Teach Primary 18.8

Meet the author YABA BADOE DISCUSSES WHAT INSPIRES HER WRITING What was primary school like for you? It was a huge adventure. I started school when I was living with my family in Ghana. Back then I went to Ghana International School, not far from the centre of Accra where we lived. However, when I was still young, I was sent to prep school as a boarder in rural Devon, England – a tremendous change, which I’m still adjusting to! Imagine moving from the hustle and bustle of a hot, tropical country to the damp and cold of the Devon countryside. The difference in weather, food and culture was enormous, and most probably turned me into the writer I am today. How does your experience as a film- maker influence your writing? I suspect that after having worked in a visual medium for most of my life, I tend to think in scenes and images when I write stories. I’ve also been fortunate enough to travel as a documentary filmmaker to countries as different as Brazil, Mongolia, Vietnam, India, Haiti and Jamaica. This really helps when I’m thinking of the worlds I want my characters to inhabit. It’s a bit like having a store of ready-made canvases that I pull out and then paint my characters on. What prompted you to write Man-man and the Tree of Memories ? I was asked by the George Padmore Institute in London to think about writing a story for middle-grade students. Three topics were suggested, one of which was carnival. I knew immediately that I wanted to write about carnival because I love dance and movement. I was also thrilled at the prospect of using the Notting Hill Carnival as a springboard to explore the links between family, Africa and its diaspora, which is what Man-man and the Tree of Memories is about. Man-man and the Tree of Memories by Yaba Badoe and Joelle Avelino is out now in fully illustrated paperback (£10.99, Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus). www.teachwire.net | 53 One Wise Sheep byUlrichHub, illus. JorgMuhle (£7.99, Gecko Press) One starry winter’s night, a strange event is witnessed by a bobble-hatted sheep. The sky is full of voices and the shepherds have disappeared – presumably kidnapped by a UFO. What’s an unruly flock to do when faced with such tidings? Organise their first night hike, of course! This laugh-out-loud version of the Nativity Story is told with brevity, wit and a keen eye for the absurd. But teamwork, forgiveness and the ability to ‘muddle along’ are at its heart, and its message is more traditional than it might appear. Muhle’s coloured line drawings feel as though they could burst into life at any moment, like animation stills, and complement the surreal but kindly energy of this rewarding chapter book for Year 2 up. Man-man and the Tree of Memories byYabaBadoe, illus. JoelleAvelino (£12.00, Zephyr) This year’s theme is Let Freedom Rain, but Man-man’s more interested in pleasing his mum than learning about history. She’s too ill to lead the carnival parade, so Man-man’s dancing his heart out up front instead. But the age-old Queen of Revels still listens to those who care, and takes Man-man and his companions to the Tree of Memories, deep in a magical forest, where the sights, sounds and feelings of their shared history have the power to change everything. Set between London’s Notting Hill and a timeless African ‘otherworld’, this middle-grade novel explores challenging themes (justice, personal agency and purpose, slavery…) in ways appropriate for UKS2. Full-colour illustrations draw on the story’s energy and dance with it throughout. KS2 KS2 RESOURCES RECOMMENDED EXPLORE OLIVER TWIST IN UKS2 Part of Plazoom’s powerful Unlocking Inference collection, this resource pack includes a fully annotated extract, with close vocabulary work as well as questions designed to elicit sophisticated, evidenced inferences from all pupils. A complete course of video training explains the layered reading approach that will ensure deep understanding of the text for the whole class – try it today, at bit.ly/PlzOliver