Grimsdell Children’s Library News!

We have two recommended Books of the Week to whet your reading appetite this week. Our Junior Librarians from 2HD (Alfie and Tabitha) have selected two very different, but equally compelling, reads.

Firstly, Alfie recommends the pop up book ‘Haunted House’ by Jan Pienkowski.

Alfie’s reason for his choice:

“I chose this book because this is my favourite pop-up book. I like a scary story and you never know what will pop out as you turn the page …”

Mrs Harvey would also recommend the pop-up book format. With surprises waiting at every page turn, a pop-up book is an exciting format for all ages. The interactive nature of a pop-up books helps the story to explode off the page. With tabs and flaps that turn ordinary illustrations 3-D, pop-up books have all readers eagerly turning the pages to catch a glimpse of the next scene. Pop out scenes give younger readers the feeling that they’re inside the story, which makes it all the more engaging. Pop-up books have many literary merits, including teaching of the value of visualisation. As children transition to books with fewer pictures, visualising the characters, setting and plot will become a key part of understanding the text. Pop-ups are perfect for training children’s imaginations to picture what’s happening in the story and getting them ready for a lifetime of richer reading experiences.

‘Haunted House’ is a classic pop-up book – it was the winner of 1980 Kate Greenaway Medal, an annual literary award for distinguished illustration in a children’s book. Written and created over forty years ago, its pop-up illustrations continue to delight its readers. It is one of the best-selling pop-up books of all time and remains as innovative and exciting today as it was when first published. The detailed illustrations require careful examination and add much to the plot. The owner of ‘Haunted House’ is unwell and it is not surprising! There’s a ghost in the cupboard, an octopus in the sink and a crocodile in the bath. Every page of this thrilling pop-up book is packed with spine-tingling surprises, culminating in a spectacular final spread complete with a creepy creaking saw…

The author and illustrator of this book, Jan Pienkowski, may be familiar. He is a polish-born British illustrator and author of children’s books and is probably best known for his Meg and Mogs books with writer Helen Nichol.

Our second Book of the Week is recommended by Tabitha. She combines her love of a funny story with her interest in Space, in the fiction book, ‘Mr Men: Adventure in Space’.

Tabitha tells us: “I like learning about planets and Space and I like to giggle at all the mischief the Mr Men characters get up to!”

Mrs Harvey can also vouch for the continuing popularity of the Mr Men and Little Miss series of books. We have a varied selection of these books in our library. The writing style of Roger Hargreaves is simple and direct, the humour and personality traits that come with each character are a lot of fun and memorable. The illustrations are bright and vivid, drawing the reader in to the story.

As I am sure you already know, each character is named after what represents their personalities. The books go deeper than that though, they teach that it is ok to be who you are. They make readers aware that you should embrace who you are yourself. Whether you are as loud as Mr Noisy, moody like Mr Grumpy or a talker like Little Miss Chatterbox, it is important to love yourself. The compassion that we should all have towards each other shines throughout the books too. Using the interaction between other characters within the narrative teaches us how important it is to not only accept ourselves, but also to appreciate the different traits that others possess. Working towards self-acceptance and respect for others is important from a young age.

Extending from self-acceptance and compassion towards others, the books also teach us the importance of helping each other and ow paramount selfless acts can be. The examples being that Little Miss Chatterbox ensures that nobody feels lonely and Mr Tickle uses his long arms to rescue cats from trees. The stories represent that everybody has a worth and that it is important to help those who need your personal skills. The moral of each story often portrays how important it is to work as a team together.

Children’s Author of the Week

Our Junior Librarians from 2AM (Moremi and Jack) have given careful thought to their favourite authors (or illustrators).