Free As A Bird

September 14, 2024jillrbennett Leave a comment

Free As A Bird
Barroux
Otter-Barry Books

One morning Jonas the lighthouse keeper wakes having spent the night dreaming of flying over the ocean like a bird and rushes off excitedly to tell his friend Blue, the whale all about it. When he finds his friend, there on her head is a bird.

It’s completely exhausted and scarcely alive. Back at the lighthouse the friends know they need to take special care of the little creature. Fortunately Blue is able to understand the meaning of his tweets. The bird has flown from a distant country that was once a beautiful place; that however was before the war came and the bird had no choice but to flee and undertake a perilous journey in the hope of finding a safe haven.

Little by little the bird grows stronger and his song fills the air around. Many other birds come too, all singing a similar song of hope and freedom as they recover sufficiently to venture forth to find homes elsewhere. Not so their friend the first little bird; he’s found a place of happiness, a home at the lighthouse, just the place to raise a family .…

Illustrated in pen and watercolour, Barroux’s simple, compassionate and hugely powerful story told with great empathy, uses the bird metaphor effectively to convey the on-going plight of refugees from so many different parts of the world. If only they could all find a safe haven like the little bird did.

Counting in Green / Bee Activity Book

March 19, 2023jillrbennett 1 Comment

Counting in Green
Hollis Kurman and Barroux
Otter-Barry Books

So much more than a mere counting book: this collaboration between Hollis Kurman, a climate activist and Barroux, an award winning illustrator presents as the subtitle says, ’10 little ways to help our big planet’. Little ways they may be; but if everyone followed all ten or even most of them, what a BIG difference that would make to our precious Mother Earth.

The actions include planting a new tree, eating meat free meals, recycling and reusing,

taking our own bags when we go shopping so as to avoid plastic, getting involved in a beach clean-up,

cultivating a garden that encourages bees and butterflies.

Barroux’s gently humorous illustrations are inclusive and work well with the straightforward text; and the final spread concludes with this challenge to young readers: How many ways can you think of to go green? That would make an excellent starting point to get a class of primary children thinking about this vital topic.

The final endpapers offer some relevant websites as well as a paragraph about the interconnectedness of everything on earth, which’s why getting involved is so vital.

Bee Activity Book
Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup
Little Tiger

This activity book is based on Patricia Hegarty’s text and Britta Teckentrup’s illustrations for the buzz-ingly bee-utiful original picture book Bee:Nature’s tiny miracle published a few years back.

Herein several settings are used – a meadow full of wild flowers, a pond, a riverside, a woodland clearing – as backdrops for the wealth of bee-related activities. You will find word searches, bee parts to label, mazes, spot the difference, things to count, scenes to colour, and others to complete using the stickers at the back of the book, as well as mosaics that also require colouring and the placing of stickers.

There’s a wealth of fun learning between this book’s covers – an ideal way for youngsters to enjoy some nature-related, screen-free time.

I Love You, Blue

February 16, 2022jillrbennett Leave a comment

I Love You, Blue
Barroux
Otter-Barry Books

A small sailor (Jonas we learn later) in a small boat is sailing on the calm ocean when suddenly it becomes anything but. As the sea rages violently ‘neath a now black sky the cry goes out, ‘Help! help! Mayday! Mayday!

Happily to the rescue comes an enormous whale, Blue by name. Later from the safety of his lighthouse, the sailor bids goodnight to his Blue, telling the creature, ‘You are the prettiest of whales.’

The following morning it’s calm once more and the sailor searches for Blue, much concerned when the creature fails to appear. Blue is down deep and far from well. Venturing inside his mouth, Jonas is shocked to find that his belly is chock full of plastic bags. The little sailor collects up all the bags

and takes them away in his boat having told the whale to breakfast on jellyfish. Their meeting the next day sees a much livelier Blue, then an affectionate boy and Blue together and on the promontory wall beneath the lighthouse are written some crucial words.

A powerful environmental message indeed and one that young children will most certainly relate to.
Barroux’s soft-coloured illustrations with simple, thin black outlined images are highly effective conveyors of the tale alongside the child protagonist’s telling.

After the story the author leaves readers a heartfelt message explaining that Blue represents every one of the different whale species in our oceans, and giving information about things that can be done to support the causes of whales and ocean pollution.

Welcome

September 8, 2016jillrbennett Leave a comment

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Welcome
Barroux
Egmont Publishing
CRACK! The ice breaks and Polar Bear and his two friends are swept away far from their home, losing everything they hold dear. They’re frightened, our narrator tells us but they cannot any longer stay in those icy surroundings: it’s imperative they find somewhere else to live and they must keep their spirits up no matter how scary things get …

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Then land is in sight; but will they be able to find refuge here? Sadly not …

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On they go, still hopeful but again their hopes are thwarted, not once but twice … and things are getting desperate …

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Surely there’s somewhere they’re not “too bear-ish”, “too furry” or “too tall”? somewhere with plenty of room for all, where things aren’t too much bother …
Finally as the last remains of the iceberg turn to water, the bears find an empty island, one whereon they can make a home for themselves and …
With a beautiful twisting finale, this highly topical book is a must have for all early years setting and primary classes. It needs to be shared, discussed and shared again to help everyone understand the issues and challenges migrants face, no matter from whence they come, or go. We MUST empathise, we MUST help, we MUST open our arms and welcome them …
This moving, thought-provoking book is a step along the way to understanding and compassion; and thanks be to the brilliantly talented Barroux for creating it.