Wonderfully illustrated collection of poems for children focusing on the Caribbean and points of interest to children’s senses such as the weather, the food, the night, the music etc.

Very useful for activities in schools such as music, creative writing activities and cultural or historical tasks involving description or imagination.

A mix of poems I personally enjoyed and some I felt indifferent towards.

I love this book specifically because it is a child friendly autobiography, something that I haven’t seen very much of before.. I have read quite a selection of life stories of famous or inspiring people for children, but this is the first self-penned take I have found.
The simplicity and emotion of the story make for a perfectly clear message, easy for children to understand and discuss. And the tale itself is of course one of great inspiration.

The illustrations add to this! My particular favourite being the beautiful double page spread of Malala stood at the hospital window with a great shadow behind her. Its depth and clarity is heartbreaking and in my opinion carries the full moral of the book: that even alone you can do amazing things, and that darkness should not stop you, but instead be taught against.

An easy read specifically written with the intention of empowering children.

The text rhymes and flows in a very simple sing-song way, with easy to understand metaphors and bright simple illustrations.

The illustrations specifically focus on girls (although the text does not specify in any way which I think would be an interesting point to see if children would pick up on or not). It has a great range of representation, physical and racial mainly, but focuses on the worth of all individuals.

The book is centrically Christian, but only carries it lightly throughout, without any force, just enough to use as a discussion point of Christian values if wanted to.

A wonderfully inspirational, inclusive and engaging picture book that takes the reader on a journey with Lola to discover what her first home, the island, was like.

The illustrations are beautifully drawn, colourful and exciting. They really draw the reader into these far away homes of the characters.

The book focuses on what it means to belong, migration, and community in a wonderful positive light, but also ensures to remind the reader that most people who migrate do so for a reason, such as the island monster that Lola’s neighbour describes or the questionable pauses of other characters from the community.

A perfect way to get children discussing what individuality, ethnicity and home mean to them, and to consider what it means to others that might be different to them.

The most perfect surprise of a book I could have ever found.

I had seen this book appear on my feed a few times, so when I spotted it in the local library I thought I’d give it a read.
I hadn’t expected much, but the illustration style captured me quite quickly.

This is definitely a new favourite.

This book is beautifully written, charmingly illustrated and heartwarmingly crafted. It handles such themes of bullying, race, gender, sexuality, poverty and mythology in the most gentle and subtle way I have ever seen merged into a perfectly age appropriate and empathetic picture book for children.

It isn’t very often that a picture book truly touches my heart, but this one has taken it easily.

A beautiful story of self-acceptance that shows, in a very simple and clear way, the importance of role models.

Mira hates her curly hair and wants it to be as straight and smooth as her mother's is. She idolises her hair and tries every way possible to get it to look the same. But when it rains, and her mother's natural hair is revealed to her, Mira sees how beautiful her curly hair is on someone she admires and soon learns to love her own hair in turn.

I'm really enjoying the current pick up of self-love and self-acceptance picture books for young children, especially for those who will not often see themselves represented in mainstream media. I'm hoping that picture books become the first stepping stone to a much more diverse world of entertainment as I continue my degree.

Quite possibly a masterpiece.
As you can tell, I could not put this book down. I have so much to say... but I'll try to keep it short.

Firstly, this book is a beautiful autistic story. Written by an autistic, female writer, with an autistic, female main character, an autistic female older sister, and surrounded by an amazing family support network who do not centre their lives on the difficulty of raising the autistic main.

From an adult/teaching perspective, it is an emotional story that teaches empathy, inclusion, and self-love through an honest and at times upsetting narrative, that is unsettlingly true.
Had I read this book as a child... it would have been an eye opening experience.

The balance of family life, school life and internal thoughts and emotions are perfectly weighed. McNicoll manages to intertwine the plot of Addie's campaign with her own internal interactions, and her interactions with those around her in such a way that not only is it compelling to read, but all-consuming. I needed to know what happened next: Will Addie's campaign get the support it deserves? Will her teacher finally get her just deserts? What will it take to show Addie she deserves better?

I believe some books only take your eyes to read. Others, your eyes and brain. A Kind of Spark is the sort of book that demands the attention of your eyes, brain, heart, and entire body as you read. I found myself literally holding my breath at times. It is an emotional investment.

To truly understand the characters you need to show empathy as you read. I would love to study this book in a classroom. I can't even begin to imagine the amazing and honest discussions it would trigger between children about nice vs good, our differences, and our needs.

(Also, +100 points for the kindly male school librarian character who I will always aspire to)