Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

Book CLUB We review five new titles that your class will love 70 | www.teachwire.net My Best Friend Tilly by Iris Samartzi (£12.99HB, post wave) Lydia Marmalade and the Christmas Wish by CariadLloyd, illMaPe (£7.99, Hachette Children’s) KS1 KS1 Tiger’s Last Roar byHarrietHowe, ill. Katie Cottle (£7.99, Templar Books) Lydia Marmalade believes in wishes. Or at least, she used to. It’s 1812 and Lydia’s mum has just died; her dad died when she was small, so as the book opens, she’s in a freezing cold carriage with her little dog, Colin, on her way to the imposing Peppomberley house, set to be her new home. Lydia’s moving in with The Partridges, her new family, and Lady Partridge really isn’t keen on the idea at all. So begins a wonderful wintery tale about the power of imagination, and a touch of real-life magic. This charming, humorous chapter book from one of the UK’s most beloved comedians and podcasters, is a perfect cosy tale to read as the days become darker, and we all start to believe in magic and wishes – if only a very little bit. The narrator of our story has a wonderful imagination. So wonderful, in fact, that when she imagines a dazzling make-believe world for herself and her best friend Tilly, things get a bit out of hand, and the swimming pool, fire-breathing dragons, and intergalactic rollercoasters mean there’s no room left for her chum. Beautiful illustrations show the world growing piece by piece, and poor Tilly being pushed further into the periphery, until she disappears from the spread altogether. Finally, our narrator realises that her desire for a playroom, music room, tower, and all sorts of other delights has got in the way of the only really important thing: Tilly herself. A wonderful exploration of friendship, and what it really means to be happy, this is a great title for your little ones. Mae’s best friend in the world is her beloved cat, Tiger. Whenever they go outside, Mae imagines that they’re traversing the jungle together, having wild adventures. Tiger loves these outings just as much as Mae does. But one day, Tiger doesn’t come when Mae calls her, and as soon as Mae realises that Tiger’s gone forever, she doesn’t think she will ever be able to stop crying. Luckily, Mum is there to hold her close and help her remember all the wonderful things about Tiger. A beautiful ode to the exquisite joy and love of pets, and the heartbreaking loss when they die, this stunningly illustrated book is perfect for a gentle introduction to one of life’s cruellest universal truths – that however much we love someone, one day we may have to let them go. KS2