay and Zac. She has been looking forward to her first ever overseas holiday during half-term, but their hard-working, brain surgeon mother phones to cancel the trip at the last minute due to work pressures. The quote from page 11 illustrates the contrast in the family lives of both sets of twins: Jay and Zac are fed home-cooked, vegetarian, gluten-free meals by parents who treasure every cardboard creation, whilst Tulip and Ali live on fast food and don’t bother bringing art projects home because their mum is constantly working or exhausted. As Ali stamps and shouts her displeasure and Tulip, aided by Zac and Jay, tries to calm her, rescue in the shape of their friend Momo’s minicab arrives on the scene.

However, before you can utter the words popliteal artery, Momo is stabbed by a heavily disguised passenger as she exits his cab. Ali and Tulip jump into action with the medical knowledge they have assimilated and stop the bleeding from his leg, accompanying Momo to Accident and Emergency at their mum’s hospital. After some funny banter between their mum and a vascular surgeon (electricians versus plumbers) they are eventually collected by their wonderful Nan-Nan, my favourite character in this series, a former secret service operative who has lost both of her legs at some point in her colourful career. Nan-Nan is now a member of an undercover operation known as SWAT (Senior Water Aerobics Team) and clearly has suspicions about who the disguised assailant might be. She declares her intention to take the girls away for half-term …although the destination is rather less glamorous than her grand-daughters hoped for.

Rounding up their feral cat Witch, they head to Catty’s Cattery, supposedly a luxury hotel for feline guests which turns out to be a rundown, dilapidated holiday camp, full of extremely ill pensioners who are fed on out-of-date junk food. Nan-Nan has recruited her smart, wisecracking pair of juvenile detectives to join her on an undercover investigation into the mysterious cash injections being received by the deeply unpleasant owner of this establishment.

This story rattles along at a frantic pace with the fast-talking twins, their irrepressible grandmother and loyal friends sifting through the clues to unearth the sinister criminal activities at Catty’s Cattery. Along the way, author Roopa Farooki ( a real-life doctor) cleverly highlights the plight of many elderly people who cannot afford the costs of care in their old age and may be open to abuse and neglect. I also admire this book for presenting a positive portrayal of a wheelchair user; Nan-Nan’s can-do attitude is laced with humour and bravery. Tulip and Ali are dynamic and inspiring tween characters and the Mini-Medix Blog appendix to the story provides unique scientific and medical content. If you are looking for an entertaining and educational MG Mystery for children of 10+ who love science then make an appointment with a Double Detectives Medical Mystery!

I am most grateful to Oxford University Press for providing my review copy of this book.

Review: The Awesome Power of Sleep: How Sleep Supercharges Your Teenage Brain written by Nicola Morgan

Cover illustration by Thy Bui, published by Walker Books

We spend, on average, one third of our lives asleep! However, most of us give very little thought to this process until it causes us problems. This wonderfully informative book, written by award-winning author Nicola Morgan, explains with perfect clarity the science of sleep and presents workable strategies to help achieve our 7-9 hours per night.

The book begins by taking us on a journey through the science of sleep, explaining sleep architecture, the physiology of the sleeping brain and current scientific theories about the reason for sleep. You will learn about the 2012 explanation of the glymphatic system, circadian rhythms and the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus – don’t be put off by the vocabulary it is all explained thoroughly. The changes that take place during the teenage years are addressed in a reassuring manner so that teenage readers will recognise and be able to deal with sleep issues they may be experiencing. The author is very careful to explain which issues may require a consultation with a GP. With the change in all of our life styles caused by the shutdown of our normal social interactions it is a highly appropriate time for this book to be published as the many enforced hours inside our houses have probably caused a greater disruption to sleep patterns than at any time in recent memory.

After explaining the necessity of sufficient sleep for good mental health, for learning and exams which are obviously an incredibly important aspect of teenage life, through to explaining the current theories about dreaming, Nicola Morgan never patronises her readership. Instead, she explains complex scientific content with great clarity, precision and reassurance.

The final chapters of the book introduce strategies to aid readers to achieve the desired number of hours of nightly sleep. This includes improving the physical environment of bedrooms, useful strategies for the evening wind-down routine, advice about screen-usage and when to turn off your devices, and strategies to use during periods of wakefulness in the night.

Nicola Morgan is clearly an author who knows her teenage audience extremely well. The inclusion of self-test quizzes and checklists throughout the chapters make this an engaging and interactive read, ensuring that the information is processed and absorbed to consolidate its usefulness. As someone who reads many academic papers as part of my day-job, I highly applaud her ability to distil advanced scientific evidence and theories into such a readable and engaging format.

All of the information presented in this book is backed up by evidence-based science and there is a comprehensive list of resources at the end of the book providing links to reliable sources of further scientific and health-based information. I am passionate about the provision of reliable health-related content to individuals and will be adding this book to my recommended reading list for a project I am working on. Although it has been aimed at teenagers, I would encourage parents of teenagers and indeed any adult with sleep-related concerns to read it.

Another aspect I loved about this book is that the author makes it quite clear when the science is inexact and points out that there may be different schools of thought about particular issues. I think it is really important for young readers to understand that science is constantly developing and testing new ideas and that often there is not an exact answer and instead we have to critically analyse the current evidence and make educated choices.

I am most grateful to NetGalley and Walker Books for approving my request to read The Awesome Power of Sleep: How Sleep Supercharges Your Teenage Brain.

Picture Book Review: Into the Wild written by Robert Vescio, illustrated by Mel Armstrong

Illustrated by Mel Armstrong, Published by New Frontier Publishing UK

Into the Wild written by Robert Vescio and illustrated by Mel Armstrong is an absolutely joyful book to share with young children as it follows the adventurous wanderings of a young boy named Roman. It celebrates the wonder of nature and the comfort of finding someone special to share your precious moments with.

The illustrations by Mel Armstrong are beautifully rendered in all the vibrant colours of nature. The expressions on the young protagonist’s face completely capture the absorption displayed by children as they witness the marvels of the natural world.

This book is beautifully designed, with some pages having multiple illustrated panels, encouraging your eyes to naturally follow Roman on his expeditions through the woods, fields and shoreline surrounding his house. The minimal text by Robert Vescio is very simple, often just a few words per double page spread and in my opinion they are in poetic harmony with the pictures, projecting the story whilst leaving plenty of space for discussion between adult and child readers.

As we progress through Roman’s journey of discovery, we glimpse the tantalising fluttering colours of something just to the edge of his vision and when Roman finally discovers the owner of the coloured scarf we share his joy at finding a soulmate with whom he can share nature’s treasures.

This is an utterly beautiful book which I would highly recommend for sharing with any child from the age of 2 to 6. Not only are the text and illustrations completely absorbing, it is one of those picture books which will stimulate hours and hours of conversation and inspiration to get outside and investigate the plants, insects, birds and animals to be found wherever you live. It is so important for younger children to have access to books which will help them build the hinterland of vocabulary and knowledge needed for learning and I strongly encourage you to add Into the Wild to your bookshelf or library collection.

You can find teaching notes and activity sheets linked to Into the Wild here.

I am most grateful to New Frontier Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you wish to explore other books by this author and illustrator you can read my reviews of Under the Same Sky by Robert Vescio here and A Home for Luna illustrated by Mel Armstrong here.

#MGTakesOnThursday: The Perfect Parent Project by Stewart Foster

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Author: Stewart Foster

Illustrator: Unfortunately this information is not available on my electronic copy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ It’s good to have a friend. They make you feel like you belong, and they understand how you feel “.

This book in three words: Family – Friendship – Belonging

This week I have chosen a book which was published on the day that this year’s #ReadForEmpathy booklists were published by the wonderful organisation Empathy Lab. The Perfect Parent Project is a book full of warmth and insight which made me stop and think deeply about the emotions and experiences of foster children. I have read that author Stewart Foster has drawn on his own experience as a foster parent to write this story which I think deserves to be on everyone’s reading list to promote empathy.

Sam “small c, big c” McCann yearns for perfect parents. Parents who will give him real hugs, drive him to school in a BMW M5 and take him on holiday to Disneyland! You see, Sam is a foster child and has lived with eleven different foster families since he was handed over to the agency by his mother when she was no longer able to cope with looking after him.

In this first person narrative, Stewart Foster gives readers a heart-breaking and heart-warming insight into the lives of foster children and foster families through the immensely loveable character of Sam. The protagonists are written with such authority and authenticity that you are entirely swept up in Sam’s quest to find a family and a home in which he will belong; a home where his photo will be included amongst the family portraits, where he will be given a door key, and he won’t be sent to a respite centre whilst the foster family have a holiday.

Unfortunately his experiences to date have left him with no desire to make friends or get involved with school activities and a reluctance to trust adults, as he lives with the expectation of moving homes and schools just as he starts to feel settled anywhere. He currently has one close friend, Leah, who has remembered him from his brief attendance at her primary school and together they devise a scheme to find Sam a new home – the Perfect Parent Project! This involves the delivery of hundreds of printed leaflets to sufficiently up-market houses, based on Sam’s rather materialistic criteria for the ideal parents!

As the quest develops, Sam becomes more deeply entangled in a web of deceit which drives a wedge between him and his caring foster family, threatens his friendship with Leah and puts his involvement in the school production of Bugsy Malone in jeopardy.

This is a deeply moving and thought-provoking book and the story is told with such balance and nuance that you empathise with all parties: Sam; Leah having to deal with her own family break-up; as well as with Sam’s foster parents; and Reilly his adorable six-year-old foster brother. The author skilfully takes young readers on Sam’s journey of realisation that perfect families are those who care for each other, spend time together, encourage each other, and create a sense of belonging.

After Sam is returned home by a police officer at one point in the story, he explains:

“ She didn’t know what it’s like to want something so much that you ache forever inside”.

This is one of many memorable moments in The Perfect Parent Project that I know will remain in my heart. Others include the image of Reilly, leaning down from the top bunk bed to chat every evening causing Sam to nick-name him “the jellyfish” and the point when Sam stops referring to his foster parents as Reilly’s mum and dad. I often feel that we can learn so much about acceptance from young children and in the character of Reilly we are given a true lesson in what it means to accept someone for who they are – I am determined to “be more Reilly” after reading this wonderful story.

I am most grateful to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me access to an eARC of The Perfect Parent Project. It is now available to purchase and I highly recommend it to anyone of 9+.

#MGTakesOnThursday: The Ghost Garden by Emma Carroll, illustrated by Kaja Kajfež

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Cover art by Kaja Kajfež, published by Barrington Stoke

Author: Emma Carroll

Illustrator: Kaja Kajfež

Publisher: Barrington Stoke

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ Who’d hit their brother so hard as to break his leg, eh?”

This book in three words: Friendship – Prescience – Upheaval

A new book from “the Queen of Historical fiction” Emma Carroll is always worth celebrating and I was delighted to find that one of my favourite authors had been commissioned to write for dyslexia-friendly publisher Barrington Stoke. Readers who have followed my blog will know that I am passionate about books that encourage dyslexic readers. I was first introduced to the publisher Barrington Stoke by a marvellous specialist dyslexia tutor who worked with one of my own children many years ago. I am so pleased that they now publish books by highly regarded children’s authors so that dyslexic children can benefit from reading the wonderful fiction that these authors produce; not feel any sense of stigma that they are reading “different” books; and be given a gateway to perhaps tackling longer books or possibly listening to audiobooks by the best writers for children.

This novella is set in the summer of 1914, before the outbreak of the First World War and although not a first person narrative, it is very much told from the point of view of Fran, daughter to the head gardener of a fine country property named Longbarrow House, owned by Mrs Walker. Emma Carroll has the extraordinary ability to capture the essence of her protagonist’s personalities in a few lines of dialogue and you soon realise that Fran is a curious mixture of no-nonsense, hardworking, emotionally-intelligent working class child who has an imaginative side which is open to the possibility of ghostly occurrences. She feels inferior to the noisy, fussy, rich grandchildren who arrive from their boarding schools for the summer holidays preferring to keep out of their way and avoid the teasing of the young twins and the superior attitude of Leo, the eldest.

However, when Leo’s leg is badly broken by a cricket bat and Fran finds herself assigned to be his companion for the summer, an unlikely friendship and some supernatural manifestations develop. The illustrations by Kaja Kajfež throughout the book not only give readers a chance to pause but also add to the spooky atmosphere.

Despite writing a short book, which gives less confident readers the optimum chance to finish it and feel the accompanying sense of achievement, Emma Carroll has crafted a perfect treasure of a story. The tension mounts throughout the narrative as Fran and Leo investigate the archaeological landscape whilst rumours of impending war swirl in the background. The depicted change in normal social relationships predicts the upheaval and change about to be inflicted on the norms of society by the declaration of war with Germany. I would highly recommend this story to all readers of 9+ and for those who are discovering Emma Carroll for the first time and perhaps want to try something slightly more challenging next, I would suggest Skychasers, The Snow Sister, her book of short stories When We Were Warriors before moving onto Letters from the Lighthouse, Secrets of A Sun King and my all-time favourite Strange Star.

Finally, I would just like to give a shoutout to The Rocketship Bookshop from whom I was able to purchase a signed copy of this book. It is so vital that we bookworms do our best to support independent bookshops to help them survive in these uncertain times. I usually try to buy books from an independent bookshop in my own town, but as my daughter owns all of Emma’s books in signed format I was desperate to continue adding to her collection. Not only did this lovely bookseller supply me with the perfect copy, they also wrapped it beautifully as you can see from the picture above! (I am not an affiliate of this bookshop, I just want to give praise where it is due.)

#MGTakesOnThursday: Murder on the Safari Star written by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Cover image by Elisa Paganelli, published by Macmillan Children’s Books on 4th February 2021

Authors: M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman

Illustrator: Elisa Paganelli

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ Would you like us to arrange a crime for you to solve on board?”

This book in three words: Safari – Murder – Family

Murder on the Safari Star is about to steam onto the shelves of your local bookseller or library so get hold of a copy and book your ticket for the adventure of a lifetime.

This is the third in the Adventures on Trains series from the writing partnership of MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman; I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all three and this is my favourite so far! The combination of the stunning southern African setting, the nods to Agatha Christie plots and the astounding artwork throughout the book all added to my immersion in the adventure and enjoyment of this book.

For those of you who haven’t read The Highland Falcon Thief or Kidnap on the California Comet, the series features Nathaniel Bradshaw (Uncle Nat) a widely respected travel writer and his nephew Harrison (Hal) who has an incredible talent for art, swiftly capturing scenes in his ever-present sketchbook, which help him analyse his observations and detect crimes.

This time around Uncle Nat has invited Hal to accompany him on a journey from Pretoria in South Africa to the Victoria Falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Hal gets to see the wildlife that he was hoping to sketch, some of it at rather closer quarters than he anticipated…and once more finds himself unweaving a web of intrigue.

Before the journey even begins Hal spies a suspicious exchange of money between railway owner Luther Ackerman and a stranger, and from that moment the reader is caught up in Hal’s mission to spot clues and inconsistencies in his interactions with the glorious cast of fellow travellers. These include tweedy, novellist Beryl Brash, handsome actor Patrice Mbatha, entrepreneur and women’s rights activist Portia Ramaboa, a devoted Japanese couple Dr and Mrs Sasaki, a retired South African police detective Erik Lovejoy and a super-rich American family. When the deeply unpopular, brash, bullying billionaire Mervyn Crosby is found dead in his luxury cabin, everyone falls under suspicion and Hal discovers that murder is not the only crime aboard his latest train journey.

I am a huge fan of mystery novels and this series has swiftly become one of my favourites. Hal is such a likeable character, he is shy and quiet but his remarkable observation skills and talent for art help him organise his thoughts and spot details missed by adults. The books brilliantly incorporate Hal’s sketches, with the actual artwork being expertly rendered by awesome illustrator Elisa Paganelli. Whenever Hal sets off on a journey he makes friends who become allies in his crime-solving activities, in this case it is Winston Tsotsobe and his cute yellow mongoose Chipo, he has joined the train with his mother Liana, a zoologist and safari guide. As children are swept along in the adventure they just can’t help absorbing knowledge of geography, the natural world and conservation which I consider to be a great way to learn. There is also an interesting theme of “family” in this story and the way that families shape us and our behaviour which I think could lead to some interesting discussions with upper Key Stage 2 children.

While we are once again stuck at home I highly recommend taking a journey aboard the Safari Star to anyone of 8+.

I am most grateful to publisher Macmillan Children’s Books and NetGalley for allowing me access to the eARC of Murder on the Safari Star, the book will be published on 4th February 2021.

AudioBook Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Finding myself unable to read for a couple of days following minor eye surgery, I decided to fill the void by listening to this debut novel by Richard Osman…and it was the perfect prescription for an enjoyable recovery!

I have been a fan of “cosy murder mysteries” since discovering a cupboard full of Agatha Christie novels on a family holiday when I was 12/13. I love the puzzle-solving element as you try to sift the clues from the red herrings and the satisfying resolution when order is restored and the perpetrators are brought to justice. Richard Osman has elegantly constructed his murder mystery to satisfy all the standard conventions and has done so with panache and an ear for the speech patterns of elderly women which compares to the genius of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads!

His setting of an upmarket retirement village is inspired and his cast of characters with their fascinating range of backgrounds is wonderfully crafted. From Elizabeth, the poised and precise leader of the Thursday Murder Club, the possessor of a list of contacts so extensive that we have to assume she worked for the secret services, to firebrand “Red Ron” in his shorts and West Ham shirt, the protagonists are written with skill and a genuine feeling of warm-heartedness. This feel-good factor greatly added to my enjoyment of the story, it felt as if the author was really searching for the good in all his characters and whilst featuring heinous crimes, the motives were apparent and believable. I really don’t want to reveal too much about the plot for fear of ruining anyone’s enjoyment, but The Thursday Murder Club’s transition from researching cold cases to investigating a murder within their own community is thoroughly enjoyable.

I have to also commend the narration by Lesley Manville in this Audible audio book, her impressive range of voices and accents greatly added to my delight in this story. I have so often had to stop listening to audiobooks due to the choice of narrator, but in this case the narration brilliantly enhances the story.

In summary, a very impressive debut from Richard Osman and I am certainly looking forward to the follow-up which I believe is due later this year.

#MGTakesOnThursday: The Closest Thing To Flying written by Gill Lewis

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

Write three words to describe the book

Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

One of the many reasons that I love this meme created by Mary Rees is that it presents the opportunity to revisit great books published in previous years, which can so easily be overlooked as blogs generally focus on new releases. This week I am looking at a book first published in 2019, which presents a perfect combination of historical fiction and present day refugee story, The Closest Thing to Flying.

Cover image by Paola Escobar, published by OUP Children’s Books

Author: Gill Lewis

Illustrator: Paola Escobar

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Favourite sentence from Page 11:

“ The ink had bled into the cloth, but Semira could read the words, The Feather Diaries.”

This book in three words: Courage – Kindness – Empowerment

This beautifully written novel combines the story of Henrietta the twelve-year-old daughter of a wealthy feather merchant in Victorian London with the modern day experience of Semira, a twelve year-old refugee from Eritrea as she tries to find a better life for herself and her mother in London. Such is the skill of Gill Lewis, that she has crafted a powerful and deeply moving story which has remained with me long after first reading it.

The tale opens with Semira impulsively buying an old-fashioned hat, along with its accompanying hatbox, from a London street market when the bird ornamenting the hat elicits a deep-seated memory. Closer inspection of her purchase back “home” in the single room she shares with her mother in a house run by Robel, a people-trafficker, reveals the bird to be a real stuffed specimen and the discovery of the diary written by Henrietta Waterman in the 1890s, referred to in the quote from page 11 above.

Hen’s diary unfurls a story of escape from the confines of Victorian society’s expectations of female behaviour as Hen is taken under the wing of her rebellious Aunt Katherine (Kitty) and becomes involved in the women’s suffrage movement and the foundation of the RSPB. Her realisation of the horrors inflicted by her father as he exploits wildlife for profit reveal the provenance of the Abyssinian lovebird on the hat, and her courage in breaking with etiquette in order to ride a bicycle both help to embolden Semira.

Meanwhile, Semira has to face another new school and the continued agony of seeing her noble mother isolated and controlled by Robel. This aspect of the story is written very sensitively so that children of 10+ can understand what it must feel like to go without food, not be allowed access to the internet and have your life completely controlled by someone, without the details ever becoming too overwhelming for this age group. Older readers will be able to infer much more, such is the perfection of the writing.

The school setting provides some lovely additional characters. Holly and Chloe, on the surface the sort of “cool” girls that Semira would usually avoid, are the two buddies who show her the ropes and develop into kind friends, and Patrick who is bullied for being different and is a fellow lunchtime “library refugee”. As the friendship with Patrick develops and the recognition that he and his mother had to flee from the imprisonment of domestic abuse (again handled very sensitively), an escape route beckons for Semira and her mother.

I love the structure of the story with chapters alternating between Semira’s struggles in modern day London and extracts from Henrietta’s diary, which emboldens Semira to take action against her predicament. Throughout, the motif of the caged bird, plucked from its homeland and exploited by greedy capitalists is used to great effect, as is cycling as a metaphor for flying free from the shackles in which some people are trapped.

I think this is one of the finest examples of a story which is both an incredibly satisfying and enjoyable read as well as providing so many lessons in empathy without ever seeming sanctimonious. It places you in the shoes of others for a short time and helps you understand the hardships they suffer and also demonstrates how the recognition of the suffering of others followed by kindness and mentoring, can make such a huge difference to individual lives. This is certainly a book which should be available in every school or upper KS2 classroom library.

Numeric Non-fiction: Counting on Katherine and The Language of the Universe

I realise that I don’t review enough non-fiction titles on my blog, so this is something I aim to remedy during 2021. I am starting with two very different but exceptionally enjoyable books which bring the beauty of maths to the attention of primary school-aged children.

Counting on Katherine written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

Cover image by Dow Phumiruk, published by Macmillan Children’s Books

This inspiring, authorised biography is perfectly suited to a primary school readership as it recounts the story of Katherine Johnson; a pioneer in mathematics, in the space program and in showing that women and black women deserved to be treated equally to men.

It starts with Katherine’s childhood, where her burning desire for knowledge was matched by her outstanding intellect. The support of her family is made clear as her father worked night and day to be able to afford to move his family to a town which had a high school for black students. It is so important for children today to understand the struggles for racial equality that previous generations had to face to ensure that everyone is given a fair chance in society.

As Katherine’s career progressed from maths teacher, to “human computer” at NASA, to being the mathematician who precisely calculated the trajectories of space-ship flight paths, this book highlights her constant refrain of “Count on me!”

I love that the author chooses to highlight Katherine Johnson’s diligence, determination and the satisfaction she found in complex mathematics. Her contributions to the space programme were so incredibly inspirational but the author points out that Katherine herself always insisted that she did not deserve attention as it was always a team effort. The text throughout the book is always easy to understand and is wonderfully illustrated on every page by Dow Phumiruk; the artwork really does bring the mathematics to life and wonderfully highlights Katherine Johnson’s commitment to her work.

This is a wonderful addition to any school’s library collection, providing inspiration for young mathematicians and scientists as well as representing the role of black women in the space program, which until recently had not been given the acknowledgement that these incredible STEM pioneers deserved.

The Language of the Universe written by Colin Stuart, illustrated by Ximo Abadia

Cover image by Ximo Abadia, published by Big Picture Press

This big format book sets out to highlight the beauty of mathematics and its universal nature, from being the language that everyone can understand no matter what their nationality, to its application to everything we know on our planet and beyond. It is divided into four sections: maths in the natural world; physics, chemistry and engineering; space and technology. The text is presented in short blocks, making use of different fonts and sizes to emphasise key words and always written in language that is easy to understand. The illustrations on brightly coloured backgrounds do a brilliant job of aiding the understanding of the mathematical concepts being described.

I highly recommend this book to all home, classroom and school libraries to help children understand the practical applications of maths and the examples of its manifestations in the natural world. For example, I love the way that the usefulness of prime numbers is explained in relation to their occurrence in the life-cycle of cicadas and their use in cryptography for online security.

As well as describing mathematical phenomena, this book also highlights some of the outstanding mathematicians who have made observations and constructed formulae and mathematical laws throughout history. It ends with pointing out the current and future developments in which maths will play a crucial role, thus inspiring a future generation of mathematical thinkers. It truly is an engrossing, enjoyable and informative volume which will reward readers with an enhanced understanding of the elegance and application of maths. I spent an afternoon studying it and could easily have spend much longer if I’d had time, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone of age 8+.