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Clever Cakes

by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Ashley King

Interest age: 6 to 8
Reading age: 6+

Published by Barrington Stoke, 2020

  • Adventure
  • Funny
  • Short stories
  • Dyslexia

About this book

This marvellous collection of two contemporary fairy tales is designed for young readers who are embarking on their independent reading journey.

The first tale, Clever Cakes, features Masha, a clever girl who is captured by a fearsome bear while playing in the woods. She is extremely cross when he demands she cooks and cleans for him, so plots her escape, but must use all her ingenuity if she is to outwit the bear.

In The Great Golden Belly-button, King Jabber is bored, so decides to hold a competition, awarding an unusual golden statue to the person who tells him the biggest lie. Word spreads quickly and the palace is soon full of the biggest and best liars in the kingdom, but none seem worthy of the precious prize, until little Peggy arrives with an empty cereal bowl and a tall tale fit for a king.

This book in the Little Gems series has a dyslexia-friendly format: a clear layout incorporating plenty of blank space prevents each page from becoming overcrowded; a special font aids letter recognition; and thick paper ensures the print doesn’t show through the page and confuse the eye. Superb, colourful illustrations bring the quirky characters to life.

About the author

Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults. His first degree in English Literature and Language was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA at the University of Reading and a PhD at the former University of North London, now London Metropolitan.

He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-devised and teaches critical approaches to reading on an MA in Children’s Literature, having done the same at Birkbeck, University of London. He has taught on MA courses in universities since 1994.

He was the Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009 and has published over 200 books for children and adults, including the recent bestseller Many Different Kinds of Love and On The Move.

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  • Dyslexia-friendly books for 6+

    This list aims to provide a range of books that may appeal to children of 6+ with reading difficulties. The list includes books that are particularly dyslexia-friendly and/or have a high interest level and low reading age.

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