Book Review – Vera Jewel is Late for School

28th June 2018

By Emma Davis

Author: Nicola Kent

Published by Macmillan

This charming story features the adventures of Vera Jewel who has trouble in making it to school on time. An accident with her bike at the start of the week leads to her making plans of alternative ways to get to school. Children (and adults!) will find her ideas hilarious. I couldn’t help but giggle at her industrious antics – especially involving the catapult! A space hopper, horse and plane are all tried by Vera but unfortunately disaster always strikes, leaving her late for school. What bad luck! We begin to wonder if she will ever make it school on time. Vera Jewel’s best effort comes in the final pages but will it be successful?!

The rhyming text in Vera Jewel flows easily from page to page, making it a joy to read aloud to young children. Excitement is built through the text, leaving us hanging at the end of a page ready to find out what happens on the next. This helps to keep children engaged, as the pace of the story is fast and the content fun.

There’s so much to praise about this book. Vera Jewel’s perseverance is not just funny but endearing too. Nicola Kent has done an incredible job of bringing her to life through the illustrations, which are simply stunning. They tell the story on their own, which is so useful for young children as they can begin to read the book for themselves, using the pictures as cues. I love the imaginative, engaging nature of the illustrations which hold children’s attention and offer lots of talking points throughout.

Vera Jewel is full of humour and fun. The illustrations, coupled with Vera’s antics, offer opportunities for talk and questions, promoting language skills. We mustn’t forget that this book also contains an important message for us all – if we keep on trying, success will follow.

Children and adults alike will love Vera’s exploits. I dare you not to laugh!