Uclan

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Art is for everyone

Over the last five years or so I have been lucky enough to be part of the judging team for the SLA Information Book Award.  During that time we would see groups of books on very similar themes although the actual content would be aimed a differing age groups and would look at a multitude of aspects associated with the theme.  Art has been a recurring topic and yet I am delighted by the way that authors and publishers are constantly able to find different ways of connecting with their audience.  Here are some of the titles that were put forward for the award in the last few years.

 

Uclan, 9781915235565

“Art is Everywhere” by Joe Haddow is a book for KS2 and KS3, which introduces young people to the wide variety of  interests that can come under the heading of ‘Art’. It includes music, art, film, tv, and modern forms of digital art.  It will help the readers think in broader terms about the subject

Noodle Juice, 9781915613158

“What is Art” by Noodle Juice and Katie Rewse is an introduction to the concepts of art.  It is aimed at younger readers and starts by asking questions and then attempting to answer, but in quite broad terms.  Good for KS1

“Picturing my Anger” by Anna Shepherd and Alicia Mas.  What an excellent book to help young people learn to work through their emotions.  It uses cartoons, colours and other illustrations to help them understand and create strategies to cope with their negative feelings. (Franklin Watts, 9781445184852)

Wayland, 9781526320667

“Art Alive with Science” by Mary Auld and Sue Downing is a fascinating look at how science can be perceived through the medium of art.  From light, shapes, materials and many other aspects we can see how the two subjects are related.

“Busy Little Fingers: Art” by Eva Wong Nava and Eleonora Marton.  A short introduction to 10 art movements of the last 150 years.  It is aimed at the very young readers and you can see how these movements would appeal, as children will love to try and reproduce these styles.  (Big Picture Press, 97818000784642)

 

Macmillan, 9780753448274

“The Stories and Secrets of Colour” by Susie Brooks and Sirjana Kaur is a fascinating look at the importance of colour, both in the natural world and in the world of art.  It covers the science of colour as well as its development in the world of cinema and photography. the latter part of the book actually looks at colours themselves and how they have been used over the centuries.

Wide eyed, 9780711265363

“Whole world of Art” by Sarah Phillips and Dion Mbd is a chronological skim through art of the past 5000 plus years, starting in Ancient Egypt and covering civilizations around the world.  It is a shame that pre-historic cave paintings are not given a place in this , but otherwise it is a good introduction.

“The artist” by ed vere  is a delightfully whimsical look at the question “what is an Artist?”  It can be read as a picture book, or as an introduction to the process of artistic creativity.  (Penguin, 9780141376387)

“Colours, colours everywhere” by Julia Donaldson and Sharon King-Chai  as we follow the heroine and her pet frog, as the discover colours in the world around the.  This is full of rhyme and lift the flap feature, making a great book to read with the very young.  it will also help in teaching them bout the different colours.  (Two Hoots, 9781529078527)

Templar, 9781800783751

“Henri and the machine” by Isabelle Marinov and Olga Shtonda  shows us what it is like for those who have to visit a gallery (on a school trip), even though they do not understand art and would rather be at the beach.  Henri is bored, so when he sees an exhibit that invites him to sit in a chair, he does so and sets off the most amazing art installation with, lights, sounds and machinery.  A guide then helps him understand the purpose of art and the different ways that we can appreciate it.

“An Artist’s Eyes” by Frances Tosdevin and Clemence Monnet. When Mo and Jo go for a walk, Mo talks about the wonder of colours in the world around us, from the sea to animals and the trees.  Jo cannot see the same images, but as the walk continues that realize that he has found his own magical versions of colours.   (Frances Lincoln, 9780711264861)

“Beware the Blue Bagoo” by Karl Newsom and Andrea Stegmaier .  Once again the wonderful Karl Newson has given us a book full of fun and joy, whilst at the same time making us think about how we view those who are different.  It also makes us think about the prejudice we can have for someone or something that is unknown to us.  (Happy Yak, 9780711267824)

Tate, 9781849767873

“Mildred the gallery cat” by Jono Ganz.  Have you ever wondered what a gallery cat does when everyone has gone home?  Well this charming picture book gives us one version and it is something that will have you all horrified and delighted at the same time.

“Blue” by Sarah Christou is a picture book for the very young reader and aimed at explaining and supporting them when they are feeling sad and depressed; or as we say they are ‘blue’.  It reminds us that colour is used to describe our motions and this can link in to helping children develop empathy and understanding.  (Faber, 9780571376360)

Wayland, 9781526314949

“Masterpieces in Pieces” by Ingrid Swenson and Mary Auld is an excellent introduction to the concept of art interpretation.  It covers works by their themes, from animals and still life, to work and play.  We then get a focus on some of the elements that the artist has focused on.  A great start for those who want to understand the messages behind what they are looking at.

 

 

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Unicorns in Uniforms: Dragon Inferno by Tracy Curran and Steve Wood

Uclan, 9781916747425

We have been very lucky over the last decade or so to have seen a wonderful growth in the number and quality of  chapter books, aimed at the emerging reader.  Tracy Curran’s new title is a hilarious tale of a magical place called ‘Witchy Wood’.  When two young dragons accidentally set fire to the wood (breathing fire is a hazard!) it is up to the heroic firefighter Blaze, together with her fire engine Quench, to save the day.

As part of the tour to celebrate the launch of this fantastic story, Tracy has very kindly written about five of  the books that have inspired her to write for this age group.  I was more than delighted to discover that they are all books that I have read and reviewed in the past, and I have to agree with her assessment, they are all fabulous reads.

 

MY TOP FIVE CHAPTER BOOKS

Tracy Curran

Chapter books are so much fun! I love everything from their colourful covers to their loveable characters. The joy of a chapter book series is that you can meet your favourite characters over and over again for new adventures and they are short enough to read in one afternoon.

1) Unipiggle by Hannah Shaw

Usborne, 9781474972178

It’s such a treat to read a Unipiggle book. Unipiggle is an hilarious character and Hannah Shaw has put a brilliant spin on a unicorn with stories to suit everyone: a unipig who can turn things into chocolate by touching them with her horn. What’s not to like?

As with Unicorns in Uniforms, the books are illustrated in full-colour throughout which makes them literally leap off the bookshelf. Hannah Shaw has also included seasonal instalments such as Fairy Freeze and Witch Emergency. Each story is action-packed and completely entertaining – it’s my go-to rainbow mood booster!

2) Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway

Piccadilly Press, 9781848127753

A hotel for animals is such a great concept and Alex Milway has packed this series with great characters and storylines that readers of all ages can enjoy. The main character, Anna – the girl who inherits the hotel – is full of determination and I love the charm and flamboyance of all the animal characters too, especially the flamingos. There’s some great villains in this series including the hotel inspector and the owner of a rival hotel. A special mention goes to Madame Le Pig, the chef, for being a particularly hilarious character.

 

3) Adventuremice by Phillip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

David Fickling, 9781788453288

Who doesn’t love an adventure on the high seas? Or even on the moon? This chapter book series reminds me of the books and TV programmes I devoured as a child like The Moomins and Button Moon. The mice are brilliantly resourceful, each with different personalities, and each story takes us to a new setting: underwater, into space or onto a ghostly galleon ship (my favourite). The adventures are just great fun with lots of humour and peril and yet, you kind of know that things will be okay in the end because the Adventuremice will save the day.

Bloomsbury, 9781408889312

4) Fabio, The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective by Laura James, illustrated by Emily Fox

As you can probably tell, I love flamingos but I also love detective stories too! This series is really fun. I’m not sure Fabio is quite as clever as he thinks he is but he always gets there in the end and there are lots of twists and turns in the storylines. Animal characters are great to write (and to read about) because they often have really bold personalities and you can play around with stereotypes. For example, flamingos are usually portrayed as being very outgoing and flamboyant and lions can be quite fierce and scary. So I love it when authors play around with that and come up with something different.

5) Diary of an Accidental Witch by Honor and Perdita Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders

Stripes, 9781788953382

I can’t choose another animal story again! Instead, I’m tuning into my love of witches. The Diary of an Accidental Witch series, told in diary format, is a modern day Worst Witch. Bea Black is a human who accidentally ends up going to a witch school. The adventures that follow are full of hilarious mishaps and lots of problems that Bea has to overcome. It’s so well-written and hugely entertaining with great illustrations – I struggled to put the books down.

 

It’s been so hard to choose only five. There are lots of incredible chapter books out there with stories to suit everyone. Happy hunting!

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How to be a Revolutionary by Lucy Ann Unwin

Given the events of the last six months, both in this country and abroad, it is easy to understand that young people will perhaps wonder what the adults are doing and how it will affect them.

The heroine, Natalie, is suddenly aware that her home is being filled by an assortment of people, including her father, and they are spending hours folding leaflets and then going out and putting them through doors.  Her mother calls them ‘revolutionaries’, but as we find out during the story, they are actually local labour party activists.  The situation is not helped when her mother moves out and a couple of days later her father says that one of the female helpers, Kali, and her son Avinash are going to be moving in.    As an addition to all of this, Nat is an avid fan of Rats and all of the campaigning makes her decide to try and improve the image of her beloved pets, both at school and in the wider community.  Of course utter chaos ensues and the rats begin to proliferate at a rapid rate.  Can Natalie and friends find homes for these new additions and how will the situation at home resolve itself?

This is an extremely funny story in parts, but it is then mixed with some very serious elements.  The breakup of a family unit is always traumatic, and in this case not helped when their father springs the situation on Nat and her sister. We also have the election campaigners who are so keen to help the cause, but who were in this scenario, doomed to failure.  It is fascinating that Nat is so unaware of the  world around her;  she is only eleven years old and like many of that age, thinks that she knows a lot about life.  However, as adults we grow to realise that we are always learning something new and that youth has much lower horizons than their adults, but we should be encouraging young people to think about the world they want to live in.  This is one of those books that make a great read for young enthusiasts, but it could also be used as a discussion point for classes looking at the world of politics and how the normal citizen can get involved in a positive way.

The author

Lucy Ann Unwin worked as a music journalist at BBC 6 Music for 10 years, where she was privileged to interview the likes of Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Adele. Brought up in Birmingham, she lived for a year in the Chilean city of Valparaiso and for three years in San Francisco, where she tutored children and young adults in creative writing as part of the 826 Valencia writing programme, set up by Dave Eggers.

Now settled in Sussex, she divides her time between writing, editing and reading as much children’s fiction as she can. Her first Book, The Octopus, Dadu and Me, was shortlisted for multiple awards, including The Brilliant Book Award.

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Pirate Academy: Missing at Sea by Justin Somper and Teo Skaffa

I have been a great fan of both pirate stories and of Justin Somper for quite a few years.  I remember meeting him at a book launch, not long after the first of his “Vampirates” books was published and I have watched his career with interest ever since.  This new series about the “Pirate Academy” is aimed at an audience around the 8-12 age group and this is the second book in the series.

This really is a rip roaring adventure about a class of young pirates at the Pirate Academy, all of whom are in the Barracuda Class and about to face the first great test of their abilities; this is known as the Oceans Bound weekend and the class is divided into five teams, who are following clues to test how well they have learnt the skills of a pirate.  However things are not quite that simple; in the first story there were a range of catastrophes and then the sudden appearance of a group called the ‘League of True Pirates’, who are trying to change the ways of the pirates and not in a good way.

The three central characters, Jasmine, Jacoby and Neo, together with their classmates find themselves facing unexpected dangers as they are manipulated by members of the LOT P, including Jasmine’s own uncle.  The pace of this tale is fast and furious and  it would not be an enterprise for those who suffer sea-sickness.  However, the main lesson we get from this is about the meaning of friendship and team work.  The children are only about 11 years old and they are having to cope with some major issues in their lives, so the support  that they give each other is vitally important.

As always, Justin Somper has us on the edge of our seats as we follow the action, but he manages to include several swerves in the plot, which really shocks the reader.  I can’t wait to follow the adventures of these young protagonists in the next titles.  I get the feeling that we have got some very exciting times ahead as Jasmine, Jacoby and Neo try and unravel the secrets that have been kept from them in the past.

 

The author  Justin Somper

 

Justin Somper, author of Vampirates, introduces his brand new pirate series, Pirate Academy!

Justin grew up in St Albans and worked as a publicist for Puffin and Random House Children’s Books, before setting up a PR consultancy of his own in North London.  Vampirates was his debut series of children’s books. Then, after 30 years in North London, he and his Aussie husband moved to Perth, Western Australia, where Justin is now writing the Pirate Academy adventures.  (From Readingzone)

 

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Autumn Moonbeam: Dance magic ! by Emma Finlayson-Palmer and Heidi Cannon

Uclan, 9781912979769

It is so delightful to see the growth in the number and quality of books for the younger reader.  There was a time when it felt as if it was only reading schemes that were available.  thankfully this is no longer the case.

This is the first in a series of stories featuring the young witch Autumn Moonbeam and her love of all things to do with dancing.  This young heroine really want to make a success of her dancing, but she is unfortunately one of those people who are always accident prone.  she hopes that she will eventually make it big and her real wish is to be accepted into a dance team.  When her friend Leif, who attends Sparkledale Dance Academy, brings a flyer into school, Autumn gets very excited; the Academy is about to hold trials for young people to try out for their competitive dance team, The Black Cats.  However, Autumn’s nasty neighbour Severina is also determined to make the team and she is willing to go to great lengths to achieve her end, even putting a spell on Autumn that turns her into a black cat.  The question is, will our heroine achieve her dream?

What a delightful story that will really resonate with so many young children.  The characters are at that age where they are wanting to branch out and do things, but they are also very vulnerable and worried about whether they can fulfill their dreams.  It is great to see a story where the friends and adults are all very supportive and even the ‘nasty’ Severina is made to understand the consequences of her behaviour and starts to mend her ways.  It is a great read for fans of series such as Amelia Fang and Leonora Bolt.