I really enjoyed this little book.

I’m trying to widen the kinds of novels I read as I’m drawn mainly to fantasy. So when I saw this story about a young boy with behavioural issues who is taken to a ‘Wild School’ in the hopes that he could be reached, I thought it might be a nice change.

I was correct in one sense: it was very nice! The characters were relatable and well built, especially the narrator Niilo. I saw myself reflected in the character, even though I have had almost the exact opposite issues than him. I could really understand through his narrative how I could be drawn do do the things he did, and that was immensely helpful from the perspective of a trainee teacher.
The writing style was very child friendly and although first person style is usually a pet peeve of mine, I found that the author really manipulated it well.

However! I still didn’t escape the fantasy genre all together.
The book is based around the mythology and ancestry of the Sami people of Lapland. And the great number of links to folk lore, mythology and magic had me very happy.

I found the book a lovely mix of both reality and fantasy, and the pace I read at really showed my how much I wanted to just keep reading about Niilo’s journey and uncover the secrets he held within himself.

The story of a young boy during the Middle Stone Age, thrown into a journey he didn’t want, in order to discover who he really is and why he can talk to a wolf.

This book is the first of a series and is set up perfectly for that. The story rounds off the quest well, but also leaves enough space for the next book without the usual suddenly imposed cliffhanger. Throughout the last few chapters, it is gently eased into the story that finishing this quest will not mean the end of his journey, but simply an great first achievement along the way.

The book is wonderfully gripping. Although I didn’t get into the setting as much as I had hoped, I still needed to know what would happen. The rise and fall of tension and humour was perfectly handled, with great chapters that centred around the immediate danger, full of edge-of-seat action, and the mysterious backstory, that pulled the reader into the prophecy itself.

The small sections of narrative by Wolf were my favourite! The voice the author managed to establish for a magical young cub was endearing and well thought through. He quickly became a favourite character and although I won’t spoil the ending, the relationship I had with Wolf is definitely one of the most important parts of why the ending worked so well for me.

I would definitely recommend this book as a teacher and just in general. It is a good balance or historical, mythological and fantastical which caters to anyone who may assume they solely prefer only one of those genres.

However, the real test in my mind for a book of a series is if it makes me want to pickup the next book immediately... which is where it doesn’t really succeed. As much as I enjoyed it, I’m happy to move on to another book and maybe return to pick up the second instalment another time.

A wonderful little picture book to inspire curious minds and show children that thinking and questions are all part of being a great scientist. The story tells how Ada sometimes makes a mess when she wants to find out answers, and sometimes people might get angry because of her messes. But they know that she means well, and help her to discovery the mysteries she finds as she learns about the world.

I almost forgot about this book so I’m glad to see other people on my dash reviewing it and reminding me of the gem that it is!

I bought this as a goodbye present for my nursery class as a little piece of me to leave behind: it’s cute, queer and the audio CD it came with is read by Neil Patrick Harris, I couldn’t resist.

I love this book as a wholesome and gentle way to introduce children to the idea of same-sex couples and inclusive family units as a norm. Something that I am well aware needs to be widely implemented in schools and early years.

Although I first read read this book in an Early Year’s setting, it would definitely work just as well in the Primary as a discussion book or simply to widen the subject content of book corners and independent reading shelves.

A sweet and very simple little book that explores colours in relations to the emotions on a child’s short journey of excitement, loss, anger, friendship and love.

Each colour represents an emotional state on their journey, and the book describes how they feel, and the process of working through those feelings.

It doesn’t gloss over the fact that they are big emotions, and implies that all of them are natural and okay. But still shows that things such as friendship, finding fun, and love will help to make things better in the end.

A short picture book that covers a lot of things in a very simple way! It covers jazz and music, racism, determination and friendship.

This would be a great little book to use in relation to a topic about Jazz is music lessons to give some cultural background, or as its own story in relation to achieving your dreams or friendship.

Wonderfully illustrated book about saying goodbye and friendships.

So I thought I’d read some picture books to set me up for writing my Uni notes... I had picked up this book because of the beautiful bright colours and sweet illustrations on the cover that I wanted to have a try at sketching...

I had not expected this story to take the turn it did!

This beautiful, colourful and imaginative book is all about the relationship between Syd and his grandad, and creating a metaphor for his passing.
Grandad takes Syd exploring a far away island in his attic, where he decides to stay and enjoy himself. It then tells the story of Syd’s difficult journey sailing home by himself, and the empty house he returns to.

The immense and heavy subject of death is handled so honestly and blatantly for children in this book, that it almost become less of a sadness and more of a beautiful fact of life.A fact of existence and the continuation of a beautiful journey for Syd to remember.