Based on the famous Spider-Man comic, this animated, adventure-action film on adversity, resilience, collectivity and empowerment follows Miles Morales, an everyday, regular, normal boy – until he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superpowers. When Peter Parker aka ‘the real’ Spider-Man dies, it is on Miles to save the world from the devastating […]
This popular coming of age movie was published in Germany under the title Kick It Like Beckham and features a young woman’s struggle for equal treatment: Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra is the daughter of British Indian Sikhs living in London and also very much in love with football. Her conservative parents do not want her to play though […]
A collection of poetry and prose originally published in 1970 that critically reflects the past, present and future of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. The lines of Oodgeroo – also known as Kath Walker – problematise Australia’s colonial history, demand for Aboriginal rights, respect, justice and offer hope and reconciliation. The […]
This wintery picture-only tale tells the story of a boy and his snowman, who suddenly comes to life. Together they travel to the north pole and meet father Christmas and his raindeers. Home again, the weather has changed and the boy’s friend begins to melt… The beautifully illustrated picture book gave way to an award-winning […]
A rhyming story about an unexpected adventure, family and Christmas time: “Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three…”
Moore’s classic rhymes remind the reader of the excitement of having to wait one final night until Christmas Day, “when all through the house/Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”. The Night Before Christmas conveys the joy of looking forward to the festive season as well as it manifests nothing less than today’s […]
This graphic novel does not need a single written word to tell its story about migrating from one country to another. Using the outside form of an old picture book, it depicts the story of a man journeying to a strange country to find a new home for his family. On the way, he encounters […]
This annotated picture book provides instructions on how to attract a ghost, how to tell if he is real, how to play with him, what costume to pick, and how to trick-or-treat together. It is a colourfully illustrated children’s book showing that ghosts are not that scary and adds wonderfully to the Halloween mood in […]
A classic children’s novel about poverty and wealth, humility, kindness and greed. Charlie is an eleven-year-old boy who loves chocolate and lives with his parents and grandparents in a little hut close to a big city. They do not have a lot of money, but Charlie and his family live a happy life until Charlie’s […]
A dystopian movie drama about power, subversion and the lengths some people will go to protect their family: In Katniss’ world, survival is everything. She lives in a poor, rural district of a future version of the North-American continent re-shaped by a disaster. For the meagre support provided by the Capitol, all the districts have […]
This series of picture books combines wonderful illustrations with playful tasks that can help language learners practice expressing whereabouts of objects and people as well as describing images. In these picture puzzles, students must find “Wally” and his friends that are cleverly hidden across the image. Each page has a different theme and setting, ranging […]
This illustrated short fiction about hope, love, feeling lost and life itself discovers the remarkable and most unusual friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse. Following the quartet on their journey, the reader explores with them the power of imagination, as well as universal questions and answers. The picture book is […]
This vivid picture book with heartwarming comics on the world of books, the passion for reading and creative explanations, illustrates the world of a book enthusiast. This literary comics can be used in class to motivate your pupils or to provide a visual access to the story structure, genre or style of writing.
A drama movie about family, love and staying true to oneself: Ben and his wife Leslie decided to raise their six children far away from the quite possibly corrupting influences of modern day society, so they moved to the Washington wilderness and built their own camp. There they spend their days training their bodies and […]
This verse novel explores the author’s childhood in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s and 1970s: Growing up as an African American woman both with the aftermath of Jim Crow laws and the beginning Civil Rights movement. Her poems feature topics of racism, religion, spiritualism, family, history and the power of memory, storytelling, […]
This children’s novel problematises gender stereotyping, prejudice and homophobia. Dennis is a 12-year-old interested in both football and fashion – he enjoys dressing up as a girl (cross-dressing). One of those hobbies is accepted by his father as a suitable hobby for boys, the other is not. He struggles with his parents’ divorce, his father’s […]
Jim the chimpanzee is having a bad day. He’s in a terrible mood and his friends don’t understand why he can’t just smile and be happy. Jim tries to take their advice, doing everything to look happier for everyone else. Nothing works. Multiple attempts at being “happy” and one minor meltdown later, he storms off […]
A young readers’ novel about family, friendship and gender roles. When Matthew’s cousin Sam comes over from the USA, he is not a likeable character: impolite, smelly and with long hair. So in order to join the local school boys’ gang, he has to accept and complete the challenge they set for him – come […]