Stories of Peace and Kindness: For a Better World
Elizabeth Laird and Mehrdokht Amini
Otter-Barry Books, hardback £16.99
Will two tribes in Ethiopia make peace by throwing their most precious possessions in the river?
Can a poor Palestinian shepherd show a rich sultan the value of true kindness? And will an angel in Afghanistan find a way to turn the selfish Emir into a caring ruler? These are the questions posed in three of the seven uplifting fables originating from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, Palestine, Yemen, and a rare Uighur story from China.
Author, Elizabeth Laird, is a Scottish author who has spent many years collecting folktales from all over the world, setting up a project with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and the British Council to preserve folktales from all over Ethiopia, and has collected here, a series of folklore fables containing themes of hope and reconciliation, all coming from countries with recent experience of war or conflict. This is a really beautifully written and illustrated book with a traditional children’s picture book feel to it, even though each fable’s theme is contemporary.
The importance of being kind to others and peace and kindness really does shine through these tales which are very similar in style and content to Aesop’s fables.
Best suited to children who are able to sit and concentrate to a slightly longer story, you could use this book to accompany many understanding the world activities, or as part of PSED when looking at themes such as friendship, forgiveness, and the importance of resolution without aggression. And, the mixed media style illustrations, being both drawn and collage, are a lovely inspiration for many collage-style art projects.
How Many Ways Can You Cook an Egg?
Lizzie Mabbott and Charlotte Dumortier
Big Picture Press, hardback 16.99
This big, jam-packed book covers a lot. From shopping to chopping, award-winning food writer, Lizzie Mabbott, has crammed her book with all things food. Learn how to make dumplings, apple turnovers, spiced fish fingers and lots of other delicious sounding dishes from around the world. The illustrations here are lots of fun, with everything from popcorn to marrowfat peas brought to life with a cheeky face. I’m the first to admit that I’m no cook, but this book, with all the little tips and tit-bits of knowledge spread about, does inspire you to have a go. There’s not a lot in the way of vegetarian content here though – let alone vegan, but anyone following these diets should be able to find ways round this without too much trouble. 
Apart from actually using this book as a child-friendly recipe guide to accompany cooking activities, this is a book that could be used to introduce lots of new vocabulary, such as sauerkraut, fermenting, polenta, and menemen.
There are also tips here on sourcing fresh ingredients, perfecting your slicing, health and safety and different cooking techniques – I learnt a lot!
How Many Ways Can You Cook an Egg? Is a really good first cook book for introducing the skills associated with following a recipe, and which presents cooking as both interesting and fun.
The Roar
Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar
Faber
Paperback £6.99
‘There were so many things that Tortoise wanted to do.
So many games to play and rocks to climb.
Oops. Tortoise was stuck.
Being stuck made Tortoise cross’.
Tortoise is not having a good day and now he’s stuck upside down and far too cross for hugs. Hedgehog sits and waits, and then makes Tortoise laugh – taking the time to let the moment pass and acknowledging how Tortoise feels.
Books illustrated by Polly Dunbar are always a joy, and this one is just gorgeous. Children love to see others misbehaving, and this touching story of misunderstood toddler outbursts could make a good antidote to those times when emotions take on a life of their own. 
The Roar is part of the best-selling Hedgehog and Friends series, with each title providing gentle reassurance to young children when dealing with their emotions, including the bestselling and heart-warming lock-down picture book, While We Can’t Hug, written to explain ways children can be affectionate to others while social distancing, with The Longer the Wait, the Bigger the Hug, telling the story of Hedgehog waiting for Tortoise to awake from hibernation so he can once again give his best friend a hug, making a good introduction to the subject of hibernation, or animals in winter.
The Best Bear Tracker
John Condon and Julia Christians
Templar books
£7.99
The best bear tracker in the world is on the lookout! But can she find a bear?
This is a genuinely funny picture book telling the story of a little girl’s quest to track down a bear. It turns out there are ten important steps you must follow if you’re to be successful, but, although the rules are very clear, maybe our heroine isn’t quite as good at tracking bears as she thinks she is! 
Full of quirky charm, young readers will find lots to laugh at here. I read this book with a group of pre-schoolers who absolutely loved it. Children were calling out in excitement every time they spotted a bear – which the bear hunter can never spot, being oblivious to them following her through the forest, and the twist ending came as a real surprise. As soon as I finished reading the book, I was begged to read it again. And again.
This is a great sharing book, especially with a smallish group who can all help spot the bears, which is made even more exciting due to Julia Christians’ energetic and expressive comic style illustrations. A great book to accompany a teddy bears picnic, or maybe you could have a bear hunt of your own.
What Do You See When You Look At A Tree?
Emma Carlisle
Big Picture Press
Hardback £12.99
‘What do you see when you look at a tree?
Leaves and twigs and branches?
Or do you see a living thing
That moves and breathes and dances?’
As seen through the eyes of a child, this beautifully written and illustrated, award-winning book, looks at the lives of trees in all their diverse glory, encouraging us to consider our special relationship with both trees and the wider natural world.
The gentle rhyming text and evocative matt illustrations take us through an exploration of the beauty that we may miss at first sight, encouraging us to look a little closer and spend a bit longer in the presence of trees.
The simple story follows a little girl as she interacts with the natural environment, including snapshots of her with family members under the shade of trees, which ultimately leads us full circle, to a final picture of her as an adult together with her own family under the same tree she sits under as a child.
The back of the book has a great section containing information about the ‘wood world web’ which explains how trees communicate with each other through their root systems, and the information on ‘How to be more like a tree’, which contains tree inspired advice on for example, spreading your roots and working as a community, could be used as an inspiring addition to PSED activities.
Created in association with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Emma Carlisle’s lovely picture book is sure to get everyone thinking about nature in a new way while encouraging us all to re-explore our connection to, and relationship with, the natural world.
