Wild is a deceptively simple narrative with a patterned structure, which makes it accessible for children in year 1. However, it has the potential to introduce complex, philosophical discussion around the themes of freedom, nature, education and civilisation.
Blue John is a story inspired by the limestone caves in the Peak District close to where Berlie lives. It is a classically told story about a child fashioned out of fire and ice by the Queen of Darkness, who wants the child to keep her company forever in her dark underground world. The story tells how Blue John encounters the overworld and its inhabitants and longs to be with them.
Enter the incredible world of plants to learn about the green machines of the natural world. Using just the sun’s rays, trees and flowers help create everything from rubber to honey. Find out the powerful science going on in every leaf, petal and stem with vibrant illustrations that will make you look at plants in a new way.
Levi Pinfold’s stylised realistic and detailed paintings provide lots of opportunities for discussion. Set in Australia in the mid-twentieth century, the atmosphere evokes the frontier stories of the American midwest. Like David Grant’s iconic painting, American Gothic, Pinfold’s characters, a farmer and his wife, (the Barleycorns) are depicted against the backdrop of their outback farmhouse, inviting connections with Grant’s painting and the many meanings that have been attributed to it.