Materials from England (UK)
When 12-year-old Yara finds a strange set of instructions left behind by her deceased mother, she starts on a journey to discover the truth about her mother’s past and her true identity.
The Kingdom Over the Sea is the WOW Recommends Book of the Month for January 2024.
This book is also featured in Season 2, Episode 3 of the WOW Reads podcast.
Hertle and Bertle were always a pair, though one was a turtle and one was a hare.
They were utterly buddies, and best friends forever, and whenever you looked, you would find them together… until quite unexpectedly… the end came. When Hertle disappears for good, Bertle can only see a Hertle-shaped hole where his friend should be. He pleads with it, get angry with it, but the hole still won’t bring his Hertle back. It seems like hope is lost… until Gerda the kindly bear finds him.
She explains that he must fill the hole with his memories of Hertle. And slowly… Bertle begins to feel a little bit better.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Amidst the antics of monkeys and the presence of lions and giraffes, a looming war casts a shadow over the once-bustling zoo. As visitors dwindle and fear pervades the air, most animals seek solace with their companions, leaving one baby elephant alone and vulnerable. Amidst the chaos of bombs and uncertainty, the elephant’s keeper remains a steadfast presence, offering comfort and companionship.
When the situation becomes untenable, the keeper makes a bold decision to bring the elephant home, forging an unbreakable bond between them. Despite the challenges of concealing such a large creature, their friendship endures, even when wartime pressures demand the elephant’s return to the zoo. Undeterred by separation, the keeper stands by her friend’s side, finding solace amidst the chaos of conflict.
Inspired by a poignant true story from the Belfast Zoo during World War II, this book resonates with the spirit of resilience and empathy, reminiscent of beloved tales like “The One and Only Ivan” and the acclaimed documentary “The Elephant Whisperer.”
Friend of Numbers tells the true story of Srinuvasa Ramanujan, who left his home of southern India in 1914 to study under the acclaimed mathematician G.H. Hardy at Cambridge University. Fascinated with numbers since he was a child, Ramanujan’s love of numbers and math keep him going despite the difficulties of adjusting to a place that is so different from home. Recognized as a genius during his time and our own, Ramanujan’s short but brilliant life is portrayed vividly in this picture book biography. The book includes back matter with an author’s note, a glossary of Ramanujan’s world, and mathematical content about number patterns and magic squares.
Flooded is the funny and beautifully illustrated tale of animals who live in a city that is ever so slowly flooding.
This book is part of the Worlds of Words Global Reading List for 2023/24.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XVII, Issue 4.
When a wooden robot prince forgets to say the magic words that turn his sister from a log into a princess she is thrown away, so he goes on an epic journey to find her and bring her back.
Have you ever wondered what’s happening in the world while you’re asleep in your bed? Bakers, firefighters, postal workers, doctors, nurses, wildlife and more! This is the perfect book for bedtime, opening up a whole world of wonder and imagination for children. Have you ever wondered what’s happening in the world while you’re asleep in your bed? There’s a whole world of activity out there, from bakers preparing bread and cakes for your table and firefighters waiting patiently for a call, to hospitals helping people have babies and caring for those who are ill. There are lorry drivers making deliveries of food, flowers, toys and more, and postal workers sorting the mail for your morning delivery. There’s also wildlife such as foxes foraging, bats flying, and owls hunting for prey. And then around the world there are children who are playing, learning, eating and reading while you’re tucked up fast asleep. This is the perfect book for bedtime, opening up a whole world of wonder and imagination for children, and providing food for the imagination if they wake in those early hours.
Life affirming and lyrical, this beautiful picture book celebrates the awesome power of nature and the circle of life. Over the course of a year, a young child and their dog watch kingfishers by the river with Grandpa. As spring turns to summer and autumn to winter, the kingfishers raise a family, while Grandpa teaches his grandchild about the power of nature and the circle of life.
Set in 1880s London, a 13 year old boy has an encounter with ‘the last wolf in England’ which changes the course of his life.
A big sister anticipates the birth of a new sibling in this warm and funny stage by stage picture book tour of all the sizes of a growing baby, from teeny tiny poppy seed to giant watermelon.It’s hard to wait for an exciting new baby to join the family, especially when it’s still growing inside Mom’s tummy. But when her dad tells her the size of the baby at each stage, one little girl imagines all the fun she can have with her baby brother as a teeny tiny poppy seed, then a grape, then a lemon.But she’s not quite sure how she feels about having an avocado for a brother. Or an onion. Or a watermelon!