We're all wonders by R.J. Palacio. A picture book from the author of Wonder, and illustrated by the author. It's the story of a little boy called Auggie who knows he's not an ordinary kid, he feels ordinary but doesn't look ordinary. His feelings are hurt everyday by people's words and gestures, so putting on his NASA space helmet allows him to zoom off to imaginary places, where he sees that actually everyone is unique and different . His dog, Mum, Dad and sister Via all think he is amazing. But the message is powerful. Auggie can't change the way he looks, but people can change the way they see. And if they do they will see that Auggie is a wonder, and that they are all wonders too.
Be kind.
Published by Penguin Books Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/305500/were-all-wonders-by-palacio-r-j/9780141386416
Language of War, Language of Peace - Palestine, Israel and the search for justice by Raja Shehadeh, Palestine's leading writer, a lawyer and the founder of the pioneering Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq. I leant a lot from reading this account of Palestine and the changes that have happened since the creation of Israel in 1947, from the unique view of someone who grew up with first hand experience as a Palestinian of conflict, separation and war. I leant that it is a very complex situation, but that many many people, both Israeli and Palestinian, just want to live in peace, and be able to spend time with their families wherever they happen to live. He does also give reason to hope for a peaceful solution.
Published by Profile Books Find out more here - https://profilebooks.com/work/language-of-war-language-of-peace/ - "Award-winning author Raja Shehadeh explores the politics of language and the language of politics in the Israeli Palestine conflict, reflecting on the walls that they create - legal and cultural - that confine today's Palestinians just like the physical borders, checkpoints and the so called 'Separation Barrier'."
Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson. It's a very hot Midsummer Day in Moomin Valley, and a strange crack appears in the garden. Moomin Valley is flooded, and the family soon find themselves a new floating home, for the time being, because they always seem to take everything in their stride. The new home is very confusing, with pictures hanging from the ceiling and big curtains across the front, and strange fake fruit and vegetables. But the Moomins being Moomins soon figure it out, and a great adventure follows. Delightful story and perfect illustrations from Tove Jansson.
Published by Penguin books Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/27332/moominsummer-madness-by-tove-jansson-trans-thomas-warburton/9780241344521
Are we There Yet? by Sven Völker. A bear and a butterfly setting off on a great journey, the butterfly explaining that it's the journey that is the reward, not the destination. They pass through a forest, and find rhythm in walking up a mountain, is the view from the top the reward? Are we there yet? The journey down the mountain was fun, and as the journey progresses the bear becomes more mindful and existing in the moment, and contemplating on the vastness of the night sky, and feeling small even while being so big to his friend the butterfly. Challenges arise, and they are overcome, and the bear is filled with pride. And as they journey the seasons change, and bear relishes the journey, and forgets about the destination.
"An uplifting story about friendship, patience and the cycles of being"
Published by @cicadabooks Find out more here - https://svenvoelker.com/are-we-there-yet and here - https://www.cicadabooks.co.uk/books/p/are-we-there-yet
Parents for a future by Rupert Read. A manifesto and a call to action, based on the very simple concept that if we love our children, then we must love their children (our future grandchildren), and so on down the generations. Therefore we must want to take action to stop climate change to save future generations. Published by UEA Publishing Project. Find out more here - https://www.waterstones.com/book/parents-for-a-future/rupert-read/9781911343370
The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell. The first half of the book is the author's observations that he made on his journey around the north of England in 1936 to report on living conditions in the wake of the Great Depression. The second half of the book is his analysis. And as usual so much of what he says could have been written today...although a lot of it has to be taken in the context of the time in which it was written. For example "We are in a moment when it it is desperately necessary for left-wingers of all complexions to drop their differences and hang together" He also does a lot of analysis of himself and how his own background impacted on his thinking. But the lasting impression of his book is the vivid descriptions of working class life in the 1930s, especially the images of mining communities, which links to our family history in the mines of South Wales. Published by Penguin Modern Classics. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/57269/the-road-to-wigan-pier-by-george-orwell-introduction-by-richard-hoggart-note-on-the-text-by-peter-davison/9780141185293
Change is Gonna Come - brand new stories and poetry about change by Mary Bello, Aisha Bushby, Tanya Byrne, Inua Ellams, Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence, Ayisha Malik, Irfan Master, Musa Okwonga, Yasmin Rahman, Phoebe Roy and Nikesh Shukla. Short stories and poetry to inspire older teen readers on the theme of change, and about believing that no matter who you are, writing and stories can and should be about you and people like you. A quote from the introduction - "We know there is a wealth of talented writers of colour out there and we tneor voices aren't reaching readers as often as they should." This book changes all that. Winner of the YA book prize Special Achievement Award 2018. Published by Stripe Books at Little Tiger Press. Find out more here - https://littletiger.co.uk/product/a-change-is-gonna-come
Zog by Julia Donaldson. Awesome rhyming story about Dragon School, a dragon called Zog and a princess called Pearl. Princess Pearl helps Zog through the hard times of Dragon School, patching up his bumps and putting out his fires. And Pearl isn't your pink frilly kind of princess, hiding in the castle. She wants to help others and become a doctor. Brilliant and funny. The children laughed out loud. Published by Penguin Books.
Together by Luke Adam Hawker. A beautiful book. Together takes a look at the events of 2020, using the metaphor of a gathering storm that arrives, changes everything, and then subsides. The concept of loneliness changes, as we go from being busy but lonely within a crowd, to being unable to see family and friends. Everything changes, home, work, priorities and worries. The illustrations capture the contrasts perfectly, the overflowing shopping trolley of the food hoarders, to the homeless person on the street with nothing. We began to notice more, changing seasons, things growing - hope in this fact that some things are certain. The protagonists, the old man and his dog, finally meet the new grandchild who is walking already. Published by Hachette Book Group. Find out more here - https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/luke-adam-hawker/together/9780857839893/
Making it up as I go along by Marian Keyes. I'm listening to the audiobook of this, her second memoir, and her gentle wit is great, when read aloud by the narrator Aoife McMahon. Hilarious anecdotes, which make you laugh out loud. Quite interesting when you're listening to it on your earbuds while running through the city on a Sunday morning... Published by Penguin Books. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/286909/making-it-up-as-i-go-along-by-keyes-marian/9781405922074
How Many Birds? by Marcos Farina. The illustrations in this little board book are reminiscent of Charlie Harper's colourful artwork. We meet one duck, two pelicans, three swans...and ten canaries. A bit of a shock on the last page...spoiler...zero birds and one cat! But few counting picture books try to illustrate zero, so this one gets extra points from me.
Published by Little Gestalten. Find out more here - https://uk.gestalten.com/products/how-many-birds
Little Green Fingers - Easy Peasy Gardening Activities from Little Gestalten. Not only a beautiful book to inspire chat and story-sharing, but also a book to inspire getting out there, exploring and creating. Packed with facts as well as things to make and do, this would make a perfect gift for a green- fingered little one.
Published by Gestalten. Find out more here - https://uk.gestalten.com/products/little-green-fingers
A Zoo in my Shoe by Jason Korsner and illustrated by Max Low. A rhyming mix-up, taking sensible sentences, and mixing then up to make nonsense rhymes. Loads of fun to send children into fits of giggles. Published by @graffeg Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/collections/books-1/products/a-zoo-in-my-shoe
Albert and the Pond by Ian Brown and Eoin Clarke. Another installment in the adventures of Albert the tortoise, inspired by a real tortoise called Albert. Albert's family install a pond in the garden, but a strange new creature is staring back at Albert from under the water. One day, Albert's new friend is gone, but with his garden friends doing their best to cheer him up, Albert misses the mysterious pond dweller. After Albert's long winter hibernation, he returns to the pond the check on his friend to find many pairs of the same identical eyes starring back at him, and complete stranger on the bank - Albert's mysterious friend had turned into a frog. A lovely story, introducing young children to the life cycle of the frog through a gentle heart-warming tale. Published by @graffeg Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/collections/books-1/products/albert-and-the-pond
Tiger, Tiger, burning bright - an animal poem for every day of the year, selected by Fiona Waters and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Stunning illustrations from Britta Teckentrup bring to life this gorgeous collection of animal poems from poets like John Agard, William Blake, Carol Anne Duffy, Teton Sioux and Grace Nichols. Today's entry - "Question" by Tony Chen.
As asphalt and concrete
Replace bushes and trees
As highways and buildings
Replace marshes and woods
What will replace
The song of the birds? 😥
Published by Nosy Crow. Find out more here - https://nosycrow.com/product/tiger-tiger-burning-bright/
Optimism over Despair a penguin special with Noam Chomsky, interviewed by C J Polychroniou. A brilliant little book, so well explained. They tackle the state of the world (the book was published when Trump had just been elected), and cover everything from global heating to nuclear weapons, globalisation, capitalisation, politics, and illegal wars. They look at how democracy as we know isn't really democracy at all, how much of life is controlled by profits, financial institutions and global corporations, and how making life better for all humans, would be cheaper for governments but not so good for business. Completely back to front priorities. I learnt a lot from this.
"We have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place." YES!
Published by Penguin Books. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/306579/optimism-over-despair-by-chomsky-noam/9780241981979
Norfolk's Railways volume 1 the Great Eastern Railway, and Norwich Then and Now a Third Selection. Old picture postcards of Norwich and Norfolk.
Helping every child to thrive in the Early Years - how to overcome the effect of disadvantage by Maureen Hunt. The author uses her many year's experience in early education as well as latest research, to show us how a personalised and relationship-based approach can help every child to succeed. The premise is that building strong relationships with families and their children is the key to thriving children.
This sits well with the last book I reviewed "Neuroscience of the developing child, self regulation for wellbeing and a sustainable future" by Mine Conkbayir - relationships are the key to self regulation, as we build attachments and co-regulate children's emotions, we build their capacity for resilience and therefore lifelong learning.
We now know that disadvantages in early life, or ACEs, have a lasting affect on brain development and later wellbeing and health. So building early relationships with children and their families allows us to model serve and return interactions and play to parents and carers. And as we come to know families well we can tailor our support to their needs.
It's all very simple, it just needs proper funding, and investment in many more knowledgeable and caring practitioners so that time can be given to building relationships and developing self regulation, as the building blocks of later learning.
This book is a nice introduction to working in the early years, showing practitioners the challenges as well as giving them achievable and accessible tips to develop and improve practice. Published by Routledge. Find out more here - https://www.routledge.com/Helping-Every-Child-to-Thrive-in-the-Early-Years-How-to-Overcome-the-Effect/Hunt/p/book/9780367860202#
More old Norwich books bought by Gavin at a sale in the Millennium library recently. Amazing old photos, and a bit of a brain challenge trying to work out where some of the photos are, as things have changed so much.
Bee Journal by Sean Borodale. Part of the Vintage Classics collection The Birds and the Bees. This is a collection of poems written over the course of 2 year's beekeeping. The courageous beekeeper writes as he observes and tends to his bees, encountering success as well as traumatic failure. But whatever the mood, he captures it perfectly in calm and lyrical verse. Published by Penguin Books. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2016/05/the-story-behind-the-birds-and-the-bees
More old Norwich books, and maps.
Tribune issue 18 edited by Ronan Burtenshaw. This issue is all about Palestine and the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, but also looking at Trade Unions and how they are today. The articles are accessible, and report on issues that we scarcely find elsewhere, as well as practical, signposting to companies we should boycott because of their business practices. Well worth the subscription. Published by Tribune Publishing. Find out more here - https://tribunemag.co.uk/
Wonder by RJ Palacio. Amazing. Read this or watch the film, or both.
Migrations - Open Hearts, Open Borders. Foreword by Shaun Tan and illustrated by illustrators from 28 countries on the theme of human migration. Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Award 2019, this little postcard-sized book is actually a collection of postcards from picture book illustrators around the world carrying a powerful message about human migration. It's aim is to "express support for and solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of human migrants who face immense difficulties and dangers in their struggle to find a better and safer place to live". By sharing this book and their thoughts and illustrations, the authors hope to inspire a vision for a better world. Published by @otter-barrybooks and endorsed by @amnestyinternational. Find out more here - https://www.otterbarrybooks.com/books/migrations
Smart Animals - clever creatures in the animal kingdom by Michael Holland and Daniela Olejniková. Our human brains have taken us all around the globe, and even into space… But we are not the only clever creatures on the planet. Some animals are so smart that we don’t even know the extent of their intelligence. How do some animals play? How do they use tools? How do they solve problems? How do they communicate? How do their memories work? Do they feel emotions like we do?
With interesting text telling us plenty of cool facts, and gorgeous illustrations from Slovakian artist Olejniková, this is a perfect gift for any young one who's wild about animals. Did you know that crows are really clever and use sticks as tools to get at insects inside rotting trees, and drop stones in water to raise the level so they can drink it! Smart!
Published by Gestalten in June 2023. Find out more here - https://uk.gestalten.com/collections/little-gestalten/products/smart-animals-childrensbook
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