The Promise

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Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals are Big and Little Animals are Little (2009) Illustrated by Neil Layton, awarded 2021 Mathical Honors [5] The Little Mistake (2018) with illustrations by Cathy Fisher, published by Graffeg - part of the Country Tales series Nicola Davies gives unique insight into the making of children’s environmental book, The Promise , and its journey from print to a new BBC film set for release in October. One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth (2021) Illustrated by Jenni Desmond, published by Walker Books *Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2022

Promises run both ways, both making and keeping, so part of The Promise impact campaign will encourage people to ask political leaders to keep their promises on climate change and the environment: I Promise, Promise Me. The Elephant Road (2013) with illustration by Annabel Wright, published by Walker Books (Heroes of the Wild series) Choose Love (2022) Illustrated by Petr Horácek, published by Graffeg *Highly Commended in the CLiPPA 2023 [6] But this is where I needed to remember my own words, written in the voice of the acorn planting heroine of The Promise: This reflection also inspires pupils to transfer their newly acquired awareness and knowledge from inside the classroom to informed involvement with the world outside the classroom. Part D: Extra activities

Part C comprises 5 key-steps and pupils are invited to participate by responding to questions with their own personal interpretations and opinions. This is a lovely picture book which highlights the joy that spreading kindness can bring to an individual. The story begins in a mean and cruel city with no plant life, miserable people and lots of unhappiness. However, after a chance encounter with a stranger the main protagonist, who had previously been described as mean and cruel just like the city she grew up in, begins to see a change within herself. She steals what she believes to be a bag of food from an old lady in an alley but it turns out to be a bag of acorns. Having made a promise to the lady, the girl begins planting seeds around the city. Soon, the streets become vibrant with trees and wildlife and the people themselves begin to change too. The girls travels around local areas planting seeds and spreading joy until one day the bag of acorns is stolen from her. She makes the thief make the same promise she did before handing over the bag, therefore continuing the cycle. Picture books are an extraordinary and underrated art form, they can deliver the biggest messages, across all boundaries of age, gender, and culture. When I began to write and be published I always said I would rather write a picture book beloved of a generation than win the Booker. That’s still true and although I haven’t got a Gruffalo or a Guess How Much I love You to my name I do have The Promise. Pretend Cows (2020) with illustrations by Cathy Fisher, published by Graffeg - part of the Country Tales series

Part B provides lesson information about age/level suitability, lesson objectives, cross-curricular links and links to children’s rights and world-event days. Carlin’s illustration is simultaneously sophisticated and childlike. In fact, for Carlin, there’s nothing simple about childhood and patronising young readers with images that leave no room for individual response or interpretation is not what we would expect from her. Notice how with minimal detail she conveys mood, action and relationships in these character vignettes. She travels to other cities and does the same thing, until one night, she too is fought by a thief for her bag of acorns, and she smiled and made the bargain, knowing it would change a heart.Survivors: The Toughest Creatures on Earth (2016) Illustrated by Neal Layton, published by Walker Books A great book for the primary classroom, especially where there is plenty of opportunity for discussion. The Promise (2013) Illustrated by Laura Carlin. Winner of the 2014 English Association Picture Book award for best fiction. The Dog That Saved Christmas (2018) with illustrations by Mike Byrne, published by Barrington Stoke

Butterflies for Grandpa Joe (2019) Illustrated by Mike Byrne, published by Barrington Stoke *Shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year 2020 Welcome to Silver Street Farm (2011) with illustrations by Katharine McEwen, published by Walker Books The problems we face with the aftermath of COVID, social inequality and climate change, are so many, so varied and so huge. To solve them we are going to have to be more creative than we have ever been. Stories and the imaginative thinking they foster have an important role to play there. But perhaps the most important job that stories can do is to show us the simple difference between right and wrong. Stories can show the one change we need to make from which all others flow, so that mending our planet and changing the world can seem as simple as planting an acorn. Discussion: There is a lot that doesn’t quite make sense in this story. For example, big oaks do not spring up overnight from little acorns. Nor can trees and flowers, as nice as they are, necessarily change hearts. A small child might not even buy this story if presented as a fable or parable. But the illustrations by Laura Carlin are definitely notable. Using watercolor, pastel, and crayon, she shows how the world is transformed from drab and lifeless to vibrant glorious color.

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The Animation is also subtitled into the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Ukranian, Vietnamese and Welsh.