The Runaways by Ulf Stark : Zanzibar by Catharina Valckx : new first chapter books from @geckopress ; a grumpy grandpa and his grandson, laughter and a little sadness too, throw in a camel and a crow for two great reads

The Runaways

By Ulf Stark

Illustrated by Kitty Crowther

Translated by Julia Marshall

ISBN 9781776572342

One of the things that continues to amaze me is the ability of good writers to make you like even the bad characters in stories. It is only when we dig into the depths of these characters, that we realise just how vulnerable they often are.  The pain they feel, for whatever reason, is behind their awfulness. In The Runaways, Grandpa is a bit of pain, grumpy and he swears a lot too.  We eventually find out the reason he is so grumpy, and I can tell you, it melted my heart, just a little. Grandpa’s health is deteriorating but there is one thing he wants to do before the end.

Gottfried Junior adores his Grandpa and just wants to spend time with him in the hospital. Even though he is not allowed to see him very often, Gottfried, finds a way. Together, they hatch a plan to runaway overnight. It involves a few lies, lots of plans and even an accomplice. This is a wonderful, heart-warming story about two people who love each other very much and the reality that life will soon be very different for them both.

The Runaways is a beautifully written, warm, tender and honest story which many of us find familiar. Growing old, or losing grandparents is a harsh reality but Ulf Stark has done a lovely job. This is a very moving account and I should warn you, tissues may be needed.

 

Zanzibar

By Catharina Valckx

ISBN 9781776572564

Zanzibar is a crow who is content with life until a travelling lizard reporter knocks on his door and asks if there is anything exceptional about him to write in his newspaper. Zanzibar considers his options but realises he is just an ordinary crow with nothing special to offer the reporter. Zanzibar decides to do something to change that, something which will make him stand out and be noticed. That something special involves a long flight, lots of planning and a camel.

Zanzibar is a funny, illustrated first chapter book. The characters care about each other and support Zanzibar on his quest to lift a camel with just one wing. Does he do it? Not telling. However, there are always lessons to learn a long the way about the value of friendship and believing in yourself. Sweet, funny, and just a lovely feel-good story for newly independent readers.

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The remember balloons by @JessieOliveros. Illus. by @danawulf : A beautiful, poignant picture book dealing with a grandfather’s memory loss

The remember balloons

by Jessie Oliveros

Illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte

ISBN 9781481489157

SimonandSchuster

I love this very special and very moving picture book about a young boy, James, who witnesses the declining memory of his much-loved grandfather. The impact of his grandfather’s condition affects everyone. Memories are what hold us together and when those memories fade, the loss can be tragic. James is struggling to understand how this is happening. The boy and his grandfather have a special relationship. They spend many hours together, camping and fishing, and always grandfather shares stories about his life. Each memory is stored in a bright coloured balloon but as his memory fades, balloons slowly float off, taking the memory with them. There is a double paged spread where James is chasing the balloons, reaching high but the balloons are just out of reach. To use one of my dearest friends phrases, I had “leaky eyes”. A big leak! This is powerful and poignant and such a beautiful way to help young people understand conditions such as Alzheimer’s. As moving as this book is, it is also gentle, kind and just a little hopeful.  I have bought this for the school library but this is one to add to my own collection as well.

The beautiful illustrations limit colour to the balloons and their memories, which helps focus the story and its theme on memory loss, its impact and love. Just beautiful.

James’s Grandpa has the best balloons because he has the best memories. He has balloons showing Dad when he was young and Grandma when they were married. Grandpa has balloons about camping and Aunt Nelle’s poor cow. Grandpa also has a silver balloon filled with the memory of a fishing trip he and James took together.

But when Grandpa’s balloons begin to float away, James is heartbroken. No matter how hard he runs, James can’t catch them. One day, Grandpa lets go of the silver balloon—and he doesn’t even notice!

Grandpa no longer has balloons of his own. But James has many more than before. It’s up to him to share those balloons, one by one.

SImonandSchuster

My Grandfather’s war by Glyn Harper illus. by Jenny Cooper @EK_Books A thoughtful picture book as a grandpa tells his granddaughter about the Vietnam War and the impact it had on his life.

My Grandfather’s War

By Glyn Harper

Illustrated by Jenny Cooper

ISBN 9781775592990

EKBooks

 

Over the last few years there have many books published about World War One; picture books, novels for children and young adults, and rightly so. As the 100th Anniversary came around we remembered all that happened. We thought about war heroes, soldiers who gave so much, families destroyed, countries torn apart and the endless pain and suffering of so many people. We remembered them.

However, there is another war that needs recognition too. The Vietnam War is the topic of this thoughtful new picture book My Grandfather’s War  by Glyn Harper and illustrated by Jenny Cooper. The author and illustrator have worked on a number of books together before and continue to bring us quality stories and thoughtful illustrations.

Sarah loves the time she spends with her grandfather. They play games together and he takes her to and from school each day. He walks with a limp from an injury he got a long time ago but Sarah has always been warned not to ask Grandpa about this. All she knows is that he fought in the Vietnam War and that this sometimes makes him very sad.

Like many inquisitive children Sarah wanted to know about the Vietnam War and why it made her Grandpa sad. Sarah tried to find out from books at school but she had no luck. Her best option was to ask Grandpa himself. So she did.

Sarah’s grandfather took his time but he told her about the war in Vietnam. He told her how awful it was fighting in the jungle in a war where chemicals were used, as well as guns. The chemicals did so much damage to soldiers that many of the next few generations were affected.

The soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War were not welcomed back like heroes of World War One. Many became sick over the years and for many the sickness spread to the next generation.

This is a thoughtful book where the author has obviously carefully considered how much information to share with young readers and how much to hold back. The illustrations are warm and expressive with Sarah and her grandfather, The illustrations of the jungle and the war itself are reflective of her grandfathers memories but still are not too confronting for young readers.

This book is well worth further exploration and you can find some teacher notes to assist with any discussions you might have, by clicking here and scrolling to the book on the publisher’s website.

 

 

The holidays by Blexbolex @geckopress a unique wordless book which will appeal to any age. A different read every time

The holidays

By Blexbolex

ISBN 9781776571932

Gecko Press

The summer holidays were almost done. I had the whole garden, the fields, the lake and the sun all to myself! Until Grandad came home with that elephant.

 

A young girl is happily enjoying her holidays with grandad but it is a short-lived feeling because grandad brings home an elephant and she is not pleased at all.  At one point she very unkindly takes out her frustration on the elephant, even being mean to him. 

The illustrations are quite unique in this wordless book. They have a lovely vintage feel about them. I love the little illustrated vignettes in the corners of many pages where we see moments in time. There is no white space on the pages, every part is coloured and full to the brim with what is happening. The pages are thicker than most and have a linen type look and feel about them. A unique book indeed.

The magic of wordless books is that readers can put themselves into the stories and interpret them anyway they want. The story then belongs to the readers. The sequence of events are well-played out and the wonderful illustrations take us on a journey with a young girl as she slowly learns some of the simple lessons in life. This is one of those books to read over and over and still see something different everytime.

It is well worth checking out the question and answer interview with Blexbolex here. Not only will you find out more about the artist but you will  see more images from the book which will show you just why this is so special.

 

Lane Smith and Herve Tullet – Great picks for younger readers

Grandpa Green
By Lane Smith

This is a gentle book about memory, aging and the love of family. Great grandpa has created a wonderful garden where his memories are kept alive in the shapes carved out in his topiary trees. Each tree symbolises some aspect of his past and becomes part of the legacy he will leave behind. The artwork is beautiful but understated. This truly is a lovely book to read with young ones.

Press here
By Herve Tullet
This book is just a delight. It is very funny and very clever. The reader is required to press buttons on the page, once done, upon turning the page are met with suprise and wonder at what they have suddenly changed or created. Having read it with classes of five year olds – they truly believe the book is magic. And why wouldn’t you? When read to classes of ten year olds they just delight in the humour and laugh all the way through. This is a great book just for fun but would be great for helping with instructional writing. It really is one out of the box!