Author jillrbennett

Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower

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Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower
Nathanael Lessore, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh
Little Tiger

Everybody living in the town of Walsham has a superpower, everybody except Sara (narrator) whose parents are members of the IPA (Incredible Protection Agency). Her mum can control the wind and her dad has super strength. Her best friend, Georgie can smell fear and is a football fanatic as well as captain of the school team; the mayor emits multicoloured farts and an old lady can levitate squirrels (albeit waist high only). Although she’s great at cracking really funny jokes, Sara is still waiting for her power to appear (she’s around the age it usually happens).

So when their school’s all important soccer trophy is stolen just four days from the final match, Sara has no choice but to solve the crime using only her powers of deduction. As well as a notebook in which to jot down clues and suspects, she has her two pals Georgie and Javier close at hand to help investigate.

Sara is especially determined as Walsham’s school team has never lost to Ramsdale in eighty years due to the power of the soccer trophy.

During their investigation the three uncover some town secrets but will they recover the all-important trophy and will Sara discover her superpower. (I love what Sara’s dad says to her early in the story, “And remember: the only TRUE powers are … a lovng heart, a helping hand and the courage to do what’s right.”)

This funny story is witty and warm and the dialogue is great: it will have young readers laughing frequently as they whizz through the story perhaps solving the mystery before the threesome.
It’s the first in a new series and has lots of lively drawings by Simran Diamond Singh. I look forward to the next adventure, Time Travel Is Not My Superpower.

Food For All

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Food For All
Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith
Otter-Barry Books

We all – humans and creatures large and small – need food of some sort in order to live. Some, including lots of humans eat other animals, some eat plants and some eat fish and other sea creatures. Interestingly, as the extraterrestrial creature that comments on various pages informs us, the largest creature on planet earth – the blue whale – eats krill, one of the tiniest. It’s not the only being that makes thought-provoking comments from time time time; so too do various animals and humans of different ages.

Almost twenty aspects of food and feeding are explored starting with growing food for both human consumption and for animals. This is followed by a look at what plants require to grow and the topic of chemicals is mentioned – their uses and the harm they cause.

There’s a spread about harvest and a look at associated festivals in various parts of India.
For me the most distressing fact is that despite there being more than enough food in the world for everyone, starvation still abounds and even in rich countries like the USA and Great Britain, there are many people who need to regularly rely on food banks. Equally shocking is that there is an awful lot of food wastage.

But, as we read, there are things that all of us can do.

Mary Hoffman’s engaging style makes a wealth of information easily digestible for primary age readers and Ros Asquith’s droll illustrations help keep the tone of the whole book light and inviting. A thought-provoking book that offers a wealth of discussion topics.

Dungeon Runners: Sky Battles

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Dungeon Runners: Sky Battles
Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton
Nosy Crow

This is the powerful sequel to Hero Trial featuring team Triple Trouble: Kit, (not the most optimistic character), Sandy – the mage and more upbeat, and Thorn the vegan vampire healer. In this story they’re off to Cloudroost, a city in the clouds to participate in a competition as real Dungeon Runners.
Shortly after arriving at their destination, they’re surprised to find someone offering them sponsorship. Her name is Gilda Grubfoot and she’s the owner of a product called Troll Bogeys. (It actually makes excellent glue.) As well as the possibility of any amount this (yuck), she gives them an old steel shield on which has been sprayed the name of her product. Surprisingly Kit is quite pleased to receive this despite the words thereon.

During the introductions by commentators Jenna the Giant and Dirk the Ork, team Triple Trouble are made to feel objects of derision, but thanks to words of support from the captain of one of the other teams Kit feels slightly more positive. Then it’s time to head to the actual dungeon deep inside the mountain.

What will be their fate, a downfall thanks to ghastly threats and cheating by other teams, or, with a little help from kindly gobrots and a touch of magic from a staff courtesy of Grandpa Klot, can Triple Trouble prove they’re worthy of a place at the next level? They’ll definitely need to keep their wits about them all the time.

There’s a gripping storyline with excitement aplenty, characters familiar and new, humour and Joe Todd-Stanton’s terrific illustrations that are full of atmosphere, sprinkled with humour too, all of which make this a book that older KS1 / younger KS2 readers will love.

Puddle & Lettuce: The Treehouse

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Puddle & Lettuce: The Treehouse
Ilaria Ranauro
Happy Yak

Meet best friends Puddle, a frog and Lettuce, a snail. Puddle’s little house beside the pond is perfect for a frog and Lettuce’s warm, cosy house on her back is perfect for a snail. They share each other’s special interests: Lettuce loves to listen to Puddle play his guitar and Puddle relishes the cakes Lettuce loves to bake.

One day Lettuce pays a visit to Puddle but the latter suggests they go to Puddle’s much larger house. Suddenly they have an idea: a treehouse that is big enough to accommodate them both. However in his enthusiasm to start building Puddle dashes off to collect suitable bits of timber and doesn’t hear what his friend has said regarding the drawing of plans.

So, with the job complete Puddle excitedly calls his pal to come up and join him. The problem is the treehouse is way too far up for Lettuce to reach. A sudden realisation dawns. Can they work together and create a treehouse that is just right for them both, a place wherein they can both enjoy sharing their favourite things – pancakes especially?

With an important message about seeing things from another person’s viewpoint, this story with its endearing characters, will likely make young humans think about how they treat their own friends.

Ant Party

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Ant Party
Ross Montgomery and Sarah Warburton
Walker Books

It’s Andy the ant’s birthday so he decides to throw a party – just a small affair to which only his neighbours are invited. But the neighbours haven’t any food to contribute so they invite the farmer ants. News of the party quickly spreads throughout the ant community to the worker ants, the soldier ants and the Queen. She takes it upon herself to invite residents of other ant hills nearby

and before long there are thousands of excited ants ready for a rave. Andy finishes his preparations just as there comes a knock on his door. He can’t believe what his sees right before his eyes. In they come and immediately begin partying madly but suddenly there’s a horrifying sound that makes Andy’s house shake. It’s a gatecrasher in the form of an anteater and the ants are trapped, and terrified.

All that is except Andy who is absolutely furious. At his behest, the other ants rally round, form a conga line and the anteater gets his cum uppance. This will surely get child audiences cheering.
Having bested the intruder the ants celebrate long into the night giving Andy a terrific party, the greatest ever, despite not being exactly what the birthday ant had imagined.

Ross’s telling is thoroughly engaging and young children will adore Andy (I love his leafy apron) and the other ants, each of which Sarah Warburton manages to make different with spectacles, eyebrows, moustaches etc. Every turn of the page invites readers to linger long and enjoy all that’s going on. I’m sure this is a party children will want to go to many times over.

Oh, Carrots!

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Oh, Carrots!
Mariajo Ilustrajo
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Mr Rabbit lives all alone and has grown used to so doing, occupying himself caring for his plants, keeping his place clean and reading, though at times it’s so quiet he does feel a tad lonely.

Now with the coming of spring Mr Rabbit can plant his favourite thing, carrots. It certainly keeps him busy and after 240 seeds are safely in the soil he’s more than ready for a hot drink and some relaxation. But suddenly he spots another seed in the packet. “Where were you hiding?” he asks seed 241, carefully planting it and resolving to give it a little bit of extra TLC so it doesn’t feel overlooked again. With daily watering, singing to the seeds, sunshine and loving kindness the carrots start to grow, one especially well.

One day he notices a carrot top give a wriggle. He pulls, pulls and pulls and out pops a walking, talking carrot. “Hello Mr Rabbit” it says. ”Oh, Carrots!” comes the reply and Mr Rabbit dashes off home, forgetting to close the back door.

It soon becomes evident that Carrot just wants to be Mr Rabbit’s friend but Mr Rabbit wants his visitor to leave him alone not jump on the sofa, interfere with his record collection or rummage through his books. Carrot’s lively antics irritate Mr Rabbit who is not at all used to mischief. However during the course of the day our lupine friend gradually finds that he’s enjoying himself.

So used to being a loner, he’s never considered having somebody else around. Could it he that needs a friend after all?

Mariajo’s combination of words and pictures is a winner with its striking illustrations and text both imbued with gentle humour and wisdom. A book that celebrates the joys of making new friends and a demonstration of how a close friend can help a person learn more about themselves.

The Old Watering Can

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The Old Watering Can
Louise Royston-Smith
Graffeg

Grandma has two watering cans, one she’s had a long time that is leaky, the other is new and somewhat ornate. Every spring and summer day she carries them both to her greenhouse at the end of the garden to water the plants. First though she goes to the tap to fill them but by the time she’s walked to the greenhouse, half the water from the old watering can has leaked out. The proud new one however is still full and likely to splash over the rim.

As a consequence only one and a half cans of water reach her greenhouse and this makes the old can feel the need to apologise for its leak. However Grandma is quick to point out the array of flowers growing on the old can’s side of the garden but not on that of the new can. She explains that she was aware of the leak, so had planted seeds only on the old can’s side and as they walked to the greenhouse they got watered. She tells her old can that she’s been able to share these flowers and make her friends and neighbours and of course, its owner. happy.

A story about accepting and celebrating your imperfections from a debut author/illustrator whose illustrations are infused with a playful energy and their charming details will bring a smile to the face of readers. Grandma is the only character mentioned in the words but there’s also a little girl, a lively dog and a bird that appear on many of the spreads – plenty of storying there.

The Bird Thief

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The Bird Thief
Rachel Keating
Cadno Graffeg

Twelve year old Erin has OCD with symptoms including continually checking things and counting. Her mother is depressed and has been since her much loved sister, Erin’s aunt Sophie, died in an accident some years ago.

Now it’s the summer holiday and Erin, her parents and younger sister, Lena, are staying in a static caravan in the Welsh countryside near to a spot that was special to Erin’s mum and Aunty Sophie and near to where Bampi (the girls’ grandad) lives.
Before long strange things begin to happen: first Erin sees a girl lying face down beneath the caravan next door and then later that day the woman staying in the same caravan is screaming in alarm about there being snakes in her son’s bedroom.

The following day Erin has a through the fence encounter with the girl she’d seen under the caravan, only this time she’s telling Erin not to feed bread to the ducks. The girl introduces herself as Bess, says that she’s thirteen and offers to show her a nest with chicks in. Despite Bess’s somewhat unkind behaviour Erin feels drawn to her and with Lena, ends up going through a hole in the fence surrounding the caravan park and into the woods beyond. Several times she goes and eventually Bess tells her the truth about the ‘snake’ episode. Later she takes them to the Goldfinch nest. Erin climbs up to get a closer look and ends up falling to the ground. It’s then her bird experiences begin: not only do the goldfinches heal Erin, they pass on some if their avian nature. Erin finds she’s able to fly, to slow down time and to communicate with one of the goldfinches, calling it Fable as it reminds her of her soft toy comforter.
Over the next few days Fable and Bess (despite some misunderstandings) lead Erin to realise that there’s something threatening the goldfinches and they find themselves caught up in a very dangerous situation when a forest fire breaks out.

Can Erin save herself, her friends and family, with or without her special powers?
Erin is a fascinating character and the author draws on her own childhood experiences both for her protagonist and her magical tale wherein mental health, the natural world and friendship are explored. There are occasional strategically placed black and white illustrations by Naomi Bennet that add to the emotional power of the telling.

Gargoyles: Guardians of the Source

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Gargoyles: Guardians of the Source
Tamsin Mori
UCLan Publishing

When Callen and his parents move into a ramshackle country mansion in need of restoration that used to belong to his grandmother, he’s far from happy. Every ledge has gargoyles frowning down, there’s a secret tunnel and weird sounds coming from the basement, as well as locked rooms. Seemingly there are secrets nobody has told him about. Then he comes upon an old journal in one of the rooms and learns of protector gargoyles and how human guardians are able to summon all the gargoyles to their aid.

The sense of unease Callen feels about the place is proved correct when come midnight he’s awoken by what he thinks is the sound of claws: the gargoyle from his bedroom windowsill has come to life. This precipitates events that see him endeavouring to take on the family role of Guardian, the ability for which the gargoyle doubts because it takes years to train. Callen will certainly need to win the trust of said gargoyle, Zariel and find lots of courage to undertake especially with a threat of evil magic poisoning the source creating a sense of urgency.

As he meets new friends with experience of magic, Callen begins to realise his own potential.

With themes of friendship, hope and the power of dreams, and dangers aplenty, this action-packed fantasy ends with the promise of more; KS2 readers who enjoy adventures infused with magic will eagerly await the second book.

Get Dressed Belly Button! / So Tired, So Wide Awake!

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Both these board books are from Gecko Press: thanks to the publisher for sending review copies.

Get Dressed Belly Button!
Lucie Brunellière

It’s a chilly day so the toddler must be suitably dressed before heading outside into the cold. Tinies will enjoy watching as the adorable infant is clad in ‘two soft socks’, a ‘toasty t-shirt’ and a pair of jeans; but there’s a belly button still visible. What else will be needed before we’re ready to sally forth? Squeaky sneakers, a cosy warm coat, two woolly mittens, a bobble hat and a scarf and a special kiss. Hurrah! Off you go, little one.
An external narrator, presumably the parent or carer, does the talking in this cleverly designed, vertical flip-flap board book

So Tired, So Wide Awake!
Susanne Strasser

A small bedroom drama unfolds as Hedgehog, Fox, Donkey, Pelican and Crocodile lie fast asleep in bed; but not so Seal. He apparently needs to visit the bathroom so up and out of bed he wriggles. Then in turn, his previously snoozing pals leave the bed and troop to the bathroom: Crocodile has forgotten to brush her teeth, Pelican needs a drink of water,

Donkey has itchy ears and so on, until only a scared Hedgehog remains. Up she scrambles and off she tip, tip tips to find the other animals. Where have they all gone? Somewhere where they can each receive a goodnight kiss before falling fast asleep. Unsurprisingly though, the kiss giver is still wide awake, squashed beneath the heap of slumberers.

Suddenly, a voice calls out, “What a stink! Who did that?” Thereupon, the animals rapidly return from whence they came and crash out in their own bed at last.

Little humans will enjoy watching the build up of tension before it’s revealed where the animals are all going, and delight in the whiffy solution that has them hastily retreating to their own bed. Fun to share with tinies especially as a pre-bedtime read.

The Playdate

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The Playdate
Uje Brandelius and Clara Dackenberg
Lantana

This story is narrated by a little girl who accompanies her mother to the house of Henry Henriksson. On the longish journey from their flat, the girl notices a robot in a toy shop window. It’s something she’d dearly love but keeps quiet knowing that it would be way too expensive.

Henry’s mum welcomes the two and the narrator goes off to play with Henry. They play all kinds of games until Henry’s mum announces that it’s time for lunch . She asks her visitors if they’d like to join then but the girl’s mum says they have sandwiches and so they eat in separate rooms. After lunch Henry goes off to play on his computer leaving the girl to amuse herself, which she does by playing chase with the dog.

As a result she goes into a room she’s not seen before and there on the floor is a huge bag of discarded toys. Atop the pile is a robot exactly like the one in the toyshop.

After a while Henry’s mum calls the children to eat fruit together and they watch tv.
When it’s time to leave the girl’s mum suggests that Henry might like to come and play at their home sometime. “Hmm, maybe” Henry’s mum responds.

On the journey home, the little girl tells her mum that Henry is her best friend. Suddenly she remembers that there’s something she needs to confess and tearfully she takes Henry’s robot from her backpack and explains that she stole it. Mum remains calm and merely says she’ll return it the following week.
We’re not told that the girl’s mum is the cleaner for Henry’s mum and it’s evident from the illustrations that the two families live completely different kinds of lives.

Cleverly presented with the words telling one story and the illustrations showing another, this is a comment on the class divide and on our throwaway society. I envisage KS2 children (or even older) having interesting discussions after a class sharing though I’m not sure what children around the age of those in the story will make of the multi-layered book.

Agent Harrier Mission Impossib-Hole/ Adventuremice: Mice, Camera, Action!

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These are both additions to popular series: thanks to Little Tiger and David Fickling Books for sending them for review.

Agent Harrier Mission Impossib-Hole
Ben Sanders
Little Tiger

Agent Harrier is back for his third mission of the secret spy kind. However before he can even get going, the bottom falls out of his world – literally – and having plunged downwards, he finds himself face to face with his trusty friend, Mr Mole. Mole informs him of a new case : the case of the Mysterious Holes and our agent is not happy. Holes in his precious book, holes that transport him to different dimensions starting with a strange fairy tale where a princess dances till the clock strikes twelve. Then comes a kind of detective story where he meets a dragon and lastly, a scary sc-fi adventure in outer space.

Time is running out for Agent Harrier: if he can’t uncover the offending hole-maker very soon, not a single one of his books will make any sense and it’s curtains for the entire series. With Mole looking decidedly untrustworthy, – the villain maybe – to whom can Harri look for assistance?
With punny daftness and word play in abundance, this is a hilarious dose of meta-fictive madness that Agent Harrier’s fans will love. If you’ve not met this particular detective before, I suggest starting with This Book Will Self Destruct.

Adventuremice: Mice, Camera, Action!
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
David Fickling Books

The Adventuremice series gets progressively crazier and this one definitely takes the biscuit – enough said about biscuits.

The Adventuremice are super excited to receive an invitation to Hollybush, reputed to be the most glamorous place in all of the Mice Islands, the place where all the big mouse movies are made. Needless to say, Pedro isn’t too thrilled about this but that’s Pedro for you. Skipper too is unenthusiastic about going, but in the end they all board the Daring Dormouse, Hollybush bound. Apparently however, despite it being called the Adventuremice movie, the team won’t actually be acting; rather they’ve been invited to visit the studio and watch the making of the movie .

On arrival they’re greeted by Scoot McHairy, Mr Cheezeburger’s assistant. The film set is certainly a glitzy place but Pedro is confused by all the fakery including an exceedingly large mechanical otter

and it’s not long before he ruins a scene making Mr Cheezeburger furious that his precious film will never be finished in time to be shown at the film festival. Can the Adventuremice team come to the rescue and save not only the movie but a real live baby creature too?

Established Adventuremice fans will certainly be cheering them on and the team will likely gain lots more followers too.

Ten Whizzy Racers: Chaos at Crackling Creek

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Ten Whizzy Racers: Chaos at Crackling Creek
Timothy Knapman and Richard Merritt
Ladybird

This is the first in a new countdown series with a racing theme. The whizzy racers are Boo, Bolt, Bounce, Dash, Drift, Glint, Scoop, Speedy, Tricks and Zip. As the book begins they’ve all assembled in their vehicles at the start line in Fairytale Forest ready for the great Beanstalk Cup race to begin. The starting gun pops and off they go, but almost immediately there’s some thieving, out goes Drift and on go nine whizzy racers. Zip’s a kindly character and he pulls out of the race to pick up Red Riding Hood and deliver her safely to her Grandma’s house. And so the number of whizzers diminishes as all manner of accidents, alarming incidents

and other reasons for pulling out occur until only Bolt and Bounce remain in the running. Who will be first to cross the line and take the cup? One very happy racer. However, there’s another racer that is anything but happy and that, despite his shenanigans.

Timothy Knapman weaves a host of fairytale characters into his bouncy rhyming narrative including infuriated fairies, a terribly large troll and a mischievous unicorn. Each of these and lots more appear in Richard Merritt’s vibrant, action-packed scenes of the event. There’s so much to look at on each spread that little humans will be reluctant to whizz through the pages, rather they’ll want to take it slower and savour all the details.

I’m Building A Nest

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I’m Building A Nest
Saskia Gwinn and Adam Ming
Happy Yak

Author Saskia Gwinn entrusts Bird to act as our guide in this journey to discover how other creatures build their homes.. We meet more than fifty large and small : can any of them surprise Bird and show that their home is best?

First Bird visits other nest builders including a stork that reuses its stick nest year after year, a trumpeter swan that builds a nest on a beaver’s floating lodge and a red-headed woodpecker that pecks a hole in a tree trunk.

Next to be investigated are spiders. these eight-legged arachnids make webs for a variety of purposes. The garden web spider’s web is an insect trap; the golden diving bell spider weaves a web under water to trap air then uses it as a submarine and the crab spider makes a balloon of silken threads that float on the wind, enabling it to find a new home. Is Bird impressed by these? Well yes, but not persuaded.

Do you know which animal’s home has a feeding tunnel, a larder and a bedroom as well as a super-speedy escape tunnel? It’s a mole, one of the tunnellers we meet.


These are just some of the places of residence Bird discovers, but at the end of a long learning journey, there’s been a change of heart in our feathered escort. It concludes, ’Every home is best for the clever creature that made it.’

Curious young readers will enjoy discovering the wealth of animal homes on our planet and be amused by the speech bubbles and Adam Ming’s playful illustrations.

Messi Mania

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Messi Mania
Luis Miguel Echegaray
Holler (Quarto)

Lionel Messi is a soccer superstar, of that there is no doubt. I was astonished to hear that one of my young relations had spend £12 of his pocket money to buy a single card about him. He certainly is infected with Messi Mania.

In this book sports presenter/journalist, Luis Miguel Echegaray, pays tribute to the player many consider the greatest of all time. Rather than presenting a chronological account he weaves into a kind of patchwork tale, significant elements of Massi’s life.

Starting with his arrival in the USA, he then goes back in time to his birth and early life in Rosario, Argentina, and forward to October 2024 when he was playing for Inter Miami and the team were knocked out in the first round of the MLS playoffs. In relation to this Echegaray writes this ‘And here’s the biggest message of all that we have learned from Messi’s entire journey. When you fall, that’s when you’re at your strongest because you have the chance to get up and try again. And that’s the true meaning of character.’ A powerful message to everyone, no matter what their walk of life. Moreover it’s not merely Messi’s hard work and soccer prowess that make him so special; it’s also his friendships and what he’s done and continues to do for others, all of which are included herein.

We hear what other soccer stars think of him, his style of play, there’s an interview between the author and Messi and more.

A legend indeed who, thanks in no small way to his devoted grandmother and father, overcame challenges in his boyhood including a growth hormone deficiency.

The penultimate paragraph in the book contains vital messages for all young people and he ends thus: ‘Little Leo is actually in all of us, just waiting for the glorious moment to shine,’

Blue Jelly and Strawberries

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Blue Jelly and Strawberries
Attie Lime, illustrated by Kate Sheppard
Otter-Barry Books

Brimming over with playful notions is this debut collection of poems by Attie Lime, with black and white illustrations by Kate Sheppard.

Herein you’ll find whimsical wonderings (What can you carry in your hat?) and thought provoking possibilities – What might your magic bean grow? and What would you do if you were spring? – ‘hang jellybeans from all the trees’ like the author maybe, curious questions (do triceratops wear pyjamas?) and nonsensical wordplays – ‘im am oo / sploosha whoosha / flim flam floo!’

All of these and many others powerfully convey the message that language is fun. Nevertheless my very favourite poem is I Love Books – a straightforward tribute to the vast variety of books and by implication what might be found within.

I also love The Pancake of Positivity the first two verses of which go thus:
‘My pancake is a CANcake / full of positivity / bursting full of yes-es / so sweet and syrupy. // My pancake is a problem-solver / helpful, kind (and sticky) / it finds a way to save the day / when life gets really tricky.’

There are concrete poems of the curious kind as well as an acrostic and several quatrains. All this adds up to a book with something , make that many somethings, to please young readers and listeners; if you are a KS1 teacher definitely share this with your class; if you’re a parent who wants your child to discover the joys of poetry then get them a copy.

Early Years Bookshelf: Little Dino Boo-Boos! / Bear

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Little Dino Boo-Boos!
Sophie Aggett , illustrated by Jannie Ho
Little Tiger

The little dinosaurs are a very lively lot and inevitably accidents happen: Triceratops gets a graze, Spinosaurus gets a soaking, followed by a cold, Velociraptor take tumble and bumps his paw and so on, so it’s important to know what to do when one gets hurt or doesn’t feel too good.

Through this delightful interactive board book, with its first aid kit containing a set of reusable stickers in the form of a fold-out inside the back cover, very young children can begin to learn about first aid and care in a playful way. On a first reading you may just want to point out each item and name it, but this is a book you can share over and over so your little one can learn more about each item as appropriate in addition to enjoying Jannie Ho’s humorous scenes.

Bear
Natalia Shaloshvili
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

A story about learning to share – maybe.
Bear is very happy with his ursine life: he loves his cookie, his book and his balloon; and he loves to sit by himself on his bench. As he sits comfortably contemplating, up comes Fox wanting to sit beside him on the bench. Wolf too wants something belonging to Bear – a delicious cookie; Rabbit wants a look at his book and Elephant asks for the balloon. Bear’s problem is that he doesn’t know how to say no to their requests

and consequently ends up with nothing. Now our ursine friend isn’t happy, he’s very, very unhappy as he sits thinking. Some while later along comes Duck with a cookie. Now we know Bear loves cookies so he requests a bite of Duck’s. I wonder how Duck will respond.

It’s important to know when to say no to others and this seemingly simple story with its wonderfully expressive, smudgy illustrations created with watercolour crayons and acrylic paints offers a good starting point for discussion with little humans.

The Only Monster

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The Only Monster
Matt Coyne and Brendan Kearney
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

This is a story with a message about being an only child in a family and not comparing one’s family with other families.

Residing happily with her parents on Grönklebad Street, in the monster town of Bonglibod is a little monster. Then at monster school it’s the day class photos are taken. Little monsters wear their ‘bestest monster clothes’, mess their hair, leave teeth unbrushed and have bogies in their noses. The teacher calls her students in turn, instructing them to say ‘stinky cheeeese’ as they sit in front of the camera for their photo. This little monster does with a big smile.

However when the teacher announces brother and sister photos, little monster begins to feel sad

and this feeling of sadness continues right through until she’s walking home with her dad. He notices her demeanour and asks what’s wrong. She explains that everyone else – the Jooberwibblies, the Bogeynoodles, the Humplebutts, the WindyFlips and the Parps, the Dombledoofs,.the Humplejoys, the Marmaflippydoofs and all the rest have siblings, lots often. Dad acknowledges that this is so but goes on to reassures her that families should be measured by love, not numbers. Moreover, the little monster has all of those friends plus their brothers and sisters, and that is marvellous.

By the time the two reach home little monster is feeling cheerful enough to sing with her dad. However, she still has one more thing to say …

Little humans will love the final twist and all the fun vocabulary, especially the crazy monster names. They’ll love too Brendan Kearney’s superbly imagined, highly detailed illustrations.

Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion

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Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion
Abiola Bello, illustrated by Emma McCann
Simon & Schuster

Meet twins Misha and Ziggy. They each have a secret superpower: Misha can talk to animals and Ziggy can transform into animals of all kinds. As the story opens the summer holidays have just started when their Dad, a wildlife photographer, receives a phone call from his producer. He’s off to Ethiopia the following week to film the Black Lion recently spotted there. However when he rings Grandma Joy to ask her to look after the twins, he discovers she’s somehow got the dates mixed up and is on a Caribbean cruise. Consequently Dad has no option but to take the twins with him to Ethiopia. Needless to say they’re absolutely thrilled: maybe they will see a Black Lion.

However, soon after arriving Dad receives bad news; the Black Lion hasn’t been seen for several days. Moreover poachers have been sighted in the area. While Dad and the crew work on a new plan to find the lion, the twins start finding ways of their own to communicate with the local animals.

Before long they learn that the Black Lion has been hurt when poachers tried to steal him

and now he’s in great danger.. The twins are determined to save him but can they?

Abiola Bello’s pacy tale is just right for younger KS2 readers. Emma McCann’s black and white illustrations add gentle humour to the telling and in addition to the story there are some facts about both Ethiopia and black lions.

Bree Boyd is a Legend!

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Bree Boyd is a Legend!
Leah Johnson, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega
Scholastic

Thirteen year old Bree Boyd spends her life trying to live up to her father’s high expectations and the shining examples set by her older sisters Lex (state debating champion) and Christian (at law school); Boyd Black Excellence is what it’s called. Dad a college professor is currently campaigning to become the next state senator. Her mother has left the family home. Bree, an ace speller and winner of spelling bees, studies with her tutor leaving little time to spend with her closest friends, Sammy, Abby and Ellie.

Having reached the next level in the spelling competition she starts feeling distracted and when a lightening strike knocks out the power to her home, she flips a switch on the breaker and gets an electric shock that gives her telekinetic powers. With this new-found ability Bree is able to help her friends and have some fun but with the approach of the district spelling bee, Dad ups the pressure and she’s completely torn between loyalty to her Dad or her friends with whom she’s agreed to perform. Even worse, the final spelling bee and the talent show are on the same day. It feels like her life is spinning out of control. However she has to decide whether to stick to her father’s plan or follow her own path.

Infused with humour, this is a very credible portrayal of the inner turmoil suffered by youngsters who have huge adult pressure put upon them and it’s wonderful to see the protagonist working out the true meaning of ‘being best’. There are many poignant moments and it’s great the way the Boyd siblings support one another; how each of them continues to grow despite everything and how they eventually work out how to communicate with their dad.

Recommended for readers from around eleven.

Cafe Chaos

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Cafe Chaos
Catherine Wilkins, illustrated by Katie Abey
Nosy Crow

On Hope’s first day at secondary school, she and her best friend Leila are shocked to find that Skyla, the bully from primary school has not moved abroad as she’d told everyone but is also there. As if Hope doesn’t already have a great deal to contend with: her family’s cafe, Cafe Crumble, needs to start making a profit and then her Auntie Rita turns up, announcing that she’s come to visit for a while.

Moreover, she’s to share Hope’s bedroom. Rita’s son Connor is already living with them and thinks he knows all there is to know about running a business. Then there’s her elder sister who is only interested in acting. Hope’s life is descending into chaos and nobody at home, especially her mum, has time to listen to her.

Thank goodness for Leila who is ready and willing to help her deal with bullying Skyla and her cronies. As for the cafe, could it be possible that dressing up as a giant ice-cream can help make sufficient money to pay off the bank loan and finally become solvent. That and Grandma Margery’s skills in baking pastries perhaps.

A heart-warming story engagingly written, delivered with a large slice of humour thanks in no small part to Kate Abey’s sprinklings of amusing drawings. With a cast that includes several quirky characters, this book will definitely tickle the taste buds of readers around Hope’s age, especially those who have a penchant for cake.

Rex Dinosaur in Disguise: Museum Mystery

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Rex Dinosaur in Disguise: Museum Mystery
Elys Dolan
Walker Books

This is the third tale of dinosaur hero Rex (now a PE teacher/netball coach) and his nine year old human friend Sandra, her investigations partner Anish, et al.

Rex can hardly wait for his first trip to the city museum but he and his friends learn from a security guard that strange things have been happening with exhibits moved around. The guard quits his job, Rex is interviewed and goes undercover as his replacement. This enables him to be there overnight to investigate and try to find the cause of the havoc before the museum’s biggest event of the year, The Big MuZZZeum Sleepover, the following evening. Of course he’s going to need the help of Sandra, Anish and Bigfoot.

Unexpectedly Rex makes a new friend; it’s an ancient Egyptian mummy named Amenphut 11 or Phut for short.

This mummy absolutely loves pizza but he really needs help to return to his own land; however he has an awful lot of stuff including a stuffed ferret, Imhotep. Can Rex help him catch his plane and crucially, can he make the museum sleepover the greatest ever?

With a plethora of laugh out loud moments, many of which are illustrated, this is a great book for KS2 readers. Hot chocolate anyone?

The Tortosaurus

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The Tortosaurus
Katie Cottle
Little Tiger

It’s Dot’s first day at her new school; she wants to fit in and make friends; but maybe she’ll start joining in tomorrow, she decides. Dot as you’ve likely realised already, is a person who likes taking things slowly, something her pet tortoise Monty truly understands.

In class during a discussion about pets, Jude tells everyone that he has a tortoise and Dot is on the point of saying something when Jess makes the disparaging comment that tortoises are old and slow. As a result Dot puts her hand down but is spotted by her teacher and so she announces that she has a Tortosaurus and will bring it for show and tell.

Fortunately Dot is a creative child and so she sets to work on Monty transforming him into an amazing creature that awes her classmates. Very quickly Monty becomes something of a ‘shell-ebrity’ which is not at all what he wants. Indeed he finds being in the limelight is really hard but he doesn’t want to let Dot down. After a while Monty is awarded a certificate of reptilian excellence and the stage lights make him feel all hot and bothered so he wriggles around until he’s removed every bit of his costume.

Initially Dot is angry; she grabs Monty and makes a dash for home but once there she calms down and on realising she’s forced the creature to be something he’s not, she apologises profusely.

Thereafter Dot decides it’s time to start being true to herself; gradually she comes out of her shell and makes friends with fellow tortoise owner, Jude.

This is a celebration of being one’s true self, allowing others to do likewise: and valuing them for what they are: that way real friendships based on honesty are formed and sustained. Katie Cottle’s illustrations speak volumes as we see Dot’s changing emotions throughout the story. Read at home and read in the classroom. I can imagine a lively circle time discussion resulting from a sharing with KS1 children.

A Card For My Mum

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A Card For My Mum
Bashabi Fraser and Maanvi Kapur
Lantana Publishing

It’s the day before Mother’s Day and the shops are busy with people looking for the perfect present to bring a smile to their mum’s face. However the little girl narrator can afford only a card for her mum and although she searches high and low she cannot find a single one that has a picture that looks anything like her own mum. She who loves to wear dangly gold earrings and bangles that jangle as she mixes the dough for naan and rotis; a dark-haired mum who goes to the vegetable market clad in her silk kameez and flowing chunnie. A mum who loves bhangra dancing.

Suddenly her mum’s smiling face is there before her for real and the little girl decides that there’s only one way she can give her mum a card that is just right … Time to get creative.

It’s very important that all young readers/listeners see themselves represented both in books and also on cards. The former has improved thanks to publishers like Lantana but it’s not so where cards are concerned and this story makes youngsters stand behind the head of someone who cannot find themselves and in this instance their mum, represented. A thought-provoking book to share as widely as possible and not just around Mother’s Day.

Mr Norton’s New Hat

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Mr Norton’s New Hat
Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert
Little Tiger

Horace Norton is a kind character so when he discovers one Monday morning that a mouse has taken up residence in his hat, he leaves it there and cycles off to work. On Tuesday he notices some birds have made a nest in his bicycle basket but he pedals off obligingly with both lots of tenants.. Come Wednesday there’s a squirrel asleep in one of his shoes. What does he do? The same as on the previous two days. Subsequently he decides to leave undisturbed the stoats in his satchel, and the cats curled up in his coat. By the weekend it’s evident that Horace needs some time to relax. It’s not to be, for the animals are clearly taking advantage of his good nature. Having realised a wash is out of the question, he decides to return to his bed but …

Mr Norton’s increasing frustration with his ever growing menagerie builds to a response which surprises the man himself: “Enough is Enough!’ he shouts causing the animals to scamper away. Is this the response he longed for though? Not so, for he realises how very lonely an empty silence in one’s home can be.

When the next Monday comes around, Horace finds a surprise parcel at his front door; it’s a gift from the animals and one that results in a welcome solution to his solitude.

Young listeners will love Huw Lewis Jones’ zany cumulative tale with its wealth of alliteration, as well as lots of repetition to join in with. They’ll love too Corey Egbert’s scenes of the mischief-making animals and the growing mayhem they cause for their host. A smashing amalgam of words and pictures; it’s sure to be a story time winner.

Croaky: Caverns of the Gemosaurus

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Croaky: Caverns of the Gemosaurus
Matty Long
Oxford Children’s Books

Book three in Matty Long’s Croaky series starring as the introduction reminds us, Croaky Hopper (excitable, enthusiastic, full of energy and leaps before he looks) and fellow Wogglescouts, Winston leader of the 7th Patrol, and bright, willing badge collector Sheena, is every bit as funny as the first one.

In their latest expedition the three embark on a mission to locate the Gemosaurus, a creature reputed to live deep underground in the Crystal Caverns, supposedly seen by Winston’s Grandpa back in the day. Now with an article published calling him a fraud, when Croaky suggests an expedition to find the Gemosaurus, it’s all systems go. After all Winston possesses proof in the form of a special gemstone given to said Grandpa by the creature.

Full of gemstones is what the caves certainly are and Croaky takes one and puts it under his hat for safe keeping. There follow a fair few misinterpretations as they encounter carnivorous flora, sticky situations, a parting of company,

an unexpected taxi ride and have an awful lots of stairs to climb. Is it mission accomplished though?

To find out, you’ll need to read the book but rest assured, with mayhem aplenty, this is a sparkling adventure (pardon the pun) for newly confident readers, particularly fans of madcap tales.

After

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After
Pádraig Kenny
Walker Books

“Tell me agin how the world ended.” So says Jen as the story begins; this is something her father has talked of with her many times already. Now the two are walking towards the old city hoping to find food and other useful supplies. Once again Father explains how humans destroyed the world little by little, first its habitats, followed by The Flood that wiped out many of their own kind.

In the city their search of the supermarket shelves yields nothing, but the library has lots of books and Jen is fascinated by an old tablet bearing the label Seacroft Technologies. Then following an encounter with a family to whom they give all they have in the way of food and medicines, Father declares that they should find somewhere to spend the night; this they do in a deserted hotel. Come sunrise they leave, find something for Jen to eat in another supermarket and then proceed to walk, passing a number of wrecked robots including one resembling a massive scorpion. By evening they reach the edge of a forest.

As they sit together Jen notices a flickering in the darkness and urges Father to investigate. The following morning they take a detour despite Father’s concerns that they might encounter people, perhaps not friendly ones. His prediction is correct and they come upon a small community, which to Jen’s delight, seem welcoming. Among them is a boy around her age, so Jen is even more eager to join them. Father though must keep his true existence – an autonomous robot, with the appearance of a human – secret from these clearly technophobic Flood survivors. If not, what will happen?

Jen and Father are not related but have formed a very close bond even though the latter is programmed to be devoid of emotions and relies on a childcare book for his parenting. So when Father’s secrets start to unravel, Jen faces an impossible decision: Father or community? And what of that holiday camp place she’d read about in a brochure a while back?

With occasional illustrations by Steve McCarthy, this is another brilliant, entirely credible story set in a Dystopian future by the author of Stitch that is an exploration of what it means to be human; in addition however, Pádraig Kenny explores the role of AI and a possible horrendous outcome of human’s ever increasing reliance on technology.

I wonder just how far child readers think we humans should go in our never-ceasing endeavours to have a better life.

Cat and Dumpling: Home Sweet Home

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Cat and Dumpling: Home Sweet Home
Nicola Kent
Oxford Children’s Books

Meet Cat, knitting fanatic and enthusiastic guitar player, who badly needs a new place to live that has plenty of cupboards. Then there’s dog, Dumpling, an ace gardener whose vegetables make delicious feasts. He too needs somewhere new to live, but it must have a garden sufficiently large to accommodate all his plants. They both set out house hunting, visiting several places that are quickly crossed off their respective lists. Feeling downcast they each decide to take a walk and almost simultaneously come upon a sign advertising a flat to rent. Both think this ground floor abode is ideal for their needs, even more so as Delores from upstairs shows them around. Delories thinks they’re both too noisy but is persuaded by their offers of gifts and Cat and Dumpling end up becoming flatmates. All goes well when they move in,

at least initially, but it takes a bit of compromising and kind deeds before come bedtime, it’s truly a case of home sweet home.

Nicola Kent’s sweet story with amusing, full colour illustrations at every turn of the page and short chapters is just right for new solo readers who will assuredly enjoy meeting these new characters and be pleased to know further adventures are in the pipeline.

Will We See A Mermaid?

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Will We See A Mermaid?
Rosalind Spark and Kate Anfilova
Oxford Children’s Books

Little Evie is at the beach with her parents and best friend, Dr Dino. Last on her list of things to do that day is to find a mermaid. Dad thinks she has a great imagination whereas Mum tells her she’ll need to look very carefully. So begins Evie’s ocean adventure with Dr Dino. They pack the necessary gear, then before diving deep, the two go and check the rock pools. They’re certainly full of interesting marine creatures but no mermaids.

The two build an Ocean Explorer Submarine, launch their craft into the waves and head out to sea. Dr Dino talks about the dolphins they see; then deep underwater they dive and Dr Dino informs Evie and readers about the behaviour of the anchovies and whales they spy. Unfortunately among the marine fauna are some plastic bags and the explorers are determined to prevent a turtle from eating them in mistake for jellyfish. Their bag chase sees them visiting a kelp forest

and a coral reef and diving way way down into the darkest depths until … at last, it’s mission accomplished. But have they seen any mermaids:? Maybe. …

Back on the beach, Mum and Dad help the adventurers collect rubbish left by thoughtless people and Evie offers her definition of mermaids.

This book is full of interesting information, including a gate-fold spread about marine life that will fascinate KS1 children. However, it would also work well as a straightforward story for preschoolers if the reader aloud shares only the main narrative.

The Bookshop Dog

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The Bookshop Dog
Harriet Evans and Claire Shorrock
Little Tiger

Scamper absolutely loves his home with Paige at The Happy Tails Bookshop and can’t imagine a better place to live in the whole world. Everybody in the neighbourhood has made him feel welcome and he loves them all, Paige especially. To show his appreciation, the pooch decides to follow her example and he selects some books he thinks his friends might enjoy reading. This proves very successful: Scamper has helped all his friends

but is there a book that can put a smile on the face of the person who seems to have read every one already? His search of his friends’ abodes yields nothing suitable and it’s a down-hearted Scamper that returns to the bookshop but joy of joys …

What a delightful character is Scamper, especially in the way his observations enable him to find the right book for each person, even though it’s unlikely to be what they themselves would have chosen.
I love that reading and books are celebrated both verbally and visually at every turn of the page: listeners and readers aloud will love the wordplay and clever book titles – Mansfield Bark and Doggy Deeds of Derring Do – for instance. Claire Shorrock’s illustrations have lots of details that offer starting points for discussion and I absolutely love the exchange between Paige and Scamper near the end: “Reading takes us all on incredible journeys.” (Paige) and ‘reading is a way of coming home.’ (Scamper). So true, both.

Do Not Say These Words

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Do Not Say These Words
Frances Tosdevin and Rhian Wright
UCLAN Publishing

Words are powerful, that is something children learn very early in their lives and once they start speaking that opens up a whole new wealth of possibilities, one of which is humour. It’s humour that author Frances Tosdevin and illustrator Rhian Wright very clearly have had great fun exploring in this splendidly silly book.

We’re in the hands of expert scientist and inventor, The Professor. She, by means of a series of words that young children already think of as a tad naughty, explains that the hilarity induced by the utterance of these words causes giggle-gas and the effect of too much of this in the air is detrimental to the environment. Indeed the world will end up zig zagging around the solar system and we humans will all fall off. The sure way to prevent such a catastrophe is by banning these words and she, aided and abetted by her trusty froggy assistants, have invented a machine that turns these world-wobbling words into harmless, unfunny ones.

The first word for the Prof’s zapping treatment is ‘BOTTOM’ and its safe replacement is in her words, the unfunny ‘FLOPPY PEACH-CHEEKS.’ – make sure you keep a straight face when you read that. next is ‘FART’.

I love the way the alternatives generated by the machine are generated through Rhian Wright’s dramatic illustrations bursting with small details. These provide a great complement to Frances Tosdevin’s terrific text, which offers opportunities for audience participation.

Share this in a classroom – it will appeal across a wide age range – and you’ll likely have the listeners going almost as berserk as the Prof’s machine as the story nears its dramatic conclusion. My partner was spluttering with laughter as we shared it..

The AppleTree Animal Agency

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The AppleTree Animal Agency
Katya Balen, illustrated by Gill Smith
Walker Books

Mattie loves animals and watches those that come to her garden in the evenings, pretending that Quilla the hedgehog, Bertie the bat and Marmalade the fox are her pets. Seemingly everybody in her class at Mossdale Primary School owns a pet and Mattie desperately wants a puppy but despite frequently asking her dad, he insists they don’t have time to look after one.

One night as Mattie stands watching her animal friends she sees a shooting star and makes a wish on it. Almost immediately through her binoculars, she glimpses a scruffy pup moving unsteadily as though hurt, but when she ventures outside to look, there’s no sign of it.

Next day when Mattie’s walking with her best friend, Zoe, and talking about the puppy, Zoe’s own puppy runs off only to lead them to the injured pup from the previous night. Off they head to the vets but find the place in a chaotic state.

A boy introducing himself as Caspar tells the girls his vet mum and he are staying for the summer while the regular vet goes to visit his poorly mum. The three children sort out the chaos while the vet tends to the injured paw. A couple of hours later everything is back as it should be to Dr Polly’s delight and she calls the three her apprentice vets.

So begins Mattie’s volunteering stint at the vet’s surgery – seemingly her dream is beginning to come true, but Luna as she’s now called, still isn’t hers. Then comes the incident of the runaway ferret: it ends happily and sparks Mattie’s brainwave – a pet-matching service at the village fete.. Zoe and Caspar love the idea and the three start working on it the following morning. Come fete day the service is a great success: is it just possible that all the animals will find suitable homes with responsible owners? Even Mattie’s beloved Luna? …

And so Appletree Animal Agency is formed.

Katya Balen’s feeling-centred story is thoroughly enjoyable and will captivate younger readers especially animal lovers. The friendship, determination and teamwork of the child characters is terrific and a great example to her audience.

Little Rhino Lost

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Little Rhino Lost
Candy Gourlay and Jamie Bauza
Otter-Barry Books

As she wanders in the huge grey urban jungle that is her home city, Maya comes upon a lost baby rhinoceros. She wants to help the creature but needs to know what his home looks like. The baby rhinoceros describes a place full of green plants and trees but as they wander, nowhere looks anything like that,

so May takes the rhinoceros back home with her. She feeds him and with the help of her kind neighbours, does her best to make him feel at home.

The following morning there’s no sign of baby rhino but instead a note to her from the mother rhino thanking her for her care. Despite knowing that her little friend is safely back home she misses him and wonders if he might come a visit. To that end she sets about turning her garden into a wonderful green space and her neighbours do likewise so that the city gradually becomes somewhere a little rhino could call home.

This charming story about determination, kindness, community and environmentalism, is set in the Philippines, the author Candy Gourlay’s home country. Would that urban dwellers be they in Manila, (the city depicted in some of Jamie Bauza’s scenes) or elsewhere in the world, come together in a similar way to help make all our cities greener.

The Endless Sea

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The Endless Sea
Chi Thai and Linh Dao
Walker Studio

This is a heartrending story of having to leave your home and go in search of a new, safe place to live, told through the eyes of a young girl. She, her parents and sister lived in a Vietnamese village which they were forced to leave on account to being on the losing side of a war.

After a long and arduous journey walking under cover of darkness, the family eventually reached a wooden boat that was to carry them, crammed tight for four days, down a river. Then on the fifth day a fierce storm arose, the boat’s pump gave up working and the boat began sinking.

Eventually a ship reached the now rapidly sinking boat, a pallet was lowered and the family lifted to safety. The rescuing ship carried them to a refugee camp where they waited until they were flown to a new country and given a new home. Despite recalling the traumas they’ve been through, the young narrator considers how lucky her family has been

especially when a year on, they are able to celebrate New Year together, hungry no longer but hopeful and able to look forward to many more days together.

Author Chi Thai’s note at the end of the book makes it even more poignant as she writes of how she aged three and her family came to the UK as refugees, for which she is enormously grateful. She goes on to talk of the 36 million refugees there now are and reminds readers how crucial it is that they are treated with compassion. Linh Dao’s illustrations are appropriately sombre during the traumatic escape contrasting with the uplifting scenes of the family established in their new home.

A book to share widely in primary classrooms to help foster that vital compassion and understanding the author speaks of.

The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat

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The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat
Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson
Gecko Press

Is it possible that the unthinkable can happen to Theo Pincher, the only honest member of the Pincher family? It appears so in this latest of tales about them, which is prefaced by a paragraph about the titular ancient curse.

The adventure begins when Theo and his sister Ellen (Criminellen) wander into Pique’s Boutique, an antique shop and accidentally break the best thing in the place, a statue of Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess. Have they perhaps unleashed an ancient family curse.

Nic Pincher, the siblings’ mum tells them that Pick Pincher, her globe-trotting ancestor had once ignored a warning, nicked the very same cat statue that was guarding Tuttan-K’s tomb, became cursed and found himself unable to commit another robber ever again. Indeed he became a law-abiding police officer.

Suddenly it seems that Ellen has turned honest whereas Theo is becoming something of a criminal.
Then comes a knock at the door: it’s the shop owner, Anne Tique and she has a letter she found hidden inside the broken statue. Mysterious clues may show the family how to undo the curse, so following the clues, the Pinchers sneak out at night, into Ark Park zoo. There they have to contend with monkeys and Grizzly Gustavsson, the nasty bearlike zookeeper who makes trespassers spend the night with the poisonous spiders. Will they succeed in their mission? Will Theo ever return to his normal self again? Maybe an encounter with his best pal, police officer Paul Eessman, whistler extraordinaire, will help in this respect.

There’s a satisfying conclusion to this fantastical, fast-paced yarn (even Granny Stola makes an appearance in the final chapter.) The abundance of crazy antics are made all the more humorous by Per Gustavsson’s droll images, be they vignettes or filling the entire page. Just the thing to get those in Y3 and above enthused about reading.

Tourmaline and the City of Nowhere

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Tourmaline and the City of Nowhere
Ruth Lauren
Little Tiger

Tourmaline’s magical ability is no longer a secret so it’s no surprise that lots of people want something from her, including her power-hungry father who is on the loose again.

As the story starts bits of Pellavere University are collapsing, indeed the whole place is in crisis. It seems as though Tourmaline, together with her best friends Mai and George must embark on another adventure just days after their last one. They’re off in an airship to the Midnight Islands to find her father and they hope, save Pellavere. However if the magical City of Nowhere doesn’t hold the solution they seek, it is likely to give Tourmaline’s father what he hungers for.

Ruth Lauren has you on the edge of your seat from the minute Tourmaline embarks on her mission to save her beloved home, a mission which culminates in her finding a new adventure of a completely different kind. Absolutely brilliant. I can’t recommend it enough, but you need to have read books 1 and 2 first: those who haven’t can look forward to a triple treat. I’ve absolutely loved this trilogy especially watching the growth of the main protagonist and the development of the bond between her and her two special friends.

My Mum / Come What May

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My Mum
Susan Quinn and Sarah Mathew
Words & Pictures

Mums do so many things for their little ones and this book is a warmly appreciative and loving way to celebrate the day to day adventures they have big and small, told from the viewpoint the little girl narrator. To a mother fixing a child’s broken toy or running through a wildflower meadow and then making a daisy chain may not seem particularly significant but to her offspring, they mean the world. So too of course, do those days at the seaside, building sandcastles, searching for shells, wave jumping and making seaweed crowns. It’s evident that the mum featured loves to encourage and participate in imaginative play; and no matter the weather,

day or night, she’s close by to make things turn out right.

Sarah Mathew’s vibrant mixed-media illustrations are a delight, full of small details for mums and small children to explore and enjoy together. With Mother’s Day approaching, perhaps after several readings, a child could be encouraged to make up their own pictorial celebration of ‘My Mum.

Come What May
Debi Gliori
Bloomsbury Children’s Books

As this story opens Large and Small are doing some baking but it’s not going well for Small AT All. Things are getting dropped, spilled, broken and everywhere is splashed with cake ingredients.
Both cooks want to scream and shout but Large declares love for Small “come what may”. The best way to defuse the situation is to get outside into the fresh air, have a walk and maybe a little picnic in the countryside.

This gives Small an opportunity to indulge in some what ifs, imagining being in turn a roaring dinosaur,

a tiger, a buzzing stinging insect; but for each comes the response ‘I’ll love you come what may’ from Large. Bad mood or good, Large’s love is unconditional, so too is that of Small.

Some of the adults who share this with their little ones are likely to be those who enjoyed the delights of Debi’s No Matter What first published twenty five years ago.

Don’t Squish A Slug

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Don’t Squish A Slug
Yussef Rafik, illustrated by Riley Samels
Words & Pictures

Following his general introduction, author, zoologist and wildlife presenter, Yussef Rafik, divides his bug information under five headings, Masters of Disguise, Amazing Evolution, Daring Defence, Record Breakers and All Sorts of Relationships (some of which are parasitic). The world of minibeasts is truly amazing, albeit on occasion pretty gruesome, so get ready to dive in.

Have you ever wondered why the owl butterfly is so called; indeed were you aware there was such creature? It has earned itself the title ‘Master of Mimicry’ on account of the way the detailed fake eyes on the underwings look so like an owl’s eyes they act as a superb deterrent for potential predators.

I was fascinated to learn that millipedes have special glands called ozogpores from which they secrete poisonous substances. The yellow-spotted kind secrete the highly toxic chemical cyanide in sufficient quantity to kill rodents or birds. Other kinds use the malodorous benzoquinone, which warns attackers not to eat them. Under certain circumstances though, these chemicals can be of help to other animals, an example being the lemurs in Madagascar. They’ve found out that if they bite a benzoquinone-secreting millipede sufficiently hard, then rub it over their bodies, the chemical acts as a mosquito repellent.

Every bug is either allocated a double spread or single page that includes a superbly detailed illustration the creature in its natural habitat along with the information that is just the right amount for KS2 readers. The author’s knowledge and enthusiasm shine through his text, indeed in his introduction he writes, ’It’s really important that we have empathy for bugs. We should appreciate what they do for our planet and learn to love living alongside them.’

Riley Samels’ illustrations are an ideal complement for the text, detailed but not overly so, and there’s a final glossary and index. Thoroughly recommended for school collections and for budding minibeast zoologists.

Frank and Burt: The One Where Bert Plays Football

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Frank and Burt: The One Where Bert Plays Football
Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Nosy Crow

In this 4th tale telling of the ups and downs of the friendship between Frank (fox, who narrates) and Bert (bear) we’re treated to a soccer saga set in the park. Both characters are lovers of the game and Frank has taken it upon himself to teach his pal how to play – sometimes with disastrous results.such as the cake squishing and prickly spikes episode. However, today Bert has a new football and is anticipating scoring lots of goals. He starts with a complete miss, not only of the goal but the ball itself and lands flat on his belly.

Then just before going to assist Bert, Frank spies ace soccer player, Barbara, and the two of them have a kick about. Barbara’s showing off sends Bert’s ball high up into a tree but does she stay and assist in its recovery. No she doesn’t; that’s left to Frank. He however, having scrambled up to within a paw’s distance, gets an attack of vertigo

and also does some some quick self reflection.

Suddenly the branch bearing Frank snaps pitching him earthward, but he’s fortunate in having a best friend ready and willing to come to his rescue by providing a soft landing surface to cushion the blow. Trust Bert to save the day.

Chris’s superb colour pencil scenes exude energy, humour and pathos, perfectly capturing the changing emotions of his larger than life characters. With vital messages about friendship and decision making, this is another gem of a story featuring the utterly endearing friends.

George and the Mini Dragon

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George and the Mini Dragon
George Webster with Helen Harvey, illustrated by Tim Budgen
Scholastic

George loves animals and longs for a pet but his parents say it would be far too much work. Consequently when he discovers a tiny dragon at the bottom of his garden after making a wish at his 7th birthday party, he smuggles her inside so his mum and dad don’t find out. George names his new pet Lava and soon discovers that she’s a lively, strong minded, mischievous creature so concealing her is going to be something of a challenge not only at home but at school too.

It’s not long before Lava’s mischief making is noticed by George’s school friends; the art lesson rapidly becomes a glitter scattering opportunity for more than the pupils. Before the lesson ends their class teacher announces that there’s to be a school talent show on the coming Friday. George and his pals, Faiza and Jason. sign up to do a magic show using the set George was given for his birthday. George also has to work out what to feed Lava on.

As the week passes, it seems that the dragon is unhappy. Could she want a friend; she even tries to do the Makaton sign for ‘friends’. – I love that. Maybe though, it’s a dragon friend Lava wants. Then things get a tad chaotic with the fire alarm being set off not long before the talent show begins; it’s a false alarm but Lava is missing. Can George’s Amazing Magic Show even take place? Happily yes and it might just prove even more magical than the contestants or participants could ever have imagined.

Written in collaboration with author Helen Harvey, it’s great to see an inclusive story for younger readers; this one celebrates friendship, family and being yourself, (George has Down syndrome and uses Makaton to help him communicate). Tim Budgen’s illustrations further enliven the tale.

Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer

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Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer
Lucy Edwards, illustrated by Caroline Garcia
Scholastic

This is the first in a new series written by Lucy Edwards, presenter and disability activist, in collaboration with well-known author, Katy Birchall.

Meet twelve year old Ella Jones, who like the author, is blind. Ella lost her sight two years ago and has worked extremely hard to adjust to the challenges of being differently abled. Vital to her endeavours is her guide dog Maisie; so too are best friend Finn and her elder sister Poppy, though Ella still has to cope with battles, both internal and external, which she tries her best to face patiently and kindly.

One day when visiting central London with her family and Finn,

the world is suddenly plunged into darkness, but the pitch black seems not to affect animals, it’s only humans who panic when near chaos ensues. Both of Ella’s parents head back to their places of work, Mum to the hospital and Dad to Croft Tower belonging to the inventor Everett Croft.

Ella and Finn begin to think the darkness might be connected with the legend of Celtic god of light, Lugh, who Ailynn, owner of the Mythos Library they’d visited the previous day, had spoken about. The two friends plus Poppy manage to visit Ailynn who is in the hospital and she tells Ella that she believes she’s the one meant to defeat Lugh and return light to the world. That though would mean that Ellie faces something of a dilemma because its presence is the very thing that makes her different.

However, fuelled by the knowledge that someone else believes in her, Ella and the others return to the museum and start their quest. With clues to follow and a set of rainbow hued stones to find and position in the handle of the slingshot that belonged to Lugh, this is some enormous challenge.

Empathy is key in this moving, twisting, turning fantasy with its young blind narrator. It’s rare to have a character with a vision impairment represented in a children’s novel and the manner of its telling allows we readers to get some idea of how a sightless person might experience the world, Bring on the next story.

My Big Fat Smelly Poo Diary: Tight Squeeze

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My Big Fat Smelly Poo Diary : Tight Squeeze
Jim Smith
Scholastic

Writer of the titular diary is Pedro. He has two friends named Olga and Ozzy: arranged as a acrostic, this spells – well you work it out. They’re actually known as the Poopies.

Pedro’s first ‘story’ is entitled My Invention and was prompted by a total absence of toilet rolls in the supermarket due to stockpiling. The tale begins on a Monday morning with their teacher announcing that the local supermarket is running a poster competition showing a product invented by the poster’s creator. Said product will then be manufactured and sold at the supermarket. Some interesting things become the subject of posters including Pedro’s pooh shooz. Pedro is convinced he will be announced as the winner. Not so!

As they walk home together after school the friends see a huge billboard advertising the winning invention which sparks an idea; – a LOO roll business venture. There follows a family supermarket visit that includes Granny, which doesn’t quite go to plan as she gets herself involved in a showdown: who’d have thought she had it in her.

Then there’s toilet roll monster trouble (to keep or not to keep), the coming of Storm Pedro when home-made fart masks come in very useful despite being a tad on the tight side, a sleepover of the pals, a final resolution of the toilet roll monster disagreement, and more.

Overflowing with feelings of friendship, aromas of the whiffy kind, and toilet humour, these crazy wipe-size stories are certain to go down well with Pedro’s human followers and other fans of stinkingly funny
graphic style dramas.

Off they Go!

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Off they Go!
James Carter and James Munro
Graffeg

Poet / writer James Carter and illustrator James Munro have again joined forces on a natural history book, this time on the topic of animal migrations.

Through the former’s rhyming narrative and the latter’s bold, bright illustrations readers are introduced to nine migrating species. First though, there is an introduction to the concept that all creatures may undertake migration.

Whether they travel over land, through water or the sky, the selected animals undertake long, often difficult journeys. From Barn Swallows

to Monarch Butterflies, salmon to humpback whales or Christmas Island Red Crabs to humans, we learn more about the different animals and the reasons for their migrating.

Did you know that the globe skimmer dragonfly can journey up to 6,000 kilometres, travelling from India to Africa, island hopping en route to lay eggs and their offspring making the return journey? Some feat.

Included in the final narrative section, is information about animal navigations and unusual migrations making this an ideal introduction to the whole topic.

My Path

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My Path
Jana Curll
Nosy Crow

We join a little snail as it follows its path (leaving a slivery trail across the pages,) from sunrise right through to nightfall. Sometimes the little mollusc is alone, sometimes with the company of others and there are obstacles to negotiate, sometimes by going over, sometimes around or even round and round.

The journey may be smooth or rough and when it comes to a very sudden, unexpected end, if it feels like the right path, it’s the way to go. If met by another that challenges a decision, after due consideration, the snail’s decision belongs to the snail, not the challenger. However, when faced with enormous challenges, it’s okay to ask for help. Even with determination and conviction there may be what feel like dead ends but what’s important is to keep going.

Important life lessons are embedded in this story told as a recitation along with expressive illustrations that show so well the snail’s changing emotions as it responds to the variety of experiences encountered on its journey.

This is a book offering much to think about and discuss in a class circle time session with KS1 children, not least that every person’s path is special, a unique learning journey.

Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas

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Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

Based on African mythology, this is the fourth adventure for Yomi, Kay and Uncle Olu. After receiving a call for help from their Uncle’s best friend, Daba, they’ve recently arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is troubled at the disappearance of very large numbers of the Abadas from the national park managed by the Sacred Beast League and wants to know why this is happening.
Arriving at Uncle Daba’s camp, they find the place completely deserted and it seems the place has been attacked by something or someone. Uncle Olu’s reaction is to head back to Kindu, not so Yomi and Kay; but while they’re discussing what they should do a herd of enormous Jagura come hurtling in their direction. All three quickly climb trees.
The next thing they know is that Uncle Olu has disappeared, captured by Beast Hunters.

Now the siblings are on their own and need to hide; but soon they find themselves lost in an unknown place.
Then they encounter a group of young Abadas, but with disquiet among the various herds, can Yomi and Kay persuade the creatures to set aside their disagreements to save their friends and put a stop to the Beast Hunters’ activities in the DRC.

Followers of Yomi and Kayode will be on tenterhooks as they read what I think is the dramatic conclusion to this series. I’ve loved every one of their adventures, each of which is enhanced by Adam Douglas-Bagley’s illustrations.

The Cursed Tomb

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The Cursed Tomb
Iszi Lawrence
Bloomsbury Education

In her latest story, Iszi Lawrence transports readers back to ancient Egypt 1249BCE where we meet eleven year old Henut. We first encounter her as she’s experiencing a troubling dream from which she wakes, tiptoes down from the roof to see whether all is well and hearing strange noises, she heads to the kitchen of her family’s home. Following the sound of loud wing beats, she proceeds to the main room where things are scattered all over the floor; a winged creature launches itself at her and she ends up flat on her back. Alerted by all the noise, Sennefer, her father arrives on the scene. He refuses to believe Henut’s explanation of what has happened and punishes her for what he considers to be her disrespect and lies; harsh and unjust indeed but Henut is used to being treated this way by her father.

Things improve though when Uncle Seti stops by en route to deliver some wine, and shares with his niece and her family stories of what he’s seen on his travels. But then he disappears and in her search for him Henut thinks she saw her mother whom she’s been told was dead; she also finds a scarab amulet.
On a festival day among the celebrating crowds, Henut saves the life of the pharaoh’s son Khaemwaset. He thinks she’s brought him luck and wants her to accompany him to a temple along the river as his servant. She reluctantly agrees and so begins her adventure. Henut finds herself engulfed in mystery, forced at enormous risk to her present life and that in the next world, to enter a tomb of one of Egypt’s long dead rulers in the Valley of Kings.

There are numerous obstacles put in her way. Can Henut possibly survive all the challenges that await and manage to get back to her home in Memphis; and can she find out the truth about her mother?

Bursting with fascinating historical details, this is a terrific tale that will excite and subtly inform KS2 readers. It would also be a great read aloud. Henut is a very likeable character who is determined and her actions are conscience driven even if that means departing from the rules. With a glossary and a guide to the gods at the end of the book, this is a story I thoroughly recommend.

Little Gwen, Rescue Hen

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Little Gwen, Rescue Hen
Carol Thompson
Otter-Barry Books

Life is very unpleasant for the hens at the chicken farm. They’re packed tightly in cages, each day feels the same and as she’s constantly pecked by other hens, one little hen loses lots of feathers. Eventually she feels too tired to lay a single egg; but then one day, things change. She’s gently lifted, placed in a dark container and a voice tells her not to be frightened. Then she’s on the move inside the box, heading for an unknown destination.
After some time, the box is carefully put down and opened. The little hen emerges into the brightness of the outside world beyond the confines of her previous existence. There are so many new things to discover and new friends too. But one thing the little hen misses is her feathers that would have protected her from chilly winds, very hot sunshine and incessant rain.

Fortunately the providers of her new home decide to make her a warm vest to wear until her feathers grow back and they decide to call the hen little Gwen. Gwen feels nice and cosy in her new garment until she gets tangled in some twigs that unravel the stitching.

However, with her feathers gradually growing back Gwen no longer needs it. Then one day before sunrise little Gwen goes a-wandering and what an exciting day she has before snuggling down to sleep in her warm safe little chicken house. It’s there that one morning, one of her kind human rescuers discovers a special surprise in the straw. Now what could that be?

This story is a great way to introduce quite young children to animal rights issues and will stimulate lively discussion in a KS1 classroom. Carol Thompson’s illustrations speak volumes as we follow Gwen’s move from terrible conditions to those where she’s treated well and thrives.

Tiny Dogs: The Best Birthday Party

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Tiny Dogs: The Best Birthday Party
Rose Lihou
Puffin

In this third story of the Tiny Dogs series Beatrix Bloom celebrates her eighth birthday with a party, something she’s never done before. Her mum is full of enthusiasm but Bea is less so: can she cope with a party at which she’s the centre of attention? However, she agrees but the tiny dogs are unsure and decide that their special child guardian will need their help. At school when Bea overhears others talking about how amazing their own parties were, she starts worrying all over again. Back home she shares her angst with the tiny dogs and slips Clover into her pocket when the family goes to the party shop. Spoilt for choice, Bea does as her mum suggests and choose a couple of things she really likes, then unsurprisingly selects invitations with dogs on them.

Strangely, the following morning the Tiny Dogs discover the invitations have got scattered all over the place

and Bea has a surprise when they turn up at school and give them to her.

On party day itself Bea is thrilled to see how their room looks and before long the guests start arriving. Things don’t get off to quite the good start everyone hoped but it’s sorted out satisfactorily and the rest of the party goes with a swing – mostly,

thanks in no small part to the tiny dogs. Everyone leaves feeling very happy and even the dogs are infected with the party spirit.

I’d not met the Tiny Dogs before but was enchanted by this story showing the importance of family, teamwork, friendship, as I’m sure readers around Bea’s age will be, whether or not they’ve read the previous books. Rose Libou’s colour illustrations are a delight and add extra charm to her telling.

Just One More Story

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Just One More Story
Perry Emerson and Sean Julian
Little Tiger

Pip and Bun are bunnies with very different predilections. Pip loves to read; Bun considers books boring and enjoys lively play. So when Pip invites Bun to read with her, he flatly refuses causing Pip to close her book with the comment, “You wouldn’t like this book anyway. It’s not for little bunnies.” Cross at being called ‘little’, Bun decides to read Pip’s book for himself so he takes it from the shelf and looks inside.

He’s astonished to discover the main character is a penguin that rides a motorbike. “Penelope Penguin, super spy!” Pip informs him. With Bun’s interest sparked, Pip starts reading more with the listener very actively engaged. After the story, Bun selects a book about a pirate princess and with Pip reading the words, Bun becomes a swashbuckling freebooter.

They spend the entire day reading stories together until there are no more books on the shelf. Pip suggests they make up their own story; this leads to a squabble with Pip remarking angrily, “Books aren’t for little bunnies.” Bun is left alone feeling very, very small, but Pip too feels. Soon they realise there’s only one way to get themselves out of this impasse: reading books together the way they were, is too good to stop because of a silly squabble.

The characters are endearingly portrayed in Sean Julian’s scenes of the furry, floral frolics. It’s good to see an acknowledgement that there are different ways to enjoy sharing a book, some of which involve being physically actively: so it was for the young bunnies, so it is for their human counterparts.

My First 1 2 3 / Upside Down Opposites / Love

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My First 1 2 3
illustrated by Edward Underwood
Nosy Crow

This is a new addition to the excellent My First series illustrated by Edward Underwood. With flaps to lift – one per page – toddlers will engage in the basic counting element and enjoy guessing what is hiding under each flap, quickly working out that the number of hidden items each time is the same as the visible item depicted and clearly labelled.. For instance beneath one of the 3 flowers, are 3 bees, and beneath one of the 18 birds are 18 worms.

A thoroughly engaging way of developing basic numeracy skills – number recognition and one to one correspondence.

The large format of this sturdy book make it ideal for sharing with a toddler and in addition to the mathematical aspects, there’s a wealth of potential for language development. Each of the images depicted on every single one of the coloured background panels is richly patterned and also provides talking/ storying opportunities aplenty.
Definitely one to add to family bookshelves and preschool collections.

Upside Down Opposites
Danielle McLean and Matt Hunt
Little Tiger

This is a rhyming and visual demonstration of eight pairs of opposites for an adult and young child to share. Each spread uses a different object – a bird in flight, a hand-held ball, a face, a snail, a drinking glass, a squirrel, a hand and a dolphin. The adult reads the sentence on the first verso, the book is then rotated and with the change of perspective, its opposite is seen on the recto and its respective sentence is then read.
Its clever construction means that the book can be read from either end.

Love
Fiona Munro and Laura Hambleton
Design Eye, Quarto Kids

Herein we meet a group of ursine characters and their animal friends as one little bear finds out how the love of family members endures, even when they are separated by long distances and you cannot see your loved ones. Should you feel tired, angry or sad you can take hold of the heart in the centre of the die-cut and cuddle it close to you: that should help you feel that love flowing right to you.
A reassuring narrative by Fiona Munro and sweet, but not sickly illustrations by Laura Hambleton, remind us all, especially small children, that love is inside us and all around.