The Stolen Spear by Saviour Pirotta, reviewed by Chitra Soundar

Set in the Stone Age, The Stolen Spear is the first book in the Wolfsong Series written by Saviour Pirotta and illustrated by Davide Ortu. This series is published by Maverick Publishing.

In this story, Wolf struggles to fit into his tough and strong community. He is kind and sensitive and ridiculed by his peers. Everyone including his older brother know their calling and their place in the society while Wolf stumbles through life with his spirit guardian and dog Shadow.

When Wolf befriends a girl from the faraway island, disaster strikes. Their sacred ground is raided and the spear is stolen. When his community blames his friend, Wolf vows to find the real culprit and bring back the spear.

The adventure that ensues not only shows Wolf’s grit and determination, but also how his kindness is returned by strangers. With the help of Shadow, he travels on the sea that many have never crossed and eventually he finds his calling.

This is my first historical read set in the Stone Age. The author has weaved in the details and places we know about this generation into the story, while also keeping the language fresh and contemporary. The story is engaging and exciting for young readers and the details of the world will make them curious to find out more.

Weaving this tale of adventure for young people, the author has managed to bring out important themes of being different, being an outsider, how some might exploit others and the value of friendships. The story shows the reader that some things are universal through time. We forge friendships, we get jealous, we are scared of the unknown and how we deal with these is how we define ourselves.

Young readers like Wolf will recognise these patterns of emotions in their real life and see the parallels. This is a great book not just to teach history in a fun way, but also to discuss contemporary issues with the readers.

I can’t wait to read this book to my nephew and I’m sure he’ll ask for Book 2 and 3 soon after.

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Chitra Soundar is the author of over 40 books for children. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com and follow her on Twitter at @csoundar. 

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Easy Readers from Maverick Books reviewed by Chitra Soundar

Maverick Books have expanded their list from picture books to easy readers. Clare Helen Welsh, a teacher and a picture book author has worked on both of their publishing programmes and I was keen to read some of the stories.

The two books I read are Jim and the Big Fish and King Carl and the Wish.

These stories fall under different reading bands – from pink to yellow to blue across a spectrum of reading and comprehension skills.

The stories are well structured with the necessary repetition to enable word recognition, learning by sight as much as sounding out unfamiliar words with phonics. The stories are engaging and fun. These will definitely appeal to young children who are reading on their own.

At this age children lose interest fast and want to be doing different things. The full-colour illustrations, the settings and the premise of these stories are very age-appropriate and appealing. Whether it’s a wizard casting a spell or a boy fishing in the docks, the story ends with a surprise that would delight readers.

As an aunt, I’ve observed my 6 year-old nephew flipping through easy readers and settling down to read because the words per page seem conquerable and the pictures in context help him guess the words too.

These are two great books by Clare Helen Welsh just perfect for newly confident readers.

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Chitra Soundar is an Indian-born British writer of children's books. Her latest picture book is You're Snug With Me, illustrated by Poonam Mistry. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com or follow her on Twitter @csoundar.

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Bonkers About Beetroot, by Cath Jones, illustrated by Chris Jevons - reviewed by Damian harvey

Published by Maverick books, Bonkers About Beetroot is a big, bold picture book written by Cath Jones and brightly illustrated by Chris Jevons.

With nobody coming to visit, Sunset Safari Park is doomed and something has to be done. Zebra is determined to save the park but ever cynical Penguin thinks he's wasting his time. 

"Nobody comes because we're boring," says Penguin. But Zebra is still determined so they all go in search of visitors.  

They don't find any visitors, but Zebra has an idea. "Beetroot!" he yells. For some inexplicable reason, Zebra thinks that people are "crazy about beetroot" and is sure that if they grow the biggest beetroot in the world, people will all come to see it. Needless to say, Penguin thinks that this idea is "bonkers" - but Zebra tries anyway.

The animals make a huge manure mountain, plant their beetroot seeds, water them and watch them grow. They soon see that one beetroot is growing bigger than the others. In fact it grows so much that hundreds of visitors come to the safari park to see it. It seems that Zebra's plan has worked but the beetroot keeps on growing and before long it takes over the whole park so that there's no room for visitors anymore. Once again, something has to be done - this time, to get rid of the giant beetroot - and Zebra knows just what to do. And once again, Penguin thinks the idea is "bonkers!" 

In Bonkers About Beetroot, Cath Jones has written a great story about the determination to succeed and achieve what you want despite other people's negative attitudes, and Chris Jevons's artwork really brings it to life. As with other picture books form Maverick, it's size and distinctive square shape make it ideal for sharing with a little one by your side, but it will also be a good one to read aloud in class as children will love it - finding lots to laugh at along the way.  

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STONE UNDERPANTS by Rebecca Lisle and Richard Watson. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Title: STONE UNDERPANTS
Publisher: Maverick Books
Pub year: 2016

Rebecca Lisle has written some fantastic books for young and older readers but this is his first picture book, and it's a gem.

The story is very simple.  We're in the stone age. Pod wants to go our and play with his mates but it's too cold to venture out in his birthday suit. His parents suggest he could make himself a pair of undies. He tries various materials, including leaves, feathers and wood but nothing work until he has a brainwave: stone underpants.

Rebecca tells her story in a funny, direct style that compliments Richard's bright, cartoony style. This is a great, endearing little book that will have children in giggles, and would also work well in a classroom when doing the 'stone age' as a topic.

Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Follow me on twitter @spirotta



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