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A review by ellalouise99
Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis
5.0
Sky Hawk Reading Diary
Sky Hawk is the perfect novel to read aloud to primary school children and one which could also be read by the children themselves (mainly upper KS2). The book follows a young boy, Callum as he makes friend with Iona who discloses to him that there is an osprey, a rare and endangered bird living on his farm. Throughout the book, Callum and Iona watch and protect the bird as it experiences many events such as finding a mate and getting stuck in fishing line. Callum becomes estranged from his best friends as he is too preoccupied with Iona and the osprey. The osprey migrates for the winter and Iona passes away which Callum finds difficult. Him and his friends then try to save an African girl’s life who has seen the osprey from Callum’s farm in her home town in The Gambia. The book ends happily with the osprey returning home safely for the summer.
Due to the story following a young boy, this could make it more relatable for children. Lots of the events which occur are also very relatable such as going to school, riding their bikes and having village fates to raise money for a cause. Children could, therefore, relate these events to their own lives. I also liked the fact that the story was really gripping and although there were sad aspects throughout, the ending was a happy one. The book is also a good way of showing children that animals need to be protected as Callum and Iona protect their Osprey. It also covers topics such as endangered animals and migration. There is also a strong theme of friendship throughout the book which reinforces the importance of good friends.
As with all books, the teacher must be sensitive to the individuals in the class and consider their personal experiences before reading the book. For example, if a child has experienced death recently, the book could be quite upsetting for them.
There are lots of good places to stop reading if you were to read this aloud to a class, which would cause suspense and make the children want to read on. This is a good way of making the children excited about reading as well as making it a positive experience.
This book would allow for many opportunities for transforming the classroom/reading area to engage the children with the book. For example, the reading area could be made into the tree-house that Callum’s dad made for them and the children could do their own art of an osprey to stick up in the reading area. The teacher could also leave feathers around the classroom to create suspense before reading the book. There are also lots of opportunities for cross-curricular work such as research on The Gambia or Ospreys. Children could also write to a pen friend set up by the school which would link to Callum writing to Jeneba or write diary entries in an English lesson.
Sky Hawk is the perfect novel to read aloud to primary school children and one which could also be read by the children themselves (mainly upper KS2). The book follows a young boy, Callum as he makes friend with Iona who discloses to him that there is an osprey, a rare and endangered bird living on his farm. Throughout the book, Callum and Iona watch and protect the bird as it experiences many events such as finding a mate and getting stuck in fishing line. Callum becomes estranged from his best friends as he is too preoccupied with Iona and the osprey. The osprey migrates for the winter and Iona passes away which Callum finds difficult. Him and his friends then try to save an African girl’s life who has seen the osprey from Callum’s farm in her home town in The Gambia. The book ends happily with the osprey returning home safely for the summer.
Due to the story following a young boy, this could make it more relatable for children. Lots of the events which occur are also very relatable such as going to school, riding their bikes and having village fates to raise money for a cause. Children could, therefore, relate these events to their own lives. I also liked the fact that the story was really gripping and although there were sad aspects throughout, the ending was a happy one. The book is also a good way of showing children that animals need to be protected as Callum and Iona protect their Osprey. It also covers topics such as endangered animals and migration. There is also a strong theme of friendship throughout the book which reinforces the importance of good friends.
As with all books, the teacher must be sensitive to the individuals in the class and consider their personal experiences before reading the book. For example, if a child has experienced death recently, the book could be quite upsetting for them.
There are lots of good places to stop reading if you were to read this aloud to a class, which would cause suspense and make the children want to read on. This is a good way of making the children excited about reading as well as making it a positive experience.
This book would allow for many opportunities for transforming the classroom/reading area to engage the children with the book. For example, the reading area could be made into the tree-house that Callum’s dad made for them and the children could do their own art of an osprey to stick up in the reading area. The teacher could also leave feathers around the classroom to create suspense before reading the book. There are also lots of opportunities for cross-curricular work such as research on The Gambia or Ospreys. Children could also write to a pen friend set up by the school which would link to Callum writing to Jeneba or write diary entries in an English lesson.