Sylwedyth 

by Steve Wharton and illustrated by Mike Hartley

Fortunately I came across a review for this fabulous little book on Twitter and wondered if it would be the right age group for my eight year old granddaughter. Well that question was soon answered when Daisie collected the package from the postman and enthusiastically opened it to find her New Stone Age friend Sylwedyth in the pages of the book. Steve Wharton gives life to Sylwedyth  as she takes no given ‘wisdom’ for granted without testing it out with her own observation and scientific analysis and the illustrations by Mike Hartley breath even more life into the Stone Age world of Sylwedyth. She demonstrates how important it is to ask why, to question received wisdom and how, with a little thought, it was possible for her to observe, experiment and find out things for herself.

The book is stimulating in a range of topics from history to astronomy to meteorology. Daisie has been inspired and wants to visit the nearby stone circles to work out what they were for and how they might have been used. So, trips are planned, castlerigg, Birkrigg and Swinside are the fist on the list with more to follow I’m sure. Oh and to quote my little reader “Daisie will always ask why”.