I’m A Girl
Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Let’s hear it for the wonderful female protagonist – an aardvark I think –  in Yasmeen Ismail’s latest book. She’s messy, super fast, brave, spontaneous and an independent thinker and doer.

She’s a great music maker, likes to play games of all kinds

and is determined to be the BEST. She is – in her own words – “sweet and sour, not a little flower!” But, she has a hard time convincing others of her gender. “I’m a girl!” she asserts at every wrong assumption, and there are many.
Then she makes friends with another person who is also determined to be true to his own nature

… and it’s time for a celebration of individuality.
Brilliantly exuberant, funny and full of joy: a book to cherish. If only all children had the confidence to be true to themselves like the girl and her new-found friend herein.
If I had my way a copy would be given to all young children before they start school or nursery.

Max the Brave
Ed Vere
Puffin Books
Meet kitten Max. Despite appearances he’s a fearless mouse chaser, or would be if only he knew what a mouse looked like. He decides to do a search; but encounters with Fly, Fish, birds, Elephant and Rabbit all of whom have had sightings, yields nothing. Or so it seems despite …

But the wily animal professes to be a Monster, so what about this slumbering creature?

Time to find out Max …

Oops! Perhaps Mouse chasing isn’t quite what you’d anticipated fearless one: Monsters instead, perhaps?
I’m a great fan of Ed Vere (of Banana fame). Here, his clever use of space, a bold, flat colour palette and minimalist style sit well with the direct, dead pan narrative that is delivered largely through Max’s internal dialogue and his interactions with the animals he meets.
A great one to share and I anticipate multiple re-readings will be the order of the day (or night). Equally, it’s a super story for emergent readers to try for themselves.

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