CLPE’s August New Books Round-Up - Hear from our Librarian!

Each month CLPE's Librarian, Phoebe Demeger, will reveal some of her favourite books she has recently added to our Literacy Library.

Discover August's below:

EYFS

Invisible Dogs is a charming picturebook from Ruby Wright, creator of ‘Animal Crackers’, both published by HarperCollins imprint Rocket Bird Books. Little Ida struggles with the bustling environment of her new school, so her grandfather suggests she conjure up her own invisible friends to keep her company, which leads her to form unexpected connections with her new classmates. A sweet story about imaginative play, perfect for shy school-starters.

Written in second person, as if addressed directly to a child, Best of All (Two Hoots), is the latest rhyming picturebook by award-winning author Smriti Halls, and sumptuously illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. This book is a lyrical celebration of what it means to be mixed heritage and to hold multiple family histories within yourself – a gorgeous and validating text.

I’m always excited to see high-quality information books for young readers, and Dig Dig Dinosaur (illustrated by Maggie Li, Nosy Crow) is a wonderful example, a peep-through book about dinosaurs expertly written by Professor Anjali Goswami, Research Leader at London’s Natural History Museum. Its descriptive vocabulary, interactive elements and patterned structure, including the repeated refrain “dig dig dig!”, make this a really engaging text for budding paleontologists.

We at CLPE firmly believe in the importance of children encountering poetry at an early age, and Jane Newberry’s Big Red Dragon (Otter-Barry Books) is an excellent introduction to the form. A companion to ‘Big Green Crocodile’ (shortlisted for the CLiPPA 2021), this book features fifteen playful action rhymes for the very young, often with a seasonal theme, and with friendly supportive illustrations by Carolina Rabei. You can read about CLPE’s research into the power of poetry here, as well as a blog post from our own Charlotte Hacking.

KS1

Some more poetry for the younger years, with a twist: You’re a Poet by Sean Taylor and Sam Usher (Walker) is a gentle and friendly illustrated introduction to writing poems, within a frame narrative of five short stories about a young pig and his poetry-writing exploits. Each story sees Piglet respond to events, sensations or emotions by penning a poem about them, and closes with a guide to writing your own poem. Lovely for encouraging both creative writing and emotional literacy. You can also read Sean Taylor’s blog post all about ‘You’re a Poet’ on the CLPE website.

Changing Tides by author-illustrator Júlia Moscardó (Little Tiger) is a beautifully gentle yet expansive picturebook, following a newly blended mixed heritage family and their day at the seaside, told largely from the perspective of the youngest child, Lula. There are some stunning artistic choices made by Moscardó in her use of composition, wordless spreads, and subtle moments of expression and body language that tell the story of this developing sibling relationship. Pure picturebook perfection.

Autumn Feast: Nature’s Harvest (Happy Yak) marks the long-awaited conclusion to Quarto’s seasonal quartet that began with ‘Busy Spring’, ‘Winter Sleep’ and ‘Wild Summer’, produced by the creative trio Sean Taylor (co-author), Alex Morss (co-author and ecologist) and Cinyee Chiu (illustrator). A warmly evocative colour scheme accompanies this work of narrative non-fiction as two children and their mums explore a range of autumnal habitats, and discover nature’s seasonal changes.

If you’re looking for a laugh, I highly recommend Gordon the Meanest Goose on Earth (Oxford University Press), a heavily illustrated and hilarious novella by Alex Latimer about a self-proclaimed ‘bad goose’ whose worldview is shaken by a random act of kindness. My favourite scene involves Gordon eating torn-up bread in the bath: “He knows bread is bad for geese, but he’s a bad goose”. The limited colour palette and cartoon illustrations make this a fantastic choice for developing readers, and also serves as an early introduction to comics and graphic novels.

Lower KS2

Poetry Comics (Grant Snider, Chronicle) is a unique, playful, and beautifully produced title, combining two forms together in a really inviting way. The book is structured into four parts, one for each season, and Snider’s evocative and reflective poetry is paired with his bright and colourful comic strip artwork, the two working in tandem to illuminate form and meaning.

Coming in October from independent and inclusive publisher Lantana, The Brighter I Shine (Kamee Abrahamian and Lusine Ghukasyan, Lantana) is possibly the first picturebook I’ve encountered that centres specifically on Armenian heritage and culture, as a young girl uses her birthday as an opportunity to reflect on her family and the ancestors that came before her. A tender picturebook which also addresses the role that storytelling plays in keeping histories alive.

Bobby Bains Plays a Blinder (Bali Rai and Daniel Duncan, Barrington Stoke) has been receiving plenty of attention for its positive and still rarely-seen depiction of a Sikh protagonist and family. This warm and uplifting story focusses on intergenerational friendship, community activism, and the power of football to bring both individuals and community together. Suitable for confident readers in Year 4, and can also be enjoyed by older readers. Like all Barrington Stoke books, it’s filled with tried and tested formatting techniques to render the text super-readable, particularly for dyslexic readers.

Upper KS2

Also by Bali Rai, I was excited to see a new instalment in the ‘Voices’ series, which tells authentic and unsung stories about people whose voices we rarely hear in British history. Hardit Singh Malik: World War One Flying Ace (Scholastic) is a novel based on real historical events – both a gripping wartime adventure, and an account of the life and career of World War One’s first Indian fighter pilot.

Lesley Parr is adept at crafting politically charged historical fiction with characters you are compelled to root for, and Fallout (Bloomsbury) is no exception. Set in a Welsh village in the 1980s against a backdrop of punk rock music and peace protests, it follows Marcus, whose family’s bad reputation informs how he is seen by the neighbourhood, with the expectation upon him to follow the same criminal path – only a handful of people believe he’s capable of more. A powerful and sensitively crafted examination of loyalty, community, friendship, and standing up for what’s right.

Published in 2019, The Incredible Ecosystems of Planet Earth (Hachette) is a beautifully produced and comprehensive guide to a wide range of global biomes and habitats, with artwork and diagrams throughout in author-illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky’s unmistakable style. An extensive introduction scaffolds key vocabulary, and touches on ‘micro’ and ‘microscopic’ ecosystems.

The History of Information is a landmark publication from DK, and marks Power of Pictures contributor Chris Haughton’s debut non-fiction text (with contributions from Loonie Park). This highly ambitious book illuminates the global history of how humans share and record information, with sections on Language, Writing, Science, News, Disinformation, and more. Broad in its scope and incredibly detailed, with illustrations throughout by Haughton. Suitable for both confident Upper Key Stage Two readers and Key Stage Three.

KS3

From Nora Dåsnes, the creator of ‘Cross My Heart and Never Lie’, comes Save Our Forest! (translated by Lise Lærdal Bryn, HarperCollins), a coming-of-age graphic novel for Upper Key Stage Two/early Key Stage Three about climate activism, family and friendship. This standalone story shares much of the same cast as ‘Cross My Heart...’, with the intrepid Bao taking centre stage and standing up to defend her local woodland from demolition, though she finds it much harder to convince the adults in her life than her fellow teenagers. An entertaining and empowering story, with a closing section inspiring readers to take action against the climate crisis.

Following books on Filmmaking, UFOs and Ghosts, Adam Allsuch Boardman and Flying Eye return with An Illustrated History of Urban Legends, an encyclopaedia of folklore, conspiracy theories, the paranormal, and other unexplained phenomena, illustrated in a graphic style. This wide-ranging – and rather spooky! - history takes us through the Premodern, Modern, Midcentury, Postmodern, and Metamodern eras, with cultural and critical commentary on why we find these tales so compelling.

London: A History (Walker Studio) sees award-winning illustrator Laura Carlin encompass the entire history of the city of London, from prehistory up to the present day, in a series of immersive and stunningly crafted spreads. Each evocative page deserves to be pored over, with Carlin’s artwork, illuminating prose, and use of quotations and extracts from throughout history working together to bring ‘London’ to life.