So thrilled to join the book tour of A Day In The Life, perfect for children aged 8-12, published on 30th September 2021.
SYNOPSIS:
A colourful and comical tour through history from cartoonists Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley.
The hilarious minds behind A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You have teamed up once again - this time to give a taste of the daily lives of the people, animals and objects who made history.
Featuring a day in the life of early humans as they paint mammoths on the walls of a cave, a fierce gladiator battling in the Colosseum and the first woman in space. And not forgetting the animals of history - from an Egyptian cat (worshipped as a god, of course) to an albatross flying over Rapa Nui and a dog in the trenches of the First World War.
Readers can also discover the stories behind famous constructions, including the Great Wall of China and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and delve into the secret diaries of a Viking, Isaac Newton's cat and the wooden panel that became the Mona Lisa.
With over 90 entries told in the friendly, informative style of Mike Barfield and brought to life by Jess Bradley's brilliantly funny illustrations, this book will have children learning and laughing as they go.
MY THOUGHTS:
What a cool non-fiction book for children. The glossy, cartoon illustrations are not only fun and humorous but are bright, colourful and very inviting. There is a great mix of illustrations and text which will appeal to less confident readers and younger children too.
The book is divided into sections: Ancient History, The Middle Ages, and The Modern Age and cover everything from Egyptian Pharaoh to Smartphone. There is a double spread page at the beginning with a map of the world, which I know children will adore poring over. The book has different text types too which adds another dimension to the book: A Day In The Life comic strips, Bigger Picture pages which provide extra information on the subject, Secret Diaries that give you some inside knowledge and lastly Newsflashes to inform the reader of what else was going on in the world at that time.
This book is very informative but is done in such a fun way that I can see this being a firm favourite in our class. There are plenty of hilarious sections, like 'The Secret Diary of a Woolly Mammoth and Russian Beard! From experience I know how fascinating children find history and this book is simply a perfect addition to any classroom or home shelf. Not only will children learn through reading this book but they will also gain a lot of enjoyment. This is a great book to share with others and there is so much detail in the text and illustrations that it will encourage lots of discussions too. I cannot praise this book highly enough, it was a joy to read and I know it will be read and re-read over and over again.
Many thanks to Love Book Tours for inviting me to join the book tour and for my gifted copy of A Day In The Life, which now takes centre stage in my class book corner.
AUTHOR PROFILE:
MIKE BARFIELD: Mike Barfield is a writer, poet, performer, songwriter, ukulele player and cartoonist. He has written extensively for TV and radio - with credits as diverse as Spitting Image, The Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Show and five years on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. His cartoon feature Apparently has appeared in the pages of Private Eye for over 20 years, and his drawings have been on display in the Cartoon Museum, the V & A, the Museum of London and Nigella Lawson's downstairs loo.
His Destroy This Book series (published by Buster Books) has been sold around the world, starting with the Destroy This Book In The Name of Science!: Einstein Edition 2017. The Galileo and Brainiac editions were hot on its heels, and Destroy This Book in the Name of Maths and Destroy This Book in the Name of Art are both on the horizon. All of them are unique activity books where the reader doodles on, colours, and cuts up the pages, making over a dozen amazing working models in the process! Every page, including the cover, is an interactive experience - as well as being huge fun!
Mike is also the author of a series of hilarious random insult making books published by Laurence King. 'The Ultimate Insult Generator' (aka The Ultimate Wisecrack Generator' in the USA) was a huge Christmas hit, and will be followed this September by 'The Ultimate Spell-caster' - more fun, but with a Halloweeny-feel.
Mike is also the author of a fact-filled, funny and beautifully illustrated children's guide to the Periodic Table -'The Element in the Room'. With drawings by up-and-coming illustrator Lauren Humphrey, the book encourages readers to hunt for the elements hiding in their homes, in the company of scientific detective Sherlock Ohms.
Mike has a first-class degree in botany and zoology from King's College, London, and his ever first book many years ago was also a children's science title - a tie-in for the ITV kids' science series Panic Station. His second was the Oldie's Dictionary for Our Time. He also edited the last great Beachcomber collection: 'Cram Me With Eels!'. His comic dictionary This Septic Isle was published by Ebury.
He has five poems in the children's poetry selection When Granny Won Olympic Gold, edited by Graham Denton. He has only one poem in the poetry collection, Best of Enemies, Best of Friends (compiled by Brian Moses) but they did at least put it on the cover. His most recent published poetry can be found in the collections A First Poetry Book by Pie Corbett and Gaby Morgan, and Is This A Poem, by Roger Stevens. Both highly recommended for use in primary schools.
He still cartoons for Private Eye, writes and performs poetry and comedy, often to the accompaniment of a ukulele. He also invented squirrel fishing.
JESS BRADLEY: Jess Bradley is an illustrator and comic artist from Torquay, UK. As well as writing and drawing for The Phoenix, she writes for The Beano and illustrates a variety of children's books.