Wren and Rook, ISBN 9781526360649 £12.99
The lives of whales have proved fascinating for young people for as long as I can remember and the subject has also been a staple of the curriculum. This new title is a welcome addition to the books on the subject and is aimed at KS1. The book covers the whole of the whale family, including species that we do not always associate with them. Although it has very simple text and it is limited to a few paragraphs per page, it is well written and the information is accurate.
The book is well laid out and very accessible with a clear contents page, chapters and a good index for searching. Each chapter is given a full double page spread and the illustrations fill the space. The book itself is large format being 320mm x 250mm, but this allows for larger text size and plenty of room for those wonderful illustrations. This work follows the growing popularity of illustration that could be described as ‘retro’ because of its 1950s feel and a sense of lino print or block printing. This is definitely a strong contender for use in the classroom, especially as it can be used across a wide ability range. Age range KS1
Margaret Pemberton