Author jillrbennett

What the Ladybird Heard Next

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What the Ladybird Heard Next
Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Macmillan Children’s Books
Clothes pegs ready for this fantastically stinky sequel to What the Ladybird Heard and with a sparkly cover too.
When the listening ladybird learns of the mysterious disappearance of red hen’s new laid clutch she realises there’s a case to be solved and off she flies. As the stars begin to twinkle over the farmyard she spies and hears two men – ex cons. Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len – plotting to steal not the eggs this time, but the fat red hen herself.

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Back she flies to report to her farmyard pals and a cunning plan is quickly formulated – a plan that perhaps owes something to the Billy Goats Gruff – so that when the thieves seize the hen she sets in motion a chain of events that will supposedly, lead them to an altogether superior egg producer, the super-duper Snuggly Snerd, layer of rugby ball sized eggs.

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Off go Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh armed with torch and spade, deep into the big brown heap as per instructions – a very pongy heap I should add – seeking the shy egg layer extraordinaire. (You can almost get a whiff as you turn the pages.)

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Just imagine their wrath when they realize they’ve been duped. But their come-uppance is not yet quite complete: that job is left to some other small winged creatures and they’re more than willing to oblige …

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After which, it’s peace and harmony once more down on the farm.
‘Trippingly on the tongue’ comes to mind when one reads this rural romp aloud; it’s brilliant fun to do so and listeners equally, will delight in the rhythmic rhyme whether or not they’ve already met the star of the show and farmyard pals in her first adventure.

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Emmanuelle demanded at least 10 re-reads in one afternoon!

The humour and pizzazz in Lydia Monks’ illustrations is the perfect accompaniment to the text. The sight of the thieving twosome digging into, and plastered in, that muck is a real hoot; and I love the scene where those buzzing bees see them off.

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Aspects of Love

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Evermore Dragon
Barbara Joosse and Randy Cecil
Walker Books
The friendship forged in Lovabye Dragon between Girl and Dragon grows deeper here as the two decide upon the game for the day. Hide-and-Seek it will be and off goes Dragon to hide – supposedly.

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Like the good friend that she is though, Girl plays along searching diligently high and low although she can surely see that Drag-enormo self until …

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Then it’s Girl’s turn to hide and off she runs and runs … to a faraway hidey-hole where she waits … and waits and yawns and …
Dragon meanwhile continues to search but where oh where can Girl be?

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Girl awakes in the ‘Deep, deep, dark night.’ Dragonless and entirely alone and,
‘she cried silver tears/ worry worry tears/ and her heart thumped a sound/ a trem-below sound/ that only Dragon friends,/ very very special friends, can hear.’
And Dragon hears the summoning cry and, lighting up the sky with his dragon breath he flies to her rescue, enveloping her in his wings.

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“I am here,” to which she responds “You’re a dear,”.
With its sprinklings of innovative language, and just the right frisson of fear, the beautifully constructed lyrical text combined with the dream-like scenes in muted greens, greys and blues into which are dropped Girl and her glowing yellow gown, is perfect for story time sharing, especially at the end of the day, be it at home or school. It certainly went down a treat with my audience of fives and sixes.

An altogether different celebration of love comes in:

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Big Book of Love
Catherine and Laurence Anholt
Orchard Books
Bursting with joie de vivre is this small child’s rhyming recitation of everything he (I think, but could equally be, she) loves. There’s the playful pup that leads child and reader across fields to meet friends, frolic in the waves, run in the rain, ride on a train to the colourful bustling city

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full of all manner of people and places of visit not least the library…

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And that can, in turn lead to exciting adventures with animals large and small and sometimes even a bit scary. But then there’s always the safety of home and a house full of love to come back to. …

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If only every child could be so lucky …
There’s so much to explore in Catherine’s child-centric scenes: every spread is brimming over with things to talk about, count or simply enjoy.

A look at love from a canine viewpoint in
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Love is My Favourite Thing
Emma Chichester Clark
Jonathan Cape
This book is based on the author’s own dog, a character that became the star of Plumdog Blog. Here, Plum is that narrator of her own story, a story wherein readers learn just how much love there is in her life. She loves among other things, wind, snow, sun, treats and sticks; she loves the children next door and of course, her ‘mummy and daddy’ aka Emma and Rupert and the things they do together. Equally they love her too.
Occasionally though, Plum’s zest for life and love gets her into trouble and once she’s got into a little bit of trouble …

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things seem to escalate till she’s in a whole lot of trouble …

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Even that’s not the worst part of the whole sorry chain of events – there’s the ice-cream episode too, after which poor Plum is banished to bed. Has love finally run out where this particular dog is concerned? Of course not but she definitely does need to rein in some of that canine enthusiasm especially where ice-cream and water are concerned.
A charming celebration of unconditional love, pooch style. I’m no lover of dogs but Plum as portrayed by Emma Chichester Clark, certainly won my heart.

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Tree

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Tree
Britta Teckentrup and Patricia Hegarty
Little Tiger Press
This glorious celebration of nature and the seasonal changes it brings is presented through the focus of a single apple tree standing in a forest.
I’m a huge fan of Britta Teckentrup’s work and in this instance she makes ingenious use of die-cuts that increase in number as we move towards midsummer and then decrease to the single owl’s look-out as midwinter comes around once more, disappearing completely in the final two spreads.
The story begins as the forest is gripped by the icy chill of midwinter; no animals are visible save the single owl peeping from its hole in the tree trunk and watching …

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As winter gradually gives way to spring, shoots begin to peep through, leaves unfurl and bear cubs frolic. Then slowly more animals appear, nesting birds and more can be seen in the tree’s branches:

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birdsong fills the air showing summer’s on its way with its bees, butterflies and ripening fruit.

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Then come the glowing colours of autumn and the animals start to prepare for the coming of another winter when once again it’s time to take shelter.
Not only do we follow scenes of the changing seasons but also the changes as day turns to night

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in this superbly crafted book.
Patricia Hegarty’s lyrical text takes the form of rhyming couplets that are a real pleasure to read aloud and have the effect of making the reader slow down to allow for listeners to savour not only the gorgeous scenes as they subtly change, but the words themselves.
One thing is certain, no matter what the season, this is a book to treasure.
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Toby and the Ice Giants

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Toby and the Ice Giants
Joe Lillington
Flying Eye Books
In the company of Ice Age tundra dweller, Toby the bison, readers are taken way back some 20,000 years in time to the last glacial period when earth was home to some gigantic animals. With an assurance to other family members, “I’m big now. I’m not scared!” young Toby ventures out to explore. So begins a series of encounters with a host of amazing megafauna, the first being via a head-on collision with a bad-tempered woolly rhinoceros spoiling for a fight.

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Thankfully the massive-clawed magatherium he meets next is more interested in using its claws for procuring food from a tree so Toby moves on seawards.
“I’m Toby, I can run really fast!” he informs a Glypton. This thick-shelled beast is friendly enough unlike the ferocious long-toothed predatory Smilodon

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from which Toby rushes,  past the short-faced bear, the flying Teratorn before coming upon some ice age humans

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whereupon he decides it’s time to head home.
This book successfully interweaves narrative and factual information making this one that can be enjoyed on more than one level. Into Joe Lillington’s dramatic watercolour illustrations are inserted the storyline and speech bubbles and the factual details appear alongside (or below). In addition there is a comparative size spread, a basic explanation about the ending of the ice-age, some additional animals from the time that Toby didn’t come upon together with an author’s note stating that Toby’s adventure has been telescoped into a single day, and a glossary.
All in all, another quality production from Flying Eye, a hugely appealing introduction to the period and a likely starting point for further Ice Age forays.

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Ursine Talent: GRRRRR! and One Bear Extraordinaire

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GRRRRR!
Rob Biddulph
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Grizzly bear Fred is the star of the show: he’s been Best Bear in the Wood for three years and is unbeatable at growling. Or is he? Well, he’s determined to be champ once again and so training becomes his everything; there’s just no time for friendship, he declares.
Enter Boris, new bear in town reputed to have a GRRRRR to beat all GRRRRs and determined to knock Fred off his throne.

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And, he seems to be taken with nocturnal wandering …

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Come competition morn and disaster has struck, Fred awakes roarless. But despite his strict training regime, it seems he’s not without friends after all. First there’s Eugene a young owl ready and willing to help Fred track down his missing roar.

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A search ensues but it yields a big zilch.
The hour of the contest arrives. Despite being roarless, Fred has his supporters and after three rounds the contest is neck and neck …

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But then comes that crucial round with Boris, having first growl and it looks like a winner …

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That is definitely not the end of this corker of a book, but without spoiling the story finale let’s just say it ends satisfactorily for all concerned.
I just love those bits of throwaway humour in Biddulph’s splendid rhyming text
‘The sound is so loud that it makes Boris jump –
And look what just fell to the ground with a bump!’
which, when combined with his visuals are just priceless. What a talent.

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One Bear Extraordinaire
Jayme McGowan
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Meet Bear, an itinerant entertainer of legendary repute, known for his ‘honey harmonies and twinkle-toed grace.’ One day when working on a new song however, he decides “Something is missing,” and sets off in search of this elusive ingredient. As he travels, he encounters a whole host of musicians one after another and each one joins him “wherever the tune leads”.

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Eventually the ever-growing band discovers a Wolf Pup has tagged along. He too is keen to become a band member but lacks an instrument. Bear offers something from his sack but Wolf Cub just cannot get to grips with any of them …

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and as a last resort Bear suggests the kazoo: “Anyone can play it.” he mistakenly tells the despairing little chap.
But it’s as the others practise in the moonlit campsite that night, that Wolf Cub suddenly discovers he has a vocal talent like no other

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and, it’s just what’s needed to make everything finally sound ‘just right’.
There’s a pleasing musical lilt to Jayme McGowan’s text: ‘he watched the music SWIRL and HOVER across the ridge … ECHO through the canyon … and fill the sky as he and his wayfaring band whooped and hollered their song to the stars.’ But it’s her wonderful illustrations – three-dimensional scenes composed from individual painted cut-outs, that are arranged and photographed in situ – that are the real show-stealers.
A picture book debut of great promise.

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Hindu Tales Retold

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Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth
Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
Chronicle Books
Ganesha is the Hindu deity said to be the remover of obstacles and a very popular one he is too. With those extremely large ears he is reputed to be a good listener and Hindus often pray to him before embarking on a new venture or going on a journey. I have a large collection of Ganesha murtis collected on my numerous visits to India and each and every one seems to have a slightly different personality; all have a pot belly and many of them have him accompanied by his vehicle, a small rat (called Mr Mouse in this story).
There are many stories about Ganesha – how he got a broken tusk being one of the most popular and this colourful book is a modern version of the particular episode. It tells how as a young child, Ganesha liked nothing better than to eat sweet things, in particular laddoos, the Indian confection. This predilection results in a tragedy when our young hero comes upon a new kind of laddoo – The Super Jumbo Jawbreaker Laddoo. Despite warnings from Mr Mouse, Ganesha cannot resist chomping down on the thing – “I’m invincible.” he reassures his friend – and snaps off one of his tusks.
So furious is young Ganesha that he hurls the broken tusk at the moon. It misses, landing at the feet of the ancient sage and poet, Vyasa who just happens to have a special task for the tusk thrower and thus Ganesha lands the job of scribing the great epic of Hindu literature, the Mahabharata.

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The whole book is a riot of dayglo colour in which Sanjay Patel so brilliantly creates ultra-modern visuals, some of which are reminiscent of what you might see in a temple in South India.

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Others are decidedly closer to some of the contemporary Pixar animations he has worked on.

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By adding their own embellishments and playing slightly with the original plot, Patel and Haynes have between them concocted a wonderfully playful rendering of a classic legend that will surely have wide appeal.
It’s just the thing to read around the time of Ganesha Chaturthi the festival, which celebrates Ganesha’s birthday and falls in 2015 on 15th September.

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Rama and the Demon King
Jessica Souhami
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
My original hardback edition of this book has been read and recommended more times than I care to remember and after its publication soon became the ‘must share’ book for teachers at the time of Dussehra/Diwali. So, I’m thrilled to see a new paperback of Jessica Souhami’s wonderful rendition of the ancient Indian tale. For those who have yet to discover this gem, it’s wonderfully illustrated with wondrous scenes based on Jessica’s own shadow puppets (She has an amazing travelling shadow puppet company).
If like me, you had a copy from the 1990s and it’s been lost, read to death or perhaps, stolen, then you’ll welcome this opportunity to replace it. For those yet to discover this gem, I urge you to get a copy now. Souhami’s spare storytelling style is splendid for reading aloud and her visuals of Rama and his monkey army led by Hanuman, overcoming the evil demon King Ravana are magnificent.

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T-Veg / Peanut Butter & Brains

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T-Veg
Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Katerina Manolessou
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Having the courage to be different is the nub of this delicious prehistoric tale of a carrot-crunching dinosaur.
Reginald ate BROCCOLI, Reginald ate BEANS,
Reginald ate bowls and bowls of GARLIC, GRAPES and GREENS.  

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Reginald’s diet is a disaster so far as his parents are concerned: “For goodness sake what’s wrong with you?” a despairing Papa T-rex demands to know and at school, despite being their equal in speed and toughness, Reg becomes the laughing stock of his schoolmates. Consequently – and who can blame him for it – Reg packs his dino-sack and leaves home determined to find some more understanding friends and discover more about vegetarianism. “The truth might be that actually I am a HERBIVORE! I’ll try and do some herbie things. “
However, it appears herbie style activities aren’t quite Reg’s thing …

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So it’s time to consult with those in the know. Befriending them though doesn’t go to plan at all …

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Back home meanwhile, Hugh and the other T-Rexes are starting to see the error of their ways when it comes to Reg; perhaps his differences aren’t a bar to friendship after all. Off they hurtle to find him. But disaster in the form of an enormous rock, strikes – or does it?

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Bright, appropriately veggie coloured illustrations combine with a rhythmic rhyming text that’s a gift to the reader aloud to make a sure fire storytime favourite that celebrates individualism, difference, being brave enough to stand up for your beliefs and admitting when you’re wrong. As the final line reminds us, ‘the best thing in the world is being happy being YOU!’
Tasty stuff says this veggie reviewer.

With similar themes and starring another Reginald is

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Peanut Butter & Brains
Joe McGee and Charles Sanatoso
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Herein it’s his penchant for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that single Reginald out from his fellow zombie residents of Quirkville and he has more than a little trouble getting hold of his favourite food

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until he comes upon little Abigail Zink. This young lass just happens to have exactly what he’s looking for in her lunch bag and as the other (brain-eating) zombies are about to seize the young miss, Reginald’s quick-thinking averts a crisis

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and saves the day causing the marauding zombies to discover something even more delicious than brains. And from then on everything is different in the town of Quirkville.
Quirky this one surely is, but it too delivers a powerful punch when it comes to daring to be different.

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Poetry Shelf

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Three poetry books to share at home or school, three gifts to inspire a love of poetry …

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Stars in Jars
Chrissie Gittins
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
It’s difficult to choose a favourite from this star-studded collection of poems. I love the edgy offbeat nature of many of them, for instance the opening one that gives the book its title. It begins thus:
William went up in a rocket/ To see where it would go./ It flew round/ and round/
and round/ the sun,/ and burnt his left big toe.
He goes on to hurt his knees by crash landing in camembert before flying through the Milky Way to catch the trail of stars which he then brings home and puts in jars for safe-keeping.
There are poems on all manner of familiar topics such as friends and families but even here, Chrissie Gittins builds the extraordinary into, for instance, an otherwise fairly conventional fruit-and herb picking grandma with these final words:
‘my grandma is a fun nun, / and apart from God’s, she’s mine.’
We are treated to powerful images of the natural world in say, The Year is Turning:
Gulls chance the churning sea, / Leaves stack up against the thermal door, / Tips of willows, russet, finger low grey sky,/ The year is drawing in. How’s that for a distillation of an instance of awareness of nature’s changes.
I can’t leave without mentioning the two final poems, first Lullaby. Herein it’s the juxtaposition of images that really packs a punch: Forget about your homework, / forget about that fight, / give it up to the cheesy moon/ and the meteor showers of night.
But it’s all really said in the finale What Does Poetry Do? and I make no apology for quoting the whole thing: ‘It nosedives from the top of the fridge/ into a bowl of rapids, // it crawls along the floor/ and taps you on the knee. // it changes the colour of a room, // it puts great wheezing slices of life/ into bun trays, with or without punctuation. // It manages this all by itself.’
And, it’s fanatastic value too – 130 poems and although of course, some are better than others, there’s not a dud among them. If it doesn’t make you look at seemingly ordinary things in a different way then I’m off to ‘try a lunge at Victoria sponge’.

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Vanishing Trick
Ros Asquith
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
This is a debut collection by Guardian cartoonish, Ros Asquith and she’s peppered it with her own amusing illustrations to add to the appeal though it has plenty of that even without; I love those appropriately presented titles too.
It embraces a wide range of topics from A dream of God to Anthony’s hair (or lack of it in this thought-provoking poem) and there’s a variety of form from the punchy 4-lined Doggerel to 4-pages in the follow your dreams Mohammed & the Whale; and mood – from the playful Things I Like, to the poignant Jo’s House ‘ Was Jo not sad to only hear and feel? / When I was ten I asked her, did she mind?/ She said her searching self made all things real./ She said, “I never think that I am blind.” // She said inside her head the world burned bright./ She said “Inside my mouth bursts sour and sweet./ My ears can hear the birds as they take flight. I feel the turning Earth beneath my feet.” ‘
I don’t know why, but I’m surprised at just how good a book this is.

For a younger audience than the others is

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I Wish I Had a Pirate Hat
Roger Stevens
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Herein we have over forty sparky playful rhymes arranged into three sections – Fun Time, School Time not mutually exclusive I hope) and Home Time. The topics – pirates, pets, minibeasts, friends, letters and words, machines and more have immediate child-appeal and young children will love hearing of the ‘all-knowing’ teacher, Miss Moss who pops up in several of the School Time poems. I suspect she, like this reviewer, has a soft spot for the divergent Billy.
Just the thing to spark an interest in poetry beyond nursery rhymes and to get very young children listening carefully to how words are put together to make memorable moments such as in Teatime with Little Rabbit:
‘Hey, little rabbit/ Would you like a little cuddle?/ I can feel the beating of your heart.// Hey, little rabbit/ Would you like a little snuggle/ and a nibble on my raspberry tart?’

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Rocks and Sharks

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A Rock is Lively
Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
Chronicle Books
I was hooked by this book right from its provocative title and dazzling blue front endpapers. Essentially it’s a basic introduction to petrology but the author’s enthusiasm for the topic shines through in her poetic text that begins thus:
‘A rock is lively … bubbling like a pot of soup deep beneath the earth’s crust … liquid … molten … boiling.’
A rock is also, so we hear , ‘mixed up …

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galactic, old, huge … or tiny, helpful, surprising, inventive, creative, recycled and finally once more … lively.
Each of these statements is explored in its own double spread and illuminated with Sylvia Long’s stunning watercolour visuals, making the whole thing a combination of science, poetry and art.
Thus we learn about the range of temperatures at which various rock types melt, the mineral composition of rocks and that some rocks were formed not on earth but far out in space. We are told about some of the very oldest of all rocks from between 2.5 and 4.5 billion years ago – awesome! And I was surprised to learn that sea lions, seals and crocodiles ingest rocks to act as ballast that helps them stay steady or dive deeper in the water.

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I did know though that various other animals use them as tools as did early humans and indeed humans today use rocks in the manufacturing processes of bricks, glass, cement, paper, pencils, toothpaste even.
Some rocks – the surprising ones – have wonders hidden within. These geodes when opened reveal wonderful jewel-like crystals: agate, tourmaline, amethyst, azurite.

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Then there are amazing sculptures and monuments all over the world, some dating back thousands of years, others a few decades …
If like me, you believe that science should engender in children feelings of awe and wonder, then this is a book that will surely help to do just that. And assuredly it will make you look at and think about mountains and grains of sand in a different way.

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Would You Rather Have a Shark for a Sister or a Ray for a Brother?
Camilla de la Bédoyère and Mel Howells
QED Publishing
This is one a series of books that presents information on a specific topic, sharks in this instance, in an offbeat manner. The reader is invited to make choices in response to such questions as ‘Would you rather visit … a Greenland shark, a frilled shark, or a whitetip reef shark?’ This is followed by some fascinating factual snippets and a visual relating to each species mentioned.
The whole thing has a light-hearted feel to it and is likely to appeal to those who prefer a touch of humour alongside the basic facts, for instance with parents in mind …
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And siblings?

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Or in response to the consideration of teeth …

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A book such as this could well result in youngsters, with appetites whetted, going on to look beyond the information given. And of course, there are possibilities for all manner of flights of fancy too, as well as some activity suggestions.

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New Pet Arrivals

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Rosie’s Special Present
Myfanwy Millward and Gwen Millward
Jonathan Cape
It’s Rosie’s birthday and she’s eagerly anticipating a very special present. Said present meanwhile is having a crisis of confidence from within its wrapping. Suppose all the other gifts look more exciting, will it be overshadowed? What if its owner is a princess or a trapeze artist, a pirate with a squawking parrot even?
As Rosie and her pals party in one room,

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the present has managed, after considerable effort, to get out of its box to investigate the opposition.

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Satisfied that its own wrapping out-sparkles the others, another troubling thought arrives – suppose, despite its superior exterior, Rosie feels disappointed at its contents. So, to counter this, the present climbs up the bookcase and, as the birthday tea is reaching its conclusion in the room next door, the over-anxious gift has wrapped itself in bunting, ribbons and more and crash-landed onto the carpet.

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Thereupon in dashes Rosie and a new friendship is immediately forged…
Winsome characters and an unusual perspective angle on the birthday theme make this a delight to share with young listeners whether or not they are celebrating a birthday: friendship is worth celebrating at any time. Illustrator Gwen’s portrayal of the ‘special present’ – that picture of it clinging desperately to the bunting – is a hoot.

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A delightful joint enterprise from the Millward sisters.

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Lara of Newtown
Chris McKimmie
Allen & Unwin
I’m a real fan of Chris McKimmie’s wonderfully quirky illustrative style and this book wherein Misty/Nigella/Lara seeks a permanent home charmed even cat phobic me.
When we join our feline narrator, she has just been let go by her first owner who has become too old to continue caring for her moggy, and Misty is wandering the streets looking for a new home. Eventually she becomes a Christmas present for one Noni Nice of Pymble where she gets her second name and little else before being shown the door.
There follows a night under the stars for Nigella and then along come the Kafoopses,

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an eccentric couple who are more than happy to add ‘Lara’ to their household residents. From then on life becomes more than satisfactory in every way.
Lara can even do her own entertaining from time to time …

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though on occasions when the Kafoopses have visitors, she finds an alternative place for a retreat. But now she is in her own words “a lucky boots”, loved at last.
Cat owners may well be horrified at the treatment of the long-suffering feline protagonist but despite the two abandonments, this is a story where hope and kindness win through. Chris McKimmie’s collage style is like no other and combined with the array of fonts make for a unique visual narrative whole.

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I Love My Puppy
Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd
Orchard Books
The small boy narrator of the latest Andreae/Dodd offering is the recipient of a new pet – a cute pup. Everything has been made ready for his arrival …

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but even so the little chap is a bit shy initially. It doesn’t take long for the pup to settle in though: he’s playful and affectionate but rather too eager to nibble at things that he really shouldn’t

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and of course, has still to be housetrained. A walk in the park is lots of fun and just the place to try out his bark

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before heading home for a snuggle with his diminutive owner.
As with previous books in this series, the combination of Giles Andreae’s gentle rhyming text and Emma Dodd’s super-sweet scenes bring delight at every turn of the page.

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From Small Beginnings ….

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Who Woke the Baby?
Jane Clarke and Charles Fuge
Nosy Crow
Using the narrative structure of The House that Jack Built as a basis, Jane Clarke has penned a wonderful rhyming tale set in the jungle early one morning. But what has woken that baby who’s ‘smelly and yelly and all forlorn.’? Well, Hippo yawned, Zebra fussed, Lion roared, Crocodile snapped,

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Frog croaked and Bee buzzed. And what about that stunningly coloured butterfly that just happened to float along and land gently on the particular flower occupied by Busy Bee …
If nothing else, it’s certainly caused a change of mood in that baby gorilla, no longer forlorn but full of delighted giggles and gurgles, as it watches the dancing butterfly in the sunlight.

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The story reads aloud beautifully and Fuge’s eye-catching illustrations convey the changing moods of the various animals with verve and a droll, at times befittingly languid, humour.
This should be a real winner with early years listeners.

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Emily’s Balloon
Komako Sakai
Chronicle Books
What a quiet, gentle unassuming book but such a delight is this story about a little girl and her balloon. We follow the course of the interplay between the  child and the balloon during the course of a single day, as the girl becomes ever more enchanted by the object that has assumed the role of friend. Once her mother has devised a tethering device, the girl and balloon enter a special world of their own as they play in the yard.

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But then their blissful idyll is interrupted by a sudden gust of wind that whisks the balloon aloft depositing it in the branches of a tall tree. Try as she might, Emily’s mother is unable to retrieve it and it’s a very sad little girl who sits at the dinner table contemplating what might have been …

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Despite her mother’s promise to get a ladder and rescue the balloon in the morning, Emily goes to bed worrying about her precious object until, through her bedroom window, she spies its comforting moon-like presence glowing outside in the darkness.
This is one of those books that really stays with you, so tenderly realized are those moments shared between Emily and her balloon, and Emily and her mother …

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conveyed through the sparely worded text and enormously eloquent drawings executed in minimal colours. Each and every vignette speaks volumes about the precious vulnerability and innocence of early childhood and the way children can get enormous pleasure from very ordinary everyday objects.

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Milo’s Dog Says Moo!

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Milo’s Dog Says Moo!
Catalina Echeverri
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Milo, the narrator is celebrating his seventh birthday and he’s super-excited. We join him and other family members as they visit Waggy Tail Dogs Home to select Milo’s longed-for pet. Despite his parents’ reservations, there’s no doubt in Milo’s mind which dog it will be that accompanies them home.

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Once through the front door, Beans begins to make himself familiar with his new surroundings showing a distinct preference for vegetarian fare.
Dog lessons prove something of a challenge for both Milo and Beans …

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and the latter certainly doesn’t appear to be exhibiting the usual canine characteristics like bone chewing and cat chasing. And as for barking well …

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However, the one thing beans excels at is increasing in size and before long, he needs new accommodation. Even this though, cannot contain the voracious eater and after just one night in his new abode, Beans has made a spectacular exit …

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seemingly never to be found again.

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But could that training be about to pay off after all …

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Milo and his family’s failure to notice the difference between a dog and a calf is the key to the reader’s enjoyment of this wonderful story. As with all good jokes, it’s the way you tell them that counts for most. Here, Catalina Echeverri’s text is the ‘straight man’ so to speak giving hardly a hint that anything is amiss. In the know young listeners though will spot what’s really going on in her deliciously playful illustrations and will revel in recognizing Beans’ true identity from the outset.

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Learning About Art

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Matisse King of Colour
Laurence Anholt
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
This is a reissue of one of Laurence Anholt’s excellent series featuring famous artists and the children who knew them. It tells of a special friendship that developed between young nurse Monique and the artist Matisse who is in bed recovering from an operation for abdominal cancer. When Monique first enters the artist’s home it seems to her almost like a vividly coloured jungle. Gradually as the old man recovers, a special bond grows with Monique helping him to a chair to sit and paint, and taking on the role of artist’s model as well as nurse.

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Then it’s time for Monique to move on: she becomes a novice nun but still remains a nurse working in the local community. One day she discovers that an empty house, called The Dream, is to have a new owner and it’s none other than her own dear friend, Henri Matisse who is overjoyed to see her again and eager to demonstrate his new way of creating colourful scenes.

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When the artist hears of the sorry state of the nuns and their lack of a chapel he is inspired to build them a ‘house of colour’. Despite the skepticism on the part of some of the nuns Matisse perseveres with his project and finally the ‘Matisse Chapel’ is complete.

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This heart-warming account is based on the true story of the friendship between Henri Matisse and Monique Bourgeois (who he names as his principal co-worker in the chapel project). Anholt’s artwork in vibrant colours beautifully evokes the style of the famous artist and further details of Matisse’s life are given on the final page of the book

Another entirely welcome reissue is

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Katie and the Bathers
James Mayhew
Orchard Books
When Katy and her Gran find the swimming pool packed to capacity one hot summer’s day, they decide to head for the nearby art gallery instead.
There, while grandma takes her customary snooze, young Katie goes exploring and before long finds herself plunging into the river to join the Bathers at Asnières. Therein she meets young Jacques and the two then find themselves embarking on a whole series of watery adventures via the other Pointillist pictures on display.

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Katie saw a little girl in a white dress in Seurat’s SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE ISLAND and climbed inside the picture.

But then with the whole place awash …

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Katie hears the guard and so hastily seeks the help of a magical looking man, subject of Paul Signac’s Portrait of Felix Fencon.

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With a flick of his stick and an ALLA-KAZOOM, Felix succeeds in reversing the mayhem and restoring the room to order in the nick of time.
Totally engaging and an excellent way to introduce children to Pointillism if you cannot get to see the real thing, or before visiting a gallery with a Seurat, Pissarro or Signac on view. The final page provides a brief note about how readers can create their very own Pointillist pictures after the style of the artists in the book.

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Unlikely Criminals

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The World-Famous Cheese Shop Break-In
Sean Taylor and Hannah Shaw
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Situated between the Greengrocer’s and an underwear boutique is The Cheese Shop.

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This entirely bonkers story featuring Daddypops, a paternal rat is narrated by one of his offspring and relates how this father-figure involves his family of mischievous rodent children in a plot to break into the Cheese Shop and steal its tasty wares. Several failed attempts later, there is a complete change of plan: tunneling is the order of the day but this too proves rather more challenging than anticipated …

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Worse is to come though – when the ratty robbers finally resurface, they discover that they’ve actually burrowed into the shop next door: the Fancy Pants Boutique.

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And then, it’s a case of ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.’ Daddypops becomes the proud vendor of stylish underwear for his fellow rodents…
The sight of those rats with their carrier bags of new undergarments is a real giggle maker,

 

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as are many of the other tasty visual tidbits proffered by Hannah Shaw.
Only Sean Taylor would think of calling a young rat robber Shanice; that’s just one of his crazy verbal details and, as Daddypops’ daughter rightly says “What a cheesy ending.” Tee hee! Delicious endpapers too.

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Molly Maybe’s Monsters: The Dappity-Doofer
Kristina Stephenson
Simon & Schuster
Meet Molly Maybe and her dog, Waggy Burns residents of a sleepy little place called Smallsbury. We first encounter them as they peer out at their neighbour Mr Bottomly who seems to have discovered something unexpected while digging a pond in his garden.

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Thus begins a strange adventure for Molly and Waggy courtesy of their amazing contraption called The Mundervator. This secret contraption conveys them from their treehouse, deep down beneath Smallsbury to the magical monster world of Undermunder where they see this …

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Off they head (guided by Waggy’s Walkie-Talkie collar) to the town square where there are monsters in abundance awaiting the appearance of their leader the Monster Meister. This creature informs the crowd of the loss of The Mydol Idol from its plinth. Shock horror! Banishment of the thief will result unless the precious mascot is back in its place on the stroke of midnight. But which of the throng is responsible?

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It looks like it’s down to Molly and Waggy to solve the mystery of the missing statue and the holes in Mr Bottomly’s lawn …
With its pair of adventure seekers, a whole host of mock-scary monsters inhabiting a subterranean world, and a magical machine to connect one to the other, I suspect Kristina Stephenson has concocted a recipe for another successful series.

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Stay!

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STAY!
Alex Latimer
Picture Corgi
Buster is the best dog in the whole world: that’s Ben’s opinion at any rate though his parents might not endorse that …

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And that is why when it’s time for the family holiday Buster will be left in the care of Grampa.
Ben, like the majority of pet owners is worried about leaving his pet for others to care for so, he acts on Mum’s suggestion to write instructions for Grampa. He doesn’t write just one note though, he creates a whole host of them with detailed instructions and information on every ‘Buster’ topic you could imagine and some you probably couldn’t …

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And not only that but once he reaches his holiday destination, Ben continues to send further instructions – on postcards this time, dozens of the things.
There’s one vital communication though, that fails to arrive on time because Grampa and Buster have
gone for a walk to collect a parcel …

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and the result, as you might expect is disaster – from the postman’s point of view certainly.
Grampa’s too, so he decides it’s time to take matters into his own hands: a bad behaviour cure is the order of the day, or rather, many orders of some pretty exhausting days I suspect. It’s time well spent however and by the time the family returns Grampa has Buster pretty well trained and is himself ready with some notes for Ben.
And future holidays? Well that would be telling …
Love that ending!
Alex Latimer’s illustrations are chock-full of witty details that should amuse adult readers aloud as much as children. I love the way he incorporates scraps of paper torn from notepads, postcards and various other bits and pieces of mark-making paraphernalia into his artwork. And, the sight of Buster hurtling down the middle of the road after that departing car is hilarious.

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Focus on Traditional Tales

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HONK! HONK! Hold Tight
Jessica Souhami
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Anyone with an interest in traditional tales will likely be familiar with versions of stories about a sad-faced princess who never so much as smiles being reduced to laughter when she sees a procession stuck to a goose or other magic object; or a king offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to any man who can make his sad daughter laugh. These elements are the basis of Jessica Souhami’s latest folk-tale style rendering of a traditional story that has variants in Russia, Egypt and various parts of Europe.
Here we meet po-faced princess, Alice and her despairing father who has announced that he’ll share his kingdom with whomsoever can make his daughter laugh. This news reaches a poor young fellow, Peter who then sets out to try his luck carrying only a loaf and a carafe of wine. These he gives to a hungry old woman on the way and she in return gives him a gold-feathered goose, a warning and some instructions.
Following her instructions to the letter results in an ever-growing procession of adherents

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as he journeys to the palace and the spectacle duly works its magic upon the doleful Alice. Her laughter breaks the ‘sticking’ spell and the delighted King keeps his bargain. And young Princess Alice? She gradually comes to appreciate the possibilities in a young man who can make her laugh and proposes, resulting in …

 

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Jessica Souhami sets her story in what looks like the early twentieth century from her jewel-bright, cut paper collage style illustrations. With its direct telling, and funny scenes, it’s sure to bring a smile to the faces of audiences young and not so young. It would also be great fun for children to act out – with or without puppets. Get that hooter ready …

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Favourite Mixed Up Fairy Tales
Hilary Robinson and Sarah Horne
Hodder Children’s Books
This is the third in the series of Mixed Up split page books and has a new illustrator, Sarah Monk. Herein readers meet all manner of characters large and small, good and not so good: The Pied Piper, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Rapunzel, Tom Thumb, Rumpelstiltskin, The Gingerbread Man, Thumbelina, Hansel, The Wizard of Oz, Robin Hood, even the Frog Prince and can involve them in all manner of likely or unlikely adventures and encounters with lesser characters such as a wicked witch or a spotty toad. The possibilities are seemingly countless (I’m certainly not going to bother working out the possible number of permutations) and hours of playful fun are assured. One random opening resulted in:

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For those who enjoy being the co-creators of off beat scenarios, this will doubtless prove as popular as its predecessors.

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Gracie exploring the possibilities.

Sarah Horne’s zany, brightly coloured cartoon style images are full of fun and there are some particularly playful mini freeze frames such as that of the yellow brick road …

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that would make interesting starting points for further flights of fancy.

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One Hundred Bones

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One Hundred Bones
Yuval Zommer
Templar Publishing
Rascally mongrel Scruff leads an independent, free-spirited existence much to the disgust of the other inhabitants of his neighbourhood. His penchant for excavating leads to tirades of hostile comments from the human owners of the pampered pet dogs until Scruff finally decides enough’s enough and sets out in search of somewhere more welcoming. He follows his nose (a nose that is particularly expert at sniffing out juicy bones.) And on this occasion his olfactory organ picks up on that most desirable osseous scent leading him up hill and down dale to a spot from which said awesome odour emanated.
You should see those little paws go as down, down he burrows until he finds …

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Oh joy! Our canine pal is almost beside himself with pleasure at the sight of the stash.
Back he dashes to call for some assistance, only to meet with considerable resistance to his pleas until that is, he mentions the b- word. Then it’s a case of follow-my-leader and all paws on deck so to speak.
There follows a conflab as to the nature of the find until Percy the pug has a light-bulb moment after which it’s public transport all the way in a mad dash to – you’ve guessed it – South Ken.

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and in particular, the Natural History Museum and its resident palaeontologist, Professor Dinovsky.
The outcome is a win/win situation as our lovable Scruff and the prof. both come up trumps one way and another.

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What a delicious canine caper and it’s great to see Scruff emerging as top dog (and digger) in the end.
Wittily written with plenty to make adults smile as well as children. I love the dog-eyed view from which Yuval Zommer portrays the action and his characterisation is splendid. Each of those dogs – Percy the pug, Pixie the poodle, Sidney the sausage dog and Ada the Afghan has a distinctive and wholly apt personality.

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Another sure fire winner from Yuval Zommer who brought us The Big Blue Thing on the Hill.

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School Is Fun

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Hugless Douglas Goes to Little School
David Melling
Hodder Children’s Books
Miss Moo-Hoo certainly has her hands, or rather hooves, full when Douglas spends his first day in her care at Little School, especially when he gets that characteristic TICKLE in his tummy in response to her question “what do you like doing best?”

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Indeed I suspect she was somewhat surprised at the responses from some of Douglas’ classmates too, especially “Thinking“.
I’m pretty sure that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the art activity especially bottom printing; now there’s a thought!

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And the interpretation of “wash before you eat” is interpreted rather liberally by her charges

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but at least they get rid of all that paint before lunch.
Probably the best bit of the day was the co-operative block play … Oops!

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I’ve no doubt young Douglas will eagerly join that walking bus when it leaves for school on the next day and the next and … wouldn’t you?
Enormous fun (despite the ‘naughty step’ – one of my pet aversions) and just the thing for those starting nursery or reception when term starts once again.

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Owl Wants to Share at Moonlight School
Simon Puttock and Ali Pye
Nosy Crow pbk
It’s time for the pupils at Miss Moon’s School to get creative: They are to draw “a FAVOURITE night-time THING.” Mouse announces hers will feature “a dark and glinty SEA.” Bat’s will be a “dark and whispery TREE.” Cat chooses a BEE, one that’s dark and mysterious; but Owl’s picture is top secret. Because he’s so slow in starting, all the night-time colours are in use and his classmates refuse to share

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(selfish lot) so Owl is forced to use daytime shades instead.
His effort is belittled by the others, but Miss Moon, (the subject) is more supportive

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commenting that Owl has made her look special and different.. This leads to a swapping of crayons, additions to each picture and a satisfactory outcome for everyone.
A story about learning to share resources and making creative use of what’s available to you. The gently humorous text, with its unusual characters and setting, is delightfully brought to life in Ali Pye’s glowing lunar-lighted scenes. Her characters all look enchanting despite some unfriendly behaviour towards Owl; and their pictures really do look as though they’ve come from a nursery setting.

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Terry Perkins and His Upside Down Frown

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Terry Perkins and his Upside Down Frown
Felix Massie
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
No matter how hard he tries, little Terry Perkins just cannot get his words to come out properly, something that greatly saddens the lad and turns his smile into a frown. His concerned mother takes Terry to see the doctor whose solution to this speech difficulty is to turn the boy on his head. He does now seemingly have a smile – of sorts – but the fact is the child is far from happy and he now has a different problem, or more than one if truth be told. Being stuck on one’s head rules out walking and at playschool he becomes a laughing stock.

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How cruel those bullying children are. It’s a very sad boy who daydreams of living in space, a place where there is ‘no upside down or sideways’.
But then, seeking refuge and solitariness in the park, Terry discovers Jenny (a playschool classmate) who is happy with Terry just as he is; indeed she thinks he’s pretty cool. Good for her, say I.
As the friendship develops both children come to understand just how much more life has to offer when it can be viewed from more than one perspective …

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and then at last, Terry really does have cause to smile.
The final lines of this quirky story that celebrates uniqueness, strength of character and the power of friendship really say it all:
‘You never need a reason
to stand up proud and tall:
being upside down or different
doesn’t matter … at all!’

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It certainly shouldn’t, but it’s a message that still needs repeating over and over; and this thought-provoking story is one that should be shared with, and discussed by, children in early years settings everywhere. The rhyming text reads aloud beautifully and the bold, off-beat art work by an established animator has enormous appeal.
Long live Jenny’s understanding, Terry’s resolve and resilience, and their individuality.

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Herman’s Holiday

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Herman’s Holiday
Tom Percival
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Unable to afford the fabulous destinations featured in the glossy brochures, Herman, desperate not to disappoint his best pal Henry, discovers just the thing – a bargain break offer.

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In no time at all he’s packed and ready for a fun-filled trip and so excited. Henry however, doesn’t share his enthusiasm as they wait for their transport to arrive.
Once at the campsite Herman throws himself heart and soul into the experience.

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Poor Henry on the other hand, is finding life under canvas pretty tough.

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No holiday is complete without sending a few postcards decides Herman, but the sentiments expressed thereon differ somewhat ‘Amazing’ writes Herman. ‘Awful” is Henry’s comment. Once again Herman puts pen to postcard – several postcards in fact and soon all manner of packages start arriving.
Nightfall finds Henry sleeping; not so Herman. He spends the hours of darkness on his transformatory plan …

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And from then on life at the camp-site becomes pretty peachy for both of the friends, so much so that Henry’s parting message is ….

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Deliciously droll scenes of the delectable duo, lift the flap postcards and an overloaded rucksack, and Tom Percival’s understated verbal humour are all part and parcel of this great follow-up story, at the heart of which once again, is friendship.

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Dolci was impressed with Herman’s building skills and asked for the story at least 5 times in quick succession

It’s a pity this book is published so near to the end of the summer holidays. I would have loved to send it to any friends and relations about to go off on camping trips; still there’s always next season for that.

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Whatever Happened To My Sister?

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Whatever Happened to My Sister?
Simona Ciraolo
Flying Eye Books
It’s unusual to have a picture book about how the on-set of puberty can have such a profound effect, being presented from a younger sister’s point of view. There are lots of books about the arrival of a new baby and how this impacts on the family and in particular, the older child or children. The growing up of an elder sibling can also have an unsettling impact upon the one being left behind, particularly where it’s two girls involved.
Here, we have a tender-hearted, somewhat whimsical look, presented through the eyes of a small girl, at the realization that her big sis. has joined the ranks of that breed of ‘just teenagers’ who seemingly spend most of their time behind a closed bedroom door or plugged into various mobile devices.
“I’d had my suspicions for a while that someone had replaced my sister with a girl who looked a lot like her. It had to be!” says the narrator as she remembers the good times they had together while perusing a photo album.
Then, turning detective, she then goes on ponder the tell-tale signs in retrospect …

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some more obvious than others –

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… and to relate how she even turns to her sister’s friends for answers to the thorny problem.

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Simona Ciraolo’s mixed media illustrations executed with a limited colour palette, predominantly in shades first of blue, grey, and latterly, red and orange, speak volumes about the dynamics of the loving relationship between the two siblings.

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Pirates Ahoy!

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Are You the Pirate Captain?
Gareth P. Jones and Garry Parsons
Andersen Press
The ship’s a-ready, the deck swabbed, even the crew’s had a wash but there’s still something stopping those pirates setting sail: what ever can it be? Even the best pirate ship is no good without a pirate captain – a giant squid consumed the previous one – so, the search is well and truly on. First Mate Hugh, with his trusty telescope, is on the lookout for a worthy successor:
               A buccaneer
           Who will strike fear
         In every sailor’s heart.
Several misidentifications later – a coat-hanger for a hook,

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a brolly for a parrot …

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a shopping list for a treasure map, but surely the chap sporting pirate gear must be the one.

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Not quite but he does help the crew find a solution to their leadership dilemma and then it’s a case of brains to the fore …
    ‘He diddle-he and a hey diddle-hey,
     Weigh the anchor, we sail today!
     Hey diddle hey and a he diddle-ho,
       Hoist the flag … and off we go!’
With its jaunty rhyming telling and gigglesome visuals, this swashbuckling tale, complete with sea shanty is likely to appeal to would-be young sea dogs especially those who enjoy a book where things are not quite as they seem.

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Dolci absorbed in the piratical doings

Pirates in Pyjamas
Caroline Crowe and Tom Knight
Little Tiger Press
There seems to be a plethora of pirate picture books at present and now here’s first time author Caroline Crowe answering the question ‘Do pirates wear pyjamas when it’s time to say goodnight?/ Do they have a skull and crossbones, are they stripy, black and white? that two small children are pondering.
The answer is seemingly, where pirates and pyjamas are concerned, pretty much anything goes

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as we see when we join Captain Grotbeard and his crew aboard the Leaky Parrot as they perform their ablutions, then step into their night attire. Before retiring for the night however there’ll probably be the obligatory pyjama party, not to mention the odd spot of pillow fighting.
All this action calls for a nightcap though …

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And finally, it’s time to bed down for some shut-eye wherever you are.

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Tom Knight illustrates the nocturnal frolics illuminating the rhyming text with verve and humour, adding chucklesome details here and there.

Finally, a reissue of a classic piratical tale from over fifty years ago is:

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Captain Pugwash
John Ryan
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
This is the very first of what became a popular series of picture books featuring Pugwash the pirate captain, his arch enemy Cut-throat Jake and Tom, the cabin boy: the latter being the only person able to do the important jobs aboard The Black Pig – sailing the ship, working the compass and making tea.
In this adventure we discover what happens when Pugwash attempts to seize the treasure stashed aboard the ship belonging to Cut-throat Jake and is taken prisoner and made to walk the plank by Jake and his crew.
As becomes the norm in subsequent stories, it’s really down to trusty young Tom to save the day and the Captain. …

 

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Great stuff.

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The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty

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Gracie is enchanted by the wonderful scenes

The Marvellous Squishy Itty Bitty
Beatrice Alemagna
Thames & Hudson
Five and a half year old Edith, commonly known as Eddie, longs to be good at something, like the rest of her talented family and when she hears her sister using the words “present… Mum… birthday… fluffy… squishy…itty… bitty…“ she is determined to get her Mum an amazing present too; but what?
Off she sets on her search, first stop Bruno’s bakery, crammed full of tasty treats. He doesn’t have a “Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty” on sale though he does offer a sticky bun. Into Eddie’s bag it goes and off she dashes to the florists.

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Wendy has no “furry squirty” objects and offers instead a lucky four-leaf clover. That too goes in the bag and it’s on to Mimi’s fashion shop, a promising establishment full of furry, feathery things. There however, she has to accept a pearl button and move on towards the antique shop owned by her friend, Emmett.

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His misinterpretation results in the addition of a Threepenny green – a very rare stamp – to her unlikely assortment of bits and bobs; and it’s a somewhat disheartened Eddie who wanders on to her last hope, the butcher’s shop but Theo sends her packing straightaway. (I have to say this veggie reviewer dashed past Theo’s establishment rather than join the long queue.)
So, it’s an even more dispirited little girl who seeks shelter from the snow beneath a roof; but it’s there that she discovers a very odd-looking creature that just happens to be all that she’s been seeking for that perfect and amazingly versatile present.

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… useful for so many things!

That’s not quite the end of the story though. Suffice it to say however, after some further trials and tribulations, our young heroine is able to present her Mum with the an absolutely splendid birthday gift and in so doing has discovered her own special gift too.
This quirky tale is full of wacky characters, the most delightful of all being of course, the fluorescent pink coated Eddie herself: her perseverance and resourcefulness and imagination are assuredly something to celebrate.
I love everything about the book: its richly detailed scenes of the various shops inside and out, that Eddie visits:

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the playful language of the first person narrative, and the matt ivory paper which makes for a seductive French ambiance. Delicious.

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Toddler Bookshelf

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Where’s Bear?
Emily Gravett
Macmillan Children’s Books
Bear and Hare are back in their third amusing adventure, or game actually. The adorable duo engage in a game of Hide and Seek with Bear hiding first. Unsurprisingly to readers his chosen hiding places – in front of a lamp, or a pile of books, and behind a fish tank (albeit a large one) – are a dismal failure and the roles are reversed. Bear is now the finder: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 … but where, oh where is Hare? Here perhaps?

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But now Hare cannot find Bear and oh dear, he’s getting in a bit of a tizzy

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until finally …

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Nobody can turn a small episode into high drama with quite the consummate skill of Emily Gravett.
I do hope the publishers decide to offer it other formats: it’s perfect for beginning readers but the board book edition may well put them off.

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How Many Legs?
Katja Spitzer
Flying Eye Books
Off beat illustrations of all manner of items from ice-creams to bugs and ‘mischievous monkeys’ to ‘stylish shoes’ to count, are presented in the small pages of this quirky little counting and number book. It’s divided into two distinct parts: the first introduces numerals and counting to 10 (the number being displayed on both sides of the spread);

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the second provides practice in getting one to one correspondence between the number names spoken and the items being counted without the visual number symbols.

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There’s plenty of potential for talking with the very young ones as well as the mathematical opportunities offered here in this mini volume, which is one of a new series from this artist and Flying Eye. I love the bold retro images and the feel of the whole thing.

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SNAP! SNAP!
Cocoretto
Child’s Play
There are five animals hiding beneath the flaps of this ‘Guess the Animal’ board book, each introduced by a noisy clue and the repeated question What’s that noise?’

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the answer being revealed by lifting the flap on the opposite page.

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Those from just a few months can enjoy the sounds and bold, bright images, slightly older toddlers will delight in the playful scenarios and the chance to be noisy along with the various animals large and small each spread provides; and those just beginning to match the spoken word to the print on the page might try doing just that. The experience will be hugely more enjoyable than that provided by the first books of a dreary reading scheme and in addition there’s the opportunity to begin to develop prediction skills.
In similar vein is

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CHOO! CHOO!
The format is the same but herein the animals are the drivers or operators of wonderfully noisy vehicles. There’s a train, a tractor, a digger, a motorbike and a fire engine. Playful, cacophonous fun aplenty.

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Characters Bold and Not So Bold

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I’m A Girl
Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Let’s hear it for the wonderful female protagonist – an aardvark I think –  in Yasmeen Ismail’s latest book. She’s messy, super fast, brave, spontaneous and an independent thinker and doer.

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She’s a great music maker, likes to play games of all kinds

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and is determined to be the BEST. She is – in her own words – “sweet and sour, not a little flower!” But, she has a hard time convincing others of her gender. “I’m a girl!” she asserts at every wrong assumption, and there are many.
Then she makes friends with another person who is also determined to be true to his own nature

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… and it’s time for a celebration of individuality.
Brilliantly exuberant, funny and full of joy: a book to cherish. If only all children had the confidence to be true to themselves like the girl and her new-found friend herein.
If I had my way a copy would be given to all young children before they start school or nursery.
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Max the Brave
Ed Vere
Puffin Books
Meet kitten Max. Despite appearances he’s a fearless mouse chaser, or would be if only he knew what a mouse looked like. He decides to do a search; but encounters with Fly, Fish, birds, Elephant and Rabbit all of whom have had sightings, yields nothing. Or so it seems despite …

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But the wily animal professes to be a Monster, so what about this slumbering creature?

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Time to find out Max …

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Oops! Perhaps Mouse chasing isn’t quite what you’d anticipated fearless one: Monsters instead, perhaps?
I’m a great fan of Ed Vere (of Banana fame). Here, his clever use of space, a bold, flat colour palette and minimalist style sit well with the direct, dead pan narrative that is delivered largely through Max’s internal dialogue and his interactions with the animals he meets.
A great one to share and I anticipate multiple re-readings will be the order of the day (or night). Equally, it’s a super story for emergent readers to try for themselves.

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The 5 Misfits

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The 5 Misfits
Beatrice Alemagna
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Let’s hear it for the misfits – five of them as served up by the hugely talented Beatrice Alemagna. This motely quintet somehow manage to reside together in a tumbledown house despite – or perhaps because of – their shortcomings.
Misfit number one is a holey individual …

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Number two is neatly folded, concertina style …
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The third is feeble – floppy, tired and sleepy …

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The fourth is an upside downer

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and last and least, the fifth is a complete catastrophe and probably best forgotten.

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Enter stage left the Perfect One with an amazing hairstyle and sporting stylish pantaloons.

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This faultless being proceeds to interrogate the residents of the lopsided house making them feel even more worthless – well actually no. Maybe that was his intention, with his talk of ideas,

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but the result is something altogether else.
Alemagna’s tongue-in-cheek allegorical extravaganza is delivered with wit and panache. Inclusivity and finding your own unique inner self are two of the themes that emerge loud and clear from this wise and thought-provoking offering.
Philosophy for primary children is creeping onto the curriculum in more schools (and not before time). Here’s a great starting point for a ‘community of inquiry’ style discussion with sevens and above.

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Hooray For Small Girl With Big Imaginations

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Lion Practice
Emma Carlisle
Macmillan Children’s Books
In this warm-hearted story that celebrates the imagination we meet Laura: she has a penchant for practice, pretty much any kind of practice so long as it involves being big and/or noisy.

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So when her mother suggests she should practise being something small and quiet, Laura is having none of it – no way; her sights are set on something rather different.
But what is all this about you might be wondering. Her parents certainly don’t appreciate it.
Well, perhaps Laura just wants to be in the limelight because…

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Maybe she’ll settle for being a little lion after all – it does have its compensations

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and there’s always tomorrow for this resilient little miss …
Emma Carlisle is an emerging talent. Her free flowing illustrations have the uninhibited spirit of the unselfconscious artist one images Laura herself would be.
I look forward to what comes next…

Another small girl with a large imagination is featured in debut author Jenna Harrington’s:

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Katie McGinty Wants a Pet!
Jenna Harrington and Finn Simpson
Little Tiger Press
The great day has finally arrived: Katie McGinty is big enough to have a pet

 

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– but this tricky miss doesn’t want a common or garden hamster, cat, or dog. Oh no! What she has set her heart on is something much more exciting  …

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And seemingly she’s thought things through pretty carefully as she demonstrates to her perplexed parent on their walk to the pet shop: “Don’t be silly Daddy! … He’ll eat pizza and fish fingers and spaghetti with us at the table … “ is her response to his concerns about the lack of grass in their garden and of course, their bath isn’t large enough. “I’ll have to wash him at the swimming pool!” she informs him.
Dad tries to let her down gently as they reach their destination but he hasn’t quite anticipated the very special bargain on offer …

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Finn Simpson’s exuberant scenes show much more than is said in the words. He captures the gentle playful humour of Jenna Harrington’s deliberately straightforward delivery, much of which is dialogue, extending and embellishing it with laugh out loud fantasies.

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Captain Jack and the Pirates

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Captain Jack and the Pirates
Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury
Puffin Books
In this timeless tale we join a family at the seaside and in particular three small children Jak, Zak and Caspar as they embark on a sandcastle-building extravaganza.

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With construction complete it’s a case of “Anchors aweigh!” and with mainsail hoisted, off sail Captain Jack and his pirate crew through uncharted oceans far from shore. Once on the high seas adventures abound: there’s a confrontation with an enemy ship and its dastardly band of buccaneers

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and a tropical gale to contend with,

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not to mention …

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The ‘marooned’ pirates abandon ship and set out to explore the terrain in search of treasure – well two do but Caspar remains on watch.
And do they discover any treasure? Definitely – if you have an imagination akin to that of the small pirate trio so gorgeously portrayed.
Told in rhyme, Peter Bently’s enchanting story is a real pleasure to read aloud. In her scenes of small children engrossed in their play, both real and imaginary, Helen Oxenbury flawlessly evokes those childhood days of family seaside holidays when everything seemed perfect no matter what.

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A Clutch of Activity Books

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I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of activity type books; the teacher part of me would much prefer to provide children sheets of paper, large and small and a variety of materials, some encouragement and let them create. However that’s not for everyone and I know there are some children (and definitely lots of parents) who want something much more self-contained on occasion. So, here’s a clutch of stand-out books that might be just the thing to turn to on a rainy day or when the children seem at a loss for what to do next…

 

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Let’s Go Find a Tiger!
Yasmeen Ismail
Macmillan Children’s Books
In the company of two explorers we foray deep into the jungle seeking a tiger. Tigers however are far from the only inhabitants of this lush environment: there are brightly coloured birds – particularly if you draw some as well as using the stickers provided at the back of the book, a variety of minibeasts, a snake or so …

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a lone monkey that needs feeding (you draw or stick the food and additional monkeys), and some more friends to play with (you decide what).
Further in are some animals already engaged in playful activity; they too need others to join them.
Watch out for that pond: what scary thing lives there? – It’s pretty much up to the reader …
And so the search continues: there’s an encounter with a large, friendly pachyderm, some leopards partying, birds among the branches …

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and finally or almost so – that sought-after tiger.
At the end of the book, the reader has become the co-creator of his or her own jungle story, or that’s the intention. Very young children will need an adult to read the rhythmic, sometimes rhyming text aloud before embarking on the artistic endeavours offered herein.
As always Yasmeen Ismail’s own illustrations are a delight – exuberant and playful. I suspect any youngster offered this book would delight in personalizing it in his or her unique way.

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You Are an Artist
Marta Altés
Macmillan Children’s Books
This book takes the form of a series of ‘lessons’ from an artist, THE artist from Marta Altés’ I Am An Artist picture book. The art teacher provides a drawing lesson, a lesson in looking at things creatively wherein you have to find the 10 faces, an opportunity to get colourful, another to use sticker shapes in imaginative ways (I’ve seen foundation stage children engaging in using real objects – leaves,

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flower petals, shells, pebbles, pencil shavings, scraps of paper, wood offcuts etc. in a similar fashion,

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rather than the stickers provided at the end of the narrative). Then there is a lesson on using line, another about looking for and using pattern …

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and some other fairly open-ended activities.
Not only does this book offer hours of fun but also provides the opportunity to think about, and talk about being an artist and what it entails.
I love the assertive message inherent in the title.

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Atlas of Adventure Activity Fun Pack
illustrated by Lucy Letherland
Wide Eyed Publications
Even if you’re not going far afield this holiday, you can visit all kinds of locations near and far courtesy of a companion to Lucy Letherland’s splendid Atlas of Adventure. Essentially it comprises a fair bit of colouring in (this seems to be in vogue at present), things to spot and snippets of information that are scattered throughout the various spreads. So, pens and crayons at the ready, you can ‘Go Wild in Africa’, ‘Party Around the World’, go deep sea diving and more.

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There’s also a flags of the world poster a the back of the book and stickers to embellish the map of the world on the reverse side.

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Pop this into a bag before you embark on a journey with youngsters, no matter what your destination.

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Making Faces!
Jacky Bahbout and Momoko Kudo
Thames & Hudson
With a large die-cut circle through each of the 32 tear-out pages of this book/pad children are provided with a whole host of possibilities to be inventive with mark-making materials, offcuts of paper/fabric, wool, glue and other bits and pieces. Then by peering through the central hole, they can become the star (human or animal) of their own playful scenarios

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with sound effects as suggested on some of the pages, though there isn’t always much room for embellishment around the face hole.
The paper used feels like artists’ paper and the wide variety of topics such as ‘Let’s Space Walk’ or ‘I Love Spiders’ included should offer something to interest most young children.

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Lovely Old Lion

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Lovely Old Lion
Julia Jarman and Susan Varley
Andersen Press
What a gorgeous book but one would expect no less: its illustrator, Susan Varley is the creator of the classic Badger’s Parting Gifts. Here, she’s worked in partnership with Julia Jarman and the result is an equally sensitive picture book, on the tricky topic of dementia.
As with most grandchildren and their grandparents, there is a very special bond between young Lenny lion and his grandpa, King Lion. But lately Lenny has noticed changes coming upon his beloved Grandpa: he forgets the rules of games,

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what objects are used for and even, on occasion, Lenny’s name.
Gradually King Lion becomes more and more confused but young Lenny is determined to continue bringing light and life into his Grandpa’s days. First he chastises the other animals in no uncertain terms when they laugh at King Lion and then he enlists kindly Hippo’s help to ensure that for the remainder of his life, those neighbours and friends keep grandfather provided with objects that help trigger memories of his earlier years when for instance, he was able to outplay or trick his pals,

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or come to their rescue on occasion.

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Every illustration is suffused with tenderness; the details are gently humorous and enormously appealing to the young (and not so young).
Compassionate as the telling surely is, the essentials of the condition such as bad temper are dealt with in an honest straightforward manner. And, the final part of the story in particular serves as a reminder that no matter what our age, the whole of life is an inevitable cycle of growth, change, ageing and eventual loss.

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Adults can choose to fill in specific family details if relevant or, as one would hope, share the story with all young children and let listeners ask their own questions.
This one deserves a place on every family bookshelf and should be in every primary school library and early years setting.

For much older readers is:

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Stonebird
Mike Revell
Quercus
Moving home and starting at a new school, bullying, dementia and the power of stories and storytelling are some of the themes of this book. It centres on the eleven year old narrator Liam, who has moved with his sister Jess and mum, in order to be closer to his Gran who has dementia and now lives in a care home.
Exploring the locality of his new home one day, Liam comes across an ancient-looking stone gargoyle in the crypt of an old church. It’s this gargoyle, Stonebird, and a symbolic marble egg shaped stone his new teacher uses with his class during storytelling circle time sessions, that together play an ultimately transforming part in Liam’s life as he gradually comes to comes to terms with, and begins to cope with the changes he has to face in his new life.
Written by debut author Mike Revell, this powerfully affecting and convincing story is a haunting and ultimately, uplifting read.

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A Sky of Diamonds

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A Sky of Diamonds
Camille Gibbs
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
When Mia hears that her mother has died (in an accident at work), the colour drains right out of her world. She tells readers just how it was for her: some days she was unable to get out of bed, on others she couldn’t sleep. “There were days when my heart hurt so much it was hard to eat, hard to breathe and sometimes it felt hard even to be me anymore.” she says. Her dad explains that Mia is grieving and there will be up days and very down days, rather like being on a roller-coaster. She feels a volcanic kind of anger deep inside ready to explode at any time; perhaps she’d done something to cause the death; what if her dad died too?
After the anger comes sadness and it’s then that Mia’s dad suggests a memory box …

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wherein they can both put things connected with special memories and at the same time, have a time together when they could talk about Mia’s mum and she could ask questions.
Slowly there come times – her birthday is coming up – when Mia is able to feel a little more positive about life  That’s what her mum would want, Dad tells her. Eventually Mia finds her own way of coping: she looks at the stars and talks to the brightest one.
Written by a social worker who has much experience with children who have suffered the loss of family members, this is an extremely helpful resource for children having to cope with the loss of a loved one and those adults having to support them through their grieving; it’s strength is most definitely the first person narrative and the activities embedded within the text.

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Tree of Wonder

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Tree of Wonder
Kate Messner and Simona Mulazzani
Chronicle Books
I loved the author’s Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt. Now for her latest narrative information book she takes readers to a more exotic habitat, the tropical rainforest  and in particular one Almendro tree.
This tree, which we are told, is able to produce over a 1,000,000 flowers when it blooms, is in fact the centre of an ecosystem of its own with over 1,000 different living things depending on it.  Among those creatures that rely upon it for shelter and/or food are brightly coloured birds – Great Green Macaws and Keel-Billed Toucans,

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both of which feast on the ripe fruits, and Howler Monkeys (they help disperse the seeds of the fruits. Then there are the nocturnal fruit bats that also help in seed dispersal as do the Agoutis, which snuffle around the tree’s base gorging on the fallen fruits. The Blue Morpho butterflies sip the juice of the rotting fruits, roosting in groups to deter predators. For further protection, they flash their brightly coloured wings …

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then fold them up with the brown undersides against the trunk, the spots thereon giving their wing undersides a hawk- or owl-like resemblance.
Among the residents of the Almendro are tadpoles of Poison Dart frogs carried by their parents for safety into the tree where there are small pools of water; and spiders, and leafcutter ants.
Maths is also embedded within this fascinating book. The number doubles as the page is turned and a new species is featured: thus we are shown for instance 4 toucans, 8 Howler Monkeys,

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16 Fruit Bats and so on until we reach 1,024 – that’s the number of Leafcutter ants symbolically represented. And if readers want more maths, then there are, at the end, ten problems, some more challenging than others, just waiting to be solved.
Simona Mulazzani’s detailed scenes of the rainforest fauna and flora are beautiful. Every turn of the page offers a new and glorious painting to linger over.
Engagingly written and superbly illustrated, this book has much to offer primary schools using a topic-based approach to the curriculum. (I came upon several classes using the tropical rainforest as part of their investigative studies recently.)

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Board Book Beauties

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What Does Doggy Want?
David Wojtowycz
Walker Books
Clever design, bright visuals, an endearing character and a simple repeating patterned text combine to make a delightfully playful, interactive book for babies. By placing a finger in the hole and moving it up and down, small hands can make the Doggy shake his head to say “NO”

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to various items offered until at last, he gets exactly what he’s been waiting for;

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and then he nods his head affirmatively.
The same formula works for a companion volume

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What Does Monkey Want?
David Wojtowycz
Walker Books
In this instance a series of actions is suggested all of which receives a “No”

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(A side-to-side movement is needed this time) because, as we eventually discover, Monkey just wants to …

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In addition to enjoying a simple story, these two books offer the very young opportunities for the development of manipulative skills.

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All Shook Up!
Alain Crozon
Chronicle Books
Manipulative opportunities abound in this playful board book that features animals of all shapes and sizes. You can make the chick flutter its feathers, the butterfly flap its wings up and down,

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the elephant swing its trunk and shake its ears, or the hippo poke out its tongue, for instance.
Primary colours (and black and white) are used to great effect in this rapping, rhyming flap book.

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Chooky-doodle-doo
Jan Whiten and Sinéad Hanley
Walker Books
‘One Little chooky chick/pulling at a worm. /Clucky cluck, worm’s stuck./What should chooky do?’
Thus begins an enormously appealing board book that combines counting fun, rhyme and a delicious final twist. Oh! and there’s teamwork too.

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I love the slightly acid tones and the textural effects of Sinéad Hanley’s amusing illustrations.
Just the thing to share with the youngest listeners.

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Tomas Loves …

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Tomas Loves …
Jude Welton and Jane Telford
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Herein we meet Tomas and his canine companion Flynn (ever present to provide support and comfort). Tomas lives with his loving parents who understand his likes and disilikes and help him cope with his autism. Mum provides him with a daily visual diary

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and ensures that as far as possible, he is forewarned of any changes in routine early in the day;  and Dad is always there to read him a goodnight story. Thus they create a calm environment wherein Tomas is able to enjoy books with repeating words …

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He loves strange-sounding names like ‘thingamybob’ or ‘flipertyjane’ and will repeat them over and over, he also loves to play with his toy trains on the track and also with tiny toys, bouncing on a trampoline, riding a horse and feeding it; and he has a special diet ‘that won’t hurt his tummy’. Sudden loud noises are one thing Tomas hates …

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and sometimes if he is feeling very stressed he might start flapping his hands
Although we are told of all the things about Tomas in particular, things that are fairly common in children who have autism, the overall impression is that he is not so different for:
Tomas loves Flynn, and his Flynn loves him too.
Tomas loves fun and friendship – just like you.
Warmly illustrated and affirming with a gentle rhyming text, this is a book for all early years and primary settings and one that offers a good way to introduce the idea of autism to young readers who haven’t come across the behaviours Tomas exhibits.
Buy from JKP

For a slightly older audience is

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Can I Tell You about Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome?
Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie, illustrated by Jonathon Powell
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
This informative little handbook is narrated by Issy, an 11 year old girl with PDA (an autism spectrum condition). She shares with readers what it is like to have this condition – one that relatively little is written about in comparison with other ASDs. (Although I have taught a fair few children on the spectrum I’ve never known one with a PDA diagnosis although retrospectively I can think of at least one child who perhaps should have had one.)
We learn from Issy what makes her feel particularly anxious – “loud noises, new shoes and sitting on the smelly floor at school” and being asked to do something someone else wants them to. The latter can make her come up with rather outlandish excuses and if pushed, a long-lasting tantrum or meltdown can result. On particularly sensitive days, Issy and those like her need special consideration and help.
The last part of the book is written from an adult perspective and takes up this topic in the section ‘How other people can help’. Careful prioritisation of the issues to address, making requests in an oblique manner (‘I’d like someone to help me with this task’, rather than ‘do this’, flexibility of approach, anxiety reduction and support with friendship making/maintaining are some of the topics discussed.
For me, what is particularly good about this useful resource is its positive approach to the topic.

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London Bound

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Katie and the British Artists
James Mayhew
Orchard Books pbk
In this recent Katie reissue, our charming young heroine accompanies her Grandma to The National Gallery. On route she ponders on the question of what job she might have when grown up. Then, in the gallery while Gran has a snooze, she takes a look at some of the pictures, starting with Constable’s The Cornfield. Her comment that she’d love to be a shepherd, receives a surprise response from the shepherd boy in the painting (called Ben in the story) and the two then strike up a friendship …

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and together go in search of alternative occupations. Turner’s Rain, Steam and Speed offers a train-driving experience, George Stubbs’ Whistlejack leads to an opportunity for Ben to try his hand as a horseman, albeit not very successfully,
The two then climb into a Gainsborough – The Painter’s Daughters Chasing a Butterfly

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and therein Ben discovers an artist’s life isn’t for him and finally Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire furnishes a brief sea voyage after which Katie returns to her gran and Ben to his sheep.
For anyone visiting the National Gallery with young children or a primary class, this delightful book is an excellent introductory starting point to some of the 18th and 19thC paintings therein.

 

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London Through Time
Nick Maland and Angela McAllister
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Nick Maland (of the Oliver series fame) has illustrated what is essentially a concertina fold-out time line of London. We join two children, Maisie and Max (and a friendly pigeon) as they time travel from Roman Thameside London, through the plague ridden city of the Black Death, thence to Fleet Street of Tudor London, on to 1666 to view the Great Fire and along a Georgian street with its aromatic, mid 18thC coffee houses. From there we drop in on the city in 1865 where chimneys belch filthy smoke and poor children work for a mere farthing and thence, onto Victorian times where the city is shrouded in a filthy black smog. Flip the fold out and move into Edwardian times with the Votes for Women marches, then in 1914 watch the soldiers leave for the Great War; visit the Roaring Twenties, the Blitz of the World War 2 and join the Coronation parade of 1953 for Elizabeth 11. The swinging sixties are the penultimate destination when boutiques grew up all over London and finally after almost 2000 years, our guides bring us back to the present, to Trafalgar Square and the familiar sights of Big Ben,with the London Eye in the background.
A final page asks readers to spot items shown in fourteen tiny vignettes which will in all likelihood send them back for a second look at this fascinating visual trip through England’s capital city.
Nick Maland’s art work is packed with fine details and superbly executed and Angela McAllister supplies the informative written accompaniment to Max and Maisie’s historic wanderings.

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ZIPPO The Super Hippo

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Emmanuelle more than a little concerned at the sight of the crocodile’s open jaws as Zippo plummets, seemingly  towards them.

ZIPPO The Super Hippo
Kes Gray and Nikki Dyson
Macmillan Children’s Books
Bottoms up for Zippo the hippo. As he wallows in the swamp, said hippo bemoans to his best pal, Roxi the oxpecker, the fact that he lacks a super power. What he wants is something BIG and exciting and he needs Roxi’s help to discover what exactly IS that personal speciality of his. Plodding, getting muddy and swimming don’t cut it in the super power department, nor do splishing, sploshing and splashing. Flying maybe, suggests Roxi leading Zippo to the top of a waterfall for his maiden flight …

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Several attempts later, not to mention a few splatted creatures …

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our would-be super hero declares that flying isn’t his thing after all. But, as Roxi tells him, “You didn’t just squash’em… You got’em with your bottom!” Super hippopotamus he isn’t; but super hippobottomus, well certainly …

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Who wouldn’t fall for (though definitely not under) Zippo with his massive rear and those wonderful super-pants. Giggles galore will result from sharing this one I predict. Like those Zippo landings, it will be a whopping hit for sure. I’m off to find some children to help launch Zippo into superhero stardom. They’re bound, like me, to give this super story a massive BUMS UP: It’s BUMBALICIOUS!

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The Whopper

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The Whopper
Rebecca Ashdown
Templar Publishing
What would you do if given a terrible sweater lovingly knitted by your Gran? Try your best to dispose of it one way or another, probably. And that is exactly what happens in this story when Percy receives a ghastly-looking jumper from his Grandma. “Just right for walking the dog in!”

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she tells him and that is exactly what Percy does – though perhaps not quite in the way Grandma had intended however.

 

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When it gets beyond the pale there is only one thing for it …

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and when on his return, Percy’s mum wants to know where the rainbow wonder is, what does Percy do? Tells a whacking great lie and hot foots it up to his room: he’d hardly put his hands up to dumping it in the bin, now would he?  Suddenly in the bedroom, he notices an odd looking creature who, Percy learns, is his Whopper. Said Whopper is invisible to grown-ups (a good thing) but gets bigger as the lie increases in stature (definitely not a good thing). So, by the time Grandma leaves the Whopper is enormous.
Time to tell the truth, brother Boris suggests but Percy isn’t convinced, so at bedtime, Percy has a bed companion – a very hungry one …

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But it’s not until the Whopper casts his hungry eyes on Boris the next day after school that Percy puts his hands up to the lie and then with the truth out, you can imagine what happens to that Whopper. Which just goes to show that it’s always best to be honest – though maybe not where Grandmas are concerned …
A delightfully playful take on a serious topic that faces all children from time to time. Most of us know how that seemingly simple little lie can grow out of all proportion to become all-consuming, if the perpetrator doesn’t own up. Rebecca Ashdown’s illustrations bring that truth home in a deliciously humorous manner with images that will surely make young children think twice before they lie to get themselves out of trouble.

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I shared the book with a group of 5s to 8s, first stopping just before the Whooper appeared. They were merely told it was blue: here are some ideas of what it might be like.

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Where the Bugaboo Lives

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Where the BUGABOO Lives
Sean Taylor and Neal Layton
Walker Books
How many ways are there to read a story? In this instance, I’m still trying to discover the answer. It assuredly puts the reader very much in control; you can if you wish stop reading at page 7 for instance; or …
I took the scary option and went with Ruby and her brother Floyd (who is desperate to retrieve his ball that’s rolled down into the valley wherein the scariest of all creatures THE BUGABOO resides). Eventually I found myself here

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but you can of course guess what I did then …
You might be pierced by a prickle-beast, eviscerated by a hungry Old English Spook, tossed terrifyingly by a troll, stunk out by a scuttling spider, drooled upon by a demon, battered by a bony hobgoblin

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or worse. It all depends whether you go uphill or down; follow the spring path or the autumn one; wander on a winter way

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or take a summer stroll, head for the smoke or the coloured lights.
This one comes with a parental warning as it’s overflowing with the kind of terrifying creatures that will make adults run for cover. The whole thing is crammed with crocs, bedevilled with blood-sucking mosquitoes,

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inhabited by giant infants, a-fire with fearsome fiends, sweetly scented by snooze-inducing sniffers – daisies actually but pretty powerful ones. And that’s not all.
Oh! And if kisses aren’t your thing, be alert and join Floyd and Ruby in their mad homeward dash. PHEW!
I foresee family fights ensuing over this book and one copy in a classroom will definitely not be enough to cope with the demand.
Gloriously ghoulish, amazingly awesome and eminently re-readable; it’s brimming over with visual and verbal delights.
Miss this one at your peril. Or perhaps that should be, get hold of it at your peril.

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The Amazing Human Body Detectives

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The Amazing Human Body Detectives
Maggie Li
Pavilion Children’s Books
I learned something new today, (though I could say that’s true of pretty much every day when working with children). I discovered from Maggi Li’s new book that blondes have more hairs than others.
The human body fascinates most young children – how it works and what it can do. In twelve double spreads (plus contents and glossary) Maggi Li takes readers through the basics introducing first the main organs (Busy Organs as she calls the heart, lungs and kidneys)

 

 

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wherein alongside the essential facts of function and size, is a ‘body challenge’ and, in this instance, Laugh Factory stating ‘Laughing is good for you so get giggling!’ Children will delight in using that as a reason for so doing, I suspect.
In fact the whole book is presented as a journey with readers invited to take the magnifying glass from the front cover and use it to explore within. They might take a look inside the mouth at the teeth, or look closely at the skin to spot goose pimples, for instance. Quirky facts are writ small within each page of the book and you can even get close up to a bogie –

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another favourite with children. But the most read spread in my experience is assuredly Waste Factory

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with its focus on burps, hiccups, wee, sick, trumps and in particular The Bristol Stool Chart with its associated Body Challenge.

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This is the one I suspect that will get most take up!
There is a surprising amount of human anatomical information for readers to discover between the covers of this book. The clever thing however, is that with the emphasis on exciting and intriguing visuals, rather than dense blocks of text, children do not realise just how much hard information is embedded within each spread. And, once their interest has been stimulated there are further suggestions for on-going investigations on the final spreads
Definitely one for the family bookshelf or primary classroom.

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Flips, Flaps and Dots

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Find the Dots
Andy Mansfield
Templar Publishing
This dotty book is truly amazing. Herein it’s creator – paper-engineer extraordinaire, Andy Mansfield employs every trick imaginable and then some. The set of instructions: PUSH, PULL, LIFT, TURN, TWIST, FOLD, LOOK, PEEK should also include GASP (in awe) as one reaches the grand finale …

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There’s even a mirror discretely tucked under the invitation to ‘Find 6 blue dots’.
Hours of absorbing manipulating, some frustration and lots of delight are guaranteed.
I’m putting chains on my copy…

 

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Flip Flap Jungle
Axel Scheffler
Nosy Crow
‘What crazy creatures will you meet today?’ asks the butterfly on the title page of Scheffler’s latest Flip Flap book in which he features eleven jungle inhabitants. What’s crazy about jungle animals, you might ask; well nothing really if you mean the tiger, frog, monkey, toucan, armadillo, leopard, gorilla, parakeet, porcupine, chameleon and anteater; but that’s because you haven’t tried any of the numerous combinations possible in this highly amusing split page book.
I randomly opened the book and found myself confronting a Toucadillo,

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followed by a Frey (poisonous, blue with clever hands for climbing, fruit picking or maybe checking Mum for fleas.) Ribbit! Ribbit! Ooo! Ooo!

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Each animal has two descriptive verses, one on the top half of the page, the other at the bottom so these two get mixed along with the animal tops and bottoms, adding to the fun.
Guaranteed hours of enjoyment from this one and, children will most likely be paying close attention to how the animal names, real and invented, are put together – an added bonus.

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Friend or Foe?

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One little alien built himself a spacecraft and sat inside to read the story.

My Alien and Me
Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Tom McLaughlin
Oxford University Press
When is a human not a human? When he’s a small boy who crash-lands his rocket on another planet and meets the inhabitants, thus becoming the alien centre of attraction in this amusing story. The narrator is a small creature whose dad is an expert on UFOs and his mother eager to offer hospitality to a shipwrecked earthling visitor. This earthling finds his new-found friend’s school something of a trial, especially when it comes to such things as eating lunch with toes not fingers, or black-hole bungee jumping.

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Life is not peachy for either party concerned especially when …

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When night comes the small narrator starts feeling somewhat sad in his tummy and wants to talk. It’s time to make amends: but where has that little alien gone?
All finally ends happily leaving space for a return visit…

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And, it all goes to show that we need to accept people for what they are, and celebrate our differences and our unique individuality. Equally importantly we need to find out as much as possible about those whose world views differ from our own: that way comes understanding and the likelihood of harmony.
The important themes embedded in this amusing story are delivered in a straightforward, gently humorous manner by the author who turns the But Martin idea upside down, in effect. Tom McLaughlin ‘s visuals are wonderfully upbeat and his delightfully quirky scenes speak volumes about the feelings of the two main characters.
This one will definitely go down well in early years settings and younger primary classrooms as well as with individuals around the age of that little alien.

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Crunch!
Carolina Rabei
Child’s Play pbk
Crunch (aptly named because he just loves to eat) is a guinea pig and a rather appealing character at that. His life is pretty good: judging by his somewhat rotund appearance he’s more than amply fed and he has a comfy bed but something seems to be missing though he knows not what.
Then one day he finds himself sharing his breakfast with an uninvited guest,

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a mouse named Cheddar. All the little mouse wants is a small share of the tasty meal but Crunch is having none of it – or rather all of it. “No way! My food is MY food!” he tells Cheddar in no uncertain terms even when offered a hug in exchange. I suspect his feast didn’t taste quite so good after that encounter …

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especially as we learn that Crunch’s conscience is starting to trouble him. He’s managed to keep his food but in so doing has lost a friend. Time to move outside your comfort zone Crunch;

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you might just find something much more valuable than a mere meal.

 

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Beautifully visualised in subtle colours, lovely characterization and a delightful story that offers plenty of food for thought. I love Carolina Rabei’s attention to detail and the gentle humour of her illustrations large and small.

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Thieves At Large

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Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Cat Burglar
Tracey Corderoy and Steve Lennon
Nosy Crow
Reformed robbers of repute, Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are now successful bakers with their own café, an establishment frequented by those who particularly enjoy a good gossip; and there are plenty. One day Sam shares the latest news headlines with their customers: one Kitty Le Claw – a fiendish feline if ever there was one – is in town.

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Such news warrants a top secret meeting, but this is no sooner under way when a desperate-looking job-seeker arrives at the door.

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Ruby, for that is her name (supposedly – though young audiences will already be suspicious) is quickly taken on and becomes a star baker of delicious confections, waitress and cleaner.
At the end of the day as a result of Ruby’s sweeping and tidying, the dogs discover a secret tunnel in the basement of their establishment and are almost tempted back into their old ways but instead find themselves turning detective. But can they manage to apprehend the criminal and turn her over to the law? Well, Kitty is a certainly a pretty slippery character but …

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This is a second crazy canine caper from Corderoy and Lenton; she provides a pacey text that’s enormous fun to read aloud especially if you enjoy high drama; and he supplies the delectable visuals. The details therein are almost as delicious as the fare served up in Shifty and Sam’s establishment and the sight of those infant canines looking longingly at the cakes is a joy in itself.
Yummy stuff say I.

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The Cherry Thief
Renata Galindo
Child’s Play pbk
Chef Armand is a celebrated pastry cook; the rosy red cherries he decorates his confections with are his trademark. He’s even named his patisserie La Cerise. But then one day he notices that the cherries have begun to disappear. Quelle horreur! Has he merely forgotten to add them perhaps? No, not so but what an embarrassment when customers complain …

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Time to discover the perpetrator of the outrage decides the chef. I could say track down but our perplexed chef has missed the clue. His dog however, like children, is more aware and has noticed the telltale tiny blue footprints.
Having drawn Chef Armand’s attention to same, the two lie in wait and eventually the thief makes an appearance. A chase ensues: the thief eventually escapes leaving behind in the trail of havoc, something amazing

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and ultimately fruitful for all concerned…

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A tasty diversion illustrated in a spare style that children may well try to emulate. My audiences loved the slapstick humour of the chase,

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delighted in the small details and characterisation, and were surprised by the rapid growth of the tree. “Well, it’s just magic,” one suggested.

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Tricky Times with Albert and Whiffy Wilson

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Albert and Little Henry
Jez Alborough
Walker Books
There’s a touch of the Not Now Bernards about the latest Jez Alborough offering. It features young Albert who has a particular prowess for storytelling, regaling his parents with his flights of fancy.

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Until, one day there’s a new arrival in the family. “I can’t listen to a story now, … Little Henry needs his bath.” and “Not now, Albie, I’m trying to get Little Henry off to sleep,” is what he hears or “Why don’t you tell us a story later?” from his weary Dad and Mum.
When Albert does as he’s bid and goes to his room to wait for ‘later,’ a strange feeling comes upon him …

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Nobody notices his sudden lack of stature and at Little Henry’s celebration party it’s the same story.

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An angry Albert heads for his bedroom leaving others firmly on the opposite side of the door. Then Mum leaves a special present for him bearing three important words and after that things begin to change – for the better this time. Albert is restored to his former size and those creative juices start flowing once more…
Albert clearly shows how the arrival of a new brother or sister can make a child feel small and insecure. His woeful expressions and temper tantrum are beautifully visualized in Alborough’s adorable scenes or sibling jealousy.
For me, it doesn’t quite have the allure of Where’s My Teddy? and sequels but Albert is sure to find a place in the hearts of any family facing the potential emotional upheavals of a new baby.

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Whiffy Wilson The Wolf Who Wouldn’t Go To School
Caryl Hart and Leonie Lord
Orchard Books pbk
Whiffy Wilson is introduced to the delights of school when he reluctantly allows his friend and playmate, Dotty, to lead him by the paw to the door. From there though she has to use a little bit of force to get him into the reception class. Before long however, she has initiated him into the delights of painting, playdough, and mathematical activities; and then it’s time for lunch and a game of soccer. At this, Whiffy proves something of a star and makes some new friends too.

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The afternoon is spent in some co-operative model making – hard work despite Wilson’s comment, “All we’ve done so far is play!”

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followed by storytime.
It’s a contented Wilson who accompanies Dotty home and next morning he’s up and ready for some more school delights but there’s a shock in store …
This hilarious rhyming story (it’s great to read aloud) went down really well with my audience of young children who have already discovered the delights of school. These ‘old-hands’ loved the visuals and immediately recognized the young wolf’s initial fears and laughed delightedly at the comic ending.

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Captain Falsebeard in A Very Fishy Tale & another salty story

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Captain Falsebeard in a Very Fishy Tale
Fred Blunt
Puffin Books pbk
The fine detail in this one is awesome and truly hilarious in parts. Take for instance the sight of all those evil-looking parrots launching their aeronautical attack (of which more later).
The story tells of two pirates bold, fearsome and sworn deadly enemies, Captain Falsebeard and Admiral Swinetoes by name. For over a decade these pirates have searched the briny blue looking for the Crossbone Treasure and now finally, one of the pair, Falsebeard has it in his clutches and, when we meet him is about to stash the loot safely aboard his ship, the Pretty Polly and partake of a celebratory fishy supper. First though, there’s to be a fish-off competition to catch a creature worthy of the cap’n’s table.
Lines are duly cast and with the competitors concentrating on the task in hand, none of them notices the watchful parrot observer close by.

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This wily creature flies back to the Killjoy to report his discoveries to Admiral Swinetoes, who as you can imagine, is none too impressed. But a plan is quickly set in motion.
Not long after, back aboard the Pretty Polly a sizeable catch is landed and it’s something of a surprise

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and a totally beguiling one.
When Falsebeard discovers the nature of the hoodwinking, an even more cunning plan is ignominiously thrust upon him – or rather before him. One that involves the unleashing of a truly deadly weapon (which is where we came in).

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But does Captain Falsebeard retrieve his plunder?

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Well that would be telling wouldn’t it?
A wonderful rib-tickling yarn of the saltiest variety that will have your audiences calling out for more and demanding opportunities to pore over the individual frames and full pages scenes. Welcome to the REAL picture book scene Fred Blunt: a superbly swashbuckling debut.
Miss this at your peril me ’arties!

Also with a marine theme is

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Mr Benn Diver
Based on the TV series by David McKee
Hodder Children’s Books pbk
Herein Mr B. visits the costume shop and finds himself part of an adventure involving rival submarine crews searching for a sea monster, a mermaid seeking a special present for King Neptune’s birthday and a cunning trick to ensure the king is left in peace to enjoy his birthday celebrations with his pet monster. It certainly kept a lively group of 5s to 7s involved throughout and wanting more.

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Whiffs, Pongs and A Foiled Robbery

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Poo in the Zoo
Steve Smallman and Ada Grey
Little Tiger Press pbk
Young children simply revel in all things slightly whiffy; I know one two year old girl who became fascinated by the various poos she saw in the countryside even saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ to the sheep droppings in a particular spot.
This poo-centred picture book is an absolute hoot – or rather, toot, if you like that kind of thing and I’ve yet to find a four or five year old who doesn’t. (So long as it isn’t their own of course). Herein we meet Zookeeper Bob who is finding his muck-shovelling duties rather too much as he goes around collecting all the dollops, drippy droppings, plummeting splats, steamy pongy pats and ducking from Monkey’s speedily tossed poops.
When he goes to clear Iguana’s mess, the creature gives him the slip, escaping to create havoc around the café as it gobbles everything in sight including some sparkly fireflies (‘he fancied something light’ you see.)

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Imagine the surprise when next the creature plops a poop: a glowing extra-terrestrial poo, thinks Bob. News quickly spreads, and the zookeeper receives a visit from a fellow poo collector who simply has to have the Iguana’s illuminated wonder. Will Bob part with it though? Well, let’s just say that he no longer has to do that poo-picking up for himself thanks to …

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This rhyming super-stinker just cries out to be read aloud; indeed it only really works if you do. Ada Grey’s scatological scenes induced howls of delighted laughter from my audience of 5s to 10s, several of whom wanted to paw over the pages for themselves

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after the immediate re-read they all demanded.

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Rex and the Crown Jewels Robbery
Kate Sheppard (illustrator)
Walker Books pbk
This amusing canine caper is loosely based on a real historical event that happened in 1671, during the reign of King Charles ll. It tells how scruffy mongrel, Rex, excavates a litter bin chock full of deliciously stinky rubbish and finds himself somewhere totally unexpected…

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… where his nose detects a wonderfully meaty aroma, which of course, he must follow. It takes him to an old tower wherein he spies some shiny objects closely guarded by …

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But there’s a dastardly plan afoot to steal those shiny objects aka The Crown Jewels. Can the two dogs foil the plotters and save that priceless crown, orb and sceptre?
There follows a frantic dash and much more until eventually Rex finds himself back more or less where he’d started on Tower Green.
Funny, fast and full of comical scenes that are sure to appeal to young time travelling enthusiasts especially.

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Sir Scallywag and the Battle of Stinky Bottom
Giles Andreae and Korky Paul
Puffin Books
King Colin has another mission for six-year old Sir Scallywag – to locate the giant Golden Sausage – an object that could confer immortality on the king so he’s heard. The probability is that said sausage is located in the centre of Lake Stinkybottom, a truly malodorous place. Off rides bold Sir Scallywag on his trusty steed, deep into the woods and beyond, to the troll-infested swamp where, in the gloaming he locates the sought article. Outnumbered one hundred to one though, can the young knight outwit the troll king and his army? Yes; and he does duly deliver the glowing object to the royal kitchen but that’s not quite the end of this madcap rhyming romp of derring-do …

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It’s great fun to read aloud;Korky Paul’s hilarious action-packed scenes are an absolute riot and brim over with witty details.

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When I Coloured the World

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When I Coloured the World
Ahmadreza Ahmadi
Tiny Owl
I tend to discourage the use of erasers – in school at least – and especially for the very young who all too easily become obsessed with using them, needlessly rubbing out their so called ‘mistakes’. Not so the child narrator of this beautiful fable wherein we see how colour can change the world and the way we look at it. Her judicious use of a single eraser and her box of crayons makes the world a place of joy and peace, hope, playfulness and much more, filling it with red roses, yellow lights, blue sky to play beneath,

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silver rain and drizzle to eliminate the floods, wheat growing green, peaceful light blue, orange spring filled with scented blossom, dark blue for song and dance, purple laughter, gentle breezes of violet, healthy glowing pink for healing, orange for people whose age is immaterial …

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and finally, with another wielding of the yellow crayon …

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I love the way the author has captured the child-like innocence of this wonderful, empowering book. It’s one I can envisage being shared and discussed widely in schools as well as being enjoyed at home and it’s a great starting point for children’s own colourful, world changing artistic creations.

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Fern rubbed out sadness and wrote happiness in yellow “For sunshine so children can dance and sing outdoors.”

 

 

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Beth rubbed out despairing and wrote celebrating in red.

 

Ehsan Abdollahi, the book’s illustrator too has captured that special child-like simplicity in the uplifting scenes that are aglow with wonderfully patterned, richly hued images.
What riches Tiny Owl is bringing to the UK with the publication of such truly beautiful books from Iran. I hope they achieve the wide audience they merit.

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Bing Paint Day
Ted Dewan
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Anyone who knows Bing (and that is countless preschoolers and their parents and carers) will anticipate the outcome of letting the young Bunny loose with a paintbrush, paints and a pot of water. As usual with Bing, things begin fairly calmly and he is busy producing a colourful scene

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but then a tornado hits and …

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It’s a good job that there’s a single colour left and it just happens to be Bing’s favourite orange; so all ends happily in true Bing fashion because as we know “It’s a Bing Thing”.

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Double? More? Too Much?

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Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus!
Atinuke and Lauren Tobia
Walker Books
When Anna Hibiscus discovers that the ‘big bump’ is twin brothers, she knows that she’s in for some “Big Trouble” as her cousin Chocolate puts it. What it means immediately though is that none of the family seems to have time for her any more; they’re all far too busy with extra work that’s a result of the two newcomers. Uncle Sam is busy making food for Anna’s mum; her Grandmother has been up all night and now needs to sleep and her aunties are baby minding.

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Poor Anna Hibiscus finally loses her temper and shouts, which sets the babies off bawling and she herself dissolves into tears. Oh Dear! It’s then that Papa finally takes notice of her and explains the implications of Double Trouble: sharing is now the order of the day.
Eventually though, people do pay her attention  and then it’s the turn of that big sister to become a comforter.

 

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It will take time for young Anna Hibiscus to learn how to accommodate those newcomers, and she has to learn to take turns for her mother’s hugs and sometimes even share them with others…

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I’ve loved all the Anna Hibiscus stories: this one too is a real delight and it’s absolutely perfect for those with a new baby in the family or anyone anticipating a new arrival. Those gorgeously warm-hearted illustrations are just the business.

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More!
Tracey Corderoy and Tim Warnes
Little Tiger Press pbk
In most very young infants, the acquisition of a new word is a cause for celebration. However when young Alfie rhino adds “More!” to his vocabulary the result is destruction,

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and all manner of excesses, some dietary, others very noisy or messy or, on occasion, something rather more desirable.
So when he is invited to a fancy dress party he gets more than a little carried away with the design of his costume

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and despite its amazingness, it has distinct disadvantages when it comes to joining in the party fun especially at cake-sharing time …
Fortunately though having more than just a few friends is one thing that does work in his favour, and all ends happily.
The young charmer is sure to win further friends with his latest romp: as always it is delivered with appropriate verve and exuberance in both words and pictures. Share with Alfies and other littles of the human variety and I suspect they’ll straightway ask for MORE!

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No More Cuddles!
Jane Chapman
Little Tiger Press
Despite living alone in the forest, Barry suffers from a surfeit of cuddles: he’s literally smothered by them and it’s all a bit too much.
A disguise might do the trick, he thinks to himself; but it just isn’t scary enough.

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Angry growls and scowls don’t work either; something more drastic is required seemingly. So Barry advertises for a relief cuddler and finally along comes one that meets the job description perfectly. Even then though, the animals continue to hurl themselves at Barry and he finds himself hurtling into a mucky swamp and it’s there that he gains a bit of well-earned respite.
Exuberant scenes and a decidedly cuddle-able main character, not to mention a host of delightful bit part players, are the chief ingredients of this warm-hearted story.

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Hubert Horatio
Lauren Child
Puffin pbk
Child prodigy, Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent, (referred to as H by his ultra-rich, but forgetful parents) starts to call the tune right from his early infancy. He cannot however do anything about the fact that the nightly cup of cocoa he and his parents share is always cold by the time the lad has climbed the numerous flights of stairs to the parental bedroom. Despite this, life jogs along happily for Horatio until one day his parents throw a party and the jelly runs out halfway through. Very odd, thinks Horatio but that is only the start of the family’s woes and before long he realizes that his parents are financially embarrassed, to say the least.
The young lad takes the initiative and money-making plans intended to refill the family coffers are soon put into action. But Mr and Mrs Bobton-Trent continue to party and live the high life

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until a frustrated HH decides downsizing is their only option. The family moves to a new home – 17b Plankton Heights – and there surprisingly, Horatio’s mum and dad settle quickly and woopy-do – because of the short distance to walk, everyone’s cocoa is still warm by the time it arrives at the parental bedroom.
Highly entertaining with wonderfully whimsical, richly patterned collage-style illustrations, Hubert Horatio is truly a force to be reckoned with.

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Amazing Information Books

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Nina (who does like snakes) enjoying the book.

I Don’t Like Snakes
Nicola Davies and Luciano Lozano
Walker Books
On a visit to Kerala (India) a couple of years back I was beguiled by the resident naturalist into showing the local housekeeping staff that there was nothing to fear from the snakes that were found in the grounds and occasionally found their way into the guest cottages. There I was inwardly quaking and having what looked to me a huge snake dangled about my person.

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So, the girl narrator of this wonderful orphidiological extravaganza has my sympathies when she declares, “I really, really, REALLY don’t like snakes!” to her incredulous family members who immediately counter her statement with “WHY?”
Every reason she proffers is met with an informative rejoinder that serves to weaken her case; and it isn’t long before her protestations about slithering, icky, slimy skin or flicky tongue have fueled her interest in their sidewinding, twining or flying methods of locomotion, their wonderful mosaic patterned, renewable skins

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and the scent-smelling organ used in locating their prey. Oh and those staring eyes are so informative about their hunting habits too.

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We really know she’s been won over however, when having turned to a large book, our narrator informs her brother about the reproductive habits of snakes

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and finally says – well what do you think?
My subsequent real-life experiences with snakes certainly haven’t won me round but I have to admit that the book has gone some way towards so doing. Davies’ chatty, gently humorous narrative style and Luciano Lozano’s superb illustrations of both human and reptilian characters work so well together. The combination of almost cartoon-like humans and zoologically accurate snake drawings together with the differing type-faces used for the text is enormously effective.A must buy for budding zoologists and for the primary school library.

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Surprising Sharks
Nicola Davies and James Croft
Walker Books pbk
Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, the smallest being not much larger than a bar of chocolate and comparatively few of them have attacked humans. And, did you know that ‘Sand tiger sharks give birth to just two live young— which is all that’s left after those two have eaten the other six babies in their mother’s belly.’
These are just a few of the interesting facts youngsters can discover between the covers of this highly readable, gently humorous re-issue.

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Dino-Dinners
Mick Manning and Brita Granström
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books pbk
This inviting book, published in association with the Natural History Museum, features ten dinosaurs, each having a double spread within which the creature – illustrated in watercolour- introduces itself with a rhyme telling of its dietary habits alongside which is an inset of additional information including name pronunciation, size and geological dating. One of the Brachiosaurus spreads (it has two because it’s so long) includes details about its poo too;

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I didn’t know that fossil poos are called coprolites before I read it here. The book also includes a time line and glossary. A fascinating book for young addicts and one that will likely kindle an interest in those new to the subject.
Equally fascinating and informative and from the same team is

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Woolly Mammoth
In this one, mammoth narrator, gentle giant and ‘veggie warrior with bull-neck power’ takes readers back to the ice-age when these huge shaggy beasts roamed free, sometimes hunted by hungry wolves, bears or hyenas and sometimes by humans.
Both titles would make excellent additions to a family or primary school collection.

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Exploring Big Ideas: Grandad’s Island & Alive Again

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Grandad’s Island
Benji Davies
Simon and Schuster Children’s Books pbk
Sometimes along comes a book that moves me to tears; this is such a one. It really tugs at the heartstrings as it tells how young Syd accompanies his beloved Grandad on a final journey. With Grandad at the helm,

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the two of them set forth on a tall ship across the ocean and its rolling waves to a far distant island. Abandoning his stick, Grandad leads Syd into the thick jungle where they come upon an old shack.

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Having made everything ‘shipshape’, the two of them sally forth to explore and come upon a perfect resting spot.

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It’s there that Grandad breaks the news to Syd that he is going to remain on the island, assuring him that he won’t feel lonely.
So, after a loving farewell, Syd returns home alone. It’s a lonesome journey and a long one and when Syd returns to Grandad’s house, there’s nobody there. But then he hears a tapping at the window and there, sent by special mail is …

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Poignantly beautiful both visually and verbally: Benji Davies has done it again.

 

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Alive Again
Ahmadreza Ahmadi and Nahid Kazemi
Tiny Owl
The well-regarded Iranian poet Ahmadi is the author of this seemingly simple, thought-provoking tale.
One by one, things that a boy loves disappear from his life: are they gone forever, he wonders. Can blossom, rain and wheat come back?

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They can and will, but each in its own good time.
The author’s spare prose allows children to create their own interpretations and fill the gaps left in the telling. Ahmadi gives the impression of being close to young children and the kinds of ideas that preoccupy them from time to time. Themes of change, loss, death, rebirth and renewal, and the cycles of nature

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are all possible ideas to explore having shared the reassuring book with young listeners.
As with all the Tiny Owl titles, the production is excellent and the illustrations superb. The collage style illustrator Nahid Kazemi used here has a child-like quality about it and is likely to inspire children’s own creative endeavours.

 

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A box of interesting fabrics, some decent backing paper, fine-line pens and glue is all that’s required.
A wonderful book for primary teachers looking to further children’s spiritual and imaginative development.

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Asanas for Autism and Special Needs

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Asanas for Autism and Special Needs
Shawnee Thornton Hardy
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
This excellent handbook, subtitled ‘Yoga to help Children with their Emotions, Self-Regulation and Body Awareness’ is written by a teacher in special education who is also a yoga practitioner and teacher.
The author states clearly the case for, and benefits of, using yoga with children who have special/additional needs. However what she says in her clear, accessible manner and with helpful photographs, could equally be of great benefit to all children. As a primary school teacher and yoga teacher myself, I know how beneficial yoga and pranayama are for the young. Indeed I include it in my day-to-day activities and believe all schools should include yoga as part of the curriculum.
Pranayama (breathing and breath awareness) supports children by releasing both their frustrations and difficult emotions, as well as their bodily stress and nervous tension. The author includes a number of breathing strategies including balloon (or belly) breathing, wave breath (Ujjayi), alternate nostril breathing, bee breath, lion’s breath (young children particularly enjoy these two) and many others, giving clear instructions for each.
This is followed by a longer section on the asanas or physical poses. Step-by-step instructions are given for at least 30 poses and a modified sun salutation sequence, along with the benefits of each, the type of breathing to use, the parts of the body to be aware of, what to visualize and possible modifications.
There are also some games, a chapter on chair yoga (this can be used for children in wheelchairs, as well as others in a confined space or those with poor muscle tone).
All in all, any child who learns what the author offers herein will develop greater concentration and focus, increased strength and flexibility of body and mind and become a calmer, happier person: life-long benefits any adult would wish to bestow on those in their care, whether or not they have special needs.
Highly recommended for use at home or school and in particular, for those with special needs.

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