Max the Brave

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Max demonstrated that curiosity is normal to have and that we don't always have every single answer. This led to a genuinely amusing book that is sure to grab the attention of young readers and entertain the entire family all at once! Children are sure to follow along, fully engrossed as they wait to see if Max finally finds that darn mouse. Ed Vere tells us more about Max, and why it's so important for adults to love picture books How do you feel about Max the Brave being chosen for Bookstart Treasure? I’d actually done the race the year before I was pregnant with Max, when I was first starting to get into running. Never did I ever think I would ever benefit from the charity."

Max breastfed incredibly well from the minute he was born, we were so happy to watch our baby boy grow into such a handsome little character, always full of smiles and laughter.” We got to September and I just thought what else are we going to do? I remembered that we were going to do the race and I thought we could still do it. We made little Max the Brave t-shirts and had a really nice time; it was wonderful to bring all the family over for something positive, as the last time we had all been together was at Max’s funeral. To all meet up for something happy, we were all buzzing afterwards.”

Retailers:

This is Max. Max the Brave who wants to prove himself by catching a mouse... only he doesn't know what a mouse looks like, so off he goes to find out. As he goes he asks if the animal is a mouse and each time is told no, until... I heard a lot about this book and loved the idea of the drawings! I wasn't disappointed though I found it quite odd that he doesn't know what a mouse is as it should be instinctual to know... or you should at least ASK questions about what a mouse looks like! (Which he never did!)

In some ways, Max the Brave was very interactive. Max is a cat who is trying to be more brave and catch a mouse — the thing is, he doesn’t know what a mouse looks like. So off we go following Max and his journey to look for a mouse. He travels, meeting an array of different animals, big and small, in his hunt to catch a mouse. If we’re going to encourage children to read from an early age, then we have to do it with good books and I’m thrilled that Max is considered a good book. Where did the idea for Max the Brave come from?

My ideas always come from drawing. I’d been drawing this small kitten for a while. He seemed feisty from the start but also young and naive. So he doesn’t yet know what a mouse looks like but he's eager to chase one; he'll learn, but it means that he can be tripped up throughout the book. Although this image is quite tiny, I found this particular illustration where he climbs a tree full of birds to inquire abt mice esp cute! (Yes, birds make me swoon!)

Max went straight into intensive care when he arrived at GOSH and underwent various tests to get a diagnosis. “After two long weeks of waiting, we were called into the parents meeting room, the world was upon our shoulders. Max had been diagnosed with a Malignant Rhabdoid Tumour, a highly malignant childhood cancer. The prognosis was not good.” Determined to be heroic, rather than sweet, Max the kitten goes in search of a mouse to hunt, since hunting mice is what brave cats do. Not sure just what a mouse looks like, Max interrogates a number of creatures, asking each one whether they are a mouse. When he finally does meet a mouse, that enterprising little creature assures him that he is a monster, and that the mouse Max is looking for is actually the sleeping monster nearby... Max is such a cute little kitten that people call him sweet and dress him up in ribbons. But he hates ribbons, and he doesn’t want to be sweet! He sees himself as a brave and courageous mouse catcher. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t know what a mouse looks like. He searches high and low and asks the birds, the fly, and the elephant if they are mice. Finally, he finds someone who maybe be able to help--or maybe his ally has ulterior motives. When Max finally confronts the monster, he realizes that being Max the Brave may not be as great as he thought. Max was born six days late on the 29th August 2018. The birth was straightforward with Suzie having a 4-hour labour with a natural birth. “We were over the moon, he was absolutely perfect in every single way.” It’s important because we want children to love reading - and to continue reading as they grow. We need to put high-quality, entertaining and fun books in front of not only children but adults, too. I always write for children and the grown-ups who'll be reading to them, because if a grown-up is bored reading to a child, that transmits to the child. If parents enjoy reading great, entertaining books then that increases the chances that children will grow up loving reading.Reading because it’s fun and because children love the world that books can take them into.The story that Max the Brave tells is so simple. Yet, it is so interactive and enabled me to have a lovely discussion with my sister about bravery and animals. I love it so much that I’m considering borrowing a copy from my local library to bring it into my classroom for my students to enjoy.