Library News

Book of the Week

Our Junior Librarian, George, from 2NS chooses our final Book of the Week for this half term and applies a to his choice. George’s thoughtful analysis of his book choice gives us plenty to consider over the half-term holiday.

George recommends a book which formed part of last year’s Reading Road Map collection. The fiction book is entitled Mabel and the Mountain written and illustrated by Kim Hillyard.

George’s reason for his choice: “I like to choose books from the ‘Feelings’ section of the library. Not only is this a great read, but it also gives an important message – the story encourages you to believe in yourself. It reminds me of the Grimsdell Way – to always give your 10/10 best effort!”

We hope you agree! Mrs Harvey wholeheartedly supports George’s inspired choice of book, which is available to borrow from our school library. This humorous story encourages resilience, the guise of a tiny fly, Mabel. Mabel and the Mountain depicts a tiny fly overcoming huge adversity to achieve her chosen goal – it will engage children and inspire the to voice their own dreams.

Debut author-illustrator Kim Hillyard has ensured that text and illustrations work together with a wonderful mixture of wit and unpredictability. Mabel’s ‘big plans’ include climbing a mountain; when the first two mountains turn out to be a nose and a wobbly jelly, the reader expects that Mabel’s ambitions will be realised on a smaller scale. But no – turn the page, and Mabel is indeed tackling a genuine mountain. Mabel faces opposition not just from the doubters but also from anxious and well-meaning fellow flies. However, she resists all pressure to give up and persists with stubborn determination and resilience. Her approach inspires the other flies, anxiety now transformed to excitement, to embark on a host of ambitious projects. Mabel herself, at the close of the book, is embarking on the next new challenge.

This is a lovely book to read aloud. It encourages discussion around what holds us back from pursuing our dreams, and discouragements we face along the way. The simple text and entertaining illustrations would prompt such conversation very naturally; darker pictures contrasting with bright, vibrant illustrations show mood changes in a way accessible even to young children. The ending invites discussion about how Mabel will tackle her next plan ‘Make friends with a shark’, and the final illustration offers just enough of a tantalising clue to make children want to imagine the next episode of her story. Some of Mabel’s mantras could even be adopted so that this feisty fly’s lessons of bravery and determination help embed an ethos of self-belief.

Author of the Week

Lily and Mahi from 2NS have spent time writing and illustrating a non-fiction book for the Food and Cookery section of our library. They have created a wonderful 3-D effect front cover which is sure to grab a reader’s attention! Cooking books are very popular amongst our Grimsdell borrowers and so it is lovely to have a new cookbook for the children to read and try out a scrumptious cake recipe!