Carnival of the Clocks

Publisher: Barrington Stoke

It’s a winter evening and something odd is going on in the playground. Everyone in Class One has a clock lantern. Some are circular, some are square. Some are fancy, some are simple. Some say it’s twelve o’clock, some say it’s twenty past two. Class One have made them from tissue paper and willow sticks, and everyone has a different clock.

But why? Well, it’s the 21st December – the shortest day of the year. After today, the days get longer. Hooray! To celebrate, the children of the town process to the beach with their clock lanterns and put them in a big pile. This lantern mountain is lit, to become a roaring bonfire, and then there are fireworks. Whizz! Bang!

Nick Sharratt’s text and illustrations are incredibly effective together. A simple text is given added atmosphere by the use of silhouettes to show the children progressing through the town. Amid the darkness of the winter evening, the clock lanterns are a riot of colour. Similarly, the communal event is a bright point of warmth and excitement for the children.

With accessible font and spaced text, as well as full colour illustrations, this will appeal to a wide range of readers.


Mae gan bawb yn Nosbarth Un gloc llusern. Mae rhai yn grwn, rhai yn sgwâr. Mae rhai yn ffansi, rhai yn syml. Mae Dosbarth Un wedi'u gwneud nhw o bapur tusw a phriciau helyg.

Pam? Mae'n 21ain o Ragfyr – diwrnod byrraf y flwyddyn. Ar ôl heddiw, mae'r dyddiau'n mynd yn hirach. I ddathlu, mae plant y dref yn gorymdeithio i'r traeth gyda'u clociau llusern a'u gosod nhw mewn pentwr mawr. Mae'r mynydd hwn o lusernau'n cael ei gynnau, a datblygu'n goelcerth ffyrnig, ac yna mae yna dân gwyllt.

Gyda ffont hawdd ei darllen yn ogystal â darluniau llawn lliw, bydd y stori gyfareddol hon yn apelio at amrywiaeth eang o ddarllenwyr.

More books like this

Carrie and the Roller Boots

Author: Lisa Thompson Illustrator: Jess Rose

Carrie devises an elaborate roller-skating routine to perform at her school assembly, but she’s never roller-skated before and it’s much trickier than she thought. This delightful, illustrated chapter book about friendship and perseverance is ideal for dyslexic or reluctant readers. 

Read more about Carrie and the Roller Boots

Picture Perfect

Author: Serena Patel Illustrator: Louise Forshaw

Sonal has a photo project to do for school, and she’s chosen the theme of ‘family’. However, getting a nice family photo of everyone proves to be impossible: her brother Jay is always gaming, Mum and Dad never stop checking their phones for work emails and Sonal’s sister Reena keeps lecturing everyone about climate change from behind her laptop. Plus, the fa…

Read more about Picture Perfect

Share this book with your friends

Use our Bookfinder to discover the perfect children's books for every age...