Hello, I am The Red Sparrow! Do you like stories?



scroll down for news and updates

Sunday 13 December 2020

Three Classic Christmassy Books

This Festive Season, more than ever is about escapism and nostalgia! So, why not share the following classic tales with the children in your life (or your inner child) and bring some of that old magic back to the holidays?

'The Little White Horse' 
by Elizabeth Goudge 

This book was published in 1946 and won the Carnegie Medal for that year. It's set in the 1840s and remains an enchanting read. Maria Merryweather is orphaned at 13 and, accompanied by her governess Miss Heliotrope and her dog Wiggins, travels to Moonacre, the Cornish estate of her cousin Sir Benjamin Merryweather. Here she unravels magical mysteries and rescues Serena, a magical hare. 

click cover image to preview or purchase

We don't want to spoil things too much but, in case you haven't already guessed from the cover, the little white horse is, in fact, a Unicorn! Through her bravery and friendships, Maria ‘heals the land’ along with some old rifts. It was J.K Rowling’s favourite childhood book so why not discover what helped inspired her to write Harry Potter when she grew up?


'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'  
by C S Lewis

This may have been published seventy years ago but it’s still an enthralling read. Four children are evacuated during wartime to the country and discover a wonderful portal to another land which they must save from its ‘eternal winter but never Christmas’. Lucy’s meeting with Mr Tumnus the faun for the very first time is a great moment of literature and of course, the fact that the animals talk in Narnia is wonderful. 

click cover image to preview or purchase

Then there’s Aslan the lion, King of Narnia, who apparently came to C.S Lewis in a dream. Lewis dedicated the book to his god-daughter Lucy, and her namesake, the youngest of the children, is the true heroine of the story. Of course, there is a significant appearance by Father Christmas, too! The classic edition with the original illustrations by Pauline Banes was the most borrowed Library book at one point – and copies get handed down through generations. It has been continually reprinted and there are several handsome editions and omnibus collections. If you enjoy thie first trip to Narnia, you know there's more to explore in the follow-up sequels!

'The Fir Tree' in 'Tales of Moomin Valley' 
by Tove Jansson 

A Moomin tale first published 1962, this is a story with a different take on Christmas! The Moomins usually hibernate through the Winter and miss Christmas entirely, but on this occasion the Hemulin wakes them up and insists they get stressed about the fact that ‘Christmas is coming’just  like he does! Their misunderstanding about Christmas and its traditions is funny, charming and of course beautifully illustrated. 

click cover image to preview or purchase

The tale appears in this collection of classics. All the stories have a sophistication that means they can be appreciated by adult readers too. There's always a quirky sense of fun along with gentleness and warmth, even in the snowy Scandinavian landscape of Moomin Valley in winter. Truly timeless and magical.  

Please note: the click-through links will take you to an amazon page where you will have an option to read previews and reviews with options to purchase the books in suitable formats. If you do choose to purchase one of the books, please check the delivery date is still in time for the date required. The Red Sparrow Press will receive a small referral fee which doesn't cost you anything extra. (Thank you for your support!)

Saturday 15 August 2020

Octonauts Ahoy!

The Red Sparrow Recommends 

After the outdoor fun of summer, it’s just as much fun to sit and enjoy a good picture book with your little ones especially before bed time. It’s great to be able to relax away from a screen and this can lead to all sorts of interesting conversations!

It’s hard to find the time to sift through the bewildering choice to find good quality books for you and your younger kids to enjoy together, so we plan to post here are a selection we recommend (tried and tested by homeschooling parents) that you may not have already discovered which could appeal to you and yours!

Today's recommendations are for Toddlers and upwards:

THE OCTONAUTS

You may already know the animated series which is available on BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and Netflix but have you explored the array of picture books the series is based on?

The Octonauts are described as ‘Star Trek meets Hello Kitty’. Captain Barnacles Bear, Dashi Dog, Professor Inkling Octopus, Kwazi Kitten, Peso Penguin, Shellington Otter, and Tweak Rabbit explore the Oceans from their Octopod sea base, meeting many different sea creatures along the way. 

The picture books are written by Meomi – Vicky Wong and Michael Murphy – and although a slightly different feel from the TV versions the picture books are beautifully illustrated, so any young fans would sit down happily with you just to look at the marvellous detail in the pictures while you read the story. Some books have vertical illustrations, some are glow in the dark, and they are pleasure to look at for adults too! 

Most of the beautiful original editions are now hard to get hold of, but worth keeping an eye out for sellers offering them at good prices - or asking at your local library. 

The Octonauts and the Growing Goldfish is available to purchase as a paperback on Amazon UK, and whilst the larger format illustrations of the physical books are very inventive and encourage interaction, there's also a range available as e-books on Kindle.

Now, though, the Octonauts phenomenon has grown bigger than the books and the official Meomi website has more information and some lovely printable resources. 

Also, there are good online resources available on the CBeebies Octonauts website

There’s even an Octonauts corner on the  NOAA Office of Exploration and Research with facts about sea creatures and lovely illustrations to print out and colour! By the way, that's the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - yes, many of the creatures the Octonauts meet in the TV series (such as the Vampire Squid and Yeti Crab) are very real sea beasties!

A new full-length animated adventure, the Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actum, has just been released on Netflix, and premiers this weekend!

 Long may the Octonauts ‘Explore, Rescue, Protect’! 

Tuesday 24 March 2020

Make Books Your Thing This Spring


So, it's a good time to stay in and read a book...

read several books...
read together...
read to each other...
read to learn...
read to escape...
read and let your imagination soar!

You may not be able to travel, but you and your family can still go anywhere... in a good book!




For a limited time (during the national UK Schools Closure) you can read This part one for FREE on the Medium platform 

- we hope to add more free reading for you HERE...



We've just added our new shop-shelf - HERE - you'll find a choice of exciting, funny, fantastic, inspiring, adventure books where you can still go to a cafĂ© and have madcap adventures with dragons and talking fruit. Or you can help two brave young girls save an injured dog, solve the mystery of the missing standing stone, and explore a whole new world of fantasy and friendships... more than enough to enthral, entertain and even educate in these strange times

...you'll also find some content you can read for free!

Also, it's a good time to get outside and enjoy the freshness of the spring season with a fresh book... Remember to wrap-up warm, though, and find a nice quiet spot in a garden. Be sure to remain aware of Social Distancing if using a public outdoor space, and please enjoy your portion of the outdoors responsibly.

...become and aviator of the imagination this spring with The Red Sparrow!