Author jillrbennett

Walks with Wonder

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Your Hand in My Hand
Mark Sperring and Britta Teckentrup
Orchard Books
As winter is turning to spring we join a mouse parent and child in a litany to nature through the seasons as they walk hand in hand. Together they encounter trees bejewelled with singing birds,

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the glorious blues and yellows of the woodland flowers, experience the wildness of the wind as they splash through puddles and wonder at a rainbow.

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Then come summer’s glowing meadows alive with birds, butterflies and other creatures large and small, as well as the delights of paddling in the warm sea. Autumn too brings gifts – of acorns, berries, conkers, fungi and leaves glowing golden, orange, red and brown as they start to tumble.

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Then when winter takes hold once more, the pair snuggle closer together through frost and snow safe in the knowledge, “With your hand in my hand … we’ll never feel lost.”
This book is an absolute joy to share with young children. Sperring’s gentle rhyming text is perfectly paced so one can linger long over each spread and savour the colours, shapes and patterns of Britta Teckentrup’s eloquent scenes along with the mouse and child.
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On the Day You Were Born
Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks
Allen & Unwin (Murdoch Books)
‘My daddy said,
On the day you were born, I wrapped you up warm and took you for a walk to see the world.’
A new father takes his new baby out into the world, and as they walk, it’s as if like his infant, he too is seeing it as new. What a truly wonderful walk it was taking them through sparkling puddles after the rain had stopped, when sleepy night creatures woke to say hello and the honey-scented air was filled with the buzz of bees,

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where a duckling found its family once again; a walk past an old tree of special significance, where friendly animals were almost overwhelming and berries glowed on the bushes, and crickets sang and butterflies danced among the glorious wild flowers. Then as day gave way to night the full moon shone to light the way home where, ‘My daddy said, …
‘I put you back in your mother’s arms and that night we were the world, the three of us together.’
This celebration of a new life is poetry in motion. Brooks glowing scenes, so rich in detail, texture and colour are the perfect complement for Margaret Wild’s lyrical text.
A gorgeous gift for a young child, new or not so new, and surely one to engender feelings of awe and wonder about the natural world.
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Fairy Tale Imaginings

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Use Your Imagination
Nicola O’Byrne
Nosy Crow
Like its predecessor, this delicious book comes with a warning on the cover – (Rabbit’s suggestion I imagine judging by what ensues therein.). Open up to find a fantastic lesson in storytelling courtesy of one large lupine librarian – who ever heard of such a thing? – and one small and so he proves – highly imaginative Rabbit, not to mention the brilliant Nicola O’Byrne.
Feeling bored, said Rabbit wishes aloud for something to happen and this comment happens to be overheard by said librarian His suggestion is to co-write a story. Having got over (more or less) his surprise at the size of the librarian’s ears – “All the better for listening to stories with, my dear,” and his eyes “All the better for reading with,” the next thing is how to begin. USE YOUR IMAGINATION! – how else? So off we, or rather they, go… ‘Once upon a time.’ That’s the beginning dealt with and oh, it has to be a fairy tale; characters next and the requirement here is a baddie. Size is important; not too small and not too big…

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wolf size is perfect. Then there’s the hero (dress unimportant) and a setting. Again, imagination comes to the fore or should that be forest, here.
Now that’s all settled, let the story start –

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Time to decide who is really calling the shots thereafter and quickly too. Over to you Rabbit…
Cheeky humour, verbal and visual, mixes perfectly with fairytale frights and just the right degree of suspense in this superbly imagined (what else?) book.
It’s one of those that makes you want to wave it from the rooftops and shout come and listen to this NOW.
I had pretty much the same reaction to:

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Dog Loves Fairy Tales
Louise Yates
Jonathan Cape
As he dusts his bookshelves, Dog comes upon a long-lost book of Fairy Tales and in so doing, steps right into an adventure. His first encounter is with an imp who insists he is under a witch’s curse and must remain in his jar. Dog however disagrees. We must find the witch and break the curse he asserts leading the imp out into the Enchanted Forest.

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Now this imp is a thoroughly pessimistic character and no matter what Dog says, he counters it with negativity.
On their journey to find the witch, Dog and imp encounter Goldilocks (in the three bears’ cottage), three little pigs on their construction site,

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Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood in the wood, Rumpelstiltskin (but not Rapunzel; she was not at home – thanks to imp’s bad luck) and more than one big bad wolf before finding the witch.

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She turns out to be anything but wicked and cures imp of his pessimistic streak once and for all leaving Dog and his impish pal to continue together right to THE END and their very own ‘happily ever after’.
This thoroughly engrossing story is brimming over with fairy tale allusions, (some spoken, others shown) making this not only a delight for young audiences but also an absolute gift for teachers. It’s great to read aloud and a super starting point for an exploration of traditional tales in the primary classroom. As with her previous Dog stories, the characters are beautifully portrayed in Louise Yates’ wonderful, very funny watercolour illustrations. She manages to convey the entire range of emotions seemingly effortlessly with that light touch of hers. Cool endpapers too.
It’s me, not the imp who is bewitched where this book is concerned.

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Canine Catastrophes

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This book just ate my dog!
Richard Byrne
Oxford University Press
Many of us avid readers devour books but here the situation is altogether different; it’s the book that does the devouring. All begins normally as Bella is walking her large spotty dog across the first page, but when he reaches the gutter, he starts to disappear headfirst

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and by the next page has vanished altogether, his lead protruding from the crack. Along comes Ben offering to help but he too meets the same fate, as does the rescue service van, followed by a police car and a fire engine! Time for Bella to take over but at the turn of a page and a very large BURP she too falls victim to the dreaded gutter.
All is not lost however; seemingly Bella has somehow managed to slip a note out to us book-devouring readers issuing instructions on how to help her escape. Wiggle, shake and shake and shake and shake and wiggle once again …

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normality restored –more or less.

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Don’t forget to read Bella’s final instructions or …. Oh well, we are bound to go back and start all over anyway.
Very clever, very funny and very, very satisfying.

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Smelly Louie
Catherine Rayner
Macmillan Children’s Books
Fresh from the bathtub, Louie has lost his unique doggy smell; instead, there’s a distinct aroma of roses and apple blossom about him. One unhappy Louie: off he goes in search of his own elusive odour. Fox, the snails, even some friendly flies all come up with helpfully pongy possibilities and then an improved, but not yet perfect Louise remembers the stagnant pond. There he wallows until his ‘Special Smell’ is restored. Back home trots a satisfied Louie with a big smile on his face; but what is that powerful aroma coming from upstairs and that noise?

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Please not –
Once again, Catherine Rayner’s characterization is superb. The text, with its scattering of alliteration, is a delight to read aloud and the circularity of her shaggy dog story so satisfying, for readers and listeners that is, although not perhaps for its determined canine protagonist. Her illustrations here exhibit a delightful blend of scribbled exuberance in Louie’s glorious messiness and the detailed, fine control evident in the small creatures such as snails and bees and the flora around them.

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One can almost smell that characteristic doggy whiff emanating from Louie on the penultimate spread and he’s definitely won my affection despite my not being a dog lover in general.

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Alternative Viewpoints

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You Are (Not) Small
Anna Kang and Chris Weyant
Hodder Children’s Books
Size is relative, something that is explored in a very amusing manner courtesy of some fuzzy, ursine-looking creatures herein. When one orange and large encounters one much smaller and purple, he tells him so in no uncertain manner; the purple one however insists he is not small, rather, orange is big. A shouting match ensues with each side growing in number and yelling across the gutter at the other. Both sides are suddenly brought up short by an almighty

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followed by the descent of a number of parachute-borne pink creatures to further complicate matters, or rather, to enable the opposing sides to start seeing things from a different perspective. After all that, it’s time for some nosh chaps … However, it seems the new arrivals may have issues of their own.

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Minimal words per page in large type, allow the comical, cartoon-style illustrations to do much of the talking.
And talking there surely will be after a sharing of this with any group of children from around five. Not only is there the matter of size, this could be the starting point for discussions about racism, sexism and more.

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It’s an Orange Aardvark!
Michael Hall
Words and Pictures (Frances Lincoln Childen’s Books)
Five little ants (sporting hard hats of various colours) residing in an old tree stump are disturbed by a sound outside. What can it be? One – (yellow-hatted) ant decides to make a hole “Like a window!” to see what’s going on. The red-hatted alarmist ant suggests the possibility that a sneaky, grey aardvark might be out there waiting for its next meal – ants! But through the window they see orange. Not an aardvark then… “Aardvarks turn orange when they are hungry for ants” says guess which ant. More drilling by yellow hat… THUNK! blue seeps in through the next hole… “An orange aardvark wearing blue pyjamas!” alarmist ant again. And so it continues : with each new hole comes a new colour … red,

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green, yellow … and an even more outrageous elaboration on the ant-eating aardvark notion. Savvy listeners will work out what the ants will eventually see before yellow-hat makes his announcement and the ants emerge to …

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Well four of their number anyway.
Crazy cumulativeness, amusing ant talk – “Goodness!” “Gracious!” “Yikes!”, die-cuts (a-la Carle) delight audiences as do the brightly coloured collage-style images and the anticipation as each new idea is added to the imagined creature outside the tree stump. And, so cleverly written – every single word is measured for maximum impact.

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Friendships Tested

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Olive and the Embarrassing Hat
Tor Freeman
Brubaker, Ford & Friends (Templar) pbk
I think this has to be my very favourite of the Olive series. If you’ve ever been given a present you feel a fool wearing then this one is definitely for you.
Olive is given a hat that is anything but stylish by her best pal Joe and he sports one to match – almost. When the two walk out together their other, so called friends, make fun of their offbeat headwear until eventually Olive can take no more and she dumps her offending article in the rubbish bin.

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Her drastic action however, is seen by Joe, who now feels affronted and off he goes. Time to make amends thinks Olive, but how?
Our ever resourceful feline quickly puts her signwriting skills into action and steps out ready to sock it to the world

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and she doesn’t care what anyone thinks, well only Joe and there he comes…
No more will Olive be the butt of anyone’s jokes.

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What a triumph.
Both words and pictures brilliantly explore the boundaries of friendship in this hilarious story; the hat disposal sequence is absolutely priceless.

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Another winning shot from Olive and her creator, Tor Freeman.

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On Sudden Hill
Linda Sarah and Benji Davies
Simon & Schuster pbk
Best friends Etho and Birt spend countless hours in each other’s company, much of it on Sudden Hill where they entertain all manner of flights of fancy as they sit inside their respective cardboard boxes. No matter whether they’re kings, soldiers, astronauts or pirates they are always ‘Big’ friends with a two-by-two rhythm. Then one Monday along comes Shu; he too has a box and wants to join their play.

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Etho agrees; Birt keeps quiet. The three play but Birt is not happy and one night he trashes his box. No more visits to Sudden Hill for him despite invitations from the other two; instead he sits at home drawing, missing his best friend and their play together.
Then one day there’s a knock on Birt’s door and Shu calls him to come and see what they’ve made for him. Imagine his delight at what is waiting outside– an amazing “Monster Creature Box Thing”, Mr Climbfierce by name. And where better to take it than up Sudden Hill; moreover, it’s just perfect for three – Birt, Etho and Stu.

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Now Birt loves their three-by-three rhythm.
A tender, insightful look at the challenges and rewards of accommodating a third person into a best friends scenario. The spare, straightforward manner of Linda Sarah’s telling is a perfect fit with Benji Davies’ expressive paintings. Their muted colours echo the reflective nature of the story and capture so well the joys and small tribulations of childhood.

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Mine!
Jerome Keane & Susana De Dios
Orchard Books
Anyone who has ever spent time with young children will recognize this:
Horse and Fox, both bored, both notice, seemingly simultaneously, an egg shaped object and both claim ownership – no surprises there. … “But I saw it first,” said Horse. “No mine,” said Fox. “I saw it first.” “Didn’t,” said Horse. “Did,” said Fox. “You really didn’t,” said Horse. “Really did,” said Fox. (Such a familiar scenario and so well observed.)
Impasse – something’s gotta give guys.

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A realization dawns – “KIND OF SHARING?” Great idea; but then …

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DISASTER!
Perhaps not after all –

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Wonderful characterization, the dialogue is spot-on, stylish, and very funny, superbly expressive illustrations complete the package.

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Hear it from the Animals

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Bruno and Titch
Sheena Dempsey
Walker Books
Titch waits anxiously in Mrs Pinkerley’s pet shop for a “Big Person” to come along and buy him; it’s been so long – almost a year in guinea pig time already. Now imagine his joy when in comes one small boy and out go one guinea pig and one small boy together. Life at Bruno’s home takes some getting used to however –their tastes are so very different.

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And all those games are positively hair-raising for a small furry rodent but then there are other things that compensate.
Just when the friendship seems to be flourishing though, Bruno starts behaving very strangely; surely it can’t be a getting rid of pet plan he’s hatching worries our small narrator. As a pair of hands reach out, panic seizes Titch but …

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WOW! Bruno’s creation is truly amazing, only serving to prove what a good friend he is; and definitely worth that wait.
So too was the wait for Sheena Dempsey’s latest offering. Her ink and watercolour illustrations are full of fun and feeling and could well prompt young listeners to set to work to create their own pet paradises.
Also with an animal narrator is:

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I’m My Own Dog
David Ezra Stein
Walker Books
‘I’m my own dog. Nobody owns me. I own myself’’ asserts the self-assured canine storyteller at the outset and goes on to demonstrate just how he answers to nobody and is totally happy with his lot. Life is just dandy until along comes a particularly annoying itch in an unreachable (for our narrator that is) place on his back. So bad does it become that for all his talk, the bulldog is forced to allow a human hand to come to his aid.

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Then one thing … leads to another … until despite the disadvantage of having to do the cleaning up, a firm friendship is forged.

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Amusing,watercolour and pen and ink pictures created with a mix of thick and thin strokes almost calligraphic style, cleverly add both definition and personality to the two main characters in particular.
Great fun even if, like me, you are not a dog-lover.

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Mad About Mega Beasts!
Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz
Orchard Books
A dozen very large creatures introduce themselves in this latest offering from the duo who brought us Rumble in the Jungle, Commotion in the Ocean and Mad About Minibeasts. There are creatures of land and sea, hot places and cold, carnivores and vegetarians; a few are extinct, most very much alive. They might be feathered, furred, scaly or smooth, scary or more friendly, but the one thing they have in common is their sheer size. Thus we meet, among others, Argentinosaurus (currently claimed to be the largest dinosaur), the Siberian Tiger, Python and even a St. Bernard all rendered in glorious technicolour in Wojtowycz’s gleeful illustrations;

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he manages to make even that python look anything but scary. Superb use of the space on the page every time, and with its mix of colourful characters and jaunty rhymes I’m sure this will become as popular as its predecessors in primary classrooms everywhere. Individual readers will delight in spotting those other – tiny – creatures that seem to have managed to find their way into every scene.

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Dance with Frances, Play with Bing

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Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance
Birgitta Sif
Walker Books
Frances Dean just adores dancing: even when sitting in school she finds ways to dance with her feet or fingers. Best though she loves to dance outdoors, where she feels the wind and hears the singing of the birds, so long as nobody is watching that is. The thought of people’s eyes on her make her freeze up. Then one day the birds (fans of her dancing) lead her to a smaller girl with a wonderful voice

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and that night Frances Dean lies awake thinking of how the girl was able to share her beautiful song. Next morning when she wakes to bird song she is reminded of her own love of dancing. Off she goes into the great outdoors to practise while no one is around. Gradually as she spins and leaps she begins to lose her inhibitions and shows, first the birds, then other animals and finally, other people, her moves. Before long – oh joy – not only the singing girl, but also an old lady and many others have joined her in a celebration of dance.

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A book to bring music to your heart and movement to your body, I found it hard not to throw aside my laptop and leap around in sheer delight along with Frances Dean et al. at the sight of that final spread.
Wonderful, dreamy landscapes, quirky, sparky individuals – human and animal – and a powerful message to be yourself are some of the joys contained herein.
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Bing Make Music
Ted Dewan
Harper Collins Children’s Books pbk
BINGO! BONGO! BANGO!
Round the corner,
Not far away,
Bing’s been bongo-ing all day.
Get out your saucepans, spoons, tubes and keys, even your rice tub and bell, oh and Bing and Flop have a music box thing too. Then get ready to join in the glorious cacophony with the friends as that rice goes shaka shaka, keys go jingle jing, a tube goes woona woona, a bell goes dingle ding.
But oh-oh! Bing is getting just a trifle over excited with that spoon. We need to warn him, “Don’t go bongo, Bing.” Too late! BASH! – one broken music box.
A quick mend and then, it’s time for a song. Hurrah!
Who can resist Bing’s exuberance and Flop’s readiness to forgive his friend? Equally irresistible is this opportunity to join in and shake, rattle and bang along with the friends (once you’ve shared the story without additional noises perhaps).
Great for developing sound awareness too.
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Vanilla Ice Cream

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Vanilla Ice Cream
Bob Graham
Walker Books
A truck has stopped at a dhaba (tea stall) for the driver to partake of some refreshments.

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Overhead flies a curious young cock sparrow – bold and free. Down he comes to join the feast but the trucker is having none of it. Off flies our young sparrow across to his truck, a truck that happens to be carrying a cargo of rice to the port. What a feast.

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So of course, that ‘truck-stop’ sparrow stows himself safely inside one of the rice sacks, following, or rather, accompanying the food over land and then sea until finally, he finds himself in a park in a vast city where there just happens to be a small girl with her grandparents who just happen to be heading to the café for some refreshment. And that’s where our erstwhile traveller alights to partake of the crumbs on the table. In so doing he agitates the dog,

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which jerks Grandpa’s arm sending his ice-cream cone flying, thus, changing the life of little Edie in an unexpected, and, as she discovers the taste of vanilla ice-cream, a delicious, way.

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Through a spare text of carefully chosen words, the author’s small sparrow subtly demonstrates how we are all inextricably linked and how small incidents and moments can yield much pleasure if we are open to the possibilities therein: just look at those gorgeous watercolours and you will see.
This lovely, gently humorous book is endorsed by Amnesty International UK because, as it says, ‘ it reminds us that we should all enjoy life, freedom and safety. These are some of our human rights.’ If only …

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Princesses and a Postman

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Ten Little Princesses
Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
Orchard Books
Ten little princesses trot past the castle but whither are they bound on their special day? Why, to the ball of course: but will they arrive safely and on time? When one pricks her finger, another bites into a poisoned apple and a third is charmed by a handsome skateboarding prince, we begin to wonder whether any of these damsels will reach their destination. There are piggies and a big bad wolf,

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a frog, a toothy troll

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and much more in this action-packed, bouncy, rhyming romp of a countdown that really invites joining in.
What a wealth of detail there is to talk about, and an abundance of counting opportunities, in the various comical scenes rendered in dazzling colours by Rickerty, who made me chuckle several times at every turn of the page. Brilliant fun (even better than Ten Little Pirates) by a pair that work so well together.
Great fun too is:

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Digby Dog Delivers
Tor Freeman
Macmillan Children’s Books
Digby Dog is a postman and he spends his time delivering the town folks’ mail on his trusty scooter. On this particular day he has all manner of parcels to take to Fred Fox, Ginger Guinea Pig, Annie Ape,

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Professor Perry Pig and Sally Sheep. Those duly delivered, there is just one parcel remaining in his cart and it’s a very special one for a very special person.; but whose house is he heading to? His very own and just in time for a fifth birthday party and a share in Petal Puppy’s birthday tea.
There is so much to look at and share in the wonderfully humorous, action-packed pictures, not only the double spreads of the places Digby delivers to, but also the smaller scenes on his route. In one of the latter we see such things as three apple cores lined up beside a rubbish sack and a rabbit balancing seven scoops of ice-cream on a single cone.

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Poetry Potpourri

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A is Amazing
ed. Wendy Cooling, illustrated by Piet Grobler
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books pbk
There is so much variety in this collection of poems loosely about feelings and moods arranged alphabetically. The good thing – or one of them -about this lovely book is that the arrangement does not serve as it straightjacket, rather it is an imaginative way of presenting and organizing an exciting compilation. Thus we have a traditional Polish rhyme FiZzy to represent Z, Lemn Sissay’s rap-style, The Emperor’s Cat is eXtraordinary for X and Puddle-Wonderful for P. (Oops! Why have they used capitals for its author, e e cummings?) There are poems from all over the world and from a wide range of poets (almost another A to Z – anon to Zephaniah) in a range of styles and voices, mostly contemporary –among them Carol Ann Duffy, Roger McGough, and Wendy Cope, but also Keats and Robert Louis Stevenson. I particularly love the opening poem ‘Unfolding Bud’ showing how a poem gradually unfolds the richness at its heart. And richness there is a-plenty between the covers of this book. Assuredly it’s one to return to over and over, to ponder, to laugh (try Michael Rosen’s GHEAUGHTEIGHPTOUGH Spells Potato), to wonder over and to thrill. There’s something for everyone here and for all times. I can see it being oft used in schools but I hope it’s riches are not confined to PSHE sessions; this small treasure trove deserves much wider celebration than that.
The mainly watercolour illustrations complement but never overwhelm the poetry allowing the words to speak for themselves.
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Interestingly one of the contributors to the above has a brand new collection of his own:
I’m a Little Alien
James Carter
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books pbk
Cleverly arranged, the almost fifty poems herein take readers out into space for encounters with robots, aliens, rockets, the moon, stars and planets and back to earth to meet all manner of creatures large and small as well as other representatives of the natural world and much more, from hats and shoes to mums and friends.
A fun-filled little book to have on hand in infant classrooms and at home, for those odd moments when only a poem will do and it’s a great opportunity to begin to listen to the voice of an individual poet.
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So too, though for a slightly older audience, is the first solo collection from performance poet James Coelho
Werewolf Club Rules
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books pbk
Coelho takes the familiar primary school world and turns it into a place to generate a love of language and a delight in words for their own sake as he presents poems centering on teachers and lessons, pupils, parents and the numerous other items and small events that comprise the school day from getting there to going home. A few are very short – just three or four lines, others such as If all the world were paper, considerably longer and one or two such as Weights on a pole need to be seen on the page but I think it fair to say that all are best served by reading them aloud and there’s not a single dud among them.
The sensations brought out by Halloween’s crumble, the stifling of a child’s creativity in An A* from Miss Coo, the sights, sounds and speed of Skateboarding
are just some of the delights to savour in this exciting debut collection. If the poet continues thus, I can envisage his books becoming firm favourites alongside those of Michael Rosen, Kit Wright, Roger McGough, John Agard and Allan Ahlberg.
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Another book that will foster a love of words and language is:

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A is for Awesome
Dallas Clayton
Walker Books
Though not strictly a poetry book this is a rhyming alphabet packed with alliteration and, as the author/artist says, ‘a book about possibilties’. Thus we have for instance:
C is for CONFIDENT, COOL and COLLECTED
D is for DREAMING things never EXPECTED
It’s also about positiveness
G is For GREATNESS You’re Well on Your Way, L is for Living Life up to its fullest,
P is For PASSION PURSUING what’s Right
Others I really like are:
I is IMAGINE IDEAS all your own
K is for KIDS being Kids (that’s the coolest)
Q is For QUIET to Escape From the Madness
R is For READING But Also For Radness
V is For VALUES And Keeping Them True
W is For WISDOM Both Spoken and Written
Many of the items representing each letter not the ordinary, run-of-the-mill objects found in alphabet books, indeed some had me puzzling over them; and there are lots for every letter each depicted in Clayton’s quirky style. This is definitely not a first ABC but one full of talk potential in school or at home.
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Quest

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Quest
Aaron Becker
Walker Books
At the end of Journey, Becker left his two child protagonists pedalling their tandem towards as we now see, their next adventure. Also wordless, Quest begins with the pair having left  the bike leaning against a wall, sheltering under a bridge from heavy rain.

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In the wall is a door through which a distraught-looking king bursts. He thrusts a strange map into their hands, one showing the hiding places of six magical crayons that the two children must find and so bring about the defeat of the enemies of his kingdom.

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Thus charged, the boy and girl (the latter wearing a bandolier from the king in which to store the crayons) set forth on their mission. Like Antony Brown’s Bear and Harold (of purple crayon fame) the children use their trusty red and purple crayons to draw themselves means of escape from danger. They travel to the depths of the sea

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and over land (I love that it is a rhino with a howdah and not an elephant that they draw to carry them overland) and water to a climatic rainbow-hued defeat of the evil forces of darkness

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culminating in a glowing, multi-coloured victory for the monarch and his kingdom.
All manner of architectural marvels are depicted in glorious watercolour and ink spreads that are packed with a multitude of amazing details. With a broader, richer colour-palette and greater emphasis on dramatic action and high adventure than its predecessor, this is again a stunning testament to the power of the imagination, art and pictorial story telling. Awesome.

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Toddler Time

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A Recipe for Bedtime
Peter Bently and Sarah Massini
Hodder Children’s Books
Baby, baby soft and sweet,
Almost good enough to eat!
It’s night-night time so come with me,
And hear my bedtime recipe.
We are invited to share a bedtime ritual along with teddy (who has the perfect recipe book), and other assorted toys who help put the human infant to bed. After a snack, there’s a cuddle, clothes off, into the bath with lots of warm water and bubbles, then a rub-a-dub with a huge towel – perfect for a quick game of Peek-a-Boo,

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a tummy softening squirt– thank you elephant, into those jimjams and a drink of milk. Now put said infant into a warm place with a sprinkling of kisses and a cosy cover, not forgetting a sleep-inducing ‘Hush-a-bye’ song; now climb in everyone. Night-night.
With its tender, gently soporific rhyming text and pictures so beautifully in tune, I can imagine this becoming a bedtime favourite with many a toddler.

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Are You My Mummy?
Mary Murphy
Walker Books
In this enchanting board book we join a little pup as it travels around the farm asking the various animal inhabitants, “Are you my mummy?” After encounters with a sheep, a cow, a horse, a cat, a pig

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and a duck, our persistent pup finally finds a large dog and joy of joys, her response is “Yes … and you’re my lovely puppy!”
Cute animals, a simple patterned text and flaps to open revealing each mother’s little one are the key ingredients of this new addition to the Baby Walker series. It’s just the thing to share with the very youngest child… again and again I suspect; and slightly older, beginner reader siblings might well enjoy reading it to a baby brother or sister.

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Where Do You Live Snail?
Petr Horacek
Walker Books
Snail sets out visiting mouse, the busy bees, a fluffy bird, a shiny fish and hoppy frog asking them in turn, “Where do you live?” Each time he receives the answer, “I (or we) live in … ” The frog then asks snail about his home and discovers that snail has a mobile home on its back.

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The predictable question and answer format together with Petr Horacek’s gorgeous mixed media illustrations make for a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Baby Walker series. This one has a wheel that when turned, makes the stars shine on snail.
Another beautifully illustrated title in the same series is:
A Surprise for Tiny Mouse
Petr Horacek
Walker Books
As we accompany Tiny Mouse through the seasons we share her enjoyment of nibbling the corn in the sunshine, moving in the crackly leaves on a windy day, feeling the crunchy night-time frost

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and the snow tickling her nose. What she doesn’t like though is splashy rain so off she scampers to hide until out comes the sun once more, and if the wheel is turned …
Cutaway pages and peep-holes further add to the enjoyment of this one.
In my experience beginning readers also get great pleasure from these books if left in early years book baskets for individuals to try reading for themselves.

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Starting School

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A Big Day for Migs!
Jo Hodgkinson
Andersen Press
Migs’ big day has arrived; he’s starting school. Off he goes somewhat reluctantly, fighting back the tears as he bids goodbye to his mum. In the classroom, it’s a shy Migs who watches all the others enjoying themselves and then, in the dressing up corner, he discovers just the thing to boost his self-confidence.

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Before long there’s a super hero mouse roaring and rampaging around the room, cloak flowing behind; but like others, super heroes need to watch where they are going. WHOOSH… SPLOOSH! A whole pot of water spills over Rokko’s boat painting.
Even a super hero’s handiwork cannot repair the damage and a tearful Rokko makes his feelings known in no uncertain terms. But can that same super hero’s brain come up with a super plan?
Thanks to some great teamwork and creative crafting, it’s not too long before harmony is restored.

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Then it’s time for lunch, a story session and everyone departs smiling happily and eagerly anticipating another day of fun with new friends.

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Anyone who has spent any time in a nursery or reception classroom will recognize the way things can all too easily escalate from well-intentioned exuberant romp to minor mishap, and thence to complete disaster in a very short space of time. Jo Hodgkinson captures this so well here both in her amusing illustrations and the jaunty rhyming text, as she does too, those mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension about starting school.
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Dolci is fascinated by Mouse’s antics

Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School
Simon Puttock and Ali Pye
Nosy Crow
It’s little Mouse’s very first night at Moonlight School, Miss Moon’s establishment for nocturnal creatures. The other members of the class, Bat, Cat and Owl have all arrived but there’s no sign of Mouse: She is having an attack of newcomer’s nerves and has gone into hiding.

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However, Mouse’s mother has given strict instructions about good behaviour to her offspring and so when Miss Moon calls the register, she finds herself revealing her presence and eventually creeps out to show herself. The accommodating Miss Moon responds to her “I like hiding” by suggesting a game of hide-and-seek and the class members scamper off to hide. Owl, Cat and Bat’s whereabouts are quickly discovered but where is Mouse? (Observant readers will have spotted her hiding place). A careful search ensues but to no avail;

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Miss Moon begins to worry but eventually little Mouse can contain herself no longer … out she pops just in time for midnight snack with her new friends and what’s even more exciting, shyness overcome, she has discovered something she can do better than her classmates.
The nocturnal setting of this story with its friendly witch teacher, gives it a pinch of something extra so it is not just a ‘starting school’ story. Children love the idea of the teacher not being able to find mouse but I don’t think they needed to be told her whereabouts; perhaps better to let the pictures do the talking here.
There are lots of amusing details in Ali Pye’s muted, candle-lit illustrations and I just love those gorgeous, lunar-lighted landscapes, in particular, the endpapers.

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Specs for Rex

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Specs for Rex
Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
Rex has new specs, BIG, ROUND and RED and very smart too; but he doesn’t think so and does everything he can to lose the dratted things.
At school too he tries hiding them, or disguising same, indoors…

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and out.

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Back inside, he also finds something – Miss Spots’ missing whistle and that’s deemed worthy of a special gold star. By the end of the day, that is not the only thing Rex has found: much more important he’s found a new friend and one who admires those super cool specs of his. Smiles and hugs all round.

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Miss Spots’ chaotic, child-friendly classroom with paints, pens and crayons strewn everywhere looks to be the very place Yasmeen Ismail produced her wonderful, deceptively slap-dash free flowing paintings through which she chooses to tell much more of the story. Clearly she is no stranger to early years settings, where overflowing sinks and the creative use of toilet paper are familiar sights.

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A spirited story showing the importance of self-esteem and the positive effects of standing out from the crowd – just a little bit. A must have book for all settings where there are young children.
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The Colour Thief

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The Colour Thief
Gabriel Alborozo
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Imagine a world of unrelenting grey – all day, every day. That’s what it’s like on Zot’s planet; it’s a very sad place. It’s no surprise then that as he gazes from his mountaintop at earth sparkling with colour in the far distance, he is filled with longing. So much so that he decides to visit what he’s sure is a happy place and thus find his own happiness.
On arrival, Zot is dazzled by the colours of everything he sees on earth; so could he be happy here? Perhaps not, without his friends. Instead he decides to take the colour back to his own planet and sets to work collecting first red,

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then blue, green, yellow and the rest in his bag until all earth’s colours have gone – every single one… Oh! Not quite, for along comes a small boy with an orange balloon. Of course, our colour catching Zot must have that one too.

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So now we have one small, very sad looking boy clutching one grey balloon. Off goes Zot in his spacecraft but not far; it looks like he’s having a change of heart. Back he goes and very carefully releases his catch of colours into the boy’s world once more.
So is there a happy ending for Zot? Well, one good turn deserves another …

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Especially when you share it with all your friends.

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I am absolutely be-ZOTTED with this book: I love it from cover to cover. Zot is, despite his marauding moments, a lovable character who rather resembles a space-craft himself. A beautiful, gentle anti-greed parable with a powerful punch.

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Banana Drama, Mane Mania

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Betty Goes Bananas

Steve Antony
Oxford University Press
Betty’s grin is irresistible; in fact Betty herself is, despite her tantrums. Tantrums she seems to throw at the drop of a hat – or rather a banana; for it’s a banana that is the cause of all the bother. No matter how hard she tries hungry Betty just cannot open her banana.

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(It must be one of the same young finger-defying variety supplied to infant schools). So what does she do? Cries, sniffles, kicks and screams

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and finally, calms down, Along comes Mr Toucan offering to help but our determined miss is having none of it: off she goes again. WAAAAH! SNIFF! SNIFF! BANG! BANG! AAAAAAAAAAAA! …
wise words from Mr Toucan … Betty bites but the banana breaks …

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here we go again, repeat performance … More timely words from long-suffering Mr T. … Betty eats YUM! Mr T. departs … but what’s that on the ground there …

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Brilliantly simple, simply brilliant. Steve Antony’s second picture book is even better than his debut performance and that was a hard act to follow.

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Monty’s Magnificent Mane

Gemma O’Neill
Templar Publishing pbk
King of the jungle, Monty’s mane is his pride and joy. His friends the meerkats admire its glowing magnificence and flatter him about it, which pleases Monty so he allows them to play therein. Not for long though; their tugging and tickling become annoying and Monty shakes them off, taking a tumble in so doing and messing up his mane. The meerkats’ attempts to restore it to magnificence are not to Monty’s liking

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so off he stomps to check out his reflection in the waterhole heedless of a small meerkat’s warning. Now Monty’s just loves flattery and so when he hears words like “wonderful mane” coming from the green, cheeky eyed creature in the water, he’s only to happy to go nearer so he can show it off at close range… SNAP!

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Oops! One croc’s mouth stuffed with mane: one fleeing lion hotly pursued by said croc. hungry for dinner.
That croc. is still hot on his heels when he gets home, so it’s time for Monty to make an difficult decision –which is more important – the lives of his meerkat friends or an always perfect mane?
 Brilliant colours , and somewhat Scarfe-like, exaggerated images of Monty and croc. make for dramatic effect in Gemma O’Neill’s wonderfully textured mixed media illustrations.
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Dixie O’Day and the Great Diamond Robbery

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Dixie O’Day and the Great Diamond Robbery
Shirley Hughes & Clara Vulliamy
The Bodley Head
Hurrah! Dixie O’Day is back in a second adventure with his best pal, Percy.
When the pair head off on holiday to the posh Hotel Splendide in Brightsea, little do they know that they are driving right into more high adventure.
This time it’s an adventure involving a narrow escape en route thanks to a masked pair in a car, a dramatic sea rescue of Mr Canteloe, owner of a large house with secret passages, a hidden cave, a famous pop star Peaches Miaow, such a divinely cool character it’s easy to see why Percy adores her; a jewel robbery (this includes Peaches’ precious diamond necklace.)

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Oh woe! big drama in the hotel lobby. Then there’s a subterranean encounter – Percy, Dixie and Mr C. and the robbers, a breathless chase (involving same), a torn off sleeve (one of the crooks’s), the  discovery of the stolen hoard by Mr C. Dixie and Percy (who unearths Peaches’ necklace), and an eventual arrest and identification of the criminals.
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DSCN2886 (640x607) Phew!
Percy in particular is more than a little thrilled as the friends finally set off to drive home.

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Once again there are the added extras: an introductory interview with Dixie and Percy and photo portraits of the other characters, a map (Dixie’s) and after the story, Shirley and Clara talk about their favourite holidays, there’s a maze and invitation for readers to be creative, a quiz and a taster of – oh joy – the next adventure, Dixie O’Day Up, Up and Away – I can’t wait.
Like it’s predecessor, this a perfect chapter story both for sharing with children and also for those at that tricky inbetween stage just before confident reading that is so hard to cater for. With Clara’s richly patterned, wonderfully expressive illustrations and a truly entertaining story that sparkles with Shirley’s charm and subtle humour what more can a reader at that crucial stage ask for – other than more, of course.
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Two Parties, Two Birthdays

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The Dinosaurs are Having a Party!
Gareth P. Jones and Garry Parsons
Andersen Press
It’s party time at the dinosaurs’ residence and someone has a special guest invitation.

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On his arrival our young narrator finds the party in full swing with games galore and a scrumptious spread on the table. Outside is a barbeque, but where is the meat?

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And the large bouncy castle is lots of fun – at least till stegosaurus comes along.
Oh, who is taking SO long in the loo?

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O-OH! Time to grab a party bag and leave the fun behind it seems …

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But the host doesn’t want to lose sight of that special fea.. – oops I mean guest, just yet; indeed he’s hot on the (w)heels of that escapee vehicle most of the way … home. Phew! Lucky escape. Just what is in your party bag then, little boy?
A madcap rhyming story where young audiences will delight in spotting the visual warning signs from the time the narrator leaves home until his hasty departure from the party. They will also relish the twist – or rather snap – at the end of the tale.

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There’s more partying in:

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We’re Going to a Party!
Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Andersen Press pbk
“We’re going to a party,
disguised in fancy dress.
But which of us is What or Who?
It’s up to you to guess!”
Each of the animals has donned a disguise and asks readers to decide who is really the banana, pirate, princess, tiger
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and so on. Who is that in a ‘rubbish’ monster costume they wonder. Somebody none to happy about to give them a surprise …
Rhyming fun, flaps, a pop-out finale and delicious Ross illustrations: what’s not to like?

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I Feel Five!
Bethanie Deeney Murguia
Walker Books
‘How does it feel to be five?’ or six or whatever is a question often asked of children. It always seems a bit daft to me – why would anyone suddenly feel different overnight just because of a birthday. This is certainly something young Fritz ponders as he wakes up on his fifth birthday leaping joyfully out of bed

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and rushing to the mirror only to be confronted by a reflection that looks exactly like the day before’s; and he still can’t tie the laces on his new shoes. Maybe school will help him to feel five he decides. But, when his teacher asks him that inevitable question and his friends sing his birthday song, Fritz still feels just the same.
It’s a rather disillusioned Fritz –still unable to whistle, snap his fingers or do the monkey bars two at a time and still needing just one hand to count his years – who suddenly hears a voice as he sits sadly under an apple tree on his way home from school.

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The voice belongs to a little girl and she’s asking him if he can reach the apples.
One flying leap later… two rosy apples, two bite into same and could it just be one very slight wiggle from one of Fritz’s teeth; now there’s a feeling that is just a little different.

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And, he has made a new friend; things are definitely looking up.
Full of charm and gentle humour, this is a good story to have to hand in an infant classroom when children turn four, five or six.
Soft watercolours portray so clearly the ups and down of Fritz’s birthday; I love his light-surrounded leap out of bed and the contrasting, all pervading grey gloom as he sits under that apple tree, oh and those two pairs of shoe-clad feet on opposite sides of a spread –

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so beautifully expressive.

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The Dinosaur That Pooped the Past!
Tom Flethcher & Dougie Poynter illustrated by Garry Parsons
Red Fox pbk
The pooping dinosaur is back once again. Danny’s Gran is celebrating her one thousand and eighth birthday and she’s served up masses of disgusting green, wind-creating stuff. Guess who gobbles Dan’s share before Gran notices so that the pair can go out and play. Once outside they head for a creaky old swing, one that turns out to be super powered. Dizzily they loop back through time

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before finally crash landing in the Jurassic era. There they meet a trio of baby dinos, Dino Dudes A, B and C. who like nothing better than clambering on top of each other. As Danny’s dinosaur sits back to watch their games, he feels a rumble in his tum, a rumble that makes the ground crumble , a crumble that signifies VOLCANO SEASON! No time to lose; the swing must be repaired; but that alone is not strong enough to carry extra passengers out of danger. There is only one thing to do …

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Three cheers for the power of broccoli and another three for the trio of new dino pals. They all arrive just in time a hefty chunk of Gran’s broccoli birthday cake.

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Scatological, or rather poopological, humour courtesy of that huge-bellied dinosaur delivered in rip-roaring rhyme and suitably exuberant illustrations; just the thing to send young children into fits of giggles, not to mention many of the adults who share it with them.

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Count with Abigail and Pete

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Abigail
Catherine Rayner
Little Tiger Press pbk
Glorious images and colours of Rayner’s silkscreen illustrations evoke the African savannah setting of this story wherein giraffe, Abigail has to go to great lengths to pursue her favourite hobby – counting. The trouble is her numerical targets just won’t stay still:

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Ladybird scuttles away, the leaves on the tree get gobbled up, Zebra is in constant motion and Cheetah’s splotches are a definite no – he’s way too fast.

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Then kindly Ladybird suggests a field of flowers and all her pals pitch in to help with the count. Their counting skills however, are less developed than Abigails’ so a lesson ensues; but it proves a very long one. So long in fact that night is falling by the time their skills are sufficiently honed but Abigail is not one to give up easily, especially when the night sky is full of twinkling stars –

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and they are most definitely not going anywhere in a hurry.
The lovely shapes, patterns and contours of the animals’ bodies make them become real characters in their own right: in particular Abigail’s stature and grace are magnificently portrayed and one cannot help but admire her persistence.

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Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Eric Litwin and James Dean
Harper Collins Children’s Books pbk
This book is my first encounter with Pete, the laid back, sleek blue character who always remains upbeat no matter what. Even when as here, the four groovy buttons he loves, pop off his favourite shirt

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and roll away one by one. As he says – or rather sings – “Buttons come and buttons go.” Despite the loss of the last button he doesn’t get upset. Why not? Because our feline friend realises that he still has his very own belly button and that too is worthy of a song.

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Such a positive message for children, wrapped up in a quirky colourful caper of a story. And, there’s that mathematical element too: this engages the very young in counting, counting down from four to zero, and the idea of subtraction.If you want to sing along with Pete you can find his song and more at www.harpercollins.co.uk/Petethecat

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A Flying Bath and a Busy Tractor

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The Flying Bath
Julia Donaldson and David Roberts
Macmillan Children’s Books
When everyone’s away, the toys will play. The particular toys in question are the bath toys at number 17 where one morning, we see the residents depart, watched by the red plastic duck on the windowsill. Then begins an international rescue operation organized by said duck and his pals, frog and turtle.

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First stop is the Australian outback to save a dehydrated kangaroo. But that’s not the only call on the services of the bath – good job they filled up before take off – so it’s,
Wings out, and off we fly.
The flying bath is in the sky!
Next stop – to help the worried bee whose flowers are decidedly droopy; a carefully aimed shower is just the thing there. Next they fly to help a very mucky pig clean up;

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then it’s off to extinguish a fire in Baboon’s tree

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and finally to rescue a frantic fish from a drought-threatened pond. As night falls the intrepid toys must return home for the children’s bathtime, with a special surprise -an extra member of the gang.

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Apart from the occasional word, the entire rhyming text is either in speech bubbles or the repeated chorus, which makes it great for audience participation.
And, as well as a punchy tale, there is a gentle science lesson on the importance of water to life embedded herein.
David Roberts’ illustrations are full of fun: those ‘telephones’ are particularly inspired.

Another rhyming narrative that imparts a gentle lesson is:

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Following the Tractor
Susan Steggall
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
We share a farmer’s year through the activities of a bright red tractor and there is plenty to keep it busy   through the seasons. There’s the winter ploughing, sowing the crop,

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muck spreading, rescue work

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and when summer comes, the harvest tasks such as pulling the grain trailer, the baler and

 

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then the straw trailer back to the farm.
The cleverly composed, brightly coloured collage scenes have much to interest: there are of course, the vehicles but look too at the dog walkers and the various other furred and feathered animals, large and small.

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Lucky

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Lucky
David Mackintosh
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Mum’s announcement of “a surprise at dinner tonight” sends Leo and his big narrator brother into a frenzy of escalating speculation about what it could possibly be.

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Quickly those possibilities grow from crinkly chips through tickets to The Amazing YoYo Super Show, a backyard swimming pool to a prize fortnight’s holiday in Hawaii all expenses paid.

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This latter idea takes hold and before long seemingly everyone has been told about the family’s good fortune.

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Home go the brothers to pack their holiday things but what’s that Mum is shouting …
“PIZZA” Surely not. What about that celebratory free time outside everyone at school was awarded in honour of the prize? How will the boys face everyone again?
Off to the bedroom goes our narrator. Before long though, Leo who has told his parents all, is at the door shouting about a “different surprise”.

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A surprise that demonstrates that what you have already – a family who can laugh together – can indeed be sufficient to make you feel lucky.
Another of David Mackintosh’s books wherein he uses humour to make a serious point. The quirky, slightly surreal mixed-media illustrations are genuinely funny and the manipulation of fonts and integration of text within the pictures is inspired. Great stuff!

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Rory and the Monstersitter

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Rory and the Monstersitter
Rosie Reeve
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
Young Rory’s culinary inclinations lead to all manner of interesting concoctions; take for instance those lunchtime cheese bats or the hairy cakes for tea. One day when his parents go out for dinner, he and his siblings are left in the charge of a babysitter. So what delicious repast will Rory create in his parents’ absence? Well, he needs an enormous saucepan, some twigs and leaves, a splash of water, a sprinkling of salt and pepper for seasoning,

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oh and there’s baby Grub’s own special addition too; but what is the main ingredient of this scrumptious supper treat? Oops! Rory seems to have forgotten to add that something spicy, something hairy, something BIG? But not for long…
Well, Rory, that scrumptious dinner certainly had a soporific effect on the younger members of the family. Not our chef himself though, he’s wide awake when his parents return, ready to answer their inquiry, “And how was the babysitter, dear?”
Part of the fun of this delicious, tongue-in-cheek story is that we never get to see the whole of that babysitting monster, just glimpses of a pair of blue hairy feet as he slumps in front of the TV

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and later a pair of horns above the shelf. That and the gradual build up of anticipation, not forgetting Rory’s final throwaway line concerning the postman and his imminent arrival.
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It’s Time for Bed

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Max and the Won’t Go To Bed Show
Mark Sperring and Sarah Warburton
Harper Collins pbk
Take your seats for a star-spangled performance by young Max who is giving a presentation of his world famous, death-defying PUTTING OFF BEDTIME FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE SHOW. Drum roll. Said show comprises a handful of amazing feats, trick one being a disappearing act. No not Max but a cup of milk and a cookie v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y,

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followed by the second trick – the taming of a savage beast (aka Brian the family dog).
Oops! Whose is that hand pulling our young magician up the stairs? Quick! Another trick is called for – THE GREAT DISAPPEARING BOY TRICK. But where has our star gone?

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Applause called for here…
Hastily followed by trick number four: the FLOATING PYJAMA TRICK (possibly thirty minutes worth of entertainment here). Not tonight maybe. Don’t leave yet though: Max still has more magic up his sleeve, or rather … under the bed, within the wardrobe… inside the toy box.
Before attempting his grand finale – daring to demand not one but ten bedtime stories (huge round of applause for this one I suggest) – he gets two and then … yawn… curtains, lights dimmed… good night everyone.
This book requires not so much a reading more a performance (with numerous curtain calls and encores I suspect). It’s cleverly constructed, beautifully controlled (with additional manipulation of the text through the use of various fonts and integration of words and pictures)

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and bursting with energy and humour. The illustrations too abound with energy and humour: despite his diminutive stature Max is certainly a larger than life character portrayed as a cute cuddlesome infant, albeit a supercharged one. In contrast, all we see of his parents are the occasional limbs helping their offspring on his way to the inevitable.

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It’s clear that Sarah Warburton greatly enjoyed herself, playing to the gallery by appropriately patterning various items of clothing, furniture and bedding, not to mention the wallpaper and more.

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A double act winner delivered with panache and pizzazz.
For bedtime reading? Well, that all depends …

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Harry and the Monster
Sue Mongredien and Nick East
Little Tiger Press pbk
A scary monster invades Harry’s dream one night. The following night he’s reluctant to go to bed in case it makes a return visit. “Try imagining him with a pair of pink pants on his head,” suggests Mum. The monster returns, Harry imagines;

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the monster is furious frightening Harry once again. The jelly plan – Dad’s this time – for Wednesday has a similar effect, so does Mum’s monster tickling plan on Thursday; in fact that only inflames the monster’s temper more. So what about Dad’s plan for Friday night? Perhaps even scary monsters are scared of furious mums …
With a not-too-scary monster, repetition and suspense, together with funny illustrations,

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take for instance a jelly-spattered monster, or one with prickles in his bottom and sporting Christmas tree decorations, this is one to make small children giggle at bedtime or any time.

Find and buy from your local bookshop:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Holidays Far and Near

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Wanda and the Alien Go Camping
Sue Hendra
Red Fox pbk
Wanda and her alien pal embark on their fourth adventure – camping. Their camp site however, is not the original earthly one planned; that’s far too wet and rainy. Instead the alien takes Wanda in his space rocket to his planet and it’s there they set out to find a suitable place to pitch their tent. Even that however, doesn’t match up to expectations, certainly not Wanda’s anyhow. She finds fault with all the possible spots they visit –

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too noisy, too quiet, too wild. Oh dear, can it be that the alien’s planet is entirely unsuitable too. But what about those clouds up above; could they possibly fit the bill?
Seemingly so.

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Cloud camping is just perfect; they can invite their other friends and the rain will not interfere at all.
One cannot help admiring the alien’s perseverance and Wanda’s endeavours not to hurt her best friend’s feelings. Indeed the sight of Wanda and her alien friend always brings a smile to my face, as in my experience, it does to many a preschooler. Here, I am sure the multitudes of aliens in alien city with their Day-Glo striped apparel and varying number of eyes, and the cloud camping possibilities will particularly appeal.
Sue Heap’s delightful images are just the thing to stimulate some modeling activities with coloured soft dough, ‘Fimo’ or similar; don’t forget the googly eyes though.
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I Heart Holidays
Clara Vulliamy
Harper Collins Children’s Books pbk
‘ This is a happy book all about MARTHA – that’s me! Come and see my BRILLIANT new suitcase!’

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Who can resist these opening lines of the third story featuring Martha and her bunny brothers. Young Martha is busy packing all manner of items into her case in preparation for her seaside holiday and finally the entire family is ready.

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Off they go in Bluebell, their camper van and after a long tedious journey it’s on with those swimming togs and a mad dash for the sea. Brrr! Not for long though; Pip objects strongly so Martha devises another activity and then it’s time for a picnic lunch – with the obligatory sandy sandwiches. Time to go in the sea now? More objections from Pip so …
After lunch there’s burying Dad in the sand,

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ice-creams, the starry sunglasses rescue operation and a sandcastle building competition with the inevitable trashing and then finally … our young narrator has had enough. She heads seawards – alone. Not for long though for pretty soon (despite the downpour) those pesky bunny brothers have joined her for a glorious romp and guess what:
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I love the retro VW camper van, the shell face (so typical of young children),

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the portrayal of Dad being covered in sand, the exuberance of Martha and her brothers when the sun finally shines … pretty much everything that Clara Vulliamy has included in this seaside romp.
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Catch That Plane!
Sally Sutton and Sylvie Currin Korankova
Walker Books
We join a family in holiday frenzy as they rush to the airport, chase to check-in, dash to departures,

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scoot through security, trot down the travelator, jog down the aerobridge and finally, board their plane.

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Then it’s a peep through the window, buckle up that seat belt, engines roaring, racing down the runway and they’re off up … up… away! The holiday has well and truly started.
There are echoes of Walking in the Jungle, albeit at a faster pace, in this first person account by a boy setting off on his holiday with his Mum, Dad and younger sister. It’s probably more narrative information that a real story but there’s plenty to interest here with the sights and sounds of the airport and the playful, jaunty rhyme, plentiful alliteration and more. And, just in case it isn’t obvious from the context, there is a final ‘Facts’ spread explaining the terms used in the text.
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Happy Birthday, Royal Baby!

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Happy Birthday, Royal Baby!
Martha Mumford and Ada Grey
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
I have to admit to putting this to the bottom of the pile when it arrived, thinking here we go – cashing in on THAT baby again. But, when it re-emerged I thought I really should take a look and I’m glad I did. It’s actually a highly entertaining follow up to Shhh! Don’t Wake the Royal Baby! and very knowing about what amuses babes – royal or other.
What can those frenzied activities in the Royal Palace mean? Of course, it’s the Royal Baby’s first birthday. His auntie is on hand to ensure everything is just so. There’s that enormous cake being baked – a very jammy one naturally, hundreds of balloons to be blown up,

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not to mention a bouncy castle and more.
Eventually the party begins; there are presents and crazy games but “Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaaah!” Surely the birthday boy can’t be unhappy, can he? Even opening that mountain of presents doesn’t bring a smile to that chubby countenance of his. Wait though. Who is that parachuting to the ground? And what is it that’s strapped to her front?
Great Grandma knows just the thing that will engage the royal toddler…

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Now let the party begin – in earnest.

 

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Ada Grey has managed to capture all those Royals beautifully and the corgis’ antics are an absolute hoot.
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Amazing Myths

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A-Maze-Ing Minotaur
Juliet Rix and Juliet Snape
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
The Greek myth wherein Theseus, the young Prince of Athens, enters the labyrinthine maze where waits the terrible Minotaur for his next young human feast, is retold for young readers and listeners in this beautifully illustrated picture book.
We follow Theseus as he journeys to Crete, meets the task-master King Minos and encounters his beautiful daughter, Ariadne who falls immediately in love with him,

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promising to help him in his quest to kill the monstrous Minotaur. She gives him a ball of golden thread and a small sword, and her word that she’ll wait for him on his return.
Next morning young Theseus, having anchored one end of the thread to the door of the Labyrinth, sets forth into the dark maze, unravelling the thread as he walks.

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On he goes then suddenly encounters the beast towering over him. Out comes the sword and Theseus lashes at his foe, killing the Minotaur but losing his ball of thread. The latter he eventually finds, and retraces his steps. Finally, thanks to Ariadne, he and the thirteen others who were to have accompanied him into the maze, board a ship and sail away to safety in the knowledge that young Athenians need no longer fear the terrible Minotaur.
The ever-popular tale is told in a straightforward direct manner but it is Juliet Snape’s detailed scenes  with their subterranean passageways that, with their resemblance to ancient Minoan art, convey much of the feeling of the story and create the atmosphere. Young audiences will particularly enjoy spotting the monster’s whereabouts as they turn the pages taking Theseus closer and closer to the deadly creature.
This book has been selected for the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge.It may well act as starting point to further exploration of Greek mythology.
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Offering a next step is:

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Greek Myths
Sally Pomme Clayton and Jane Ray
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Subtitled Stories of Sun, Stone and Sea this beautifully produced book contains ten tales, crafted essentially for reading aloud, including a creation myth, Pegasus (The Flying Horse), Orpheus and Eurydice (Journey to the Underworld)

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and Pandora – The Girl of All Gifts. Drama, suspense, sorrow, mortal danger and humour are all present and each tale is powerfully illustrated by Jane Ray. There are full page and smaller paintings each with its own beauty or in the case of Medusa, scarey nightmarish quality.

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In addition to the stories themselves, there is a map of ancient Greece and at the end of each story is a short cultural or archaeological snippet.At the end of the book are an index of Gods and heroes and information on the story sources.

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An Unforgettable Wedding

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The Scarecrows’ Wedding
Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler
Alison Green Books
Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay are in love. He proposes: she accepts. They plan for their wedding, “A wedding that no one will ever forget.” How do they plan? They make a list of course: a comparatively simple one comprising just five items.
Then, arm in arm, they set off around the farm to find:

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First things first – and that’s easy thanks to some obliging geese who furnish a feather a-piece. Said feathers, we learn are to be duly sewn together by a spider friend. The cows, of course, agree to be bell ringers (the last item on the list taken care of); a crab – yes a crab – just happens to scuttle along with a shell necklace, that’s item two sorted, and a couple of mice find suitable matching rings. That just leaves item number three – pink flowers.
Off goes Harry, in the company of a large bee to find those, leaving Betty to have a doze. Hours later, they reach a field full of pink flowers – job done. Well not quite … wilted flowers won’t do and it’s a long way back so water is needed and …
Meanwhile back on the farm Betty is troubled by her loved one’s absence. The farmer quickly makes a replacement, one Reginald Rake.

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The name says it all and before long, in an effort to impress the lady, he’s whipped out a packet of Havanas, lit up and …
There’s no smoke without fire …we all know the saying. Guess who is beating a hasty retreat through the cornfield.
All is not quite lost however. The timely return of Betty’s fiancé ‘with a pail on his arm’ saves the day

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and provides the final item on their list.
So next day, it’s a case of ‘Here comes the bride’ on the arm of her savior for what everyone has to agree,
‘ “Is the best wedding ever, the best wedding yet,
The wedding that no one will ever forget.” ‘

 

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A wonderfully rhythmic tale – this is Julia Donaldson, so one would expect no less – with high drama, suspense, romance and humour in a rhyming narrative that just trips off the tongue. Alex Scheffler brings the scarecrows to life through their expressive eyes and mouths despite their stiff limbs and populates his pictures with all manner of farmland extras from grasshoppers to goats, butterflies to badgers.
There are few scarecrow picture books around; this is the only one that really works, but then it is from the Gruffalo partnership.
A sure fire winner in my book.
Find and buy from your local bookshop:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Unlikely Friendships

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Cat & Dog
Michael Foreman
Andersen Press
We had an unlikely friendship between a cat and a fish in Michael Foreman’s Friends: unlikely friendship is again at the heart of his latest offering
When Cat leaves her kittens to go in search of their breakfast, little does she suspect that she’ll be carried off far away from her offspring.

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Along comes a scruffy dog as the kittens huddle together to await the return of the fish van and with it, their mother. His first thought is “breakfast, lunch and dinner”; his second is that like him, the kittens are all alone in the world, so he beds down to sleep close by and before long, he and the kittens are snuggled up together. Morning comes and with it the van’s return and joy of joys, there is Cat in the driver’s arms. There’s a happy reunion but then Cat notices the old dog and turns on him.

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The kittens tell her how he has befriended them and they settle down together to hear of Cat’s seaside adventure. Next time that van heads off to the sea, the fish man has some additional passengers aboard and their arrival is just in time to see a beautiful sunset which is followed by supper

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and some fishy moonlit thoughts on the pier.
As ever, Foreman’s lyrical watercolours have that wonderful quality of luminosity; those seascapes are just glorious. I particularly like too, the scenes from below the city bridge with graffiti and the multitude of greetings in a whole gamut of languages from Hindi to Swahili and Hebrew.
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Andersen Press have also reissued an old Foreman classic from the 70s

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Moose
Michael Foreman
Andersen Press pbk
Herein we meet the horned animal of the title who is disturbed by the shouting match between Bear and Eagle. Moose fails in his efforts to resolve the conflict but ends up constructing – with the help of others who had got drawn into the combat – a wonderful place where all can meet harmoniously. But what of Bear and Eagle? Well seemingly they never learn but perhaps one day …
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Bluebird
Bob Staake
Andersen Press pbk
With its New York City setting, this wordless picture book is a portrayal of a friendship that develops between a boy and the Bluebird of the title. Said bird watches the boy through his schoolroom window as he is taunted and shunned by his classmates, then follows him homewards.

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They share a cookie, visit the park and sail a boat.

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The boy is set on by a gang of bullies who attempt to snatch the boat, hurl a stick at the boy and kill(?)

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the bird. Then a veritable host of birds of different colours fly down, lift the boy, who is still clutching his friend, bearing him skywards towards the clouds,

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where we watch him release his blue friend to fly heavenwards, up, up, up …
It’s the feeling of hope that transcends all the other powerful emotions – loneliness, bullying, guilt, grief – embraced in this eloquent story told through moving, multi-framed pictorial sequences rendered in blues, greys, white and black. The total absence of words (other than streetscape signs) allows space for readers to bring their own interpretations to the nuances of the story.
Not a book for everyone; rather it’s one for individuals to peruse and ponder over, with new meanings and possibilities emerging with each reading.
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The Zebra Who Ran Too fast
Jenni Desmond
Walker Books
Triangular friendships are often tricky to sustain though Zebra, Elephant and Bird have done pretty well. Elephant would entertain Bird and Zebra with his curious facts; Bird made Zebra and Elephant laugh with his jokes and Zebra, the fastest runner, knew the best games. Then one windy day Zebra’s zest for life makes the others feel dizzy but he ignores their requests to stop.

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Next day he is shunned. Zebra spends a hot, lonely time pondering on his pals and their pastimes and his behaviour until, along comes wise, kindly Giraffe. The two bond and by nightfall, Zebra is feeling better. His erstwhile pals meanwhile are frightened by the storm that has blown up and are missing their friend. Off they go in search of him and before long it’s a case of “Four best friends together.”

 

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This beautifully portrayed story about the real meaning of friendship set in the African savannahs is a visual delight, particularly the range of expressions on the animals’ faces. The vastness of the African plain and sky with the gathering storm are so powerfully evoked one can almost feel the wind and hear the thunder.

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Trips to Town with Ellie and Owl

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What Happens Next?
Tull Suwannakit
Walker Books
Little Ellie and her Granny, are on their way into town together; Little Ellie demands a story. “Deep in the woods, not far from here, lives Grandma Bear. Whenever Little Bear visits her, they go on an exciting trip together,” begins Granny… But these are not ordinary bears that eat berries and spend their days sleeping. Oh no. These bears wear red wellies and hats and go on adventures together…

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“So what happens next?” Little Ellie demands to know… Have you looked behind you Ellie?
Children delight in watching the double storyline unfold as Ellie and her gran take the bus, visit the funfair, go to a shop filled with treats

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and play hide-and-seek, while joining in with the repeat refrain, “So what happens next?” at almost every turn of the page. Storyteller Granny becomes listener, as Ellie who has clearly been stimulated by many stories before, takes up this particular tale and lets her imagination run wild.

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Indeed she only runs out of steam at bedtime when Granny tucks her into bed.
Suwannakit uses muted colours on cream paper for the illustrations of his cleverly constructed story with its wonderfully whimsical cast of characters. I particularly like the contrast between the enormously chunky, oh so endearing, Grandma bear and Ellie’s own fragile-looking, almost spindly Granny.
Just the thing to promote children’s own storying and imaginative play either at home or in early years settings. And of course, it’s a superb bedtime story.
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Owl Goes to Town
Valerie Valennza (illustrator)
Templar Publishing
Owl lives in Peek Street. On this particular day she has risen early because she has a plan – a secret one so she says. Her first stop is the bakery where she orders a cake from Bear, then stops off at various other establishments to make purchases. At each one however, Owl cannot help but divulge something of her plan to the vendor. Having organized balloons, invitations, food and entertainment she hurries home to arrange everything in her treetop home. At midnight, she is finally ready to receive her guests. “Owl, you really have gone to town!” they tell her as the not-so-secret party swings into action.
There are all manner of flaps to manipulate, some revealing surprises or pictorial jokes.

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These and the questions in the text, the multitude of labelled items and the on-going joke readers/listeners share with the author could well keep a young child absorbed for a long time. With lots of opportunities for language development, this interactive book is a good one to share one to one with a very young child. Slightly older children might be inspired to create their own surprise flap books.
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The Sea Tiger

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The Sea Tiger
Victoria Turnbull
Templar Publishing
There are echoes of Sendak in this glorious, painterly picture book from debut artist Victoria Turnbull and what a fantastic debut it is.
Right from the front endpapers we feel the pull of the ocean as it takes us the readers, along with the lone swimmer, down to its murky depths where we meet the Sea Tiger. He is merboy Oscar’s best and only friend and the narrator of this eloquent story.

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We follow them on a journey of exploration and adventure to magical places with flying trapezes,

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dizzying carousels and even the star-studded surface of the sea.

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But, as that wise tiger knows, he needs to loosen the ties of this all encompassing relationship so that Oscar can open himself up to the possibilities of new friendships.

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Discovery, inclusivity/exclusivity, loving and letting go are some of the themes of the story.
Every turn of the page brings visual wonders. The sepia, teal and tan tones are so seductive and somehow serve to imbue the whole thing with a dreamlike quality; one can almost feel oneself drifting gently through the ocean depths along with Oscar and the Sea Tiger.
Where will this exciting artist go next? I cannot wait to see.

Find and buy from your local bookshop: http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

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Unexpected Arrivals

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George and the Dinosaur
Felix Hayes and Sue Heap
Brubaker, Ford and Friends (Templar)
When George’s passion for excavation results in his unearthing a dinosaur egg, little does he know that its contents – a perfect creature no less – will have such a voracious appetite. Insatiable in fact, for not only does it consume the furniture, TV, fridge and everything inside, down goes a garden tree, the paddling pool, even the tiny mouse in George’s care belonging to Class 2. From then on things go from bad to worse: the dino. swallows both George’s parents, two sweet old ladies, cars and larger vehicles – quite literally everything. Finally only George remains; so what does the dinosaur do? Well, it opens those terrible jaws and SNAP!
Of course we all know what happens when a digestive system gets over-loaded; it makes lots of gas and …

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Moving in and out of rhyme, the text reads aloud beautifully as one would expect – it’s written by Gruffalo actor Felix Hayes and he should know.
‘But, when he cleans his treasure he finds …
the gems are stones, dirt and dust.
The sword is a spoon all covered in rust.
The leg is a root, cracked and dried.
But the egg’s still an egg
With something inside.
George puts the egg in the cupboard under the stairs.’
Sue Heap’s mixed media illustrations are full of amusing details and show much more than is said in the words:
Young audiences will particularly enjoy spotting the whereabouts of the items burped out by the dinosaur on the final spread; and Hayes’ final sentence leaves space for children’s own flights of fancy.
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What Makes a Hippopotamus Smile!
Sean Taylor and Laurent Cardon
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
It’s not every day that a hippo comes to visit but when one does – or should that be, if, then take the advice of the small girl narrator of this funny picture book. Open wide the door,

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play a splashy-sploshy game, then give him a warm bath with silly toys thrown in to make him laugh, after which you should share a very large crunchy salad, freshly harvested, naturally. Oh, and make sure when it’s time to bid your new best friend farewell that you do so in style – a little dance might be appropriate. That’s if you want him to come again, of course. Err …

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It’s all in the interplay of Sean Taylor’s playful words (which sometimes rhyme) and the comical scenes created by Laurent Cardon using mixed ink techniques and digital art. Herein, it’s the antics of the bit players, largely froggy,

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as much as the hippo’s (mis)behaviour that make the scenes so amusing. Then, there’s that almost throwaway last line and don’t forget to take a look at the endpapers with those telltale footprints too.
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Gracie is amused at the animals’ antics

There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes
Michelle Robinson and Jim Field
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk.
Just like many children, Eric, the narrator of this story and his brother Dan have been saving cereal box coupons for a free gift; here ‘it’s a ‘Free Lion’ on offer. They’d bought so many boxes of cornflakes it took a year’s pocket money to pay for them and forever to cut out the hundred coupons needed. With said coupons duly sent off, the children wait, anticipating the fun they’ll have with the lion.

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A week later nothing has arrived although numerous others have their lions – real ones. Monday comes again and with it a delivery truck. Out steps – wait for it – a huge grizzly bear, the only trouble being it’s sent next door in error; well not quite the only trouble: Mr Harper’s back yard is trashed too.

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Complaints are made and the animal replaced but, not with a lion (they’d run out of those) but a crocodile. More complaints … another replacement animal  …

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a face to face encounter with the cereal people … compensation of the packet kind … furious children’s faces … some serious thinking …

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Mmm yes, the alternatives do have their advantages and after all, lions are just so common nowadays.
Well what about the next offer then? Err
This totally crazy tale, which brings together for the first time the talents of Michelle Robinson and Jim Field, is a joy to read aloud. The former has caught the conversational style of a young boy narrator beautifully. The latter’s wildly energetic illustrations are crammed full of delicious details to pore and giggle over.
Definitely destined to become a story time favourite.
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Upside Down Babies
Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds
Andersen Press pbk
There is a wonderful, surprise twist at the end of this funny rhyming tale of a world turned upside down when ‘the earth went blue and the sky went brown.’ On this fateful topsy-turvy day, all the baby animals find themselves with the wrong mums. What is Mummy Cow to do when confronted with a Lion Cub demanding meat in the middle of a field?

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And baby Rooster’s dawn greeting of “Cock-a doodle-dee!” definitely does not go down well with a sleepy Mummy Owl trying to get some shut eye in her tree.

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With its bold, bright, wonderfully expressive pictures of the consternation all round and a text that trips off the tongue, ‘Baby Bunny bounced into Squirrel’s drey./He clung to a branch with his claws all day.’ this is one to share with the under sixes and will assuredly prompt many an encore to the huge enjoyment of readers and listeners alike.
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Family Friendly Books

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Freddy and the Pig
Charlie Higson and Mark Chambers
Red Squirrel Books
School is anything but Freddy’s favourite place; he’d far rather be at home playing games on his Xbox. So he devises a clever plan, one involving a porcine substitute. This allows young Fred to stay lounging at home, racking up his levels on Total Death War, all the while growing more and more rotund. Pig meantime grows to love school and is even sticking up his trotter in class;

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he’s helpful around the house too. Soon it is hard for Mum to distinguish boy from pig so massive is Freddy

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and so grunt-like his utterances. Eventually she sells her son to a local farm and sends the pig to university though that’s not quite the end of the story.
This amusing cautionary tale is one of the latest additions to the Red Squirrel dyslexia-friendly books, the hallmarks of which are good stories, well illustrated and presented in a clear type face set against a plain, uncluttered background so that all parents can share them with their children.
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In the same series is:

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Wolf Man
Michael Rosen and Chris Mould
Red Squirrel Books
Just what or who are all the terrified local residents running from? It’s Wolfman and he’s escaped from his cage and is rampaging through the town, tearing up paving stones and consuming lamp-posts.

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Even the army is too terrified to do anything: but where is Wolfman heading to? It’s certainly not the park, nor the swimming pool. Wait a minute, that’s the house of the Chief of Police our hairy horror is making for, where, behind firmly closed doors cowers the jittering policeman.
So exactly what has compelled Wolfman to come here leaving a trail of havoc in his wake?

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Suffice it to say it is connected to a weak bladder and an urgent need.
Typical Michael Rosen madness – slightly over the top and deliciously subversive; just the thing to make less than confident readers want to keep turning the pages, especially when his well chosen words are combined with Chris Mould’s wickedly wacky images.
Assuredly one to help families ‘Grow a Love of Reading’ which is what this series aims to do.
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Where better place to start growing that love than:

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Zeki Loves Baby Club
Anna McQuinn and Ruth Hearson
Alanna Books pbk
We join Zeki and his mum at home before they set off for their regular Wednesday Baby Club session at the local library. There they meet lots of other babies and parents, and the club leader who has brought all manner of exciting instruments, some props and her repertoire of suitable toddler songs and rhymes. This week, after greeting one another,

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they sing the happy song with actions, play peek-a-boo (with translucent scarves to peep through) and join in the ‘stretchy’ and ‘rolly’ songs. Then it’s time for some noisy  fun with cuddly animals,

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more action rhymes and a final cuddle-up story before bidding farewell and ‘see you next time’ to all those friends.
At the end of the narrative, are the words of all the songs and rhymes mentioned plus some useful presentation tips and other information for adults.
All in all, this charmingly illustrated, sturdy book is a lovely opportunity to enjoy a simple story with the very youngest and to have a wonderful sing-along session too.
A great choice to give to new parents.
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Real Life Stories from Brave Children

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Street Children
Anthony Robinson and June Allan
Frances Lincoln
Resilience and optimism are the two words that spring immediately to mind while reading the accounts in this book given by six children and two families living in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Guatemala. From the children’s stories we learn something of the circumstances prior to their living on the streets (some had run away, others were abandoned), their present situations and their aspirations and hopes for the future.
Tinged with poignancy, the children’s voices as they tell their stories sound authentic and the accounts wholly believable. Although I have no experience of street children from these particular countries I have done some voluntary work with Indian street children and been impressed by their spirit; so too with these young people, Chippo,

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Wellington, Elizabeth,

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Santos, Denio, Miguel and the families of Ana Elizabeth and brother and sister, Christian and Valerie.
Each account is interspersed with both colour photographs and June Allen’s illustrations, making the children’s voices all the more compelling and immediate.

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I hope this moving and inspiring book becomes widely read and discussed in primary schools, homes and other places where young people come together.
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Animals and a Vegetable

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Dolci and her mum enjoy the story together

Fiddlesticks!
Sean Taylor and Sally Anne Garland
Simon and Schuster pbk
Mouse’s house is perfect – well almost. There’s just a slight slope to one of the windows. Easily fixed, thinks Mouse but not so; he can’t reach up far enough. “FIDDLESTICKS!” Surely big, strong Bear can help though – oops!

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One broken window… “FIDDLESTICKS and RATS!” But Squirrel is an ace climber and woodworker … Oh no! …With flood water to contend with, filthy footprints all over the kitchen wall (courtesy of Otter), a gaping hole in the roof – Moose’s offering, Mouse’s house is pretty near wrecked.

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Time to bale out; off goes a distraught Mouse.
Meanwhile as the day progresses those destroyers have become creators and by sundown, when our little friend decides to return to his wreck of a home, he’s in for a big surprise.

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Those pals of yours have done an amazing job, just keep your paws off that door, little Mouse,
The author says he was inspired to write this amusing story when listening to Flanders and Swann’s The Gas Man Cometh. The slightly understated telling certainly works well and the built-in repetition and cumulative nature of Mouse’s expletives delight young listeners. So too do Sally Anne Garland’s cute illustrations executed in muted shades of blues, greens, browns, pinks and greys; and the whole thing is printed on high quality paper – an added bonus.
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A Day with the Animal Mechanics
Sharon Rentta
Alison Green Books pbk
Young Dylan Basset’s big day has arrived. He’s off to help his Dad at the garage he owns. When he arrives he sees the mechanics already hard at work; there’s so much to learn,

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things like how to use the car wash. So why is it that the hot afternoon is so quiet – not a single customer. Then… time to get moving Animal mechanics; grab the spare tyres, spanners, a snack and off you go. What a jam they discover on the coast road, all because a huge lorry up front has shed its load of boxes. It’s not only the cars that are overheating the mechanics find, so it’s fortunate that young Dylan decides to investigate the contents of the spilt cargo …

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Guess who gets the vote for best mechanic that day. Now you’ve all earned a refreshing seaside dip too…
Rich in detail, with plenty to amuse, explore and absorb, this latest episode with the Animal work force is sure to please young audiences and those who share the book with them.
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Cheese Belongs To You
Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz
Walker Books pbk
Starting once again with a simple scenario, the creator of the brilliant There are Cats in this Book and There are No Cats in this Book has co-created a hilarious, totally brilliant, crazy story concerning the ownership of cheese, or rather, one particular, holey chunk of the stuff. Rat Law has it that, if any rat has the cheese, that rat is the owner of same –

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unless that is, a bigger, quicker, stronger, scarier, hairier or even a dirty rat (especially a gang boss), wants it. Which rodent eventually gets to partake of that cheese though?

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All manner of rats, and potentially extremely dodgy situations have been entertained with verve and vigour in reds and greys (the cheese though is a glowing yellowy orange) and through co-creator Alexis Deacon’s wonderfully clever, cumulative text.
There is so much to explore and discuss herein that I guarantee sharing it with a class of 4s to 7s will keep everyone engaged for ages; begin with the cover and cheesy endpapers and just FOLLOW THAT CHEESE! With its cleverly inbuilt repetition, this book is perfect for learner readers too.
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Catch that Crocodile!
Anushka Ravishankar and Pulak Biswas
Tara Books pbk
Herein, it takes a young fish-seller, Meena to solve the problem of how to deal with the jaw-snapping reptile that Falguni Fruit-seller discovers in a ditch. And, what’s more she does so in an entirely non-violent manner

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(luring it back to the river with a trail of her wares). That of course is after the likes of Probin Policeman, Doctor Dutta and wrestler Bhayanak Singh have all attempted to do their worst to the croc and definitely come off second best.

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With its clever, eye-catching typography, folk-style illustrations that look almost like woodcuts and catchy rhyme, this is good fun to read aloud with small groups of children who will need to be able to look closely at the pictures to get the most from the story.
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Supertato
Sue Hendra
Simon and Schuster pbk
Whoever heard of a superhero spud? I certainly hadn’t prior to seeing Sue Hendra’s latest offering. Said superspud is hot on the trail of one dastardly pea that has got loose from the freezer and caused all kinds of suffering among the inhabitants of the vegetable section of the supermarket.

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Supertato’s search sends him creeping through the cakes, the cheese and the cans but just as he’s about to grab his prey, he finds himself plunging into the icy depths of the freezer above which the pea lurks wielding a spud masher.

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Is our superhero destined to become mere mash? Not quite but it’s a pretty close call.
Hmm! What’s that green spherical object in the jelly?
Totally crazy but there’s something rather appealing about a spud with superpowers careering around a supermarket at night.
The bright, almost brash colours of the produce and their surroundings make for suitably eye-catching scenes and the playful language adds spice to this tongue-in-cheek drama.
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Clicking and Snipping with Chicken and Kittie

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Chicken Clicking
Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Andersen Press
If ever there was a picture book warning about the dangers of misusing the internet and on-line chat rooms in particular, then this is the one.
One night Little Chick ventures into the sleeping farmer’s house, accesses his computer and ‘CLICK!’ makes some unlikely purchases. The following night she returns spending more recklessly this time.

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The farmer blames his wife; she blames his software. Chick’s mouse mayhem continues with scooters for sheep,

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a car for the cows, a Spanish holiday for the bull and more; soon the farm is empty of animals. Alone now, she decides to find a friend online. With selfie taken and duly posted

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and personal details added, our little chick finds herself a feathery chat room friend.
A face-to-face meeting is arranged….
Wait, little chick; don’t you know the dangers of chat rooms? Should you be heading off to the Wily Wood all alone?

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The final page says it all.
This comical modern fable is told in cleverly contrived, CLICK!- infested, rhyme,
‘She put her photograph online
She gave her name and age.
CLICK! Another chick appeared
Upon the friendship page.’
that builds so brilliantly to the dramatic finale, which readers, although not the gullible chick, anticipate with mounting alarm as the latter continues to click away.
The felicitous Willis/Ross partnership has worked its magic again. Tony Ross’s scenes of the chick and her click-happy purchases are slightly more subdued than some of his other work: his glowing washes with soft pastel/crayon lines are as seductive as the mouse mania that eventually lures Chick to her fateful meeting.
A must-have book for all.
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The Fairytale Hairdresser and Snow White
Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard
Picture Corgi pbk
Kittie Lacey certainly has her work cut out when she embarks on a mission to disguise Snow White and keep her safe from the clutches of the evil queen. How she does so and at the same time helps love struck Snow White get her man is divulged within the pages of this, the fourth of the Fairytale hairdresser series.

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As ever with the Kittie Lacey tales, there is an abundance of fairytale and nursery rhyme characters (including a septet of musical dwarves), plentiful trimmings of the jokey kind and bunches of intertextual links to be made, not to mention that sparkly cover and wedding scene. Oh! And there’s a talking magic mirror too – courtesy of Red Riding Hood.
Great fun for Kittie fans, especially.
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A Day I Remember

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A Day I Remember
Prodeepta Das
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Set in Odisha, (spelt Orissa when I visited the state) subtitled An Indian Wedding, this is a first person account of the special role played by young Swayam at his uncle’s wedding. Swayam is thrilled because he has been chosen to act as markundi, which means he wears special clothes and visits the bride’s home with the groom Natu Mamu (his uncle).
Before all that though, there are many preparations including washing the house,

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red dye is put on the womens’s feet, mehndi patterns are put on the hands of the girls (Swayam has some too) and holy Hindu designs are drawn in the courtyard of the house.
On the wedding day itself Swayam puts on his special new clothes making him look like a prince,

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then it’s off to Puri in the wedding car to a musical accompaniment. At the venue itself, there’s a welcome from the priest, a delicious dinner and then comes the joining of the bride and groom by the pundit after which the couple walk around the holy fire,

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then make their promises to one another.
The newly weds finally get back to the village when it’s almost daybreak. There’s a welcoming, the guests see the bride, give their presents and finally, there’s more feasting. What an exciting day for everyone especially the young narrator Swayam.
Most of what Swayam describes so clearly is typical of all Hindu weddings although of course, as with most celebrations, there are local variations.
With its wealth of colourful photographs, very readable text and aptly designed, bordered pages, this is a book that should be of interest to all. Definitely a worthwhile investment for any primary school library collection and I’d keep another as part of an RE topic box so it’s always there when needed.
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Prodeepta Das has also wielded his camera to great effect in this collaboration with Beverley Naidoo

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S is for South Africa
Frances Lincoln pbk
What better way to open this alphabetic celebration than the invitation of the children outside the Apartheid Museum “Let’s build a country for all of us to share.”
Food, sport, the seaside, gold, homes, jewellery, wildlife, languages, music and of course, Mandela are just some of the topics featured in this fascinating and uplifting book.
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Oi Frog!

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Dolci, not the gophers on the sofa, amused at the various places the animals sit.

Oi Frog!
Kes Gray and Jim Field
Hodder Children’s Books
When Frog complains to Cat about being asked to “Sit on a log!” (they’re nobbly, uncomfortable and give you splinters in your bottom.) he instigates a whole lesson on sitting correctness. Mules sit on stools, gophers on sofas, parrots on carrots … “It’s not about being comfortable. It’s about doing the right thing.” bossy Cat informs him emphatically from the comfort of his mat and so it goes on with the stroppy feline determined to keep Frog firmly in his place “… gibbons sit on ribbons, lambs sit on jams,

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bees sit on keys and pumas sit on satsumas.” What a mine of vital information Frog has gleaned during this dialogue; but there’s one obvious animal that’s been omitted from the rhyming litany, …

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Guess what he asked that dictatorial Cat next.
As someone who is in despair at what is currently going on in many infant departments in the name of teaching reading, I absolutely loved Kes Gray’s hilarious rhyming tale, which is such a brilliant (unintended?) send up of the whole phonics obsession.
Joy of joys; (I wanted to leap off my bum and grab the nearest mum and yell take a look at this brilliant book). Good old Frog determined to make his voice heard and not be made to stick to someone else’s rules; well yes, it sort of back-fired on this occasion but I bet he’s up and questioning again pretty soon; he’s definitely not one to be kept down.
It’s nigh on impossible to choose a favourite image from among Jim Field’s terrific teeterings, but among my most loved are bees on keys and pumas on satsumas, so brilliantly juxtaposed,

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and lions on irons – ouch!
Glorious.
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Exploring Feelings

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Made by Raffi
Craig Pomranz and Margaret Chamberlain
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Raffi feels different from the other children at school and asks himself why. He knows he shies away from rough and noisy play, preferring instead to spent time in quiet, peaceful places. One day he notices a teacher sitting knitting and she offers to teach him how to do it.

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Soon Raffi is knitting and loving it, so much so that when he gets home he persuades his parents to let him buy some wool.
Having done so, he decides to knit a multi-coloured scarf for his dad’s birthday. However, so enthusiastic is Raffi, knitting at every opportunity, that he is laughed at by schoolmates on the bus, as the rainbow scarf trails everywhere.
That evening at home, Raffi talks to his mother about feeling different. “Do you think I’m … girly?” he asks. His mother’s sensible words reassure Raffi and then the following day at school, an announcement about the school play inspires him to use his creative talents to design and make a wonderful cloak for Barry, the lead actor in the school play, to wear for his performance.

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Raffi gains the respect of all his classmates and self esteem boosted, thinks about becoming a designer in the future. In the meantime, there’s that scarf to finish and all manner of other projects to work on –
Best of all perhaps though is Barry’s comment on seeing Raffi knitting some weeks later … “Cool,” he said.
This story is a great advocate for creativity, demonstrating that differences should be celebrated as well as promoting the idea that everyone should have the confidence to be true to him or herself without fear of being made to feel inferior or being laughed at.
There is at least one Raffi in every class so I truly hope this book goes some way to deterring potential bullies: there must be no room for bullying in any shape or form.
Margaret Chamberlain’s illustrations too celebrate diversity and sympathetically portray Raffi’s changing emotions as he embarks on his journey of self-discovery.
Definitely a book to share and discuss with children in primary classes everywhere.
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My Big Brother Boris
Liz Pichon
Scholastic pbk
Boris has a birthday party but it seems to Little Croc that his big brother has started acting in a very odd manner telling the small narrator that he’s grown out of childish games, and wanting to spend all his time with his friends or sleeping. Mum is understanding and reminds Little Croc that there are preparations to finish before the party can start, even though the chief guest has yet to get up. When he does finally make an appearance, horror of horrors: Boris is sporting a shiny snout ring.

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Parental ranting follows and Boris storms off to his room. His guests arrive and then it’s down to Granny and Grandpa Croc and their younger grandson to save the day with a special party game of ‘guess who’s in the photos’.

 

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Harmony restored, Boris has, so he announces to all, “the best party EVER.” and reassumes his place as best big brother.
Young children with teenage siblings will recognize Boris and his behaviour; this funny story (a reissue) offers the opportunity to explore the feelings around the topic through a reassuring and amusing scenario. Liz Pichon’s pictures are a hoot and crammed with delicious details both visual and verbal.
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How Are You Feeling Today Baby Bear?
Jane Evans and Laurence Jackson
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
The author, Jane Evans has worked with families and children affected by domestic violence for many years and as a result of numerous requests from parents, carers and support workers she created this book to help adults trying to enable young children to make sense of the feelings they experienced when they were frightened and confused.
The story revolves around Baby Bear and his feelings

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(sensitively portrayed in the illustrations) as the Big Bears shout and rant at each other
until one leaves the family home.

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Using a family of bears rather than human characters perhaps helps create some distance -a space within which children feel safe to discuss and explore those feelings and emotions.
On some pages there are prompts for adults that can be used to start conversations with young children and at the back of the book are some activities and games to facilitate the understanding and expression of difficult emotions. Wearing my children’s yoga and mindfulness teacher’s hat, I particularly like the ‘tummy sunshine’ and the ‘grey rainy’ sad feelings. (Incidentally these can be useful with all young children).
I recommend this little book to all working with children affected by domestic violence whatever the setting.
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Worries Go Away!
Kes Gray and Lee Wildish
Hodder Children’s Books
The little girl narrator of this rhyming story shares with readers what happens when she is feeling sad: she goes off to her own world inside her head.

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There she feels free and at first everything is perfect but then once again, those worries begin to take hold, growing monstrous. Under a now blackened sky,

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the monsters give chase as, tripping and stumbling, the little girl makes for safety. She discovers a door in the darkness but where is the key? Through the keyhole, on the other side she discovers people waiting, waiting for her to open the door –

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the door of her heart and let them in. That’s when all those worries dissipate as she feels engulfed by love and not only that, she knows that next time there will be somebody waiting to share her troubles with.
The tension is palpable as the tentacles of the blotchy orange amorphous monsters seek to entangle the narrator’s thoughts in Lee Wildish’s powerful pictures: it’s almost as if the swirls are transformed into her curly tresses as she breaks free through the door.
Children do become engulfed by worries, letting those, to adults seemingly small troubles, become enormous and overwhelming. Kes Gray’s pacing of the rhyming text somehow helps to keep under control, the rising panic of the little girl and gives space for her to realize the way through.
Not a story for an everyday story session, rather it’s one to share and discuss as part of a PSE (personal, social and emotional development) programme for young children.
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Talk to Me, Play with Me

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Talk to Me
Heather Jones
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Talking to a person or people rather than at them is something that comes naturally to the majority of us. Not so, those who have Asperger syndrome. They need help to learn the art of conversation and how this might be done is what the author of this book demonstrates. Jessica Jones writes from a wealth of practical experience: she has a son, now a young adult, who has Asperger syndrome and language impairment. Her outline of what she calls ‘conversational therapy’, the approach she has used as described here, to enable her son to learn the give and take of talk, is both inspirational and uplifting.
Essentially, the book is divided into two sections. The first entitled ‘Working on Conversation’ states that it is never too late to start the process and that once a child is aware of his/her condition it should be talked about in a straightforward manner. We learn about the point system she used, the effectiveness of a diary as conversation catalyst and the importance of using ‘why, who, what, when, where and how questions to keep conversations going.
She stresses the importance of asking open questions to develop meaningful conversations and reminds readers that the skill of conversational turn taking has to be taught to aspies, again providing personal examples. Here she suggests something that is now commonplace in most primary schools during circle times, the use of a particular object, referred to here as a ‘talking bauble’, that signifies the speaker.
A variety of conversation starters are suggested as well as the use of games and puzzles and the importance of allowing silence during a conversation. Using mind maps as conversation enhancers is also discussed and I’m pleased to see the importance of stories as another focus for talk.
The second part of the book deals with the development of social and life skills and becoming independent. There are useful chapters on making friends, coping with social situations such as parties and youth groups and how to cope with authority figures. The use of mind maps is revisited,

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this time as facilitators when embracing practical life skills such as shopping, feeding yourself etc., as well as a means for the development of abstract skills – maturity, independence, sociability and resilience.
Learning through pet care, cooking, taking on responsibility, organizing ones life, money management, preparing for job interviews, learning to drive and starting work are all discussed in succinct chapters and as with all the other themes, the author gives a set of very helpful tips in conclusion.
Heather Jones includes in an appendix, a chart through which those who want to document the change in their own child/ren can do so, thus maintaining a record of growth and a mark of the achievement of milestones. Jamie, the author’s son clearly made tremendous progress and she feels it is important that others have a way to see progression too.
All in all, a very helpful, empowering and affirming book for parents and others working with children who need help in communicating.
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You can also order this book direct form the publishers at http://jkp.com/search/index.php?s=talk+to+Me 

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The Asperkid’s Game Plan
Jennifer Cook O’Toole
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
This is a companion volume to the author’s excellent The Asperkid’s Launch Plan and is another veritable treasure trove of ideas, this time over one hundred engaging, purposeful play activities to use with young aspies, all of them designed to make learning fun.
There are activities for team building – something aspies have to work hard at, activities to develop listening skills, activities to help in the development of relationships and emotional awareness, others to encourage flexible thinking and problem solving. All are written by a mother and educationalist who herself has aspergers; they are so enjoyable they can also be used with neuro-typical children.
Understanding the minds of young aspie learners and knowing what motivates them is what we need to try to do. This insightful book goes a considerable way into facilitating this.
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Nocturnal Tales

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The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger
Timothy Basil Ering
Walker Books
By day, young Hamilton (with his trusty wooden sword) can take on all the threatening -so he imagines- creatures in the swamp be they fire-breathing frackensnapper, clawed skelecragon or twining bracklesneed. Come nightfall though, all his bravado vanishes and Hamilton gives full rein to that fertile imagination of his and flees from his own muddy space and those same, now shadowy monsters, to take refuge in his secret hideaway. Each morning however, a newly fearless Hamilton awakes ready for more sneaking, wrestling and sword fighting. His long-suffering father on the other hand has tired of his son’s nocturnal habits and bakes him a super-dooper ‘double-decker grasshopper worm-cake,’ to be consumed at breakfast, in return for remaining a night in his own mud. Hamilton agrees to the deal, but then as dark rain clouds loom overhead and thunder booms, he begins to fret about the coming night.
Dad offers good advice – use the power of your mind positively, he tells Hamilton.
There follows a sequence of amazing happenings: a sea of pink lemonade gushes forth from a discarded TV,

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and upon that sea is a boat complete with striped sea bass chef. Hamilton scrambles aboard, said chef offers good advice, cooks pancakes

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and the ship takes to the air, powered by – can you believe – the frackensnapper’s breath. Yes he’s aboard too as are the bracklesneed and skelecragon, though now the monsters are friendly.

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During a breathtaking flight, son and father are reunited and there are individual cabins in which everyone beds down for the night including a now ‘totally’ fearless Hamilton Squidlegger.
Ering’s creatures are wonderful. With their googly eyes and spindly legs, Hamilton and his dad are frog-like in appearance; indeed the former positively leaps from the pages of the book. The contrast between the glowing colours of the splodgy, spattery backdrops and the scratchy etched lines of the characters is superb. Guess what happens on the final page …

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What a totally satisfying scene and fitting ending to a totally satisfying, empowering story.
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Florentine and Pig and the Spooky Forest Adventure
Eva Katzler and Jess Mikhail
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
“Wooooooooooooooooooooo!” Can that awful sound Florence and Pig hear as they lie in their beds one night be the Growling Prowling Bogmog, they wonder; the same creature that dwells in the deepest, darkest forest.

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A plan is needed, a plan to discovers its whereabouts, so the friends pack their rucksacks (Pig’s with camping gear, Florentine’s with tasty treats) and march out into the forest. After trudging, tramping, hopping, hurdling, splishing and splashing, they suddenly hear alarming sounds – oh no. Don’t panic it’s only Pig’s rumbly tum.

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Supper and a singsong follow and then they bed down for the night. But what is that familiar sounding “Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!” and that enormous shadow, looming ever larger? Just an owl; back to sleep guys – that’s all it was, or …

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Although new to me, this is the third adventure of Florentine and her porcine pal, two healthy food promoters who love to eat tasty treats and whose stories come complete with tempting-looking, healthy recipes and some craft ideas for young listeners to share with adults – after they’ve hunted for that Bogmog of course.
This combination of a fun story and cooking – two things young children love – is a winning formula: the recipes are clearly presented and look truly mouthwatering, the narrative contains some lovely, playful language and the mixed media illustrations are full of amusing details to discover.
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Bedtime for Tiny Mouse
Chae Strathie and Sebastien Braun
Scholastic pbk
Tiny Mouse cannot sleep: his head’s full of fuzz, his feet of fireworks, his knees are misbehaving, his tail twitchy and his ears excited so none of the suggestions his mum,

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dad and big brother offer are at all helpful. Tiny Mouse turns to Grandma and at last, thanks to the soft moonlight and her soporific lullaby under the stars, Grandma Mouse is able to tuck up her sleeping grandson tenderly in his bed. Sweet dreams, little one.
A gentle, bedtime tale for the very young illustrated with appropriately playful scenes and sequences.

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Feather, Frogs and Fur

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Woooo!
Gerry Turley
Hutchinson
“Squeak”, “Meep” two baby owls wait hungrily for their mother owl to return with some nourishment before they take their first flight. Then it’s a case of ‘flap your wings and swoosh’ or rather flop and flump, swump, and swoosh.

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One ‘whoa’ … follows the mother into the wild woods; the other remains on the branch, “waaa”, stuck. All around other animal sounds come closer, “gnash gnash” and “nosssssssshh” …
Just in time, with an almighty “Screeeeeeeeech!” comes father owl and oops. Time to get those wings moving little one… flap flap off he goes –

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just – up and away, even as high as the moon …

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Beautifully simple, beautifully told, this tale of a maiden flight is rendered through a brief text comprising brief sentences and animal noises together with illustrations crafted with deft strokes of pen, brush and crayon.
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Tiger on a Tree
Anushka Ravishankar and Pulak Biswas
Tara Books pbk,
A baby tiger wanders off, crosses the river, encounters a goat that causes him to dash up a tree and there he surprises the village men who now have a dilemma: what to do with the animal. They confer on the tiger’s fate and fortunately for all, the decision is in its favour … Satisfyingly circular in nature – the opening ‘Tiger , tiger on the shore’ is the book’s finale too.
Told in slightly erratic rhyme, that swerves across the pages, this tale is full of drama and tension: Armed with an enormous net the men cry

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‘Get him! Net him! Tie him tight!’… ‘He’s caught. He’s got. Now what?’
The tiger colour illustrations around which the author wove her tale are wonderfully expressive and abound with energy; Biswas was one of India’s leading illustrators, so this paperback edition will surely one hopes, help keep him in the public eye.
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Little Frog’s Tadpole Trouble
Tatyana Feeney
Oxford University Press
Little Frog was happy being the only offspring of Mummy and Daddy Frog. So, when he learns of new additions to the family – nine no less – he is far from impressed. Can tadpoles build with blocks, play drums, jump even? Oh dear no. Moreover their doing nothing commands all of his parent’s time so,

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no bedtime story, no goodnight kiss, just one thoroughly fed-up Little Frog.
But as we all know, tadpoles quickly grow into little frogs and soon …

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One big, happy family.
As with her two previous titles, Tatyana Feeney’s limited use of colour and brief text combine to great effect producing a charming whole that, despite the small size of its main character, is much greater than the sum of its parts.
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More about new additions to the family in:

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Miffy and the New Baby
Dick Bruna
Simon and Schuster
Once again, Tony Mitton has created a new translation, in rhyme, of the original story wherein Miffy is thrilled to learn of a forthcoming addition to her family and straightway gets to work making treats for her new sibling to be.

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And, what a proud big sister she is when she finally holds the baby bunny and when she takes that special ‘Welcome Baby’ cake to school to share with all her friends.
Full of charm, as ever.
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Celebrating Dads

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My Amazing Dad
Ross Collins
Simon and Schuster pbk
Little crocodile, Snip, loves his dad but has absolutely no idea how he spends his time. In contrast all his friends’ dads seem to do amazing things:Monkey Max’s dad ‘Whooshes’, zebra Stripe’s dad is great at hiding, Trunkle’s dad can spray water higher than the trees, Bongo the gorilla has a dad who can beat his chest louder than anyone and Wallow’s dad can stay under water for ages. Seemingly, all the dads are cooler than his, thinks Snip and off he goes back to his Mum to find out just what his Dad does all day.
Mum takes her offspring and shows him that in fact, his Dad, as teacher of all the others, is truly amazing.

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This amusing, warm-hearted tale of fathers and friendship is just the thing for sharing with that special dad on Father’s Day, or any time.
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Just the Job for Dad
Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard
Scholastc pbk
Emma and her brother, Sam explore a variety of exciting sounding jobs for their father whose own job sounds to them, deadly boring. But on closer examination they  all seem to have requirements that would interfere with their Dad’s normal routines. Dragon minding for instance would mean starting at t sunrise, so what about their breakfast?

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A pirate captain’s look out has to report for duty at 5pm (their swimming time) and other occupations would involve performing at dinner time, setting out at bath time, or even being away a whole week. Maybe what Dad already has – the job of being a being a great Dad – is, as he says, himself, “… just the job for me!” But what about Mum?

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Funny pictures, a funny story with the kind of repetition children love joining in with and a caring Dad who reads stories to his offspring: what more can anyone ask? Make sure you explore every single part of this one.
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My Dad and Me
Tania Cox and Lorette Broekstra
Allen & Unwin (Murdoch Books)
Small children love to spend time with their dads. Here we have a small celebration of some of the things they love to do with that very special person: things like dancing and singing, chatting on the phone, cooking,

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sharing a surprise; but best of all is that “I-LOVE-YOU-HUG”.
Told through a series of happy scenes and a rhyming text, this simple little book might fit the bill for a celebration of one particular dad on Father’s day.
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Daddy is My Hero
Dawn Richards and Jane Massey
Doubleday
For the very youngest to share, this is an abridged board book edition of a title previously reviewed on this site in the section April Paperback Pick
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Two Dark Tales

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Orion and the Dark
Emma Yarlett
Templar Publishing pbk
The idea that dark is all embracing is wonderfully demonstrated in this story wherein we join young Orion as he confronts his greatest fear.

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(There’s a nod to Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen’s The Dark here.)
“I’ve had enough of you DARK! I wish you and your SCARY SOUNDS, your MURKY MONSTERS and your PITCH BLACKNESS would just GO Away!” he yells into the darkness of his bedroom and beyond. Dark however, has other plans and slips in through the skylight. Imagine how Orion is feeling right then. Despite his fear almost beyond imagining, Orion is a well-mannered lad and holds out his hand to greet his visitor. So begins an adventure wherein thanks to the intruder, Orion discovers that some of the darkest places can actually be fun. And those scary bangs, rustles, creaks, growls and all the other scary outside noises are not at all frightening. Just one more job to do now …
Off the two soar, into the night sky – the darkest of all places and it’s there that Orion really and truly concludes that even he cannot possibly be scared of his new friend DARK, a friend that will never be far off and will always return bang on time.

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There is plenty to amuse and just that slight frisson of fear for readers within the covers of this one. Children particularly delight in the large reaching hand of Dark as it moves across the page to shake Orion’s hand

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and to bid him au revoir at the end of the “SUPER DUPER, SPIFFADOCIUS, INCREDAMUNDO”, as our young narrator describes his adventure.
If you share this story with a group make sure they have opportunities to explore the wealth of detail – visual and verbal – in and around the illustrations; indeed in many places, words and pictures are an integrated whole. I love the benevolent, almost amorphous portrayal of Dark, Orion’s notepad jottings and sketchbook problem-solving ‘thinks’ bubbles,

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oh, and the scatterings of stars – on the narrator’s onesie and in other places throughout; pretty much the whole inky everything in fact.
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The Duck and the Darklings
Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King
Allen and Unwin
Dark in this story is a place, not a comfortable place but a broken, battered one and has been so for a very long time. In this land of Dark, in a loving hole, lives a small child, Peterboy with his Grandpapa; the two share everything. Peterboy goes out with his fellow ‘Darkling childs’ searching the finding fields for things that will bring light to Grandpapa’s eyes: this he does by painting word pictures of things from the outside. Then one day he returns with not quite the scrap of wonderfulness he’d searched and wished for : instead he brings a very poorly Idaduck with little more than hope for a heartbeat. Grandpapa agrees to let her stay only till she’s better, warning of attachment and wanderlust.

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So, Idaduck stays.

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Grandpapa mends: Idaduck comforts. As Grandpapa’s happiness grows so too does his fondness for the duck but Peterboy is troubled, knowing the emptiness that will be left if she goes.
“Tell her about the long-ago,” he begs, so Grandpapa draws on his ‘magnificent remembery’ setting free ‘a symphony of stories’ until all his tales are told. Even so the wind calls to their beloved Ida. Peterboy and duck sit sadly side by side in the darkness till Grandpapa suggests a fare-thee-well never to be ‘disremembered’, one which will cause the stars to shine when people talk of it.
Peterboy summons all the Darklings, old and young, wearing their candle hats, to a clearing for a great gathering.

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There’s dancing and singing and then Peterboy tells them all of Idaduck; how she has reignited the stars in Grandpapa’s eyes and that now the time has come to bid her farewell. Standing stock still, the old ones are ashamed at the hurt they’ve done to the earth and seeing how now, forests and flowers have grown anew healing earth’s wounds. And then it’s time for Idaduck to take to the air.

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Off she soars watched by those below who now have hearts full, not of dark but of hope.
Occasionally a picture book comes along that moves me to tears; this is one of those rare ones that does just that and not only at the first reading…
Indeed reading Glenda Millard’s words aloud is like having a small symphony playing in one’s ears so memorable are they and so melodic. This is truly a story that reverberates long after the book has been put down and one to return to over and over.
Beautiful too are King’s mixed-media illustrations, which, like the relationships between Grandpapa, Peterboy and Idaduck, exude tenderness and love.

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These finely drawn characters stand out starkly against the all-encompassing dark that surrounds them at the start as well as the glorious glow of sunlight and hope of the book’s final pages.
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Inclusivity with Champion Max

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Sport-mad Daniel enjoying the story

Max the Champion
Sean Stockdale, Alexandra Strick and Ros Asquith
Frances Lincoln pbk
Sports mad, Max dreams day and night of sporting triumphs. When he dashes downstairs for his breakfast he’s running a race in his mind; when he dives into his cereal,

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it’s a swimming pool in is imagination; even his handwriting practice becomes an imaginary javelin event. Sport is always uppermost in his head and he always wins.
When his school participates in a sports tournament, Max’s dream of winning comes true: it’s the Champions Cup for his team. Max is a star!
It is only gradually that one becomes aware of just how many of Max’s class have special needs of one kind or another. Max himself wears glasses and uses an asthma inhaler and a hearing aid; his best pal is a wheelchair user, another child uses a leg brace, to name just some. And, on the classroom wall is a visual time-table.
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Outside in the street too we see people going about their daily life –a pair are signing, somebody has a guide dog and there’s tactile paving at the crossing.
None of this is mentioned and at first glance you could miss much of what is going on, so subtle is the presentation. Throughout, the emphasis is on what the children (and others) are able to do; they look as though they are enjoying themselves wholeheartedly. Max himself couldn’t be a better advocate for inclusivity; his passion is all – look at his still life in the art display.

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The authors have considerable expertise in special needs and are clearly passionate about inclusivity as their text demonstrates; not one word is spoken about any of the additional needs of the children (and adults) in the story. It’s left to Ros Asquith to show these in her humorous, detailed illustrations wherein Max’s flights of fancy are hilariously presented in thinks bubbles opposite the real events. Assuredly it’s a case of the more you look, the more you see: I love the visual word plays.
At least one copy of this fantastic book should be in every primary classroom.

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Dyspraxia and Autism

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Can I tell you about Dyspraxia?
Maureen Boon
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Marco talks frankly about what it’s like to have dyspraxia or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), a condition more common in boys. He has difficulty with handwriting, preferring to write on a computer where he is able to express his ideas confidently. Marco also finds a number of things from sitting still to tying knots challenging, his clothes tend to get untidy and he uses a checklist to help him remember things. Tactile sensitivity is another issue Marco has to deal with – wool makes him itch for instance. Navigating new places is another challenge, so when Marco moved to secondary school he needed special help.
In contrast, Clara his friend has verbal dyspraxia; she has trouble finding the right word, reading is tricky and people need to speak slowly or she may not understand.
We are told about the early signs of dyspraxia: sound sensitivity, lateness in getting to one’s feet and restless nights are possible indicators, as is difficulty sitting in one place.

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At his first school Marco found many things more challenging than his peers; things like painting, model making, sporting activities requiring balance or coordination, the physical act of writing and using cutlery. (He got round the latter by having a packed lunch.)
Of particular help to Marco are his physiotherapist and occupational therapist. They encouraged him to join a group at a special centre where he worked with other children on activities requiring fine motor skills such as cutting and writing. He also took part in games and balancing skills that helped him at school; Marco was surprised to be encouraged to do more sport and developed a particular liking for swimming.
In addition to Marco’s narrative there are several lists outlining how parents, teachers, and other children can help those like him, as well as a bibliography and list of supportive organisations.
Written by an ex headteacher of a school for physically challenged children, this little book provides a straightforward, reassuring outline of DCD and ways in which others can be supportive.
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In the same series is:

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Can I tell you about Autism?
Jude Welton illustrated by Jane Telford
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Young Tom has autism; in this book we discover what this means for him. – how it makes him feel and what helps him. Tom, like every other child is unique although there are things that he has in common with other children with autism. He has difficulties making sense of the world around him and how others behave, so communication and play with others are very challenging and he may invade other people’s personal space. Change too is hard to cope with and can cause major upsets.
For Tom, social awareness is problematic: He is unable to tune in with how others are feeling, what they are thinking or what their tone of voice or facial expressions indicate and he understands what people say in a literal way causing him all kinds of worries. Echolalia is another factor in autism and Tom has been taught to point to indicate things he wants.
Rather than playing with other children, Tom tends to play with things, though he does sometimes engage in parallel play. Ordering objects is a favourite activity and he likes to repeat things over and over.
Routines are greatly reassuring and Tom needs to know what is coming next; changes have to be prepared for, otherwise he finds coping almost impossible. This is where visual timetables are a big help; so too are social stories.
Tom is over-sensitive to smells, sounds and lights although, he explains, others with autism may be tactile defensive. He has issues with some particular motor skills such as cutting; other children find different tasks problematic. There are also issues around food

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and sleeping that Tom has to cope with although in both instances, his differences are accommodated as far as possible.
Those of us who have taught or worked with children like Tom will already know about what is discussed here; however, the author has, in this little book, presented autism concisely so it is understandable for everyone be they parent, teacher, support worker, other children or merely interested adult. With its additional how to help sections, ‘jargon busting’ explanations, and resource listings, this is an excellent introductory book recommended for use at home or school; indeed older primary pupils can usefully read it for themselves. (There is an illustration by Jane Telford at every turn of the page in the main text.)
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For an ‘inside the head’ account of one boy’s autism, those interested should try the beautifully written
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida written when he was thirteen years old.

Conflict and Resolution

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Nina loves the idea of odd socks

Two Giants
Michael Foreman
Walker Books
How wonderful to see that Walker Books have brought back a Foreman story first published in the 1960s – one of his very early titles.
We meet two giants, great friends who live in a beautiful country where they make the birds sing and some even nest in their beards. Friends, that is, until one day they discover a pink shell and then oh dear, both want it for personal decoration. There follows a huge falling out,

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stones are thrown, a flood comes and the giants find themselves on opposite sides of a cold sea. In a continuous winter, the fight carries on; rocks are hurled, each giant scoring multiple hits and all the while their anger is growing. The thrown rocks become stepping stones for Sam, armed with huge club, to visit a sleeping Boris. Boris however wakes and a world shaking, club-waving charge takes place.
Just in time though the two notice their footwear (muddled in the scramble to escape the flood) and standing stock still, remember the old days of friendship but not what the fight was about.

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Time for a reconciliation … clubs tossed aside, the giants return to their islands, the sea recedes, wild life returns and before long all that separates the two mountains is a beautiful tree-filled valley where the seasons come and go once more and peace and harmony reigns. Guess what the friends now do as a reminder, no matter what …

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It’s interesting to see how Foreman’s style has evolved over the years. For this gently humorous fable he has used paint and torn or cut paper collage to build up the scenes.
A book that is likely to appeal to children’s sense of the ridiculous, particularly those, and I do know some, who like to wear odd socks.
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There is arguing too in this Hueys story newly out in paperback:

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The Hueys in It Wasn’t Me
Oliver Jeffers
Harper Collins Children’s Books pbk
The usually peaceable Hueys are having an argument; what is it all about? One of their number, Gillespie wants to know but his question merely provokes further squabbling among the others. He asks again, “What ARE you fighting about?” Hmm – good question but can they come up with an answer?

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Maybe distraction is a better form of conflict resolution in this situation …

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oh have we come full circle here? Bzzz…
You need to start reading this hilarious book before the title page where the cause of the argument is visible; thereafter it becomes transformed into a bird, a flying teacup, a winged horse, even a flying elephant as the squabble escalates until Gillespie steps in and points out something that is lying lifeless on the floor.
Simple but certainly not simplistic is the manner in which Jeffers has depicted the Hueys and their trouble. The course of the argument is presented in speech bubbles and shown contained within a cloud above the Hueys’ heads

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– very clever and a highly effective means of representation.
Assuredly one to have on the family or classroom bookshelf for those inevitable times of conflict, although once read it will quickly become an oft requested,
any time story.
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Cantankerous King Colin
Phil Allcock and Steve Stone
Maverick arts publishing
When King Colin wakes up feeling cantankerous he finds himself getting into all manner of minor conflicts with his wife Queen Christine.

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Rosa and Nina sharing in King Colin’s cantankerous behaviour

She tries ruling against eating a ‘yucky and mucky’ breakfast, his refusal to wash his hands after using the loo, and his wearing of a shirt stinking of the previous night’s dinner.
Every time Queen Caroline said, “You can’t …”, King Colin’s response was the same: “I can,” and of course, because he was king, he could and he did. Hmm…silly, dirty, smelly King Colin. A sulky Colin decides to go for a horse ride. Imagine his displeasure then when he discovers his favourite horse, Pink Nose unsaddled.
More conflicts ensue during the ride and a furious Colin returns to the palace where, you’ve guessed it, he causes more upsets

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until his roars of “I can!” are overheard by somebody who has the power to overrule our grumpy, crazy, lazy naughty monarch; it’s none other than Great Queen Connie. Guess where she sends her badly behaved son.
A humorous story illustrated in cartoon style with appropriately garish colours to match Colin’s over-the-top character and told through a patterned text; children will relish Colin’s somewhat disgusting habits and enjoy joining in with the Queen’s ‘ You can’ts ’ and the oft repeated, ‘ “I can,” said King Colin … because he was king.’ They could also offer suggestions as to how the king could mend his undesirable ways and present them in poster form perhaps.
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Animal Antics

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Little E engrossed in Teddy’s bedtime tale

Teddy Bedtime
Georgie Birkett
Andersen Press
In this board book we have some sixty words and seven spreads through which toddlers can enjoy sharing in the bedtime rituals of a trio of teddies plus other toys. Said teds play together then go upstairs for some fun in the bath.

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After that , it’s pyjamas on, teeth brushed, storytime and lights out.
A jolly rhymimg text and cute pictures with lots of patterns and items of interest for the very youngest; for bedtimes and other times too.
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The Short Giraffe
Neil Flory and Mark Cleary
Allen & Unwin (Murdoch Books) pbk
When photographer Boba the baboon arrives to take a photo of the tallest animals in the world, he is confronted with a poser of a problem. The desired perfect photograph can easily fit in five giraffe faces but what about Geri? The shortest ever giraffe offers to step aside but the others are having none of it; all credit to them. Various ideas are proffered – stilts, stacking,

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inverting, inflating and winging him; but none is successful and eventually the giraffes’ ideas are exhausted. Along comes a caterpillar with a seemingly simple solution (children of course, will already have got there).

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Then it’s just a case of a bit of repositioning and neck arching and with Geri in the centre front … click! Perfection at last.

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There are laughs aplenty in this neatly simple story of inclusion, embracing differences and exploring things from different perspectives.
With touches of slapstick, Cleary’s digitally manipulated images set for the most part, against manila coloured paper which has the effect of making the candy-coloured animals stand out, (and up) are bound to make you smile.
Share with individuals and small groups.
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The Mouse Who Ate the Moon
Petr Horacek
Walker Books
Little Mouse adores the moon, so much so that she longs to have a piece of her very own. One morning when she wakes up, there, just outside her hole is a slice of her heart’s desire – so she thinks. It smells so wonderful that she takes a tiny nibble, and another and …

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Oh no! No round moon now. But when she tells Rabbit and Mole her sad news, they say that nobody can eat the moon. A distraught Little Mouse returns to her hole until dark begins to fall when she hears a noise outside. It’s her friends Mole and Rabbit and they have something to show her, something large and shiny and ROUND in the starry sky. Time for a celebratory sharing of the rest of Little Mouse’s portion of moon, they decide. Mmm – delicious!
This cleverly designed book, with its peepholes and cutaway pages build up the scenes and extend the action as the story progresses. Horacek’s striking illustrations are created with a variety of media including wax resist and strong watercolours; the various techniques serve to add depth and texture.

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After sharing the story adults may well take the opportunity to examine more closely with their young audiences, how the scenes have been created and this could well inspire children to try out the techniques for their own artistic creations. Not only a charming and amusing story, but a great art lesson in looking.
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Nina orchestrating the story for her sister

The Farmer’s Away! BAA! NEIGH!
Anne Vittur Kennedy
Walker Books
When the farmer’s away, the animals play. What a din they make too as they tell the story in their very own words: a story of their day of boating,

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picnicking, switch-back riding, waterskiing, taking a trip in an air balloon and dancing. All that, until ‘ARF, arf, ARF’… dog gives the warning of the farmer’s return.Then it’s a mad dash, a CHARGE and a leap over the fence

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and shh shh shhhhhhhh. Phew!

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With its only words being those neighs, baas, quacks, arfs, oinks, rees, clucks cheeps, ribbets, quacks, moos and more uttered by the farm animals as they enjoy their anarchic day while the farmer – with the odd hmm hmm or oh dee doh – toils away on his tractor in the fields –, this delightfully silly story will appeal to children’s sense of the ridiculous. They will love joining in to create that animal cacophony (what better way to sharpen up those sound/symbol associations than this?) as well as relishing the shared joke between them and the author.
The watercolour illustrations of the rural scenes are an absolute hoot too.
Leave this one around in your infant classroom and you’ll hear those sounds echoing all over as children have a go at reading the story themselves.
(You might even create and laminate those animal sounds and leave them for the children to orchestrate their own versions of the book. Then what about some masks? small world play maybe … endless possibilities here.)
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Incredible Journeys

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Nina engrossed in the story

Pigsticks and Harold and The Incredible Journey
Alex Milway
Walker Books pbk
Pigsticks, last of a noble line of explorers is certain he too is an explorer and what’s more he’s decided that The Ends of the Earth is his destination. However, he cannot travel alone: an assistant is required so out goes an advertisement. By happy accident, he comes upon Harold hamster,

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a kindly but not altogether willing travelling companion until that is, a promise of Battenburg cake seals the deal. Off the two go on their eventful trek, a trek that includes encounters with a snake, crocodiles

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and many other hazards.

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The relationship between the contrasting characters  is highly humorous: Pigsticks totally confident and Harold the complete opposite, constantly asking questions of his fearless friend but it is he whose final question ultimately makes the whole enterprise happen.

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This highly entertaining story – saga almost – is just the kind of thing to keep readers turning the pages to see what is coming next. The illustrations too are splendid: ranging from some taking almost an entire double spread to others that are vignettes;most show so much more than we are told in the words.
It’s a wonderful mix of subtle humour and near slapstick; pretty near perfect for that in-between stage of reading. More please.
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Another book that is ideal for the same stage is just out in paperback:

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James loved this story when it first came out in hardback

Dixie O’Day in the Fast Lane
Shirley Hughes & Clara Vulliamy
Red Fox pbk
You can find a full review of this wonderful book about a very eventful car race for duo Dixie and Percy, also ideal for that in-between stage of reading under Car Capers.
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The Queen’s Hat

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Nina and Rosa hot on the trail of that royal hat

The Queen’s Hat
Steve Antony
Hodder Children’s Books
A strong wind whisks the Queen’s hat – her favourite – from her head and tosses it up into the sky as she leaves Buckingham Palace to visit a very special someone.

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So begins a madcap chase led by Her Majesty, hotly followed by the Queen’s men right across London from her residence, traversing Trafalgar Square, through London Zoo, down onto the London Underground,

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around the London Eye, over Tower Bridge and Big Ben until swoosh! …
Where did those brollies come from? …

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right down to the gardens of Kensington Palace and onto a certain infant …

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There is visual humour in abundance here and the energetic text (printed in regal red) with its matter of fact manner of telling is a nice contrast.
Steve Antony’s choice of a limited colour palette (red, white, and blue plus grey and black) is particularly apt for the subject matter herein. And, that bit part royal corgi almost steals the whole show.
In a word: Brilliant! In another: Priceless!
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Numbers, Counting and Dragons

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The Hueys in None the Number
Oliver Jeffers
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Those ovoid characters, the Hueys are back and this time they have a mathematical poser. The problem essentially is this: “Is none a number?”

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So begins a numerical discourse wherein one is added to none and so on until the two conversing reach double figures.

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Spectacular, when they’re all together, remarks one of the pair and goes on to say, ”But when you take them all away … you get NONE.” No prizes for guessing what the other one says in response… (there are four words in the sentence and it’s a question.)

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Here we go again!

Each counting number is illustrated in Jeffers’ own wonderfully quirky style and an explanatory sentence, seemingly spoken by the Huey who has adopted the teaching role, is written beneath, above or alongside the picture as a caption, together with the corresponding number printed large. Wait a minute though, there’s more to it than that: every illustration is a small story in itself with lots to explore and discuss: take number 5 for instance where readers can help Rupert choose himself a hat,

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or number 8 where a party gift is the object of a guessing game.
This hilarious book is simply brimming over with potential – mathematical, story-telling, artistic and more.
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Have You Seen My Dragon?
Steve Light
Walker Books
Starting from a hotel entrance, a small boy searches high and low for his lost dragon – all over the city in fact. As he moves around he ponders on the possibility of discovering said dragon in a variety of unlikely places such as on the bus,

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quenching his thirst up on the water towers,

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at the book stall,

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on the underground even. Having made a thorough (so he thinks) search, the dragon’s owner comes back to the place where he’d supposedly left him and lo and behold, what is that sitting up on a roof in lantern bedecked China Town?

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In fact what really seems to be happening is that the dragon is leading the boy on a journey of exploration around the city.
Steve Light has used a minimal text to narrate the story told mostly through his finely detailed, mainly black and white illustrations.
This fascinating book is also of course, rich with opportunities for counting, not only the particular items in the captions but also the people, cars, buildings, architectural features and much more besides.
Children will love spotting where the dragon has hidden himself on each spread and I envisage many being inspired to make maps and their own detailed drawings of particular features or indeed a whole city – real or imagined.
A group might even try using the map as a starting point and collaborating to build a three dimensional model.
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Once Tashi Met a Dragon
Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg illustrated by Kim Gamble
Allen & Unwin Murdoch Books
There’s a dragon that is responsible for bringing the rains; that’s what the inhabitants of Tashi’s village all believe even though they don’t agree on where he lives; and, as his grandma tells him, that dragon is busy, “Cooking up rain, big lashing whooping roaring rains that wash away all the dirt and dullness of the year, and make the air sparkle like a million diamonds.”
One year though, the dragon does not appear – there’s a terrible drought and outbreak of fires. Tashi determines to find out what has become of this ancient dragon.
Thus begins his adventure involving a white tiger, a visit to a golden palace and a story

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and singing session with a sad little dragon whose mother is in a deep, demon-induced sleep.
As a result, the rain-bringing dragon is awoken, Tashi is granted a wish for his troubles, the dragon opens her mouth, blows wispy dragon words and down comes the rain at last.

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Thereafter, the young hero is flown back to his awaiting Grandmother in his newly greened village home.
If you haven’t come across Tashi before then this book is a good introduction to the bold, fearless little fellow who is always ready to take on new challenges. His adventures are recounted with lashings of figurative language and atmospheric watercolour pictures and make for interesting story sessions.
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