News
Junior Librarians
During our Friday assembly, Mrs Simon announced our new Year 2 Junior Librarians: Lillian, Mia and William from 2JB, Avery, Lucas and Lia from 2HD and finally Theo S, Theo B-P and Rushika from 2AM. They have already been trained on using the scanner to issue books to their peers and dealt with returning books. Over the coming weeks in the weekly Grimsdell newsletter, please look out for their weekly book recommendations and discover their favourite authors … This week William and Lillian share with us the title of one of their favourite books.
Magazines for Loan
Our Grimsdell Library has a wide range of magazines and newspapers: First News newspaper, Busy Times Magazine, National Geographic For Kids and Lego Magazine.
We now have some new magazines for you to enjoy. Thanks to the support of Ms Richards as our Eco Lead, we now have the monthly magazine, Eco Kids for our Grimsdell children to borrow. Mrs Patel as Science Lead is supporting the monthly addition of a natural history magazine, Andy’s Amazing Adventures. Our final new contribution to the magazine section of our library is Animal Planet.
Come and have a look at our lovely selection of magazines and newspapers! There is something for everyone!
Author of the Week
I am delighted to introduce you to two new authors this week – our very own Stella and Lia, both from 2HD!
They have written and illustrated a non-fiction science book which focuses on the solar system. They have catalogued and shelved the book, so it is now available for loan! It is highly recommended!
Books of The Week
This week, William has chosen a book from the Year 2 Adventure Reading Road Map programme. This Year 2 programme is a reading for pleasure initiative, aimed at broadening children’s horizons. All the titles on each map (apart from the Classics genre) have been published in the last twelve months and no author has more than one title on the map. We believe that the best way to increase literacy levels is through reading for pleasure and having a strong reading culture across the school. Research by the Open University found that the children in schools who participate in the Road Maps read a wider range of books and discuss reading with their peers more than they would before. The academic benefits are clear: Reading for pleasure is associated with wider general knowledge, richer vocabulary and narrative writing, enhanced empathy and imagination as well as raised attainment in both literacy and numeracy in adolescence (e.g. Sullivan and Brown, 2015; McGrane et al., 2017; Senechal et al., 2018).
William from 2JB recommends The Don’t Panic Gang written by Mark Sperring and illustrated by Sarah Warburton
William’s reason for his choice:
“I have really enjoyed the Reading Road Map and this is my favourite story. It is VERY funny!”
Mrs Harvey would also support William’s choice. The Don’t Panic Gang is a top secret organisation, comprising a doughnut-loving cat, a little blue bird and an unassuming window-box worm. When they receive an urgent call for help, the three friends immediately leap into action and, donning their superhero costumes, they transform into Sumo Cat, Ninja Bird and Kung-Fu Worm. Clambering over rooftops, leaping off buildings and scaling walls – not always successfully – the invincible trio eventually reach the distressed caller, who is at the mercy of something huge and terrifying in the bathroom.
From a literary perspective, the bright, sketchy illustrations contain a wealth of amusing detail, such as tiny superhero costumes hanging on the washing line, which will captivate and delight. Similarly, the changing style and size of font add another layer of meaning to the book. Why, for example, has the author chosen to use different fonts for the differing characters? An assortment of page layouts, from small vignettes to full-page views, creates a sense of pace and urgency, swiftly moving the tale along to its entertaining conclusion. With witty text, plenty of anticipation and opportunities to predict what will happen next, this is an exciting and funny adventure, perfect to read aloud.
Lillian from 2JB also enjoys humorous books and she recommends a very popular author amongst our Grimsdell community -Sue Hendra, author of the well-liked Supertato series of books.
Lillian recommends Supertato Carnival Catastro-Pea written by Sue Hendra and illustrated by Paul Linnet.
Lillian’s reason for her choice:
“I like superhero stories and love vegetables, so this story is the perfect combination!”
Mrs Harvey would also promote Lillian’s choice. We hope that Lillian’s recommendation will encourage you to borrow one of our Supertato stories and have a chuckle with your grown up as you share the story together! Enjoy this newest Supertato story …
If you are not familiar with the Supertato stories, then now is the time! Meet the new hero in town: Supertato. It’s night-time in the supermarket and all is quiet and still. But wait. Something has escaped from the freezer. Something with plans. Evil plans. This little escapee (or escapea?) wants to cause chaos. Its targets: the fresh vegetables.
Never fear, though – Supertato is here! Can he solve these despicable crimes and save the vegetables from a terrible fate? He’ll definitely have to draw on all his superpowers if he’s going to outwit this little green foe.
A hilarious and anarchic story with truly brilliant characters. No child could fail to fall in love with Supertato and his veggie companions. Bright, fun illustrations sit alongside straightforward but clever text that both adults and little ones will enjoy. But be warned: you will be asked to read it again and again. And again …
Happy Reading!
Mrs Harvey.
