King of the Sky By Nicola Davies Illustrated by Laura Carlin

A powerful and beautifully illustrated story about migration and the meaning of home, from the award-winning team behind The Promise.

A breathtaking new picture book by children's author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, winner of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale and the Bologna Ragazzi Prize for Illustration. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost and alone – until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe and the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky. Nicola Davies’ beautiful story – an immigrant’s tale with a powerful resonance in our troubled times – is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture. A musical adaptation of King of the Sky has already met with success on the stage, shown two years running at the Hay Festival and due to tour Welsh theatres next spring.

 In this tale of a young boy, an old man, and a dauntless pigeon, a lyrical text and extraordinary illustrations offer a gorgeous meditation on loneliness, belonging, and home.
A young Italian boy has moved to the Welsh hills with his family. He feels isolated and unhappy, a stranger in a strange land. It is only when he makes an unlikely friend, an old man who lets him fly one of his pigeons in a race, that he learns how he can belong. Nicola Davies's beautiful story -- an immigrant's tale with powerful resonance in our troubled times -- is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture

 In a story full of hope against adversity, King of the Sky tells how flying a homing pigeon helps a young boy comes to terms with his life in a strange country far, far from home. Now living under grey skies in a country where he feels an outsider, a young boy misses the blue sky, warm sun and of ice cream of his home in Rome. But when he his racing pigeon returns to him safely from Rome the boy realises that home is where he is and he finds a new sense of belonging. ~ Julia Eccleshare

The Tree by Neal Layton

A delightful picture book with a wonderful twist which encourages young children to think about the way animals and humans live side by side.

The tree. Home to a family of birds in their nest, squirrels in their drey and rabbits in their burrow. But what happens to the animals when a man and woman decide to cut it down and use it for their dream house? Can the tree be home to both the animals and the humans? A simple yet fun and distinctive picture book, with a strong environmental message about the importance of respecting animal habitats, by the award-winning Neal Layton.

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

  
When a family wants to cut down a tree to build a house, what happens to the animals nests and burrows? Can a tree be home to everyone?
 
For the rabbits, birds, and squirrels, the big tree is home. But then come two new arrivals with wonderful plans, all ready to create their dream house. What will it mean for the animal families if their tree is cut down? With empathy and imagination, Neal Layton offers a hopeful outlook in this simple and powerful fable about the harmony of the natural world."

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

Praise.

 

If Neal Layton were a bird, he’d be part of that genus that includes John Burningham and Quentin Blake, because it is with similar delight and abandon that he warbles and flits about his own branches.

—The New York Times.A feather-light tribute to finding common ground—or make that common air space.

—Kirkus Review

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action. - See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.

- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf

The importance of inference in reading a picture book is superbly demonstrated here. The written text is minimal. It begins with a lone tree and then drills down to the names of animal homes within it, while the pictures portray their occupants. Then come some new arrivals – what changes might they bring and will they be for good or ill? There’s a wonderful wordless central moment when the protagonists realise what they have done and before they are galvanised into affirmative action.
A lovely book to read and talk about in the early years. As children’s knowledge about describing language expands, considering the brevity of the text, this book affords many interesting opportunities for highlighting the use of adjectives, verbs, punctuation and alliteration.
- See more at: https://www.clpe.org.uk/tree-neal-layton#sthash.CZdc03Q0.dpuf