Children’s Book Blogger Linda’s Book Bag has always been a wonderful supporter of our books and we are really grateful for her new review of Nanny Ninja by author Jenny Jinks and illustrator Sean Longcroft. This Early Reader is in our White Band and can be purchased here.
“Nanny Ninja is a cracking story for children. It’s hugely exciting and packed with action that will appeal to all readers, even the most reluctant. Divided into well defined chapters with smashing cliff hangers there’s a real sense of drama and excitement. As well as encouraging reading, this illustrates for children good writing skills too
Ant thinks his Nanny is boring because she’s always asleep but when he realises why, he views her completely differently. The relationship between the two is a positive example of how we shouldn’t judge others before we know all the facts about them. I liked the concept that there is no mention of a Dad in the story too as so many families no longer have the conventional make up and many children will find this reassuring. I also thought the concept that effort and attempts lead to success was well depicted in a manner that children can apply in their own lives.
The language and style in Nanny Ninja is perfectly attuned to the intended audience. There’s a great balance of direct speech and narrative which is a concept some young writers struggle to achieve, so that they have an excellent model here. There’s a fabulous structure to the chapters and judicial use of adjectives and I think Nanny Ninja exemplifies perfectly the kind of writing we’d like children to achieve even as it entertains them brilliantly.
I liked the illustrations that support the text in Nanny Ninja because they are of a more mature style for this White Band book, again befitting the target readers.
I really enjoyed Nanny Ninja and actually think it would make a really great television series for children too!”
Thank you to Linda for the kind review. You can read the full review and many more here.
See information about all of the books in the scheme, order copies and download free audio files and activity packs here.