The Tour at School (Because You're the New Kid!) by Katie Clapham and Nadia Shireen - #bookreview

 

When you show a New Person around, it's called giving them The Tour...

***

The Blurb

The hilarious and heartfelt debut picture book from Katie Clapham, illustrated by Nadia Shireen - creator of the bestselling, highly acclaimed Grimwood series and Barbara Throws a Wobbler - will help kids feel better about those first-day-at-school nerves, as well as encouraging all children to create a safe and welcoming space for others.

Because, really, starting school can be scary. And being a New Kid in a new school can also be very scary. Luckily, this book will help soothe first-day nerves, make kids feel excited about the challenge and also show children how to be the PERFECT Tour Guide and make any New Kid feel right at home. And did we mention this book is very funny? Because it really is.

So, come along and join THE TOUR with Katie Clapham and Nadia Shireen. First stop? The toilets. Because they're great for singing in. (And also for weeing.) And don't forget to show them the library and its one MILLION books (remember to use your quiet mouse voice!), the playground (where you can play Worldwide Hairdressers!) and ... the EMERGENCY MEET UP PLACE (just in case anyone gets lost). But REMEMBER, sometimes when you're a New Kid it can all be ... a bit too much. And that's when the New Kid doesn't need you to be a tour guide anymore, they need you to be ... a friend.

My Review

This is a delightful picture book, aimed at those about to start school or nursery, and also for those who may just be the tour guide themselves.

I liked this book very much, and I haven't come across another like it. I could well imagine sharing this with my children when they were young. The first day of school/nursery can be an anxious time for little ones, and I think sharing this book with an adult beforehand may well help with easing those anxieties and perhaps would give rise to a conversation about the specifics of a child's fears.

However, I think this would work equally well in a reception school classroom. Teachers could use this to help children become responsible tour guides.

I also loved the humour in this book. Our young tour guide in this book shows the new child where the toilets are, informing them that it is a great place for singing, the soap smells like strawberries and finally, a good place for "weeing." I laughed when that was used as the final bit of information.

The whole book is filled with amusing facts such as that, and culminates in a friendship forming between the two.

A lovely little book that has been nicely illustrated and will have great appeal for young children.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1529505740

Publisher: Walker Books

Formats: Hardback

No. of Pages: 40

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

About the Author

Katie Clapham is the co-owner of independent bookshop Storytellers, Inc. with her mum. Picked by The Bookseller as a rising star, Katie was also named Best Young Bookseller at the British Book Awards. Katie is the author of acclaimed teen comedy Three Girls (UCLan, 2022), and The Missing Bookshop (Stripes, 2019). She lives by the sea with her husband, daughter and dog, where she writes the popular Substack newsletter, Receipt from the Bookshop, as well as working in the bookshop. 

You can also find Katie at:

 Instagram

X

About the Illustrator

Nadia Shireen has been making picture books since 2010, when her debut Good Little Wolf burst onto the scene and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Since then, she’s written and illustrated many more picture books including Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Billy and the Beast and Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. In 2017, The Bumblebear was distributed to over 700,000 children as part of Booktrust's Time To Read campaign. Her anarchic series for older readers, Grimwood, was a World Book Day title in 2022 and has taken the playgrounds of the nation by storm. Nadia has won the UKLA book prize twice, though she has lost loads of others (she still enjoys being nominated though.) She co-presents a podcast about children’s books called The Island Of Brilliant with writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

You can also find Nadia at:

X

Instagram

Facebook

Bluesky

(Book and media courtesy of the publisher)

(author photo courtesy of her instagram page)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Pax and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker - #spotlight #blogtour

 I am so pleased to be shining the spotlight on this book today as next week, I will be back with a book review. This is the second in the London Falling series. I read the first book, Pax and the Missing Head, last year and you can find my review by clicking here. In the meantime, let me tell you a little about this book...

The Blurb

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

Unwittingly, Pax helps an innocent man get captured. Driven by guilt, he seeks out the Underground resistance movement and is given a mission to steal some codes from the mayor. In the process, Pax uncovers the shocking truth about a new factory that threatens the lives of millions of people. He is torn between stopping this latest sinister plot and focusing on schoolwork to keep alive his dream of becoming an engineer. To achieve both, he’ll need help. But who can he trust in a city full of falsehoods? What sacrifices will he need to make? Find out in the latest instalment in the London Falling series.

ISBN: 978 1837914968

Publisher:  Tiny Tree Books

Formats:  Paperback

No. of Pages:  208

About the Author:

David attended the Faber Academy in 2014 and from that had three climate-fiction thrillers published (The Gold Trilogy, Bloodhound Books). He joined SCBWI in 2018 as he shifted his focus to a younger audience. His Middle Grade debut, Pax & The Missing Head publishes with Tiny Tree in late 2023. He lives in Berkshire with his wife and daughter and has a passion for stories, sport and boardgames.

(book and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

Caring Conservationists Who Are Changing Our Planet by Kate Peridot & Illustrated by Sarah Long - #BookReview #Blogtour

 

Step into nature and look around you. Hundreds of creatures are going about their day: digging, building, hunting and harvesting. Our planet is home to around 8.7 million species of animals and plants and each is unique, extraordinary and important.

Sadly, many wild animals, plants and their habitats are disappearing, from the mammals in the forests to the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, even once plentiful insects. Today over one-million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction and we, humans, are the main cause... But there is still hope and we can all help make a BIG difference.

***

Travel around the world and discover the stories of 20 conservationists and the endangered animals they are helping to save, including the orangutang, blue whale, Indian tiger, rhino, honeybee, Komodo dragon and sea turtle. Positive, uplifting and packed full of information, with 20 fun activities for children to try, this book will show children no one is too small to make a difference. 

***

This is a lovely book aimed at primary school aged children. It is full of information and beautifully illustrated.

Each page is dedicated to an individual conservationist, both living and dead, young and old, and includes a section on 'how to be a wildlife champion." Each page includes activity ideas for children to investigate and suggests ways in which children can care for wildlife in their own geographical area.

Although the book covers conservationists from across the world, its chief message is that everyone can make a difference, even in a small way - from building bee hotels to putting a bell on the collar of a pet cat. The book is full of examples on how to protect wildlife.

I think children will enjoy reading this book for themselves as well as sharing it with an adult. I could also envisage that it could be a useful teaching aid. All school libraries would benefit from having a copy of this inspirational book on their shelves.

ISBN: 978 1529506150

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats:  Hardback

No. of Pages:  48

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

About the Author:

Kate is an author of both fiction and non-fiction children’s books. Originally from London, she now lives with her family in the South of France. She writes wild and adventurous stories about animals, people and STEM that encourages a can-do spirit, a quest for knowledge and a sense of adventure. 

Caring Conservationists (Walker Books) is her first non-fiction children’s books. A further nine books are in production launching between 2023-2025. Find out more about Kate and her books at https://kateperidot.com/ .

About the Illustrator:

Sarah graduated with her illustration degree from Cambridge School of Art in 2004 and headed off into the sunset. Not really. She needed to get a paid job.

She started off her career at Caroline Gardner before moving into giftware, where she designed bags, ceramics and textiles from initial concept to final product. This also involved working with licensors designing products for The Beatles and Moomin.

When she’s not happily illustrating or starting a new interiors project, you can find her encouraging her children to colour outside the lines or having a mini rave in the kitchen to songs that are probably aimed at a much cooler/younger age bracket.

(book, photo and bio info from the blog tour organiser)

(illustrator photo and info from The Bright Agency)

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org *

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.