Children Don't Divorce; No More Bullying!
Digital version – browse, print or download
BfK Newsletter
Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!
Cover Story
This issue’s cover is from The Hutchinson Treasury of Children’s Poetry (cover illustration by Peter Weevers). Edited by Alison Sage (who also edited The Hutchinson Treasury of Children’s Literature), this sumptuous anthology is loosely divided into four sections corresponding to age starting with nursery rhymes and first poems through to poems for older children and classic poetry. Poems from such modern poets as Roger McGough, Ted Hughes, Wendy Cope and Maya Angelou sit alongside poems by Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, Shelley and Shakespeare. The anthology is illustrated in full colour and black and white. Newly commissioned illustrations from, for example, Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes and Nicola Bayley are included alongside illustrations by Randolph Caldecott, Jessie Willcox Smith and Kate Greenaway. With such a comprehensive range of poems for 2-11 year olds and upwards, this is a wonderful family book.
PDF
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
Children Don't Divorce
Illustrated by Nicola Spoor
No More Bullying!
Illustrated by Pat Ludlow
I reviewed these two picture books when they were first published in 1991 and used such adjectives as 'outstanding' and 'excellent'. There is no reason to revise that early opinion. It is rare to find books on these sensitive subjects that combine quality illustrations, good information and an interesting plot.
In Children Don't Divorce the two young children suffer from nightmares, bed wetting, trouble at school and the feeling that the split in their heretofore happy family may be their fault. The problem of new partners is also addressed. There is resolution along with the knowledge that things will never be the same.
In No More Bullying! a little girl suffers dreadfully from a particular child, who, because of her popularity, is able to carry the whole class along with her bullying tactics. When an older boy observes the class, he is able to help the little girl tell about the bullying and get help. The teachers handle the situation well once they know of the problem. Both books are realistic, and the illustrations in soft pastel are particularly attractive.
