Tag Katie Hickey

The Wild Outside

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The Wild Outside
Rachel Ip and Katie Hickey
Hodder Children’s Books

There’s nothing little Tulip likes better than to be outside exploring. She observes carefully the flora and fauna using all her senses and never stops asking questions to increase her knowledge. Then she comes upon a trail of muddy footprints on the path and a sign saying Nature Trail. Written in chalk in various places are labels naming lots of the plants, some she’s already familiar with, but lots that are new to her.

Who can possibly have made this trail, she wonders as she catches sight of somebody’s back retreating. Having filled her pockets with flowers and catkins, Tulip and her elder sibling return home and on the doorstep is a parcel with Tulip’s name on and inside is an illustrated botanical guide and a note encouraging her to keep on exploring.

On opening the book, Tulip is excited to find lots of plants and trees she recognises and is inspired to do some labelled drawings. This keeps her engaged until bedtime when she falls asleep wondering where the following day’s explorations will take her. However, come the morning it’s raining hard and so she further explores her book instead, visiting Asian mangroves and forests, the deserts and plains of Australia, African rainforests and grasslands, mountainous regions of Europe,

the North American tundra region, various South American habitats and the cold Antarctic deserts. A clever device this for introducing to readers habitats the world over.

The following day the sun returns but rain has washed away the chalk markings of the trail. However someone has created a new one: who could that be? Tulip chalks a list of plants from the trail, leaving question marks for some she can’t name. On her return walk she discovers somebody else has written the names of those plants and left a trail of footprints. Who could it be? Tulip is delighted to discover the identity of her fellow nature lover and she makes a very special floral thank you using the contents of her pockets and bag.

A smashing way of encouraging young children to emulate Tulip and become natural history enthusiasts. The vibrant illustrations show the abundance of flora Tulip encounters as she explores and the labels are accompanied by brief captions with additional information about each plant. A wonderful combination of story and non-fiction.

The Singing Bear / Dance With Oti: The Penguin Waltz

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The Singing Bear
Amy Sparks and Katie Hickey
Walker Entertainment

It’s always a huge pleasure to visit the Repair Shop and see Jay Blades and his team of expert repairers in these picture books that are based on the real life events of those who visit the workshop. This one featuring Kwai, Anne and young niece Lucy who bring along Singing Ted, for the team to work their magic on, being the third.

Kwai’s elder sister, Anne recounts part of her back story, explaining how as an eight-year old, she learned that her parents were going to adopt a baby girl, Kwai, from Hong Kong. When the little girl arrives, she’s quiet and sad and to try and cheer her up, the family visits the toy shop where they buy a teddy that plays a lullaby at the turn of a key.

On seeing the bear, little Kwai’s eyes light up for the first time

and from then on, Singing Bear as she names her teddy and Kwai go everywhere together. Inevitably over the years, the bear has been loved so much that it now needs Jay and his fellow workers to use their skills on Ted. Can they make the bear sing again as well as fixing the other things that need restoring?

Happily when, the three return, Jay greets them with a big smile and wonderful news.

Amy Sparkes’ telling is a delight but Katie Hickey’s superbly expressive illustrations, endpapers included, really bring the events to life making the book even more special. Back matter recounts the true story of the Singing Bear and introduces Jay and his expert team.

Dance With Oti: The Penguin Waltz
Oti Mabuse and Samara Hardy
Walker Books

Mrs Oti and her dance class are preparing for a special wintry themed show when the snow falling outside prompts one of the children to ask if they can go out and play. Wrapped up warm, off they go and straightway as Mrs Oti teaches them how to balance on snowy ground, penguins are mentioned. This leads one of the pupils to initiate a penguin waddle and after a snowball fight, and further talk of penguins , Mrs Oti tells them she has an idea for the final dance in the show: the Penguin Waltz.
Back indoors, re-energised by hot chocolate, the practising begins in earnest.
Come the day of the show, what a performance the children give until it’s time for the finale. A mishap occurs but Gan’s quick thinking and sense of teamwork save the situation and the dance finishes perfectly, to the delight of watchers and performers.

A delightful addition to the Dance with Oti series: Samara Hardy’s bright, lively illustrations showcase Mrs Oti and her class beautifully: their camaraderie really shines through.
Read the book with your KS1 class, then get up and try the moves: you and your listeners can learn the penguin waltz by following the step by step instructions on the final spread.

The Toy Bus

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The Toy Bus
Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
Walker Entertainment

It’s always wonderful to visit the Repair Shop whether via the tv programme or through one of Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey’s splendid picture books of which this is the second in the series. It begins with young Toby and his Granny Elsie paying a visit to the barn that is home to the Repair Shop. Jay Blades greets them warmly and at his behest, Granny explains the purpose of their visit by telling the back story of the bus she hopes his team can work their wonders on.

As children Elise and her little brother loved going to the park and watching the large red bus drive by. It became something of a game with Elsie dashing along by the park fence waving, something her little brother couldn’t do as he’d been born with cerebral palsy and could barely manage to stand up.

One day returning from the park, David spots something in a toy shop window: a red bus. Elsie feels sure it would help her brother but Mum says they don’t have the money. Not prepared to let matters rest, Elsie empties out her piggy bank; then she and Dad return to the shop and buy the bus. Back home David is thrilled and plays with the new bus all the time. Little by little he learns to pull himself up and using the bus for support, begins to walk, gradually becoming more assured, until one day it’s his turn to play race the bus at the park.

Now Granny Elsie hopes that the Repair Shop experts can fix the bus so that her own grandchildren can play with it. Step up Dom and Lucia who begin work straight away. Back at their home we see on the final spread a grown-up David using a zimmer frame looking on joyfully as the youngsters play with the restored bus; an important example of showing not telling.

An uplifting story and one in which those familiar with the tv series will recognise Jay and members of the team. Nonetheless both children and adults can enjoy this moving tale and spend time exploring Katie Hickey’s heart-warming scenes, including the detailed endpapers, together. The final spread recounts the true story of the toy bus and gives brief details about Jay and his team. More please!

The Christmas Doll

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The Christmas Doll
Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
Walker Entertainment

I have a lot of admiration for Jay Blades having heard him share some of his back story on the radio recently so was especially excited too see him as one of the characters in this seasonal Repair Shop story.

Evie and her great granny Sue, have come to the Repair Shop with a very special doll named Lizzy, who’s in need of some TLC from Jay’s Teddy Bear Ladies. “That is a very beautiful doll. Can you tell me something about her?” he asks Granny Sue. His inquiry transports Sue back to her childhood. She then recounts the story of how she was evacuated as a young girl from London at the beginning of the war in 1939. Sent to stay with the Russells, a husband and wife who treated her with such loving kindness, that by Christmas Eve, the little girl is feeling much more at home. On Christmas Day she can hardly believe her eyes when she discovers a beautifully wrapped present at the end of her bed. Inside is the doll and she names her Lizzy, taking the doll everywhere but thinking that at the end of the day she will have to return her. Imagine her joy when she’s told Lizzy is hers to keep for ever. What a truly magical Christmas.

Eventually however, it’s time for Sue to bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Russell and return to London. Even now, Granny Sue recalls the couple with fondness, going on to explain that Lizzy’s damaged state is on account of all the love and cuddles she’s been given over the years. Enter Amanda and Julie. Lizzy is left in their safe hands while for the next week they work on the precious doll

and Granny Sue is overjoyed with the result of their creative work. But that’s not quite the end of the story: a new chapter in Lizzy’s life is about to begin …

Amy Sparkes has worked her own magic by fashioning the ‘true story of the Christmas doll’ related at the end of the book, into an utterly charming, heartwarming new tale wherein past and present come together seamlessly. The Repair Shop team are immediately recognisable in Katie Hickey’s portrayal and she infuses the scenes of Granny Sue’s childhood memories with a warm glow. Don’t miss the gorgeous endpapers – the front one captures that wonderful community spirit of Jay’s team.

This is a book I see being shared in countless families and classrooms over and over, as part and parcel of the Christmas season.

Happy / As We Grow / We Are Together

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Here’s a trio of books from Caterpillar Books one of the Little Tiger Group imprints that I was excited by on my return  home after three weeks away in India.

Happy
Nicola Edwards and Katie Hickey
Caterpillar Books

Mindfulness is a popular theme at present and we’ve had several books on the subject for children in recent months, possibly as a response to the growing concern about the pressures even very young children are under in their everyday lives both in school and at home.

I know from experience that offering youngsters a brief period of quiet, calm time each day when they can be in the here and now away from the stresses and strains of life leads to a happier, more relaxed classroom or home atmosphere.

This beautiful book encourages children to become mindful, offering them some ways to be in the moment, to explore their emotions by tuning in to their senses in a meditative manner. They can listen to the natural sounds around them; or tune in to and focus on their feelings. Tension can be released not only from our minds but also our bodies in a manner similar to that at the end of a yoga session when participants are encouraged to tense and relax the muscles in their bodies one by one until the whole body is completely relaxed.

How many of us really pay attention to what we eat, to savour every mouthful noticing the texture and flavour as we chew: it’s a really great way of being mindful and perhaps more appreciative of our food.

Touch too is a way of connecting and calming, particularly when outdoors in natural surroundings; looking with awareness too works to calm and connect as do smelling and deep slow breathing.

The gorgeous illustrations and gentle, rhyming text herein will surely encourage children to slow down and become mindful, to discover that place of peace that’s deep within us all.

As We Grow
Libby Walden and Richard Jones
Caterpillar Books

This Walden/Jones collaboration is a great way to look at life as a journey full of changes, challenges and joy, that begins as a very tiny babe totally unaware of what is to come as we grow and travel through the years. What we can be sure of though, is that each stage will be different, full of excitement and new adventures. There’s that toddling stage that opens up a myriad of new experiences and quickly gives way to the more assured young child full of imaginative ideas, when language develops rapidly and words are a toy and a tool. Fuelled (one hopes) by mind-opening books a plenty that help with those ‘hows’, whys’ and whats’.

The transformation into a teen is a dramatic one when times are unsettled, restless and confusing, a time of self-discovery prior to adulthood; in the early stages of which independence and challenge go hand in hand before perhaps settling down and maybe even becoming the parent of a new little one.

Like life, this entire book is full of beautiful, memorable stopping points

richly portrayed in Richard Jones gorgeous scenes and Libby Walden’s lyrical text.

We Are Together
Britta Teckentrup
Caterpillar Books

Britta Teckentrup celebrates human diversity through a rhyming text and her inimitable vibrant style illustrations with their peep through cut out pages.

What better way to encourage young children to value togetherness than these opening lines: ‘On our own we’re special, / and we can chase our dream, / But when we join up, hand in hand, / together, we’re a team.’

Readers are then presented with a sequence of gorgeous scenes of children out together in the natural world that will surely encourage positive feelings in youngsters both about themselves and others.

Perfect for sharing in foundation stage settings and a great starting point for a circle time discussion.

Once Upon A Magic Book

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Once Upon A Magic Book
Lily Murray and Katie Hickey
Lincoln Children’s Books

Entering out of the rain a toyshop that seems to have appeared from nowhere, best friends Sophie and Jack embark on an adventure that takes them, once they’ve located and turned the golden key, through the pages of a purple book.
Their journey takes them to all kinds of locations: a fairytale forest wherein a wicked witch might be lurking; a pirate island;

a city they reach on a flying carpet and a frozen mountainous region where the witch is at work on an avalanche-creating spell.
From there it’s on to a medieval castle where Sophie falls under that witch’s spell; then they dive beneath the sea to an underwater world.

The next magic door leads them to a jungle city from where they enter the land of sweets before stepping back in time to a cobbled city wherein the witch has let loose animals from a zoo.

At the fairground an old woman tempts Sophie with an apple and they spot a familiar-looking cottage.

Surely they haven’t been tricked by that wicked witch after all that? They’d better hurry up and find, with readers’ help, all the vital ingredients that will enable them to escape her clutches.

Intricately detailed illustrations of the various locations from debut picture book artist Katie Hickey, together with a story that draws readers in from the very start and holds them spellbound through to the final spread with so many items to search for and clues to solve, it will be a considerable time before not only Jack and Sophie, but those accompanying them on their journey, finally emerge from its pages.