Climb by Hannah Peckham and Emma Louise Clarke
Climb by Hannah Peckham and Emma Louise Clarke is a passionate book which can resonate on so many levels. You have the determination of Hetty as she discovers her own unique skills. There’s the supportive friendships of her pals Ngoy the Mongoose and Raj the Pangolin. Yet also the strong message of saving the rainforests and the devastation of fire and deforestation.
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World Pangolin Day
Having the character Raj the Pangolin would make this a lovely book to be able to enjoy on World Pangolin Day (third Saturday in February). You can find my blog post for World Pangolin Day here. Climb could act as a great book to help you go off and discover more about Pangolins, their habitats and the threat to these precious creatures.
We did enjoy Hannah’s little bio about Raj that she sent us along with the book.
Powerful Starter
Hannah doesn’t just write books to entertain, yet they certainly do that too. Although for children, her books are deep and powerful and are meant as only the starting point to explore your inner self further. There certainly have a strong environmental message too.
Children’s Mental Health
I often wonder how the hopes and fears of parents have changed over the years. My Nan would certainly say that considering your child’s mental health would have been completely alien in her day. However, I find myself often concerned with what the future holds for my daughter’s mental health. I want to be able to equip her with tools and strategies that will help her to protect her precious mind and feel confident and free to live the life she dreams of.
The Message
Climb is a beautifully, delicate, heart-warming story of Hetty and her pals and how Hetty comes to realise that we all have our own special talents which should be celebrated; we don’t need to compare ourselves to peers. We are unique and wonderful just the way we are. This is such a powerful message for our children to hear and a book for all schools, libraries and homes.
Climb’s Dreamy Illustrations
Emma’s illustrations pair with the text perfectly. Her tender use of shadow and tone bring the story to life as you instantly fall in love with the characters. Hetty has the most incredible facial expressions which are ideal to explore feelings and emotions throughout the story. One of our favourite images is of Hetty really determined and trying – with her tongue sticking out from all the effort!
Ideal Class Text
As I said early, Hannah doesn’t just write a book to read. The book is just the beginning. If you’ve discovered Hannah’s previous title Conker the Chameleon you’ll already be familiar with the resources at the back of her books designed to build upon the story and explore, in Hetty’s case, your own individuality and what makes you – you! A ideal text to share in primary school as a whole class.
Dyslexia
I love that Hannah, who is dyslexic herself, uses a dyslexic friendly font making this book even more accessible. Climb itself is very much based on her own experiences of dyslexia. Triumphing in your own way.
Thank you Hannah for our copy, we are loving following your journey and can’t wait for more books in the future. To find out more and keep up to date on future releases from Hannah Peckham head to her website here. You can find links to her social channels there too.
