Ever since becoming aware of Barrington Stoke’s fantastic titles they publish primarily for the benefit of dyslexic readers, of all ages and reading stages, I have come to really appreciate the invaluable resources they provide as we look to offer reading for pleasure opportunities to all children. Printed on yellow paper, as required for dyslexic readers, the quality of content in each and every book printed and published by Barrington Stoke is utterly brilliant. The books are written by popular authors, and illustrated to such a high standard by some of the most incredible illustrators, and most importantly to children they look just like the books being picked and read by friends and classmates, which is something I know means so much to the children who pick these books as they do not want to be perceived differently as a result of looking for and choosing books that cater for their dyslexia. During my years as a primary school librarian I saw first hand how much loved the titles from this publishers were, and the enjoyment the readers had as a result. Their motto of ‘Every child can be a reader’ is evident in each title they have, and continue to, publish.
In this blog I am sharing two incredibly powerful new titles from Barrington Stoke, in the latest part of an ongoing series of blogs I will be writing on their books. You can view the previous post here.
Porky Pies by Ross Montgomery
- For readers aged 5-7 years
- 88 pages
In this Three Little Pigs meets The Boy that Cried Wolf story we get to meet Porky the Pig, and his siblings, and readers are immediately thrust into a prank that Porky is pulling on the others. It seems Porky has a history of doing them to his siblings, and every single time he references the return of the Big Bad Wolf, and successfully scares everyone, only to reveal it was a prank with a “GOTCHA” moment. As a result of these seemingly frequent misdemeanours Porky has been warned that the next time he starts yelling and panicking about the Big Bad Wolf there will not be anyone believing a word he says.
So when Porky has just finished a funny prank and heads off intent on the very next one, he heads to the nearby Woods, knowing they will all be heading there for a picnic soon, and planning a picnic prank! He comes across a cave and heads inside knowing it would be useful in his ongoing plan, and there he happens upon someone’s belongings, and realises this is where the Big Bad Wolf lives, and not only that, his plans to attack the Pigs are laid out on his desk in the cave corner. The Wolf has been thwarted until now because the Pigs live in a brick house, but the image in front of Porky shows that Wolf is intent on blowing up the Pigs house! Porky knows he has to warn his siblings, but they already warned him, next time he tries to warn them they wont believe him, with his history of telling fibs and scaring them preventing them from believing him any longer.
Porky rushes back and warns of the impending explosive plans the Wolf has in mind for them, but true to their word his family do not believe him. He takes it upon himself to stop the Wolf and save his loved ones, but can Porky save the day alone? Lets just say he shows a lot of courage in trying, and literally stares danger in the face in doing so, but the holes in his bucket do not help him when he fetches water to throw over the lit fuse of the bomb, which is directly under the Pigs house, at the end of a tunnel, exactly like the Wolf planned. Will Porky realise the error of his ways, and how his behaviour before now has led to him being scared and alone, well his siblings sure do make sure he realises, and the conclusion of this laugh out loud adventure with hints of traditional tales to it makes us appreciate the table being turned on Porky by his siblings, ensuring he no longer focuses on pranks, and realises the impact.
The book features beautiful illustrations throughout, that tie the story together so perfectly, and ensure readers can envisage the unfolding drama and fun. I particularly love the individual portrait of a respective sibling that frequents the bottom of the page, and being full colour palette illustrations will definitely have plenty of appeal to the intended young readers.
The Missing Bunny by Holly Webb
- For readers age 5-8 years
- 96 pages
Annie is super excited to welcome rabbits to her family, but she needs to understand how much is involved in looking after them, and to help with all the preparation before they can even consider collecting the rabbits she will be getting. Eager to speed up the process and get to the part where her pets are home with her, Annie helps with building the rabbits cage, and their run for the garden too. The skills she applies through helping her dad and being taught them is adorable to see, and Annie adds her own final details to the new home for the bunnies, naming it bunny bungalow. I loved this part in the story because it made it personal to Annie, and not just another generic rabbit hutch, though Annie sees it as a palace with all the ramps, space, and cosy bed area, and I agree!
The day arrives and they head off to collect the bunnies, with naming the pair being the newest problem for Annie. After conferring with her parents it is decided that the black and white striped rabbit will be Humbug, and the golden one will be Toffee. Just like that Humbug and Toffee are home where they belong with Annie and her family. They settle in well, and delight in the yummy treats given to them, and settling down to sleep. The next morning when Annie is late getting up for school, reluctant to leave her cosy bed, she rushes around finding things she needs for school, eating her breakfast, and then finally feeding the rabbits before rushing off to school. In her hurry though she left the door to the hutch open!
What follows is Humbug venturing out of the hutch, leaving her sister to continue sleeping, and going through the garage exploring for things to nibble on. Boxes seem to be a favourite, and don’t we all have plenty of those in our garages! When Mum returns from the school run she opens up the garage to grab a ladder, looking to clear the leaves from the gutter, and subsequently gives Humbug even more space to explore – the garden. There is much to excite and interest the sneaky bunny outdoors, and she even considers going beyond the garden gate, but is startled by the loud noises of traffic passing by, and hides under a rose bush in Annie’s front garden, burrowing down to sleep off the adventure so far. By now Annie has returned from school, and she is eager to go feed a snack to the bunnies, only to find the door has been left open…by her that very morning!
Panic sets in, and Annie defers the situation to her mum who soothes Annie’s guilt and worries, and they set about looking for Humbug. They search the garage, and then outside including down their street as Mum recalls entering the garage earlier in the day. They have no luck finding the missing bunny, and have to sort tea and bedtime for Annie’s little sister. Annie decides to head out into the dusky front garden with her Mum’s torch in hand, and after spotting a fox, that she feared might make an appearance, she then succeeds in finding Humbug, and they head back inside safely. This is such a beautiful ending to the story, and one that leaves you feeling a warm glow. It is evident long before the bunnies join the family that Annie loves them with all her heart, and that continues to be apparent through the entire story, with the reunion at the end feeling very fitting.
Holly Webb is incredible at writing animal themed stories that are full of warmth, and love, and this book is another example of her natural talent for giving both a person and an animals perspective in a story with such conviction, and there is always a real quality to her books. This one is beautifully illustrated in full colour, depicting the beautiful bunnies and their antics, along with Annie and her family, and the coming together of them both.
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