Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-22

4 Grandad’s Star ILLUSTRATED BY RHIAN STONE, WRITTEN BY FRANCES TOSDEVIN, ROCKET BIRD BOOKS 2024 5 The Dream Book BY BIA MELO, TEMPLAR BOOKS 2023 14 | www.teachwire.net About this book Nina loves bedtime—not because she’s sleepy, but because that’s when dreams happen. Each night she visits vibrant dream worlds: cake villages, jungle cities and wild adventures. But when morning comes, her dreams slip away. Determined to hold on to them, Nina begins to sketch her dreams in a journal, capturing fragments before they vanish. Bia Melo’s illustrations feel joyful and childlike, born from her own dream‑and‑draw routine. With playful textures, bold primary colours and quirky characters glimpsed through negative About this book The little girl in this story adores her grandfather, a renowned astronomer and speaker. They spend hours together sharing stories of the night sky, but lately Grandad is forgetting things. He misplaces objects, struggles to answer questions, and sometimes even forgets names. “Our brains,” Mum says gently, “are like the twinkles of stars — shining brightly or growing dim.” As memories flicker and fade, the family responds Try this... n Create your own dream journal. Draw a special dream as soon as you wake up. n Use crayons, pencils or collage to build a dream‑scene of your imagination. n Invent a quirky character (like Nina’s bus or cake village)—what world would they live in? space, it’s a bright, fresh debut that invites readers to embrace the wonder—and occasional chaos—of imagination. Thinking and talking • What kind of dreams does Nina have? Which one would you most like to explore? • Why does Nina write and draw her dreams before they disappear? Have you ever tried to remember your dreams? • Which parts of the story feel fun, and which feel a little scary? Why do you think that is? ways did this help her too? • Have you ever had to explain something important to someone older than you? What did you find a challenge? with love and care, building a ‘Grandad-scope’ to help him remember. Now it’s the granddaughter’s turn to guide. A luminous, tender story of memory, change, and holding on to the ones we love. Thinking and talking • Why are Grandad’s memories compared to stars? What do you think this means? • How does the little girl help Grandad — and in what