Tag: picture-book

Picture Book Review: Mr Darwin’s Tortoise written by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Chiara Fedele

Mr Darwin’s Tortoise is a stunning hardback picture book which introduces young readers to naturalist, geologist and biologist Charles Darwin as he travels around the world aboard The Beagle with this story focussing on his exploration of the Galápagos Islands through a fictional encounter with a young boy with an enquiring mind akin to Darwin’s own.

A young boy, Antonio, lives on the Galápagos Islands. He enjoys exploring the island and has a natural curiosity about the wonderfully diverse environment that surrounds him, including the wildlife that lives there. Eager to learn, he is full of questions about the island which his parents try to satisfy.

One day, as he is waiting for tortoise eggs to hatch, he meets a stranger who is just as keen to ask questions as Antonio. When Mr Darwin reveals that he is interested in everything, Antonio offers to show him around the island, a home that he clearly feels proud to live on. As they explore the island, they watch giant tortoises and lizards. In return for showing him the island, Mr Darwin invites Antonio aboard his ship, The Beagle, where he shares with him the items he has collected on his travels including fossils and beetles. When it is time for Darwin to leave, Antonia gives him a special and precious gift.

This book is perfect to share with younger children in Key Stage 1, as it has a warm and informative tone, but would also be a great introduction to Darwin’s theory of evolution for older children in Key Stage 2.

I loved that this book celebrates the importance of asking questions in order to learn new things, and loved how eager Antonio is to learn more about the wildlife of the island where he lives as well as sharing his knowledge with Darwin. I can absolutely imagine readers wanting to find out more both about the natural wonders of the islands as well as Darwin’s theory of evolution after enjoying this story.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous – bright and vibrant – and celebrate the diversity and beauty of the Galápagos Islands perfectly. The book also includes a stunning double page spread of illustrations of some of the flora and fauna which live on the islands. Together with the story, these will encourage awe and wonder, and an inquisitiveness to learn more, in young readers.


An absolutely stunning picture book for young readers of 5+ celebrating the awe and wonder of the natural world and encouraging them to become explorers of a wonderfully diverse environment.

Thank you to Laura Smythe PR and Zephyr Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Picture Book Review: Yours, Befana: A Letter from the Winter Witch

Written by Barbara Cuoghi
Translated by Genni Gunn
Illustrated by Elenia Beretts
Published by Greystone Kids

Yours, Befana:  A Letter from the Winter Witch is a stunning, hardcover picture book, translated from Italian, which will make a cherished story to be shared and enjoyed during the winter holidays. 

La Befana, the winter witch, flies on her broom from Forever and Beyond to visit children on the twelfth night after Christmas, heralding the end of the Christmas magic and the return to daily life.

This wonderfully magical story is written in free verse as a letter from Befana which makes it feel both personal and special as it directly addresses the reader, sharing secrets – and giving both advice – and warnings.  Befana shares a secret: that those she visits have no hope of catching a glimpse of her as she has taken a potion that makes her invisible.  When she visits, she both advises and warns that she will either leave a gift of food or coal, depending on how children have behaved throughout the year, as she is both benevolent and fearsome. 

Whilst Befana dresses warmly for her winter visits, she is also a portent of Spring awakening and a new beginning and leaves the reader with a heartwarming message of love and hope.

This stunning book is beautifully illustrated in gouache with the addition of fluorescent orange acrylic.  I loved looking at the detailed illustrations which encapsulate winter so perfectly with the busyness and cosiness of life indoors and the wonderful winter activities to be enjoyed in the snowy outdoors. I also loved the animal illustrations throughout, both domestic and wild.   And, of course, the images of Befana as she flies through the night with her bright orange sack and boots, leaving magic in the air, are simply stunning.

Befana is part of Italian folklore which is likely to be unfamiliar to children in the UK so the addition of a section entitled ‘A Few Secrets About Me’ at the end of the story is a really helpful addition as it shares both information about Befana and other winter-witches. 

This gorgeously enchanting hardback book will make a fantastic read for older children to enjoy on their own, or for younger readers to return to again and again with an adult during the winter holiday season. 

Thank you to Catherine Ward and Greystone Kids for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.