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What to Read After... Isadora Moon 28/03/25
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Using fiction to smash stereotypes 21/03/25
What the Jackdaw Saw
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
An excited Jackdaw is just desperate to tell everyone about his birthday party. So he flies over land and sea, city and forest, inviting all the animals to come. However, one after another, various creatures respond by simply touching their heads. Whatever are they doing?
What the distracted jackdaw has failed to realise is that is he flying towards a violent thunderstorm - and he's soon engulfed by a huge black cloud; leaving his feathers decidedly ruffled. It's only when he complains to a helpful owl that no one had warned him, that the jackdaw is finally enlightened - the animals had been signing the word for 'danger'.
This ingenious tale is brought to life by Julia's energetic rhyming text and Nick Sharratt's delightfully inclusive cast of characters, dancing, prancing, strumming and swinging their way across the pages. Whilst What the Jackdaw Saw will of course be welcomed by all those who use sign language, this is very definitely a book for all children. Its highly entertaining story combined with a powerful universal message about effective communication is relevant and appealing to all.
The book is enhanced still further by the inclusion of some British Sign language at the end, enabling any child to try signing key words from the story for themselves.
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Deaf Awareness Week
This booklist includes books that feature deafness as a key theme, books with a deaf protagonist, and books that happen to include children with hearing aids and cochlear implants, in a subtle and natural way.
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Julia Donaldson Books
Best known for The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson has written over 120 books and plays for children and teenagers, including some of the UK's best-selling picture books.