TR&W Issue 20

4 Do You Remember? BY SYDNEY SMITH, WALKER BOOKS About this book Tucked up in bed in a room that doesn’t feel like home, a boy and his mum share memories of the life – and person – they’ve left behind. What’s brought them to this place, and what will happen next? The conversational text (red for Mum, blue for the boy) reads naturally, and children will relate to these memories, if not always to their context. Richly coloured sensory illustrations evoke moments in time, experienced from unusual angles, each one full of questions, possibilities and hidden depths. This intriguingly beautiful picturebook repays close attention and guided exploration, but will satisfy a casual reader, too. Thinking and talking • What do Mum and the boy remember? What memories would you share? • Why didn’t Dad come with them? Is it possible to know for sure? 5 Pearl and her Bunch BY MOMOKO ABE, ORCHARD BOOKS KEY S TAGE 1 KEY S TAGE 1 14 | www.teachwire.net About this book Stylish, full of heart and bursting with humour and insight, this entertaining picturebook takes an unusual look at identity, belonging and community. The Grape family are a REALLY big bunch, but Pearl adores their famous group hug – until the day she learns that she isn’t a grape at all, but a PEA. How will she get her head around THIS? Still smarting from her discovery, Pearl attempts to unite a lost fruit with its parents, but it takes several failed attempts before Pearl’s friend Carlos the Carrot points out the obvious – you don’t have to look like your family to belong. Thinking and talking • What does Pearl assume about the lost fruit’s parents? What mistakes does she make • Find the happiest and saddest pictures in this book. Does everyone agree? Why not? Illustrations by Sydney Smith Illustrations by Momoko Abe