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FArTHER (2012)

by Grahame Baker-Smith(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1848771266 (ISBN13: 9781848771260)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Templar Books

review 1: Some books have a deep, soul felt message and some are just pink-boa's-or-meatballs-in-the-bathtub kinds of stories. Oh, and another kind these days. The simply drawn or cutout book with a joke, punchline, or gimmick. I already want to reread Father. Here's a child who tells us what his father meant to him - the impression of his father is captured from many angles - and we feel the grand impression, the intimacy, the love, the lessons, the loneliness, and inspiration. It's a beautiful cycle of life, father-son story.This is a beautiful book. A Kate Greenaway Award book.
review 2: FArTHER is a story about a young boy and his father's dream of flying.Father spends most of his days lost in inventing his dream flying invention, while his son whistfully awaits hi... mores attention. The boy shares the joy he feels when his father remembers him and spends time with him... that is until the dream of flying re-enters his father's thoughts. Unfortunately, before he could 'claim the sky', Father is sent away to war, never to return. Many years pass and it is the son who picks up his father's dream and is able to take flight, acheiving what his father always wished for.This story has some amazing illustrations to capture the attention of children. We used this book as the basis for all World Book Day 2013 activites in our Year 4 class. Its simplicity made it perfect for reading in one go in a short amount of time. There are a great deal of cross-curricular opportunities arising out of this book, for example; a DT/art lesson where pupils have the opportunity to invent their own machines, a PSHE covering aspirations/dreams, and a literacy lesson including hot-seating of the character's emotions, etc. There is also a reference to WW2, allowing for use in History. There is lots of symbolism in the pictures and the phrases, for example it is never stated that Father went to war; just that he went away never to return while wearing khaki clothes. This is accomponied by an illustration of the Father dressed as a soldier with a trail of poppies following him. This makes the book great for checking comprehension, especially with those of lower abliity. What I didn't like about the book was its failure to explain why the boy decided to take on Father's dream, after all during his childhood it seemed to be the bane of his existence, the reason his father had less time to play with him. less

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