disclosure: we were sent the item mentioned for the purpose of a review and giveaway
Before I had my son I worked in Export Sales and over the years I had the opportunity to travel all over the place visiting clients, and occasionally getting the opportunity to see something of the country I was visiting. One of the very first countries I went to with work was Norway, and although that first trip was far briefer than I would have liked, I got to see Oslo and the surrounding countryside, with deep rifts of snow everywhere. It all looked rather magical and when I was asked to review Catching the Wind by Nils-Johan Jørgensen I wondered if I could share some of that magic with my son.
Catching the Wind is part of a series of children’s fables from the Norwegian author which have been published through The Book Guild, an independent mainstream and partnership publishing imprint of the Troubador publishing group.
This particular book contains three fables; Catching the Wind, Laura and A Living Tapestry. As with the previous books within the collection Catching the Wind is aimed at children in KS2 aged between 8-12 years of age, so perfect for my 10-year-old son.
In Catching the Wind we meet Thomas who is sailing his boat under the Northern Lights when he comes across a remote island with some strange burial mounds. He falls asleep aboard his boat and his boat sails up in the lights and he’s transported to a different time when Vikings lived on the island he’d discovered. Thomas meets three Viking children and although they speak old Norse, they can make themselves understood.
Thomas meets other villagers and learns about the ways of the Vikings before heading back to his boat, where he falls asleep.
In Laura, we meet the girl who was born well north of the Arctic Circle, on the lightest day of the year. She’s now at school and learning all about the stories of the Greek writer, Homer. She learns about the myths and legends of the Greeks, as well as learning about the various Gods themselves. She is totally captivated by the stories in The Odyssey and reads a different story every day until she has finished the book. But that’s not the end of her story.
In A Living Tapestry, we meet Pani who is on a trip to see the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy, France. She learns about the great battles and the characters who took part in this moment in history.
Each story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations which help to bring the various tales to life. I’ve included my Amazon Affiliate link below for your reference (I do earn from qualifying purchases).
I’ve teamed up with The Book Guild to offer three lucky readers the chance to win a hardback copy of Catching the Wind worth £8.99. Complete the Gleam form below for your chance to win. Good luck!
Terms and conditions:
(Please note that all entries will be checked against comments for validation).
Only the first step of this form is mandatory, all other steps are optional. Only one entry per person is allowed.
This giveaway is for UK residents only.
Once a winner is randomly picked, I will check if the winner has done what was requested and I will contact them, if they do not reply within one week, the prize will be allocated to another person. The winner’s details will be sent to The Book Guild in order that they can arrange delivery. Please allow 28 days for delivery.
The giveaway will close on 27th February 2020 at midnight.
My favourite children’s story is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It is a simple and repetitive story which is also fun for little people to learn and repeat. Of course, the illustrations are superb, too.
The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, the rhyming is fun and they just love the Gruffalo!
My favourite children’s book is A A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, I can remember my Dad reading it to me many years ago and then I read it to my children and grandchildren. A timeless classic
My favourite children’s book is A A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, I can remember my Dad reading it to me many years ago and then I read it to my children and grandchildren. A timeless classic
The Hobbit and because of Bilbo and the dragon classic story rented the book from the school library got ill and read it at home loved it, late taking it back.
Always loved Heidi – so wanted to live in the mountains with the goats x!
The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr because it’s a lovely story with gorgeous illustrations.
the gruffalo
My favourite children’s picture book is Burglar Bill, it reminds me of my childhood, I found it so funny and loved going round saying “that’s nice, I’ll have that” just like in the book. I still have my copy and read it to my boys now
my children read so much its difficult to find a favourite, however I shall go with the dinasaur who pooped series as they are always asking when a new book is coming
Snow white and the seven dwarfs – id sit read /watch over and over – just loved it
The Little Prince, it was my favourite as a child and is now my son’s
Teeny Tiny and the Witch Woman, the perfectly scary picture book for little ones not prone to nightmares! I loved it as a child 🙂
I love Peter and The Wolf as our primary teacher used to play the recording to us and we all loved it
I loved Back Home by Michelle Magorian as I loved seeing 1940s Britain through the eyes of a newly returned evacuee.
I liked the Mr men books, I thought most of them were funny
Hello, my favourite children’s story is ‘You’re a Bad Man Mr Gum!’ by Andy Stanton. It is such a funny book with such unexpected, laugh out loud humour.
Peter rabbit was my favourite story as a child
My favourite childrens book when I was young was This Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, it was really descriptive and I could picture all the characters.
Peter rabbit I loved all the different books x
I always loved Enid Blyton The enchanted forest. Bought it for my kids too
i dont know if anyone remembers spot the dog but them books were my fav when i was littlw, just a little dog getting up to everyday things and he was cute too! x
The Hobbit, I read it in school when I was young – I thought I’d hate it but turned out to be my favourite book. It was just so magical, full of adventure
i love harry potter and so does all my family – such amazing stories and characters – whats not to love!?
For me it is the chronicles of Narnia, I remember when things got hard I’d sit reading and the world of Narnia was my play to go.
My favourite childrens story is Mr Pink Whistle by Enid Blyton. He was a little elf who turned invisible and teaches naughty boys a lesson
I always liked Heidi as it was set in beautiful scenery
Charlottes Web, timeless classic thats passed down through the generations
I used to like reading Black Beauty, a real classic
Dogger always stuck with me… Literally as I still have my copy of the book! It’s a situation every child and every parent can relate to. I got a scruffy little dog Teddy to keep me company while I’ve fought sepsis and I’m fighting Post Sepsis Syndrome, and I instantly called him Dogger when I saw him
I always loved the Ladybird fairytale books as a kid – the illustrations were so pretty!
I love Charlie and the chocolate factory. I have a major sweet tooth so a magical factory of sweets would be epic
the Mr Men books because I remember my brother having them.
My daughter always loved hearing the Gruffalo again and again
The three little pigs, my grandma used to read it me, now I read it to my grandchildren
I love The Jolly Postman. I love all the different letters you can take out of the envelopes.
I used to love Peter Pan
Winnie the Pooh because it’s a classic
I love the twits by Roald Dahl. He had a way of captivating children’s minds and the book is so incredibly funny.
My personal favourite is the Tale of Georgie Grub. At one point I could recite the whole thing from beginning to end. Sadly it’s out of print, but my brother found me a second-hand copy for my 30th birthday!
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis brings back fond memories of my childhood
When I was a child I had a book called Mr Blossom’s Shop by Barbara Euphan Todd. When you bought something from the shop, magical things happened. Snapdragon seeds really did grow dragons. I was totally enraptured by it.
We like all of the Fireman Sam stories, firefighting runs in our family, grandad, uncle and auntie are all firefighters and my children love to see what kind of adventures they get up to whilst saving people / animals etc.
Mr Wolfs Pancakes because the illustrations all refer to well known nursery rhymes. The story is great in itself but you can have so many discussions about the pictures. We never tire of it.
I love The Very Hungry Caterpillar, my nephew nearly knows it off by heart, a fun and easy book to start with.
Winnie the Pooh because he is a bear of very little brain
Hansel and gretel I’ve always loved the idea of a house made of biscuits
Watership down as I had rabbits named after the characters
Winnie the pooh, I just love the way they tackle mental health!
I loved Cinderella, the early Ladybird books had colour illustrations of gorgeous ball gowns. I was so influenced by them I grew up to be a seamstress making beautiful gowns & wedding dresses.
I have always loved Swiss Family Robinson – i can remember being so drawn into the world when i read it as a child – when i read it now some of it clashes with how we live now – woman were not go getters! – but i still love it!
The lion the witch and the wardrobe. Always loved the idea of travelling to a strange and magical land, making hew friends and having adventures.
Can’t sleep little bear as it reminds me of my childhood
I loved reading Cinderella as a child. I loved the happy ending.
My favourite book has always been The Hobbit since I was a child. I love the fantasy elements to it.
It was the faraway tree because I loved the escapism
I loved all the Enid Blyton books as a child, especially the Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair series. Fantastic characters and wonderful adventures.
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome – sweet, innocent and redolent of a bygone age
Cant remember if I already commented! Me and my son absolutely love the Gruffalo!
Wind in the willows childhood favourite
I love Dear Zoo, it just never gets old xx
The tiger who came for tea, my girls love it so I love it too