Did you all catch the news of the godwit who flew 7500 miles over the course of 11 days, from Alaska to New Zealand?  It is one of four that was ringed on a mudflat in Alaska, with rings of blue, blue, red, white (hence 4BBRW), and tagged to monitor its record beating non-stop flight.

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The story reminded me of this wonderful book, Circle, by Jeannie Baker, originally published in 2016.  It is hard to choose a personal favourite Jeannie Baker book, since all her work is both thoughtful and beautiful, but if pushed I might opt for Circle, in which the migratory pattern of godwits is told through one particular life.

The artist has lived in Australia many years, but was born and studied in England – and earned honours in art and design at Brighton Polytechnic, which later became part of the University of Brighton.  She works in collage, using a mix of natural and artificial materials, and creates a real feeling of depth on a two-dimensional page.  Read more about her technique here.

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Circle is included on our list of Science through Picture Books.  Click on ‘Booklists’ on the ribbon at the top of this blog to get a drop-down menu of our selected and recommended reading for different age groups, and on different subjects and themes.

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