Grimsdell Book of the Week

This week, our resident Junior Librarians have chosen two very different books for you to discover and share.

Firstly, Charlie recommends a wordless fiction book Journey by Aaron Becker.

Charlie’s reason for his selection:

“I like how I can use my imagination and create different stories every time I read this book.”

We hope you enjoy Charlie’s choice and that it becomes a firm favourite in your household too! This book is a new acquisition to the library, purchased due to Charlie’s recommendation and is available to borrow from our school library. We have an increasing number of wordless picture to explore and share.

Mrs Harvey would also endorse Charlie’s choice of book. Wordless picture books are often quickly dismissed as being too easy but they are a powerful tool in developing literacy skills. Understanding books without words involves interpreting the illustration as there is no text to rely on.

This promotes comprehension, vocabulary, listening skills and an understanding of story structure and character development. A well-rounded reader needs good comprehension skills and this includes remembering what has already happened and predicting what may happen next.

Wordless picture books are great for encouraging a child’s ability to infer what is happening in the story. Children need to practice retelling stories in interesting and exciting ways. Sharing a wordless book allows adults to model storytelling techniques making connections, predicting and questioning. With consistent practice, children’s independent responses will become more natural and detailed.

Wordless picture books invite children to become an active participant in the story. They encourage children to tell a story rather than being confined by the text on the page. It encourages the development of a child’s imagination – critical for authentic creative writing tasks.

Our second book recommendation of the week comes from Jake.

Jake recommends a classic fiction book: The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.

Jake’s reason for his choice:

“It is a really fun and exciting story and I like all the notes and letters you open as the postman visits each different house. I hope you enjoy this book as much I do!”

The Jolly Postman is a perennial favourite and we hope you will take the opportunity to read Jake’s choice, which is available to borrow from our school library.

Mrs Harvey would also recommend this book. It has a strong rhyming text and I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the importance of rhyme in the development of children’s literacy skills. Subtitled ‘Other People’s Letters’, this beautifully illustrated picture book with its reference to nursery rhymes and stories make this book a treasure trove.

As the postman delivers letters to the residents of a fairy-tale town, children are re-introduced to a host of characters from the great and good such as Cinderella and The Three Bears, to the not-so-nice Mr Wolf and Wicked Witch. As readers find out what the cast are all getting up to, they will enjoy opening and discovering the different pieces of post.

It is a brilliantly designed book with lots of little details to spot and will be enjoyed time and time again.

Library Display: Emoji Reads

Junior Librarians, Evie and Luca have been busy putting together their Emoji Reads for our special library display. They have created a varied list which I am sure will encourage other library users to read their recommendations. There is a lovely mixture of classical children’s authors and some new ones to add into the mix!

Their display above consists of the following books:

Hansel and Gretel by Bethan Woollvin,
The Dinosaur Who Pooped a Planet by Tom Fletcher,
Norman The Slug With The Silly Shell by Sue Hendra,
You’re Called What?! by Kes Gray,
There’s A Bear On My Chair by Ross Collins,
The Hundred Decker Bus by Mike Smith,
Mouse’s First Night At Moonlight School by Simon Puttock,
Something Else by Kathyrn Cave,
The Good Dinosaur by Disney,
Mrs Mole I’m Home! by Jarvis,
Oi Dog! by Kes Gray,
The Farm by Alain Gree,
The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson,
Lift the Flap Questions and Answers About Animals by Usborne, Superman by Marvel
and Clarice Bean, That’s Me by Lauren Child.