Author jillrbennett

Squishy McFluff’s Camping Adventure / Hello Summer

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Squishy McFluff’s Camping Adventure
Pip Jones and Ella Okstad
Faber

Ava and her Dad, plus of course Squishy McFluff, Ava’s invisible cat, are off on a weekend camping trip. They appear to have packed the car with everything but the kitchen sink, so how have they managed to leave the tent behind? Apparently Ava was aware of the omission but decided to keep quiet so they would end up having to build a den to sleep in.

This she starts to do as soon as they reach the campsite. While collecting leaves and branches, she encounters a boy who introduces himself as Idris; his dog is Farida and they so they say, are ace den builders. Ava challenges Idris to see who can build the best den and off they go, amassing the materials;

it looks as if it’s going to be a fierce competition, though Idris does his best to be friendly. Ava however has a trick up her sleeve.

What will the outcome be? Could the two rivals perhaps join forces and even become friends?

Author Pip Jones’ rhythmic, rhyming text is fun and reads aloud well and Ella Okstad’s scenes of the very visible action, and the mischief on Ava’s part, are the perfect accompaniment to the words.

Hello Summer
Jo Lindley
Farshore

This is the third in the Best Friends With Big Feelings series wherein the seasons of the year have taken on human form and are best friends. When the season changes, the crown is passed from one friend to another and the crown wearer leads their games.

All four Little Seasons are excited as they gather ‘neath the Tick Tock Tree for Spring to pass the weather crown to Summer. With the long days and bright sun, the friends decide to visit the beach so they load up their cart with summery supplies and head off. The journey proves to be rather eventful; the four try to look on the bright side when plans start going haywire, but eventually tempers fray.

Once at their destination, everybody’s mood is upbeat again and Winter suggests they build a sandcastle. What a splendid one they make but once again, disaster strikes and the result is a very angry Summer.

Time once again to use that calming technique, Spring has shown him.

Before long Summer is ready to apologise to his understanding friends and the day ends happily.
Demonstrating the importance of having empathetic, supportive, friends especially when angry feelings arise, this is a fun summery story to share and talk about with young children, either at home or in the classroom.

Pip and Posy In the Garden / Pip and Posy At the Seaside

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Pip and Posy In the Garden
Pip and Posy At the Seaside
Axel Scheffler
Nosy Crow

Best friends Pip (rabbit) and Posy (mouse) takes turns to play hide-and-seek. In the Garden has Pip doing the hiding and Posy searching in various places, first the shed, then up the tree, behind the space hopper and in the vegetable patch. None of these are her friend’s hiding place, although a variety of smaller creatures are revealed when he brightly coloured flaps are opened. But who does that pair of ears poking up above the top of the bush belong to?

On and around the beach provide possible places for Posy to hide herself At the Seaside. Maybe she went behind the lighthouse. No! Perhaps under the umbrella – err sorry, mind the pincers though Pip. Nor is Posy making a purchase at the ice-cream shop. Could that ice-cream Pip is enjoying help him discover her whereabouts and you never know she might have been joined by another of their pals.

The simple repeat pattern text, Axel Scheffler’s delightfully detailed pictures of the friends at play and the hidden surprise endings work perfectly with little humans who will enjoy participating in the fun of the two searches.

Live Like A Roman

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Live Like A Roman
Claire Saunders, illustrated by Ruth Hickson
Button Books

Do you know a primary child who is studying Ancient Rome or the Romans, has an interest in ancient history or just wants to find out more about life in Roman times, then this a book for them especially.

In addition to a wealth of information on a wide range of topics starting with Who were the Romans?, there are a number of practical activities for children to try. For instance alongside the facts about maths including Roman numerals, there are instructions for making an abacus. Having read the spread about childhood and family life, children can try making their own set of knucklebones and then play a game with them. Or what about making a wax tablet similar to those used by Roman children instead of the expensive papyrus paper. What really astonished me was to read that only about half of all Roman children made it to their tenth birthday.

We meet a fictional child named Tito, a slave, who appears at various places in the book; we join him at the chariot races,

when he accompanies his master to the bathhouse and at the banquet his master hosts especially for an important guest.

The Romans are famous for their public baths, some of which are still in use today, but I’m not sure I’d want to try the Roman means of cleaning my skin by making a tool – a strigil – similar to those they used. The author suggests using oil and a lollipop stick.

Three double spreads are given to in turn food and drink, banquets and roman recipes; the honey cake sounds pretty tasty especially as instead of sugar, the Romans used runny honey; indeed honey was used in lots of recipes.

The final spread before the glossary poses the question: Could You Have Lived Like A Roman? This reviewer would not have survived long in a school: there were no opportunities for creativity and rote learning was the norm. However, the author appreciates the importance of creativity for today’s young readers and asks them to invent three new Roman gods or goddesses for things that are important to them and to give them names.

Ruth Hickson brings all this and much more to life in her detailed illustrations, large and small, helping to make this an altogether fascinating book for individual or primary classroom use.

Wigglesbottom Primary: The Sports Day Chicken / The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink

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Wigglesbottom Primary: The Sports Day Chicken 
Becka Moor and Pamela Butchart
Nosy Crow

Herein are three more splendidly daft episodes in the life of a certain class at Wigglesbottom Primary whose mildly anarchic behaviour fueled by their wild imaginations, frequently has repercussions far outside the classroom as well as inside.

In the first story, the school chicken is absolutely determined to be a participant in the school sports events, first inside its pen and then, after the egg and spoon race – but don’t ask how – in the BIG RUNNING RACE actually on the grass. I wonder who wins the trophy in that one.

The second episode, The Ant Queen begins when the headteacher gives the class an ‘Educational Surprise’ in the form of an ant farm. 

What rapidly ensues is an escape, a frantic search for the escapees and a case of misidentification of the ant queen.

Finally we have another puzzler, The Green Slime Mystery, which begins in the school canteen, quickly becomes a toxic shock inducer for Joel Jack, and results in one or two rather green faces, not all on the pupils.

Giggles galore assured thanks to Pamela’s hilarious storytelling and Becka’s equally hilarious illustrating, this time using liberal amounts of day-glo green.

The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink
Shannon & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Walker Books

In this tenth book in the popular series, Princess Magnolia (aka the Princess in Black) and her royal friends are celebrating the annual Flower Festival, the season’s biggest event. Princess Snapdragon has asked Princess Magnolia to take charge of the Festival Ball to be held in the evening and it’s a pretty big responsibility. As she starts unpacking the decorations there comes a scream and an angry emu stomps through the festival wrecking everything in sight, 

including Princess Magnolia’s boxes of decorations most notably the one containing her special secret surprise. 

Along comes a knight in shining armour and sees off the bird. Now Princess Magnolia, is not used to being rescued and the knight, Prince Valerian, is not keen to stay around and leaves. However he returns later eager to try out his special skills and for this he becomes the Prince in Pink. Then together he and Princess Magnolia create something beautiful from the shattered special secret decoration.

Meanwhile Emu, who loves to dance as much as to kick out, recruits her feathered friends, the Ostrich Twins and the Flightless Bird herd sally forth to crash the ball, arriving with the dancing in full swing. Is there any way that everyone can be accommodated happily without wrecking the dancing? One thing is certain, this will definitely be a party to remember.

Full of action, gentle humour, kindness and teamwork and with a new multi-talented superhero who sometimes likes to wear pink, as ever the Hale’s latest story gently subverts gender norms and with LeUyen Pham’s energetic and expressive illustrations, will please established fans of the series and surely win plenty more followers among new solo readers too.

Into The Wild

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Into The Wild
Thomas Docherty
Oxford Children’s Books

As night falls a small boy gives full rein to his imagination.

Joe lives in a city flat where, so he thinks, there isn’t any wild. However as he looks out from his bedroom window, he quickly realises that there is a whole lot more than he first thought. Then some of the outside starts coming into his very own room and this leads him to venture out into the wild city. By careful, close looking he discovers wildlife up in the branches of the trees, between the cracks in the pavement and hiding away beneath the bushes. Moreover, the more Joe looks, the more the wild proliferates

and eventually it’s everywhere, stunning in its beauty and full of surprises but most importantly, it is home to everything and every one, very precious and needs to be treated as such.

The wild has assuredly invaded Joe’s mind and his dreams, but not only that, it’s in his heart too.

Richly imagined too are Thomas Docherty’s illustrations for this magical story. Young children (and adults) will love poring over the multitude of gently humorous details in every scene.

The final page invites readers to go outside and search for the wild things in their own city or town; let’s hope they take up the challenge.

Isadora Moon Under the Sea / The Feeling Good Club: Say How You Feel, Archie!

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Isadora Moon Under the Sea
Harriet Muncaster
Oxford Children’s Books

The endearing little half-vampire, half-fairy, Isadora Moon ’s latest adventure begins when she receives an invitation to a sleepover with her mermaid friends. The prospect of spending the night away from her parents that takes her beneath the sea makes her a bit anxious but having been reassured by her parents, she accepts Marina’s invitation and as the time draws nearer she gets really excited. This excitement continues once she gets to Marina’s home and she finds herself becoming friends with another of the guests, Marina’s step sister Emerald who is rather standoffish and Isadora thinks it could be because she’s unhappy.

Later on, lying in the adjacent clamshell bed, Isadora hears what sounds like Emerald crying and knows she must go and see what’s troubling her.

What she learns results in a late night swim to the home of Emerald’s Dad. (Her parents are separated) and eventually everything is put right.

Beautifully heartwarming, this adventure touches on the subject of living in more than one home and the problems this might lead to for a child; but it’s lightly done and the most important themes are listening to one another, friendship and acceptance.
With its mix of the alluringly different and comfortingly familiar, this magical story is perfect for its intended audience of new solo readers and includes the usual offering of activities at the back of the book.

There are further Isadora things to do in Isadora Moon: Summer Fun Activity Book. Therein are lots of activities based on the world of Isadora and of course, Pink Rabbit.

The Feeling Good Club: Say How You Feel, Archie!
Kelly McCain, illustrated by Jenny Latham
Little Tiger

In this the second in the Feeling Good Club series, it’s Archie’s turn to share his journal with readers. Archie’s family consists of his mum, a marine biologist and so often away for extended periods, his dad who seems to have little or no time for his oldest child what with his work and looking after the six year old twin brothers who are a bit of a handful.

As the journal opens, it’s a Tuesday. Archie is preparing his exhibit for the school Science Fair; it’s on his favourite topic, space, about which he is passionate and he’s really looking forward to Dad hearing his talk about it at the event the following day. But when he fails to turn up Archie is understandably pretty upset; how could he have forgotten? However Archie tries pretending it’s okay, but of course it isn’t and his real feelings come out in a torrent of fury at the next Feeling Good Club meeting as the friends are working on creating a clubhouse. Archie is hugely embarrassed and storms off in a huff.

Clearly this is a time when club members need to help Archie find a way to spend sufficient time with his Dad to talk about the way he is feeling. So begins operation Surprise Camping Trip. There are many ons and offs and it seems the expedition just isn’t going to happen

but eventually Shaman and Bella come up with a plan that turns things upside down and the trip is on again. The three friends practise some of their mindfulness techniques and on Saturday it’s a camping they will go …

To discover more about that camping trip and to learn about the mindfulness activities the clubbers use, you will have to read more of Archie’s journal in a copy of the book. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of feelings, facing your worries and the importance of sharing how you feel with trusted friends, with smashing illustrations by Jenny Latham.

Thunderboots

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Thunderboots
Naomi Jones and Rebecca Ashdown
Oxford Children’s Books

What she lacks in stature, young Trixie makes up for in sheer joie de vivre. She dashes up the stairs in her home, cartwheels along corridors and generally makes her presence felt to the other residents of her apartment block who call her Thunderboots.

When it’s time for her to start school, Trixie is excited and she loves school, her teacher, the new friends she makes and playing on the outdoor equipment. Moreover she really enjoys learning, especially listening to stories but her favourite of all lessons is PE.
One thing she finds really challenging though is learning letters and writing. School isn’t such fun any more ; everything feels hard, so she tells her empathetic Dad.

Dad says that everyone learns differently and that is perfectly fine; he sees things and thus learns differently from others: he calls this a ‘superpower’.

Next day at school Dad and Trixie’s teacher chat and make a learning plan to help his little girl, who has dyslexia, with the things she finds tricky.

This includes a class circle time where everyone highlights something their neighbour is especially good at. Now at last Trixie decides that having a superpower and learning differently is just a part of who she is.

Drawing on her own experiences of growing up, the author has created an empowering story of a neurodivergent child, who happily, had the understanding and support she needed. In this celebration of everybody’s unique abilities, Rebecca Ashdown portrays Trixie as a thoroughly endearing character, bursting with energy and enthusiasm for life and I’m sure young children will love exploring the fun details in every one of her scenes be they at home or in school.

My Small World: Dinosaurs

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My Small World: Dinosaurs
Caryl Hart and Harry Woodgate
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books

Two small children take readers on an adventure to their imaginary prehistoric world, the land of the dinosaurs.

Therein among erupting volcanoes, they will watch dinosaur cousins – baby pterosaurs learning to fly,

encounter the herbivorous Europasaurs, dive down deep in the ocean and meet an Ichthyosaur, not strictly a dinosaur but a dolphin-like, fish-eating lizard,

take a ride upon the back of an enormous Brachiosaurus while tempting it with something delicious. Suddenly though there comes a fear-inducing ROAR made by a ravenous T.Rex, time to take cover or else perhaps become its next meal. Off go the little humans, following the tracks left in the swamp by a family of Stegosaurs having some fun, then watched by smiling Triceratops they climb up the volcano side and look down upon other dinosaurs hunting or swimming until sunset.

Time to bid farewell to those dino-friends and return to reality. Little humans (with a bit of adult help) can then start assembling some materials to create their very own Dinosaur Land. Instructions are offered at the end of the adventure and the book ends with a ‘my small world’ map.

Author Caryl Hart and illustrator Harry Woodgate have chosen a topic that’s sure to appeal to small children in this, the first of a new series where imagination is key and there’s playfulness aplenty. The rhyming story reads aloud well and the illustrations are infused with gentle humour and alive with vibrant colours.

Matilda Meets the Universe

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Matilda Meets the Universe
Dom Conlon, illustrated by Heidi Cannon
uclan publishing

The ambitious Matilda returns, as effervescent as ever, and again she will impress readers with her intelligence, confidence and skill at providing in-depth expositions of scientific subjects.

Penned in the form of an interior monologue notebook, Matilda sets out to discover whether life exists on other planets. ‘… finding alien life is going to be difficult. Finding out HOW difficult is what I’m ALL about though so BRING.IT.ON.’ she writes, going on to tell us that one reason for keeping her journal is that it helps her get things straight in her head. So true.

She writes about topics such as the Big Bang, the electromagnetic spectrum and ways of communication, mentioning ground breaking work of such scientists as Georges Lemaître, James Clerk Maxwell, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Sir William Herschel, Frank Drake and his equation (new to me) and Albert Einstein. I love the way she talks about the Goldilocks Zone.

Helping Matilda in her research are members of her family – her dad, mum,

younger brother and her friend Kareem, not to mention a lot of snacks of various kinds. However possibly THE most important thing she learns is much closer to home, something about herself and the way she has been treating her little brother: ‘I need to stop calling him my little brother or HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED. He is called Harry and I realise that when he’s hanging around, he’s only trying to learn how to communicate with me. … I need to learn how to listen. Then moving out from that ‘I’m looking around this little planet of ours and wondering if we couldn’t all benefit from learning to talk to one another in a better way.’ Wise words indeed. As is her decision to make the most of all the experiences earth has to offer.

It’s amazing how much information is packed into the pages of this book but Matilda has an infectious enthusiasm for her explorations and humour permeates her writing, helping to make it more accessible. So too do Heidi Cannon’s illustrations and diagrams, which appear at every turn of the page. There’s also a glossary at the end.

Highly recommended for curious children whether or not they have a special interest in STEM subjects.

Cleo the Completely Fine Camel

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Cleo the Completely Fine Camel
Wendy Meddour and Carmen Saldaña
Oxford Children’s Books

Nothing can stop Cleo the camel feeling on top of the world and absolutely fine or can it? She’s such a ‘glass half full’ kind of creature that even when the sand under her feet is burning hot, the sweat is pouring off her face and she’s so thirsty that she licks the surface of a rock, she insists to fellow desert dwellers Lizard, Jerboa, and the circling vultures, that she feels happy.

Suddenly a fearsome sandstorm blows up, almost completely burying Cleo. Her friends dig her out and still she maintains that she is fine, despite her hump having shrunk significantly. Along comes Ostrich who has just emerged from the sand. “I’m fed up. Fed up of sandstorms, Fed up of the heat. And fed up of getting sand in my eyes.” Cleo still tries the ‘we’re desert animals’ line but Ostrich continues with “Yes, I feel rubbish. Totally awful. Absolute pants. How about you?” Will Cleo finally take that leap of confidence and admit how she really feels?

Thankfully for all, yes she can and having faced up to reality, she follows Ostrich’s lead in search of an oasis where welcome refreshment awaits.

Wendy Meddour’s story gently and humorously imparts an important life lesson to young children: it’s all very well putting on a brave face but not to the detriment of your own well-being. Carmen Saldaña makes the searing desert heat radiate from the pages in her illustrations, which show the impact on the animals – humped or not – as they struggle to cope with the harsh reality of desert life.

Everything You Know About Sharks Is Wrong

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Everything You Know About Sharks Is Wrong
Dr Nick Crumpton, illustrated by Gavin Scott
Nosy Crow

Having set the record straight about dinosaurs and minibeasts, Dr Nick Crumpton has (along with illustrator Gavin Scott) turned his attention to the oceans and in particular, sharks. Writing in an entertaining style he discredits many of the shark-related myths that have grown up over time and it’s likely they have the worst reputation of all living creatures. Remember those dogfish you studied in zoology at school back in the day? They are related to sharks, both being elasmobranchs.(cartilaginous fish).

Assuredly sharks are predatory creatures but do they kill lots of people? Worldwide sharks killed 11 people in 2021 but cows killed 22 people and that was just in the USA and snakes were responsible for the deaths of 50,000 people worldwide: the numbers speak for themselves. On the other hand, we read, humans kill 100 million sharks and rays each year and sharks are unable to replace those lost quickly enough, so actually a number of species are at risk.

What about those fearsome-looking sharp pointy teeth all sharks have. No they don’t, at least not all of them: different sharks have different sorts of teeth, which help them eat a wide range of food by piercing, slicing or crushing their prey. Did you know that all sharks’ skin is made from millions of tiny teeth and whale sharks even have teeth on their eyes. Moreover, these ‘dermal denticles’ each have elements – dentine, a pulp cavity containing blood and nerves and an enamel covering – similar to our own teeth. Knowledge about how these v-shaped denticles work has led scientists and technologists to develop swimsuits that enable swimmers who wear them to move faster through the water.

Amazingly the prey of Cookie Cutter Sharks are much larger than their predators; these sharks don’t hunt, rather they lure their fleshy prey to them. There’s a whole spread on how various sharks hunt: filter feeding whale sharks don’t bite, instead they open their mouths and swim straight into clouds of microscopic planktonic organisms. On the other hand, some of the smaller sharks might end up as food for other, much larger sharks, and recently there have been reports of orca whales eating sharks.

An absolute wealth of fascinating information is packed into the pages of this book and Gavin Scott has done a terrific job with the illustrations. The mystery, power and beauty of these amazing creatures and the underwater world they inhabit are spectacularly portrayed in his scientifically accurate paintings.

Primary readers (and beyond) with an interest in biology will find this absorbing.

Cinder & Ella / The Selfish Giant

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Cinder & Ella
Barbara Slade and Lucia Soto
Owlet Press

Kind, clever and beautiful, Cinder lives a life of drudgery with her mean stepmother and idle stepbrothers. Nothing she does seems to please them, but what pleases Cinder herself is dreaming, not of a handsome prince, but a gorgeous, long-haired girl with blue eyes, who happens to be a princess.

Princess Ella too has dreams but as yet she can’t quite imagine what they might lead to. What she does know though, is the reason why her royal parents are hosting a ball to honour her eighteenth birthday. It’s a celebration to which everyone in the land is invited and one that thrills Cinder’s stepmother, who imagines either of her son’s as the perfect partner for the princess. In their separate abodes both Cinder and Ella are distraught.

Come the night of the ball. Cinder is left with countless chores to do while her stepmother and stepbrothers go off in their carriage. As she sits thinking of all those desirous of winning the heart of Ella, she hears a deep whisper, “Make a wish,” coming from Midnight, her horse. Surprised, she does so and magic happens. Her old ragged clothes become a fine outfit and a pumpkin becomes a gold carriage, pulled of course, by Midnight. On arrival he gives the twelve o’clock warning about the magic expiring and off goes Cinder into the palace ballroom.

So enraptured with one another, are they that Princess Ella and Cinder dance the night away 

until that fateful midnight chiming begins and off dashes Cinder. Can the two overcome the odds and get their happy ever after? Let’s say that in this instance, thanks to hope, a special horse

and determination, love’s power prevails.

Just right for celebrating Pride Month, this is an enchanting reworking of a favourite fairy tale.

The Selfish Giant
Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Rita Voutila
Allen And Unwin

Richly coloured, finely detailed oil paintings grace every spread of this classic Oscar Wilde story of the self centred giant who returns from a seven year absence spent staying with his Cornish ogre friend to discover children playing in his garden. Children he immediately bans by erecting a high wall and putting up a ‘trespassers will be prosecuted’ sign. The only visitors that enjoy the garden for a whole year are the winter elements, Snow, Frost, the North Wind and Hail; 

the children are forced to play outside in the road.

As many adult readers will already be aware though, those children eventually creep back in, the giant sees the error of his ways and even helps a small boy trying to climb a tree. The remainder of the tale, which takes place over years, is told in the text of the book.

With lots of Christian symbolism for those who want to look for it, the story is a powerful lesson in selfishness and its consequences; Rita Voutila’s Northern Renaissance style art has a power of its own.

The Last Mapmaker

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The Last Mapmaker
Christina Soontornvat
Walker Books

Twelve year old Sai, daughter of a con man and the narrator of this fantasy, comes from a marshy Fenland area where its inhabitants are looked down on. Nonetheless, thanks to her quick thinking she has become assistant to Paiyoon, the Mangkon Royal Navy’s Master Mapmaker, until her 13th birthday, at which point, when she does not receive a lineal, (a golden bracelet with links representing the recipient’s noble ancestors), her lowly status will become evident to everyone, Paiyoon included. She loves her job but secretly wants to save sufficient money to escape her home kingdom before that fateful date.

As her birthday draws near, the Queen issues a new directive. Now the kingdom has achieved peace for the first time in twenty years, it’s time to rededicate itself to exploration. This presents a wonderful opportunity for Sai when Paiyoon, invites the girl to assist him on an expedition aboard the ship Prosperity to chart and discover the Sunderlands for the Queen. Due to advanced age, his handwriting has become shaky and Sai can copy his writing without anyone knowing their secret. An enormous money prize awaits any crew who can locate the Sunderlands where, legend has it, Mangkon’s long-departed dragons now dwell.

Once aboard ship, Sai quickly discovers that many others have secrets of their own, including Miss Rian and her friend, the war hero Captain Sangra, even Paiyoon. She’s also worried that there’s a boy aboard who might know her identity. In fact it’s difficult to know who she can really trust.

Utterly compelling adventuring on the high seas: full of surprise twists and a fair few betrayals, with a diverse cast of complex characters, Soontornvat has constructed a tight plot full of wonderful descriptions – you can almost smell the brine – with undertones of colonialism and environmental issues,

Strongly recommended for older readers especially those who love unusual fantasies and a protagonist determined to chart her own course through life.

This Girl Can Be A Bit Shy / I Just Ate My Friend

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This Girl Can Be A Bit Shy
Stephanie Stansbie and Hazel Quintanilla
Little Tiger

Narrated by little Ruby, ‘I am brilliant. I’m also a little bit shy.’ we learn of her different days: some when she feels brave, bouncy and full of chat, and others when she wants to go it alone, not playing with anybody, not talking to others just hiding herself away in one of her favourite hiding places where no-one can look at her and she doesn’t have to join in with things her friends are doing.

Her Dad understands exactly and wisely suggests, “Tell people kindly if you’re feeling shy.’

No matter what though, there is one thing Ruby is never too shy to say: can you guess what that is?

This is the second book wherein we meet the delightful Ruby as main protagonist and it’s a pleasure to be back in her company, empowering others with her thoughts, energy and actions now that she’s turning six, as we see in some of Hazel Quintanilla’s enchanting illustrations.

I Just Ate My Friend
Heidi McKinnon
Allen & Unwin

Darkly humorous is this tale of a monster that eats its friend and spends almost the rest of the book searching for a new one – to no avail. Those asked, ‘Hello! Would you be my friend?’ find the impulsive protagonist in turn, too big, too small, too scary, too slow

and then there’s just a flat refusal sans reason. Just when it seems he’ll remain lonely evermore, what should come along but another potential candidate for friendship with alluring eyes and a beguiling smile …

This simple story with its patterned text is perfect for those in the early stages of learning to read and they will likely delight in the unexpected twist with which the story ends.

My Brother George

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My Brother George
Kelly & Zoe Allen and Tara O’Brien
uclan publishing

The creators of My Momma Zo, LGBTQ+ parents Kelly and Zoey Allen and illustrator Tara O’Brien, have collaborated on a new picture book about having the courage to be different.

Molly acts as the narrator and tells how her slightly older brother, whom she dearly loves, has long hair that confuses some people; they think he’s a girl and thus her sister.

Molly now feels sufficiently confident to stick up for George, pointing out that he’s her brother. This receives mixed results and one woman’s comment about him being ‘too pretty to be a boy’ angers Molly, who for once is unable to find the right words to respond.

Hurrah for George though: he replies thus, “I think you should get to know someone before finding out their gender.” and ever since her brother has gained more confidence. He plays with dolls, borrows his sister’s clothes, enjoys baking and is a fan of zombies; he also is an expert at nail adornment.

Despite still getting called a girl and being the source of amusement at times, he knows everything he does is just part of being true to himself and so he endeavours to help others understand, often under the watchful eye of Molly who is always there for him should she be needed.

Stylishly illustrated in bright colours by Tara O’Brien and frankly told in a heartfelt manner by Kelly and Zoe Allen, this is another empowering story that encourages everyone to be who they truly are, and to feel confident and comfortable in themselves. With too many adults quick to be judgemental about those they perceive to be different, we need this book and more similar ones in primary classrooms, libraries and homes.

Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc

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Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc
Joe Todd-Stanton
Flying Eye Books

At the start of this, the fifth of the Brownstone Mythical Collection series, Professor Brownstone introduces readers to Luna Brownstone, the most cunning of all the Brownstones. Daughter of renowned and respected adventurers known for their selfless acts, Luna decides after her parents were robbed and left abandoned while on a mission, that she would look after nobody but herself. This is just what she did: running away from home as soon as she was old enough, Luna began stealing priceless treasures from all over the world.

On the hunt for her next treasure, she goes to Aztec America and there learns of a young girl, Atzi, who has volunteered to undertake a journey, taking an offering, to the Aztec rain god Tlaloc and imploring him to save her village from drought. Luna decides on a cunning plan: she’ll befriend the girl, take her map and find the rain god on her own.

Their journey to his home beneath a sacred mountain is full of hazards including strange creatures

and they have to solve a riddle to discover the entrance to the palace. Luna realises that she must work with Atzi to navigate powerful waterfalls and evade hungry creatures, avoid dangerous ice shards and much more. Suddenly as they near their destination, Atzi is in peril of her life. Luna finds herself unable to let her die, though she doesn’t abandon her plan to steal the gold offering.

But is there something else that matters more than treasure and self- interest: Luna is soon faced with a crucial decision: does she have within her the power to change?

Luna is a rather different protagonist from others in the picture book cum graphic novel series – an anti-hero – and as always, Joe Todd-Stanton’s richly coloured illustrations for this thought-provoking story are full of wonderful details to pore over.

The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat

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The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat
Em Lynas and Matt Hunt
Nosy Crow

Sit back, sail along and enjoy the rhyming fun from the team who gave us The Cat and the Rat and the Hat; the text for this one is every bit as funny and lively and Matt Hunt’s highly energetic scenes of what turns out to be a fair bit of rocking and rolling, which inevitably leads to some pretty catastrophic consequences, are just superb.

It all begins with Stoat floating merrily along in his favourite boat when along comes Goat. Goat too wants to float in that same boat so on he leaps.

The problem is that although Stoat is well aware of the way to keep safe therein, Goat most certainly is not. All he wants is to have fun too. Pretty soon however, things start to turn nasty. Stoat seizes a pencil and lays claim to the boat, which develops into a pencil power dual.

That is when, in addition to the rocking and rolling, the boat starts wibbling and wobbling, tilting and tipping and it’s not long before there’s a big splash in the moat. You’ll quickly guess the cause of that. Now the thing is that Goat in that colourful coat is able to stay afloat; not so however, Stoat. Is it time for a truce?

Adult readers aloud will need to take care their tongues don’t get into a twist when they share this cleverly constructed tale. Young listeners will delight in the cumulative chaos that the animals cause; Matt Hunt’s expressive illustrations portray this with panache..

Ingenious Edie Master Inventor of Tiny Town

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Ingenious Edie Master Inventor of Tiny Town
Patrick Corrigan
Flying Eye Books

Meet young inventor Edie, one of the tiny inhabitants of Tiny Town. She loves nothing better than to create new contraptions and her aim is that each new one is even better than any of her previous inventions. She always keeps what she’s working on top secret – no help from anybody else, ever.

However that is until the arrival of Magpie; he with a particular penchant for all things shiny and a plethora of disguises. Edie decides this marauding meanie has to be stopped so she sets to work inventing clever Magpie traps but none is successful in doing the job. 

The girl is distraught especially after needing to call for assistance from her friends to extricate herself from entanglement engineered by Magpie. 

As she sits sobbing at her failures, first Ladybird and then others of her pals suggests that this is an occasion when they should all work together if they want to trap the thief.

The following day there appears on Tiny Town’s street something ‘new and mysterious’. Surely an irresistible attraction for any creature on the lookout for shiny objects. Could this be a case of community action winning the day?

That the power of the imagination and creativity play a vital role in scientific, technological and engineering discoveries and advances is demonstrated so well in Patrick Corrigan’s illustrations of Edie’s inventions. I love the miniature world created in this story, the demonstration of the importance of community action and wholeheartedly recommend sharing it with young children at home and in the classroom.

Welcome to Our Table

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Welcome to Our Table
Laura Mucha & Ed Smith, illustrated by Harriet Lynas
Nosy Crow

Poet, Laura Mucha and chef cum cookbook writer, Ed Smith, will make your taste buds tingle with their food related descriptions of dishes from all around the world. Inevitably there are some that didn’t make this vegan reviewer’s mouth water for, in addition to the fruits – several double spreads are devoted to these and tomatoes get an entire page – vegetables (green and otherwise), spices, herbs, nuts and sweets, there are eggs, fish (including the dangers caused by over-fishing) and meat of various kinds.

After a look at the various tools people in different parts of the world use to eat their food, followed by a consideration of taste, smell

and texture of foods, the authors focus our attention on staple savouries: ‘Remarkable rice’, ‘Amazing Maize’ ‘Brilliant Bread’, ‘Noodles, Noodles’, among which are not only spaghetti and vermicelli, but also Ukrainian lokshyna.

As well as entrees

and side courses in abundance, the authors look at milk including non dairy kinds, sweet pastries and puddings and ice creams. Foods of the future – those grown in laboratories are pondered upon, as is the possibility of more people turning to insects and seaweed for food.

On the final pages children wearing national costume demonstrate how to give appreciation for what you have eaten and how to say goodbye to those who have shared your food; there’s a world map surrounded by flags of some of the countries whose foods were mentioned; the countries and places featured are listed and then it’s ‘The end’ in 20 languages.

Harriet Lynas images are brightly coloured and every spread includes a child or children – a diverse lot – interacting in one way or another with the food presented thereon.

A lovely celebration of difference, showing how we are all linked by the fact that we eat and for the most part, enjoy so doing.

Did You Do This Poo?

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Did You Do This Poo?
Lucy Rowland and Gareth Conway
Scholastic

A little unicorn turns detective when walking in the forest one morning, on account of a strange aroma that on further investigation turns out to be a rather large, slimy poo. He asks readers to join him in a search for the poo perpetrator.

First to be questioned is Rabbit who happens to hop by, but responding to the interrogation thus, “My poos aren’t so slimy. They don’t have that smell. In fact, they’re so nice that I eat them as well!”, it’s obvious that Rabbit is innocent. So too is Wise Owl – a splat clears that creature. Then Badger appears and on being asked like the others, ‘did YOU do this poo?’ does turn a tad pink but is quick to point out that he uses a special latrine in which to drop his excretory matter. Bear, Bat and Deer’s poos don’t match the pongy turd either.

It appears that somebody is not being truthful, but who could it be?

Suddenly Badger advances and explains that earlier that morning, he’d gone to his latrine, found it engaged and unable to hold on, did a dump elsewhere – the very one that they’ve spent so long trying to identify.

Now with the culprit having owned up, the animals – now poo experts – turn their attention to examining what was left in Badger’s pit. Will they solve that case? Have you?

Let’s just say this poo leaver has no option but to own it with pride.

With her combination of unicorn protagonist and poo, rhyming expert extraordinaire, Lucy Rowland, is surely on to a winner with young children, even more so with Gareth Conway’s hilarious scenes of the animals’ search for the pooing culprit. A smashing whodunit for story time sharing; you might want to have some air freshener at the ready.

Forest School Handbook

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Forest School Handbook
Naomi Walmsley and Dan Westall
GMC Publications

It’s great to see husband and wife team Naomi and Dan, who run Outback2Basics bringing their passion for the outdoors to the pages of another book.

As a teacher, I’ve long been a firm believer in the vital importance of outdoor education for children right from their early years and consequently many of the activities in this handbook are not new to me. Nonetheless, it’s always good to be reminded of things as well as to discover fresh ideas.

After an introduction, which talks about the purposes of forest school activities and the benefits from playing outside and interacting with the natural world, the book is divided into ten sections, each with an abundance of colour photographs, and the age appropriateness, time, materials and tools needed for every activity.

Controlled risk taking and developing social skills, both of which are fundamental to forest schooling are two of the most vital elements of education and the sessions this book offers are so much more worthwhile than being cooped up all day in a stuffy classroom. What would you rather your child(ren) did: make charcoal (and perhaps use it to draw with), build a shelter from the materials lying around in the environment or spending hours staring at a screen?

One activity that appealed to me especially from he ‘Things to do with conkers’ spread is creating conker animals, in particular a conker caterpillar.

Making soap from conkers also sounds interesting .

Altogether a smashing little book that deserves to be in every family and class collection.

Rita & Ralph’s Rotten Day

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Rita & Ralph’s Rotten Day
Carmen Agra Deedy and Pete Oswald
Scholastic

Separated by several hills, best friends Rita and Ralph live quite some distance apart but they have established a daily routine, a ritual really. They both go ‘down the hill, and up the hill, and down the hill, and up the hill’ to meet under the apple tree between their houses. There they ‘high-five, pinkie-shake, do a cha-cha-cha, play zombie tag, and make daisy chains.’
One day though, they decide to play a new game, Sticks and Stones. Ralph accidentally knocks Rita who ends up with a very sore bump on her head and they both run off back home, Rita angry, Ralph sorry for hurting his best pal.


He wants to apologise so he makes the entire journey to Rita’s house. What a walk! ‘down the hill and up the hill … ‘He arrives feeling a tad grumpy and his apology doesn’t come across as very genuine so Rita’s door remains closed. Off storms Ralph back home leaving Rita feeling the need to say sorry. Off she runs – you know how it goes –

but her thoughts en route anger her and she also leaves without apologising. Now the two children are both mad and sad. What a rotten day and it’s followed by a sleepless night.
A new day begins and Rita and Ralph head out to their usual meeting place. Can peace resume? Of course it can for ‘best friends always find a way… ‘

Thoroughly engaging and what fun this will be in a story time session with all that upping and downing of hills, high fiving, pinkie shaking, cha-cha-cha’ing. The author provides a note showing how to play the ‘Mr Wiggle and Mr Waggle’ hand game after the story, a story which shows how anger can sometimes cause ridiculous behaviour and saying sorry to a treasured friend is a vital, often up and down, process. Pete Oswald’s digitally worked gouache illustrations skilfully uses the format, showing the hilly landscape, the contrasting homes of Rita and Ralph, not to mention occasional guest appearances of Ralph’s cat and Rita’s dog, and humorously depicting the feelings of both children in their constantly changing expressions and body language.

Rory’s Room of Rectangles

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Rory’s Room of Rectangles
Ian Eagleton and Jessica Knight
Owlet Press

With Father’s Day coming up Rory’s class are making cards but he is feeling conflicted. His Dad no longer lives with him and his Mum, who has a live in new boyfriend Tony. Rory sees his Dad at weekends; the rest of the time is spent at home with Mum and Tony, whom he likes a lot, but inevitably he misses Dad very much.

So who should he send his card to? Anger takes over and at home time the boy tears his card in two and puts it in his coat pocket.

On Father’s Day as he sits with his Mum and Tony, Rory remembers that card still stashed away in his coat. Is Dad feeling lonely, he wonders as the rain falls. Tony is a perceptive man; he notices Rory’s change of mood and suggests the two of them go outside together saying, “I’ve been saving up some money for a rainy day.”

Off the two of them go together, and make their way to an art gallery with wonderful paintings of all kinds. They stop and sit in a room full of rectangles of different colours where Rory feels as though his clashing feelings are being reflected back to him. As the colours wield their power, the boy finds his eyes filling with tears.

The empathetic Tony responds with these words, “ I guess life is like an art gallery … sometimes it’s full of happiness and joy, sometimes it’s scary, and sometimes it’s sad But that’s OK. Whatever you feel is OK.”

Outside once more, as the sun sets, Tony has one more surprise for Rory … As the day ends Rory realises, on their walk back beneath a beautiful sky, that there is no need for him to feel torn.

Inspired by author, Ian Eagleton’s own experiences of being a new adoptive father, this powerful heartfelt tale of a blended family is sensitively illustrated by debut book illustrator Jessica Knight, whose portrayal of Rory’s roller coaster of emotions and his supportive adults is in perfect harmony with the telling.

A Bed of Stars

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A Bed of Stars
Jessica Love
Walker Books

This beautiful demonstration of how powerful knowledge can be, begins with the child narrator telling readers that the immensity of the whole universe makes him feel so small as to be insignificant. This thought would keep him awake at night, but then one morning over breakfast his father announces, “We’re going camping you and me.”

The two pack up what they need and set out for the desert in the old family truck. The smell changes from ‘rubber and french fries’ as they leave the city and head into the mountains where it smells sweet and smoky. Dad talks of the flowers they pass and when they reach their destination, he points out the tiny beetle footprints in the sand. The two then jump in the dunes,

lie back and observe and name the birds and set up camp together. They build a fire, sing songs and watch the sunset.

Come bedtime, as they lie gazing skywards, the boy reiterates his fear of going to sleep because of the vastness of the universe. ( I love how beautifully this is mirrored in the blanket.) Dad knows just what to say and explains in his calm, thoughtful manner that stars are made of energy, “Same as you. Same as the beetles and crows and coyotes. We’re all friends and family in this universe. Maybe if you learned their names, they wouldn’t feel so much like strangers.” Then snuggled up together, the two give distinctive names to every star they can see and with fear transformed, the child drops off to sleep.

The next day, after hot chocolate and a greeting to the desert flora, the two are ready to return, The child repeats en route, the names of “all the new friends I’ve met… beetles, cacti, coyotes, stars,” At home Mum shares a surprise of her own making. Now at last, the child feels ‘at home in the universe.’

This tender, reassuring story with its scattering of small word pictures, shows just how a parent’s empathy and undivided attention allows his child to gain a different perspective on the universe. Jessica Love’s delicate watercolour, gouache and ink illustrations convey both intimacy and vastness making this contemplative story perfect for bedtime sharing (or any time), especially for anyone experiencing a lack of confidence similar to that of the child narrator.

Playing and Learning with Board Books

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Little Bear Where Are You?
Little Dog Where Are You?
Ekaterina Trukhan
Nosy Crow

It’s true to say that babies enjoy playing with mirrors and this new Where Are You? series has a mirror on every spread.
Taking inspiration from the hugely popular Family Finger rhyme, Little Bear introduces in turn little frog, little deer, little rabbit and little bear by means of a text with a repeat pattern: ‘Little —— , / Little —— , / where are you? // On the opposite page, comes the reply, ‘Here I am! Here I am! / Where are you?’ When the animal’s face is flipped down we see the words, “There you are!’, and a mirror is revealed for little humans to see their faces.
The final spread shows all four animals and beneath the fold, the titular character addresses the baby whose face is reflected in the mirror.
The large card flaps are easy to manipulate and sufficiently sturdy to stand up to the frequent use the books are likely to have.
Using the same structure, in Little Dog, illustrator Ekaterina Trukhan portrays first little hamster, followed by little bird, little cat and lastly, little dog (sporting a bobble hat).

Peekaboo Lion
Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius
Nosy Crow

This latest in the novelty series with sliders and a final mirror, features wild animals, although they look deceptively friendly in Ingela’s vibrant, patterned illustrations. The playful rhyming text comprises two words per page and introduces animals large and small; and there are opportunities to meet both adult animals and their young on some spreads.
A fun way to develop tinies’ language and manipulative skills together with a surprise finale.

Don’t Mix Up My Puppy
Rosamund Lloyd and Spencer Wilson
Little Tiger

Little humans will enjoy getting their paws on this mix-and-match doggie delight, with its five different puppies depicted, one per spread, in Spencer Wilson’s bold illustrations.

First we meet a Dalmatian with a spotty, dotty tail, then a velvety tailed dachshund, next comes a sly terrier whose tail is fancy and flowy; the white poodle’s tail matches his cute, curly self and finally there’s an Irish setter with a fluffy, furry tail.

Toddlers can have fun turning the wheel, finding each pup’s tail and feeling the respective tactile rear end appendages. Just right for developing hand-eye coordination too.

My Bollywood Dream

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My Bollywood Dream
Avani Dwivedi
Walker Books

Friday nights are special for the little girl narrator and her family, who set off through the hectic city streets of Mumbai, destination the cinema. En route in their car, the girl uses her camera to capture the sights and sounds of the city and in so doing imagines a movie evolving all around her, with action,

dance sequences and songs. Seemingly she has aspirations of becoming a movie director.

Once at the cinema, she immediately feels the excitement building in the audience until a hush descends and the film begins. It’s a typical Bollywood love story with lots of Hindi songs and dancing but it’s not just the actors that dance. Caught up in the music, up leap members of the audience and start moving in time to the beat, united briefly, by the hypnotic rhythms.

Our narrator concludes in upbeat mood, saying, “Bollywood movies are filled with many dreams and adventures that I haven’t yet had. … but one day I know I can create my own.”

Author/illustrator Avani Dwivedi has based her debut picture book on her own experiences of growing up in Mumbai and she really captures the vibrancy of Mumbai streets although I found it rather more chaotic on my most recent visit than her portrayal here. She captures too the magic of those movies, as they were, as they are and probably always will be, hopefully though with more women directors

The Thief of Farrowfell

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The Thief of Farrowfell
Ravena Guron, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Faber

Twelve year old Jude Ripon is part of a criminal family and so desperate is she to impress the other family members, in particular the patriarch Grandleader, that she steals some rare magic from the Westons, one of the most powerful families in all of Farrowfell. Surely that will make them take notice of her so they’ll allow her to do more than keep watch while they carry out daring heists.
However, she learns that the magic – which can seriously impair her family’s business – is protected by a curse that can only be lifted by returning it to the rightful owners. This though isn’t possible, as Mr and Mrs Weston have been missing for more than a year.

Reluctantly, Jude joins forces with the Weston children to find their parents and break the curse. While doing so, she begins to question her loyalty to her own family and consider whether she really wants to be a true Ripon at all.

The three children search for clues and piece together evidence, taking care to evade any Lilthrum, the blood-thirsty monsters formed from raw magic, whose deadly attacks on people have recently been increasing at a disturbing rate. The more time Jude spends with Eli and Fin, she cannot but appreciate and enjoy their kindness and friendship, things she’s never before experienced. This makes her feel even more at odds with her upbringing in a criminal household.

With edible magic (I’ve not met that before), a flawed hero and a twisting, turning plot with Alessia Trunfio’s interesting chapter heading illustrations, this is the first of what will become a series; it’s hugely exciting and full of dark humour. I envisage children around Jude’s age will be eagerly anticipating the next adventure; this reviewer certainly is.

Lola Saves the Show

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Lola Saves the Show
Katherine Halligan and Guilherme Karsten
Walker Books

Created in association with The National Theatre, this fun adventure set on opening night, has most of the action taking place behind the scenes.

With the play soon to begin, best friends Lola and Oliver wait backstage and with necessary business done, Lola is about to enter stage left. But disaster strikes when she notices that a vital prop is not among those assembled on the table.
The only way to save the show is for Lola to find the Very Important Handkerchief. Off she dashes with Big Ed (her minder) and Oliver in hot pursuit, stopping to create mild chaos in various departments.

Lola is unstoppable even scaling the heights of the theatre when suddenly she remembers something and knows she must retrace her steps at top speed.

Back where she began, Lola finally finds that which she seeks and with not a single moment to spare, she makes her entrance before the waiting crowd. What a shining star she proves to be, but after her performance, something is lacking which makes the show’s saviour very sad. Happily however, Oliver knows just what is needed and all ends happily.

Guilherme Karsten’s funny, vibrant artwork is suitably dramatic and the fact that Lola is not a human is shown, but never mentioned in Katherine Halligan’s text makes the book all the more amusing. I love the names of the places Lola visits in her search for that missing article. (Further information about theatrical terms is given after the story)

Mermaid Academy: Isla and Bubble / The Magic Faraway Tree: A New Adventure

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Mermaid Academy: Isla and Bubble
Julie Sykes and Linda Chapman, illustrated by Lucy Truman
Nosy Crow

Fans of the Unicorn Academy books will love this, the first of a magical new series set beneath the waves of Wild Sea. Just as the pupils of that establishment have captured the hearts of countless younger readers, I’m sure those of Mermaid Academy, led by headteacher, Dr Oceania, will do likewise, starting with Isla and the twins, Isobel and Cora who join the school on the same day.

Once the new pupils have been allocated their dorms, rather than lessons, they all participate in a treasure hunt intended to enable them to get to know one another, the dolphins and their new environment. Isla is a spirited character with a tendency to be headstrong, so when it comes to saving the woolly seahorses, even if that means breaking one of the Academy’s strict rules and venturing beyond its walls, she feels compelled to do so, however much danger that puts her team in.

Can she perhaps use her bubbliness to extricate them all from an emergency situation?

With adventure, friendship and discovering their magic and bonding with a special dolphin awaiting, (not to mention Lucy Truman’s black and white illustrations) who wouldn’t want to join Isla as she dives into this underwater world and helps protect its fauna and flora.

The Magic Faraway Tree: A New Adventure
Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Mark Beech
Hodder Children’s Books

The Faraway Tree is a series of popular children’s books by British author Enid Blyton. Blyton’s classic The Magic Faraway Tree, first published in 1939, was Jacqueline Wilson’s own favourite book as a very young child. Now the accomplished, popular contemporary children’s author, Wilson, has woven a new story that revisits this much-loved magical world in A New Adventure, that is just right for the next generation of young readers.

Those familiar with the original classic will remember some of their favourite characters, Moonface, Silky the fairy and The Saucepanman who loves to make up songs (and is now selling his wares on-line); but it’s the turn of a new family to experience what the magical tree has to offer.The family – dad, mum and three children are to spend their six week holiday staying at Rose Cottage and almost immediately, Birdy the youngest of the children meets a fairy outside her window. She invites the little girl to the Faraway Tree and so begins their adventure.

The next day Milo (10, the oldest), Mia about a year younger and Birdy (fourish), led by a talking rabbit, venture into the Enchanted Wood where among the whispering leaves stands the Faraway Tree: the tree that offers those who climb to the top, the opportunity to discover extraordinary places. Newly created by Jacqueline Wilson, the places the children experience are the Land of Unicorns – Mia absolutely loves this one,

the Land of Bouncy Castles, the Land of Princes and Princesses and finally, the Land of Dragons where a dangerous encounter awaits one of their number. This fourth story ends somewhat suddenly, I suspect to leave the way open for another Wilson sortie into the Enchanted Wood.

While keeping a strong sense of the original place, Jacqueline Wilson has challenged the stereotypical Blyton attitudes and language, one example being the way Mia is quick to admonish Mr Moonface: “Why on earth should it be Silky’s job to clean up after you … It’s terribly old-fashioned to expect a woman o keep a house tidy, … My mum and dad share all the chores and we have to help too.”

Also helping to give the book a modern feel that is just right for 21st century readers are Mark Burgess’ lively, often gently humorous illustrations.

More Peas Please!

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More Peas Please!
Tom McLaughlin
Bloomsbury Children’s Books

One supper time – on a Tuesday to be precise – Milo and Molly are sitting having their supper of lasagne and peas. Having wolfed down his lasagne Milo jumps up with a shout of “Finished!” His sister tells him otherwise and a conversation ensues, with Milo giving all manner of reasons why he can’t possibly eat the tiny roly objects, relating to their greenness, shininess and bounciness, as well as their sheer number.

Molly listens carefully and then gives her side, speaking of their strength-giving properties, as well as their ability to make Milo taller and super-smart. 

She then seizes her brother’s plate but can she manage to persuade him to return to the table and polish off those peas? He certainly appears to be having a change of heart about them …

With Milo’s fanciful food notions about harmless little spherical seeds and a surprise twist, this amusing story, hilariously illustrated by the author, is one to share with young picky eaters especially, though it will more than likely please the palates of other young children too. I especially love the way Tom McLaughlin brings Milo’s imaginings to the page. 

Broccoli anyone?

Daddy Do My Hair: Deji’s Haircut

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Daddy Do My Hair: Deji’s Haircut
Tolá Okogwu and Chanté Timothy
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books

Author and hair-care educator, Tolá Okogwu, celebrates Afro hair again in her rhyming story, this time focusing on the relationship between a father and son.

The tale begins on the morning of Nana’s wedding and she declares that both father (who is giving the bride away) and son (who will act as page boy) are in need of haircuts and right away.

We follow Daddy and Deji as they race against time to find a barber’s shop that is open when they discover their usual one is closed. Daddy calls relations and friends for advice, all the while remaining upbeat about getting to the wedding on time.

Eventually they find one that offers haircuts accompanied music, and with pets allowed. Dad is done first and looks the business but then a moggy takes a leap causing the barber’s hand to slip.

The page-boy to be is distraught but his dad offers to fix his haircut and at home gets working with the clippers; but will they make it to the wedding on time?

After the story, Tolá talks about her desire to create ‘mirrors and windows’ that give children an opportunity to read books that reflect their lives and cultures; she does exactly that in Deji’s Haircut, although the rhyme creaks slightly a couple of times. Echoing the author’s desire, Chanté Timothy’s vibrant illustrations are stylishly cool.

Also included are haircare tips for Afro hair from the author.

Big Cat / Winston and The Indoor Cat

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Big Cat
Jess Racklyeft
Allen & Unwin

Meet seven year old Catherine, an adventurer and investigator who likes everything to be ‘just so’ : her papers are organised by colour, her trainers always at the ready and her compass close at hand.

When she learns of Big Cats prowling near the city, she’s intrigued and next morning she wakes with a Big Cat hunt already in her mind. So, with essentials in her backpack, she sallies forth leaving ‘lures in the wildest place she knew.’ When her search yields no success, she sits alone to finish her snack and suddenly finds she’s face to face with a large, satisfied feline. This creature is totally unlike Catherine – lawless and chaotic

– but nonetheless the two bond, discovering they both love adventures. Catherine tells her new friend of her discoveries and Big Cat helps her make exciting new ones. The story ends on a wonderful note with Big Cat carrying ‘a little bit of Catherine in her pocket’ and Catherine keeping ‘a big piece of Big Cat in her heart.’ I love that.

Jess Racklyeft created this lovely story during lockdown in Melbourne where as she says in an introductory note, “ I discovered new places close to home … took new paths, looked for magic in the mundane” – and found it with the increased sharpness of cat-like eyes.

The book, with Jess’s detailed watercolour illustrations, pays tribute to small adventures, making new discoveries and appreciating what is around you. I think these are things a great many of us found close to home during those lockdown times. It also shows how spending time in the company of someone very different from yourself is often beneficial to both parties.

It is certainly true for the characters in this story


Winston and The Indoor Cat
Leila Rudge
Walker Books

Friendship and individuality are explored in this tale of Winston the outdoor one and the Indoor Cat, very different moggies indeed that form an unlikely friendship.

Winston’s outdoor existence suits him perfectly with its opportunities to explore freely and have exhilarating experiences. Then one morning he is surprised to encounter The Indoor Cat, albeit behind glass and decides to free the pristine, leisure loving creature. Winston goes on to show The Indoor Cat all the great things about outdoor life and his new friend has to agree, it is thrilling

but not really what he wants.

Back home he goes, inviting Winston back for lunch, after which he shows him all the wonderful things about life indoors. Yes, it’s a life of leisure and luxury, Winston agrees but not the life for him, most of the time anyhow.

This simple tale of respecting differences, staying true to yourself and being open to new experiences is told with a simple, straightforward text and gently humorous watercolour and pencil illustrations. Ideal for sharing with very young listeners.

Total Splashdown / Press Start: Super Rabbit Racers!

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Total Splashdown
Beth Garrod & Jess Hitchman, illustrated by Chris Danger
Scholastic

This is two stories in one book and features those five inflatable pool float pals, Flamingo, Cactus, Donut, Watermelon and Lynn Lilo, residents of Have a Great Spray Water Park.

The first, Do-Nut Panic sees the friends, led by Donut on an epic quest to find the one and only remaining Cookie of Contentment, thus preventing the closing down (so they think) of the Slip ’N’ Slice Pizza stall. Said quest is perhaps THE most dangerous on earth and certainly in the entire inflataverse. Needless to say their journey is fraught with dangers,

not to mention a fair few disasters as the puffed up pals head towards the desert island whereon said Cookie is heavily guarded by not one but three protectors, Fickle Pickle, Energetic Enchilada and Unimpressed Pretzel.
Could our questers be on a hiding to nothing? It certainly seems so when they fail dismally to sweet talk the three into handing over their keys. But our friends don’t give up that easily: let the show begin. Crumbs! That pretty much sums up the next few spreads but all ends let’s say, pretty tastily.

However before they’ve had time to digest those cloned goodies, the gang are off on another mega daft adventure: The Splash of the Titans. Bring on those Air-lympic Games – the most competitive day in the inflate calendar and bring on Team Watermelon. Needless to say there’s a lot of shenanigans from some of the other entrants but which team will emerge victorious, winners of the much coveted Golden Pump?

Replete with puns and jokes, these super-silly stories with those mega-dramatic black and white graphics will have readers rolling around at the delicious daftness of this graphic novel.

Press Start: Super Rabbit Racers!
Thomas Flintham
Nosy Crow

Book three in the Press Start graphic novel series follows along similar lines as the previous two, only Chris has joined Sunny and Rue to play the Super Rabbit video game, Rabbit Racers, which is new to him.

Obviously the main conflict is between the racers, with King Viking determined to win the Super Cup (a special power up that gives the winner the power of super speed) and he’ll go to any lengths to do so. However there’s also a bit of bad feeling at one stage between Sunny and Rue over an accidental sideswipe. With four races in all, who will be the victor in the Super Cup Grand Prix?

Like the previous books this fast moving tale is ideal for new solo readers with a penchant for video games.

Zeki Goes To The Park / Grandads Are the Greatest

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Zeki Goes To The Park
Anna McQuinn and Ruth Hearson
Alanna Max

Another wonderfully loving little book starring the adorable Zeki. It’s a hot, sunny day and we join him and his Mummy as they set off for the park. There they meet up with some friends, Yu, her mummy and little baby sibling.

Zeki and Yu do the usual things that toddlers do in such situations such as use the swings (with parental help of course), build sandcastles

and bury themselves in the sand before sitting down with the others for a yummy picnic under the trees. Come sundown, they bid farewell to one another and set off home with their respective parents.

Anna McQuinn’s use of joyful, sometimes exuberant language as befits Zeki and Yu’s rides on the springy horses and their splashing in the cool water is a delight to read aloud and every one of Ruth Hearson’s illustrations radiates the wholehearted playfulness and focussed concentration of small children when engaged in activities they enjoy.

Perfect for sharing with toddlers around the age of Zeki and sufficiently robustly constructed to stand up to all the re-readings the book will surely have.

Grandads Are the Greatest
Ben Faulks and Nia Tudor
Bloomsbury Children’s Books

It’s the day of a special picnic – Grandads’ Summer Picnic – and it’s being held in a large field full of wild flowers and trees; an idyllic spot for each child to introduce his or her own very special grandad. This they do through Ben Faulks’ jaunty rhyming text and Nia Tudor’s wonderfully warm, inclusive illustrations, each with a wealth of details and an evident abundance of joy being able to share that special intergenerational love.

One grandad is a baker, famed for his yummy cakes, another is a retired builder; there’s an explorer,

an inventor, a barber, a fisherman who likes to tell salty tales, a magician who appreciates help from his young apprentice, a hang-gliding enthusiast, and a grandad who spends lots of time sharing books and singing songs with his young grand-daughter, someone who’s always there when a bit of extra comfort is required. Every one of them is different but all show an abundance of love to his grandchild.

Ideal for sharing with a grandparent on their special day in early October, but equally one to read with young children on Father’s Day coming up in June. (in the UK)

We’ve Got This!

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We’ve Got This!
Rashmi Sirdeshpande with EmpathyLab, illustrated by Juliana Eigner
Words & Pictures

One of the most important life skills children need to develop is empathy and this book is intended to help them do that. How exciting it is to have a book emphasising the power of reading to boost empathy and to read this in Sir Michael Morpurgo’s foreword: ‘ Books and stories to me are the key to empathy and understanding everyone. They are the pathway to understanding people as individuals. Read books. Enjoy books. And, most of all, learn from books.’

Readers of this particular book will assuredly do so. Empathy, we read at the outset is a ’real superpower’ and herein youngsters are offered a six-step process that uses case studies, empathy exercises and activities, to supercharge their empathy. Participating along with readers on this exciting journey are members of the Sharma family – mum Shivaji and her children, Isha and Rahul.

There are pieces by a number of well-known authors – Cressida Cowell, Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson, Sue Cheung (aka Sue Pickford), Jen Carney, Manon Steffan Ros, Ben Davis, Patrice Lawrence, Nadia Shireen,

Abigail Balfe, Dom Conlon, SF Said and Joseph Coelho, all of whom are affiliated with EmpathyLab. And there are examples from books by other writers in the fourth step Learn to Recognise Emotions, where one of the ideas is to be an emotions detective as you read. From the next section, I love this example of ‘super questioning between Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf.

The text is chatty and child-friendly, and Juliana Eigner’s inclusive, often gently humorous illustrations are engaging. (Further resources are listed at the back of the book.)

A must for all KS2 school children, classroom collections and I think lots of adults would do well to read it too.

The Frog’s Kiss

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The Frog’s Kiss
James Mathew and Toto
Scholastic

I was knocked out by the beauty of Toto’s misty illustrations for this LGBTQ+ retelling of the frog prince story: it’s such a wonderful debut as a picture book team James and Toto.

The book begins with a frog sitting atop a lily pad when suddenly something falls into the pond. Frog investigates and discovers a book; a book that shows a frog very similar to himself being kissed by a princess. The image of the kiss stirs his froggy heart and he decides to search for a special somebody too.

His quest eventually takes him to a castle surrounded by gorgeous gardens wherein there is a pond with a fountain just like that of the book he’d found.

Having washed off the dust from his travels, frog sits and waits and waits. As the moon rises, three princesses appear, come for the summer ball. Unbeknown to frog, one, so the king and queen hope, will become the bride for their son.

Devastated by what the three princesses say when it’s suggested they might kiss a frog, our frog sits once more on a lily pad feeling stupid. All of a sudden who should approach but a prince who addresses him and having received consent, tenderly picks up the frog and kisses him. And the rest, of course leads to a happily ever after fairy tale ending. After all, everyone deserves that.

It’s no exaggeration to say James and Toto have done the Grimm tale proud. This is a stunner.

Welcome, Rain!

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Welcome, Rain!
Sheryl McFarlane and Christine Wei
Greystone Kids

Directly addressing the rain, a little girl pays tribute to its wonders – the fresh, happy smell, the muddy puddles it makes for splashing in, and the water it provides for seeds and plants to grow.

Moving indoors she says thank you for the tap water for baths, cooking in and washing up, and for making tea. Having paid tribute, the child then moves on deciding as she watches while hugging her dog reassuringly, that, ‘maybe that’s enough for now, Rain. The creeks and lakes are full and the birds are huddled in our trees …’

As is nature’s way, the rain does stop eventually and fun outdoor activities restart, until that is the hot weather becomes too much to bear. Then again comes a change of tone: ‘We miss you, Rain, … and the trees and flowers that drink you up miss you more than we do.’

Coming full circle, the rain returns and I love how the young narrator curled up in bed says, ‘Good night, Rain. You are a bedtime pitter-patter lullaby playing on the roof. … a drip-drop song of raindrops singing in the trees.’

Christine Wei’s beautifully patterned images and her dense hues bring her landscapes to life in Sheryl McFarlane’s upbeat poetic celebration of what is for many of us, an increasingly unpredictable facet of our lives, the rain.

Rubbish? Don’t Throw It Away!

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Rubbish? Don’t Throw It Away!
Linda Newbery and Katie Rewse
Otter-Barry Books

Members of Dragonfly Class are having an upcycling day and they’re all excited. Lucy found lots of pine cones in her grandad’s garden and she and her friends decide to turn them into owls. 

Yasmin’s mum has donated lots of old coat-hangers – just the thing to use for making mobiles and paper plates are ideal for masks.
Ali’s dads have brought along a large sink and this makes a splendid pond; 

others have brought a leaf collection; this becomes a collage; Mohammed’s enormous box is perfect for a fort ; a length of fabric is fashioned into lots of different items. 

Christmas wrapping paper becomes all manner of funky hats 

and the parents and care-givers involve themselves in creating a mosaic for the garden; the garden is also where old tyres become planters while back indoors odd socks are super puppet bases and there are lots of clever ways to put other old items to use again too.

Not only have these children had terrific fun, they are never going to look upon ‘old rubbish’ without thinking, what can this be turned into?

This inclusive community of adults and children are a great demonstration of working together for the good of our precious environment. After sharing author and environmental campaigner, Linda Newbury, and illustrator Katie Rewse’s story, why not hold a similar event in your early years setting.
(Simple instructions for each activity are provided at the end of the book as almost all of them will need adult assistance.)

Round and Round Goes Mother Nature

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Round and Round Goes Mother Nature
Gabby Dawnay and Margaux Samson Abadie
Wide Eyed Editions

The circles of life keep on turning and change is part and parcel of all life, happening constantly around us in the world; it’s in the turning of the season, sometimes it’s as rapid as a hatching egg, sometimes it’s as slow as an imperceptibly growing or diminishing mountain. This gorgeously illustrated book, divided into four sections – Animals, 

Plants & Fungi, then moving beyond biology, Earth and finally, Space – presents forty eight life cycles, starting with the fleeting appearance of a mayfly and ending with a black hole: a massive scope indeed.

Readers will be fascinated at some of the details, for instance the male seahorse carries the eggs deposited by the female in a special sack in his abdomen, which then acts rather like the womb of a female mammal. Imagine being a female rattlesnake; such creatures are ready to have babies around the age of four and will continue mating and giving birth every two years for the rest of its life up to twenty five years; that’s an awful lot of snakelets.

I was astonished to read that it’s possible for the peanut-sized seed from a lotus flower to remain dormant for decades and one has survived for two thousand years.

There is a fair bit of written information for each life cycle and the illustrations show such close attention to fine detail that you will want to spend time looking carefully at each spread.

Recommended for both home and classroom use; this will keep a child engrossed for hours.

Monster Support Group: The Werewolf’s Tale

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Monster Support Group: The Werewolf’s Tale
Laura Suarez
Flying Eye Books

Being true to yourself and celebrating difference are key themes in this the first of the new Monster Support Group series.

The book begins with Lowell entering an underground room where a meeting is being held. He sits down and begins his story.
We hear that he has recently moved to the village with his family and is struggling to fit in at his new school. He is rather different and has become the target for the bullies, Cassius Steel and his cronies. Then the changes started. Initially Lowell thought these were just ordinary, growing-up kind of changes: becoming hairier, moodier and smellier but then came the stranger changes that despite his best efforts, cannot be hidden.

After a particularly bad day at school he shut himself in his bedroom but his twin sister, Lys appeared on the scene, just as Lowell was morphing into a werewolf. This it transpires is on account of an ancient family curse. The following morning the twins visit the library to do some research about werewolves 

and come upon several books containing legends about them including the one his father had mentioned the previous night; each one mentions possible cures for the curse. 

These he tries but despite apparently having beaten the curse, the very next month on full moon night, it’s evident that the cures haven’t worked.

Back to the library go Lowell and Lys where they discover the Monster Support Group. Lowell joins the group and shares that story. Can anybody there help him with his ‘furry’ problem? Or is he happier being his unique self?

Drawing on mythology, this is a vibrantly illustrated, enjoyable story with a vital message about being yourself and that works for anyone; but those who see the werewolf trope as a metaphor for a boy’s transition from puberty through adolescence, into maturity, will find it somewhat strange that although the blurb says Lowell is twelve, he is portrayed as several years younger.

A Dinosaur at the Bus Stop

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A Dinosaur at the Bus Stop
Kate Wakening, illustrated by Eilidh Muldoon
Otter-Barry Books

Like her previous books of poems for children, Kate Wakeling’s new collection is full of musicality and playfulness: every one of the almost forty offerings cries out to be read aloud either to yourself, family members or school friends. As the subtitle says, there are ‘Poems to Have Fun With’. It’s certainly true of My Cold (which it’s suggested is read ‘aloud while pinching your nose’). Here’s how it begins; ‘I’ve got this cold / and it’s terrible. // First I had a tickle / in my throat. // Then came a trickle / of gunge / out of my left nostril.’

How many children will have thought of naming their toes, I wonder. They might after reading The Names I Give My Toes: 1. Tiny Tara / 2. Wilbur the Wonky / 3. Mr Medium /4. Fancy Fiona (who wishes she was a finger / 5) Big Angry Bob . The other five are also named and equally funky

I can’t see many people reading The Washing Machine Jive and doing as the author says ‘pull up a chair’ . I certainly couldn’t: rather I found myself needing to be on my feet moving around as I read: ’Your pyjamas are bopping, / your socks can’t stop hopping, / your T-shirts are wriggling, / and your pants? Yep, they’re jiggling.’

Much gentler is In the Quiet of the Trees, my favourite of all the poems herein and it describes beautifully the way I feel in a forest: “The forest is a special kind of still. // In the quiet of the trees, / I breathe deep as roots. // … and in the quiet of the trees / I become / a special kind of me.’ 

You’ll also find riddles on the theme of oceans and mini-beasts – great to inspire children to try writing their own. Also great for getting children writing is Eleven People on the Bus and there’s even a fart poem – a sensible one so we are told.

Eilidh Muldoon’s drawings augment but never detract from the inventiveness of the poems and will certainly appeal to young readers.

A book I strongly recommend adding to home bookshelves and Foundation Stage and KS1 class collections.

Holey Moley

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Holey Moley
Bethan Clarke and Anders Frang
Little Tiger

Gus the Goat must surely be in the majority when, on encountering a mole who introduces herself as Mavis, he guesses that she lives in a hole. ‘A mole in a hole. / A moley in a holey / A holey moley!’ Not so however; and there follows a hilarious exchange between the two characters with Gus suggesting various other places where Mavis must live and the mole naysaying each one. It’s certainly not on a pole, nor in a sausage roll, 

or any of the increasingly outlandish places he puts forward.

Mavis remains cool, calm and collected as Gus gets carried away with his anarchic silliness, eventually showing the goat her home. 

That’s not quite the end of the story though but to see how the story concludes you will have to get yourself a copy of this super book.

Deadpan humour abounds in Anders Fang’s illustrations, several of which include other silent bit-part players enjoying the duo’s conversation. I absolutely love the hole-arious rhyming narrative from debut author Bethan Clarke who really has done herself proud here with her guess obsessed, rhyme obsessed Gus and long-suffering Mavis. And what a gift she offers KS1 teachers who will not only have their children laughing aloud from the outset, but also wanting to join in with Gus’s rhyming guessing, relishing the tale’s final twist and perhaps adding some of their own ideas – once the story is finished. Anyone who wants to get across the ‘language is fun’ message to young children needs to share this, though I anticipate cries of ‘Read it again’ when you do.

I’m Not Scared: A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure

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I’m Not Scared: A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure
Britta Teckentrup
Prestel

When Little Hedgehog wakes one morning early, Big Hedgehog is nowhere in sight. “Big Hedgehog, where are you?” comes the cry. No answer: of course Little Hedgehog is not at all scared as it sets off to search. Could that noise coming from the basement be that of Big Hedgehog? Yes it is and with a picnic basket packed ready for an adventure for two.

The adventurers set out into the forest, Big Hedgehog whistling cheerfully to keep their spirits up but strangely the whistling continues even after Big Hedgehog stops the song. Now both Hedgehogs feel a little bit scared,

but not once the other whistlers become visible.

After a while there comes a powerful smell: it’s a fox. The two curl themselves into spiky balls and roll away down the hill and Little Hedgehog tries to convince Big Hedgehog all is fine – no fears at all. They play in the meadows then discover that the picnic basket is still in the forest. Oh those hunger pangs!

As dusk begins to fall and the two wend their way home there’s another scary moment as they cross the path of a moving car, only to realise that they’ve gone the wrong way.

When their friend Black Cat appears out of the fog, they recount their adventures and then accept the offer of a ride home. I wonder what Little hedgehog had to say on the way …

A lovely demonstration of navigating childhood fears that will help little ones understand that, be they big or small, everyone feels scared from time to time and it’s better to share how you feel than keep it to yourself.

From a rather gloomy basement to a misty meadow and a dark, shadowy landscape. Britta’s beautiful, richly textured illustrations created from different perspectives, are full of atmosphere and detail. The book has a longish text but it’s not one to be hurried through: this artwork needs to be savoured.

Between Night and Day

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Between Night and Day
Sean Julian
Oxford Children’s Books

Pongo is an orangutan of the ‘safe-in-the-day’ kind. One day when picking a mango for breakfast, she comes upon Bulu a tiny bat – a ‘safe-at-night’ sort of bat. Narrowly missing becoming a passing eagle’s next meal as it swoops through the forest, Bulu tells his new friend of his dislike of the daytime. His fear is palpable as we see in Sean Julian’s illustration and Pongo senses the bat’s panic right away, deciding to take the tiny creature back home to his dark cave.

En route the orangutan shows her companion some of the things she loves about the forest but all the while Bulu is afraid.

Even more so when they stop for a drink at the pool and he’s confronted with a face staring out at him. His fear turns to pleasure however, and as the two proceed, both of them are enjoying themselves.

At Bulu’s dark cave, it’s Pongo that becomes fearful but he accepts his friend’s invitation to view his home. Now Pongo’s imagination runs wild and it’s Bulu’s turn to allay his companion’s fears

and continue inwards till they reach the bat’s favourite place.

Eventually it’s time for the two to part company but every sunset Pongo fondly recalls their meeting. Is there a way the friends can be together again?

Sean’s tale of friendship and seeing things from another’s viewpoint is beautifully illustrated with scenes that powerfully evoke its steamy tropical rainforest setting and the feelings of the two animals.

Spellstone

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Spellstone
Ross Montgomery
Walker Books

Used to going unnoticed, even by her parents, an ordinary twelve year old, Evie, wakes from a weird dream of being in a theatre where it pours with rain and the audience sleeps, other than the five in the front row, an odd assortment of people who happen to be the last members of a secret magical organisation, the Order of the Stone. Its leader, Wainwright tells the others, that he has discovered a sorcerer who may be their last hope in defeating an evil magician intent on finding the Spellstone and unleashing the dark magic contained within and destroying the world. He then proceeds to introduce Evie.

After school that day, feeling even more unseen than ever and despairing that she’ll ever find her own people, Evie takes the route home along the canal towpath. Suddenly a cyclist comes too close causing her to fall over, but she’s helped by a man whom she recognises from her dream. He introduces himself as Wainwright and tells her about Emrys, the Spellstone, which he’s been tasked to keep hidden and an evil magician determined to find it. He hands Evie a rusty old piece of metal on a chain, saying it’s precious and she must keep it hidden until she’s ‘with the others’. Before she has time to ask who is the mysterious Alinora he’d mentioned, he dashes off hotly pursued by a number of men.

That evening there comes a scratching sound at her bedroom window and Evie discovers the cat from her dream, a cat that can talk. A cat that tells of smoke men coming and insists they leave right away. Evie follows her, eager for answers, and she’s led to a narrow boat, the hideout of the members of the Order – the people from her dream. “She’s here! I’ve got her! We’re safe! announces the cat.

Thus begins a breathtaking adventure in which an unsuspecting girl is plunged right into an ancient battle against a dangerously power-hungry magician intent on unleashing on an unsuspecting world the evil bound within the Spellstone. You’ll surely find your heart racing as Evie struggles to discover her magic power before it’s too late. She needs to find the hidden Spellstone and do to it what’s needed before it once more unleashes darkness upon the world. All this with an army of evil Vale’s smoke men always on the watch.

Again storyteller extraordinaire, Ross Montgomery, has created an amazing world: this fantastic tale will grip readers as a determined Evie and the other Members of the Order face danger after danger. It’s imperative that they work as a team if the mission has a chance of succeeding. Can good overcome evil and will Evie finally be reunited with her parents?

50 Words About Nature: Animals, 50 Words About Nature: Bugs / I Want To Be A Lion, I Want To Be A Monkey

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These are all books for very young children, – thanks to the publisher Oxford Children’s Books for sending them for review.

50 Words About Nature: Animals
50 Words About Nature: Bugs
Lily Holland and Debbie Powell

As an advocate for using the correct scientific terminology with young children I was excited to see this pair of books – the first two in the new series 50 Words About Nature – doing just that.
Animals takes a look at the whole of the animal kingdom – mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects and molluscs giving examples of each including a tiger, alligator, dolphin, frog, beetle and octopus, in the process defining such words as carnivore, herbivore, vertebrates, invertebrates, primates, habitat, zoologists and extinct.

In similar fashion Bugs explores first insects, then arachnids and next returning to insects, focuses on several different beetles, including some like fireflies that are nocturnal. There’s a spread featuring nocturnal moths, another looking at pollinatorsand the final one introduces entomologists. Terms used include exoskeleton, antennae, proboscis, metamorphosis, arthropods,

elytra, carapace and telson. I don’t think I met those last three until I started studying biology at secondary school. However in my experience, small children love big words, will assimilate these in context herein and enjoy impressing adults by using such terms as bioluminescence and pollinators.

Integrated into the text, Debbie Powell’s illustrations are both arresting and realistic.

I Want To Be A Lion
I Want To Be A Monkey
Pintachan and Katie Woolley

It’s time to move with two additions to Pintachan and Katie Woolley’s Move and Play series for the very young. Get your little ones, be they at home or in an early years setting, pouncing, 

creeping, rolling, running, hiding away and yawning like a lion. If you’re at home cut out the mask, add string and your child will be even more lion-like especially if they also start with a few very loud roars.

Alternatively they might prefer to emulate a monkey; in which case the starting sound is ‘Ooo-ooo-ah! after which comes the more active scampering, rolling scratching, munching (bananas of course), climbing , swinging, leaping all of which can be combined into a lively monkey dance. What are you waiting for? …

Stuck for ideas? Scan the QR code inside the front covers. Pintachan’s bright art work and the engaging texts support the development of children’s imagination and their physical development, but above all they are fun.

My Dad is a Tree

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My Dad Is a Tree
Jon Agee
Scallywag Press

When Dad, busy sweeping up leaves, notices his small daughter, Madeleine standing arms outstretched he wants to know what’s she’s doing and why. ‘Because a tree gets to stay outside all day long’ comes her reply. The wily lass then urges her dad to emulate a tree too; he does so ‘But only for a minute!’

Dad however proves to be a very realistic tree. To begin with a baby owl falls asleep on his shoulder, then a robin builds a nest in his hair and he has also attracted insects, 

an arachnid and a squirrel. Moreover he gets hit by a kite, drenched by a sudden shower and is still standing arms outstretched when darkness descends. No matter what he says, Madeleine assures her dad that trees don’t mind; they aren’t afraid of the dark.

Eventually though Dad has had enough; apparently the little owl feels the same and returns to its parent. His daughter has the final words though: ‘We definitely are not trees. But that’s OK We got to stay outside all day long!’ And tomorrow – that’s another day.

The lengths some children will go to to get what they want and the way some dads will go over and above the call of duty for their little ones: told and illustrated in a dead pan style, Jon Agee’s small drama is sure to resonate with fathers and small daughters especially.

Penguins Don’t Wear Pink / Missing Violet

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Penguins Don’t Wear Pink
Jeffrey Turner
Beaming Books

Henry the penguin has a passion for pink things but best of all is his pink peaked cap, which he wears to school every day. The other animals’ teasing causes him to do some thinking 

and he decides to wear a hat of a different colour. Nobody comments on his green hat the following day, nor the blue one or the orange one on the next two days. Henry has another think and decides that no matter what his fellow students might say, he’ll wear the pink hat again on the fourth day. Will the response be any different this time? What do you think?

Brightly illustrated this is a sweet story about having the confidence to be yourself, able to wear any colour you choose, no matter who you are or what others think.

A helpful book to start a discussion with young children.

Missing Violet
Kelly Swemba and Fabian Faiallo
Beaming Books

The young narrator of this story talks of her best friend Violet, as ‘an expert at spreading sunshine. Her healing hugs made falls hurt less.’ So when Violet becomes very sick and then dies unexpectedly, the narrator experiences ‘a swirl of feelings all at once’. 

We share her emotions ‘My heart pinched. My insides ached’ first through a rainbow of swirling colours 

and then when she visits a counsellor, through separate colours: orange for bewilderment, red for anger, blue for deep sadness.

When she turns to her mum for further help, the two of them paint pictures of the two girls together and decorate a special box in which to keep them. Still the tears come so she tries talking to her classmates and discovers that they too miss Violet. They decide to say goodbye to their friend by writing notes to Violet and blowing bubbles in the school playground in a gentle farewell ritual. 

With its hopeful ending, this story of loss and grief is pitched just at the right level for young children.

One Button Benny and the Dinosaur Dilemma

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Thank you to Little Door Books for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for the new Benny story; please check out the other participants’ posts.

One Button Benny and the Dinosaur Dilemma
Alan Windram and Chloe Holwill-Hunter
Little Door Books

It’s great to see robot Benny back for a third adventure and what an eventful one it is despite the fact that it’s set on a Friday, which should be more relaxed as it’s when he and his fellow robots get together for their weekly dance party. Moreover, during the last week Benny hasn’t needed to press that large red emergency button on his tummy even once.

Having spent the party morning working on their dance moves, the robots decide they need a bit more practice so off they go to the park. There they hone their boogieing, 

then take a super-high jump, landing simultaneously. This causes a massive THUMP and the ground opens under their feet causing them all to cascade down, down into a deep dark hole.

Time to press that red button, decides Benny; the result being they narrowly escape being smashed to smithereens.
Seemingly however, that is just the start of their troubles for, from the surrounding blackness comes first a grumbling sound 

and then a tremendous ROARRRR. You can probably guess what was making those sounds.

Can Benny’s emergency button save them once again? And can they get back from whence they came in time for that funky Friday night dance party?

Chloe Holwill-Hunter’s engaging illustrations really do turn the robots, especially Benny, into real characters able to dance the night away and to empathise with anyone in need..

Who’s for apple pie?

The Selfish Crab

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The Selfish Crab
Anya Glazer
Oxford Children’s Books

Claude is a hermit crab and he’s exceedingly proud of his shell, justifiably so as it’s the most beautiful of all the hermit crab shells on the beach where he lives. However, hermit crabs don’t keep their shells forever; when they outgrow them, they have to search the seashore for empty replacements. What this particular group of hermit crabs do is that when a suitable one is found, the crabs all come together, line themselves up in order of size and one by one move along and into the next biggest shell. 

However, Claude decides he’s not going to participate in the exchange line up and flatly refuses so to do. 

His fellow crabs muddle along but life remains peachy for inconsiderate Claude with that special shell of his although it does start to feel a tad on the tight side, whereas Alphonso, a tiny crab has to put up with a shell that is way too large.
But then as the two chat about things, Claude mentions birds 

and before you can say, beware! the two crabs are seized and find themselves in circumstances they wouldn’t wish on any fellow crustacean, let alone a supposed friend. Could this perhaps be an opportunity for Claude to let go of his selfish ways and start thinking of the other hermit crabs?

This story is based on real hermit crab behaviour (details on the final spread). Anya Glazer uses speech bubbles to add further humour to her telling and the illustrations, which are a mix of the naturalistic and comical, will induce lots of giggles from children.