Langtoft Reading Ambassadors
The Endless Sea
Y5 thought the colour palette the illustrator chose sets the tone on each page. The colours darken as the characters face challenges and brighten as their circumstances improve. Y3 thought it was too monotone and not colourful enough. Some children liked the realistic pictures where others thought they were too realistic. Y2 said you can feel the emotions of the story through the pictures. Y4 said it was tricky to see some of the writing on the page. They liked the realistic rain and the blending of the colours.
Reading Ambassadors
The Playdate
Y5 thought the cross media illustrations were really cool but quite simple and would like more detail. Y3 said the colours were beautiful and really calm. Y2 loved the story and thought the girl hiding in the bath was funny! The pictures were colourful, eye catching and pastel.
Reading Ambassadors
Wildful
Y1 said they loved how many picture there were and all the details. It makes you use your brain and your imagination. Some children in Y2 thought it needed more bright colours but most of them said they liked the pictures, especially the animals! Y6 said they loved that the illustrations enabled you to make your own story and that it could be different every time. Y5 loved the comic strip/ graphic novel approach. Some children said it was too dark but the lack of colours makes it easier to focus on.
Reading Ambassadors
The Endless Sea
The colours start dark and then change to muted pastel colours.
Mia
The Paper Bridge
I love the colourful collages and the details!
Maisie
The Sleeper Train
The colours are beautiful and you learn about different cultures through the illustrations. FS and Y1 said the colours were pretty and they loved the colour scheme but Y4 thought the colours were too repetitive. Y2 thought the colours were calming and they loved the patterns. Y3 loved the backgrounds and Y5 said the detailed colourful images were inviting and highlights the beauty of another culture.
Aurora, Tauseef, Rory, Leo P, Ava
Wiggling Words
We loved meeting Katie Rolf on her virtual author visit. As a school we voted for Wiggling Words as the best illustrator. KS1 loved how she made things out of letters and it inspired them to create their own artwork. Y5 thought this was a clear winner. We loved how a dyslexic author and illustrator used cyanotype and printed letters to celebrate their struggle with words. The limited colour palate makes it appealing for younger readers.
Reading Ambassadors
The Paper Bridge
As a school we voted for this second out of all the books. Y2 said- It has so much detail! Lovely bright colours and we love the birds! Y3 thought it was full of life, they loved the 3D aspect and thought the artwork was lively. Y4 love that the pictures have been crafted and the colours are really expressive. They found that sometimes it was hard to tell what was happening as there was so much going on. Y5- Real craft and talent have gone in to the different text and textures used to layer the images. Year 6 loved the Paper Bridge as the illustrations were 2D but the representations of 3D collages and it felt like you were in the picture.
Reading Ambassadors
Freedom Braids
We love the hairstyles and braids on the first page! Y1 think the illustrations of the girl are beautiful. Y2 said they liked the colourful backgrounds and textures that added depth to the pictures. Y3 weren't so keen- they thought the colours were quite dark and the illustrations were too realistic. Year 4 weren't sure about the colours either but they loved how realistic the illustrations were. They liked that the images went over two pages. Y5 thought the dark colours made the story quite sinister and Y6 loved the artwork- especially the fire and night time sky. They said it was simple but realistic. This is a very beautiful book!
Mia, Frankie and Alfie