News
Books of the Week
Our Junior Librarians, Kallistos from 2NS and Poppy from 2AM, have chosen the Books of the Week. It is not an easy task selecting a book which they have enjoyed and which they believe will appeal to our entire Grimsdell community – from Nursery to Year 2. I am sure you will agree that they have made some super selections.
Firstly, Kallistos from 2NS recommends the latest book by Julia DonaldsonThe Baddies (published on 1 September 2022).
Kallistos’ reason for his choice:
“I have recommended this book because Julia Donaldson is one of my most favourite authors and this is her newest book. I’m sure lots of children will enjoy it as much as me!”
Julia Donaldson is one of our most popular authors and for good reason. The stories are engaging, the illustrations, with several collaborators, are colourful and captivating and the rhymes are perfectly phrased and fun to read aloud. I have written previously of the importance of rhyme in developing early reading skills, thus it is no surprise that parents and schools alike have been drawn to her stories to engage and motivate children to read.
Julia Donaldson has written some of the most popular and best-loved children’s stories including The Gruffalo, and Stick Man. She wrote her first book, A Squash and a Squeeze, more than 25 years ago! Her books are a regular favourite amongst the Grimsdell children, who are drawn in by not only her story lines but the rhyming style of the text.
The repetitive and rhyming style of the text has many benefits to literacy development. The repetition of a phrase/phrases encourages participation and engages children’s minds. It also encourages them to make predictions by successfully anticipating the next word or sentence. In addition, repetition is a powerful force in fiction – it encourages us to explore the author’s intent: repetition can emphasise setting, highlight a character trait or draw attention to a seemingly minor detail.
I have written in previous newsletters about the importance of rhyme in early literacy development and its crucial role in helping children to read. Rhyming teaches children how language works; helping them notice and work with the sounds within words and to experience the rhythm of language. As they recite rhymes, they learn to speak with animated voices – this is the precursor to reading with expression. When children are familiar with a rhyming book or nursery rhyme, they learn to anticipate the rhyming word. This prepares them to make predictions when they read, another important reading skill.
The Baddies is a brand new picture book from the author Julia Donaldson and the illustrator Axel Scheffler which Kallistos and his family kindly donated to our Grimsdell Library. The story is a riot of slapstick fun and silliness. The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land. They just ADORE being bad and fight over who is the worst. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her but the little girl quickly shows them that you don’t have to be big to be brave, and baddies don’t always win …
I feel certain that this story is going to become a firm favourite within our Grimsdell community.
Our second Book of the Week has been chosen by Poppy, who shares with us the mischievous book The Queen’s Knickers by Nicholas Allan.
Poppy’s reason for her choice:
“I love this book because it is so funny – there are so many different types of knickers for EVERY occasion!”
Mrs Harvey would also recommend Poppy’s choice:
The Queen’s Knickers is a popular book and never sits for long on the library shelves! The reason for its popularity? It is simply a great read with colourful illustrations to prompt the story and capture the imagination of young readers. Allan’s language is rich and varied and the story flows from page to page. The reader is challenged to think creatively and offer predictions as the story progresses.
A quick synopsis – Have you ever wondered about the kind of knickers a Queen wears? Sensible knickers, frilly knickers, knickers with corgis on them? Perhaps she has different knickers for every occasion – crown-jewel knickers or Christmas knickers? A little girl daydreaming about a school visit from a Queen imagines a parade of all the different knickers she might own, and wonders which knickers she might choose for a school trip – her rescue knickers, gardening knickers, or perhaps her ‘parachute pants’?
Knickers are funny, and in The Queen’s Knickers, Nicholas Allan makes them even funnier with this cheeky look inside a Queen’s wardrobe. The story is delightful and highly entertaining. Perhaps the only question remaining is – which knickers would you wear if you were going to meet a Queen?
We are sure that this book will become one of your firm favourites and it is available to borrow from our Grimsdell library.
Happy Reading
Mrs Harvey
