Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-22

My Hair is as Long as a River ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA FARRARONS, WRITTEN BY CHARLIE CASTLE, MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S BOOKS 2024 2 www.teachwire.net | 13 BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS The Café at the Edge of the Woods BY MIKEY PLEASE, HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS 2024 About this book Rene dreams of serving exquisite food in her own woodland café, but her first (and only) customer is a grumpy ogre with a taste for bats, slugs and battered mice. When Rene despairs, her green-skinned waiter Glumfoot hatches a brilliant plan: disguise her delicious creations as the ogre’s favourite swampy snacks. Mikey Please’s retro-tinged illustrations, theatrical lighting and animated style bring humour and heart to this rhyming tale of courage, creativity, and cross-cultural cooking. A gently grotesque, grin-inducing fable about finding common ground — even if it’s maggot-shaped. Thinking and talking • Why does Rene nearly give up on her dream, and what changes her mind? • What do you think the ogre really wanted, deep down? What might all the creatures who visit Rene’s cafe want? • Can you think of a time when you changed someone just a little – and it made all the difference? Or perhaps someone helped or changed you? Try this... n Design a ‘gross’ menu where everything is secretly tasty! Name your dishes like Glumfoot did. n In pairs, act out the scene where Rene and the ogre meet. Try it two ways: scary ogre… and shy ogre. n Create a map of the area around the forest café. Where do the creatures come from? What magical paths do they take? About this book Through a series of tender metaphors, a boy invites us to view his long hair not just as something he has, but something he is: a river, a jungle, a place of calm and colour. Emma Farrarons’ swirling illustrations gently echo the movement of thought and imagination, weaving a tale of identity, pride, and joyful self-expression. This is a warm, poetic picture book that honours difference and reminds readers that being yourself is always something to celebrate. Thinking and talking • What does the boy mean when he says his hair is “like a river”? • Why do some people question or dislike things that are different? • What other things help you feel like themselves? Try this... n Draw your own hair as if it were something magical: a garden, a storm, a story. n Make a zigzag or spiral trail across a long paper strip, then fill it with symbols of your identity. n Re-read the story but pause to guess what the next metaphor might be. Can you write one of your own? ultimately befriend their feelings. There is no quick fix or ‘cheering up’ — just presence, kindness, and understanding. Ideal for conversations around mental health and emotional literacy, this tender book normalises sadness as part of life and encourages children to explore it without fear. Thinking and talking • What colour is sadness in this book? Would yours look the same? • Why might sadness knock rather than sneak in? • Can you name other invisible feelings you’ve had? Try this... n Create your own ‘visiting emotion’ character, using pastels or watercolours. n Design a doorway and write what emotion might be waiting behind it. n Re-enact the story’s arc using freeze-frames to capture mood shifts. 3