Latymer Prep Shadowers
To the Other Side
To the other side is a story which keeps you on your toes . It’s based in South America and is about a boy and a girl trying to find their way to safety. I love how everything is dark and grey but the masks are bright and colourful for protection from the evil monsters. I recommend this book to anyone havind a bad time.
Benjamin
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is a superb book about a Young boy and his older sister who have left home to play a game and that game is that they need to travel across endless lands together. I love that every page has its own meaning and its own story to tell, to understand this book you have to see every detail and also every word to see deep into the story. I would recommend this for older ages so as to understand the story's meaning. I would also recommend this to people who might have the same back story to these people in the book. I would aim this at 5+ and a 7.5/10😍🤩🥰🥳
kit
To the Other Side
To the other side is a story about two young refugees who are trying to find safety by travelling a long, long way. I like this story because it shows just how hard it is to find safety. The attention to detail is extraordinary, the masks are just incredible and the use of vibrant colours is amazing and overall is a great book. I would recommend this book to 5+ and a 8.7/10 from me!😀🤩🥳
Ben
To the Other Side
To The other side is a Heartwarming story based in South America the story is all about a little girl and her older sister. This is such a wonderful book. The colour variation is just amazing, that's what really drew me in the greys and the yellows and pinks go really well. The illustrator really tried hard with detail and she did astonishingly. I would rate this book a 8\10 and for ages 6+.
Fred
To the Other Side
To the other side is a heart-felt story about a young boy and his older sister, who have left home to play a game, they just need to make it to the finish line to win…
As long as she’s fast like a rabbit and he’s brave like a tiger they can make it past the border. Together.I also really love how everything else aside from the bright, colourful masks are black, white and gloomy as they contrast on their faces, the masks hiding the refugees’ true identity. I love how Erika Meza finds a different way to tell the world, even children, about refugees, and what’s happening in different countries. Even after all that happens, the siblings remain together…
Overall, I would rate this boom an 8.5/10 ages 9 and over.
Angelica
The Wilderness
The wilderness is a book about a boy called Oktober and is always scared of the outside world and the wilderness. His adventurous parents and siblings manage to convince him to go outside and there he conquers his fears. I like the style of the illustrations that are used in the book because they are very interesting pictures and have lots of hidden details in all of the pictures. I rate it 10/10 for a really nice book. 👍
Josh
To the Other Side
To the other side is a book focused on really serious topics like immigration. The pictures really show this with the dark and dull colours to fit the atmosphere. I like the spots for some of the pages. The page at the end where all the bright and colourful colours splurt out of the children’s bags is amazing! Overall I think the book should be 8+ because it may be a bit hard to understand but I'd give it an 8/10.
Niam
To the Other Side
To The other side is a book about refugees from mexico that are trying to escape into America away from danger. It is a boy and an older sister which are tying to make it to the other side. The sister tries to make it a game for the small boy to avoid the obstacle but eventually finds it is not a game. I don’t think the book is good for younger people because they might get creeped out by the masks and it is a very serious theme for the people this book is aimed at. 2/10
Josh
To the Other Side
This is a powerful, timely and beautifully illustrated story exploring the journey of 2 young children in search of safety. The idea of the masks that they are wearing contrast with the colours of the landscape so perfectly that I can't explain it. I also like how hiding away from the monsters is associated with playing a game of tag. " Its like tag, if you get caught by the monsters you're out." The meaning behind this story is heart melting and the meaning really is all children deserve safety.
Rose
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is an amazing book, so imaginative and detailed. When you read the first couple of pages or so you would think that Oktober is afraid of venturing out into the wilderness. Not about a monster, called The Wilderness. My personal favourite thing to do with this book is to look at every page and assess what every character is doing in the page and choose my favourite with my best friend. I loved the start of the book with the different types of weird plants. They were so funny! When I looked at each one I could see each of my classmates reflected in them. I also love how action-filled the book was and on each part of the page there was always a character, or a tree or SOMETHING. That is probably why I love this book so much, the natural wonders of the world mixed with a fairytale vibe to create this outstanding book we know. I LOVE this book and I would give it a 9.8/10. I would recommend it for ages 4+
Leyla
The Wilderness
Wilderness is a book about an curious and adventurous family who love to explore the world,though one little boy in their family called Oktober prefers to stay at home and have an adventure through his books. I like this book because it shows how anyone can overcome their fears and become friends with his fears. This book can show little children to be brave,so I rate it 10/10.
Iris
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is a heartwarming story about 2 refugees looking for a new home. Erika Meza’s use of black and white colouring, except for colourful masks shows that the masks keep the children happy. The story is one with a hidden meaning, a hidden meaning about refugees and the difficulty of fleeing. The black ‘monsters’ are very well portrayed, constantly looming above, waiting for a catch. My favourite part is probably at the end, when the refugees are safe and sound. This is a lovely book for anyone going through a tough time or a similar situation. I give this book an 8/10!
Maya K
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is an exciting book about a family named after the 12 months of the year and they all love the wilderness except one Oktober. I love all the patterns and detail. I also enjoy the bright orange and yellow colour harmony. It was funny how at the front and back pages there were funny plants and what they do. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks the outside world is scary.
Benjamin
To the Other Side
In my opinion, the other side is not a good book for a young audience and even elders.
The illustrations are not that good. Also, it's very serious for young children and I think they should read something happy and exciting.Despite this, the story has is a powerful awareness of how migration impacts people, and the message is wonderful.
I would recommend this book to 8+ and definitely not young children.
3/10 for me.
Maxim
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is amazing. All the different bright colours are mesmerising and I really love how Oktober is so short compared to the other children and yet the illustrations really show how he isn’t scared of the massive wilderness at the end even though it’s way taller than him. The different shades of orange really give the feeling of autumn, which the month of october is in autumn and since the main character is called Oktober makes it feel like it’s his time to shine just because of the colours. This book is full of tons of cool details like that in the illustrations, because of that I recommend the book to all ages and I give it a 9/10.
Niam
To the Other Side
This very grown up topic has been turned into a child-friendly book. It is about a refugee trying to find ‘home’. The characters are wearing masks and I like how each one reflects their personality. I love how the masks are so colourful and creative and how the beautiful colours contrast all the grey negativity so well. These illustrations add the emotions and details which you can’t write in words and I think that these illustrations hold one story by itself. I would say that it is a book for anyone aged 3 and over with a rating of 8/10 from me! Well Done 😃!
Elodie
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a heartwarming book about a family who are quite outdoorsy people except for one of the children, Oktober, who prefers to stay inside. I like this story because the illustrations are amazing, the detail is perfect and the story is extraordinary!! This is a brilliant story that you can read to all ages and is a 10/10 from me!🥳🤩😀
Ben
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a humorous book about a group of explorers looking for the infamous ‘Giant Arctic Jellyfish’. They think it's impossible, fake, and all just a myth, but little did they know the jellyfish has been following them the whole time! Chloe Savage’s illustrations are beautiful, with details everywhere. From the bin filling up, to the food slowly going down, there is something different about each page. Chloe Savage has successfully shown the difficult nature of exploring, with the crew getting more tired as the days go by. I think this is a good book for ages 5+ and anyone interested in a funny story. 7.5/10!
Maya K
To the Other Side
This book is SO deep. The story of these children trying to cross the border, trying to cross to the other side. The masks are basically the only pop of colour on the pages, flickering like the last flame of hope, of home. Such a lovely story, this story should be told! Not all stories are super happy sadly, and although this one doesn’t start very jolly it ends with a nice ending. All these children want is a home, a school! A very touching story, which needs to be told more often so the world knows that this is HAPPENING. A lovely 7.7/10 from me! 😄
Eva
April's Garden
April’s garden is a powerful story about a little girl who finds a new home. I love how April’s emotions reflect the colour palette and even weather on different pages, when April was mad and annoyed the colours changed to black and blue, as if they were almost responding to her anger. I also particularly loved how on some pages the writing was sort of stuck onto the page like a scrapbook. April’s mother tells her about silver linings, but with everything that was going on April starts losing faith in them, she’s in a new home, with new toys, starting a new life. So her mother tells her to draw, draw a life that she wanted, somewhere where instead of feeling afraid she could be happy. Finally, things start to look up again, April finds a hobby: gardening. And although at first the seeds won’t grow, with a little patience…..the flower seeds spring up: they represent hope, a new fresh start, and as they grow, April’s heart grows too. Overall, I would give this book an 8/10 for children 9+ who love nature.
Angelica
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is a book about a young boy and his sister trying to cross the border from Mexico to America. They walk and take buses and finally arrive in America but it doesn’t feel like home. Then they meet a friend. I like this book because it shows us about the problems like war and children having to escape without their parents. And it makes us aware of what’s happening in the world. The colours are normally very grey apart from the masks. The masks have animals on them to indicate that those animals will protect them or make them strong or fast. My favourite pages were when the boy meets his friend and they start playing with the marbles. I like this because the colours start coming back and this tells us that the children are becoming happy again. I would recommend this book to ages 6+. 10/10!
Nadia
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is about the Vasylenko family, who all love the outdoors and exploration. All except Oktober. He is afraid of the wild, and prefers to read about it. I like the clear, pretty and picturesque graphics of the warm coloured illustrations. It focuses on Oktober, who goes on a journey to overcome his fears. The moral of the story is to face your fears to overcome them, rather than hide from them and grow more afraid. I would recommend this book to people who need to overcome their fears. Although overcoming your fears is quite an unoriginal storyline, I think that being afraid of the outdoors is quite an uncovered subject. I would rate it an 8/10.
James
To the Other Side
To the Other Side is about a small boy and his sister, who tells him that they are going to play a game, crossing the border. They wear colourful masks with bright animals to guide and protect them. It is a story that recognises the amount of Mexicans crossing the American border.
James
To the Other Side
To the Other Side is a book about a young boy and his sister who are trying to cross the border to America from Mexico. The boy’s big sister tells him and pretends that this is just a game and they are trying to cross the line first without getting caught by the monsters. At first, the boy thinks that this really is a game and he is quite happy and excited to get there first. But as the journey continues, he finds it too long, too tiring and realises that this may not be a game and that this is something more serious. The colour palette in this book mainly consists of whites, blacks and greys apart from the contrasting Mexican masks that the characters wear and the bright flowers of hope that are dotted around the pages. The Mexican masks that the children wear are meant to symbolise and give them the skills of that animal. For example, a rabbit can give them speed and a tiger might give them strength or bravery which they will need for the journey. Erika did the original sketch of the book on a concertina sketchbook which is a good way to symbolise the journey. I would recommend this book to children 8+ because the theme could be quite distressing for younger children, or they could have gone through the same experience. I would rate this 7.5/10. 🙂
Liberty
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is about 2 children, an older sister and a younger brother, who are refugees and are trying to cross the border. I love how the bright colours of the Mexican masks contrast with the gloomy grey background. I love how when they have the masks on people think they're the good guys but when they take the masks off they are just ordinary children. I love how the sister tries to protect the younger brother and treats the journey as a game when actually in reality they are on a verge of catastrophe and how this carries on throughout the story. It is horrible how so many children have to face this terrible thing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what's happening in the world. 9.9/10😃
Daniel
To the Other Side
To the other side is a clever book with a very important moral that has been transformed into a fun game for little children to understand. The story is about two children on a journey to pass the American border to seek refuge. Despite the demanding challenges along the way, the two children work together to overcome them. The masks are very well illustrated and the inspiration behind it is very fascinating. I love how she used different animals to forge a unique mask to amplify the character’s personality. I would recommend this book to anyone above 8 years old because I think that this story is valuable for everybody. 8/10 from me. 👍
Abir
To the Other Side
To the Other Side is one of the saddest stories I have ever read. It is about two sisters who are moving because their country is at war with another one. The sisters make a game of this war and are moving quickly to escape to the USA. I love how the illustrator has used grey colours on everything except the mexican masks the children are wearing.I would recommend this book to anyone 10 years and over and would give it an 8/10.
Reya
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a book about a brave and valiant family that love the wilderness. There is something different about this book. The family has lots of children and they all like going outside apart from one Oktober. Oktober dreams to be an adventurer but his adventures are in books. When one day he is forced to go into the place where the Wilderness lives he never leaves his parents' side. This is a story about braving fears and finding out that not everything is what it seems to be. I recommend this book to children 6+.
Pedro
To the Other Side
To The Other Side includes 2 siblings, the older sister and the younger brother. They play a game, avoid the monsters, don’t get caught, and keep moving. Like tag, if you get caught, you’re out. Together, they have to make it across the border into the US. This book is a great and thrilling read. The colour contrast of monotone to warm colours makes an effect on the book. Like April's Garden, it shows how scary the real world can be. I like how the illustrator used watercolours and inks, I like it! I give this book a 9/10 and this book can be for people older than 5 years.
Chelsea
To the Other Side
This book is about two siblings who are playing a dangerous game of crossing a border while running away from the threatening monsters. The contrast of black and white and colourful illustrations is quite clever because nothing is all black and white, there is hope everywhere. This book gives a very important message not only in the words, but in the illustrations too. The masks are all different, symbolizing that everyone has something different to protect them and guide them through hard times. Each character has a different story to tell, where they came from, what they are running from, where they are going. In the book, quite a serious topic is explored, which might affect people’s emotions, depending if they have gone through the same thing or have been through something similar. I have never had to do this great journey, but I can feel through the illustrations how painful and scary it must be. 9/10 from me.
Tara
To the Other Side
To the Other side is a story about two children trying to find a safe home. I understand the seriousness of this book and know that it is not a laughing matter, but I wish there was a bit more humour to it. I also like how when the boy welcomes them into his home - when they feel like they can call it their home - it is like there are flowers coming from both their rucksacks. I think this book is suitable for ages 6+ and I think this book deserves an 8.5/10 😊.
Emilie
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is a very heartfelt story which depicts a younger brother and older sister travelling to the border as refugees who needed shelter. The older sister tries to calm down her brother and tell him it is all a game and that they had to wear the masks which gave them superpowers and would help them to get to the line. She says that they need to run away from the monsters and that if they touch you then you are out and lose. They have to get to the line (The Border). Over this time the brother gets suspicious that this isn’t a game and finds that out when they were almost at the border. When they finally get there it didn’t feel like they had won… 8.5 out of 10 for me.
Alex
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a loving book about a boy called Oktober who is very afraid of the Wilderness. The funny thing is that his family LOVES the Wilderness but Oktober manages to overcome his fear. I like this book because it shows us that you don't have to be afraid of the Wilderness and that the Wilderness isn’t so bad and scary. I love the illustrations because the colours are bright and Oktober is always with his parents and when he overcomes his fear he is alone with nobody but the Wilderness. My favourite page was when Oktober waved to the Wilderness. This book shows us the Vasylensko family throughout the day and night. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is an exciting and wonderful book. 10/10!
Nadia
To the Other Side
The Otherside is an exciting book about two kids who are running away from their home as refugees. They wear masks to hide themselves and also to give themselves luck on their journey to a new country. On the way you can see dark monsters trying to get you. I love how the whole book is in grayscale but all of the masks are all in bright colours. At the end, they find a lovely school and they find out they don’t actually need the masks to live. This is a 6/10 and would recommend it to any refugee.
Jensen
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a very exciting book with lots of exploration and diversity. The Wilderness is about a young creative boy who is trying to overcome their fear of the Wilderness. The book offers an enchanting insight into an adventurous family’s life. The illustrations are cute and clever but this book doesn’t really suit me. I do like the story inspiration and how the story matches the illustrations. My favourite illustration in the book is when Oktober meets the Wilderness because I really enjoy all the autumn coloured leaves. I recommend this book to people who enjoy adventure and the outside world. 6/10 from me. 😀
Abir
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is an amazing book about a brother and her sister trying to cross the border.My favourite bit of the book is when he shows a friend the “game” that he was taught by her sister.My favourite illustration was when a man gave out all these different masks that would cover their face from the “monster” because there are so many cool patterns and symbols which are so spectacular.I would recommended this book to people 5 and above because if you want to really understand the meaning you need to be older.I Would say 8.9/10.I really enjoyed this book because it felt like i was in their journey.
Oliver S
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is a meaningful story about two refugee children. I love the illustrations in this book because of the beautiful contrast and mexican art. You can look at every illustration for a while, because the illustrations are just so beautiful. Erika Meza found a way to represent war - not in soldiers, guns, blood, tears - but in something children would actually understand. Something children are scared of, that adults just laugh about. Black, shadowy, monsters. Each mask has a meaning, and every character has spirit and emotion. However, this book isn't one I would really read. The first reason is because of the colour scheme. I love the contrast, but there's too much white for my liking. Another thing is that the story is about war, and personally, my preference is joyful and bright stories. I still like the idea itself, I just suppose I didn't love it as much as the other stories. I would recommend this book to children who have experienced war, have a friend that is going through trauma because of a war, or just want to learn about this topic. A 6/10!
Maya M
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is the charmingly illustrated story of a brother and sister, as they journey to a border, past the monsters and the bad people and to safety. The grey, dull colours create a sense of seriousness, showing that despite what the sister says, that it isn’t really a game. But the contrast to colourful masks show that the masks offer a positive, protective glow and will guide the children on their way. With wonderfully corresponding illustrations and storyline and the intriguing colour, this book is a magnificent piece of irreplaceable artwork and is bound to draw you in from the very beginning. This book offers protection and relatable characters for anyone who has had to escape something even tiny! I would recommend it to children from ages 5 and up, as it includes some sensitive topics that older children would understand better. 8.2/10 from me.
Derin
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a sweet book about a large family called the Vasylenko family who are very adventurous and outgoing all except from little Oktober. Oktober is a very nervous character and is always very scared of the big outdoors. All of the children in the family are all very different to him and are extroverts, they are all named after the months of the year eg. January, a curious, budding detective, February, a young girl who loves nature, March, a boy who loves animals so much he even sleeps with them and so on. All of the illustrations have a lot going on in them and every single character is doing something different in each spread. The colour palette uses lots of natural browns and greens but for the characters the colours are all very bright and joyful. My favourite double page spread is the one of the children in all their bunk beds, each child has a very cosy bed that matches their personality. For example, some of them are snuggled up with lots of teddies or they might sleep half o ff their bed. I personally love this book and I love the style of cute drawings and I would recommend this to ages 4+. 9.5/10 from me.😊
Liberty
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is an imaginative and heartwarming story with lots of colour contrast and lovely illustrations. I love the idea of masks and how it covers the face to give them a sense of encouragement and fun. The topic is a very serious thing and I think that it is great to tell people that children are being separated from their parents or have to escape for a certain reason so then they can help. I recommend this book to people 5-6+ because they need to understand the concept of the story. 🥹
Annabelle
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a book about Oktober who’s afraid of the outdoors, but when his family brings him outside he is forced to face your fears. It shows younger kids that the outside isn’t as scary as you think it is. I like the book because of its unique art style.
4 stars 7.5/10
Jasper
To the Other Side
To the other side is a lovely book about a brother and sister who are migrating out of Mexico. The older sister turns this dangerous journey into a fun game where you have to escape the monsters. I love the fact that everything is so grey and dark except the masks that have a legend of protecting them. They light up the page with their popping colours. But underneath these masks lie just little children, showing us the immensity of the actual problem. I really like the illustrations of the little children and the creativity of the masks. I would recommend the book to 5+ to get the meaning and I will rate this book 8.5 / 10.
Eleonore
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is about the Vasylenko family, a fun, quirky and outgoing family always longing for an adventure… except for Oktober. Oktober is more introverted than the others but then he meets the Wilderness and his whole world turns upside down. This book is an amazing book. I like how each of the 12 kids have different personalities, beds and hobbies! I love this book because each spread has a LOT of detail, for example March (my birthday) has a dog on his bed! This book can be for anyone but not for a short read, every detail is better than the next. Even when December nearly spilled the jug! I rate this book a 10/10. It's cosy but also refreshing.
Chelsea
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is about a little boy called Oktober who is facing his fear of the wilderness. The illustrations are quite clear to make out with their bold colours. I also love how the setting is set in October linking to one of the main characters Oktober. My favourite illustration is the double page spread with all of the Vasylenko children in bed. It is quite creative how each person has something to do with their name. My favourite one is probably August, because I find it so cosy to be wrapped up in a blanket in bed, I feel safe there. At the beginning of the book, the plant double page spread is a good start to the book. I like how this is what Oktober thinks, not what we think. I think this is because the illustrator wants us to understand Oktober better. The book gives an adventurous sense, a tiny bit refreshing too. For people who love the wild and for people who don’t, this book is for anyone. 8/10 from me!
Tara
The Wilderness
This is an inspiring book about a boy called Oktober and his quest to become an explorer. I love this book because of how the wilderness is really wild, emphasising October's point about the wilderness being scary. The illustrations are lovely with all of the children. It makes you wonder which child I am. The details of all of the leaves on the wilderness makes you feel as if the wilderness is really big. I would recommend this for people who are scared about things to learn that it is not really scary. This incredible book is for all years. I would rate this book 10/10
Louis
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is one of the most adventurous stories I have ever read. It is all about a family who lives and thrives on the outside. All of them love the outside except Oktober who hates going out. But one day when the family is outside Oktober loses his way and ends up finding The Wilderness, a monster that no one has ever seen but always talks about.I love how the illustrator has made it seem like there's loads of things going on even when the characters are asleep.I would recommend this book to all people aged 8 years and under and would give it a 9/10.
Reya
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a brilliant book about two scared characters that become brave. I like that even though Oktober doesn’t feel brave he does something very brave at the end of the book, by waving to the Wilderness. I liked that there was so much colour in this book. The two scared (now new) friends went on adventures together and I think it’s a very nice message to readers. Even though you might not feel brave, you can be if you want to be. I think this book is suitable for ages 4+ and I think this book deserves a 10/10😊.
Emilie
To the Other Side
This is an emotional book about two refugees and their quest to find a safe place to call home. I like this book because of the way the illustrations are drawn. It emphasises that they have to travel very far. The masks are very colourful compared to the monsters making them stand out against the bleak background. This is a good book but not for me. I would rate this book 7/10
Louis
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a book about a boy called Oktober who doesn't want to go outside. This book has lots of animated looking pictures and in my opinion that looks really cool. I love how Oktober is completely the opposite of everyone except for the fact that he still wants to go on an adventure. I love how this book is about overcoming fears and how the thing you fear might not be so bad. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to overcome their fear. 8/10😃
Daniel
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is one of my favourite books because of the imaginative and fun characters incorporated in the story and illustrations. It took me into the world of Oktober and the Vasylenko family on their journey into the wilderness. My favourite illustration is when the wilderness is spread across the whole pageant little Oktober is staring up at him. I love the attention to detail when drawing the landscape and characters. I recommend this book to nature lovers and ones who do not dare to explore the outdoors. I also recommend this book to children and adults 1-2+ because of the fun illustrations and quirky characters.🍂
Annabelle
The Wilderness
The wilderness is an interesting book about a monster called ‘The Wilderness’ and the Vasylenko family. The whole family is a very active family, but Oktober isn’t. While The whole family goes out, along with Oktober, he meets his greatest fear. The Wilderness. He stands up to the monster/creature/thing and becomes friends with it. This is a lovely book about standing up to your fears. I would recommend this to anyone 5-6+ and this book is a 6-7/10.
Jensen
To the Other Side
I didn't really like this book. I thought the story was a little confusing and it didn't grab my attention. I also didn’t like the style of illustrations. I find the masks that the children are wearing really unrealistic and I do not like how the children are trying to make a game out of trying to cross the border as refugees because I think that this book is about a very serious topic and it should not be joked about. I understand that it is an important story to share but I just did not get on with the style. Sorry. I would recommend this book to 5+ and I would rate it 4/10.
Olly J
The Wilderness
In this book, bravery and overcoming fears are the most important themes. It is about a little boy named Oktober who is afraid about going on physical adventures but prefers adventures in books and reading. One day Oktober goes out with his family for the first time and he discovers the natural beauty of the world outside. On his journey, he gets ‘lost’ and discovers the Wilderness, a friendly monster. They become friends and Ocktober becomes the most adventurous of all his 11 siblings (all named after a month). I really like the personification of the Wilderness. I also like the autumnal colour scheme used. The diverse characters and how they are drawn are really beautiful. In total, I will give this book a 8/10.
Eleonore
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a wonderful book that has no words because it lets you cooperate with the pictures to make your own story. Aaron Becker is very clever with his illustrations because of the reflections on the front that show the future. I love this book and I am happy that the book won. I really think that this is the best book without words in the world (sorry to the other illustrators). I recommend this book to people who like futuristic books, and books without words. I also recommend this book to adults and children 2+ because of the inspiring artwork. 🌳
Annabelle
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a fabulous book based on a family with 12 children all named after months of the year. I love how all The images are full of different things. The illustrations are amazing in one way and another reason they are amazing is that they all have some orange in each one that makes the illustrations look vibrant and colourful. I would rate this book an 8.5\10 and for ages 5+. 😃
Fred
To the Other Side
To The Other Side is an extremely meaningful story about 2 children, an older sister and a younger brother, who are refugees trying to cross the border to safety. I love how the bright colours of the Mexican masks contrast with the gloomy grey and black background. As Erika Meza said in her video ‘When you take the mask off, they are just children. Children who deserve safety.’ That is the statement running throughout this book, and it is a very important part of the story too. I love how the older sister looks after the younger one and tries to protect him from the danger surrounding them, and how she makes it just a fun game but in reality they are on the verge of catastrophe. Erika Meza has made a serious problem into a fun and beautifully illustrated book although the real meaning still lies behind the colourful masks and words. For this reason I would recommend this book to ages 7 and up and I would give this book an 8.9/10.
Leyla
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a story about facing your fears. Little Oktober wants to be a great adventurer like all his siblings but he's afraid of going outside, He likes his adventures in paperback style. His parents take him on a walk and then he has to face his biggest fear, getting lost but then he finds the wilderness and he finds his way home. This great book is about facing your fears I give this book a 8/10!
Rose
The Wilderness
A cutely illustrated book with little cartoon characters. The book is about a little boy called Oktober who feels scared . The illustrations shows Oktober quite hidden where his family can’t see him and I like that Oktober finds his own way of overcoming fear. There is an adventure on every page and the illustrations are so funny and entertaining. My favourite character is The Wilderness because of all the different autumn colours and no matter size shape or colour he is still timid. The book is just wonderful and anyone 3+ should definitely read it, I would rate it 10/10, a very strong favourite.
Elodie
The Wilderness
A magnificently illustrated book! The Wilderness is about the Vasylenko family, a family of adventurers. Or at least, all except Oktober. This book has amazing illustrations which perfectly capture all the scenes. With a mix of spots, full bleeds, half bleeds, and vignettes, The Wilderness’ illustrations are unexpectedly different and unique on each page! My favourite part is when the 12 children (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, Oktober, November, and December) are sleeping and all 12 of them have different bunk beds, different ways of writing their name, different covers, different dreams, etc. etc.. I also love the depiction of the WIlderness (the creature), because it seems like it is just as scared as Oktober is. This book is about facing your fears, and realising that not everything is as scary as you make it out to be. On that note, I recommend this book to any children who are shy, or feel like the world is too big and too scary for them. Although The Wilderness is not my favourite book, it is definitely in the top 4! I would give this book an 8/10, and ★★★★☆.
Maya K
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a stunningly illustrated book, a wordless book. Just beautiful images, as the Tree and the River survive different times and tragedies together as the world changes before their eyes. From sparkling green grass to broken down brick buildings, the Tree and the River still stood together, strong and sturdy. Aaron Becker shows each image with unanimous perfection and detail, however many times I read it I still gasp at the beauty of each page. When I watched Aaron Becker’s video I was shocked at his dedication to the book, which he spent ages on, and he crafted the most stunning clay models, of each page, of each period of time. He took photos of them and added his pencil drawings to it and edited all of the illustrations with hours of effort. In the end, his perseverance paid off and made the most extraordinary book. I would recommend it for ages 6+. An 100/10 from me!🌳♥️
Leyla
The Wilderness
The wilderness is a bright colourful book about a family who love to explore and all want to be adventures. Without the illustrations ,the book would make less sense. In one page, the words are dependent on the illustrations because the illustrations tell you thing in much greater detail than the words. This book is amazing for people who love being out in the open or for people who don't like the outdoors. I give this book a 9/10😃
Srishti
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is an amusing and entertaining book about a little boy called Oktober who is scared… of basically everything. These cartoon - style illustrations are absolutely sensational, and so funny! You can follow the little quirks of every character, for example music obsessed April or nature loving February.There’s an adventure on every page, and the more you flip the pages the more you get enchanted by this absolutely laugh - out - loud book. One of my personal favourites, making me laugh every time. Perfect for someone who needs a little laughter in their life, for ANY age! A bold 9/10 for SURE! 😆
Eva
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is the best picture book I have ever read! It is a Timeline of a Tree that survives for many centuries. The detail in the drawings are INCREDIBLE and I love how Aaron Becker really cares about the lines on the grass, the leaves on the trees that are on the mountains. I find it really inspiring that he never gave up with this book, as long as it could of taken him. I would recommend this book for people who love nature and the cycle of it. I would suggest this book for ages 6+. A 10/10 for me. 😃
Taicia
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a virtuous book about a family called the Vasylenko family who are pathfinding people and explore the picturesque nature around them. I love that in the book everyone has their own character. Some are shy, scared and silly but it makes them a family and that is what it is all about. I really like that the story starts from the first page even though there are no words. I love that everyone will go outside to explore apart from Oktober who is scared of the Wilderness but he is actually really nice so as they say don’t judge a person by it’s story. I love to read this story before bed. I would recommend this to 3+ and to people like me who love a bedtime story.😀😃😄
kit
The Wilderness
My thoughts on the wilderness by Steve McCarthy are that it is for younger people even tho i still enjoy it. It has a fresh and unique art style to help it stand out among others. The short wording helps to let the story finish without dragging on and it works well together with the illustrations.I think he did a really good job pairing the words to the outstanding pictures. I would say "The Wilderness" is a short and sweet inspiring adventure book. I would dedacate this book to a much younger audience 3+. I would rate this book a 9/10!
Maxim
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a book about a tree that lives through lots of different timelines and the two things that always stay in the drawing is the tree and the river being the name of the book. The book goes through ages like The industrial revolution. And at the end the tree lets a seed flow down the river and starts the cycle all over again. I really like the illustrations in the book because they are very detailed and unique and also I like the fact how the drawings are set in the same place but also are all different which shows lots of things can be in the same place. 10/10 😀
Josh
The Wilderness
The tree and the river is a wordless book, telling a story of different people and civilisations that have settled around the tree. Aarron Becker has been very clever while creating these illustrations showing the cycle of life. At first the tree stands tall but you’ll notice in the background a tree stump lays further downstream. A couple pages later this stump disappears. When the main tree dies, it turns into a stump and the new tree sprouts, a few pages later the old tree stump disappears demonstrating the cycle of life. What I loved about this book was the detail, each page displaying different lifestyles giving each person, in each civilization, their own story.
In my opinion this book definitely deserved to win because the amount of hard work and detail was immense. I recommend this book for ages 5+ and would put aside 20 mins to read it as there is a lot of detail and mini stories inside to understand. This truly is a wonderful book and I rate this book a 10/10.
Ollie M
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a wonderful book on a tree by a river and how the world is changing with climate change and water rising. The book has no words in it which I really like because it makes it different and less ordinary. I love all of Aaron Becker’s illustrations. I think Aaron is a very smart illustrator. By doing this he is expressing his feelings and what this book means to him. This book is so beautiful. The drawings of the people are so brilliant he is just such a wonderful illustrator. I would rate this book 10\10 and for ages 7+.😄
Fred
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a magical story that depicts a powerful message about our environment. This story has no words, so that the reader can focus on the astonishingly detailed illustrations and nothing else. I love how each double page spread tells a new story, a new period of time. We can see how society moulds nature into buildings, cities and other modern equipment, and yet the people don't realise the harm that they're doing to the nature surrounding them. Even after all the ups and downs the tree and the river survive the harm and chaos together…. I also love how the natural hues of the background can easily change the readers approach towards the different periods of time: I noticed that the faded neon shades and advanced building with a modern aspect on some pages constitute the future, and that the natural colours with huts made from materials like hay and wood, represent the past. On the whole, I would recommend this wonderful book to all nature lovers, ages 9 and over. A 10/10 from me.
Angelica
The Tree and the River
This book was one of my favourites from the moment that I opened the cover. I loved the illustrations because of how much they showed in a single picture.It is an amazing book because it is so different from the other 8 books. I think it won the Carnigies because of the amount of meaning in each of the pictures. I also liked that every time you turn a page a civilisation is growing and then it falls down like the civilisation got wiped out. The book shows that nature will live much longer than any civilization. I also like that the tree and the river have a friendship. The illustrations are really good and I love how he thinks everything through before he draws or paints it. I also like how uses water colours to suit his needs. I think that is one of the reasons why He won the Carnegie medal and the shadowers medal. I would rate this book 9/10 and recommend it appropriate for ages 7+
Ada
The Tree and the River
The meaning is in pictures. This book has a really deep meaning behind all the intricate illustrations and has taught me that you learn a lot from what you see. I love how Aaron Becker shows how the landscape changes over time and tells us how we ruin it without noticing. The front cover might be my favourite illustration only because I love that you can see a city in the reflection on the river. I also really enjoy the pink clouds which look perfect to sun-bathe on. The river and the tree symbolises life throughout time and how it has developed. This book is incredible and definitely deserves to win. A book for all ages and 10/10, well done Aaron Becker!
Elodie
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a wordless book, telling a story of different people and civilisations setteling around the tree. Aarron Becker has been very clever in these illustrations showing the cycle of life. At first the tree stands tall but you’ll notic in the background a tree stump lays further downstream. A couple pages later this stump disappears. When the main tree dies, it turns into a stump and the new tree sprouts, a few pages later the old tree stump disappears demonstrating the cycle of life. What I loved about this book was the detail each page displaying different lifestyles giving each person in each civilization their own story.
In my opinion this book definitely deserved to win because the amount of hard work and detail was immense. I recommend this book for ages 5+ and would put a side 20 mins to read it as the is a lot of detail and mini stories to understand. I rate this book a 10/10.
Ollie M
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is an amazing wordless book with wonderful landscapes. I love how Aaron Becker used 3D clay models to draw these astonishing pictures. I realised that his models were very detailed and must have taken a lot of time and effort,just for one single book. I also really like how Aaron Becker doesn’t just talk about his book in his video, but gives a tour of the island he is on and talks a lot about what inspired him and what he had to do to make this marvellous book show a tree slowly growing. I recommend this book for all young children including reluctant readers and I rate this book 10/10!😃
Iris
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is an absolutely amazing book and possibly my favourite out of the eight. The illustrations are insane and somehow the wordless book manages to tell a story by only using pictures! Even though the main characters are a tree and a river, through colours they can still display emotion. If you pay close attention you may see how the end kind of restarts the book, as if it were an infinite loop. Also if you look at the illustrations you might notice that when the tree dies and the river gets smaller the civilization ends, but when the tree lives and the river gets larger, the civilization keeps thriving as if sadly the tree or the river both can’t find peace. This book may be quite hard for a younger audience to really understand so I’d give it the age rating of 9+. This book is the greatest of the eight, 10/10.
Niam
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is a book with no words but only pictures. In the Tree And The River every time you turn a page the civilization grows bigger and bigger and more and more advanced.On each picture you can find out so much about every single civilization and how they live.I loved The Tree And The River and I am not surprised it won the Yoto Carnegies.12/10,3+.🌳😀
Xander
The Tree and the River
Wow! A stunning book with a stunning story. The Tree and The River is a book about a tree and a river living through thick and thin, highs and lows, ups and downs, lefts and rights, curves and turns (you get the point). The illustrations are captivating, and you never stop finding things. The more you look, the more complicated it gets! My favourite bit is how Aaron Becker paints light. It looks real and glowing! I would recommend this book to anyone who is between the ages of 0-200, and lives in the Milky Way, since all it is is pictures with no words! 9/10 is my rating for this book. 👍
Maya K
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is an amazing book that conveys a message without any words. I love how detailed the illistrations are and how everything is so detailed from tiny leaf to a massive tree. i also really like how the illistrator on the cover put the reflection of a city in the future. I would give this book a 8/10 and would recommend it for people 7+. 😃
Srishti
The Tree and the River
This book is about a tree that grows as civilization grows. I really, really, really enjoy this book because this book was a beautiful detailed book with amazing illustrations. In this book the tree and the river travel through time and in the end the tree dies and the civilization also dies but the old tree grows a new tree and civilization is born again like an infinite loop. I love how there are no words because the tree the tree can kind of show its emotions through its posture. I recommend this book for 4+. I rate this book 15/10⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🤩🤩🤩
Boyuan
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a beautifully illustrated book by Aaron Becker. I’m lost for words just like the book, the details, the colour. It's just so amazing. I love how on every page there are lots of details and people minding their own business. I also like the way he drew the past , present and the future. I enjoyed how even though the tree died it’s child still has another story to tell. I recommend this book to anyone like literally it’s so beautifully illustrated ∞/10.
Benjamin
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is an exceptional book about a tree and it lives for a very long time but then dies and has to spread new seeds to reproduce. I love the way Aaron creates his illustrations by using clay,photoshop and heavyweight watercolour paper. It is very interesting to see the behind the scenes of making let's say even one is so fun to see as well. I really like the way it is one tribe then another and so on and to see how other people think how one tribe settled even not being there to see it so it is great imagination too. I love the way it is mostly a picture book so everyone can see or read the pictures because in my opinion pictures say more than words.🥰🤩😍😀
kit
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a book too good for words. Literally. This book doesn’t even need words because the pictures say so much. The colours are absolutely perfect displaying the life of this tree first as a sapling and at the end of the book the tree dies, replaced by another. The ultimately detailed pictures are so simple yet so deep. We see the world as it progresses through time, the world gets dirtier and dirtier until it takes a miraculous recovery for the better! Perfect for ABSOLUTELY any age who likes to dive into the pictures to learn more in the intricate details. An absolute 10/10, no doubt. 😄
Eva
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is an amazing story that portrays a powerful message of "don't kill all we have" and that message really stands out to me. I don't know how to put it into words so this is the best explanation I can give, the colours and drawings are quite abstract but if you look far away they look very detailed. I will give it a 8/10.🌳🌊😼
Rose
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a beautiful book about a single tree who survives for many centuries. The reason this is one of my favourite stories is because the detail is terrific and even though there are no words, it tells a brilliant story! I love what Aaron has done and is no wonder he won the medal for illustration. This is a story worthy of high praise. This is a 0+ and a 10/10🤩🥳🏞️
Ben 5S
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is an exquisitely made, wordless book which has many amazingly created hidden clues. At the surface, the book might look like it is very simple but if you dig a little bit deeper, you can find some astonishing results! You can see civilisations grow and die with a turn of a page. In this extraordinary book, you can see the infinite cycle of a tree life cycle. As the villages turn to towns, and the towns turn to cities, only 2 things remain. The tree and the river. Every page the tree grows a tiny bit more until it dwarfs the houses and buildings in the modern times and the future. However, one day, the tree starts to die. All hope is lost until an acorn grows. I love how Aaron Becker has cleverly made the dying tree at the end, the dying tree at the beginning. You can get information from nearly every illustration and some things you discover can blow your mind. 10/10. 5 stars. 100%. I would recommend this book for anyone over 7 years old so that they can really enjoy this book.
Zain
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is an amazing and outstanding book about a tree standing next to a river meanwhile different eras pass.I loved the detailed pictures and you can really tell that Aaron Becker really spent his time carefully drawing all the details. This book also shows that his pictures make the words themselves since this book does not have any words.I was really interested in this kind of detail as I have never seen it before.This book really caught my eye, i would give this book a 10/10 and would recommend it to any age.😆
Maxim
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a book about Oktober who’s afraid of the outdoors, but when his family brings him outside he is forced to face your fears. I like the book because it shows younger kids that the outside isn’t as scary as you think it is and is a wonderful place.
4 stars 7.5/10
Jasper
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a wordless book about a tree and a river. The tree is dying as more people start to build. And eventually it is a dead tree stump. But the tree dropped an acorn and from that acorn grew a new tree. In the front cover in the reflection of the tree you can see all the buildings instead of the natural world. I like this book because it shows us how much buildings are destroying the beautiful nature. I also like it because it doesn't have any words and so it lets you see the story without explaining it. This book goes through day and night. My favourite page was the last page because it shows us another tree growing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves nature. 10/10!
Nadia
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a poorly written book that does not have many exciting features and the storyline is not very original. The illustrations look like they have been made on the computer. It is about a boy called October who lives in a family that loves going out to walk in the Wilderness but October is scared. The book is about October trying to face his fears. My favourite part of the book is at the beginning and at the end when the book gives you a factfile on many kinds of made-up plants that are sometimes a bit funny. I would recommend this book to 4+ and would rate it 3.5/10.
Olly J
April's Garden
This book is about the Tree and the River (as the title suggests) and how through each civilization, they are still together even if there are so many people near them. The illustrations are stunning and even the lightest details make a difference. My favourite spread is definitely the last page because it looks like a calm moment and it shows how beautiful the world can be. The front cover is definitely a genius idea. The reflection of the river showing a city even though it really is just wood. I would give this book a 10/10 for the amazing illustrations and even if there’s no words the book expresses a lot.
Chelsea
The Wilderness
Wilderness is a great book that has a wonderful story in it with some interesting illustrations. Oktober believes in monsters and wants to explore the outer world but is then lost. Oktober finds some interesting things on his lone journey. I love how Steve uses really nice autumn colours that blend in really nicely. I recommend this for children who really enjoy colours and patterns and ages 6+. I would rate this wonderful book a whopping 8/10.😃
Victor
The Wilderness
The Wilderness is a wonderful book about the importance of family, acceptance and conquering your fears. When Oktober, one of the youngest in the family, is going out for a walk with his parents and siblings, he falls into one of his biggest fears…getting lost. This awesomely illustrated book is full of beautifully categorised full spreads, and vignettes, and the burnt colour usage really adds to the natural, autumnal feel. Each of the children, not to forget the parents, have their own story. Some love photography, or music, or bugs and everybody has their own interests! On one of the pages, it displays each of the characters’ beds and sleeping positions, giving you a different perspective on their personalities and outlook onto the world. The way each of the twelve children were named after the twelve months showed the parents’ appreciation for nature and seasons and time. By letting Oktober conquer his fears in the story, by facing them and making them seem smaller, it encourages you to do the same. Wonderfully graphical illustrations and amazing storyline, 10/10 from me! I would highly recommend this book to any children over the age of 3 as it has quite a few words, but the illustrations are very accessible and easily interpreted. Anyone who needs a little encouragement to conquer their own fears or loves family or nature stories will adore and treasure this book no matter their age.
Derin
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River have some of the most amazing illustrations I have ever seen on the front cover. You can see in the reflection of the river the future.This book is all about humanity and nature all the way through the ages and how we can live with nature but also destroy it at the same time. My favourite scene is when you can see humans playing with the tree on the last page.I would recommend this book to all people aged 10 years and over and I would give it a 7/10.
Reya
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a touching story about April and her mother. April and her mother were forced out of their house and have to stay at a safehouse, but April is the only child there.
I like this book because even though it shows how scary the real world can be and how sometimes life’s just not fair, there is still hope even if there seems like there’s none. It’s cool how the sadder spreads have more monotone, gloomy dark colours and how happier spreads have more warm, bright colours. My favourite spread is when April starts to fill up the flower cups because this gives one of the first signs of hope in her life at the safehouse, This book is for slightly older audiences like 9-10+ as it includes the subject of trauma and could leave you confused if you’re younger. I give this book a 8.5/10. ⭐
Chelsea
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a beautiful book about a beautiful landscape that changes through time. I liked this book because it has no words but the pictures tell us so much. THe book’s characters are so small but they seem to all have such big stories each. I liked all of the illustrations. THey were very detailed and I’m not surprised that it took so much time to create. I think the age rating for this book is 3+. I’d give this book a 9.5/10😊
Emilie
The Tree and the River
This book is one of the best picture books I have ever read! It is about a tree and its fellow friend, the river. Together they embark on an unforgettable adventure through time, experiencing the good and the bad. I love the idea of having a book with no words. I think it really expresses things more. This is because, in the pictures there is more to learn, see and notice. For example, if there were words in this book then some of the important details and changes wouldn’t be seen. I also think that the illustrator really thought about the message he was trying to say from the pictures. Some people might not notice, but the message from this is that you should take care of the things around you and be mindful. He was really creative when he was drawing the future. But, he wouldn’t draw the future for no reason, so I think he wanted us to notice that if we continue like we are now, then everything will go. So we need to change our attitude to nature and the wonderful world. A good age for this book is 4+. If you like nature and learning about things evolving through time, then this book is for you! 8.5/10 from me!
Tara
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a book about a tree's journey across time. The Tree and the River is a very meaningful book which shows how people in the past cared much more about nature than now. The river is a witness to the tree’s suffering. The book shows how civilisation is ignoring nature and climate change is flooding the world, which is shown in one of the pictures. I would recommend this book to 8+.
Pedro
April's Garden
April's Garden is a sad story about a girl called April. April’s Dad was being abusive towards them and then forced April and her Mother out of their house. They then moved to a safehouse. I like this book because it shows us the problems that are actually going on in the World and it expresses April’s emotions in the colours. The colours are mostly dull and sad but at the end when April is finally happy again, the colours are bright. My favourite double page spread is when April is putting on her coat and shoes and goes outside. I would recommend this book to anyone 10+ as it is very serious and if you were younger than 10 you might not understand the storyline or you might be a bit worried or confused. I would give this book a 10/10!
Nadia
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a beautifully illustrated book and a lot of effort has been put into it. The book is about a tree’s life cycle through time and how it gets affected by the surroundings. My favourite illustration in the book is on the 4th double page spread because I think the illustrations are most detailed on this and the vibrance really catches my eye. I love how the changes of the tree’s appearance makes me feel a variety of emotions. I would recommend this book to people who love nature and art and are over 6 years old. 11/10 from me. 🤩
Abir
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is a magnificent book about a tree and a river going through time. This book is very different from every other book as it has no words, just pictures. I love all the highly detailed pictures as it shows how us as humans have an impact on the world around us and how our actions can affect the environment. It starts out very calm and peaceful but then war comes and everything is destroyed. I love how every person has their own personality. I love how it starts off with a small civilisation and then becomes a huge bustling futuristic city. I will rate this book a 10/10🌳and🌊
Daniel
The Tree and the River
The Tree and The River is a book of only pictures. It follows the tree’s life through time, and the humans around it evolving, from settlements being developed, to futuristic cities. It’s beautifully illustrated all the way through, and shows all the details and changes of the building and even the people are detailed. I’d recommend it to people who appreciate great detail like me, and I’d rate it 10/10.
James
The Tree and the River
I really, really enjoy this book especially because it is a beautiful book with detailed descriptions. In this book a Tree and a River travel in time and in the end the tree dies but grows a new tree and it starts again. I like how there are no words and the detail is exceptional as it makes the illustrations wonderful. I would recommend the Tree and the River for children who love detailed images and ages 3+.I would rate this book 10/10.😆
Victor
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a wordless time - lapse of a life cycle of a tree and a river. The illustrations show a wordless world as time passes. Aaron Becker's use of colour is perfect. Everything just clicks together in a harmonious way that is simple, yet difficult. It is a portrait of nature in a landscape. The illustrations are trying to tell you something, without words. "The big changes are actually loads of little changes." We see the way time progresses from early civilizations, to the present and the future. This book explains how humans can impact the world in all the good and bad ways with a series of landscapes. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves looking at small details. Overall, a 10/10 for me. This was a beautifully illustrated story.
Maya M
The Tree and the River
This is an incredible book about a Tree and a River and their journey through time. I think this is a brilliant book because the illustrations are so detailed and that there are many stories to follow throughout the book. The book is also great to spot everything and look at all of the architecture. I think this is a great book for children to get their imagination going and to create their own stories within the story. I would rate this incredible book 11/10h
Louis
The Tree and the River
The tree and the river is a masterpiece about humanity going through hundreds upon thousands of years building next to a tree and a river. I love this book because it is unique to the other books because some of the other books had words meaning that most smaller children might have trouble reading the other books. In this book however anybody can use it
5 stars 10/10
Jasper
The Tree and the River
The Tree And The River is a spectacular picture about a tree and a river ageing through time.This picture book is different to other picture books,this one actually has no words.I think the reason why there is no words is because Aaron wanted to highlight the tree and the river.Something I love about the illustrations is that he puts so much time and effort into every single picture.Also,the illustrations are so detailed and realistic it makes me feel like maybe that is what the world will look like.I would Recommend this to people 5 and above because if you want to understand the meaning of the book you need to be a bit older.I would rate this 10/10 because it’s such a beautifully illustrated book.
Oliver S
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a picture book about a tree and a river going through time. This book can really show us what we are doing to our world and it is not what we want. It starts off with a very peaceful countryside, then the humans arrive and build some basic settlements. As you flip through the book, you can see the progress of civilization and you can see how we are destroying our beautiful planet. What makes this book so special is that there are absolutely zero words. You may think that without words, the book may seem quite basic and boring but Aaron tells a whole new story through the pictures. Aaron’s drawings are all very intricate and I love the absolutely stunning landscapes and all the miniscule characters each doing their own thing. Aaron Becker has made the drawings all so realistic and it made me feel very sad thinking that this might happen to our world if we don’t try hard to save it. At the end of the book, all the city freezes over and everything dies, apart from one tiny acorn. Using boxes and vignettes, Aaron shows how the cycle starts again and how something as small as an acorn can end up transforming the landscape. I would recommend this to any age as it is very simple and easy to read and I would definitely give it a 10/10!!!!!!! 😃
Liberty
The Tree and the River
The Tree And the River is a beautiful and very detailed wordless book about the story of a tree and a river as they grow for many centuries and millennia. The illustrations in the book are amazing and they really show the detail of the past, present and future. The main theme of this book is journeys. My favourite part of the book is the first page because of the old and broken-down car in the background. The reason I like that is because it feels like human civilizations are on a rotor. The car could have come from a generation before the new civilization but the new less advanced civilization has not noticed the car. My other favourite part of the book is at the near end when the old and dead tree drops the acorn and flows down the river and settles into the ground not too far away and creates a new tree. I like that because it feels like the world is regenerating after the destruction that the humans caused. I would recommend this book to 3+ because it is easy to understand and I would rate it 10/10.
Olly J
The Tree and the River
The Tree and the River is a great book about a tree and the river going through time with different settlements and civilisations. The story is full of intricate illustrations but no words! The process of the drawings really impressed me because he used real models to help him draw. I would recommend this to anyone of any age and especially if you like landscapes. This book is a 8.5/10 but it would have been better if it had words (even though it is a picture book).
Jensen
April's Garden
This is an inspiring book about a little girl called April that has escaped from her house with her mum. I liked this book because it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who suffers from a tragedy. I thought the book was a little bit too grey and dark for my liking. In one of the pictures everything is dark and grey but the curtain was open and there was light so I think that was a sign of hope. At the end there was happiness which was nice. For the age rating I’ll put 8+. I’d give this book a 7.3/10😊.
Emilie
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a wonderful and heartwarming story where April and her mum go on a journey to a place where they can be free from all distress. I love how all the colours are gloomy to show how April is angry. I also love the fact that the flowers are colourful and really stand out to the rest of the page. April has many emotions in this book and feels certain things at certain times. For example when the flowers do not grow April is sad but when the flowers start to grow she does not even reply to her mum. I rate this a 8.5/10. I recommend this book to people 4+ because of the sadness and you need to understand why. 💐
Annabelle
The Tree and the River
This book has now won the Shadowers and the judges medal for illustration. My favourite part is the cover page; what you first see is a tree and a river with a few deer but if you look into the river the reflection is different and looks more man-made. I think the storyline is very interesting and unique as there are no words. On the back of the book it says; Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. I think that is very inspiring. In this book we can also see how humans impact the environment very strongly. I really enjoyed going through this book and seeing the life of this singular tree through time. In total I would recommend this book to 3+ and I will give it a 9/10.
Eleonore
April's Garden
April's garden is a meaningfully illustrated story about a young girl who has to flee home. I love April's garden because of the sweet illustrations. The detail of emotions really captures how April is feeling. I'm also very fond of how the flowers represent April's hope, the clouds and rain represent her sadness and anger, and how she clutches onto the doll with the tangled hair even though she says "For a BABY!" April also symbolizes many other children all around the world who have suffered the same trauma as her. Overall, I think this book is aimed at older children who can understand what this story is truly about. Younger children can read it too, but they may find it a bit bland. I'd also recommend this book to children that feel down in the dumps. All in all, I would rate this book an 8/10!
Maya M
April's Garden
April's garden is an inspiring book which tells you that the world is not all perfect and not everything goes your way. This book tells you about safe houses and that some people struggle more than others and that not everyone has a nice and perfect life. The book is creatively illustrated and the illustrations look like they were done by a child. This shows how the story is focused on April’s life and how it is very confusing. I would recommend this book to people who are having their own problems. I didn’t really like this book so i would rate it a 6/10
Pedro
April's Garden
April's garden is a great book about a little girl called April who had to move from their home. She becomes very sad and depressed so the colours are quite grey and the story isn’t the most fun. The story. She finds some seeds and plants them into little cups. The plants grow as april does and finally they can move back to a house. This is a interesting story but is a bit dull compared to the rest of the stories in the shortlist. I would recommend this to 7+ and i would rate it 5.5/10.
Jensen
April's Garden
April’s Garden is the touching tale of April and her Mother as they journey from home to home with 6 seed filled mud cups. The washed out, liquid charcoal colours and the brightness of the flowers contrasted immensely and gave the book a very calming and spotlighted feel. April is a sweet, and relatable little girl and is an amazing character for children who have experienced similar things to empathise with. Despite being slightly grey, this makes the brighter coloured scenes even happier and brighter than they would have been. This, in a way, reflects April’s life. The very upsetting parts are difficult to get through for everybody, but they make the hopeful and joyous parts even more wonderful to experience. I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced hard times in their lives, knows someone who has gone through something tricky or simply wants to get a better understanding of how some people’s lives are actually like. But if the reader is 9 years old or over, it’s better as there are some scary, sensitive, serious and complicated topics that older children would understand better. Overall, it’s a splendid book! 8.7/10 from me.
Derin
April's Garden
This is a book about April and her quest to find happiness and joy and a safe place. I enjoy this book because it shows that you can always find happiness even when everything is looking down. I also like how everything is dull showing April's gloom and when there is a storm it shows April's anger. When the flowers bloom it shows all of April's joy and that she is happy. This is a good book and I would recommend it for people over 10. I would rate this book 7/10
Louis
April's Garden
April’s garden is a story about April trying to find happiness even when bad things have happened to her mother and her. In the story I first didn’t understand why they had to move, but my teachers told me that April had to move because she had an abusive father that may have not treated April’s mum correctly. In my opinion the book isn’t the happiest, but it still is a book that should have a chance at winning because it is an important topic.
4.2 stars 8.4/10 9+
April's Garden
April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the dead of night to a safehouse, away from their abusive father. Aeril wants everything to go back to normal and to have a normal family life but she struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of the scratchy crayon marks in the illustrations as they look a bit rushed and drab. I would recommend this book to anyone facing the same problems as April, also to tell you that you're not the only one facing this problem. I would rate this book a 3/10.
Daniel
April's Garden
April's Garden is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. It is about a little girl named April who has moved into a drab,grey safe house with her mother.April is given gifts such as flower seeds and colouring books from the refugee woman who allowed them to stay.April plants the seeds but they refuse to grow April waits and waits but still they refuse to grow.My favourite scene is when April sees little green shoots growing out of her plant pots when she moves into a new house with her mum.I would recommend this book to all people aged 7 years old and under and I would give it a 7/10.
Reya
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a very meaningful book about a little girl who is trying to become herself again during a difficult time. I found that the colours really expressed the mood a lot. For example, there is a page where April is gazing out the window on a rainy day. The rain represents teardrops and sadness which is what April is feeling at that moment. Although, the light in the window represents that hope is starting to sprout. I quite like how the illustrations are quite scruffy. The different lines show that the characters are either happy, sad, depressed and hopeful. In the end, I love how the flowers are drawn with lots of colour and everything else is really faded. I think that this is to show that hope will always be there, no matter what, and no matter how long it takes. This book is suitable for 9+ because this book is about a very serious topic that might make young people feel scared or worried. Even though it is a serious book, it is probably very meaningful to people who have actually been through this or are going through this right now. I give this book a 7/10.
Tara
April's Garden
I find this an okay book with detailed and accurate illustrations. April is moved to a large house where they live for a while and April starts to get upset and mad, but soon April grows seeds and the seeds grow with her. I like how Catalina Echeverri makes the weather reflect April's feelings especially when it rains April is sad, bored or frustrated. I think April’s Garden is an OK book because the colours are a little bit dull. I would recommend this book for ages ten and over or children that enjoy learning new things. I would rate this 6/10.😅
Victor
April's Garden
April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the middle of the night to safehome, away from their abusive father. April wants life to be like a normal family’s life, and struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of scratchy crayon in the illustrations, and I feel that it was a bit rushed and it all looks a bit drab. I would recommend this to anyone facing April’s problems, to realise that you’re not the only one. I would rate it 4/10 and for 7+ to understand the deeper meaning.
James
April's Garden
April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the dead of night to a safehouse, away from their abusive father. Aeril wants everything to go back to normal and to have a normal family life but she struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of the scratchy crayon marks in the illustrations as they look a bit rushed and drab. I would recommend this book to anyone facing the same problems as April, also to tell you that you're not the only one facing this problem. I would rate this book a 1/10.
Daniel
April's Garden
April's Garden is a book about a little girl called April who has to move to a safe home with her mother who has clearly experienced some trauma. This was possibly because the husband might have been abusive and may have forced them out of the house. In this story, April is struggling to adjust to this new place and thinks that there is no hope but she learns that every cloud has a silver lining. The colours in this book are all very dark and Catalina uses lots of greys and blacks to fit the sad mood which doesn’t feel like it will get better. But as her flowers grow and April and her mum get a new house, the colours start getting brighter and the book gets happier. The drawings in this book are very sketchy and rough but they do convey a lot of emotions and the character’s body language expresses their feelings (lots of hunched up and worried shapes). I think that this book would be better for slightly older readers of about 10+, I think that if you are any younger than 10 years old, you probably wouldn’t get the storyline and you might be confused at why the book looks so depressing. Personally, I don’t love this story because I prefer brighter and more joyful stories. I would rate it a 3/10 but don’t let this stop you from reading this book because it is a very meaningful and touching story and other people may like this book.
Liberty
April's Garden
April’s Garden is an amazing book about April and her mum looking for a new safe home.I love the illustrations because some of her kids did some flowers which i really like.I also liked the storyline because at the start it was really dark and later in the book April got happy so the illustrations got lighter.I would recommended this book to people aged 5 and above due to the sad theme.This book is good for people who have to move a lot so they know that there not alone. Ok book, could be better if it was a bit more happy.6/10!
Oliver S
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird
By Catherine Rayner
The Bowerbird is a beautiful book, splashed with watercolour, about a little bird called Bert. As a small male looking for love, for someone to enter his bower, and along comes Nanette, but she is not satisfied. The palette of wonder is heartwarming and welcoming. My personal favourite part is when he is searching for a golden ring. I would rate it 7/10 and I think it is for 3-9 year olds.
Natalie
April's Garden
“This is not a story that may have happened to you, but many children in the world are facing this problem. Reading this story will help you understand the children that are going through this…”- Catalina Echeverri. A moving story about a little girl who -I have guessed- has been chased out of her house with her mother by presumably a man the mother had problems with. April’s (the little girl) feelings become moodier and moodier until she can’t bear it anymore. She shouts and shouts and she lets her feelings out. A kind neighbourhood lady helps them and gives them a roof over their head and brings colouring to April, and also a few seeds. April plants them, and slowly, as the seeds are growing and shoots are appearing, April's hope grows. The rough sketches that define April kind of demonstrates how young April is. The colour scheme of the DPS where April shouts is very fitting. In total, I would recommend this for 3+ and older children or people to understand the darker story. A 7.32 out of 10 for me.
Eleonore
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a fine book about a young girl named April and her mother who are escaping from their home for an unknown reason. The main theme of this story is about hope and sadness. The illustrations in this book aren’t great as they are trying to show the mood but not very well because even the happy pages are still a bit dull, grey and boring. I am not a big fan of this book because of the dull illustrations and I don’t think it is a very exciting and interesting picture book. My favourite part of the book is at the start when April and her mum are trying to get away but we do not know why. I would recommend this book to 6+ because of some of the themes in the book. My rating for this book is 5/10.
Olly J
April's Garden
April’s Garden - a one-of-a-kind book with one-of-a-kind illustrations. April is a little girl who has moved into a new place with her mother, but she doesn’t like it at all. Some people may not notice, but this book has a hidden meaning. If you read the book carefully, you can realise that April and her mother are refugees who are looking for a place to stay (or at least that’s how I see it!). The illustrations remind me of a child’s drawing, but it gives off a good effect because it makes it seem like April wrote the book. The flowers at the end show hope which I think is very important because it shows that April did get a happy ending, even if at the start it didn’t seem like she would. Catalina’s use of a dull colour palette with bright colours only for the flowers tells us that the flowers make April happy and hopeful. This is a book for children or adults who are interested in or are going through similar things to April. 7/10 for this book!
Maya K
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a heartbreaking story about a girl who had to change homes and feels frustrated. These illustrations are really unique and has a really deep meaning. I love how the flowers are really colourful and contrast against the rest of the page and I like how Catalina keeps a colour scheme, the grey really reflects April’s mood. The use of collage is really effective. I would recommend this to anyone and a 6/10 from me.
Elodie
April's Garden
April's Garden is a heartwarming story about April and her mum moving to a big house. The illustrations are beautiful and I love how Catalina Echeverri really shows when April is happy or not with colour. I also really liked how she does the drawings in crayon and then adds the pattern on the computer. I can see that she really took this book seriously and wanted to put the story out there. I would recommend this book for ages 7+. A 9.5/10 from me.
Taicia
April's Garden
April’s garden is an emotional book about a young refugee called April who has taken refuge in a big house. I like the book because it teaches young children about refuge and shows just how hard it can be to be a refugee. I like the detail on the illustrations as they really make them pop out at you. A nice story for 3 and up and a 6/10 from me.
Ben 5S
To the Other Side
April’s garden is a lovely book at first glance but this book holds a secret meaning. Not all who read it realise, but this book is about a girl April and her mother, and though it is not clear why they left their home, we know that they are leaving their homes, and travelling from place to place. The gloomy colours of these illustrations at the start set a gloomy atmosphere, but when the flowers bloom they pop in bright colours on the grey background. Suddenly, everything isn’t so bad for April! The scrapbook style of illustration is incredibly unique, like no other. Not my favourite of books but perfect for children who have connections with April’s life.
Eva
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a powerful book about a girl and her mother who are displaced from their home. April is given some seeds to plant in some plastic stacking cups and as the seeds grow the colours in the book until the flowers are fully grown and April is happy. The brush strokes in the book really suit April and her lifestyle. My favourite page is at the end because everything is colour full and April is happy. This amazing book for 4+. 8/10.
Xander
April's Garden
Aprils garden is a very interesting book about April and her mum running away. They go into a flat and not only is she the only child in her family she is the only child in the flat. You can feel how uncomfortable she is when she enters the house and then the calm after the storm when she gets relieved of being in that house. Overall this book is not one of my favourites so I will give it a 6.5/10
Rose
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a strong and powerful book about having hope even when times might be hard. I really like this book because even with the quite serious themes they somehow managed to put it into a children's book.The illustrations really nicely portray April’s mood. I enjoyed the use of vignettes and spots on the different pages. The illustrations are super creative and I like the design of all the different characters. The colours are dull but in this book that’s a good thing because of how serious the theme is. I recommend this book to anyone who is also going through the things April may be going through. I rate this wonderful book a
7/10.
Niam
April's Garden
I quite liked this book because the illustrations gave a show of massive emotion and feeling. I love that it's really different from the other 8 books because it expresses emotions and quite old sayings like all clouds have a silver lining. I also like how the seeds in the cups express April's emotions because when April is sad the seeds aren't growing but when she’s happy the seeds start growing again. I also like the colour in the book i think it also describes her emotions really well because when it’s dark and grey April is really sad But when there are bright colours April is really happy . I would rate this book an 7/10 because in some places it is way to serious and not suited for ages 5 or below But I really like this book in total and appropriate for ages 6+.
Ada
April's Garden
April's Garden is a heartwarming story. Although the colours are quite bland there are some positive sides to it like some pages are colourful and some aren’t as colourful. The book is about a girl called April and she has gone through a hard time at home and April has to keep moving houses and where she lives. It would be a comforting story for refugees who are looking for a home. I would rate this book a 6\10 and for ages 5+ because it is quite a serious book.
Freddie
April's Garden
April's garden is a book about a girl who is moving away from home to go to a new home a long way away and doesn't want to go from home but it is out of her control. The neighbourhood ladies brought lots of toys for april and one of the things that they brought was seeds for April to plant and as they grow the story gets more jolly and cheerful which is completely the opposite of what the book was like at the start which is a giant contrast of the emotion. I rate this book a 7/10 because it was not as good as the other books.
Josh
April's Garden
April's garden is a heartwarming story about a girl named April who is moving houses and finding happiness in flowers. Although the illustrations may look bad there are lots of details on every page. I like how when April is sad all the colours are grey and when she is a bit happier the colours are brighter. I recommend this book to anyone who‘s moving a lot and can’t find happiness.
Benjamin
April's Garden
April’s Garden is an amazing book about serious themes in life through a child’s point of view. Catalina Echeverri’s drawings give clues to the reader of April’s mood such as on the second page, the pouring rain demonstrates April’s horrible mood. I would recommend this book for children over the age of 6 and for kids who are moving house or who are facing a similar situation. 9/10.
Zain
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a novel about a girl called April who is going through some tough times in her life. In the book when she gets angry she will also find happiness and love around her all the time. I don’t think she realises how hard her mum is working for her in the new home, When she gets angry and says I hate this place that will really hurt her mom's feelings. I like that when she gets angry and comes back inside there is always a thing or a toy for her and she doesn’t really appreciate what she has been given by neighbours and what her mum has done for her all her life it is like she is in a bubble and only cares about herself. I really like the mix of emotions in the book. I would recommend this to 7+ and people who might be going through the same thing to understand that there are so many people out there going through the same thing as them. This is 8.5/10.🤩🥳
kit
April's Garden
April’s Garden is a very powerful story about hope. In this book April’s hope grows and grows just like the tiny seeds she planted. I love how the backgrounds match April’s mood in every illustration, for example when she arrives at the first house, it’s rainy and dark, down and dreary. Exactly what April feels. I also like the use of vignettes which makes the story look amazing and adds to the beautiful illustrations. I also love how when the background is grey the writing is sort of highlighted in white just to make it pop in the backdrop behind. It makes it look like April has made the book herself and stuck on the text like it is a scrapbook. I love this book and would give it a 8.2/10 and would recommend it for ages 7+ as this book has a very meaningful understory behind it so it isn’t the best book for very young children.
Leyla
April's Garden
April's garden is a great book about a small girl who's moved house. I really like how the colours reflect April's feelings. Also, as you read more, the colours become more bright and vivid. I would recomend this book for 8-11 year olds and I give it a 7/10/
Srishti
April's Garden
Aprils Garden is a charming book about a girl who can't seem to find what she likes.I thought that the book was a really good book and that if anybody read it I think personally that they would learn a really good lesson that not everything in your life is perfect like the phrase, the ups only come with the down, so I would really recommend this book. Also I thought that it was a lovely book to read and that the drawing really pictured what the little girl was thinking and feeling. All in all, I really enjoyed the book and it was lovely to read. Aloughtho this book has a great message i would say this is a bit too serious for young children. A 6.5/10 6+.
Maxim
April's Garden
April’s garden is a heartwarming story about a little girl called April who tries to find happiness in her new home. I think the message coming from the book is that you can find happiness everywhere and also that you should always look at the bright side of everything. I think that the illustrator has also put this message that a lot of people have family problems, like April, but some people hide their problems. I rate this book 7.5/10 and I recommend it for children who want to learn more about what other people have to deal with, which is why I quite like this book.
Iris
April's Garden
April’s garden is a book about a little girl named April fleeing in the middle of the night to a new home. April moves into her new room and draws a picture of her dream garden, so April plants some seeds and waits and waits and waits for them to grow. However, they don’t, April doesn't think this is fair… Then a little shoot appears. April’s garden is a book filled with many different emotions. Scenes could be grey when april feels lonely, then scenes could be pink but the colours are all there for reasons. For example, when April is leaving to her new home monochrome colours fill the page or when the flowers sprout and grow bigger and bigger beautiful flowers coloured red, orange, blue, pink, green and yellow appear and April feels happy. I rate this book for any age, I believe this book is for everyone. I rate April's garden a 9.5/10.
Ollie M
April's Garden
April’s garden is a book about a little girl named April fleeing in the middle of the night to a new home. April moves into her new room and draws a picture of her dream garden, so April plants some seeds and waits and waits and waits for them to grow. However, they don’t ,April doesn't think this is fair …. Then a little shoot appears. April’s garden is a book filled with many different emotions. Scenes could be grey ,then scenes could be pink but the colours are all there for reasons. For example, when April is leaving to her new home monochrome colours fill the page or when the flowers sprout and grow bigger and bigger beautiful flowers coloured red, orange, blue, pink, green and yellow. I rate this book for any age, I believe this book is for everyone. I rate April's garden a 9.5/10.
Ollie M
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a wonderful story about a determined scientist called Dr Morley, as she's on an expedition with her crew searching for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish, whilst it's hiding in the depths of the icy arctic ocean. I love all the careful, intricate detail in this book and how each little illustration tells its own story. The mesmerising watercolours, the hues of blue, green and white all give this amazing realistic feel of the cold, snowy arctic and I really like how Dr Morley's crew is all dressed in red, contrasting boldly on the cold shades of the North. I also particularly love how on each page the irony on how Jellyfish is hiding, we can see it on the page, but the characters can't. All in all, I would rate this book a 9/10, for sealife lovers ages 4 and over.
Angelica
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is probably my most favourite kids book I have ever read in my life. The illustrations really tell us a lot about the journey and travels of Dr Morley. The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is always just around the corner, just out of reach until the very end, when Dr Morley finally finds the Giant Arctic Jellyfish just when she was about to give up, which shows us to always pursue our dreams and never give up, even in the face of defeat. For me I think this is an amazing book which sinks into our thoughts. Well done and congratulations to Chloe Savage, 9 out of 10 for me.
Alex
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a touching book that reminds me to never give up. The story is about a scientist named Dr Morley who embarks on a quest to find the Giant Arctic Jellyfish but faces countless challenges along the way. My favourite illustration is the Northern Lights because it adds a sense of humour to the plot and the Jellyfish is glowing in the dark sea. I love how the illustrations tell one story and the text tell another story because it helps me see both sides of the story. I love how Chloe Savage leaves a cliffhanger at the end which gives a small glimpse of hope. The cross sections show incredible amounts of small details which I love exploring. I like how the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is always hiding away in the shadows. I would recommend this to people who are very creative and love science and exploration. 9/10 from me. 😊
Abir
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a charmingly illustrated book about a woman called Doctor Morley, and her quest to find a creature everyone talks about, but no one has found; the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. I love this book because of the use of irony. It was painfully satisfying to read because Doctor Morley couldn’t find the Jellyfish, but the jellyfish was always RIGHT THERE! I also loved the Jellyfish’s character because the jellyfish is sweet and shy, not brave enough to raise a tentacle. The little details, for example the expressions, the proposal beneath the northern lights, the cross - sections, everything, just tie it all together. I would recommend this book to anyone, anywhere, that has a passion for jellyfish, or the arctic. I think the book is aimed at children aged 6 +. Overall, a 10/10 for me! 😀
Maya M
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an impeccable novella about a team of stoic scientists led by Dr. Marina who venture on an intrepid expedition to discover an elusive and colossal jellyfish in the icy Arctic Ocean. They face challenges galore like the insipid cold, menacing icebergs and malfunctioning equipment. Each scientist is a unique character and the reader feels like they are on the journey too. My favourite scene is the magical green sky the night they set off on the odyssey. It represents their hopes and dreams as they discover a slew of Arctic creatures along the way. I won’t give away whether the tenacious scientists find the mesmerising jellyfish but this book is sure to inspire every young scientist out there who love adventures and nature.
Kit
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This is a lovely book about a scientist looking for something that's right there. Dr Morley has always desired to find the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. I like how Dr Morley is looking for the jellyfish even though it's always there. I also noticed how at the beginning of the story there were brighter colours and to the end the colours were dull and dark. I’d say this book is age 5+. I give this book a 9/10😊.
Emilie
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is about an amazing scientist called Dr Morely. Who has for her whole life studied something everyone talks about but has never seen the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. My favourite spread is the one with the Aurora Borealis. This page has no words but you don't need words all you have to do is look (there is even someone proposing). I love how Chloe Savage has used warm colours at the start when they are leaving home and gradually they start to get colder until it is all white and blue. The cross section is very interesting because you can see everybody doing everything they want to do. The chef is even having a shower with his hat on. I would recommend this book for children aged 11 years and over and I would give it a 9/10.
Reya
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an inspiring story about Dr Morley searching for this elusive jellyfish. The story uses irony, a technique which allows us to see the jellyfish Dr Morley is looking for but she can’t see it. I also love how there are two stories happening at once, for example the jellyfish is always there but too shy to say hi and Dr Morley is very annoyed and disappointed that she can’t find it. Something interesting about this book is that at the beginning of the story when they sail away on their massive boat the boat is bright red and the town is grey and sad as if the boat gives hope and the town doesn’t. The crew on the ship each have their own little story. Sometimes everyone wants to have a shower but someone is taking forever, two people even propose under the northern lights and the man’s beard becomes messier and messier. I really like how this story explores the theme of failure and never giving up and how Dr Morley is so resilient. I would recommend this book to anyone who always feels like a failure and ages 4+ 10/10
Pedro
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an inspirational story about a scientist called Dr Morely. She really wants to find the Giant Arctic Jellyfish but she simply can’t. The Giant Arctic Jellyfish always hides away from Dr Morely when she’s very close to spotting it. I like this book because it shows you that you should always persevere and never give up on your dreams. It also shows you that not everything can go your way and if something doesn’t go your way, you just have to carry on with life. My favourite double page spread was when Dr Morely and her crew find a pod of beluga whales and the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is right behind them. This is my favourite because it makes me want them to turn around. I really like the colours in this book because it’s mostly different shades of blue and white. There is also red for the boat and the crew’s uniforms. I would recommend this book to anyone. 10/10!
Nadia
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This is a book about Dr Morley and her quest for the giant arctic jellyfish. I love this book because of all of the irony that appears in this book. I also enjoy how there are two stories at once and it is really fun to try and spot the jellyfish on each page. I also like that at the beginning there is a dawn when they left suggesting that this is a new beginning and also when the crew left on the ship there was a flock of birds as if the birds were migrating along with the ship. The colour scheme also makes you feel cold like you are in the north pole. I also love all of the cross sections because it gives you an insight on how the crew live and how resilient they have to be. This is a great book and i would rate it 10/10
Louis
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a story about a persevering scientist, and an ever-elusive jellyfish. Dr Morley is determined to find the jellyfish, but the jellyfish is always hiding and too shy to say hello. I really like the colour theme of the Arctic spreads, because of the isolated, icy whites and blues. I like the subtle clues in the cross-sections of the lessening food, in the chef with only two fish for supper, and the bins overflowing. I also like the different patterns on the crew’s jumpers to distinguish each other. I think the moral is to just keep going, even if you’re failing. I would rate this a 9/10 and recommend it to 5+
James
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a great book about resilience and how we should never give up. My favourite illustration is a double page spread where Dr Morley and her crew are looking at the narwhals wondering if they know where to find the jellyfish. I love how you can see the world above and under the surface, I could really see how the two are so different. I find that the way the jellyfish is illustrated is really interesting. The jellyfish is quite shy, so Chloe Savage decided to make the way the jellyfish was painted look quite faint and use a mixture of cold and warm colours to express that the jellyfish was shy. The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is so cute, and at the end I felt quite proud that the Giant Arctic Jellyfish was brave enough to stick a tentacle out and give a small wave. The colour scheme really makes me feel a bit cold, like I’m actually in the Arctic! I simply adore this book, and I wish I had come across it sooner! A 10/10 from me!
Tara
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a heartwarming story of humorous failure. It has some wonderful illustrations that are small but intricate that I really love. The illustrations are done with watercolour and are painted very nicely. I enjoyed how the colours were used to portray the emotions, for example after a few months of searching the colours were getting a bit colder and grey because they could not find the Jellyfish. I was very sad that they did not find the Jellyfish but my eyes were glued to the book every single moment of reading it. It is one of my favourites and I recommend it to everyone 2+ because it is fun to find the Jellyfish on every page. I rate it a whopping 10/10. 🤩
Annabelle
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a superb book about a Scientist called Dr Morely Whose dream is to find the Giant Arctic Jellyfish.The Moral Of this book is to follow your dreams and never give up.My favourite bit about this book is the illustrations of the Aurora DPS because It’s very swervy and beautiful, also there is someone proposing.Something else i like is the picture with a lot of equipment has so much detail in it would take you ages to do it.I would recommend this book to people with dreams so they can try achieve them as well. This book is for all ages. I believe everyone can enjoy it. 5 stars!
Oliver S
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a masterpiece. For me the best part about this book is that there isn’t enough writing and lets you look around the place to find separate sub stories that makes the story way more interesting. In the story Dr Morely is trying to find the Giant Arctic Jellyfish, but over time her crew gets homesick, tired and hungry, but reader can see that jellyfish were actually with them all along. This is called Irony. In my opinion it is a great book that deserves a chance at winning. I love it!
10/10, 5 stars
Jasper
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This ironic book is captivating and inclusive from beginning to end. With the story of the search, the story of the crew and the story of the Giant Arctic Jellyfish all going on at the same time, there is plenty to see. My favourite double page spread is this heartwarming, charming paint picture of the Aurora Boreal with the man and woman proposing and the jellyfish and Doctor Morley simply captivated in this magic moment. The fact that Chloe Savage has not put in any words just accentuates the natural beauty of it all. It gives a message saying ‘This is too beautiful to describe. I am speechless.’. Once more, the colour scheme is perfect for the story. Being able to layer all these illustrations on top of each other to hide the jellyfish, or to make one thing more vivid is just a very special talent to have. As the story is very inclusive I would give it to 3+ or maybe even younger. Older is even better for the more complicated meaning of perseverance. Well done to Chloe Savage for having made this very special book. 8.78/10.
Eleonore
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This book is a story about Dr Morley and her crew on a wild goose chase for the elusive Giant Arctic Jellyfish (inspired by the real life giant lion's mane jellyfish). This story is set in the Arctic and some scenes are under the beautiful Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). One of the reasons that I love this book so much is because I can really relate to the perseverance of Dr Morley despite times being tough and I can understand how frustrating it must be if you have been looking for something for ages and it just doesn’t seem to even exist. Chloe Savage has been very clever and has used a technique called irony which is used in lots of books and also plays. Irony means that there are many stories, in this case the story of Dr Morley which is shown in the writing and the very clever story of the Giant Arctic Jellyfish in the pictures who is actually there hidden all the time. Irony is meant to make the reader see and understand more than the characters in the story. This story also has lots of little details and many different crew members all doing their own thing, Chloe shows this by using cross-sections of the ship with all the little rooms. I absolutely love this book and I would recommend it to everyone, a strong 9.5/10 from me. 😊
Liberty
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This book is about a scientist and her crew trying to find a ‘mythical creature’, the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. I loved this book because of how there are 2 stories in one book and how irony takes place. It shows how vast the North Pole is and how determined the crew and Dr Morley, the scientist, is. It also shows all the crew’s lives on the ship, even how the chef makes a big cake! The colours really make it feel like the North Pole and how some pages can explain themselves and the natural beauty. This book is for people who pay interest in small details and if you like calm books without too much action. It’s perfect to cuddle up in bed with. I would give this book a 9.8/10.
Chelsea
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a tale of hope, never giving up and the beautiful magic of the oceans beneath. As we follow Dr. Morley on her breath-taking journey through the Arctic seas, we experience everything she and her crew experience, we see the proposals, the arguments, the meals, the bedrooms, the moustaches, even! And this gives the story a certain depth to it. Chloe Savage has obviously poured her heart out into this wondrous tale, with many sides to it, many hidden stories. There is the story the words tell, the one the pictures show you and within the pictures, the tales of the crew, the jellyfish and Dr. Morley. I adored reading this book as it is filled to the brim with sweet little details, soft, blue water coloured scenes and carefully coordinated colour choices, working perfectly with the mood of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 5 or 6, who adores animals, especially jellyfish! But if you’ve ever felt like you’ve failed at the most important task you had, then you’ll be able to relate warmly to this book. 10/10 from me!
Derin
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a brilliant book about Dr Morley finding the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. I love the fact that the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is on every page (almost) and you can hunt the Jellyfish on each spread. The illustrations make the whole book feel like 2 different stories. The people are getting very tired and homesick but Dr Morley never gives up on the hunt. It is also really funny near the end where someone proposes to another crewmate. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to work on resilience or somebody who likes jellies. This book would be a 11/10, and this is probably the best picture book I have ever read.🪼🪼🪼
Jensen
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an interesting book about an explorer called Dr. Morley who is trying to catch a glimpse of the Giant Arctic Jellyfish. The illustrations are great in this book because they really show the mood and what is happening at that moment. For example, when Dr. Morley and her crew set off all the colours are bright and happy. This story is mainly about resilience and adventure. My favourite part of the book is when you see the insides of the boat and what all the crew are doing, for example eating in the kitchens or working in the lab. The reason I like that is because I think it is really cosy and warm under the deck of the boat. I really like this book because there are two stories made into one. The story of Dr. Morley and the story of the jellyfish. I really like that at the end of the book Dr.Morley catches one small glimpse of the jellyfish. I would recommend this book to 6+ and I would rate it 10/10.
Olly J
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an exciting and wonderful book with extremely beautiful illustrations. Dr Morley is trying to look for a Giant Arctic Jellyfish and goes on an adventure to look for it but her luck starts to run out… I really like how Chloe Savage makes the illustrations with extra details and colours especially the Jellyfish. I also like how the Jellyfish is on every page but Dr Morley and his crew can’t see or find it. I find this a marvellous book and would recommend it to children interested in jellyfishes and children ages over 7. I would rate this book a 9/10.😁
Victor
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a heartwarming story about a persevering scientist and a very sneaky and curious jellyfish. I love how the jellyfish is a blend of two colours and also that Dr Morley is always looking the wrong direction. I love how at the start there is a diagram of the ship and that all the crew are wearing different patterned jumpers. We learnt that the reason they wore different colour jumpers was that if they died they could recognize who died. I love how there are lots of different characters in the book and they each have different emotions as in lots of books that doesn't happen. I would rate this a 10/10🪼😃🤩
Daniel
Lost
Lost is a very interesting and emotional book. It shows us how normal people go about their everyday things including travelling because it is possible that some people have seen a bear before and this just helps us understand how people would treat this situation. I think that Lost is a very interesting book because it shows us how people are just locked in their everyday lives. For instance the barista just shoved the soy latte in his hand and said next please as if she didn’t even see him. I think that Lost is one of my favourite kids books I have ever seen.
Alex
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther
Poonam Mistry
In the deep, never-ending foliage of the luscious rainforest, a little jet black panther lived. It is about his feelings of being isolated even when he tries to literally blend in. The warm, embracing colours indulge you in a beautiful palette of the rainbow. I really loved this book and my favourite part was the wind blowing off his leaves. I loved the stunning, elegant swirls of bluey grey. I would rate this book 8/10. I think it is for 5-10 year olds.
Natalie
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a wonderful book about a panther who is just trying to fit in and be beautiful. This book has so many stunning illustrations with loads of tiny intricate details. For each animal, Poonam Mistry draws many different patterns with so many different shades of colour which must have taken ages to draw. This style of patterned art was inspired by an Indian type of art called Kalamkari art which uses loads of tiny shapes and details. If you look carefully, you can see that Poonam has given all the animals and the sun, moon, wind and rain little pupils in their eyes which make them look extremely humanlike. I think that this is very clever because it helps us to really understand all the feelings of the animals. My favourite page is the one of the rain as it is extremely beautiful. I personally love this style of illustrations and I would recommend this book to children of all ages. Also, it is very fun to try and recreate the drawings of the elements. A 9/10 from me.😊
Liberty
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The search for the giant arctic jellyfish is a lovely book about a character called Dr Morley who has been trying to find the jellyfish her whole life and might or might not find the mysterious jellyfish one last time. There are lots of small details hidden away in the corners of the book like how the crew all have different jumpers and the fisherman in England used to have unique patterns on their jumpers just like the crew. I like the fact that it irritates me that I can see the jellyfish but the crew and Dr Morely cannot see the jellyfish even though the jellyfish is always so close to them. I think the book has some incredible drawings which can have hidden mini drawings inside of them which are sometimes quite funny. I give this book 10/10.
Josh
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a great book about an explorer desperate to find the Giant arctic Jellyfish. I love how in every illustration from after they've set sail, the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is there . I like how detailed the illustrations of the ship are, like how the chef still wears his hat in the shower or how every crew member wears a different jumper . This book is an amazing book for anyone who loves exploring new places. I give this book an 8/10.
Srishti
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search For The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an amazing book for all ages. The crew on Dr Morley’s ship all have different outfits or are doing different jobs. As soon as Dr Morley and her crew leave the port The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is behind them in every single picture. The pictures are all very detailed and the Jellyfish is in the perfect hiding place every time. The jellyfish’s colour camouflages with the sea and ice but the ship stands out. I Loved the book.11/10😃.
Xander
Eleonore
Tara
Leyla
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic jellyfish is an amazingly illustrated book by Chloe Savage. Chloe Savage probably takes quite a few hours just to illustrate one double page spread because of the detail and I appreciate that because the illustrations are just so fantastic. The colours definitely give like cold and arctic vibes but they also give hope through the illustrations. The story is set in the arctic and anyone who loves adventure, irony and sea creatures will love this book. This book is 8.5/10 from me. ♥️ 🪼
Rose
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This is a wonderful book about a scientist called Dr Morley who embarks on a brilliant expedition to find the mysterious Giant Arctic Jellyfish, who lives in the depths of the deep blue sea. I love the detail and effort put into this book, especially on the pages where you can see what every crew member is doing on the ship, and there are some really funny images, for example in one spread the chef has his hat on in the shower. I love all of the intricate details Chloe Savage has put in the illustrations like how every crew member’s jumper design is different. Usually you would think “Oh, is one member going to drown then?”. But no, she put them in purely for the details, to make them better, better than it was before. I adore the colour palette she used for the illustrations with all of the whites and blues to represent the Arctic perfectly. I give this book a 9/10 and I would recommend it for ages 4 and up.
Leyla
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a hilarious story about a scientist called Dr. Morley and her crew who try to find the fabled Giant Arctic Jellyfish. Each page is filled with amazing drawings and little bits of information which can make you laugh such as on one page, there is a picture of the chef having a shower with his hat on. I like how Dr. Morley’s crew can never find the jellyfish but they are always so close. Chloe Savage uses so much detail in her book like on the boat, and in the North Pole. The illustrations in this book are absolutely exquisite. I would rate this book 10/10. This book is perfect for ages 5 and onwards.
Zain
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish has some of the best illustrations I've ever seen. I think that the fact that you can see inside of the ship in some of the drawings is insane. It’s about someone called Dr Morley who wants to find a jellyfish everyone talks about but nobody has ever seen: The Giant Arctic Jellyfish. The illustrations show the story SO WELL like when you can see how stressed Dr Morley is in one of the illustrations because they can’t find the jellyfish. Something that is quite funny is even though the crew can’t find the jellyfish, you can see The Giant Arctic jellyfish on almost every page! The colours of blue and white go so well together and it makes all of the illustrations just look that much better. To understand the story you should be at least seven years of age, but based on the illustrations you can be any age to read this book. The illustrations bring this book to life and so i give the Giant Arctic Jellyfish a 10/10.
Niam
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an amazing page turner about a doctor called Morley who’s searching for the giant jellyfish. I really love how we can see the jellyfish but Dr Morley can’t because it keeps me on my toes. I also like the bluey colour palette for the Arctic and the bright vibrant orange for the crew's jumpers because they really stand out. I like how there are lots of tiny details throughout all the pages. I would recommend this book too all ages or to someone who can’t find anything.
Benjamin
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is a beautifully illustrated book, Chloe Savage did really well to put humorous details in each illustration. The book is said to be non fictional; the Chrysaora Melanaster, The Giant arctic Jellyfish; it is commonly found in the Arctic circle. I really like the fact that each person has a different design on their jumper, Chloe Savage must have researched this because the old fisherman in the olden days had jumpers just like them. I love the cold colours used to make the illustration look cold. It makes me feel cold just looking at it! I would rate this book 10\10 and I think it is suitable for ages 4+.
Freddie
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
I loved this book because it is very funny and adventurous about a crew settling to go search for a giant arctic jellyfish. I love how Chloe Savage puts a challenge to find the hidden jellyfish on each page, and the crew don't see it! I really enjoy the feeling that I just want to tell Dr Morely! I also enjoyed how Chloe puts a different scene in each page which really picks up my interest. The different shades of blue really match the book. I LOVED this book It's an 11/10 for me. I would recommend this to ages 2+. It's REALLY good🤣!
Maxim
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This is a funny book about a crew searching for the giant arctic jellyfish. I love how there are two stories going on:the writing and the illustrations and I also like how Cloe Savage uses irony in the book when Dr Mauly can’t see the jellyfish yet we can. The illustrations are wonderful since they tell us what each member of the crew is doing on every page. I really appreciate how the illustrator has put so much effort into putting all the little details in the book,for example when she gives a different jumper pattern for each member of the crew. I rate this book 9.5/10 and I recommend this book for all ages.
Iris
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Artic Jellyfish- Chloe Savage
This book has two stories, one in words and one in pictures. Chloe Savage really captures the feel of the Arctic. All the detail is wonderfully put and I like how she has the waste paper basket empty at the beginning and it is full of tissues at the end. I also enjoy that you can see what Dr Morley can’t see. All the watercolours match the scene really well and my favourite page was either the double page spread of the boat leaving the harbour or of the Northern Lights at night. It’s truly a fantastic read, from the front to the back the illustrations keep you reading. I’m really lost for words as it’s such a masterpiece. I would rate it a perfect 10/10 and for any age who has time to look at the incredible details.
Elodie
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The search for the Giant Arctic jellyfish is a brain-teasing story about a scientist known as Dr Morley wanting to find the myth of the giant arctic jellyfish. Starting with the front cover the illustrations are already dragging you in, the ghostly figure of a jellyfish, wavy silver streaming from the jellyfish’s head. There are striking double page spreads of the boat on the inside each crew member doing something different . Chloe Savage gives each crew member their own story from whipping up food to some of the crew on lookout looking out for the jellyfish with binoculars. When they’ve been on the water for a long time and still haven’t found the jellyfish their facial expressions start to dampen. This immense detail on every character tells a story of its own but this is not all Chloe Savage has even thought to put the jellyfish in most of the spreads so we can see it but the crew can't. It's like a pantomime! I would recommend this ironic story for anyone who likes stories within a story. I would rate this book 10/10.
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is an amazing story about Dr Morley and her crew, who are trying to hunt down the elusive giant arctic jellyfish. The reason I like this book is because whenever the crew are searching for the jellyfish,it is always near but is either on the other side of something or below them. I love the humorous bits that Chloe has put in. As well as all the lovely illustrations, I particularly like the details as they make the pictures really stand out. I would rate this book 0+ and a 10/10🤩🪼
Ben 5S
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The Giant Arctic Jellyfish is my favourite book out of the 8, because of how she uses half bleeds and full bleeds. I also love the colour scheme of the illustrations , (blue and green) But my favourite thing about the book. Is how the Giant Arctic Jellyfish is in every picture after they launch from their home. It's always hidden in the shadows but they never see it. I would give this book a 9/10 and appropriate for ages 4+ , I think Chloe Savage did a very good job on this book.
Ada
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
This delightful story about Dr. Morley as she embarks on an adventure to search for the elusive Giant Arctic Jellyfish. Every page holds a different, unique story and if you look carefully you can notice how every crew member is living a different story, and however many times you read it you notice something new. You can really delve into the pictures and focus on one individual, for example the chef or the scientists and live their story of living on a ship in the Arctic through the pages. A truly fantastic story, like a pantomime, with the researchers not seeing the jellyfish whereas the reader can see the jellyfish on EVERY page! It agitates you but also persuades you to carry on reading to see if Dr. Morley really does find the jellyfish. A fun book, probably for children 4+ and one of my personal favourites! A good 9/10 for the magnificent illustrations. 😄
Eva
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish
The search for the giant arctic jellyfish is a brain-teasing story about a science known as Dr Morley wanting to find the myth of the giant arctic jellyfish. Starting with the front cover the illustrations are already dragging you in, the ghostly figure of a jellyfish, wavy silver streaming from the jellyfish’s head. There are striking double page spreads of the boat on the inside each crew member doing something different . Chloe Savage gives each crew member their own story from whipping up food to some of the crew on lookout looking out for the jellyfish with binoculars. When they’ve been on the water for a long time and still haven’t found the jellyfish their facial expressions start to dampen. This immense detail on every character tells a story of its own but this is not all Chloe Savage has even thought to put the jellyfish in most of the spreads so we can see it but the crew can't. It's like a pantomime!. I would recommend this ironic story for anyone who likes stories within a story. I would rate this book 10/10.
Ollie M
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a story about a panther cub who wants to look special but he doesn’t realise he is already very special. I love how Poonam has lots of small patterns on every single page. I can see that she is inspired by kalamkari, a type of Indian art. I recommend this book to people of all ages.
Boyuan
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a brilliant book about a panther always wanting to be a big strong cat but finds out that everyone has their own strengths and he is the cat of the night. The illustrations are very detailed using dots and different marks to mimic textures. There is great use of harmonic colours in all the scenes. For example, the rain filled with different blues and greens or the sun filled with different oranges and reds or even the moon filled with different shades of yellow. All the drawings were characterised using eyes on elements such as the sun) gave a sense of personality within the drawing. I would recommend this book to ages 5+ and rate it a 9.5/10.
Ollie M
The Midnight Panther
Midnight Panther is an enchanting children’s book that weaves a magical tale into pages of mesmerising colour illustrations. A stoic panther explores the nocturnal jungle under a tapestry of stars to meet a plethora of animals. The journey is a metaphor - a physical journey but also a spiritual one about bravery, friendship and the wondrous natural world. My favourite scene is when the majestic panther reaches a clearing and gazes up at the starry sky. It reminds me of how breathtaking and vast our natural world is. I highly recommend it as a bedtime read as it will soothe children and adults alike into a whimsical sleep.
Kit
Lost
Lost is a heartwarming story about a polar bear who gets lost in a busy, bustling city, where everything is grey and gloomy, until a little red-headed girl spots Bear and helps him find his way back. I love how everything is so colourless at first and then when the girl leads Bear back to her house and helps the book becomes bright and colourful. I also really like how Mariajo Illustrajo put so much detail into every single thing. From the menu at the cafe to the headphones on a person in the queue. She could have just drawn a person and be done with it, but no. She put in the gallons of effort to make it the brilliantly illustrated book we know. My personal recommendation would be a 9.7/10 and it is perfect for ages 3+.
Leyla
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a wonderful book based on a panther that feels left out because his coat is not as bright and bold as the other animals in the jungle. I love how Poonam Mistry was inspired by Kalamkari art. This is a type of Indian art using dots and spirals to make the art look quite vibrant. My favourite illustration is the one where it is a double page spread with the rain cloud on it crying out rain. I would rate this book a 9\10. I would recommend it to ages 6+.
Freddie
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an intriguing book about a bird called Bert trying to find someone to come in his bower. I love the full page spreads specifically at the end of the book when Bert finds love. I would recommend this 8/10 and for bird lovers. Catherine Rayner is such an intelligent illustrator. Catherine uses really important patterns to add texture to the birds feathers. I like that when Bert started to lose hope he finds someone to come in his bower.
Kit
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heartwarming story about a bowerbird called Bert who seeks love. Catherine Rayner did a wonderful job illustrating this spectacular book. Her one of a kind drawings help guide the story. If I was younger, this would be one of my favourite books of all time. I rate this book 8.5/10 and I would recommend it to ages 3+.
Zain
Eva
Victor
Liberty
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an amazing book that shares what it feels like to be left out all through the magic of illustrations.I enjoy how Poonam Mistry uses all the complicated detail in everything included in the book.I really like this book as it has incredible illustrations and I recommend this book to those who like a heartwarming story with a lovely ending.I would rate it 10/10 and I think it should win the Yoto Carnegies medal for illustration.
Iris
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a book about a panther cub that is jealous of all the other animals being really nice and he tries to be like them but the elements stop him. One night when the moon is shining he climbs to the top of the tree and finds everyone shines in their own light. I like the book because of the careful and extremely detailed patterns of the kalamkari art and how it is unique.I think it is for 3+ ages and an 8/10 because it isn’t as good as the others and it takes a long time to take in the whole book.
Josh
The Midnight Panther
‘The Midnight Panther’ is a wonderful tale that shows us that we are all unique in our own way. The story is about a panther who believes that he isn’t special - and all the other big cats were much better than him. He tries to fit in, but the four elements- Sun, Wind, Rain and Moon show him that he is perfect the way he is and he doesn’t have to change himself for anyone. Poonam Mistry is an exceedingly excellent illustrator who uses spectacular illustration techniques - stripes, patterns and remarkable colours! I think this might be one of my favourite books out of the 8 chosen ones. I would personally recommend this to anyone who loves incredible illustrations - or anyone from the age of 5 or older! I rate this book a whopping 10/10! :D
Tulip
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a nice story about a panther who wants to look special but he doesn’t realise he is already special. I love how Poonam Mistry has so many little patterns on every single page. I can see that she was inspired by kalamkari, a type of indian/ Persian art. I also like how every page is a full spread. I recommend this book to all ages and to anyone who doesn’t feel special.
Benjamin
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a touching book based on a little bird named Bert searching for love. He eventually finds a female bird named Nanette. The part that really engaged me is the pages with patterns,marks and colour on the birds. My favourite illustration is when Bert finds Jean and he is holding the purple flower he had all along it makes it a lovely end to this wonderful story. This book is an 8/10 for me and I think it is suitable for ages 3+.
Freddie
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a great little story about just being yourself that everyone is different. In the book, Panther is trying to fit in with the other animals by also being as beautiful as them but then realises that to be beautiful he just had to be himself. In my opinion the drawings are absolutely amazing! I LOVE all the patterns and marks in the Kalamkari art. The illustrations must’ve taken ages because the amount of details are outstanding. You can be any age to read this book but to truly understand the moral of this story you should be over 9 years old. Based on the illustrations alone, this book deserves a 10/10.
Niam
The Midnight Panther
The moment I opened this book I instantly fell in love. The Midnight Panther is an incredible story with astonishingly intricate details on each page and the patterns on everything are absolutely stunning bringing all the characters to life. This inspirational storyline revolves around a young panther cub, afraid of the big world. Though since the other cats in the rainforest make him feel different, he sets off on a quest to be like other cats, but Panther soon realizes he doesn't have to blaze like Lion, dazzle like Leopard or be big and fearless like Tiger, he can just be himself and shine in his own way. All in all, I would rate this wonderful book a 10/10, as I immediately got engrossed in the illustrations. I would definitely recommend it for all animal lovers ages 8 and over.
Angelica
The Midnight Panther
The patterns are just so beautiful that I just can't explain them, they absorb me in the story . This very Intricate book is so wonderfully illustrated that I don't focus on the story line as much as I would do. This book is about a shy panther who is teased and taunted about how he's not special so he runs away. He tries to be like the lion but the wind blows off his feather mane, he tries to be like the tiger but the rain blows off his stripes then the moon comes out. Will he finally be appreciated? This Book is such a heartwarming story and it has a great moral which is “be who you want to be, don't change for anyone.”
Rose
Lost
Lost
Lost is my favourite book out of the 8. It is about a polar bear called Bear lost in New York City. I like how she shows that everyone is having another normal day but Bear is definitely not! I love how she places illustrations in a certain type of way, she uses boxes, vinnets, half page spreads and full page spreads. I would recommend this to people who love animal bedtime stories .This book is a 10/10 for me. I think this is a 3+.
kit
The Midnight Panther
I loved The Midnight Panther because it really hooked me from the start because you feel in the same mood as the panther just through the detail of how the Panther is drawn. In the book there are four elements: sun, rain, wind and moon. The Midnight Panther is linked to the last one ( Moon ). I really like that every leaf has a different pattern. This is an amazing book 10/10!
Xander
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a brilliant story about a little panther trying to fit in with the other big cats in the rainforest. The thing I paid attention to the most is the detail in the illustrations, my particular favourite being the moon as it catches your eye with all the beautiful patterns on its face. The moral here is that however you look, you are beautiful in your own way. A good book for younger readers who love wildlife. A 7.5 from me!😍
Ben 5S
The Midnight Panther
This book is a wholesome book about a young panther scavenging for the things he loves. I love how the book shows that you should be yourself! I was really surprised how Poonam Mistry did the kalamarie drawings since on every page all the drawings flooded into my imagination as if I was in the book.I loved the colours of the paintings every page was a whole new world.I would definitely recommend this book to animal lovers and to people who a good adventure a definite 9.5/10 it was AMAZING😀!
Maxim
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a book about a lonely bird that tries to get other birds to love him by collecting exotic things from the forest he lives in to impress them. I think that it is an great book because the scruffiness of the bowerbird fits in with his bower perfectly. I would rate the book 8/10 and for 5 plus ages because I like the busy illustrations with all the things that he collected in the picture.I removed 2 points because in comparison to the other books it was not as good.
Josh
The Midnight Panther
This is a book of a panther who realises he is amazing just the way he is. The pages of this book are bustling with wonderful illustrations and beautiful patterns. My favourite picture is when the panther stares at the moon and the moon tells him he is already great. The patterns are superbly drawn and it looks like Poonam Mistry poured in a lot of energy and effort. I would rate this book 9/10 and I would recommend it for ages 7+. This is a spectacular book.
Zain
The Bowerbird
This charming book is about a bowerbird called Bert who is on a quest to find love and he finds the perfect mate called Nanette but Nanette wants more and more stuff so can Bert find another perfect mate? Catherine Rayner is very clever because she tries to mimic the bowerbird strokes and dots. This excellently illustrated and cute book is approved for all ages and a 9 /10 from me.
Rose
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an uplifting story about a young bowerbird, perfect for people of all ages. Bert first finds Nanette a glamorous green bird, and gives her a pretty purple flower, but Nanette is not easily satisfied and Bert carries on finding more and more, until he finds his real true love, a kind little bored, perfect for Bert. I love all of the illustrations and their sketchy style, in particular when all of the objects are piled up, matching the words perfectly. I also adore the colour choices for all of the birds. An 8/10 from me.
Leyla
Lost
Lost is an engaging story about a polar bear trying to find its way back to the North Pole. The perspective of the front cover makes you feel very small in a big city. Everything starts off all grey, then slowly colours start to appear when the polar bear is spotted by the girl. As she takes him to her house, colours light up until everything is filled with bright colours and now we know that Bear he is no longer lost. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a good story. I rate this book a 10/10.
Ollie M
The Midnight Panther
The minute I saw the cover of this book, I knew I would like it. The illustrations are stunning and when I attempted the challenge I saw that it took a great lot of effort and focus to make an entire book with such beautiful drawings. I also love the frames of some of the drawings and how tall and proud Tiger, Lion and Leopard look. My personal favourite spread was the bit where the sun begins to set and he starts climbing and I adore all of the detail put into this book, particularly that page. I give this book a 10/10, I just loved the illustrations. This book is a perfect bedtime story and I would recommend it for ages 7 and up.
Leyla
The Midnight Panther
The patterns are just so beautiful that I just can't explain them. This very intricate book is so wonderfully illustrated that I don't focus on the story line as much as I would do. This book is about a shy panther who is teased and taunted about how he's not special so he runs away. He tries to be like the lion but the wind blows off his feather mane, he tries to be like the tiger but the rain blows off his stripes then the moon comes out. Will he finally be appreciated? This book is such a heartwarming story and it has a great moral which is “be who you want to be, don't change for anyone.”
Rose
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a story of self-belief, of Panther finding where he belongs. The illustrations are brilliant and I love how Poonam Mistry adds personification to the four natural elements. I can see from the drawings that it took her a long time to illustrate. This shows that she is really devoted to her artwork. I would recommend this book to ages 9+ because its about finding who YOU are.
Taicia
The Midnight Panther
I’ve never seen anything like this book! To describe the illustrations, I mean I’m lost for words! The intricate patterns on everything on the page must’ve taken ages and really respect how much work she puts into that. This childrens’ book holds such a big meaning about this little panther searching for destiny. He doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere when at last when all hope is lost and night falls, the dark takes him in like his own child. This is a one of a kind book with AMAZING illustrations (as I’ve already said). The illustrations deserve a 7/10 however put together with the story it fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and deserves a good 9/10.
Eva
The Midnight Panther
An intricately illustrated book with beauty awaiting you on each page, The Midnight Panther is a book about a panther who sees the other animals with their beauties, but doesn’t see it in himself. Poonam Mistry has used the Kalamkari style of art very well, giving off the message that even the most beautiful animals often don’t see their beauty and all the smallest details that make them, well, them. In particular, I loved how the illustration almost looks like 2D puppets, with each element having its own layer. Another detail I adored was all the plants and all the tiny, tiny, dots that can be found if you look closer. The Midnight Panther is definitely my favourite book so far (hoping that it wins the Carnegie!). I think to really understand and appreciate the illustrations in this book, you have to be around 6+, but it definitely shows an amazing message to young readers. 10/10 without a doubt!
Maya K
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a charming story about Bert, a bird. This book follows his ups and downs looking for love. I liked that Catherine made the background more faint so you could focus more on the characters. Catherine also put in lots of hidden illustrations that I enjoyed spotting like the when the bert was happy the fairy was smilling but when bert was unhappy the fairy had a frown. I think the book is for 3+
8/10 from me👍
Boyuan
The Midnight Panther
A book which has a remarkable amount of beautiful precision. This wonderful book is about a panther who feels like he is not as cool as the other cats, so he sets off one night to find out where he belongs. Poonam Mistry has really captivated the feel of the scene and used her colours very well to show all the detail. I would recommend to read this book in a quiet place and take your time to just appreciate the details. Any can read this book and a 9/10 from me.
Elodie
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an incredible book about a Bowerbird looking for love. Catherine Rayner is a very intelligent illustrator as she uses different strokes to mimic the Bowerbirds feathers. The way she layered the purple flower so it looked like there was a petal beneath the one on top gave the flower a sense of 3d . The strokes of gold on the Bowerbird on the front cover were eye-catching and is why people choose to read it. All the pictures matched the story perfectly for example when the author (Julia Donaldson) described the bower the illustration matched the text. I recommend this book for ages 5+ and would give it a 8/10.
Ollie M
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an amazing book about self discovery and how a panther cub is made feel different. I really like this book because the illustrations are so detailed and beautiful, the patterns must have taken so long to draw and it was so cool that the elements each had an emotion. Poonam Mistry really did something different than the other illustrators she gave the animals human eyes. The special type of Indian art is absolutely amazing and detailed. This specific Indian art is called Kalamkari. In terms of illustrations this is definitely the most detailed and intricate. My favourite spread is the rain spread when rain comes and washes away his nectar stripes. The cloud is so detailed it looks like it would take years but what is really amazing is that she did it in a month. I would recommend this to children of 6+ because the illustrations are quite difficult to understand. This is a great book if you are being made to feel insecure about yourself.
Pedro
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is about a panther who is judged because he doesn't have a lovely wild mane like a lion. Or didn't have bold orange stripes like tigers or spots that dazzled for all to see like the leopard. I love how the author and illustrator has done patterns in everything she has drawn. My favourite scene is where all the birds are in the trees and little panther is looking up at them. This is my favourite scene because she has made a mix of a type of art called kalamkari. This can be used to make wallpaper designs and she has made a mix of art and wallpaper and has put it into her book. I would recommend this book to people aged 10 years and over. I would give this book an 8/10.
Reya
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an extremely detailed book about a panther cub trying to fit in with the world around him. The panther is different; and other wild cats tease him for it. I find this book quite sweet, however the style of the illustrations isn’t my favourite. The illustrations look a bit too clean and neat, which some people like, but I find it too crowded. I love how Poonam Mistry used a naturalistic colour palette. All the colours come together gorgeously. The contrast between the blue and orange ties it all together. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels like they’re left out, or just want a sweet story with neat illustrations. Probably a 6/10 for me! 🌬️
Maya M
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is about a Panther who thinks that the other cats are better than him. He sets off on an adventure trying to fit in. With the help of the Sun, the Moon, the Wind and the Rain he learns that he is perfect just the way he is. The Sun, the Moon, the Rain and the Wind are all personified. I really enjoyed reading this book because it shows you that you should just be yourself around people and that you are always perfect the way you are. I like the colours because at nighttime the Midnight Panther blends in with the black of the night. My favourite page was when the Panther saw the Moon because everything was incredibly detailed and beautiful. I would recommend this book for all ages. 10/10!
Nadia
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is mind-blowingly detailed. The book is about a panther trying to find their place in the world but in the end he realises that he is beautiful the way he is. I love the extremely detailed illustrations as it shows me how much effort has been put into this. All the patterns make the book majestic and picturesque. All of the little intricate details give the animals their shape. My favourite spread in this book is the panther looking at the beautiful birds on the trees. The mixture of warm and cold colours show me the emotions of the panther and changes the way I read the book. The storyline is very interesting and the illustrations follow it well. The details on the natural elements are exquisite and I love the colour harmony involved. My favourite illustration of the panther is when he is glimmering in the night sky under the stars because the fur looks like the beautiful midnight sky. I would recommend this to all ages, people love detailed artwork, animals and patterns. I would gives this book 10/10 👍🥹
Abir
The Midnight Panther
This is a brilliant book about a panther who wants to be like everyone else. All of the other wild cats are always taunting him about how brilliant they are and Panther wants to be like them even though I think he is perfect the way he is. The four natural elements (air, rain, sun and moon) are trying to show him that he is perfect the way he is. I love all of the beautiful illustrations in this wonderful and inspiring book. I still can't believe one of the full double page spreads took a whole month to complete! I’d say this book is for children at the age of 5+. I’d rate this book a 9/10 😊
Emilie
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a highly detailed book about a young panther cub who thinks that he has to be the same to fit in. I love how Panther tries to put leaves, feathers and pollen on him but then the elements take it all of showing just his natural beauty. Some spreads are inspired by William Morris, also using lots of inspiration from kalamkari art, a traditional Indian art form. The illustrations are really beautiful but it isn’t really my style. I would recommend this book to people who like animals. I rate this book a 5/10 from me 😃
Daniel
The Midnight Panther
Little Panther does not seem to fit in with the others. He’s a different colour and he doesn’t have a ‘special quality’ like Lion or Tiger. He doesn’t have dazzling spots or beautiful stripes or a glowing mane. But as he journeys through the beautifully illustrated jungle canopy, he starts to discover who he is and how special and unique he is. I love how in this book, the illustrations are made of patterns and shapes making each thing really unique. The colour scheme seems to actually fit with Panther, meaning that the others don’t, which gives a contrast to the writing. I also really like how the elements (wind, sun, cloud…) are personified and the verb used instead of ‘said’ really fits in with the element saying it (the cloud weeps, the wind moans…). In total, this book is the book I prefer so far for the special illustrations and if I weren't to judge more books, I would vote for the midnight panther. A rating of 9/10 for me and recommended to children who might have trouble fitting or if you just like reading I recommend it to any age.
Eleonore
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an inspiring book about a small panther cub who is made to feel different by the other wildcats. But then he finds out he just needs to be himself. The illustrations of this book were incredible, I cannot believe that it took her over 1 month just to finish a page. My favourite thing about the book was the way she illustrated the elements. She made them look so human-like and alive. I would recommended this book to anyone 3+ because anyone can feel left out, even adults - and If you have ever been made to feel different this will probably make you feel better. 5 stars!
Oliver S
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a highly detailed book about a young panther cub who thinks that he has to be the same to fit in. I love how Panther tries to put leaves, feathers and pollen on him but then the elements take it all of showing just his natural beauty. Some spreads are inspired by William Morris, also using lots of inspiration from kalamkari art, a traditional Indian art form. The illustrations are really beautiful but it isn’t really my style. I would recommend this book to people who like animals. I rate this book a 5/10 from me 😃
Daniel
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight panther is a very intricate book with very detailed illustrations. I just love that the book explains that everyone is unique and you can always fit in without changing anything about yourself. At times the panther does feel quite left out but at the end he realises that he fits in with the night. I love the way Poonam uses Kalamkari to make all of the drawings extremely beautiful. I would rate this book with a 7/10 and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes animals and big cats.
Jensen
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a wonderful book about a panther who is just trying to fit in and be beautiful. This book has so many stunning illustrations with loads of tiny intricate details. For each animal, Poonam Mistry draws many different patterns with so many different shades of colour that must have taken ages to draw. This style of patterned art was inspired by an Indian type of art called Kalamkari art which uses loads of tiny shapes and details. If you look carefully, you can see that Poonam has given all the animals and the sun, moon, wind and rain little pupils in their eyes which make them look extremely humanlike. I think that this is very clever because it helps us to really understand all the feelings of the animals. My favourite page is the one of the rain as it is extremely beautiful. I personally love this style of illustrations and I would recommend this book to children of all ages. Also, it is great fun to try and recreate the drawings of the elements. A 9/10 from me.
Liberty
The Midnight Panther
This is a stunning book about a panther cub and his quest to fit in with all the other cats. I think this is a brilliant book because of the way all of the spreads are so decorative and all of the tiny details. I also love this book because it explains that everyone is unique and special in their own way. I also love looking at all the animals and the natural elements and all the tiny details , and the way the eyes are done. I also love all the colour harmony. I would recommend this book for people who want to find out that they already are special and people who are over 3. I would rate this book 10/10.
Louis
The Midnight Panther
The midnight panther is an amazing story of a panther trying to find his place in a big world. In the story he tries to find his place in the world. The book shows that you don’t need to change who you are to fit in and that you are perfect as you are. The art in this masterpiece is probably the most unique out of all the books that I’ve been shadowing so far. I love the Indian art style.
1+years 5 stars
Jasper
The Midnight Panther
This is a fascinating book about the Midnight Panther trying to find his place in the world by trying to be like other cats. The natural colours really made this book a work of art. The illustrations really brought the whole thing together. The warm and cold colours mix really well together. I love the end page with all the tapestry and stars, the geometric shapes look amazing. It’s really nice how some illustrations use dots as outlines, like Christmas sweaters. There was a deep, inspirational quote in this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes nature and happy endings. I would rate this book a 9/10. ⭐
Chelsea
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is different to many other picture books because of the beautiful patterns. I really like the colour choices especially how all the oranges and golds really blend in. I also love that there are so many natural colours to illustrate the tropical climate and the animals within. The story of the Panther blew me away into the tropical rainforest with the perfume smelling flowers, and the brightly coloured birds. I recommend this book to animal lovers, stories of friendship and finding who you really are. This is for children 3+ because you have to be able to know about fitting in and being yourself. I rate this book a 10/10 because of the amazing colour harmony.
Annabelle
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a wonderful book that has beautiful illustrations. A panther is trying to fit in with everybody else and is trying to look like everybody else but then realises he fits somewhere else and finds out he is as beautiful as anybody else. I really like the detail of the illustrations in the book. They stand out really well and I really liked all the patterns and little details. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fun and detailed illustrations and for ages 6 and over and I would rate it 9/10.
Victor
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an amazingly detailed book that is the story of a young panther who is trying to find his place in the huge world around him. The illustrations in this book are exceptional. They are a type of art called Kalamkari. The story is set in the rainforest of India. The illustrations are truly fascinating and I do not know how she does it! My favourite part of the book is when Panther meets the moon and the moon explains to Panther how special everyone is and how everyone has a place in the world. I would recommend this book to young children who are inspired by interesting art and emotional stories. The illustrations are so highly detailed that sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by it! This book is incredible so I would rate it a solid 9.5/10
Olly J
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a story about a panther who thinks he’s not fitting in, and tries putting feathers, leaves and pollen on to make himself fit in. Some spreads are inspired by William Morris and others by Kalamkari art, a traditional Indian art form. I don’t really like this book because I find the illustrations unrealistic and I think the storyline is not original. However I understand it’s a good book for anyone who feels that they don’t fit in and for anyone who loves this style of art. The story helps you understand that everyone is unique and it's okay to be themselves. I would rate it 6/10.
James
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an inspiring story about a small panther who is trying to find his place in the vast world of the rainforest. The illustrations in this book are unbelievably detailed, filled with unique patterns from top to bottom on each page. I love how Poonam was inspired by her own country’s artwork. I never knew that this type of artwork is called Kalamkari! Poonam has inspired me to learn more and do more of this sensational artwork. The colour palette that she used, fits very well with the theme of midnight.The colours are very natural and they bring a sense of calmness to me. My favourite illustration is the map of stars when Moon talks to Panther. It is so beautiful and the dark blue colours really make it feel magical. Nothing will stop this artwork from shining brightly and inspiring people. If you love books that make you feel magical and you are interested in nature, then read this book! Young children will love this book, they will be intrigued by all of the calming colours and intricate patterns. My mind is completely blown away by this amazing artwork, 10/10 from me!
Tara
Lost
Lost is a wonderful book about a polar bear who is stuck in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city trying to find his way back home. I like the art style about the colour how when there was no hope it was just grey but when the girl said hello it when bright and hopeful and the vibe turns happy and more hopeful and when he first meets the girl only a small bit of the page was bright but it slowly got brighter representing happiness and someone that cared for him and noticed him. I recommend this book to 3 + ages and give the book 10/10 because of the amazing illustrations and the hidden features like the girl in nearly all the pictures but you don't really notice her at the start.
Josh
Oli S
Jasper
Ollie M
Taicia
Xander
Benji
Ben
Kit
EP
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is a beautifully illustrated, well-told tale of a little Panther in search of his true identity. From the perfectly thought-through, immaculately detailed drawings to the wonderful end-pages, the whole book is simply designed to draw you in. I love the way the colours used match in perfectly with the moods, characters and natural scenery, whilst the depictions of Sun, Moon, Rain and Wind are just marvellous! With a touching tale, told via illustrations and the narrative, this book is comforting and well drawn enough to warm any heart, make anyone feel included and show everybody that we are all unique and perfect as we are. Using extremely tricky and eye-catching Indian art techniques, Poonam Mistry has created a tender and heartfelt story that I would recommend to ages four and over, to anyone who has ever been made to feel different or wrong. But animal lovers will also adore this book! 7/10 from me!
Derin
The Midnight Panther
The midnight panther is an amazing story of a panther trying to find his place in a big world. In the story he tries to find his place in the world. The book shows that you don’t need to change who you are to fit in and that you are perfect as you are. The art in this masterpiece is probably the most unique out of all the books that I’ve been shadowing so far. I love the Indian art style.
1+years 5 stars
Jasper
Lost
This is an inspiring book about a lost bear trying to find his way back home. He keeps on trying to find help but everyone is too busy with their own lives to notice or care. Although most people are too busy with their own lives, this little girl helps the bear get back home. I like it thet on the cover there is an X in the sky. I also noticed that at the beginning of the book the background is grey and dull because he is more sad, but when he is with the little girl everything is more colourful because there is hope. I liked this book and I would say it is 5+ for ages. I’d rate this book a 8.5/10 😊
Emilie
The Midnight Panther
The Midnight Panther is an amazingly detailed book that is the story of a young panther who is trying to find his place in the huge world around him. The illustrations in this book are exceptional. They are a type of art called Kalamkari. The story is set in the rainforest of India.The illustrations are truly fascinating and I do not know who she does it! My favourite part of the book is when Panther meets the moon and the moon explains to Panther how special everyone is and how everyone has a place in the world. I would recommend this book to young children who are inspired by interesting art and emotional stories. The illustrations are so highly detailed that sometimes I am a bit overwhelmed by them! This book is incredible so I would rate it a solid 9.5/10
Olly J
Lost
Lost is an adventurous and emotional book that consists of a polar bear who has somehow found his way to the middle of the big, bustling city and he does not know where he is. The illustrations are very original because she has created a new style of illustrations which reflect the hustle and bustle of the city. Lost also has a huge amount of detail such as the coffee menu in the coffee shop and the advertisements on the Underground. Another thing that the illustrations show is that the pictures on the front page make Bear feel very small compared to the tall skyscrapers. This book is a great book for children who enjoy adventure and friendly stories. My favourite bit of the story is when Bear asks for directions to the North Pole but before he can finish his sentence the customer service lady just shouts at him “EVERYTHING IS ON THE MAP!”I would recommend this book to children 4 years and over. I really enjoyed this book so I would rate it 9/10.
OLLY J
Lost
In this book, slow and searching eyes will lead you to the many secrets that Mariajo has put in. It is based on her coming to the UK and really feeling lost herself. My favourite thing about this book is the front cover and how it seems to be closing in on Bear. Also how usually X marks the spot on a map, and the buildings around the polar bear create a sort of X. And these two hidden things are only a few of the many secrets in the book. How the little girl has bright red hair to stand out, how the grey colour scheme is there when Bear is lost but a new, warmer colour scheme arrives when the girl finds him. The different types of illustrations such as boxes, full bleeds, half bleeds and many more have their own character in the book. As a roundup, this was a very good book for the ages 5+ if you want to understand the slightly deeper meaning, and also if you are interested in polar bears and climate change. I will give it an 8/10.
Eleonore
Lost
Lost is an adventurous story about a lost bear who tries to ask for help but is completely ignored until a little girl helps him find his way home. I liked this book because almost every page has a little detail that you need to find. The cross on the front cover and the little girl popping up every now and then. Everyone is locked up in their own world listening to music or on their phone and the people that have a job don't care about anything they just shove a map or coffee into your hands. I like that the illustrator/author added their own book, Flooded into Lost and that the girl has it on her bookshelf. This shows that she cares about the environment. There are also other books about animals. I recommend this book for anyone who likes the environment or animals and is ages 5+.
Pedro
Lost
Lost is a magnificent book with beautiful illustrations and Bear is lost in a huge town and is treated unfairly as nobody wants to help him. Bear thinks all hope is lost but when a little, kind girl offers to come to her house everything changes. It also has wonderful illustrations especially when the warm colours come in when the little girl is with Bear while when bear is alone the background is grey and dull. I find this a great book as it includes what it really feels like to be left out and when nobody is helping and I find it really annoying but I still find this book absolutely fantastic. I would recommend this book for people who are interested in climate change and ages 5 and over.🫠
Victor
Lost
Lost is an incredible book about a polar bear who is lost in the city. He tries to find his way back to the North Pole but everyone ignores him apart from one little girl. I really enjoyed reading this book because it has a very interesting comic style. I like the illustrations a lot because at the beginning of the book all the colours were very dull and grey but at the end of the book when the girl found Bear all the colours were very bright. I enjoyed spotting that the front cover has a cross on it. This book explores that climate change is getting worse and the fact that everyone is glued to technology so they’re too busy to help anyone. My favourite page was when Bear got into the tube because that was when the book started developing brighter colours. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fighting against climate change, likes animals or has had an experience of getting lost. 10/10.
Nadia
Lost
Lost is about a little girl who goes out of her way to help a polar bear who is lost in a great big city.The author and illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo has made the book look drab and grey at the start. But at the end the colours get warmer until all the grey is gone. I loved how she makes everyone look really busy in the station, too busy to even notice Bear at all because they are way too engrossed on their phones or are listening to music on their headphones. I would recommend this book to people who love animals and are 8 years old and over and would rate it an 8/10.
Reya
Lost
Lost is a beautiful and moving story that will change people's lives forever with its grey and dark setting as the loving Bear is ignored by all the everyday people in life. I really enjoyed the way Bear is not being noticed even though he is a polar bear. I love the fact that when he sees the little girl all the colours get brighter. When Bear gets home all his family and friends were really happy and the fact they all had their eyes closed and were really enjoying the moment. The illustrations felt like they were closing in on Bear and they were really emotional. I recommend this book to all people including ones that like the environment and animals. I also recommend this beautiful book to children 2+ and rate it a 9.5/10.🐻❄️
Annabelle
Lost
Lost is a stunningly illustrated book about a lost bear who is found. The front cover particularly draws me in. The hints of orange just call out to me. When I opened the book, I felt like I was actually there, in the tube station, with all the droopy grey colours. I like the way that the little girl stands out in the crowd. I like the way I can compare her to me. If you look closely you might see the girl on quite a few pages! I also find the perspective of the illustrations well thought out. Mariajo Ilustrajo has a sweet style that I just adore. I recommend this book to anyone that feels as if they’ve been lost. It also teaches younger children about climate change. But for me, this book would be a solid 7/10!
Maya M
Lost
Lost is a very well illustrated book with several clever designs to uncover. The book is about a lost polar bear who is trying to find its way home but he struggles to get help as the people in the city don’t understand him. The storyline matches the illustrations very well and also suggests clues about the emotions of the character. I love how the city is very busy and dull but as the story moves on the colours get brighter and the space is more free. My favourite illustration is on the front cover as Bear is holding a tube map and the negative space above creates an X like X marks the spot on maps. I love the combination of different illustration techniques such as full bleeds, double page spreads (DPS), vignettes and boxes. The brushstrokes make the illustrations look more 3D and the water colours give the dull impression of the city. I would recommend this book to people who love climate change or animals. 8/10
Abir
Lost
LOST is a story about Bear, a polar bear lost in a big city trying to find their way home to the North Pole. There are small subplots that make this book more interesting like on the girls bookshelf, there is a book called Flooded which is also written by the same author. My favourite part was when the polar bear dropped the coffee because it was really funny. The style of drawing is unique to other books and when Bear is in the city, it’s more monotone and when they go to the girls house, there's more warm colours. The more I read this book, the more I like it! This book can be for all ages and if you’re a fan of animals this is the book for you! I would give this a 9.5/10. ⭐
Chelsea
Lost
This is a heartwarming story about a polar bear who is lost in a big and bustling city. This book also gives huge hints about climate change and global warming. The polar bear is ignored by everyone except this little girl who sees how he is lost and decides to take him in. I love how the skyscrapers are imposing and how the blank spaces in between them make an X. I love how the little girl is connecting with all the animals. I love how everyone is cold and dull except for the little girl and her mom.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals, is worried about climate change and city life. 9/10 from me 😃
Daniel
Lost
Lost is an intriguing book about a lost polar bear trying to get back home. My favourite thing was the illustrations because of how it started all miserable and grey and after someone finally found bear, eventually
the colours became brighter and brighter until Bear finally came back to the North Pole. This book is showing us that we need to pay attention to other things than just our phones.I would recommend this book to people who have experienced being lost, so they can understand that loads of people get lost and they are not alone. Personally I think this book is great, 5/5 stars and I would recommend this book to people 3 and above.
Oliver S
Lost
This is an amazing book about a polar bear called Bear who is lost and his quest to find his way home. I think this is a brilliant book because of how when you look at people they seem really disconnected to the world and are just looking at screens or listening to music. I really like how on the front cover all the buildings seem to be closing in on Bear and that there is a cross. The colours are really grey and dark at the beginning but when the little girl comes along the colours get warmer as if everything is getting better. I also like how in the city everything is quite close but when Bear gets to the North Pole there is lots of space. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes animals and reading about climate matters. I would rate this book 10/10.
Louis
Lost
Lost is a simple but meaningful book about a bear who is lost in the city. He is trying to get help but nobody seems to be paying attention to him. Eventually a little girl lights a spark of hope back into his life as she helps him find his way back to the North Pole. There are lots of different styles of illustrations in this book including many boxes, vignettes and some full bleeds too. These make it very interesting and different to some other books. Mariajo Ilustrajo has been very clever in making the colours of the illustrations throughout the book change from lots of dark greys and cold colours to light yellows and oranges (warm colours) as the mood of the book changes. I would recommend this book to children 4+ and especially those who are passionate about the climate and would like to learn about habitats. I would give this book a 8.5/10 😊
Liberty
Lost
Lost is an inspiring book about a polar bear who is trying to find his way back to his home and loving friends. This book is quite an easy book to understand, because we all have been lost either physically or mentally including me. I love how there are loads of little details that we don’t notice like the X marks the spot on the front cover and the different ads in the train station that we see today, for example The Lion King poster. I find that the point of the story is really important: Everyone needs to pay attention to the world, even if something is different. Like the polar bear, no one is paying attention to him because he is different to everybody else. But the little girl is really kind and helps bear to enjoy his life as it is and make him feel calm, like we all should. Climate change is a big problem for polar bears, but none of us are helping that much, all of us are stuck to our own needs and devices which is not good. If you love animals and are interested in climate change, then this book is for you! I think 4+ is an appropriate age to start reading this book, as young people can learn a lot in a fun way. 9/10 from me.
Tara
Lost
Lost is an alarming book with many hints to global warming, a polar bear lost in a bustling unattentive city. The polar bear is completely ignored by everyone on the tube except for a little girl. I love how on the cover, the skyscrapers are imposing, and how on the little girl’s bookshelf, there is one book that Mariajo illustrated, ‘Flooded’. I also like how in the tube station, the background is grey, but in the girl’s house, all the colours are warm and hopeful for Bear. I would recommend this for people who really like the environment, but 7+ to understand the deeper meaning and the illustrator’s hidden clues.
James
Lost
Lost is a simplistic and relaxing graphic-novel-like picture book that shows us how important it is to be helping people, no matter who they are or where they come from. I love the fact that Mariajo has hidden a secret X marks the spot on the front cover and how the grey tones change and become warmer as hope and happiness enter the story. The little girl who helps Bear is always visible and it seems as though she’s radiating some sort of positive energy compared to the other people who are walking around. It touches on topics such as global warming and how these days, nobody really looks up from their phones to help someone or even just smile! The book will make you grin from ear to ear as the little girl helps Bear get back home and I really felt the feelings of the characters as if I was them. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s ever felt lost! But the age for me would be around 3+. For little children, an adult explaining the drawings and helping them to understand is good. 9.5/10 from me! 😊
Derin
Lost
Lost is one of the best picture books I’ve ever read! It focuses on a lost polar bear who somehow got into the busy bustling city. I love the amount of secrets in this book and that you need to read it several times to get the full experience of it. I am really interested in the fact there are so many different types of illustrations like full bleeds and boxes. I also love the fact that the little girl is on most of the pages' illustrations. I would rate this book with an 8.5/10! I would recommend this book to anyone over 5+ or anyone who is interested in climate change or animals.
Jensen
Lost
Lost is an engaging story about a polar bear trying to find its way back to the North Pole. The perspective of the front cover makes you feel very small in a big city. Everything starts off all grey, slowly colours start to appear when the polar bear is spotted by the little girl, as she takes him to her house colours light up until everything is filled with bright colours as he is no longer lost. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a good story. I rate this book a 10/10.
Ollie M
Lost
This book is a heartwarming story about a bear lost in a ginormous city amidst the hustle and bustle. Finally after an eternity of searching a young girl helps him go back to the North Pole. I really enjoyed this book because it really takes my imagination right into the book. Sometimes I feel that I am stuck in the book. Also the grey colours match the mood of the city perfectly. Definitely in my top 3 a 9.5/10 for me!
Maxim
Lost
A wonderful story about a polar bear lost in the busy streets of New York. I love how Mariajo puts little secrets in her illustrations. Like on the front cover there is a big X in the sky to show how he is on the place which the X marks yet he is still lost and how on almost every page there is a illustration of the orange haired girl which helps bear. I recommended this book to people who look at their phone all the time so they can realise that things are happening around them.
Benjamin
The Bowerbird
'Lost' is a wonderful book full of empathy and kindness,with a polar bear called Bear who is lost in a city and wants to get back to the North Pole.A young girl then notices him and lets him stay with the girl.I think the girl is very kind and I realised that most of the pages are really dull colours,but the girl is always drawn with bright and happy colours.I also really enjoyed all the bright colours that were on the front cover and in the girl’s house.I recommend this book to all ages because it shows how strong friendship can be.I rate this book 8/10.
Iris
The Bowerbird
As soon as I started The Bowerbird I could not stop reading it. The Bowerbird has amazing pictures which can change your mood completely. I would rate this story 9/10 because the pictures
are packed with information that you see but you also you need find out. This book is appropriate to all ages from 3+.
Xander
Lost
Lost
Lost is a book about a polar bear called Bear.It’s illustrated by Mariajo Ilustrajo .Bear got lost in london and doesn't know how to get home. My favourite page is the page where the bear is finally home thanks to the small child with bright orange hair. I would give this book a 9/10 and recommend it for all ages.
Srishti
Lost
Lost is an amazing story about a polar bear called Bear who is lost in an city and nobody notices him except for a little girl. In my opinion seeing a polar bear in the subway is quite funny. If you like funny stories about animals in a human world then I would recommend this to you. I rate this book an 8/10.
Niam
Lost
'Lost' is an amazing book about Bear; a polar bear that appears to be lost in a bustling, dull city. He tries to seek help so he can go back to his home - the North Pole, but everyone seems to be too busy, too busy in their own world. However, there is a girl who finally notices Bear. She takes him to her own house, and Bear explains he has to go back to his home, and he does. Mariajo Ilustrajo uses colours like grey and white to show when the scenes are quite gloomy, but she uses brighter colours when Bear is with the girl. I rate this book a 9.5/10, and I recommend this book for children 5 or older, or anyone who likes a connection between an animal and a person!
Tulip
Lost
LOST is a wonderful book about a polar bear called Bear who is trying to find his way home. Bear tries to ask people but everyone is caught up with their own lives. Finally a small girl spots Bear and takes him home. The girl has a book about The North Pole and Bear shows her where he lives. The girl understands and takes him to the North Pole. Bear reunites with his family and the story ends with Bear hugging his family. I LOVED the illustrations because they were very detailed. I would recommend this to ages 7 - 12.
A 9.9/10 from me.
Taicia
Lost
I loved Lost because it is an immersive story that pulls you in. I could not stop reading it. I thought that it was amazing and also a direct story. As well as being an incredible book it also hints about climate change. I would rate this book a 9/10 because its pictures show the illustrator’s emotions amazingly well. I believe this book is appropriate for ages 4+.
Ada
Lost
Lost is a fantastic book about a polar bear in a big city trying to find his way back to the North Pole. He finds this little girl with ginger hair and she takes Bear back to their house and they play and have fun together then he eventually leaves and gets taken by helicopter back to the North Pole. It is written/illustrated by Mariajo Illustrajo. My favourite part is when Bear has arrived at the North Pole and he is surrounded by polar bears. I would recommend this to 5+ and I would give it 9/10.
Freddie
Lost
A Journey about a polar bear called Bear who wanders through a busy city to try and find his way back to the North Pole. I really like how Mariajo Ilustrajo changes her colour scheme half way through the book to show that Bear feels more confident and less worried. The way she uses colours is very effective and I like the detail that all the adults are not paying any attention to the enormous bear and they are all glued to their screens. I would rate the illustrations 9/10 and aimed at all ages.
Elodie
Lost
Lost is a lovely book about a polar bear called Bear, who is lost in the hustle and bustle of the city, trying to find the way back to his home, the Arctic. The thing I like most about this book is when you have the grey colours, but when the little girl notices Bear, the dark colours turn to light and warm colours. I love what Mariajo has done with this amazing piece of work and is suitable for all ages and is 10/10 from me!
Ben 5S
Lost
A delightful book, perfectly displaying how busy a big city can sometimes be, about a polar bear who somehow appears in London and with the help of a little girl he manages to get back to his family in the North Pole. Mariajo really uses all the techniques known to illustrators, using all sorts of half bleed, vignette, boxed and spotlight illustrations making a delightful book to read. There are lots of little different details in the pictures and every time I read it I see something new. If you’ve ever been lost in a big place like that you make connections with the book. A book for all children and adults, striking a 8.25/10 from me. 😊
Eva
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a book about a lonely bird that tries to get other birds to love him by collecting exotic things from the forest he lives in to impress them. I think that it is an amazing book because the scruffiness of the bowerbird fits in with his bower perfectly. I would rate the book 7/10 and for 5 plus ages because I like the busy illustrations with all the things that he collected in the picture.
Josh
Lost
Lost – a captivating story about a bear that is lost. Everyone ignores him, except for one little girl with bright orange hair that notices him. Lost is very well illustrated, from Bear’s friendly but confused smile, to all the adults doing different things, even to the smallest details like the menu in the cafe or the pictures in the girl’s hallway. In particular, I fell in love with the emotions of all the characters. Many of the adults have that look on their faces when you’re very focused on something, except this ‘something’ is their phone. You could probably find any person you wanted in this book, all the characters are so unique! Even the small girl’s mother doesn’t notice Bear, even though he is right there, which sends a powerful message across. Lost is a superb book, amazing for anybody, especially children who want to make a big change. I think this is 9/10 for me. Amazing! 😊
Maya K
Lost
Lost is a wonderful story about a polar bear who is lost in the big, busy streets of New York. As he's looking desperately for a way home to his family, no-one seems to notice him, finally, a little girl FINDS him. I loved this heartwarming book and the mesmerising illustrations really brought the story to life. I really like how the colour hues change throughout the book depending on how bear is feeling, and that at first they are gentle and mild, and the only thing that stands out on the pages is the little girl. Overall, this is a wonderful story, would recommend it for animal lovers and anyone who is feeling lost in this big world. 9/10 from me.
Angelica
Lost
Lost is a wonderful story about a polar bear who's lost and he is searching all over a huge bustling City to try to find someone to help him but no one notices him. Finally a little girl notices him and takes him home and tries to make him feel comforted but then the bear finds a book about his home. I loved this heartwarming story and the illustrations bring this story to life. I would give this book an 8/10 and this is suitable for animal lovers and for all ages
Rose
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an incredible book about a Bowerbird looking for love. Catherine Rayner is a very intelligent illustrator as she uses different strokes to mimic the Bowerbirds feathers. The way she layered the purple flower so it looked like there was a petal beneath the one on top gave the flower a sense of 3d . The strokes of gold on the Bowerbird on the front cover were eye-catching and is why people choose to read it. All the pictures matched the story perfectly for example when the author (Julia Donaldson) described the bower the illustration matched the text. I recommend this book for ages 5+ and would give it an 8/10.
Ollie M
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a touching book based on a little bird named Bert searching for love. He eventually finds a female bird named Nanette. It is illustrated by Catherine Rayner. The bit that really engaged me is the patterns,marks and colour. My favourite part is when he finds Jean and they fall in love because it makes it a lovely end to the story. The names of the characters are very sweet. This book is an 8/10 for me and I think it is suitable for ages 3+.
Freddie
The Bowerbird
This is a charming little book about a bird called Bert on his search for love. My opinion is that it is quite an inspiring book to read. I love that it’s like Nanette and Claude look like they’re made for each other and Bert and Jean look like they’re made for each other. I also like that Catherine made the background more faint so that the readers can focus on the characters and the objects Bert collected. She also made the feathers on Nanette beautiful and straight while on Bert she put more scruffy and out of place feathers. I’d say that this book is about 4+ as it is cute and imaginative. I’d rate this a 8.5/10 😊
Emilie
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a very touching book about the journey to love for a bird called Bert. I love the bold illustrations used in this book to emphasise the characters and the translucent background. The background has been very well detailed with lots of colours that fill the page and help set the scene. I also love how subtle differences like colours or brush strokes change the mood of the story. The details on the birds really catches my attention and the change of texture across the page makes the book look very 3D. The warm and cold colours really alter the emotions I feel while I dive deeper into the story. My favourite illustration in the book is when Bert met Jean and were huddling together in the bower. I love that the illustrations match the story really well and how the book flows. Overall, I think that this is a spectacular book and would recommend this book to all ages. 10/10 😍
Abir
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a touching book about a Bowerbird called Bert and his quest for love.
I think this is an amazing book because of the tiny little brush strokes that make the birds come to life. I also love how when Bert is sad his shoulders are slumped and he is tiny , but when Bert is happy he is massive. I think this is a truly brilliant book because of the way that everything is stacked and the tiny details that make everything become alive. I believe this is a great book for readers 3 and above. I would rate this book 10/10.
Louis
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a charming and well written book about a Bowerbird named Bert finding love through the ups and downs. I personally liked this book because of all the small details Catherine Rayner put in the illustrations, for example how the gnome and fairy changed their expressions, or on the gloomy page where Bert saw everything is lost, the fairy’s wand still remains. She added things people might not see at first glance, which I think is very clever. I also liked the colours and style of Catherine Rayner because it matches perfectly with the story. Not only that, but I absolutely adore the way that I felt what Burt felt throughout the story. Honestly, I was rooting for him all the way through. “No! Nanette’s just a haughty bird! You deserve much better!” I was jumping when Burt found his perfect wife; Jean. Overall, I think this book is for any age, but perhaps aimed more at younger children. An 8/10 for me! 😊
Maya M
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is about a small bird with a big heart who does many things on his quest to find love. As well as pinching a few things on his journey to get there. The Bowerbird is one of the most heartwarming stories I have ever read all the cold colours from when Bert found everything he scavenged gone blended in very well with the mood of how Bert felt. I would recommend this book to all people aged 8 years old and over and would give it an 8/10
Reya
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a touching story about a Bowerbird named Bert. This book follows Bert through his ups and downs looking for love. In my opinion this book is excellent. I really enjoyed this because it rhymed a lot and Bert was always getting more objects to give to Nanette so there is a lot of repetition. I liked how the colours changed as the emotion changed. I also like that Nanette looked very neat and tidy and Bert looked very scruffy signifying that Nanette was better than Bert. My favourite page was when Bert was flying through the jungle. I like that page because it has lots of different shapes and lots of shades of green. I would recommend this to ages 3-6 because it doesn’t have lots of words and you can tell the story just by looking at the illustrations. I would rate this a 9.5/10.
Nadia
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an interesting and entertaining book where Bert has to go through some serious steps on his journey to love. Bert has to find objects to make a girl fancy him but in the end all he needs is a strong heart. I find this book fascinating and impressive as the illustrations made by Catherine Rayner really reflected the emotions in the story especially when Bert is sad the illustrations show he is small in the page. I would recommend this book to people who are the age of 4 and over and rate this wonderful book 8/10 😃.
Victor
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an exquisite book about a bowerbird named Bert who uses all his energy trying to impress Nanette, but Nanette just wants more. My favourite part of the book was when Bert met Jean who was even more beautiful than Nanette. The background made it feel like they were made for each other. I would recommend this book to people aged 3 and above. A definite 5 stars for me!
Oliver S
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heartwarming story about a small bird called Bert looking for love. Bert has a tough time but I love how Bert just keeps going and keeps trying to impress Nanette. The illustrations were amazing because when Bert was hopeful and happy the background was a bright colour but when Bert was feeling sad and down the background was a darker shade of blue or green. I would recommend this to anyone who is 5+ and loves animals and birds in particular! I’d give this book a 8/10!😄
Jensen
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a very touching book about Bert and his quest for a wife, and the efforts he goes to, just to impress Nanette, who is never satisfied. I think that the watercolour twigs in the bower look really realistic, and I think that the way the birds are drawn, says that Nanette and Claude are larger and imposing to Bert. I also think that the way the fairy looks sad when Bert is too, but the fairy originally looked happy. I would recommend this cosy book to 5+ and I would rate it 9/10.
James
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an exquisite masterpiece about a Bowerbird called Bert who is on a quest to find his true love. Catherine Rayner had definitely captured Bert’s personality really well as he is small and determined and she has drawn him just like that. I really enjoyed reading this book because it is really engaging and energetic. I love how the background is semi-transparent so that all of the attention is on Bert, Nanette and Claude. This book is probably for ages 4+ and I rate this an 8.5/10 😀
Daniel
The Bowerbird
The Bower Bird is a heartwarming story about Bert and his search for true love. As I look around the pages of this book I see so much detail, yet the illustrator has cleverly drawn the pictures in a way that the focus is still on the main characters of the story. Around the story you can see that she left some visual easter eggs hidden in the pile of stuff he was going to give to Nanette. In my opinion this is an excellent book for everyone, of all ages. The Bower Bird is a visual and verbal treat. In my opinion 100/10 and is the best kids book I’ve seen in ages.
Jasper
The Bowerbird
This book tells the sweet and heartfelt tale of Bert the Bowerbird on his pursuit for true love. I found it very engaging, with all of the beautifully sketched illustrations and the tiny details that may go unnoticed to some. The facial expressions of the birds themselves, turning them almost human, to the little fairy from Bert’s pile of things smiling and frowning whilst the story’s mood changes adding a magical touch to the illustrations. I would recommend this book to ages 4+ as it is a simply worded poem that smaller children can understand too. But this book is for anyone who needs a book that feels like a warm blanket to calm them down.
Derin
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a sweet, touching book about a bird called Bert on his quest searching for love. The illustrations in this book are very quirky and cute with lovely watercolour backgrounds matching the mood of the scene. I love the style of messy brush strokes and the use of different painting tools that Catherine Rayner uses such as toothbrushes. Another thing that makes this book so great are the little details in the illustrations such as the faces on the objects that Bert collects and the humanlike details on the birds. For example, slumped shoulders when they are sad. This shows that Catherine Rayner put a lot of attention and effort into the illustrations. Overall I think that this is a very good book that I would highly recommend for children 7+. I would rate it 9/10 😊
Liberty
The Bowerbird
An overall wholesome book about Bert, a bowerbird on his quest for love. I love how the angel and the gnome have different emotions on different pages and the variety of colours. When I finished this book, it made me feel good inside and left me happy. Overall, this is the go-to book if you want a quick read full of emotions. This book, in my opinion, is for all ages. A solid 9/10.
Chelsea
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is an amazing book about a little bird called Bert and his journey across the road of love. In my point of view the book is illustrated really well and the birds almost look human with their eyes showing expressions and hunched shoulders. The play with colours after Bert becomes sad and the little details of the angels' face changing expression. The fact that Nanette is much larger than Bert almost as if they weren’t made for each other. This is an amazing book and I would recommend it as soon as you can read. I give this a 9/10.
Pedro
The Bowerbird
This touching and emotive book is about a Bowerbird called Bert. Bert has only one aim; to get a wife. Throughout the book he adds lovely objects to his bower to please the haughty Nanette. I love the fact that Bert and all the other characters seem to be nearly human with their little smiles and their feelings. It is amazing how Catherine Rayner has made us get into Berts shoes each time with the illustrations. It is a very clever idea to make Bert small compared to the whole page and to add darker and gloomier colours to send a message to the reader saying “this is a very sad occasion”. This book also gives you an insight into a Bowerbirds life. The rhymes also have their very good effects. In total, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to 3+. I will give ‘The Bowerbird’ a 8.5 out of 10.
Eleonore
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heartwarming book as Bert trys all he can to impress the bird of his dreams. The pictures really touched my heart as much as the words do. The rhyme gives the book a playful feeling as you accompany Bert through his adventure filled with ups and downs. It is also really fun to play along with Bert while he collects objects. The colours seem to play a big part in the story as Bert’s mood changes throughout the story and the different brush strokes make the birds look more like humans. I would recommend this book to 4+ and I would rate it a 7.5/10.
Tara
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heartwarming story that took me straight into the world of Bert the Bowerbird and his lovely little bower. The illustrations were so realistic and really lured me into this magical story. The brush strokes were so accurate and messy at the same time for Bert but Nannette’s design was neat and that made her look superior. I loved this story and recommend it to people 3 to 4+ because it teaches you about the world of the Bowerbird and how it builds its bower to lure in females. I would rate it a wonderful 10/10 because of the inspiring story and illustrations.
Annabelle
The Bowerbird
This book is an amazing and heartwarming story that follows the life of Bert the Bowerbird and his quest to find love. This book has beautiful illustrations as well as an interesting storyline. My favourite part of the book is when Jean stumbles upon Bert and is impressed by only the purple flower when Nanette wanted more and more. This story is exciting and moving and it really made me want to turn the page! I would recommend this book to anyone of the age of 4, but younger children might enjoy being read the book by someone else. I would personally rate this book 9/10.
Olly J
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a great and inspiring story about a small bird called Bert searching for love. Catherine Rayner did a wonderful job connecting the pictures to my imagination as I couldn’t stop looking at every picture and thinking what could happen next! I would definitely recommend this for all ages. A 9/10 for me.
Maxim
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heart warming story about a Bowerbird trying to find love. I love how Catherine Rayner use small marks of bright colours in every inch of the page. I also like the detailed little items on the page. I really like the page when he’s looking for the ring because of all the little details. A definite 8/10 and is 3+.
Benjamin
The Bowerbird
This wonderful and charming book is a delightful read with some extremely impressive illustrations. It’s about a little bowerbird called Bert who is trying to find love but has lots of obstacles in the way. This is a must have and definitely deserves its place in the Carnegies. I would rate this book a 7/10 and I think anyone of all ages could enjoy it.
Niam
The Bowerbird
I personally enjoyed this book. It is about a Bowerbird called Bert who is looking for love. He finds Nanette and gives her a pretty purple flower but that isn’t enough for her. The story ends with Bert finding another Bowerbird called Jean. They fall in love and it’s “happily ever after” ending. I would suggest this book for ages 5 - 8. The illustrations are wonderful and I love how CR uses different strokes for different things. An 9/10 from me.
Taicia
The Bowerbird
I really liked the Bower Bird because it is an very immersive story that pulls you in. It is about a bower bird called Bert who is on a frantic search for love. He collects lots of objects to give to another bird called Nanette but she refuses him at every turn. I believe this book is appropriate for all ages and I would give it an 8 out of 10.
Ada
The Bowerbird
The Bower Bird is a beautiful story about a charming little bowerbird called Bert on a challenging quest for love. I really enjoyed the exquisite rhyming, it's a really touching and inspirational story line. I loved all the little details and the vibrant colours really brought the illustrations to life. Overall, a wonderful story with astounding illustrations. Would recommend for all ages young and old. An 8/10 for me.
Angelica
The Bowerbird
The Bower Bird is an amazing book about a bird called Bert who is searching for love. I really like how Bert does not give up when Nanette says that his purple flower isn’t enough and goes to collect more valuable objects. I think Bert is very kind and friendly so the book is very fit for young children age 3 or 4-7. I would rate it 9/10.I really like how Catherine Rayner shows Bert’s expression with his mouth.
Iris
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a great book about a small bird called Bert who’s trying his hardest to impress Nanette, a bird Bert is desperate to marry. It’s illustrated by Catherine Rayner. Catherine Rayner must’ve put a lot of effort into drawing this because it’s incredibly detailed. I really enjoyed this story and I would give it a 8.5/10 . This is a funny, rhyming story for all ages.
Srishti
The Bowerbird
‘The Bowerbird’ is a heartwarming book about Bert - a bowerbird who is searching for love. At first, I thought this wouldn’t be the type of book I’d like - but when I read it I was proven completely wrong! The pictures have hidden clues that you need to spot; for example, when Claude tells Bert to go and find a golden ring, the doll’s face changed from a happy face to a frown. Catherine Rayner has done a spectacular job with the illustrations and the hidden clues. In my opinion, I would recommend this to younger children aged 4-6. I rate this book a 8.5/10!
Tulip
The Bowerbird
A stunningly illustrated book! A story about a bird trying to make another bird marry him but he has competition. Catherine Rayner uses lots of vibrant colours, different textures and brush strokes which show the effort that she has made for her illustrations. I also love the little details that she adds like having the angel in one page smiling and the other page frowning. I would think this book is aimed at children aged 4 and over and I would rate it 7.5/10.
Elodie
The Bowerbird
This charming and uplifting book is about a little bowerbird who is on an adventure to love. The vibrant colours and watercolour style makes it so attractive to read. The rhyming lyrics fit so well with the delightful illustrations, and in my opinion it is a wonderful book. I would recommend it to children who like animals of any ages. A 7.5/10 from me. ☺️
Eva
The Bowerbird
The Bowerbird is a heartwarming story about a bowerbird called Bert who is trying to find love. The illustrations are beautiful and are really eye catching and so CUTE!!! Overall, I think this is a great book. From my point of view, it is 8.5/10 and is age 3+.
Ben
The Bowerbird
This is a touching book about a bird called Bert searching for love. The illustrations are amazing because of the messy marks for Bert, but neat strokes for Nanette, indicating that Nanette is always perfectly groomed and is ‘superior’ to Bert. I like how the sticks and branches in the background are semi-transparent, so the focus is on Bert, Nanette and the objects Bert collected. This book is perfect for any age, and anyone who loves books about animals. 8.5/10 from me 😊
Maya K
James
EP