A Visit to City Farm

A Visit to City Farm

by Verna Wilkins
illustrated by Karin Litlewood

Ref: 14347

What a special book! New publisher, Firetree Books, joined forces with pupils and teachers at Chalkhill Primary School (N. West London) to create this wonderfully UK-specific, thoroughly relatable story of a group of children and teachers out on a city farm trip. Littlewood's warm, sweeping illustrations take in alpacas, pheasants, lambs, ponies and great big slumbering pigs. There are little bursts of rhymes, perfect for children to join in with -"Cows mooing, Llamas chewing"-; a fact box sorts out those tricky differences between lambs, ewes and rams; the comical narrative perfectly captures the organised chaos and energy of a school day trip. 85% of the pupils at Chalkhill Primary have English as an additional language; the rich multicultural makeup of this school has been translated seamlessly into this book, so it's no wonder that the finished product has, in the words of the school's head, helped "develop a strong sense of identity and belonging". The creation of this book and the final, high quality finish is diversity in action. Firetree Book don't just talk, they really are in the business of enabling children to see themselves through fabulous stories. Age 4-7, Paperback 29pp

Price: £6.99