Tag Archives: picturebooks

Fables revisited

There have been a lot of fairy tale retellings over the past few years, but I don’t recall seeing a fable retelling recently and I’m delighted to be invited to review this picture book of the Hare and the Tortoise revived: The Great Race.

The writing has a traditional storyteller feel to it, very similar to the Sussex Folk Takes by Michael O’Leary that I read myself a few years ago where I felt myself sitting around a campfire listening to others sharing tales. Given the volume of text and the writing style, I think this book does lend itself to being read aloud.

There are plenty of learnings woven into the narrative (hares vs rabbits, turtles vs tortoises, solitary animals etc) which is great for sparking discussions, and is done in a fun way.

I was a bit puzzled when I first opened this as there seemed to be random words in different colours and underlined, and I wondered if I’d been sent an unedited proof copy, but then I realised it was a vocab trick highlighting particular words and phrases and then echoing them back in simpler English. Never seen this done before but presumably it’s a tried and tested tool from the authors educator background. So I’m not surprised to see a little test sneak in at the end!

Note: British readers may struggle with some of the phrases – “slowpoke” is used repeatedly, which I googled to double check was the same as “slowcoach” (it is).

Giveaway to Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card and e-copy of The Great Race (Open INT)

The author is running a little competition. You can enter here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494604/?

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Blurb

Get Ready, Set, Go!

Who will win the race? Slow and steady or fast and reckless? 

The Great Race is the first bedtime story in the delightful Return to Fable Land series – modern day fables with magical animal adventures, humorous fantasy action, and whimsical ‘talking’ characters with attitude and smarts, engage the imagination and stimulate the intellect, empowering children to go for a personal best. Ages 5 +

Author Bio

Sun Chara has collaborated with her brother, writing as Joe Happy-Light, on several children’s books for Return to Fable Land series. With the authors’ collective backgrounds in education, entertainment, medicine, and martial arts, combined with their entrepreneurial spirit, The Great Race, the first modern day fable in the series.

What aren’t there more retellings of A Christmas Carol?

In Iceland, giving books on Christmas Eve is a custom known as “Jólabókaflóð” or the “Christmas Book Flood.” Our bookish family tradition is re-reading/ watching Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol every year. I even have a dinky copy: is there anything cuter than a mini book?

So why A Christmas Carol? Apart from the obvious seasonal connection, and my obsession with the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas (more on that to follow) a few years ago, my son was lucky enough to play Tiny Tim at the Charles Dickens Museum in London. They were doing “living theatre” performances, so as visitors walked around the house they watched different scenes. Magical!

Given the popularity of a “twisted” fairy tale, I’m surprised there aren’t more creative re-tellings of this classic – it has so much scope, but I’m only aware of two. Please let me know of others to add to the list: there must be more!

  • Bah Humbug by Michael Rosen. “In a school theatrical production of “A Christmas Carol”, the boy who plays Scrooge is extra nervous because his very busy father is in the audience. However, it’s likely his father won’t stay for the duration, due to business. As always. Will the classic story’s message of Christmas cheer and family love reach his father’s distracted heart?”
  • The Miracle on Ebeneezer Street by Catherine Doyle. “When George stumbles across Marley’s Curiosity Shop at the Christmas fair he finds a mysterious snow globe. The scene it contains is just the first in a series of impossibilities . . . George and his Scrooge of a dad are soon swept on a hilarious adventure to Christmases past, present and future. With help from an enthusiastic elf, a rather grumpy purple reindeer and a very mischievous Nan, can George find a way to bring the joy of Christmas home once again?”

So when I saw the book tour for A Christmas Carol with Grandfather Time, I was excited to see what the author had done with it, and it’s great to have something else to add to my very short list above, especially since it is a picture book format.

The messages about sharing and caring in Scenes 1 and 2 are spot on. Personally, I have a slight issue with the characterisation used in Scene 3: Christmas future. As parents, of course we want our kids to be connecting “in real life”, but I believe the image of a computer nerd/ gamer alone and in “terrible gloom” is an outdated cliché. When my son is gaming, he is talking non-stop to friends, a bit like we used to get home from school and immediately phone our friends (much to my parents annoyance if I didn’t wait for the cheaper calls after 6pm). Anyway, given the gaming industry currently makes more than three times as much money as the music industry and almost four times as much as the movie industry, and is still growing, it’s actually likely that young readers of this book, their friends, and/ or family could be involved in the industry, so why put a downer on it? Anyway, conscious I’m probably in the minority on this point.

One other thing, the book is dotted with the work “Boing”. I think it’s the grandfather clock chiming, but I would have described that as a “tock” or “dong” or “bong” perhaps. Boing sounds bouncy to me, which doesn’t make sense. Plus there is a dash in the middle of the word, so it is written “Bo-ing” and EVERY time I saw it, I read it as “Boring”. Ooops! Is that just me?

The blurb

“A modern lyrical re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic for children of all ages. Young Ebenezer hates sharing and is not very caring. Can a magical clock and a ghost puppy help him mend his ways?”

About the author

Living on ‘England’s Green & Pleasant Land’, among the gentle rolling hills of the Herefordshire Countryside, Rose’s house is wall to wall books. She’s a Read-a-holic, whose hobby is to write stories for the young and young at heart.

Working as a school librarian, and sharing her love of books with children, was the best job she ever had. However, life moves on and another chapter was only a page turn away. Working in a very different library now, she is a key worker for the NHS helping to run the Medical Equipment Library in Wye Valley NHS Trust.

After winning FIRST PRIZE in a short story competition with ‘The Magic of Grandfather Christmas’ she is inspired to transform the tale into a collection of stories for all ages. ‘Young Ebenezer’ is inspired by the Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ and brought into modern times with a strong theme of sharing and caring. Rose has a little sidekick called Miss Ruby Heart, a ruby King Charles spaniel from the Grandfather Time Series. The puppy is the Ghost of Christmas Past and features on the ‘Young Ebenezer’ covers.

Bus book stop time (again!)

I remember play buses from my childhood so I’ve always had a soft spot for the play bus book series (Jay-Jay and his friends) by Sue Wickstead and have featured several of them over the years.

Sue is in my local writing group and is a primary school teacher as well as an author. Her latest book, Daisy Daydream Bus Rhymes and Jokes, is slightly different as although it refers to the real Daisy Daydream bus JJK 261, it is a collection (obviously, given the title) of bus themed rhymes and jokes rather than a story. I was pleased to see a page on the history still included though.

Sue’s writing style is usually more text dense than a traditional picture book, making them read aloud stories rather than independent reads, but given this is in short snippets so a young bus fan can dip into it themselves. As for the jokes – well, I particularly loved this one

What is red, runs on wheels, and eats grass?
A bus – I lied about the grass!

Blurb

Some well known nursery rhymes, rewritten, with a bus twist. Come and sing along and share a bus joke too. A special collection for Daisy Daydream

Author Bio

Sue Wickstead lives in West Sussex, UK and writes children’s picture story books. 

Her stories relate to both her experiences as a teacher as well as her play-work adventures with a bus.

The Playbus was a real double-decker bus full of toys, arts and crafts, as well as a lot of fun to play on. Sue wrote a photographic social history book about the project which led to her story telling and her writing. All of Sue’s books do have a bus included in them somewhere. Daisy Daydream was the bus that Sue painted and the start of her Playbus and writing journey. 

When not writing Sue builds models with Lego (especially for her grandson), she loves spending quality time with her young grandson and enjoys creating models to share with him on his visits. 

Her grandson features in the book ‘Barty Barton; the bear that was loved too much’ which was published in 2020. He also helps his Nanny Sue to sing along with a few of the rhymes sue has written.

Many of Sue’s books have been entered and shortlisted in ‘The Wishing Shelf Book Awards’, the book ‘A Spooky Tale’ was a silver medal winner in 2019. The story was written with her class in school. 

A picture book about swingers?

OK. I confess I’m finally watching the “Benidorm” TV series so when I saw this, I may have accidentally misread the book title as “Swingers Island Band” and thought of Donald and Jacqueline. Thankfully, on closer inspection, this is “The Palm Tree Swingers Island Band”, with perhaps just an unfortunate font layout?

Anyway, with that cleared up, I loved the bright energetic cover, and the illustrations throughout are equally strong.

This is a simple picture book for young children which provides a good introduction to some more unusual musical instruments – harmonica, trombone, and harp – as well as some singing terminology like “soprano”, which makes it a perfect start to a music session encouraging children to explore different instruments and sounds, and play as a group.

I loved the line “You didn’t have to be there, you could hear it all at home” (and can imagine chaos in the classroom as we try to recreate the story) but was disappointed to discover the final message was the band was famous. Music should be about fun not fame, and certainly not when you’re 3. But I don’t suppose the young readers will notice that.

Blurb

Take a tiger, an orangutan, an elephant, an eagle, a rhino, a dragon, a spider, and a turtle. Mix with music till loud – you might want to stand back.

About the author

Lily Lawson is a poet and fiction writer living in the UK. She has poetry, short stories, and creative non-fiction published in anthologies and online in addition to her poetry books.

Through their eyes: Interview with the author of a picture book on Down Syndrome

Hey there. Today, I have the absolute pleasure of chatting with a powerhouse mother who has written a heartwarming picture book, Jana’s brightly coloured socks, pouring her heart and soul into raising awareness about Down syndrome.

You know, as an author we’re always told to “write what you know,” and Sally’s personal experience is what makes this book special. So over to Sally Fetouh for the inspiring story behind her book.

Two years ago, I visited my daughter’s preschool to read a book about Down syndrome to her classroom, as a way to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. Little did I know that the whole experience would spark the idea for my picture book, which is based on my daughter, Jana, who has Down syndrome. 

‘Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks’ is a story that celebrates friendship, differences, inclusivity, acceptance, and kindness, all emphasising the importance of having a sense of fun. When young Jana learns a new milestone – how to put on her socks on her own – her parents gift her a drawer full of brightly coloured socks. She wears them everywhere she goes, and when she shows her favourite pair to her friends at school, everyone wants a pair too. Jana gets an idea of sharing a pair with one of her friends every day until she has none left. This calls for a sock parade at school, that culminates with a beautiful surprise of a big box filled with balloons and socks just for Jana, gifted to her by her school friends. The message at the end in the midst of the carnival-like atmosphere is that it is okay to be different because that is what makes the world a fun and fantastic place to be.

Jana’s condition and diagnosis came as a complete surprise to us at birth. Down syndrome is a condition that happens at conception when an extra chromosome forms in the 21st chromosome in every cell in the baby’s body. There is no rhyme or reason to it and no one knows why this happens, but it is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has occurred for thousands of years. I read a post on social media recently that likened the condition to a four-leaf clover that is found in nature amongst other three-leaf clovers. No one knows why these four-leaf clovers exist, but some people consider them lucky! In a way that is how we think of Jana. We are lucky to have her in our lives. We had not had much exposure into the world of disabilities before Jana was born. There was much fear and ignorance at the time for us. We did not know what to expect nor what it all meant. We feared how society and the community would receive her, apprehensive about what school would be like for her. Six years later, we cannot imagine life being any other way, despite the challenges. The positives far outweigh any of the fears, most of which we found to be baseless.

Thinking back to that day when I visited the preschool, I remember the children being so engaged, interested, and curious. My heart was overflowing with emotion when I left, and that feeling stayed with me for days after. I was extremely touched by how open the children were, not just to something they knew nothing about in the condition called Down syndrome, but mostly to how they saw my daughter as a person. They saw past her label, past her diagnosis, and were genuinely trying to understand why she was a little different to them. They wanted to know how to be her friend. It was like a warm embrace, and a ray of hope for the future. 

There were several factors that motivated me to write the story. One was to provide a snapshot into what living with Down syndrome is like, showcasing the fun, quirky and carefree elements. I wanted children with Down syndrome to be able to see themselves represented in literature, but Down syndrome was deliberately not explicitly mentioned in the story to allow for anyone, whether they have a disability or not, to connect with the character. The message is that it is okay to be different and that all children want is to be treated the same as their peers, to have friends, learn and have fun. Finally, I wanted to convey a positive experience in the importance of celebrating milestones and achievements, no matter how small, because despite the nature of the journey, there is always something to celebrate.

Blurb

Cheerful text and whimsical illustrations bring alive this heart-warming story of kindness and inclusion featuring a character with Down syndrome.

When young Jana receives heaps of beautiful socks from her parents after learning how to put on socks all by herself, she can’t wait to show her friends at school. They are always kind and patient with Jana when they play together. Jana decides to share a pair of her new socks with each and every friend. This calls for a school sock parade! All of the children had so much fun showing off their colourful socks together that they gave a very special and huge gift for their kind and generous friend, Jana, a box of more socks!

Author Sally Fetouh was inspired to write this touching story by her own daughter who has Down syndrome, feeling it was important for her and other children like her to be able to see themselves in literature. Two years ago, after reading a different story about a girl with Down syndrome to her daughter’s preschool class, Sally says, “The children were so engaged in the story and asked questions. They were very accepting and loving of their friend—my daughter. I left with a heart overflowing with emotion and that inspired me to write my story.”

About the author

Writing is very much a part of who author Sally Fetouh is as a human being. As a child, writing was a way for her to express herself and all of the stories and ideas she had in her head. Now, as an adult, she has been inspired to write a beautiful story of kindness and friendship, Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks, a heart-warming picture book loosely based on her daughter who has Down syndrome.

It was important to Sally that her daughter and other children like her were able to see themselves represented in literature. The idea came to Sally when she visited her daughter’s preschool to read a story about a girl with Down syndrome. The loving, accepting, and inquisitive responses from her daughter’s classmates inspired her to write a story reflecting these caring friendships.

Sally believes a great book is one that has impactful characters and a story that provides a new experience or perspective to the reader that stays with them long after the book is closed. She hopes that her young readers with disabilities or those who are different in some way will be able to relate to the main character and see a little bit of themselves, while also aiming for other readers to gain insight into the world of Down syndrome and the importance and impact of kindness and friendship. 

When she isn’t writing thought-provoking children’s books, Sally works as a lawyer and a photographer. She enjoys being in nature, hiking, and horse riding. She lives with her family in Sydney, Australia. Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks is her debut picture book.