Benji Davies is an illustrator and animation director. From a young age he was often to be found painting at the kitchen table, a scene which can still be seen to this day. Benji studied animation at university, and has since worked on a diverse array of projects, from picture books and animated short films to music videos, commercials and title sequences. His books have been co-editioned in many languages and countries around the world. The Storm Whale is his first self-penned picture book. He lives in London with his wife Nina. Growing up might take longer when you start at the bottom, but sometimes tiny hearts have the biggest dreams - and take the biggest leaps of all..." The book shows clear imagery of the sea , here young readers can describe the ocean , and lots of questioning can take place in what other creatures live in the sea .Readers can shar their experiences of the sea, what they have seen or read in the past . Talk about the frog’s life cycle and help your child to make a zig zag book illustrating this together. See link below for information about frogs and tadpoles. Make a hiding place for Tad

Tad – HarperCollins Publishers UK

Author Guy Bass introduces SCRAP, about one robot who tried to protect the humans on his planet against an army of robots. Now the humans need his... Tad was a very small tadpole, smaller that all of her tadsiblings. The others warned her that if she couldn’t keep up with them, she would be eaten by Big Blub, the huge nasty fish at the bottom of their pond. So Tad swam twice as hard to keep up with everyone and kept to the shallow parts of the pond. Gradually, the other tadpoles started to change, growing legs and losing their tales. But Tad still had her tail and steadily the other tadpoles disappeared. Eventually, she was the only one still left in the water, hiding from Big Blub. Then one day, Big Blub appeared. Now Tad had one choice, leap out of the water or be eaten!

Davies has written a deep and marvelous picture book about being a late bloomer and then having change thrust upon you. Tad faces her challenges with lots of grit and determination, but eventually that isn’t quite enough as she is left behind by the others. Still, it is her courage that saves her in the end, allowing her to figure out what happened to her siblings after all. This picture book story is essentially about being the smallest and the last to grow up, but with the moral that you'll get there in the end, maybe faster than you think. The author bio says that he "aims to capture what childhood feels like" and I think a yearning for growing up, as is the want of the title character, certainly falls into that category. This announcement comes as DVLA launches a campaign to encourage motorists to try their online services, rather than sending in paper applications. Recent research commissioned by DVLA shows that of those motorists asked 97% would recommend DVLA’s online services and the most popular reason to transact online was convenience (86%) followed by speed (82%). TheTaxBook is the gold standard for tax reference materials. The books are well organized, clearly written and easy to understand. The best.

‘Tad’ by Benji Davies Ages 5-7

Sometimes the biggest stories come from the smallest beginnings... Meet Tad. She's the smallest tadpole in a big pond, and lives there with all her tadbrothers and tadsisters. Although something else lives there too... BIG BLUB! And when everyone else starts to disappear, Tad starts to wonder if Big Blub will get her too... Or is everyone else going somewhere else; somewhere better? And if so, will Tad ever get there too? Final verdict: This is an interesting story about a young tadpole and the desire for growing older. Tad is a sweet book with colorful and whimsical illustrations that will appeal to young children.

Published

Benji Davies ( The Storm Whale and Grandad's Island) is fast establishing himself as a leading light in children's picture books - Huffington Post This book is beautifully illustrated. The colours are vibrant and it would be a brilliant book to read to a class. It is probably most suitable for reception and KS1, however I think it could still be enjoyed by year 3 and 4 pupils. It is a really sweet story that has a brilliant message that is actually super important and one that every child (and adult) needs to learn – you don’t have to be the biggest and the best at something. This book shows a frogs life cycle, from a tadpole to a frog, however it has been done in a creative way. There is a sense of mystery in this book, wondering whether the 'big blub' fish is real or a picture of Tad's imagination. Tad has to be courageous when he is left alone - could be used in discussion with children to talk about how they think Tad feels, how they would feel in Tad's shoes and talk about times in their lives where they have had to be courageous. Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap...

TheTaxBook

Tad is a tiny tadpole. She’s the smallest of her tadsisters and tadbrothers and has to work hard to try and keep up. Tales of a scary frog-eating fish called Big Blub terrify poor Tad and when everyone else starts to mysteriously disappear, she starts to wonder if Big Blub has got to them and, if soon, he will get to her too. The winners of The Farshore Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards 2023, highlighting the work schools are doing to encourage a love of reading, have...

Benji Davies Press Reviews

Saturated with colour and steeped in the fear and excitement of growing up.\" The Guardian, Best New Picture Books roundup

Book Review: Tad by Benji Davies - The Literacy Company

Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri... Read the story aloud to your child, pausing to talk about what is happening in the story and illustrations when your child wants to. Join inWinner of the 2020 Oscar’s Book Prize and from the award-winning creator of The Storm Whale and Granddad’s Island, Tad is the perfect story for everyone who’s ever grown up, or still has a way to go… Intensely atmospheric, full of biting cold, tender detail and warm light, this is a book to cuddle up with - The Guardian