Reviews
There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.
Meowy Christmas!
When Tiddles the cat awakes from a sleep, he is horrified to discover that he has managed to nap through the appearance of a tree in his living room. Puzzled by the fact that his humans seem to like this tree, Tiddles decides to investigate…
Anyone who has had a cat will be familiar with the feline frolics in ‘Meowy Christmas!’ as Tiddles causes plenty of kitty chaos.
Lively, action-packed illustrations offer plenty of visual humour as Tiddles explores the tree in the most cat-like way, his insatiable cat-curiosity leading him into one pickle after another. The text offers a cat’s eye view of what’s going on, giving children even more to giggle at as they recognise things which he doesn’t- a jolly little red and white man, the shiny little balls and the winking and blinking little lights which are the final straw for Tiddles!
Adults and children will enjoy predicting what will happen next as the story ends with Tiddles set to ‘investigate’ another sparkly object, but the story is also perfect for helping little ones to understand the potential problems when mixing pets and festive decorations- and it might remind a few older ones too!
Meowy Christmas!
Panos Christodoulou, illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadi, translated by Manos Bonanos
Post Wave ISBN: 978-1836270386
A World of Cats
I love most animals, but I have always been fascinated by felines and have shared my home - and my heart- with many cats over the years. In her introduction, Carlie Sorosiak says her first word was ‘kitty’; mine was ‘Sarah’ (or an approximation!), the name of our blue-cream Persian!
‘A World of Cats’ is perfect for cat-lovers like me, but also makes an absorbing read for anyone! Starting with the development of cats as we know them today, the book then considers the similarities and differences between big cats like lions with house cats. After a look at how they became domesticated, the book explores all aspects of a cat’s life and habits. The information is presented in a light-hearted, chatty style, making it accessible and easy to read as well as engaging!
Celebrating cats in history, the book looks at their role in ancient Egypt and tales of cats from the past as well as their place in the present- including Larry, the Chief Mouser of Number 10 Downing Street! There is so much to discover and enjoy about our feline friends and the contributions they make to our daily lives.
Advice on careers with cats will offer inspiration whilst guidance about what to do if you should find a stray cat or if you feel you could offer a cat a ‘forever home’ will help readers to care for any cats they might come across. A treasure trove of cat facts, stories, advice and information, ‘A World of Cats’ is essential reading!
A World of Cats
Carlie Sorosiak, illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-1805136132
You can read my review of ‘A World of Dogs’ here
Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat
'Cat' has a very busy life, moving from house to house on Blossom Street. At each house he is known by a different name and he shares the lives and interests of those who live there. However, at number eleven, life is not very busy at all and Mrs Murray, who lives there, is lonely. When Cat shows up on her doorstep, this changes and soon everyone on Blossom Street finds their way to her door.
The story reminds us of the importance of human contact and would be an excellent way of introducing discussions around this with children. Why is Mrs Murray lonely? Why is she on her own? How could she be living at Number 11 with no one in the street noticing? Community responsibilities and values could also be discussed. Blossom Street is home to a diverse range of people of all ages and with many interests, all depicted with humour and character, celebrating how different, and yet similar, people are.
There are many other possibilities for working from this story. The illustrations are seemingly simple, but very effective. Children would enjoy using Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat as a model for their own drawings and then develop their own cat characters. The Blossom Street community would also serve as an excellent model for developing a range of varied and interesting characters for a story in an innovated setting. Perhaps the characters might live in different flats in a tower block, or barges on a canal… The story also lends itself to plenty of role play activities, drama and dressing-up!
It would be great fun to create a board game with Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat as counters moving round Blossom Street. This could be made to explore all sorts of grammar elements or maths concepts, to develop the children's vocabulary etc - or simply for a bit of fun! Creating their own board game is a great way for children to spend a rainy afternoon.
The layout of the latter pages which use speech bubbles could be the starting point for work on punctuating speech and for children to develop cartoon style pieces of their own. There are many ways which writing could come from sharing this story too- both informally and formally: eltters, instructions for how to look after a pet or how to get from one house to another, persuasive writing, story writing, descriptive writing, poetry (great shape poems!)... the list is endless!
Personally, I think Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat would make a fantastic little soft toy. He is a simple enough shape to be cut from felt and hand sewn, making a lovely companion to storytime!
Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat Katie Harnett
Flying Eye Books ISBN: 978-1909263376
Now available in paperback.