There are two brilliant opportunities over the Easter holidays to meet authors and enjoy reading. Both are free, but you do need to sign up.
The first is this Sunday at Warwick Arts Centre – The Big Read – which is a celebration of reading, writing and storytelling.
The second is on Friday 14th April, and is an opportunity to meet our current Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho.
Happy reading!
This is our final week celebrating this year’s Coventry Inspiration Book Award shortlist, looking at the final runners up in each category.
Our final What’s The Story Book is Story Soup by Abbie Longstaff, illustrated by Nila Aye
Ollie and Susie are mixing a story soup in their kitchen. They think it will be easy to brew a story, but every time they throw an item into the soup the story takes an unexpected turn. Ollie wants a skateboarding story; Susie wants one about a princess – so they end up with a twisting turning tale about a skateboarding princess and a pirate who is a reluctant bad guy. But what happens when the story soup gets out of control? Will Ollie and Susie be able to work together to save the day?
If you loved this book, try Once Upon A Fairy Tale by Natalia and Lauren O’Hara
Did you ever wish to feast with fairies, live in a tree, or ride a unicorn across the sun-lit sky? Here, in this magical world, you can. You can choose to be a clever princess, or a curious gingerbread man, or perhaps a gentle knight. Maybe you’ll live in a tree, or a tower on a hill. You can eat fresh-buttered sunbeams with fairies, or newt pie and pigtail pudding with ogres. Everywhere you look, you will find a new adventure. Just pick the one you like best.
A captivating book where the child chooses the story they want to tell – empowering children to become storytellers and weave their very own fairytale.
Ollie Spark loves mending machines and solving mysteries. But he gets more than he bargained for when fixing Aunt Caz’s van throws him into a real-life spy adventure!Ollie is whisked away to a mysterious city with strange plants, an unknown language and suspicious people round every corner. With the help of Gasket, his new dog best friend, he sets off on a mission to save the city – and Aunt Caz – from disaster.
Can Ollie fix things before it’s too late?!
If this was your favourite, try Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce Heart-achingly funny, touching and brilliantly clever, Millions is a fantastic adventure about two boys, one miracle and a million choices.
Brothers Damian and Anthony didn’t mean to get caught up in a botched train robbery. But what would you do if a massive bag of cash dropped from the sky and you had only a few days to spend it before it became worthless? Buy a million pizzas? End world poverty? Not such an easy decision, is it? The boys soon find out that being rich is a mug’s game. Not only is the clock ticking, the bank robbers want their money back . . .
Loading...
This week, we are celebrating some of the books that were runners up in this year’s Coventry Inspiration Book Awards.
In the What’s The Story Category, lots of you loved The Who’s Whonicorn Of Unicorns by Kes Gray, illustrated by Garry Parsons, a funny and surprising new take on the unicorn craze. This book is jam-packed with joyful wordplay and hilarious illustrations. Get ready to discover: – spooky BOO!nicorns – polite AFTERYOUnicorns – floating BALLOONincorns – smelly POOnicorns – clumsy BUMPINTOnicorns – and so many more!
If you loved this book, try The Blue-Footed Booby by Rob Biddulph
Let’s follow the footprints!
Let’s hunt for some clues!
Left footprint! Right footprint!
No time to lose!
As everybody knows, Red-Footed Boobies are fabulous bakers. But when Desmond’s frangipane tart goes missing amidst a flurry of footprints, the Blue-Footed Booby becomes the chief suspect. But all is not as it seems…
Featuring one of the stars of Draw With Rob (video number 24), this is a gloriously silly rhyming story about the perils of jumping to conclusions.
One of the Telling Tales runners up was Future Hero: Race To Fire Mountain by Remi Blackwood
When Jarell discovers that the fantasy world, he is obsessed with drawing is real, he is launched into an incredible adventure. Ulfrika, the land of his ancestors, is in trouble and he is the hero they need. With the help of brave and wise-cracking Kimisi, Jarell must stop the evil Ikala. The future of Ulfrika depends on it… A winning blend of future tech gadgets and a fantasy world inspired by the mythology of Africa and its diaspora. Jarell, an ordinary boy who loves to draw, is the chosen one to save the world of Ulfrika.
Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?
We have loved this year’s Coventry Inspiration Book Awards; reading, talking and voting each week. But now, it is time to announce the winners. Did your favourite win?
The What’s The Story Winner is…
Bad Apple by Huw Lewis-Jones, illustrated by Ben Sanders
In this fun cautionary tale, a really badly behaved apple is awful to lots of acquaintances. As one silly scenario unfolds after the other, Bad Apple shows what he’s really made of by making life miserable for Pear, Pea, Cat, Spud and Spoon, among others. In a twist at the end, Bad Apple receives his comeuppance when he eats the cake baked by snake.
If this was your favourite, try When Cucumber Lost His Cool by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Tom Knight
A perfectly-pitched rhyming tale of fun and friendship, from a previous Coventry Inspiration Book Award winner, packed with bright bold colours that will have you laughing out loud as you explore other’s emotions.
Kevin the cucumber is so cool – everybody knows it! Whenever anyone gets hot and bothered, Kevin is always there to cool them down. He even has his own super cool cucumber song! But when Kevin starts to feel like his friends are leaving him out, something happens that has never happened before: KEVIN. LOSES. HIS. COOL!
Will Kevin’s friends be there for him when he needs them most?
The Telling Tales Winner is…
In the icy, snow-covered depths of Antarctica is the secret lair of an extraordinary penguin. Evil Emperor Penguin! From the bottom of the world, he’s got his sights set on taking the whole thing over! Unfortunately, he’s really not very good at it. Especially when his rival, Evil Cat, is trying to beat him at his own world-domination game!
With his lovable assistant Eugene, and octopus butler Number 8, Evil Emperor Penguin is the most devious, cutest and funniest evil mastermind ever to waddle the Earth! Just not the most successful…
Loading...
It’s the final week of evictions before we find out this year’s winners of the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards, so it’s time to get voting for your winner. But before we do, let’s have a look at what you can read next if your favourite was voted out this week.
The final book to be voted out in What’s The Story? is Books Make Good Pets by John Agard, illustrated by Momoko Abe.
Books make good pets and don’t need going to the vet. You don’t have to keep them on a lead or throw them a stick. They’ll wag their words whenever you flick their dog-eared pages. Even howl an ancient tale for the inward-listening ear. Did you know that a book can take you anywhere? You only need to turn the pages of a story, and in a moment, you and your book could be crossing the waves in a pirate ship… or diving with mermaids… or even snoozing with a dragon. Books really DO make good pets! Why don’t you peep inside this one and take your mind on an adventure.
Do you like epic quests of amazing counting? Do you dislike global pandemics, being stuck at home, and the number 7? Then I have a story for you. It’s about how I counted to a million during lockdown – with help from Mum and Dad, friends and neighbours, and Grandad. And some birds. And a bucket of marbles. And an awesome TV reporter.
Sometimes, just keeping on going makes you a hero. Eight-year-old Max is counting to a million. Normally, school or having anything interesting to do would get in the way, but school is shut and everyone has to stay home because the UK is in its first lockdown. Max’s dad works at the hospital and counting helps Max with missing him, but as the pandemic progresses and Max’s grandad journeys through his own battle with the virus, what starts as a distraction turns into record-breaking effort that brings Max’s community together.
Suitable for readers aged 7 up, this funny, uplifting story reflects the experiences shared by so many during the Covid pandemic and celebrates how ordinary people accomplish epic things. £1 from the sale of every copy of this book will be donated to NHS Charities Together
If you loved this book, try Adam-2 by Alastair Chisholm. With incredible twists and turns and an action-packed story, this is a thrilling, unputdownable adventure.The robot Adam-2 has been locked in the basement of a lost building for over two hundred years – until one day he is discovered by two children, and emerges into a world ruined by a civil war between humans and advanced intelligence. Hunted by both sides, Adam discovers that he holds the key to the war, and the power to end it – to destroy one side and save the other. But which side is right? Surrounded by enemies who want to use him, and allies who mistrust him, Adam must decide who – and what – he really is.
Happy reading, and don’t forget to vote for your favourite to win!
School will be open as usual today. Mr Cortese has been up early clearing the paths this morning. Please watch your step coming into school due to the falling snow.
Yesterday, every child planted a tree at Tutbury Avenue Open Space. The children worked with Coventry City Council Urban Rangers, who taught the children how to plant a tree and talked about the importance of trees and their role of supporting the environment.
If you would like to go and see how our trees are growing, you can find them here:
Another week and we say goodbye to three more fantastic books.
What’s The Story say goodbye to Inspector Penguin Investigates by Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Ross Collins.
The famous Diamondo del Mondo has been stolen! There’s something fishy going on. And no one knows fishy quite like…Inspector Penguin! Spot the clues throughout the book to help Inspector Penguin solve the mystery! Who could have broken into Baron von Buffetworth’s super-secure top-secret safe? And where have they taken his precious diamond? There’s only one detective who can solve this mystery: Inspector Penguin! That is, if he can keep his mind off tuna long enough to find some clues…
If you liked this book, try Edgar And The Sausage Inspector by Jan Fearnley, a funny quirky picture book that’s guaranteed to cause giggles!
Edgar and Edith are hungry, and it’s up to Edgar to bring home something tasty. But just when Edgar finds some delicious sausages, they are confiscated by The Inspector, a very important-looking rat with a big hat. Poor Edgar and Edith are left with nothing but dry crackers! That is, until one day, when The Inspector is all fattened up, and Edgar does some inspecting of his own, and the tables are turned . . .
Telling Tales will be very sad to see Grimwood by Nadia Shireen leave the competition.
Fox siblings Nancy (the tough one) and Ted (the sensitive one) are forced to flee the big city for the countryside after Ted accidentally bites off pussycat boss Princess Buttons’ tail. Grimwood, where they find themselves, is a kind of paradise it seems, full of friendly if eccentric animal residents who love nothing better than a good game of treebonk. Ted feels right at home, Nancy needs convincing, but when Princess Buttons arrives, bent on revenge, and armed with a Brain Zapper 3000, and their new friends step up to help, she changes her mind.
If you loved this book, you’ll be delighted to know that your favourite inhabitants from Grimwood are back in Let The Fur Fly! You could also try Agent Moose by Mo O’Hara.
Agent Moose, the best (worst) secret agent in the Big Forest, and his slightly-more-intelligent sidekick Owlfred are on the case in this new full colour graphic novel series.
Something fishy is going on at the South Shore. Folks just disappear and are never seen again. But when Agent Moose learns that a key witness has gone missing, he and Owlfred ride to the rescue. Will they find the missing turtle before time runs out?
Hooked On Books lose Misson Mayhem by Burhana Islam, illustrated by Farah Khandaker
The first in a laugh-out-loud series following the hilarious, and often chaotic, adventures of nine -year -old Yusuf Ali Khan. Yusuf’s responsible older sister is getting married and, as everyone keeps telling him, it’s time for him to become ‘the man of the house’, when his sister gets married and leaves home.. The problem is… that sounds like way too much work, so he decides with the help of his cousin to sabotage his sister’s wedding; but his plans often backfire in accidental and hysterically funny ways. Will he get away with all his mischief or is there a bigger lesson for him to learn?
If you enjoyed this book, try Little Badman And The Invasion Of The Killer Aunties by Henry White and Humza Arshad.
“You’ve probably heard of me, right? Little Badman. No? Oh. Well. . . Doesn’t matter. You will do one day. I’m gonna be big.” I’m Humza Khan, the greatest eleven-year-old rapper Eggington has ever known; soon everyone will know my name. Only problem is school has got really weird, man. All my teachers are disappearing and our aunties are taking over. It wasn’t too bad at the start, they keep feeding us delicious snacks. Like, all the time. But now these aunties are trying to mess with my music, so me and my best friends Umer and Wendy are going to hunt for the truth. Cos something big and bad is going on and we won’t let anything mess with my music… or you know, the world.
A hilarious and fast-paced adventure from comedian Humza Arshad and screen writer Henry White, perfect for fans of David Solomons and Jenny Pearson.
Reload document 
Open in new tab