Best Test by Pippa Goodhart illustrated by Anna Doherty

Bird finds a delicious huge strawberry. Frog would like to eat it and so would shrew so they decide to hold a competition and the winner will win the strawberry.  The competition is constructed around the talents of each competitor. Frog can jump and make silly faces; rat is a great runner; bird can reach high; mouse is skilled with colouring in and squirrel enjoys guessing the contents of bags (especially if they contain acorns). Shew decides to be the referee and she designs the race course. Are you ready? Are you steady? Go! It is wonderful to see how the animal friends actually help each other through the race. Squirrel helps bird guess what's in the bag by offering a hint; rat helps squirrel with the colouring test.

"I declare you to ALL be the best!' laughed Shrew." Now they can all enjoy that strawberry - or can they? The final twist will give you and your young reading companion a huge smile. I highly recommend this book as a perfect addition to a Primary school or Preschool library. The end papers are terrific showing all the animal friends making funny faces. You will see they are filled with photo selfies.

You can find some activities and a poster on the Tiny Owl web page. The trailer is fun too.

Of course this book will remind you of The Little Mouse, the Ripe red Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear.

This is the second book in a series by Pippa Goodhart and Anna Doherty on the theme of celebrating our talents.

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

On first glance this looks like a simple short junior novel. It is in fact none of those things.  This is the story of little Willy who lives with his grandfather in the wilds of America in the mid nineteenth century.  Life on the potato farm is complex and huge debts have been accrued with the tax office   Willy's granddad does not know what to do and so he simply shuts down. He takes to his bed unable to move or speak.

Willy owns a very special dog called Searchlight. "Searchlight was a big black dog.  She had a white spot on her forehead the size of a silver dollar.  She was an old dog - actually born on the same day as little Willy, which was over ten years ago."

When his grand father will not get out of bed or respond to his surroundings, Willy calls the doctor.  It is clear something is deeply troubling the old man but the doctor says that while there is nothing wrong with him physically until they can find out the real worry he may just waste away. Willy is determined to keep the farm going including harvesting the potato crop. He does this with the help of Searchlight.  Then he sees a poster in town advertising a dog race.  The prize is five hundred dollars - enough to clear all the debt but Willy will be up against a serious rival an Indian man called Stone Fox.

This year I thought I would re-read some favourite or memorable books.  I am so glad I picked up Stone Fox.  This is a powerful story of love and loyalty and the final scenes of the dog race will linger with you long after you have closed the cover.

Here is a set of teaching notes.  Here is a moving trailer.