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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Larry, Bush Pilot in Books

Mar 18, 2021  
Larry, Bush Pilot
Larry, Bush Pilot
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, Lawrence Mierek | 2020 | Children
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jordan Mierek, also known as Jordan Elizabeth, usually writes for young adults, but after many requests, she has published her first children's book. Larry, Bush Pilot is a collaborative effort between Mierek and her father, Lawrence Mierek, who grew up on a dairy farm. Larry, a ten-year-old boy, also lives on a farm during the 1970s with his father, who owns an aeroplane. Despite his age, Larry's father taught him to fly, which came in handy when his father suffered an accident in the middle of nowhere.

This short story loosely reflects Lawrence Mierek's childhood. As a teenager, his father taught him to fly a plane on the airstrip behind their barn. The narrative is likely an imagined scenario, placing a young boy in a precarious situation, which many children would not have the means to solve. Only through extreme determination and courage is Larry able to rescue his father.

Larry, Bush Pilot is a short story intended for primary school children. The few illustrations between chapters make it an appropriate step between picture books and teenage novels. Larry's life on the farm allows modern children to learn about the world before digital technology and the importance of a family working together. The story also tells the reader that if they believe in themselves and their abilities, they can achieve great things.

Jordan Mierek has stepped into the world of children's literature and proved that she is more than capable of writing for several age groups. Larry, Bush Pilot is the first in a series called Flying Acres, and we look forward to joining Larry on his next adventure.
  
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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated What Happened to Daddy's Body?: Explaining what happens after death in words very young children can understand in Books

Jun 18, 2018  
WH
What Happened to Daddy's Body?: Explaining what happens after death in words very young children can understand
Elke Barber | 2016
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What Happened to Daddy's Body? by Elke Barber, Alex Barber is a children's nonfiction book about death of a loved one. It talks about cremation and burial. It is a simple and easy to understand, which makes it great for kids who have experienced death of a family member or loved one.

The main character is Alex who is 4 years old and lives with his sister and mother. His father has died and Alex wonders what happened to his father's physical body. His mother explains after his father died he was put into a coffin and was cremated. I liked how the writers broke the story down and explained cremation in a way a 4 year old would understand death and what happens after death.

I was not a fan of the artwork, which I felt took away from the story. A little issue I had with the story was that there was a step-family introduced so quickly to the end of the story. I did not see how it fit in with the timeline and the story. The issue of a new parent and siblings seems a bit too much overload on a child when they are trying to get over one hurdle and not increase anxiety. I would have saved John and his five kids for a later books on step-families.

I give this book 3/4 stars.

I received this book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
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ClareR (5885 KP) rated New Boy in Books

Jul 16, 2018  
New Boy
New Boy
Tracy Chevalier | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An intriguing retelling.
A modern reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello, this sees a Ghanaian diplomats son, Osei, on his first day at a new school in an American suburb of Washington DC in the 1970's. Dee quickly befriends him, and Ian decides that he doesn't like this. He decides to undermine this friendship and dispose of O. Yes, racism comes in to play here. Both the learnt racism of the children (from their parents), and that of the teachers.
This is all squeezed in to a very Shakespearian time frame of a day: we all know that in a Shakespearian play, people fall in and out of love, get marries and murder one another within 24 hours. For this reason, I can forgive the more mature behaviour and plotting of the 11 year old children. It seems unlikely to me as a mother of an 11 year old, that real 11 year olds would necessarily behave in this way; but this is literature and an author can bend their story and their characters to however they want them to behave. The changeability of the children's affections ARE more realistic, however.
I think this would probably be a great book for students to read at school before they access the original Othello. It would have made a great 'compare and contrast' exercise for me when I studied Othello (many years ago!).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is a real 'heart in mouth' moment!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my copy of this book.