Hackney Primary Reading Champions

I Love Books
I like how before the child discovers reading the story is illustrated in monochromatic tones but when you get further into the story bursts of colour appear across the page. It relates to readers because loads of people don't like/read books but when readers pour through the book they actually find that they like reading. I find the page layout very interesting because it kind of looks like a map .It is very interesting to re read.

Olive

Wolf and Bear
I really enjoyed the illustrations and the violet shades and I think that the writing alongside the pictures was a perfect match. I also think that the storyline showed that it is okay to be sad and go through the stages of grief but you don't have to go through it alone (your friends and family will always help you). It is a gentle representation of reality and it nurtures children through the difficult times in life. Overall, it is an amazing picture book that I would have thoroughly enjoyed when I was younger.

Ava

Clever Crow
It was monochromatic but with splashes of colour, the theme includes lots of urban illustrations and relatable situations. The crows were portrayed very realistically and they had recognisable traits, I think its a very good book to reread and its suitable for ages.

Indi

I Love Books
I really enjoyed looking at the illustrations in this book. I thought that the use of neon pink made a bid impact on the illustrations. For example on the front cover, all of the colours are really simple apart from the neon pink that stood out a lots. I liked the paintbrush strokes in the girl’s hair as it suits the story. As I have noted before: the neon pink sets the mood to happy but the pastels also sets the mood to calm. The images in this story creates a lot of movement. I thought that the story was fresh and creative as well as original. When the teacher announces that you have to read a book for the holidays, the colours all turn grey which links in with the mood in the text. This also tells me that the illustrations contribute with the meaning of the story. I loved the way how when the bad things happen in the story the text enlarges, however when the good things happen, the text is in its normal size.

William Patten - Tais

Grey
Grey is a story all about how it’s OK to feel sad, colourless and lifeless. It helps everyone understand that it’s fine to not feel any emotions. Towards the end of the book, the mother comes and says that it’s fine to not feel anything and that you will always be loved, no matter what colour you are. I do not believe that Grey would be the same without the illustrations. I love how the drawings aren’t perfect, reflecting the fact that it’s OK not to be at your best all the time. For example, on page 3, the things on the table aren’t very neatly coloured in. The cut-outs in this book are phenomenal! They relate to the story so well and help move the plot along. They make me laugh and smile, connect and sympathise. One of the best (in my opinion), is the one on pages 32 and 33. It shows the moon and the mother and then she says ‘and my love won’t change even when it’s grey’. The last thing I have to judge are the first and last 2 pages of the book.They both have a climbing frame which appears twice throughout the story. The first one is grey and the last one is colourful. This shows that things will get better, even if you’re feeling grey.

William Patten - Sadie

Wolf and Bear
I really enjoyed looking at the illustrations of Wolf and Bear. It was a really great book with lots of fun and imagination. The array of colour immediately caught my eye and the way it almost looked as if they had used brush strokes creating impact and texture. Both of these gained a strong calming mood and you can notice that they stuck with these two particular colours, orange and blue to build onto this. These things relate to the story line. When they use blue tones, it is often showing us that the mood is sad but when they use oranges it’s often telling us that the mood is happy. When Wolf is trying to make up with Bear one side is orange and the other is blue which links with the text. One of my favourite pages is when Wolf is singing out colours. I love how its bright glowing colours on top of a background make it standout and come life. The way the text is positioned also helps the story to flow and separates them from the images – it’s a great way to set out the story.

William Patten - Rosie

The Invisible Story
I really enjoyed reading ‘The Invisible Story’ because the pictures look 3D and the stories look like flowers have been pressed onto a design to make them! Adding onto that, the backgrounds look card and like someone has actually made them! The drawings are so sweet and colourful they make me smile. I love how on page 18 there’s a simile: ‘The girl laughed, a laugh that was as bright as a butterfly.’, then on page 17 (the page before), a butterfly flies out the book representing the simile! The designs are decorative, for example, on the front cover: birds, flowers and swirls all have different colours and moods. The birds, green and happy, the flowers, purple and sad or bouncy and the swirls, red and angry! The illustrations make me imagine: stories all chatting and having fun at a party or having fun at a party or having a debate on who’s the more popular book! I feel there is a combination of the images being static and them moving about. On page 1 how can you not believe that the pictures are moving about or dancing in the air! by Amy

William Patten