Day: May 21, 2021

Another week of evictions sees yet more amazing books leave the competition.

Reception and Key Stage One have lost the adorable Don’t Worry Little Crab by Chris Haughton, a fabulous book about facing your fears. In the rockpool above the sea live two crabs: Little Crab and Big Crab. One day they decide to venture into the sea and Little Crab is excited until he sees how big the sea is and how huge the waves are. Little Crab is scared but with help from Very Big Crab, they slowly edge closer and closer until they are eventually in the sea. But what will happen to them as a humongous wave is heading their way?

Year 3 and 4 say goodbye to The Worst Class In The World by Joanna Nadin, illustrated by Rikin Parekh. According to head teacher Mrs Bottomley-Blunt, 4B is the WORST CLASS IN THE WORLD. She says school is not about footling or fiddle-faddling or fun. It is about learning and it is high time 4B tried harder to excel at it. But Stanley and Manjit didn’t literally mean to make their whole class sick with homemade biscuits. And they definitely didn’t literally mean for Manjit’s dog Killer to eat their teacher’s shoes or for Bruce Bingley’s rat to escape. These things just happened even though they had a foolproof plan. You see, 4B may be the WORST CLASS IN THE WORLD. But you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Year 5 and 6 lose one of my favourite books of 2020; Struan Murphy’s Orphans Of The Tide, an amazing adventure set in a fantasy world where beliefs and superstition underpin law and justice. The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop. When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he’s the Enemy – the god who drowned the world – come again to cause untold chaos. Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he’s innocent. But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever. To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is – even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret.  For anyone who loved this, Orphans Of The Tide: Shipwreck Island is out now.

Make sure you keep voting to ensure your favourite isn’t evicted next week at:  https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/140/coventry_inspiration_book_awards

And finally, tomorrow is the Eurovision Song Contest, so this week I’m sharing Music: A Fold-Out Graphic History. Follow this unique 2.5m long fold-out timeline through a celebration of the history of music all around the world, while listening along to the accompanying Spotify playlist!

Learn about how different genres started including classical, folk, jazz, gospel, rock ‘n’ roll, country, punk, grunge and pop. Explore the histories of music linked to particular cultures or regions including Indigineous American, Asian, and African music; Son Cubano and Caribbean styles; and Australian bush music. Discover the stories of music maestros from around the world including Beethoven, Wei Liangfu, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Maria Callas, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and Beyoncé. Published in conjunction with the Royal Albert Hall, marvel at the orchestra with a huge illustration set inside the hall, and find out about the ancient instruments discovered all over the globe.

All this and more features in this richly illustrated timeline of music from 60,000 years ago to the present day that will delight children and families alike!