Big Sky Mountain
When Rosa gets off the plane at Big Sky Mountain to live with a grandmother she doesn’t know, everything looks terrifying to someone who has never left the city. With no houses or shops for about 200 miles, her Grandma Nan is going to be her only company- and she seems to have forgotten that Rosa is coming. However, Rosa is soon captivated by the beauty and the wildlife surrounding Grandma Nan’s log cabin.
‘Big Sky Mountain’ is a real celebration of fresh air, connecting with nature and the interconnectivity of life on earth. Nature is celebrated on every page and readers are introduced to a whole host of animals, who Rosa is able to talk to and make friends with.
Like Alex’s excellent ‘Hotel Flamingo’ series, this book offers a cast of fabulous characters. Albert the apple loving moose, Little Pig the pygmy owl and Mr Hibberdee the bear are just a few who add much life and laughter to the story. Children would really enjoy creating their own characters to live on Big Sky Mountain, using Alex’s for inspiration. Grandma Nan and Rosa are also well formed and appealing. Rosa gains confidence when facing a completely new life, leaving behind all she knows, and Grandma Nan’s love of the outdoors, her energy and ‘can-do’ nature are an inspiration to us all!
The story also shows the importance of working together as well as looking after our natural world. Nan introduces Rosa to a whole new world of adventure in the outdoors- camp fires, sleeping under the stars, the many beauties of nature- which is sure to inspire Big Sky readers to explore for themselves. The book also includes a ‘can you find’ section at the end, encouraging children to examine the illustrations and identify different types of flora which could lead to trying to find and identify some when on walks themselves.
The book is generously illustrated with delightful pictures, offering plenty to interest and engage younger readers without detracting from the text. Children love a map and there is one at the beginning for children to follow Rosa’s adventures on.
Rosa’s adventures continue in ‘The Forest Wolves’ (out in February) when she and Nan are building an extension to Nan's cabin for Rosa to have her own room. When a storm arrives, so do all their animal friends- including a little wolf cub which leads Nan and Rosa to another adventure in nature.
Once again, the adventure offers much to enjoy and discuss. There are a new set of hidden species to find in the pictures and information about woodlands and ‘megafauna’ to enjoy. This is a series which will captivate young readers and open their eyes to the wonders of the natural world. I look forward to sharing these and any more adventures from Rosa with as many children as possible!
Big Sky Mountain Alex Milway
Piccadilly ISBN: 978-1848129726
Big Sky Mountain: The Forest Wolves Alex Milway
Piccadilly ISBN: 978-1848129733