Welcome to the Eagle Primary Reading Newsletter for May - 'Isolation Edition III'.
It would seem that lock-down is beginning to ease off now, so perhaps it is time to reflect on the experience both as a person and as a reader. I have been able to get through 10+ books and that's not including a couple I started and decided that they weren't for me, right now. I will as always revisit them, as it is unusual for me not to revisit a book that didn't quite hook me the first time.
So, my message again for this month stays much the same as the previous two. Take time out to slow down and read. It doesn't matter what you read, but read. Share stories together, which each other, look at the pictures, create your own pictures, write stories - whether they are true to life or not, but it is stories that make us who we are.
All learning, can be considered as stories - the story of people long ago, the story of how a landscape is created or how people came to live there, the story of belief, the story of how things work and behave... the better storytellers we become and the more stories we can tell - the better people we can become!
Whether you share the books with your children or if you encourage them to read them for themselves, it doesn't matter. I would simply like to see children get the opportunity to develop the breadth and depth of books that they have access to.
Mr Watson
EYFS Book of the Month
Let's go on a LIFESIZE prehistoric adventure!
The second interactive non-fiction adventure from bestselling picture book star, Sophy Henn.
Step into the book to see how YOU measure up against some of the world's most incredible, ginormous, deadly dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. This interactive non-fiction adventure features LIFESIZE illustrations so you can try on a Utahraptor's claw, compare your nostrils with a Diplodocus, see how a Stegosaurus plate would look on your back, wear a Pteranodon's beak, and much, much more. And don't forget to open up the fold-out pages to reveal a LIFESIZE Tyrannosaurus Rex mouth that's over a metre long! ROAR!
This huge, playful book is the perfect introduction to dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures for Jurassic World fans and young dinosaur enthusiast
MR WATSON SAYS: I make no apology... It isn't that long since I recommended Sophy Henn's other book Lifesize, but this is fab and as young children seem so often to love all things Dinosaur - this is a winner. Get an idea for just how big (or small) they actually were! I loved it - and I am pretty sure adults and children of all ages will too!
KS1 Book of the Month
An unlikely friendship between Miss Bandari and Mr Magarmach forms when the pair meet under the great plum tree, deep in the heart of India. Mr Magarmach is old and his hunting days are over but Miss Bandari loves hearing his stories as they munch plums together. One day their friendship is tested but with courage, trust and forgiveness they discover that living happily together tastes just as sweet as Miss Bandari’s golden plums.
The story of the monkey and the crocodile is a fable from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables dated to 300 BCE. But it’s a tale from around the world and versions can be found in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, China, Japan and the Caribbean..
I had the pleasure of reading this story for TinyOwl and their #FlyWithTinyOwl Series.
MR WATSON SAYS: This is a timeless fable of wisdom and foolishness, of pride and greed. It is told in a light and refreshing manner that you can't fail to love it. Beautiful storytelling and artwork have combined to make a story to delight readers... just a lovely story.
UKS2 Book of the Month
Who is the mysterious bloodstained man who stops their coach?
Why is no one around when Lance and the rest of Year Six arrive at the brand new Crater Lake activity centre?
But this is just the beginning of the school trip from hell; a fight for survival that sees five pupils band together to save their classmates from an alien fate far worse than death.
But whatever happens, they must Never. Ever. Fall asleep!
MR WATSON SAYS: It’s not easy to write scary stories and it’s even harder to write genuinely funny ones, but Jennifer Killick does both brilliantly. The kids on the Y6 school trip to Crater Lake have to stay awake to stay safe .
Brilliant stuff. Made me laugh out loud in several places and there are some wonderful words of wisdom hidden in among the adventures too. I'll be reading more Jennifer Killick books in the future.
Perfect for confident Y4 reader, and for UKS2 - If you claim 'You Don't Like Reading', read this... I reckon it might just change your mind!
Oh, and it will teach you a cool new game too...
Author of the Month
Torben KuhlMann
Torben Kuhlmann is a freelance illustrator and children's book author and lives in Hamburg. He was born in 1982 in the small town of Sulingen in Lower Saxony. he has always worked creatively; with building blocks in his father's office and rickety junk soap boxes in the garden, but also with crayons and water colors. In kindergarten and later in school he was always known as "the artist". Small airplanes, strange machines and steaming railroads adorned his workbooks even then. His enthusiasm for painting and drawing grew steadily and the first small exhibitions documented his path. Since then, drawing and watercolor have been his preferred technique. But he also works with acrylic and oil paints.
In summer 2005, after finishing school and doing his civil service, he started his studies at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences on the illustration and communication design course. Since 2006, he has occasionally worked as a freelance illustrator alongside his studies. From the beginning of 2010 to summer 2014, he was the house and profile illustrator for the Jung von Matt advertising agency in Hamburg. During this time, he also successfully completed his studies with the diploma examination with my first children's book "Lindbergh - The Story of a Flying Mouse". "Lindbergh" was published by NordSüd Verlag in January 2014 and has since started a small trip around the world.
MR WATSON SAYS: My love for the picture book is well known and Kuhlmann's 'Mouse' series are more than stories, more than picture books, they are unquestionably works of art. After that, you can begin to appreciate the delicate and wonderful stories too. Lindbergh - The Flying Mouse, Edison - The Submariner and Armstrong - The First Mouse on the Moon, tell tales that combine art, history, invention and imagination. All with power of spirit that drives the characters to success. Something to treasure (and of course - I have the full set!)
Your Recommendations...
Of course this Newsletter shouldn't be just about my choices.
I would love to hear recommendations from you too.
If you have read and enjoyed a book and think that someone else might enjoy it too, then share the name of the book and author with me, along with a brief summary of the plot and why you think someone else would enjoy the book.
Share the love of books.
You can E-mail your ideas, recommendations and reviews to: mike.watson@eagle.lincs.sch.uk
Remember as always, reading is a beautifully subjective thing... if you don't like a book, think about why before giving up.
Might it be worth another chapter?
Do you understand what is happening?
Use these thoughts to shape your future choices.
Mr Watson
Credits:
Created with images by Jonas Jacobsson - "untitled image" Book synopsis and author biography from Amazon.co.uk Other links - credited.