Reviews

There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.

FCBG Conference, Woldingham School Sue Wilsher FCBG Conference, Woldingham School Sue Wilsher

FCBG24

Another year, another conference! Henceforth known as ‘The Fun One’… the Eurovision/ SuperBowl of the KidLit calendar’ thanks to the very lovely October Jones, the FCBG Conference is always a fabulous occasion and this year’s was no exception! If anyone was wondering whether it’s worth ‘sacrificing’ one of their precious weekends for, the answer is absolutely and unequivocally YES!

This year, Woldingham School in Surrey was where it all happened. The school is set in 700 acres of lovely countryside, making it a very peaceful spot to stay and as the weather was mostly kind to us, a pleasant place to wander round.

Although the Conference Committee and their helpers has been busy for hours, delegates started to arrive at 3pm. It is always lovely to catch up with familiar faces, but a fantastic opportunity to connect with new people as well- discovering the face behind the social media name or simply meeting like minded book-lovers whilst having a cuppa and a cake.

The weekend began in earnest with afternoon tea celebrating the 10th anniversary of Supertato! Not only were there delicious cupcakes, but the tater himself made an appearance, delighting everyone with his willingness to pose for pictures! Following this were the Publishers’ Presentations, a fantastic opportunity to hear about some of the wonderful books which are currently available and coming soon. With such a wealth of books available, it is a great way of spotting books of interest to have a look at and discuss with the publishers at the exhibition!

The Publishers’ Exhibition which followed their presentations is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Conference for many delegates. The opportunity to have a closer look at some of the books mentioned in the presentations is a real joy, but actually being able to meet lovely publishing people is really special, offering an opportunity to chat about different titles, enter competitions and perhaps be offered a proof copy of something up-coming! And they really are lovely people..!

After dinner, everyone headed to the Mansion House for drinks. Sam Sedgman gave a brilliant talk about his work, including his latest book, ‘The Clockwork Conspiracy’ (review here). His knowledge, sense of humour and enthusiasm for discovering things and being interested in the world made him an absolute joy to listen to!

A hard act to follow you might think, but what came next was a fabulous session of music and poetry from three of the best! Treating us to a medley of well-known songs with altered lyrics such as ‘Feeding my Mind’ (Staying Alive) and ‘FCBG’ (Tragedy), the combined talents of Laura Mucha (review of ‘Celebrate!’ here and ‘Dear Ugly Sisters’ here), John Dougherty (The Hare-Shaped Hole here) and Roger Stevens (review of Razzmatazz here) were just what was needed to round off what had been an excellent start to the weekend!

Saturday was off to a bang with Cressida Cowell (The Wizards of Once) and David Almond (Bone Music), two real treasures of children’s books who I could have listened to all day! They were followed by a session called ‘Disadvantaged Boys Have Feelings Too’ with Brian Conaghan and Nathanael Lessore which I wasn’t able to enjoy as I was on the reception desk at this time, but which everyone was full of praise for!

After another round of cupcakes, Jenny Pearson took the stage for a fabulously funny and entertaining session. This was followed by the choice of four seminars: NSSM with Margaret Bateson-Hill, NNFN, graphic novels with Steve Webb and how to become an author with Julia Green (The Boy who Sailed the World). A tough decision to make!

After lunch, there was a session with Jennifer Killick (Dread Wood) and Peter Bentley (Octopus Shocktopus), past winners of the CBA which some children had been invited to attend. Next came the ‘Empathy in Picture Books’ panel with Mariajo Ilustrajo, Farrah Riaz and Kim Hillyard (Mabel and the Mountain), a wonderful session! More tea and cake followed to celebrate 30 years of ‘Dinosaur Roar!’ before the Group meetings.

And there was still more to come! We celebrated Michael Morpurgo’s 80th birthday with him before the Gala Dinner and then the incomparable David Fickling gave the after dinner speech! His enthusiasm and energy are completely infectious, making the perfect end to another perfect day!

Although some were a little bleary eyed from staying on at the bar the night before, everyone was up bright and early on Sunday to enjoy yet more book-ish joy! The first session was Lisa Williamson, an excellent YA author (First Day of My Life) , talking about her new MG series ‘Best Friends Forever’. This was followed by ‘Inclusion in Fiction’, a panel event with Sarah Hagger-Holt, Lisette Auton and Karen Owen. Lisette Auton wasn’t able to join us in person, but appeared on screen! Both of these session were thought-provoking as well as enjoyable.

Our final tea break -more cake!- was followed by ‘Fantasy with an Environmental Twist’, a fascinating session with Pari Thomson, Jess French and Rachel Delahaye (Day of the Whale). And last, but very much not least, Christopher Edge (Escape Room) closed conference in style with another excellent, fun session which no one will forget in a hurry!

Time for lunch and then we were all saying our goodbyes- and promising to meet again in Monmouth next year so we can do it all again! Many thanks to the Conference Committee for organising such a fabulous event and many apologies if I’ve left anyone out of the pictures! Can’t wait for FCBG25!

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NNFN2023: Celebrate

Today kicks off a month of non-fiction reviews to celebrate National Non-Fiction November! There are so many fantastic information books on offer that it has been very hard to choose, but here we go!

‘Celebrate!’ from Nosy Crow and the British Museum is a joyful book, offering an introduction to 50 festivals from around the world. The bright red cover with its tumbling letters just invites readers to discover more about the little illustrations surrounding the title.

In terms of traditional non-fiction text features, the book has an excellent contents page which organises the festivals into those which are Worldwide and then by continent, a clear glossary and a comprehensive index, making it easy to locate information quickly and with ease. As it says in the introduction, ‘It would be impossible to include every festival from around the world…’, but the author, Laura Mucha, has done an amazing job of including a very diverse and fascinating range, making this book a joy from start to finish!

Each festival is given two pages, bursting with appealing illustrations which reflect the spirit of the occasion. The date and location of each festival is given and information is presented in accessible chunks, spread across the pages with an explanation of why and how celebrations take place. Touches of humour are added through speech bubbles and the pictures where appropriate.

I learned so much from reading this book and would happily add it to any school, class or home library, confident that children would both enjoy it and gain much from it. Beautifully presented, it is a real celebration of celebrations- a lovely gift!

Celebrate!

Laura Mucha, illustrated by Hannah Tolson

Nosy Crow and the British Museum ISBN: 978-1839940415

You can read my review of ‘Welcome to Our Table’ here- another book from Nosy Crow which celebrates the diversity of food around the world- and the 2023 Nature Month-by Month: A Children’s Almanac here, a lovely book which guides you through the year!

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Non-fiction, Global food, Languages Sue Wilsher Non-fiction, Global food, Languages Sue Wilsher

Welcome to our Table

‘Welcome to our Table’ is a highly-engaging, brightly illustrated cornucopia of foody-facts and eating etiquette. Subtitled ‘a celebration of what children eat everywhere’, the emphasis is on the joy of sharing the wonders, surprises, differences and similarities of the food which is eaten all over the world. Authors, Laura and Ed, make it clear in their introduction that it would be impossible to include everything, but the list of countries and places provided at the end shows the wide range of countries they have managed to ‘visit’ on this incredibly interesting and vibrant exploration!

From setting the table to foods which we might eat in the future, the range of topics covered is fascinating! I have to confess that I am fairly pathetic when it comes to food- very unadventurous- so I turned to the page on ice-cream, something I enjoy making as well as eating, with great confidence -only to find that I have only tried three of the types of ice cream named! Pastries and puddings- another area I greatly enjoy!- I have only tried three! Lots for me to try on future occasions! There is so much to learn about the food, customs and eating habits around the world here- and so much to tempt the reader to try something new!

The book also includes food related words and phrases so children can learn how to say something before the meal- like ‘bon appetit’ in French or ‘sahtain’ in Lebanese- and other useful foody phrases. Each page is full of details about the foods we eat and how they are/can be cooked as well as some of the science-y stuff about how we taste.

The book is brilliantly illustrated with lots of colourful, fun pictures on every page, making the book a visual feast- sure to appeal to budding chefs and any one with an interest in food!

Welcome to our Table

Laura Mucha and Ed Smith, illustrated by Harriet Lynas

Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-1839945045

You can read my review of ‘Welcome to our World’ by Moira Butterfield, also illustrated by Harriet Lynas here.

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Meet Laura Mucha

Today, I delighted to be joined by one of the most joyful people I know- poet, Laura Mucha, whose poetry book, ‘Dear Ugly Sisters and other poems’ won the NSTBA poetry category in 2021. This collection has proved incredibly popular with teachers and children alike. As well as contributing to various collections, Laura has also collaborated with two of my other favourite children’s poets on the wonderful ‘Being Me’, an excellent resource for teachers and parents as well as being a brilliant read!

1.     One of my favourite poems to share with children is ‘Travel by Book’. Which is your favourite book to travel by – and you can only choose one!

The book that pops into my head is Celebrate! which I wrote with the British Museum during the various lockdowns.

Instead of sitting in my gardenless flat in London, researching and writing Celebrate! meant I was in Botswana, Argentina, China and lots of other places I had travelled to before the pandemic hit. It REALLY helped me stay positive because it allowed me to travel the world, even though I was actually locked inside. 

2.     I have always loved poetry and my head is full of snippets of my favourites which come to me in moments of need! Have you always been drawn to poetry and if so, which are your childhood favourites?

Growing up, I read English books with Mum and Polish books with my grandparents. I still remember the line ‘whips a pistol from her knickers’ from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and REALLY loved his language and humour.

But I think my favourite book was Stefek Burczymucha by Maria Konopnicka. I still have my original copy… It’s a poetic picture book about a boy who pretends to be ridiculously brave and describes all the things he’d do to various scary animals. But at the end, you discover he’s actually petrified of a teeny tiny mouse. It’s written in fantastic metre and rhyme, which I think you can still enjoy even if you don’t speak Polish. And I love the way it explores the difference between what we say and what we actually feel or do.

3.     In your collection, ‘Dear Ugly Sisters and other poems’, you share poems in a number of forms- haiku, acrostic, shape. Do you have a favourite to use or do your ideas take shape in a particular form as they come to you?

Weirdly, a lot of poems come out as: tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM. It’s called iambic tetrameter, and sometimes I wonder if that’s what my internal metronome is set to?!

But I think variety in a poetry collection is VERY important, so I tried to write in different forms so the book didn’t start to feel monotonous.  

Not ALL my poems come out in strict metre. Quite often they seem to demand their own shape and form, and it feels like my job to figure out what they’re after. It’s odd to talk about poems as if they have a personality but it does feel like that sometimes!?    

4.     Do you write books- fiction or non-fiction- as well as poetry?

I write fiction for younger children, and non-fiction for all ages, from preschool to adult. My plan is to write fiction for older children and young people too, but I have quite a lot of non-fiction books to finish first...

I used to be a lawyer, so maybe that's why I love doing LOTS of research and trying to find the simplest way possible to communicate big ideas. I spend a massive amount of time writing and rewriting to try to make language help understanding, instead of stand in the way of it.

Poetic technique plays a HUGE role in that, even when I’m writing prose. Poetry influences everything I write and I often send what are probably quite annoying notes to my editors talking about metre even when a book doesn't have a single poem in it.

5.     Why do you think poetry is important- particularly for children?

I love the musicality of poetry. I think it can help make words feel more friendly, more accessible, more joyful, more memorable. So I think poetry has an important role to play in language development.

I think the smallness of poetry can be really helpful in exploring and containing difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences that might otherwise feel scary or overwhelming to a child or young person (or adult). It never ceases to amaze me that a small package of words can help clarify something difficult in our lives, change the way we think and help us know we are not alone.

A poem’s smallness is also a great way into learning how to write. I love co-writing poems with large groups of students, going through the messy start of the creative process to the brutal decision making that’s involved in editing, followed by the challenges of performing. Poems are a great way to learn all of that. I don’t think I could achieve anything near that trying to co-write a chapter with a hundred students in a short space of time.

But despite its many benefits, I think a lot of people see poetry as intimidating or difficult and I would love to change that. 

Photos taken during the on-line launch of ‘Shaping the World’.

6.     What can you tell me about what are you working on at the moment?

I’m in the process of finalising three books: the first is Celebrate! that I mentioned earlier. The second is Welcome to our Table, a book about food around the world for children. I co-wrote it with my husband who is a food writer and learnt a GIGANTIC amount doing it.

The third is a book for adults about how our upbringings impact us throughout life. I joined a research group at Cambridge University to try to understand all the many, MANY complexities of the subject – and to make sure I don’t get it wrong! It’s taken me about 5 years so far and I’m looking forward to finishing...

I’m also working on a series of full colour poetry-non-fiction books for Hachette. The first is called Scary and looks at creatures that seem scary before exploring why they aren’t, or why they’re scary because they’re scared, or why they’re actually really interesting. It also explores the science of fear. Fear plays a major role in our lives, and I don’t think we do enough to support young people in understanding how it works or how to manage it.

7.     And lastly- and most importantly according to my niece- what is your favourite cake?

When I was little, my grandma used to bake cakes and one of my favourite things EVER IN LIFE was to lick the bowl. It didn’t really matter what the cake was, as long as it was uncooked and dolloped on my finger!  

Another favourite cake is anything my mum makes me for my birthday. She always goes all out and creates slightly bonkers iced bonanzas. When my very first book came out, she made a cake that looked just like the book cover. She’s also made me a cake that featured a swimming pool in it!?

I don't think I've answered your question. If I had to choose one type of cake, I would go for cornflake cakes when they’re smothered in dark chocolate. I think they are DELICIOUS! In fact, I might make some right now…

Thank you so much to Laura for joining me today! I can’t wait to read ‘Celebrate!’ and we must get together for a cake making (and eating!) fest sometime soon!!

You can read my review of ‘Dear Ugly Sisters…’ here including a link to some teaching notes to go with some of the poems.

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Pause for Poetry, Poetry, Emotions Sue Wilsher Pause for Poetry, Poetry, Emotions Sue Wilsher

Pause for Poetry: Monday

This week, I will be pausing for poetry every day in celebration of National Poetry Day on Thursday 6th October. The theme this year is the Environment, offering plenty of poems to choose from and plenty of inspiration for writing.

However, because poetry is not just for National Poetry Day, I will be sharing a couple of favourite poetry books each day this week. It has been very hard to choose…

Poetry can be an incredibly powerful, personal form of expression which allows the exploration of thoughts and feelings or simply their release. Sometimes, we lack the words to encapsulate our emotions or the courage to commit them to paper. Finding that others have also experienced similar feelings can offer great comfort which is why poems like those in ‘Being Me’ are invaluable. Sharing and discussing emotions through the words of others helps us to make sense of our feelings, feel supported and encourage empathy for others.

This is a truly stunning collection of poignant, powerful poems by three outstanding poets, illustrated by Victoria Jane Wheeler. The anthology contains 45 poems exploring a wide range of emotions, worries and ideas. Invaluable for both home and school, this is a collection which should be on every shelf.

Each poem deserves to be savoured and could be discussed in detail, easily being used as the core of a session, for a discussion or read for pleasure, but I have selected just a few to look at here. There are notes at the end of the book written by Dr Karen Goodall, a developmental psychologist, which offer advice for discussions and links for support organisations.

Reading ‘My Head is Full of Hurry’ by Laura eases all the tension in your body as your mind slows with the calming images she creates. The use of alliteration and onomatopoeia help echo the sounds of nature and its healing beauty. Children could easily create their own poems using this as a model, drawing on images, sounds and experiences which help them to regain some peace and feel calm. My head is mostly ‘full of hurry’ - a wonderful description- and this poem is one which I will now mutter to myself at moments of need.

‘A Thought’ by Matt explores a mother’s depression from a child’s point of view. The imagery used is so poignant, yet easy to relate to and perfect for discussing the feelings of both adult and child.

Liz’s poem, ‘What to do with worries’ suggests many ways of sharing the things that are bothering you instead of bottling them up. This is another poem which children could use as a model for their own ideas as well as a starting point for discussing ways to tackle worries.

Other favourites include ‘The Land of Blue’, ‘Being Heard’, ‘In the Heart of a Book’ and ‘First Day’, but each and every poem is a real gem. Highly recommended.

Being Me: Poems about Thoughts, Worries and Feelings

Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Laura Mucha

illustrated by Victoria Jane Wheeler

Otter Barry ISBN: 978-1913074654

Whatever your feelings, there is a poem which can help! There are poems which can lighten your mood, poems to calm you down, those which entertain and those which inspire. ‘Everyone Sang’ is a fabulous collection which really has something for everyone and every emotion.

Gathered into four sections, the poems have been selected to help support different moods and capture how the reader is feeling. In his introduction, William Sieghart says, ‘There is a special magic in the perfect poem…’ and there is plenty of magic in these pages. There are plenty of classics- Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’, John Masefield’s ‘Sea Fever’ and ‘Silver’ by Walter de la Mare to name a few- alongside more recent treasures like ‘Granny Is…’ by Valerie Bloom

Each section has been carefully considered, offering a balance of older and more modern as well as from a wonderful range of poets from different countries and cultures. There are so many poems in this joyful collection which are perfect for sharing with a class or using for assemblies, encouraging children to reflect on their feelings and showing how poetry can help them to express themselves and understand others.

The illustrations are simply delightful, immersing the reader in the poems. They are full of colour, life and imagination. Each spread could be framed and displayed, but I particularly love the illustration for ‘The Sound Collector’ by Roger McGough and the one for ‘Don’t Go Into the Library’ by Alberto Rios.

A fabulous collection of poems for everyone to enjoy, ‘Everyone Sang’ would make a perfect gift.

Everyone Sang: A Poem for Every Feeling

William Sieghart, illustrated by Emily Sutton

Walker Books ISBN: 978-1406393613

'The Same Inside' is an amazing collection of poems by three very special poets. It is a collection to be shared, discussed and enjoyed again and again.

The opening poem entitled 'The Same Inside' by Liz Brownlee sets the tone of the book perfectly. Look inside any apple and what do you find- a star, and yet they all have different appearances. Cutting the apples, sharing the fruit and planting the seed of the idea could be used as the basis of an assembly or lesson to develop empathy and encourage thought and discussion. Having done this, it is amazing where it led!

There are poems here to help with many situations and each could be used as the basis for work in the classroom so I have selected a few of my favourites to discuss here- but it was very hard to choose!

'Each and Every One' is a poem by Matt Goodfellow which states 'I am human' in a range of languages, starting with Welsh and ending with English. Imagine the fun to be had discovering which language each sentence is written in, the joy of children identifying a language which they can speak. Families could add the same sentence in other languages they speak or are interested in and the poem extended, celebrated and displayed. Children could think of other sentences or phrases which they would like to translate and create a poem of their own along the same lines. This could lead to discussions about how the sentiment behind the phrase is the same, no matter what the language. 

Roger Stevens' poem, 'Boy or Girl?', offers a brilliant starting point for challenging ideas about gender stereotyping. Having listened to each 'riddle', they could be asked whether they think the subject is a boy or a girl and then discuss why. They could then gather ideas about themselves or their friends and write poems exploring the things they love to do, encouraging empathy and understanding and perhaps allowing children to share hobbies and talents that they have 'outside' school that others might know nothing about. 

'Differences of Opinion' by Liz Brownlee would make a great performance poem. Easy to learn, with plenty of humour, it also carries a poignant message about the beauty of friendship and celebrating difference. Children could create their own poems about the differences between themselves and others- but focus on how little this matters. Differences are to be respected and acknowledged, not ridiculed or loathed. 

Each and every poem in this collection is poignant and special- words to carry in your heart and remind us that we are all 'The Same Inside.'

The Same Inside: Poems about Empathy and Friendship

Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens

Macmillan     ISBN: 978-1509854509

 Enjoy these- more tomorrow!

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