A couple of months ago, I was delighted to receive a copy of The World Book by Joe Fullman (author) and Rose Blake (illustrator). It's exactly the kind of book I would have loved reading as a child, being full of fascinating facts and trivia about the 199 countries of the world. For example, did you know that Uzkebistan is double-landlocked? That means it's two countries away from the nearest coast. There's only one other double-landlocked country in the world, which is revealed at the bottom of the page (clue: it's in Europe).
Since taking The World Book into my classroom, it's barely been on the shelves during reading time and is a very popular choice with children who want to share a non-fiction text with one of their friends. It's a book that can be read from cover to cover, but it works equally as well when finding out about one specific country or continent or as a book to dip into and enjoy for a few minutes. As part of the book's blog tour, Rose Blake has written about five objects which inspire her as an illustrator.
Speedo costume - I swim every day, and I couldn’t really go without this! The pool is a place where I can stretch my body and empty my mind, and sometimes if I’m lucky, ideas for drawings jump in.
Do!! You!!! Radio - The best morning soundtrack.
