JUNO Book Club
Autumn Book Club: six new books for children
Zoom! By Sam Usher, Templar Books When it’s too hot for Boy and Grandad to sleep, there’s only one thing for it and they head up on to the roof to cool down. Through their telescope, Boy sees a planet, and on it a space module and astronauts – in trouble! They blast off in their homemade rocket to help and on to a space adventure. It’s a delightful story, with subtle science and engineering facts dotted throughout, that celebrates creativity and resourcefulness. Boy and Grandad are such endearing characters: they say yes to adventure and problems never phase them. Everything can be mended in Boy and Grandad’s world, often with cardboard, sticky tape, pompoms and glue. The watercolour illustrations are fabulous, depicting both the warmth between Boy and Grandad, and the marvels of space. Secrets of the Forest: 15 Bedtime Stories Inspired by Nature By Alicia Klepeis, illustrated by...
Autumn Book Club: six new books for children
Zoom! By Sam Usher, Templar Books When it’s too hot for Boy and Grandad to sleep, there’s only one thing for it and they head up on to the roof...
Books for Inspiration: Poetry
Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World By Rina Singh, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi, Greystone Kids These stories, written in free verse, tell of extraordinary actions of individuals from across the world who have shown remarkable love, kindness and courage in the face of war, poverty, violence, persecution, inequality. A grocer in Delhi teaches children for free beneath a railway bridge. An Anishinaabe girl becomes an advocate for clean drinking water after learning of water insecurity for Indigenous communities in Canada. The poems are powerful and succinct, and Hadadi’s evocative cut-paper art reflects the hands-on, grassroots actions of the people whose stories Singh tells so beautifully. Gods and Monsters: Mythological Poems Compiled by Ana Sampson, illustrated by Chris Riddell, Macmillan Mythology reveals so much about our species’ hopes, dreams and fears, and this wide-ranging poetry collection draws from across the breadth of our inherited stories. It offers traditional...
Books for Inspiration: Poetry
Imagine a Garden: Stories of Courage Changing the World By Rina Singh, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi, Greystone Kids These stories, written in free verse, tell of extraordinary actions of individuals...
What it feels like to be the invisible autistic...
Siena Castellon shares what it feels like to be the invisible autistic girl and what you can do about it Unfortunately, there are still lots of stereotypes and misconceptions about autism, especially in relation to autism in girls. When I tell people that I’m autistic, they frequently express disbelief. I’m often told that I don’t look autistic or act like someone who is autistic. I still haven’t come up with the ideal response, in particular because these comments imply that there is something wrong with being autistic. Let me be very clear: I like being autistic. Autism is an integral part of who I am. It’s not something that I’m ashamed of. On the contrary, I embrace my autism because my autism and learning differences make me me. To my classmates, teachers and acquaintances, I can appear conventionally normal. I can make friends and be sociable. I’m well behaved, intelligent...
What it feels like to be the invisible autistic girl
Siena Castellon shares what it feels like to be the invisible autistic girl and what you can do about it Unfortunately, there are still lots of stereotypes and misconceptions about...
Late Summer Book Club: eight new books for chil...
A Hero Like Me By Angela Joy and Jen Reid, illustrated by Leire Salaberria, Frances Lincoln On 7 June 2020, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and thrown into Bristol Harbour during an anti-racism protest. A Hero Like Me recounts those events from the perspective of young girl who witnessed them. When a woman climbs on to the empty plinth and raises her fist above her head – for George Floyd and for the safety and dignity of Black people everywhere – the act has a huge impact on the girl watching, who sees a hero “just like me”. Jen Reid has since been immortalised in a statue herself. The book asks us to think about who our heroes are and how we celebrate them, because the choice of who we place on a pedestal matters to the children, and the adults, who walk beneath them....
Late Summer Book Club: eight new books for children
A Hero Like Me By Angela Joy and Jen Reid, illustrated by Leire Salaberria, Frances Lincoln On 7 June 2020, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down...
Late Summer Book Club: four new books for adults
Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood By Lucy Jones, Allen Lane Matrescence is an important work. We first meet Lucy Jones on her knees in a forest, looking for slime moulds with her hand lens. She explains that they change, as did she. She was delighted to discover the word ‘matrescence’, which validated her sense that becoming a mother was a process of total change. The change began in pregnancy when she suffered severe nausea. She quickly discovered that the usual ideas about pregnancy and then motherhood were nowhere near her own experiences. She endured an exhausting five-day labour, and found breastfeeding hard going. (I am a La Leche League leader, and I wonder whether she had been inadequately prepared. She mentions trying to get her nipple into her baby’s mouth, when it’s simpler to support the breast and let the baby gape and attach herself.) Extreme...
Late Summer Book Club: four new books for adults
Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood By Lucy Jones, Allen Lane Matrescence is an important work. We first meet Lucy Jones on her knees in a forest,...
Books for Inspiration: Art and Creativity
The Extraordinary Book That Makes You an Artist By Mary Richards, illustrated by Go Suga, Weldon Owen This is an exciting project book for budding artists. Through the cut-out exercises on each page, children are introduced to different art techniques, movements, styles and artists, before having a go themselves. There’s everything from cubism, collage and self-portraiture, to mosaics, masks and stencils. The instructions are easy to follow and leave space for experimentation and interpretation, so that every child’s creations are individual. Rory’s Room of Rectangles: A Story of Blended Families and Big Feelings By Ian Eagleton, illustrated by Jessica Knight, Owlet Press When the teacher asks the class to make a Father’s Day card, Rory doesn’t know whether to make one for his dad or his stepdad, Tony. He draws angry swishes on the card before ripping it up altogether. When Father’s Day arrives, Rory thinks of his dad and...
Books for Inspiration: Art and Creativity
The Extraordinary Book That Makes You an Artist By Mary Richards, illustrated by Go Suga, Weldon Owen This is an exciting project book for budding artists. Through the cut-out exercises...
A true story to inspire parents and educators
As a father of two boys aged six and three, I haven’t found it easy to make time to read. Indeed, it’s ironic that only when you become a parent do you realise that there is so much to learn and yet, for our family at least, so little time. However, when my brother and his wife withdrew their three children from the state primary school late into the summer term, I sat up and took notice. After reading The Call to Brilliance, this couple, despite having a fledgling yet ambitious mail-order business, had chosen to take on educating their children themselves. It was a tremendous surprise to me, and so I felt compelled to read the book that had changed the direction of their lives so profoundly. Perhaps their example gave me the faith I required to push through the initial twenty pages. The author, Resa Steindel Brown, is...
A true story to inspire parents and educators
As a father of two boys aged six and three, I haven’t found it easy to make time to read. Indeed, it’s ironic that only when you become a parent...
Summer Book Club: nine new books for children
Budgie By Joseph Coelho, illustrated by David Barrow, Barrington Stoke Miles loves climbing the trees on his estate, but he’s always being told off by a neighbour, Mr Buxton. When Miles finds a lost budgie, he discovers he and Mr Buxton have more in common than he could ever have imagined. This is a really lovely story about empathy and intergenerational friendship, told simply and lyrically by award-winning author Joseph Coelho, the children’s laureate. The text is supported by bright illustrations by David Barrow, which capture the warmth and sensitivity of the story beautifully. Barrington Stoke publish super-readable, accessible books that help every child enjoy the experience of reading, with particular consideration for reluctant readers and children who struggle to read due to dyslexia or visual stress. Budgie is part of the fantastic Little Gems collection. These books have a chunky format, beautiful colour illustrations, and well-spaced text, to help...
Summer Book Club: nine new books for children
Budgie By Joseph Coelho, illustrated by David Barrow, Barrington Stoke Miles loves climbing the trees on his estate, but he’s always being told off by a neighbour, Mr Buxton. When...
Summer Book Club: four new books for adults
Wild Swimming Walks South Wales: 28 Coast, River & Waterfall Days Out By Nia Lloyd Knott, Wild Things Publishing Nia Lloyd Knott was born in South Wales and her knowledge about and affection for the area makes her an engaging guide for these walks. Included are routes in the Gower, the Brecon Beacons, the Wye Valley, the Usk Valley and more. Living in Bristol, South Wales is just a stone’s throw and has some of my favourite places to escape to – Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, Hay-on-Wye, Pen y Fan. The book is a fantastic resource as it offers lesser-known walks and swims to be found in each place. I have often taken what the book describes as “the motorway” route up Pen y Fan, so it was great to discover an alternative, complete with swims at a glacial lake, pools and waterfalls. I enjoyed her warning about leeches in the...
Summer Book Club: four new books for adults
Wild Swimming Walks South Wales: 28 Coast, River & Waterfall Days Out By Nia Lloyd Knott, Wild Things Publishing Nia Lloyd Knott was born in South Wales and her knowledge...
Three books to help little ones process big fee...
A Bed of Stars By Jessica Love, Walker Books For this young boy, the endless sky feels so expansive, it’s too much for him to contemplate. His dad has an idea, and the two of them head into the desert on a camping trip. They notice the detail of the world around them, and when night comes, the boy’s dad helps him see the connections between all things, and the stars turn into friends. There is so much love and understanding in this beautiful story about finding your place in the vastness of the Universe. The Laugh By Fay Evans, illustrated by Ayşe Klinge, Flying Eye Books A girl remembers her mother’s laugh in all its glorious forms; it captures the way she lives and the way she loves. When her mother dies, it seems her laugh goes with her. But, one day, the girl laughs unexpectedly, and suddenly...
Three books to help little ones process big feelings
A Bed of Stars By Jessica Love, Walker Books For this young boy, the endless sky feels so expansive, it’s too much for him to contemplate. His dad has an...
