Book of the Week: ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Pete the Cat’

Once again, this week we have a treat for you all, in the form of two Grimsdell Children’s Library Books of the Week. We have two fiction books, one of which is recommended by the Junior Librarian, Lianne from 2RM. The second is a recommendation from another 2RM Junior Librarian, Aurelio.

Firstly, Lianne recommends a well-loved, classical story: Cinderella.

Lianne’s reason for her choice:

“I chose this book because it has different versions of the Cinderella story from all over the world.”

We hope you are tempted to read this book too! This fiction book is available to borrow from our school library.

Mrs Harvey would also recommend this book by Cari Meister. The book includes the story of Cinderella from various different countries around the world, such as Egypt, China and native America. It is interesting to see how the story differs according to the culture from which it derived.

The genre of traditional tales has an important role to play in the development of our children. From prepping us for the pitfalls of life to teaching us valuable skills and lessons, traditional tales and fairy tales are ever-relevant, whatever our age. These narratives stay with us well beyond our childhood.

According to child psychologist Sally Goddard Blythe, director of The Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology and author of The Genius of Natural Childhood: Secrets of Thriving Children, even in our own age, fairy tales still have a lot to teach children about life, and indeed give us key imaginary experiences that shape us throughout our lives:

“Fairy tales are important not because they show children how life is, but because they give form to deep fears and dreams about life through fantasy”.

Most traditional tales embody the hopes and aspirations of the majority of people in the society and are used to transmit and preserve the cultural values of the group. The stories help in showing how society views itself and also conveys their notions of justice, rights and social obligations of its citizens. Honesty, goodness and unity are depicted as important values which the heroes and heroines of traditional tales always use to prevail over their problems. The traditional tale genre provides ways for children to receive important messages – the role of honesty, kindness – and the message of each is ultimately positive, providing a sense of wellbeing.

Our second Book of the Week was chosen by Aurelio and he had the younger members of our Grimsdell community at the forefront of his mind in making his choice. He has chosen the book Pete the Cat written by Eric Litwin.

Aurelio’s reason for his choice:

“This is a really fun story about all the different colours and Pete the Cat ‘s constantly changing shoe colour!”

Mrs Harvey supports Aurelio’s choice. This is a new book to our library collection, purchased as a result of Aurelio’s recommendation.

Pete the Cat is out for a walk, singing about how much he likes his brand new white shoes. Along the way, his shoes change colour from white to red to blue to brown to wet as he steps into piles of strawberries, blueberries and mud. No matter what colour his shoes are, Pete doesn’t get upset. No matter what colour his shoes are, Peter remains unruffled and keeps movin’ and groovin’ and singing his song.

The story with its bright illustrations and repetitive refrain is a memorable text. The story has a strong rhythm, making the story flow easily. It is a page turner, as children are eager to see what happens next. The story encourages readers to interact with the story – joining in the refrain as well as challenging them to consider the colours of different objects and foods. In addition, the story shares a useful lesson on coping with everyday disappointment and how to transform disappointment into something positive.

Children’s Author of the Week

This week, the Junior Librarians, Lara and Lily, have given careful thought to the children’s Author of the Week. The task of nominating a children’s author to appeal to the entire Grimsdell community is not easy but I think you’ll agree that Lara and Lily have made some super choices.

Lara encourages us to revisit the world of Dr Seuss with a great selection of these great literary rhyming texts.