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This week, our resident Junior Librarians, Anastasios and Arisha from 2AM, have chosen a non-fiction book and a fiction book for you to explore, discover and share.
Arisha recommends a favourite fiction book which she thinks will appeal to the younger members of our Grimsdell community, particularly in the Early Years: ‘The Bear in the Cave’ by Michael Rosen.
Arisha: “I like this story because it is a sequel to ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’. The repetition of lines and the use of onomatopoeia makes this such a fun story!”
A copy of this book is available to borrow from your Grimsdell Library.
Mrs Harvey would also endorse Arisha’s choice. Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including the infamous ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’. The lonely bear from Rosen’s classic ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’ plays on the beach in front of his cave, sings to himself, splashes in the sea and one day sets off to follow the sounds of the city. But even in the city it seems that this bear is destined to be friendless, until some children bring him home – back through the city to the moonlit sea and a contented sleep.
At each stage of his journey, sounds create refrains and the text unfolds with insistent rhythm. Rosen’s extensive use of onomatopoeia is used to great effect and there is a natural instinct to join in with the refrains. The story presents many opportunities to talk about how questions work; the role of inflection and intonation of voice when reading.
It is a really fun and interactive tale with the pictures adding to the reader’s understanding of the story. The illustrations are brilliant: expansive and dynamic with a great use of colour.
Anastasios is an avid non-fiction reader and a dinosaur expert. Our dinosaur non-fiction section is always popular and we often add new books to this collection.
Anastasios recommends: ‘My Little Book of Dinosaurs’ by Dougal Dixon.
Anastasios: “Dinosaurs are a favourite topic of mine. This book has lots of interesting details and some great pictures too!”
This book is on display in our library and is available for loan.
Mrs Harvey supports Anastasios’ choice. I am a great advocate of non-fiction and the skills that such texts develop.
Non-fiction is an important genre and the ability to access and read non-fiction is a life skill. Throughout your child’s schooling and professional life, s/he will encounter a wealth of non-fiction. Non-fiction helps us to learn facts, analyse data, spark curiosity and learn about the world around us.
It is important to widen children’s early reading experience into reading non-fiction and information books. The literate, print-bound world for which children are being educated requires the ability to process information and master the many formats in which information is presented.
It is important to follow your child’s lead. Does s/he love sports or dinosaurs or music or nature? By selecting topics that your child is interested in, you’ll have a higher chance of success to ‘hook’ them into the genre of non-fiction.
Children love facts and information, and while it is vital to teach children to read, it is even more important to help them explore a range of genres for themselves. In this way, children can experience for themselves what reading can do, and realise how it can open the doors of discovery.
When children discover facts and acquire information through text and illustration, they begin to read to learn. Through this process, their curiosity will be heightened, and their store of knowledge and vocabulary increased. In short, their reading will be for a purpose and their intellectual development will be enhanced.
In the immortal words of Dr Seuss …
‘The more that you read the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.’
