Friday 2 November 2018

Poppy Field by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Foreman


Poppy Field by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman

Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman have partnered with the Royal British Legion to produce this book which explains the significance of the poppy.

Poppy Field is based on the poppy's history, following one family over four generations. Young Martens knows his family's story, for it is as precious as the faded poem hanging in their home. From a poor girl comforting a grieving soldier, to an unexpected meeting of strangers, to a father's tragic death many decades after treaties were signed, war has shaped Martens's family in profound ways.

The book also includes an unabridged copy of John McCrae's poem 'In Flander's Fields' and an Afterword by the Right Revd Nigel McCulloch which explains the history of the paper poppy which is sold every year by the Royal British Legion and worn by many to honour the memory of those who in two world wars and other conflicts since have lost their lives in service to others.

The story is told by the young boy, Martens. As often happens in Morpurgo's novellas, the main narrator goes on to retell a story that has been told to him. This narrator, Marten's Grandfather, also recounts the story he has been told by his mother, Marten's great-grandmother. It is worth mentioning here that on page 27 Morpurgo does make an error and refers to Marie and Piet as being Martens's grandma and grandpa rather than his great-grandma and great-grandpa as they are referred to on all other occasions in the book. This may confuse children as they read and try to determine the relationships between the characters in the story. Nevertheless, the fact that this is a story that has been told and retold in the traditional sense emphasises the purpose of the story (the meaning of the poppy): that we should ensure that the memory of war and those who have lost their lives in service to others should be kept alive and never forgotten.

Parts of the story are quite poetic: ' lanes like ribbons running through farmland', Very few cars, Very few people.' There is also a strong reflective tone that comes through Grandpa’s narration. He doesn’t simply recount the events of his life but tells them with feelings of both loss and hope. One particular part which evokes that sense of loss is when he tells Martens about how he and his father worked the land ‘putting it to rights….This land needs healing still, Martens, still does. So much healing.’

Michael Foreman’s illustrations are beautifully subtle, using grey tones throughout. The only colour that is used is red. This is on the whole reserved for the poppies but also Martens’ Grandpa’s hat,  his Great-Grandmother’s ribbon, the cross on the first-aiders’ bags and ambulance, the soldier’s pencil, Marie’s father’s chisels, the flower’s on Marie’s dress, the bugle cords and the kite. This serves to connect the events and people of the past with those of the present in the story. The images of the poppy field also serve as a reminder of the amount of blood that was shed during those battles.

Although not factually accurate this is a touching story which does explain the significance of the poppy and why we use it as a symbol of remembrance. The Afterword provides a factually accurate account of the origin of the poppy as a symbol. A beautiful book published in time for the centenary of the end of the first World War.


Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 978-1-407181-42-4
Date of Publication: 2018




 Digital Resource


Sunday 15 July 2018

Little Red by Bethan Woollvin

Little Red by Bethan Woollvin

Book Review for teachers

Little Red is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. However, unlike the classic version The protagonist of this story is clever and outwits the wolf leading to a very different ending. 
The wolf's intentions are revealed through the illustrations. Through discussion these can be used to develop children's prediction skills and inference.  Some parts of the story are told simply through the use of illustration rather than text, making this a multimodal text in the truest sense.

The protagonist in this story is a modern, street-wise, clever girl who does not need a 'knight in shining armour' to rescue her. As such, this makes the book perfect for looking at stereotypes in fairy tales. It could be used alongside Robert Munsch's The Paperbag Princess and Babette Cole's Princess Smartypants. All 3 of these texts take the traditional passive, vulnerable female character and turn it on its head.

                                   

Woollvin's illustrations use a limited colour palette: black, grey and red. They are bold and offer many opportunities for discussion including, prediction, inference and characterisation. 



For a list of other 'alternative' fairy tales visit The Literacy Classroom.

ISBN 978-1-4472-9140-4
Publisher: Two Hoots: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: 2016


Friday 22 June 2018

Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo

Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo: Book review for primary teachers.

Billy the Kid is the story of an 80 year old man whose dream was to play for Chelsea. It is told in the first person as Billy sits on a park bench watching a group of children knock a football around. As he watches them, he recalls events from his life, from fond memories of playing football with his Dad to the Second World War and its devastating effects on him and his family and his struggles when he turned to vagrancy.

The novel isn't divided into chapters. Instead each section is punctuated with a fleeting recollection and short commentary on what he observes whilst sitting on the bench. These are marked by the use of a slightly different font. This naturalistic jump between past and present may prove to be challenging for less experienced readers and thus makes the novel more suited to children aged 10+. Some of the content relating to the deaths of family members and the war also makes it more suited to older children.

As the novel is told through a series of recollections, you have two main timelines: the 'real' time timeline, ie the present, which takes place over the course of a few hours whilst the 80 year old Billy sits on the bench observing the children play football and culminating in him attending the match of his beloved Chelsea; the second is the timeline of his life which is told through the recollections. Some of the recollections are date specific as they relate to events during the Second World War. It might be useful for children to plot the two timelines in order to sequence the events as they unfold.

There are some interesting instances of foreshadowing throughout the novel. These provide opportunities to develop pupils prediction skills beyond those they have developed through their early reading, by identifying the key phrases which indicate that Billy's life is going to change. In order to predict what might happen children will need to not only use their knowledge of what has already occurred in the novel they will need to use their wider knowledge of WW II.

Billy's character arc is an interesting one to map. He develops from a happy, confident child to a lonely, sad, elderly man who gradually, once again, experiences companionship and has his love of football rekindled. Each of the changes in his personality can be mapped against specific events which occur during his life. A discussion of these points will help children understand the cause and effect nature of quality narrative. How Billy felt at the various points in his life could be explored through the use of hot-seating and thought-tracking.

The novel also raises a number of moral issues. Billy's father tells him that he 'must never go fighting in a war, any war.' Billy does try to keep his promise to his father but following the death of this brother feels the need to go and fight for his country. Later in the novel, the issues of alcohol and vagrancy are addressed both in a moving and sensitive way.

At the end of the novel we are provided with a series of author's notes which provide useful information of factual events relating the WW II. These could be researched further.

 Although football is a key feature of the book,you don't have to be a fan of football to enjoy it. It also addresses the devastating effects war has on families the lives of individuals.




The Mighty Dynamo by Kieran Crowley

The Mighty Dynamo by Kieran Crowley

Book Review for Primary Teachers

This is a brilliant read suitable for pupils in year 5 or 6. You don't have to be a fan of football to enjoy this book. The story has all the elements you'd expect of good quest story and a mystery rolled into one.

It tells the story of 12 year old Noah, whose dream is to become a professional footballer. We learn in the Prologue of the death of Noah's mother and the impact that has on his immediate family. This becomes the driving force behind his determination to play in the School's World Cup to be in with a chance of being picked up by one of the football scouts. However, the head of his school bans him from playing for the school team for something he did not do which leaves his dreams in doubt.

The story is a quest story in that the protagonist has a goal ( to play in and win the School's World Cup) and as such pupils can map the plot of the story noting the highs and lows along the way. This can then be compared with the story arcs of other quest stories to identify the common elements. Analysis of this kind requires much more sophistication than the common 'story mountain' often used in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2.

It is also a mystery story. From the moment Noah is banned from playing for the school team, readers are intrigued as to why the principal of his school made this decision. Noah also asks himself this question but as his priority is to find a way to play in the tournament he chooses to not dwell on the fact. The story is told in the third person but clearly from Noah's perspective. For this reason the reader is also forced to not dwell on the reasons for his ban. Nevertheless, it remains a constant thread all the way through the novel with fleeting references and observations which only go to heighten the intrigue. 

The novel's themes include gender stereotypes, privilege, morality, family, resilience and loyalty. 




Lexile Measure  760L
ISBN: 978-1-4472-9978-3
Publisher: MacMillan
Publication Date: 2016