Category Picture Books

The Enormous Morning

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The Enormous Morning
Louise Greig and Lizzy Stewart
Farshore

‘Inside Day was Morning. It was a small morning. There was not much in it.’ However, there was Pia. And Rabbit.’ And Pia’s papa. But then after they’ve shared a morning enlarging breakfast, Morning keeps on getting bigger.

We accompany Pia and her father on a walk that is absolutely filled with wonder as we witness the glorious sights, sounds, shapes and colours that burst forth into young Pia’s quiet, small world. They cross a wheat field and notice a leaping hare

and from atop a hill, Pia is able to see ‘a whole garden,’ ‘a whole elephant with an elephant’s thought and an elephant’s wish.’ – what a wonderful lyrical and truly original narrative Louise Greig has created as she tells of toys, butterflies, cloud shapes in the blue sky, boats and ships in the sea far below.

Richly layered and richly described is this walk. But it’s not all walking: they stop for a picnic

before continuing their journey, Pia with her senses fully alive to all the amazing experiences and her imagination soaring. Like all mornings though, this one turns to afternoon and then to evening, this one that has become so filled with meaningful experience – just like the little girl’s heart that is full, full of love and a sense of being loved. ‘Inside Day was Morning. It was an enormous morning. There was everything in it. … And inside Pia and inside Pia’s papa was a world of love.’

Just as exquisite as Louise’s words are Lizzy Stewart’s joyful, idyllic scenes with their rich, jewel colours.
Louise and Lizzy’s creation, is wonderfully different: author and artist have captured one child’s delight in the world around, truly making this a book to remind us all to slow down, open our minds, our hearts and our senses and savour our world every Enormous Morning.

The Upside Down Detective Agency

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The Upside Down Detective Agency
Ellie Hattie and Brendan Kearney
Little Tiger

Super sleuthing sloths, Stella and Stan are so alike that only the very smartest can tell who is who. They’re in their Super Sleuth HQ one day when there’s a loud knocking on the door. It’s famous racing car driver Lady Veronica Velocity Speed announcing woefully that somebody has stolen the diamond warp drive from her car and without it there’s no chance she’ll win The Big Race to be held that very day.

Oh woe! Oh disaster. There’s no time to lose: Stella and Stan spring into action immediately but they’re going to need assistance from we eagle-eyed readers if the case is to be cracked quickly.

So begins Ellie Hattie and Brendan Kearney’s smashing interactive picture book that takes the sleuths, Lady V. and readers on a break-neck dash. Well maybe not exactly; there just might need to be the odd stop for a tasty snack before examining the racing car, her residence and workshop for clues.

Pretty quickly the sleuths are onto the thief’s identity: seemingly a rascally rodent has gone rogue but having identified the criminal, catching him is another matter.

The race is on – literally; but who will cross the finish line first? That is the vital question.

A mystery for readers to help solve that will not only be lots of fun, but with Brendan’s intricately detailed scenes with their clues aplenty, will also be great for developing observational and problem-solving skills in children.

Strong

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Strong
Clara Anganuzzi
Little Tiger

This lovely celebration of unashamedly being yourself stars a dragon named Maurice. No, he’s not tough, powerful and given to snarling and growling like his fellow dragons; far from it. Maurice is gentle, quiet and small, and an adorer of flowers. These he seeks out at every opportunity, fashioning them into wondrous floral arrangements. Other dragons have no time for such activities; they far prefer fire breathing and competitions of strength. Indeed Maurice has a brother that is a champion as these skills.

Now though, Maurice too is entering a dragons only contest and hoping to create some of his splendiferous hibiscus flowers. However that’s not what happens when it comes to his turn to throw a flame; nor does he impress with magnificent horns and ferocious teeth.

It’s no use, thinks a dejected Maurice as he lies down in the gentle rain, I just don’t fit in here.

As the storm clouds gather and it’s time for the competition’s final round – the gold treasure hunt – Maurice wants to delay, but brother Gruff is determined to defend his title immediately and off he soars into he clouds. However the storm continues to rage and the other dragons start to worry about Gruff’s failure to return. Maurice ponders and puts forward an idea. Can it possibly work though? To his fellow dragons, he doesn’t appear to be doing very much to help his injured sibling.

Finally however, they start to see Maurice in a completely new light and as for Maurice, he comes at last to a realisation about himself: he’s always been strong and his strength comes from being true to himself; delectably different and proud so to be.

Clara Anganuzzi’s portrayal of the changing feelings both of Maurice and the other dragons sweep readers along in the gentle dragon’s flight towards self understanding.


I am NOT a Prince!

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I am NOT a Prince!
Rachael Davis and Beatrix Hatcher
Orchard Books

Somewhere on the shores of a misty lagoon, every springtime under a silver mist, so the rhyming narrative says, magic frogs gather in anticipation of a magical transformation. A dip in its waters and each one will emerge as a prince. All except one that is: Hopp has absolutely no wish to be a prince despite what the other frogs say. “It’s not for me. That’s not what I am meant to be.” is Hopp’s response to being told becoming a prince is a frog’s duty. Consequently the naysayer is banished from the lagoon and the lonely creature sets forth to the stream unsure which way to go.

Before long Hopp has come to the aid of a little Mouse in trouble, a stuck grizzly bear and a dragon, each one thanking the frog profusely and calling Hopp a prince. As night falls, poor Hopp is in despair,”I’m not a prince -they’ve got it wrong! / Oh where, oh where, do I belong” comes the cry. But then …

The kindly wizard completely understanding why those helped have called Hopp a prince, issues an invitation to the frog, “Well, tell me what you are instead.” Hopp whispers in the wizard’s ear and he in turn bestows upon the little frog a wonderful gift.

Meanwhile back at the lagoon, realising they’d been too judgemental, the other frogs are now concerned for Hopp’s well-being; will their fellow amphibian ever return? Then from the bushes they hear a BOOOO! and there is Hopp, safe and sound, totally transformed and almost bursting with pride. Hopp’s isn’t the only transformation however, for now each spring down at the lagoon something wonderful takes place …

Bursting with colour, this is an empowering read aloud with magical happenings that celebrates being true to yourself and remaining so in the face of opposition.

Move Mountain / Ebb and Flo and the Sea Monster

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Move Mountain
Corrinne Averiss and Greg McLeod
Oxford Children’s Books

Although the hills around Mountain receive the sun’s rays each morning, because the sun always rises behind him, his face stays in the shade. So much does he long to feel sun’s beaming warmth that he tells Bird he wishes he were able to turn around. Bird flies off to seek help from Bear and the two of them push with all their might but Mountain remains firmly as he was.

Other ideas are tried including the use of music for conjuring up an image of the sun and although Mountain loves this, it only serves to make him want more than ever to see the sun rise.

However Bird has one last idea tucked beneath her feathers. Can this one possibly be a success?
Perhaps it’s not possible to move a mountain in the physical sense but nonetheless this particular Mountain is more than happy with what he sees at dawn next day.
This beautiful tale celebrates friendship, kindness, thinking outside the box and ingenuity. Truly the sun’s warm glow shines forth in Corrinne’s words and Greg McLeod’s gently humorous illustrations.

Ebb and Flo and the Sea Monster
Jane Simmons
Graffeg

As Flo sits with Granny sharing a local paper and focussing on a picture of Morgawr the mythical sea monster, Ebb’s ball bounces away and so begins this wonderful moonlit adventure as they search for the ball which goes overboard on their way home across the bay, and perhaps for a sighting of Morgawr too. But they find themselves marooned and have to camp put on the beach.

As Mum, Flo and Ebb gather around the fire, listen to nature’s sounds and stare out at the star-filled sky, they wonder about the enormous monster that might or might not be lying in wait for them somewhere out at sea. Later with Flo tucked up under a blanket, Mum has to leave the tent to collect more firewood. There in the shadows are Flo, Ebb, that bouncy ball – again – and the possibility of a scary monster lurking close at hand.

This latest of Jane Simmons’ modern classic rereleases, with its softly spoken words and beautifully hued, hazy illustrations will surely delight a new generation of young children as much as it did those who encountered Ebb and Flo over twenty years ago.

Happy Sad

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Thanks to Little Door Books for asking me to be part of the blog tour for this lovely book: I’m definitely happy to do so.

Happy Sad
Pippa Goodhart and Augusta Kirkwood
Little Door Books

Young sea loving Toby becomes conflicted in more ways than one in this captivating picture book.
Living by the seashore, the boy spends a lot of his time delighting in the natural objects he finds thereon as well, as playing in and out of the waves. 

One day as he peers into a rock pool, Toby notices a fishy tail moving in the water; he dips in his net and pulls out not the fish he anticipated but a tearful little mermaid. She responds to Toby’s “Why are you sad?” by telling him she became stranded when the tide turned. Her feelings are palpable in Augusta Kirkwood’s portrayal of the two during this encounter. With great care and the best of intentions, Toby picks up the mermaid and takes her home with him. 

There, his Mum and Dad help him accommodate the little creature. Her response to the boy’s “Are you happy now” is that whereas she likes the pool, she misses the company of her fishy friends. Toby knows just what to do … 

Now the mermaid feels “happy sad” – happy with the fish but sad because she isn’t able to play with her father. The empathetic Toby continues to add things to the pool but the mermaid remains “happy sad”, even when he says he’ll return her to the sea, for now a strong bond of friendship has formed between the two.

Surprised when the mermaid invites him to live in the sea with her, Toby considers this, 

but then somewhat reluctantly, takes her to the water’s edge and watches her swim off. You can imagine how they both feel about their parting but perhaps it won’t be a forever one.You never know.

Pippa’s powerful story of empathy, kindness and putting others before yourself, shows that it is possible to feel both sad and happy at the same time. Together with richly coloured illustrations by Augusta Kirkwood, portraying so clearly the emotional changes both main characters undergo, this is a thought-provoking book to share, especially with KS1 children. It’s rich in classroom potential too.

The Silent Selkie / Daisy Fitzpatrick and her Worries

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Here are two books intended to support the mental well-being of youngsters.

The Silent Selkie
Juliette Ttofa, illustrated by Paul Greenhouse
Routledge

“We have to remember in order to heal,” So says one of Elif Shafak’s characters in her brilliant novel The Island of Missing Trees and so it is in this picture book.

Using the metaphor of a hidden wound this perceptive story, written by a specialist educational psychologist and child therapist and engagingly illustrated by Paul Greenhouse, is ultimately one of reassurance. Aiming to offer a safe space in which children affected by trauma can, with the help of an understanding adult, begin their crucial healing journey, it is intended to be used along with an accompanying guidebook.

The picture book shows the journey towards healing taken by a deeply traumatised young selkie that is so troubled that she’s lost the ability to speak. With her wound buried deep within she expresses her feelings through the weather 

and this leads to her being questioned and then isolated in a distant cave by the seal folk who fail to understand her plight.

There she remains engulfed in a fog, growing progressively wilder until one night as dreams intrude upon her sleep, her hair becomes entangled in the nets of a fishing boat. She’s dragged from her confinement and after unsuccessful attempts by the seal folk to rouse her, the trawler pulls her to a distant unknown land.

On waking she finds herself on a sandy shore, still entangled in the net but showing some bare skin on her tail. In the full sun, it feels as though her golden scales are aflame. Then holding a shiny stone she glimpses a splinter protruding from her tail. The pain causes her to cry out but attempts to get help from self-serving creatures that stop, lead to more pain and the loss of some of her golden scales. The intensity of the burning increases and the Selkie begins picking off her own scales and that night her slumbering body remembers the long forgotten story of how as a pup, the thorn entered her skin inflicting a wound. Her moans echo through the deep sea. Next morning she sees a humpback whale and the two sing together. 

Thus begins the release from her entrapment: “It is time for you to be who you really are,” the empathetic whale tells her, assuring the `Selkie’ that she won’t be alone on her healing journey.

Daisy Fitzpatrick and her Worries
Nancy Carroll
Ragged Bears

Daisy Fitzpatrick is beset by anxieties, and her mind is full of worries, the kind that could trouble any of us from time to time. I certainly go along with her on the fear of heights, though not really most of her other worries – buzzing bees (and other minibeasts), the dark, the sea, vegetables, storms, dying ( I guess most of us aren’t eager to contemplate the end of life), crossing the road, being alone, her parents’ separation. She considers a dozen worries in all and by the end of each poem, has found the means to discover a new perspective on each troubling issue.

Sensitively written by an author who shares many of these fears with Daisy; after the rhymes she provides helpful notes and suggestions including mindfulness and finding someone else with whom you can talk over particular anxious feelings – as well as links by which readers can get additional information. There are occasional recipes that include a vegetable ingredient too.

An unusual book to help children face and eradicate childhood worries.

The Marvellous Doctors For Magical Creatures

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The Marvellous Doctors For Magical Creatures
Jodie Lancet-Grant and Lydia Corry
Oxford Children’s Books

Here’s a new and magical tale from creators of The Pirate Mums, team Jodie Lancet-Grant (author) and Lydia Corry (illustrator).

Young Ava is an aspiring doctor and loves to assist her fathers in their surgery and there’s nothing she likes better than having a mystery to solve. That she certainly has in the case of unicorn, Glitterbug and her dads give her permission to go out the following morning in search of clues. However, having spent all day among the unicorns as they prepare for a party, she hasn’t found anything to help solve Glitterbug’s tummy trouble mystery. Surely though no magical creature has a problem that cannot be solved by the Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures? 

Back goes Ava the following day, more determined than ever to discover what’s bugging Glitterbug: she can’t find her among the partying unicorns 

but eventually Ava discovers the ailing unicorn causing her to dash back to join the others although it’s evident to Ava that Glitterbug is faking her enjoyment. Then suddenly down comes the rain and soon it becomes clear to Ava that Glitterbug has undergone a change. More than one in fact.

With its sparky words and vibrant, detailed illustrations, this cracking book celebrates divergence, determination, doctors, finding new friends and the occasional rainbow.

Fletcher and the Rockpool

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Fletcher and the Rockpool
Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke
Graffeg

Summer has come, the ideal time for inquisitive young Fletcher fox and his mum to foray from their woodland home for a seaside visit.

While Mum makes a camp on the seashore, Fletcher heads down to the water’s edge, enjoying the feel of the sand beneath his paws and the waves splashing his toes. Coming upon a rockpool, he stretches himself out flat and gazes into the water observing the creatures and seaweed therein. Suddenly he notices that the pool is getting smaller and he’s concerned about the fate of the limpets and sea anemone. Unaware of the sea’s tidal ebb and flo phases, so misunderstanding what is happening, the helpful Fletcher dashes to and fro filling his bucket with water and tipping it into the seemingly ever shrinking rockpool.

His behaviour puzzles a watching seagull and it tries to tell him about the tide but Fletcher is distraught.

All he can do is save Little Crab he decides, so he takes it back up to where his Mum has made the camp, creates for it a seaweed blanket and falls asleep alongside the crustacean.

Imagine his surprise and joy when in the morning he finds …

Tiphanie Beeke’s soft glowing paintings (the final one with a sprinkling of silver) evoke both the seashore and Fletcher’s concerns about the rockpool fauna and flora and are a perfect match for Julia Rawlinson’s lyrical, wonderfully warm words as they both pay poetic tribute to the summery seaside.
I have no doubt this latest Fletcher story will resonate with young listeners, as well as introducing them to the idea of tidal movement.

The Baker by the Sea

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The Baker by the Sea
Paula White
Templar Books

There’s a gentle lyrical feeling about Paula White’s highly detailed illustrations for this book, which is set in a beach village on Suffolk’s east coast, her erstwhile hometown that was also home to a thriving fishing community until the devastating Great Floods in the early 1950s.

A watchful young boy describes the grown-ups working hard at their various occupations: the shop-keepers, the blacksmiths, the basketmakers, the bakers – chiefly his father, the sail-makers, the net-makers and rope-makers, the coopers who make barrels in which the fish were pickled, the fisher-girls from Scotland who prepare, pickle and pack the fish and most important of all, the fishermen out in their boats while everyone else is asleep.

The boy narrator is an aspiring fisherman who imagines himself hard at work aboard a fishing-boat, helping his fellow team members at the ropes, hauling in a fine catch and perhaps battling against the elements, before sailing back to the safety of the village.

One can almost smell the wonderful aroma of his father’s fresh bread wafting across the bay to welcome both the returnees and the new day as it dawns.

It’s not just bread that his father bakes but also biscuits, buns, the boatbuilders’ favourite bacon butties. The boy loves to help in the bakery, basking in the warmth and glow within while also thinking about those outside, who toil in the cold, windy weather. He watches too, the exchange between his father and one of the returning fishermen who comes into his bakery.

A nostalgic, respectful, loving look at a community in a time gone by when everybody knew and supported one another. this lovely book concludes with a recipe for hot coconut buns taken from the author’s grandpa Percy’s notebook.

Paula’s incredibly beautiful, realistic pen-and-ink artwork, though very different in artistic style, for me is imbued with the spirit of Edward Ardizzone.

The Name Game

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The Name Game
Elizabeth Laird and Olivia Holden
Tiny Owl

The little girl narrator of this story is at home and bored without anybody to play with. Suddenly there comes a tap on her window: it’s a bird the name of which she doesn’t know. So she asks and the response is ‘I’m a magpie, darlin’ … ‘ On hearing that this bird is also a jewel thief and receiving an invitation to surprise him with another name, the child suggests Diamond Dodger. From its response she assumes the bird is pleased at this. What follows is a lovely imaginative game wherein the girl thinks up new names for in turn, a tall tree close by. Emerald Queen, that one becomes, followed by a butterfly that lands on the window sill – I wonder what you’d call it –

and a cat with a long swishy tail that thinks herself special.

By this time, the little girl, content in a world of her own creating, is no longer bored: as she ventures outside, she intends to continue her name game.

Cleverly combining the natural world and the power of the imagination Elizabeth Laird’s is a delightful story to share and I have no doubt that young listeners will after hearing it, want to emulate the little girl and create names for things they encounter in nature. Indeed the Name Game could be played with a focus on other settings such as a particular room at home, or in school. The potential is enormous, but most important is that you share the book taking time to enjoy Olivia Holden’s beautifully detailed illustrations of the narrator and her immediate environment.

Just Like Grandpa Jazz

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Just Like Grandpa Jazz
Tarah L. Gear and Mirna Imamovic
Owlet Press

Frank, the boy narrator, and his Grandpa Jazz – (Jasodhra as we later learn) are lovers of stories – reading them and telling them, though it’s Grandpa Jazz who is storyteller extraordinaire whether his tales are made up or not.

Now Grandpa is going to visit Mauritius, the island of his birth and youth, and he asks Frank to help him pack his suitcase. As they do so, Frank discovers a small holey rock in the case and that results in a story from Grandpa about how he fell into a volcano crater as a boy.

A stethoscope in a pocket of the case leads to a tale about a skull, and a bar of soap that’s going into the suitcase reminds Grandpa that his great grandmother used to wash the family’s clothes with soap in a river.

With the packing almost finished Frank spies a shirt with a badge with the word Jazz on it. Grandpa relates the story of how Her Majesty the Queen invited him to work for the NHS in the UK and how on the ship to England, people with white skin were separated from those with a different skin colour. This saddens Frank when he realises that had they both been travelling, due to racist attitudes they would have been kept apart – two people with so much in common whom the world viewed as being different.

Finally, with the packing completed, it’s off to the airport; but there’s still time for one more of Grandpa’s tales on the way. When they arrive at the airport, there’s a wonderful surprise in store for Frank …

With a lovely final twist, debut author Tarah L Gear’s wonderfully warm tale, vibrantly illustrated with gentle humour, by Mirna Imamović, (debuting as picture book illustrator) demonstrates and celebrates the intergenerational love between two terrific characters, Grandpa Jazz and Frank. It also shows the significant role passing down stories between generations can play in keeping alive that important sense of family history and heritage. It also reflects the racist attitudes at the time of Windrush, some of which sadly remain today. However, the book includes backmatter about heritage and elements of anti-racism that would be helpful in classroom and home discussions around these topics. An important book to share and talk about with children in the home or a school setting.

Rainbow Hands

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Rainbow Hands
Mamta Nainy and Jo-Loring-Fisher
Lantana Publishing

The small boy narrator of this book finds things to enjoy and appreciate no matter the time of day but his very favourite time is ‘painting-my-nails-time’. And to do that painting he uses the numerous different shades in his mother’s collection of ‘magical bottles’. Purple for instance is perfect for when he wakes from a dream of fairies in distant magical places; it’s the colour to represent mystery. White however is for life’s infinite possibilities; bright yellow is just right for bees on the garden sunflowers – that’s sun’s colour. A swirling blue is the hue for days when both sea and sky look similarly rolling, whereas the best match for mucky afternoons spent exploring in the dirt, is mossy green to match the mess.

Sometimes the boy’s Papa questions his preference for painting nails rather than paper and his response is very revealing.

His grandpa makes the boy feel soft and sweet when he gives him words of encouragement and on those occasions it’s pink nail paint that is chosen. However there are occasions when no one colour can represent all the feelings of happiness, sadness, anger and dreaminess: those are days to catch a rainbow and to make use of every single one of those marvellous bottles.

An elevating story that celebrates individuality, one’s essential nature, personal integrity and mindfulness. Like the boy protagonist, children need to be given time, time to breathe in the beauty of Jo Loring-Fisher’s mixed media illustrations on every spread.

I wonder what colour(s) you would choose to paint your nails today?

I’m The Train Driver / I’m The Bin Lorry Driver

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I’m The Train Driver
I’m The Bin Lorry Driver
David Semple and Katie Woolley
Oxford Children’s Books

Young children have the opportunity to imagine themselves into the driving seat of both a passenger train and a refuse collection lorry as they share these books with an adult either at home or at nursery/preschool.

Having donned the appropriate uniform the train driver climbs into the cab, puts on a seatbelt, checks the controls, starts the engine and is responsible for taking a family to the city for some sightseeing. En route there are stations to stop at to allow more passengers to get aboard, a freight train to negotiate, a tunnel to drive through slowly and carefully,

then the level crossing gates are open so its full speed ahead until the signal controller radios to say ‘switch tracks’ and off you go to the city’s main station where the passengers are eager to get off. Finally, a train driver needs to log the train’s arrival before heading home

The driver of the bin lorry has two other team members who are also responsible for collecting the recycling from all the blue bins on their round and they start work early in the morning while it’s still dark. Having set the route, off they go, the driver taking care to stay within the speed limit. The team works hard all morning,

remembering to log each bin emptied into the hopper on the lorry’s computer screen and totalling up the final number. Then with all the blue bins duly dealt with it’s back through the now busy streets to the tip where the lorry’s contents is emptied onto the ground ready for sorting.

As with others in this series, teamwork is key in the roles presented; and there are lots of opportunities for developing vocabulary and other important early learning skills such as colour, number and shape recognition.

Martha Maps It Out

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Martha Maps It Out
Leigh Hodgkinson
Oxford Children’s Books

Young Martha might be small but her thoughts are anything but: her mind full of BIG things.
She absolutely loves drawing maps, creating them out of almost everything from the universe to her bedroom in the top floor flat in which she and her family live; she even makes maps of her thoughts, her questions and her dreams.

Through Martha’s cartographic creations readers share with the girl her entire world as she guides us through the pages and beginning in deepest space, we zoom inwards page by page to planet Earth with its awesome flora and fauna, her city, her street and community, her block of flats, her own home and her room.

From there we travel outwards once more through the thoughts, questions and those BIG dreams of a future where absolutely anything is possible: a life of discoveries … excitement,

adventure, wonder, not forgetting of course, love.

Leigh Hodgkinson is brilliant at presenting quirky details in her visuals and this book of Martha’s maps is absolutely alive with them. To these are added a wealth of labels that children will love to explore as they, one hopes, like Martha will share that sense of optimism and excitement about what the future might hold. Bursting with classroom (and home) potential, this splendidly upbeat, and unusual picture book is one to return to over and over wherever you are.

Wanda The Blue Whale

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Wanda The Blue Whale
Beverly Jatwani and Sawyer Cloud
New Frontier Publishing

The third book of seven in the Together we can change the World series is set in South America, on and near La Serena Beach (Chile). Young Paula awakens to the sound of the ocean every day and loves the view from her bedroom window. She also loves spending her time on the sandy beach, sometimes clambering over the rocks to investigate what’s there.

One morning early she is devastated to discover, lying on the beach, hardly moving, a blue whale calf. Going up close, she sees that it’s tangled in a fishing net and gently stroking the creature, names it Wanda. She knows she must find a way to release it so the whale can re-join its family.

Other people gather around and Paula begs them to help her free the calf.. Immediately everyone gets to work – teamwork is key now – until finally Wanda is no longer trapped in the net but remains some distance from the ocean. Thankfully a passing boat responds to their signals for assistance but the creature’s weight is too much for the small craft.

Or is it? The tide is very slowly coming in so perhaps it’s worth having one more attempt to tug her into the waves …

On her way back up the shore, Paula notices something in the sand; something on which is written a vitally important word. Then that evening what she sees through her windows beneath the setting sun fills her heart with joy …

The final page of this book gives information about blue whales, including the fact that they are now classified as an endangered species.

The story shows the powerful emotional and transformational connection formed between the girl protagonist and the whale, the key word being the compassion shown by Paula. It also highlights the responsibility we humans all have, or need to develop, towards Planet Earth: for sure if everybody is prepared to act in a similar way to Paula, it’s possible as the series title says, to change the world. To that end, adults can start by sharing the story with youngsters who, one hopes, will want to become activists.

Lionel and Me

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Lionel and Me
Corinne Fenton and Tracie Grimwood
New Frontier Publishing

This story of the effects Lionel, a small dachshund, has on a family is told from the viewpoint of Maverick, a golden retriever, that is already a well established and contented family member.

When he first arrives, the newcomer is no threat on account of his smallness and because he spends a lot of time asleep; he does leave stinky deposits indoors though and seemingly, whines constantly. Nor is Maverick’s exercise enjoyment intruded upon;

but gradually, Lionel becomes the centre of attention and a thorough nuisance: jealousy builds until Maverick decides enough is enough, his actions resulting in his banishment to the back garden.

Alone out in the cold, the retriever has lots of thinking time and he decides that all he needs to do is to wait patiently until the dachshund destroys his perfect pooch image. When he does it significantly and unexpectedly changes the canine relationship.

Beautifully portrayed in both Corinne’s words ( the dog characters are based on those of her own relations) and Tracie’s gently humorous illustrations this story of learning to accommodate a newcomer is relevant to many situations and is a lovely book to share with young children and talk about both at home or in the classroom.

My Granny is a Queen

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My Granny is a Queen
Madeleine Cook and Rebecca Ashdown
Oxford Children’s Books

Twelve children proudly and lovingly introduce their respective grandmothers in this wonderfully warm-hearted, celebratory book. Each one is, in the eyes of her doting grandchild, a true queen even if not HRH The Queen.

The first – granny – is greeted on arriving for a visit with curtsies and a red carpet on which to walk.
Then in turn we meet nana with her royal pets Lord Stinkerton and Lady Battenberg the Third, classy pooches for sure though a tad mischievous at times; nonna with her precious royal jewels; oma, who arrives in her carriage ready to take the family for a drive into town.

Bibi has a penchant for spectacular events and she’s more than happy to be accompanied by her grandchild; grandma – she of the royal wave – is frequently greeted by well-wishers when out and about; nai nai inspires her grand-daughter with encouraging speeches; gran on the other hand is a bestower of special awards for bravery. Nanny’s home is a distant castle so family news often has to be communicated via technological devices; Baba loves to relax after a busy day …

whereas nani is a terrific teller of bedtime stories and abuela has a very special crown. Apart from giving their grandchildren love and affection there’s something else all these wonderful people have in common: now what might that be? … Party anyone?

A terrific celebration of grandmothers, of differences, and the special bonds of familial love that transcend all else.

Hazelnut Days

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Hazelnut Days
Emmanuel Bourdier and Zaü
minedition

The boy narrator sees his father just once a week, when he visits him in prison. We know not why he’s there but we do discover that it’s for a long stretch and we learn a lot about him and about the complex relationship the narrator has with his Dad or “Cave Bear” as the boy and his mother call him in their conversations. Conversations with school friends are tricky for the boy who never reveals that his Dad is in prison. Instead he tells them, “He’s a ‘cloud sculptor, a mole tamer, an inventor of dirty words.”

During his son’s visits Dad smells of cigarettes along with peppermint or hazelnut on account of the two bottles of cologne Grandma once gave him. He has a gold tooth, a short temper, a good sense of humour, he’s strong and likes to copy bird sounds and imitate people. The boy blames his Dad for the anguish and sadness – the ‘fog – in his Mum’s eyes, hating him for that,

and fearing his fury over the lad’s school reports.

However, when visiting time is over and Dad cries, the narrator’s love is reawakened and he leaves with thoughts of retaining that special Dad smell till the following week, as well as bringing him a supply of hazelnuts.

This is a powerful evocation of a situation seldom presented in picture books. Both words (elegantly translated from Bourdier’s original French) and Zaü’s (André Langevin) charcoal, sepia-toned illustrations are empathetic and full of emotion, working perfectly together to produce an unforgettable book for older picture book audiences.

Nature is an Artist

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Nature is an Artist
Jennifer Lavallee and Natalia Colombo
Greystone Kids

Nature has many awesome qualities not least of which is its incomparable artistry – its beauty and its incredible variety: that is what this book explores and celebrates.

There is complete harmony between author Jennifer Lavallee’s rhyming text and Natalia Colombo’s striking illustrations of nature – both its manifestations and the green being that leads a group of five children on an exploratory journey through various beautiful natural landscapes showing them the sunrise over some hills; a field alive with buzzing bees and daisies growing in abundance around the trees; the rich colours of summer flowers in full bloom as they begin to scatter the petals. 

Next, resting on a rock at the water’s edge, nature shows itself as sculptor extraordinaire, carving and moulding rocks and clay. Then hidden deep beneath the ground lies evidence of nature’s etchings – those fossil impressions making patterns we all so love to find; 

while with rain and sun together, high up in the sky, nature creates a rainbow: a kaleidoscope of gorgeous colours, a prism up above.

As the children witness each stunning landscape one of their number with nature now as teacher/mentor is inspired to recreate what they’ve seen in art of their own making: one by finger painting, another making a colour paper collage, one sculpts towers in sand; fossil etchings are done by stamping various shapes on a large sheet 

and a rainbow is formed from torn tissue paper pasted on a glass jar and a lighted tealight within to provide the glow.

Whether used in a classroom or at home, those with whom this book is shared should not only develop a deeper appreciation of the natural world but also be motivated to try some of the art techniques the book includes.

Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush

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Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush
Patrice Lawrence, illustrated by Camilla Sucre
Nosy Crow

This wonderfully warm book follows Ava and her Granny as together they search Granny’s trunk one Sunday for a costume suitable for Ava to wear at her school dressing up event to represent someone she admires. Rummaging through the various items of clothing, jewellery and other objects Granny is reminded first of Winifred Atwell on account of the sparkling bead necklace, then Mary Seacole who sometimes wore a red scarf just like that in the trunk, a jacket makes her think of Rosa Parks. In each instance Ava’s grandmother tells her a little bit about each of the women mentioned: the glamorous pianist, the nurse who tended the wounded during the Crimean War, the brave woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus.

Then, hidden under all the clothes, Ava unearths something she’s not seen before: it’s a small cardboard grip in which Granny had carried presents she was given when she left her home in Trinidad and came to England on the Empire Windrush.

As she pieces together a story using the objects – a smooth grey pebble, an empty jar, a small blue hat and a pair of lacy gloves, we learn of the intense feelings of homesickness and loneliness her grandmother experienced; and how she built a life for herself in a new, chilly country, meeting and marrying the man who was to become Ava’s grandad. This woman – her own beloved Granny – is Ava’s real hero, the one she chooses to dress as.

With Patrice Lawrence’s perfectly paced telling and Camilla Sucre’s richly hued, vibrant art, this is a truly moving story that celebrates both the Windrush generation and their achievements, and the bond between Ava and her grandmother.

A superb book to share and discuss with young listeners at home and with primary children both in KS1 and KS2.

George the Brave

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George the Brave
Eva Papoušková and Galina Miklínová
Graffeg

It’s off to Australia for this tale of a little wombat called George. I learned something about wombats like George before reading the story book for there’s an information page at the start. Did you know that in addition to being protected by law on account of their rareness, wombats are able to protect themselves by thrusting their rear ends at an enemy.

Let’s meet our protagonist George, and his friends. Fred the Kangaroo, Annie the Goose and Lizzie the Mouse invite George to join them in some games one day. Having got permission from his parents and a warning to be on the lookout for possible dangers in the form of hungry predators, he demonstrates his life-saving moves and off he goes to the dark woods to meet his pals. Their first game is hide and seek and when it’s George’s turn to be the seeker, he hides his eyes and starts singing a little song. However upon uncovering them he finds himself face to face with Wilma the Fox. Eek!

Now Wilma is a sly creature with her mind on her next tasty meal. To that end she invites George to show her his home and when he wants to know why, she’s gets angry. After all an entire wombat family is much more satisfying that one little one.

George is suspicious and sensing danger, flees as fast as he can. The trouble is, Wilma too has fast paws and is hot on his trail. Now is the time for George to be truly brave and use that strong, bony bottom of his.

Is it enough to do the necessary? Let’s say that Wilma loses more than just a tasty meal on account of his bum-thrusting stance. 

And George? He’s learned an important life lesson about facing one’s fears – kind of!

Young children will relish George’s new story with its embedded wombat fact. With that big surprise, superb cross-hatched illustrations and dryly humorous text, it’s both lots of fun and informative. It also offers a good starting point for a circle time discussion about standing up for yourself.

Otters vs Badgers

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Otters vs Badgers
Anya Glazer
Oxford Children’s Books

Here’s a tale about difference and happily, divergent thinking; and it has a vital lesson for people of all ages, so long as they’re willing to learn from Otters and Badgers.

In this story, said creatures reside on opposite sides of the divide – a river – that they find impossible to share without resorting to pawicuffs over territorial rights. As a consequence to avoid further inflaming the situation, their two leaders decide that no badgers and no otters must EVER cross the river.

Now here’s where the divergent thinker comes in: she’s an otter and her name is Francie. A tad shy by nature, she’s the best baker of cakes anywhere along the river, so say her fellow otters anyhow. Certainly her cake creations are delectable and she loves to invent spectacular new treats too. One day while out hunting for the perfect ingredient for her next batch of baking, so wrapped up in her task is she that she strays into enemy territory.

She’s spotted so doing but fortunately her fast feet carry her out of harm’s way. However it’s not long before there’s a confrontation on otter territory with the badgers demanding to see the marauding otter. While the heated talks continue Francie is busy doing what she always does, emergency or not.

What will be the outcome of her labours now? Could it finally be time to call a truce?

In these increasingly troubled times of ours, it’s easy to draw parallels between this story and the real world. Drawing attention to the futility of conflict, Anya Glazer’s amusing telling in combination with her droll, delightfully detailed illustrations, show that compromise, finding what we have in common and learning to live peacefully side-by-side with others however different they may at first seem, is so much better that hostility.

Don’t miss the recipe for baking yummy chocolate chip cookies at the end of the story.

Maya’s Walk

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Maya’s Walk
Moira Butterfield and Kim Geyer
Oxford Children’s Books

Maya and her father love to walk together and no matter where they go, they make full use of all their senses so that they get the very best out of their time. With their eyes they might discover a wealth of ‘tiny secrets’ be they insects on the move or plants just beginning to sprout. They run their fingers over different surfaces experiencing different sensations as they do so. 

If their feet take them through a town they listen out for the gamut of sound that surrounds them: singing birds, ringing bells, barking dogs and the constant chatter of humans. Then once out of the hustle and bustle it’s fun to be more energetic both on the way to the park and inside it where, once again, there’s an abundance of sounds and movements to emulate.

Whatever the weather – be it rain or shine – there’s always plenty to bring delight, especially if by chance a rainbow appears and Maya and Dad can focus on finding and matching all its colours with things in nature and then using their other senses too, to fully appreciate what they see. Then perhaps some of those wonderful things will become the subject of her dreams.

How fortunate is Maya to have a parent who makes every walk an adventure and who helps to make sure she finds that all important awe and wonder as she experiences the world around her.

A beautiful book to share with young children be they at home, nursery or school, preferably, with heightened awareness, just before going out walking.

On My Papa’s Shoulders

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On My Papa’s Shoulders
Niki Daly
Otter-Barry Books

The little boy narrator in Niki Daly’s compelling picture book has just started school. He’s fortunate to have members of his extended family to take turns to walk with him through the busy town to the school gate.

Mama is a quick walker and so they always arrive in plenty of time for goodbye kisses before the bell rings. Gogo likes to leave early so the two of them can avoid the busy road and along the quiet way they find lots of look at and chat about, and perhaps even pause over.

Gogo is full of wise words, talking to her grandson about how he should be gentle with his friends.

Rainy days are reserved for Tata who is fond of puddle splashing, though his more easily tired legs mean he prefers the shortcuts and needs to pause for a rest en route – the perfect opportunity for a spot of whistling. In addition to whistling, hugs are Tata’s speciality.

“But the days I love the best are when Papa takes me to school.” That’s what our narrator tells us from his vantage point on Papa’s shoulders: it’s a place where he’d like to stay for ever but knows that when they reach the school gate that “I love you” exchange is coming and their parting will only be while Papa goes off to work on a building job while the little one joins his friends in the classroom for a spot of building of his own – make sure you look at his finished construction.

Yes this gorgeous, gently humorous book truly does celebrate that father/son bond, but it also celebrates the bond between the boy and the various other members of his family – each one offering something different.

One I’d strongly recommend adding to foundation stage collections and to family bookshelves, especially if there’s a child around the school starting age. Why not start by sharing it on Father’s Day this June.

Mermaid Kenzie

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Mermaid Kenzie
Charlotte Watson Sherman and Geneva Bowers
Boyds Mills Press

Mermaid Kenzie as she prefers to be called, is a lover of everything sea-related. She creates sea scenes in her bedroom and goes onto the beach whenever she can. “Mermaids don’t clean up,” she insists when her Mama tells her to tidy her imaginary sea world away before venturing out. “Then this mermaid don’t go to the beach,” she retaliates. Mother and child visit the seashore by day and by night, digging for treasure, building sandcastles, venturing into echoing caves and rowing out on the ocean to look for marine wildlife.


Mermaid Kenzie loves to don her mermaid tail when they take their boat out and sometimes wearing her mask and snorkel, she dives beneath the waves playing with her seal pal named Cocoa. On one occasion, she’s horrified to discover the plastic bags causing pollution to the ocean’s ecosystem.

Mama tells her that during her own childhood, the ocean was alive with ‘squishy, squashy sea creatures’ – a veritable underwater zoo. Now is definitely time to revise her “Mermaids don’t clean up” rule. “This mermaid cleans up for my sea pals,” she announces.

Back on the shore she begins the task, urging friends to join her and so they do at the behest of “Mermaid Kenzie, Protector of the Deeps.”

Author Charlotte Watson Sherman’s narrative effectively mixes rich lyrical description – ‘Mist silver the water, / briny taste on our tongue. / Seaweed perfume the air. / Grey, the heron, drift past, / wing almost blocking the sun.’ – and dialogue. ending her story on an upbeat note that will surely inspire youngsters to take similar action for the ocean-protecting cause. Geneva Bowers digital illustrations rendered predominantly in blue, yellow and green hues present some vivid underwater scenes with a swimming Kenzie’s hair floating out behind her, adding to her ‘mermaid-ness’.

When I Was a Pirate

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When I Was a Pirate
Tom Silson and Ewa Poklewska-Koziello
Flying Eye Books

Here is a story that radiates the warmth of intergenerational love.

As a grandfather playfully interacts with his grandchildren, he reminisces about his life as a pirate back in the day and in so doing unearths his sense of adventure and wonder. Remembering sailing upon the high seas, he recalls the sounds of whale songs, those searches for treasure maps, stormy waters withstood thanks to a sturdy ship, and of course, discovering buried treasure as a swashbuckling salt.

With a sprinkling of magic and a sackful of heart in both words and pictures, the story richly imagined through Tom Silson’s rhyming text and Ewa Poklewska-Koziello’s richly patterned, detailed scenes is one that grandads in particular will absolutely love to share with little ones.
“When I was a pirate, we watched night waves shimmer, / As stars reflected on dark seas below. / We cruised cosmic currents, a Milky Way swimmer. / When I was a pirate and the world was aglow.”

Who knows what wonderful memories so doing might conjure up for said grandparents, while for young children, there’s a wealth of creative potential to be unleashed after a shared reading of this.

Home Is Where the Hive Is

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Home Is Where the Hive Is
Claire Winslow and Vivian Mineker
Sunbird Books

This story told from the viewpoint of Beatrice or ‘Flower-Finding Scout Bee #7394’ is one I’d strongly recommend sharing with KS1 children.

Beatrice lives with her 50,000 sisters in Big Tree Hive a place that with its wealth of tasty flowers close by and plenty of room for storing honey, has been a home for bees for ages and ages. Now however the neighbourhood is undergoing changes: the flower patch has been paved over, the stream is being polluted and tall buildings obstruct the light from the area of the hive.

When the queen bee announces that it’s time for all the hive residents to find a new home, Beatrice is determined to find a place that is the equal of Big Tree Hive and off she flies. There’s plenty of danger and she feels scared, but Beatrice isn’t one to give up easily so she keeps on searching. Will her adventure be a success; will she have sad or good news to impart when she flies back to her old home; and what will be the reaction of her sister bees?

With its themes of urban development and the loss of green spaces, Claire Winslow writes from the heart about a topic she clearly finds important to share with youngsters. In support of bees and other pollinating creatures, after the story she provides information and suggestions to help readers, their families and teachers make a difference.

With Vivian Mineker’s vibrant illustrations, this is definitely a book for KS1 class collections and for family shelves.

This Is Not A Dinosaur! / Drawing Outdoors

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This in Not a Dinosaur!
Barry Timms and Ged Adamson
Nosy Crow

The NOT dinosaur that the small boy in this story meets is definitely a versatile creature. Said large green, possibly prehistoric being that appears in the playground offers all manner of exciting, special and useful possibilities as a playmate. It can become pretty much anything and everything from a sign-osaur to a soccer star supersonic-kick-osaur; it might morph into a tonsorial wonder-worker trimming and skilfully styling your tresses,

or a fearsome freebooter sailing upon the ocean deep. One thing is certain: should you decide to befriend this beastie, there are fun adventures aplenty in store; you might even find yourself scaling a mountain, flying through the air

or tip-toeing into a creepy haunted house.

With its wealth of wordplay, Barry Timms’ rhyming text combined with Ged Adamson’s funny, action-packed scenes of a burgeoning friendship add up to a super story to share with young humans, definitely NOT dinosaurs around the age of the un-tailed protagonist, be that at home or in school. I’ve no doubt if you read this with a Foundation Stage or KS1 class, they will imagine themselves into many more playful NOT dinosaur situations. The classroom potential this book offers is huge.

Drawing Outdoors
Jairo Buitrago, (translated by Elisa Amado) and Rafael Yockteng
Greystone Kids

Between two lush green mountains, beside a pure blue river in the middle of nowhere stands a small school. Education is far from dull for its pupils however. Through a girl narrator we hear about one particular day when their teacher greets them with the news that their learning will be done outside and she leads them off with notebooks and drawing equipment at the ready. ‘We are explorers” says the narrator. Even the twins who have already walked a long way to reach school leave their reluctance at the door, motivated by the prospect of an adventure day out.

First into view as they reach the river bank, among the lush vegetation stands a Brontosaurus!

Then, there’s a Triceratops,a Stegosaurus, Pterodactyls, a roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex. Finally, the group sit to eat their snacks on a branch “as big as an Ankylosaurus”.

Then with a wealth of drawings it’s back to that school with ‘almost nothing. A blackboard, some chairs. And … a teacher, and a Brontosaurus that’s as big as a mountain.’

With Jairo Buitrago’s spare, matter of fact text, it’s left to listeners and readers to decide whether the dinosaurs we see in Rafael Yockteng’s landscapes are real or not. Their book pays homage to the imaginative teachers who truly value creativity one wishes all children will meet in their time at school. I’m sure re-reads will the requested after a sharing of this story with young children.

New Baby

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New Baby
Sarah Shaffi & Isabel Otter, illustrated by Lucy Farfort
Little Tiger

Young, lively twins, Bilal and Sofia eagerly anticipate the arrival of what Bilal calls a “bean in her tummy” and his sister “an apple pip”. Bilal talks of sharing his favourite animals while Sofia says she’ll show the babe how to make rockets. By winter, the Ammi’s tummy has grown considerably and she tires easily so although Baba urges gentleness the children find it hard to understand why there’s a need for her frequent snoozes. Teamwork is crucial at this time is the response from Baba.

The following morning he greets the twins with the news that the birth is imminent so their parents are off to the hospital and reassures them that Grandma and Grandpa will look after them in their absence.

Now the twins focus is on whether the new sibling will be a boy or a girl though Grandpa insists that is not an important issue. Next day the twins meet their new baby brother, Farhan, whose name their mother says means happiness and laughter.

Inevitably things at home change, for the twins now have to share their Ammi and Baba with another person and sharing is more difficult than they’d expected. Most days have their ups and downs

and reminders of teamwork are made. Then the twins put their heads together and come up with an idea: I wonder what they’re planning to do …

What a smashing family both authors and illustrator have created in this warm, reassuring and affirming story: they present so well the gamut of emotions, from elation to exhaustion, various members of the family experience both before and after the birth of the baby. A lovely book to share, especially with young children in a situation similar to that of the twins.

A Quokka For the Queen

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A Quokka For the Queen
Huw Lewis Jones and Fred Blunt
Happy Yak

Having read this madcap rhyming royal romp it’s difficult to decide who had more fun, author Huw Lewis Jones creating his alliterative animal gifts – 40+ possibilities, though only 21 in her majesty’s summing up list, or Fred Blunt illustrating same in his splendiferous playful pictures.

It’s her royal highness’s birthday and she’s already received a vast number of presents when one more is duly delivered, having come all the way from Australia. Imagine her surprise when from the parcel leaps a Quokka, a creature unfamiliar to her highness; but she quickly takes a shine to the animal, deciding that this particular birthday will be different. She and her new furry friend will be the givers of presents.

Now being who she is, the Queen has a lot of people whom she deems must be the receivers of their gifts, from the butler and the baker to soldiers and sailors, and from a poet to the prime minister (really?).

Fortunately for her, the Quokka is a superb suggester of suitable animals, including tarantulas for all those important teachers – hmm!

Mightily impressed by the efforts of the Quokka, she then realises that she’s forgotten about asking her helpful friend to choose something for itself. I wonder what the Quokka’s choice will be …

The perfect picture book to share in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and at any time thereafter.

Eye Spy / Bugs

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These are two picture books that celebrate the natural world: thanks to Scallywag Press and Little Tiger for sending them for review

Eye Spy
Ruth Brown
Scallywag Press

With her stunningly beautiful scenes and playful rhyming, riddling text, Ruth Brown provides readers and listeners with an altogether different I spy experience that begins at sunrise and ends at sundown with the appearance of the moon in the dark night sky. In all there are a dozen riddles to solve and the same number of objects from the natural world to find hidden in plain sight on the full page illustration on each recto.

Every nature scene is a delight – a veritable visual feast at every turn of the page -and some of the hidden things are much more tricky to find than others, such is the wealth of detail and clever use of colour in each one, be it the wheat field, the verdant meadow,

the stone wall, the autumnal bracken or the close up view of the base of a tree, to name just some of the sights we’re treated to.

No matter though, for the answer to each riddle is given on the following page.
This is a book to treasure and return to time and again: even when you can find all the hidden items there is SO much to see and be awed by in Ruth’s wonderful works of art.

Bugs
Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup
Little Tiger

In a rhyming narrative Patricia Hegarty takes readers and listeners through the year focussing on happenings in the natural world. These are shown in Britta’s bold, scenes that take us close up to a wealth of minibeasts and the greenery on which they land, rest, crawl and sometimes nibble
We see an abundance of new life in the springtime, be it day or night; then come the summer, changes are afoot: the caterpillar pupates and we see a chrysalis hanging from a tree branch.

Turn the page and it’s revealed what has emerged among the richly hued flowers that have burst forth. Now in the sun Ladybird needs to be extra alert for fear of becoming a tasty tidbit for a hungry bird whereas summer nights are all aglow with fireflies flitting to and fro.

Autumn brings dew and plenty of bees are still busy collecting pollen while grasshoppers chirp and leap among the turning leaves and grasses. As the days grow ever colder heralding winter, it’s huddling and hibernation time until once again nature bursts forth once more and the cycle repeats itself.

Peeking through the holes in the die-cut pages allows youngsters to experience more fully the wealth of natural colours, greens especially, that Britta has used throughout her alluring artwork.

Snakes on a Train / Maisy Goes on a Nature Walk

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Snakes on a Train
Kathryn Dennis
Walker Books

The sibilant sounds of the hissing train and slithering snakes takes little ones and their readers aloud on a playful railway journey with a group of scaly reptiles. Having handed over their tickets and boarded the train, with the safety checks duly completed, the passengers find themselves encountering such things as a runaway pig on the track, a dark tunnel, a high hill, and a tall bridge before finally reaching their destination just before it’s time to find their dens and have some shuteye.

A fun sharing book illustrated in simple concrete colours and silhouette shapes: tinies will love hissing along to those snakes and that sound of the train.

Maisy Goes on a Nature Walk
Lucy Cousins
Walker Books

With her bag duly packed, Maisy meets her friends Tallulah , Charley, Cyril and Eddie for a nature walk in the park. There’s lots to see such as dragonflies flitting above and in which tadpoles and fish swim; woodland animals peeping out from between the trees, many of which are filled with noisy birds. Maisy gets close to the earth to hunt for minibeasts …

before they all stop beside the hives all abuzz with bees in the wildflower garden where Cyril gets out his magnifying glass for a closer look at those little creatures that live around the flowers. Finally comes what all children love to do – build a den together and then have a picnic lunch.

Another bright episode in the life of every small child’s favourite mouse character that’s just right for sharing with the very young.

Who Jumped into the Bed? / The Best Bed for Me

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Who Jumped into the Bed?
Joe Rhatigan and Julia Seal
Sunbird Books

On Julia Seal’s serene wordless opening spread we see, side by side, two adults slumbering peacefully. Then first a small girl, then her brother, followed by a cat, a drooling dog, a slithering snake, 

a host of feathered fliers and a creature with an extremely long neck all make their way into the sleeping accommodation designed for two. Finally, bump! Out falls Dad and with bleary eyes makes his way to the kitchen where he sets to work preparing a delicious-looking breakfast. Guess what: when the hoards hear that this is on offer, every single one – be they bed jumper, snucker, wanderer, bounder, slitherer, flier or neck stretcher want to partake of the feast there and then.

I’m sure many parents will recognise at least the child invasion, in Joe Rhatigan’s rhyming narrative whereas young listeners will delight in joining in with the ‘Who —- into the bed? and be amused at the growing number of intruders that so innocently worm their way under the covers.

The Best Bed for Me
Gaia Cornwall
Walker Books

It’s bedtime for Sweet Pea – so says mama – but seemingly this little one wants to delay sleeping. Making imaginative demands of the animal kind – a koala high up in a tree, a puffin tucked into a burrow, 

a bat that dangles from a branch for instance – the child attempts, in between Mama’s efforts with the bedcovers, to emulate the creatures named.

Having gone through a fair number of creature possibilities together with their ways of sleeping, Sweet Pea eventually comes to the conclusion that a “big-kid bed, with a soft pillow and a fluffy blanket … is the best bed for me.” At last it’s time to bid goodnight to a patient, understanding Mama and snuggle down for the night.

In her pencil and watercolour, digitally finished illustrations, Gaia Cornwall shows another female caregiver with a baby affectionately watching Sweet Pea’s stalling tactics. 

There’s a gentle soporific feel to both Gaia’s visuals and telling, along with gentle humour, making this a playful, tender bedtime tale with added animal antics.

One More Try

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One More Try
Naomi Jones and James Jones
Oxford Children’s Books

Mightily impressed with the tall tower the squares and hexagons are building during a play session, that Circle invites triangle and diamond friends to co-construct a tower of their own. They soon discover that easy as edifice erecting might appear, it’s nothing of the sort; indeed it’s fraught with problems of the balancing kind.

However circle, diamond and triangle aren’t giving up that easily; they decide to undertake a training regime to build up their strength. Now although this additional strength helps a bit, a tumbling tower soon results. Perseverance is the name of the game where Circle is concerned, so can a bit of studying improve things? It does, but the tower still wobbles much more than that of the squares and hexagons.

Down but definitely not out, Circle takes time out to give himself a new angle on the challenge.

While so doing, he receives a message from above and although it takes a bit of re-enthusing all the others, they agree to give it one final try working with Circle’s plan. Will success be the reward for refusing to abandon their aim?

In a manner similar to The Perfect Fit, the Jones partnership cleverly combine themes of problem-solving, determination, imagination and mental toughness with mathematical concepts relating to shape. Naomi’s amusing narrative with its plethora of speech bubbles, mainly of the uplifting kind, together with James’s shape characters that while appearing two-dimensional on the page, prove themselves to be anything but, work in perfect harmony: it can’t be easy to give simple shapes personalities but this illustrator has certainly found a way.

I Love Me! / We Are the Rainbow!

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I Love Me!
Marvyn Harrison and Diane Ewen
Macmillan Children’s Books

Narrated by two small children, this enormously empowering book of positive affirmations came about as a result of the author Marvyn’s own child-rearing experience.

Starting on a Monday, it takes us through the week giving examples to back up the powerful statement. So, Monday’s declaration, ‘I am brave’ is demonstrated by using the big slide, superhero play, facing up to monsters and showing courage in new situations.

Tuesday is brain boosting day with showing one’s skill at maths, reading, dressing and potion brewing. And so it continues through the week as in turn the focus word is brave, kind, 

happy, loving and on Sunday, ‘We are beautiful!’ Those though aren’t the only uplifting statements the book contains, as is revealed beneath the fold-out page that comes before the author’s notes for parents and carers.

This book, with Diane Ewen’s bold, eye-catching mixed media illustrations of the affirmations in practice might have originated with black parents/carers and their offspring in mind, but the powerful feelings of self-worth it will engender in children are crucial to developing confidence in every single youngster no matter who they are, making it an important book for all family and classroom collections.

We Are the Rainbow!
Claire Winslow and Riley Samels
Sunbird Books

One colour at a time, this lovely little rainbow of a board book explores the LGBTQIA+ flag, its symbolism and history. The first eight spreads each use a colour to highlight a particular attribute: purple is for spirit, a reminder to listen to your heart, you are unique. Blue is for harmony, ‘Together our voices can change the world.’ Yellow is sunlight – ‘Happiness grows when you let your light shine.’ These important heartfelt messages are for everyone so the next colour, brown, is for inclusivity and this is followed by black for diversity.

Having presented each of the colours of the rainbow plus black and brown, 

we see a joyful rainbow spread: ‘The rainbow is for PRIDE. Pride means being glad to be who you are’. The final spread is devoted to a short history of how the Pride flag developed since it was first created in 1973.

Yes, this is a board book but its messages of acceptance, empathy, kindness, inclusivity and celebrating who you are, are vital for everyone; it can easily be used with older children, perhaps in a circle time or assembly.

You Can’t let an Elephant drive a Racing Car

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Thank you to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for this hilarious book

You Can’t let an Elephant drive a Racing Car
Patricia Cleveland-Peck and David Tazzyman
Bloomsbury Children’s Books

In their latest crazy collaboration wherein animals’ antics result in madness and mayhem as they try their paws, snouts, tails, trunks, beaks and other parts of their anatomy at activities normally the province of humans, team Cleveland-Peck and Tazzyman present an unlikely assortment of creatures competing in sporting contests. Starting with the titular elephant sabotaging his chances before the race even begins, among others there’s a junior alligator trying her luck as a figure skater, a kangaroo unable to keep control of the bat in a cricket game, an unaware walrus in a bicycle race – an international one moreover, a wombat that gets the wibble-wobbles in a weight-lifting event

and an entire team of agile monkeys attempting to steal the show at the gym display.

In case you’re wondering if any of these entries end in a medal or a cup, let’s merely say participation is what matters and trying one’s best, and there’s nothing better at the end of the day than a communal frothy immersion to ease those fatigued muscles.

I‘m sure Patricia and David’s well-intentioned contenders will have readers falling off their seats in giggles at the absurdities presented herein and likely trying to imagine some further sporting scenarios for their own animal olympics.
I now hand over to author Patricia to tell you about how she works:

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WRITER

I am lucky enough to live in the country surrounded by fields and woodlands and it is no exaggeration to say that on most days I wake up to the sound of birdsong. I usually spend an hour or so having breakfast and pottering around the kitchen before heading to my writing room. I always feel happy entering it. I think my greatest good fortune is that I am doing something I love and something I wanted to do from about the age of ten.

No two days are the same, but it is good to have a bit of a routine. I usually have emails to  answer first, this week they include one from South Africa and one from Australia. After dealing with the most urgent of them, I settle down to write. Sometimes I write articles about things which interest me: these include odd quirky people, textiles, plants and travel. I wrote one going on a dawn picnic with my children to watch the sun rise – something everyone should do once in their lives.

Often though, I am working on a children’s book. For the texts of the Elephant series, because the books are comparatively short, every single word counts. I have sometimes spent a day or more over one word. But if words are the bricks I use, rhyme, rhythm and assonance are the foundations on which I build stories. I often wander around the house crazily chanting rhymes to myself. I love doing it, but it is not as easy as you’d think.

Sometimes I go travelling far away. My writing has secured me many wonderful trips; most recently to the Arctic where I saw the Northern Lights and went dog sledding but also as far as China, Japan and Mexico. Wherever I go I find things of interest which eventually filter through my imagination into my stories.

When I am at home, I try to go for two walks. Sometimes I go along the lane, into the woods and down to a stream. I look to see which flowers are in bloom, listen for buzzards mewing like kittens overhead and keep my eyes open for the deer which live around here. Other days I stroll our own place where I can see our bees, sheep and poultry. These can inspire a story. I remember throwing some spaghetti out and the sight of the ducks with it twiddled round their beaks gave me the idea for a picture book, The Queen’s Spaghetti. Wherever I am there are stories not far away.

Sometimes I write in the afternoon, sometimes I go out and about – but I always spend the last couple of hours of the day looking over what I have written earlier. As a writer you are never completely off duty. I have a notebook and pen next to my bed because sometimes a great rhyme or a great idea will come to me after I’ve put out the light. As I don’t always put on my glasses it can be a challenge to decipher them by the light of day! I have learned the hard way that I never remember these gems if I don’t scribble them down. There are plenty of ideas out there, it’s just a question of catching them as they fly past.

Please check out the other stops on the tour too

A little bit of Respect

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A Little Bit of Respect
Claire Alexander
Happy Yak

In this episode the Ploofers land their rainbow cloud on an island they’ve not visited before and start getting to know its residents. Initially things go well and all is amiable between visitors and residents but then one of the latter singles out Little One making him the centre of attention, which he finds very upsetting and demeaning.

Being called ‘cutie pie’ and told he looks ‘a bit peeky, weeky’ is the last straw; feeling frustrated and insignificant, Little One’s temper gets the better of him.

But then thankfully, he finds support and empowerment from an unexpected source with whom he shares how he’s feeling.

“Well, I don’t like it when you call me cute. It makes me feel small. I may be small but I still need a little bit of respect,” he tells the islander who caused his discomfiture. What will be the outcome of his new found assertiveness? Having stood up for himself, will Little One receive an apology?

With a surprise just before the end, Claire Alexander’s heartwarming tale of self-respect, respecting others and finding a friend to share your problem with, offers another important life lesson to young children, as well as lots of starting points for Foundation Stage circle-time discussion. I love the cutaway rainbow lettering on the front cover and the way Claire captures the feelings of Little One throughout.

Flooded

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Flooded
Mariajo Ilustrajo
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (First Editions)

Full of water, wit and a little one’s bit of wisdom is this debut picture book from Mariajo Ilustrajo, about a city inhabited solely by animals. It happens one summer beginning on a day just like all the others except that the entire place is rather wet. Initially all the residents except one are happy to use the excess of water as a chance to splash about in wellies and carry on with life as normal, merely making it a topic of conversation and a source of fun.

As the water level keeps on rising there remains a lone voice that shows increasing concern as most others become further involved in their own issues, until that is, some of the smaller animals start having problems.

Eventually a small volume of water has become an enormous problem, impossible for anyone to ignore; but is there anybody that knows what should be done? Happily yes and at last that little creature is able to voice a simple (and we readers would think, obvious), solution. With the entire population working as a team …

the plug is extracted and the drowning of the city is finally halted. Yes, new problems arise and have to be dealt with, but happily now community collaboration rules and solves …

This tale of pulling together in times of need is wonderfully illustrated by an exciting newcomer using ink and graphite and digitally coloured. The text is kept to a minimum allowing the wealth of funny details in each scene to do much of the storytelling.

Leilong’s Too Long! / Albert Supersize / Rita Wants a Genie

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Leilong’s Too Long!
Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
Gecko Press

The endearing brontosaurus Leilong is acting as school bus for Max, Maggie, Mo and their friends, taking care where he puts his massive feet and sometimes pausing to fill up on grass cakes on the way. Despite him always looking out for those he might help 

too many accidents are happening on account of his enormousness and with them, numerous complaints and even fines. Consequently the school has to drop the dino-bus and poor Leilong is devastated. He goes off and hides away. Or so he thinks. Not for long though; perhaps with the help and kindness of his little human friends, there’s a new role for Leilong just waiting to be discovered.
Julia Liu’s text (translated by Helen Wang) and Bei Lynn’s child-like, cartoon style illustrations work in perfect harmony. The details in every spread are a delight – wonderfully expressive and playful. Whether or not you’ve encountered Leilong before, I’m sure he’ll win your heart.

Albert Supersize
Ian Brown and Eoin Clarke
Graffeg

Tortoise, Albert has big dreams – massive ones sometimes like the time he dreamt he came to the aid of roaring dinosaurs threatened by erupting volcanic action (no, not the type Albert is prone to emit from his rear end). On this occasion though, when he’s aroused from dreamland by his minibeast friends, Albert discovers he must come to their aid too: the roof of their flowerpot shelter is damaged and in need of repair.
Drawing upon his dream, slowly and carefully Albert does the necessary, making his friends very happy. 

“You might have BIG dreams, Albert, but you’re just the right size to help us,” a worm comments.
Full of gentle humour, kindness and creatures, this latest Albert episode told in Ian Brown’s dramatic style and with Eoin Clarke’s hilarious illustrations is every bit as entertaining as ever.

If you’ve yet to meet Albert, I recommend you do so; at the back of the book you can even find out about the real Albert that inspired the author to tell these stories.

Rita wants a Genie
Máire Zeph and Mr Ando
Graffeg

Young Rita’s at it again with those big ideas of hers. Now she wants a being that will, unquestioningly, carry out her every command. Uh-oh! Having contemplated all the possibilities that having a genie at her beck and call would bring, she realises that her latest flight of fancy might not be her wisest after all. For isn’t it so that a genie must obey the wishes of whomsoever rubs the lamp where it lives? …
Andrew Whitson aka Mr Ando transports readers along with Rita to a magical eastern land of golden palaces, peacocks, lush fruits and swirling sand in his scenes for this latest story in the series he co-creates with author Máire Zeph. It’s an important learning journey for the small protagonist and another fun fantasy to share with those around Rita’s age.

How Rude! / How Selfish! / How Messy!

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How Rude!
How Selfish
How Messy!
Clare Helen Welsh and Olivier Tallec
Happy Yak

How superb! are both Clare’s words and Olivier Tallec’s pictures for the books in this series, each being told mainly through Dot and Duck’s dialogue.
In How Rude! Duck arrives at Dot’s for a tea party. From the start his thoughtless behaviour sabotages Dot’s every effort as he complains about the food and the drink, while Dot does her upmost to keep calm: one can see her frustration mount as her cheeks grow redder and redder until she decides to retaliate.

However, after apologies from both sides, all ends happily with smiles and evidence of an important lesson learned.

Another vital life-lesson for young children is brilliantly delivered in How Selfish! and now it’s Dot who starts off behaving in a problematic manner. First she destroys the flowers Duck is holding. Then claiming it’s her sword, she snatches the stick Duck has found, hopefully for a flag,. A squabble ensues with yellings of “Flag” and “Sword” and grabbings of said stick. Duck then tries a spot of negotiating: “Swap the flag for a rabbit?” to which Dot responds “That’s MY toy!”
Duck then suggests sharing: but clearly Dot’s notion of sharing doesn’t quite fit Duck’s bill.

Is there a way out of this stand-off? Yes there is, for Duck now delivers the most devastatingly powerful of childhood intentions, “I’m telling on you …”
There’s a rapid acquiescence from Dot that means Duck then has all the toys. Dot though has the stick/ flag but that’s not quite the end of this selfish, crazy contretemps. There are grumps on both sides and pretty soon, boredom. A compromise perhaps? … Definitely one to provoke in depth discussion this.

What to do when one person’s messiness is another person’s creativity: that dilemma is at the heart of How Messy! Now Duck and Dot are at the seaside and after a pancake breakfast, sally forth onto the beach to play. While Dot is carefully crafting, placing each item with the utmost precision, Duck gathers flotsam and jetsam and proceeds to make an octopus, which he proudly shows Dot. Totally unimpressed, she tells Duck he’s messy.

“ … It’s not mess …it’s art! I made it for you!” he tells her about his next piece of work and this looks as though it might just win Dot over until …

Now things are indeed pretty messy. Time for a think … followed by a clever piece of collaborative work.

But the best laid creations of Dot and Duck cannot compete with the forces of nature. Could a dip save the day for them both …

Vive la difference! say I.

With oodles of empathy and delightful humour, these books are pitch perfect for foundation stage settings, nurseries and families with young siblings. They’re absolutely certain to result in giggles aplenty and reflections on best how to treat other people.

Do Lions Hate Haircuts?

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Do Lions Hate Haircuts?
Bethany Walker and Stephanie Laberis
Walker Books

Leonard might be leader of his pride and king of beasts but when it comes to haircuts, he’s just a big baby that hates even the prospect of a trim. Consequently he searches everywhere in his kingdom for an expert barber until eventually he meets Marvin mouse. Sceptical about the possibility of such a tiny creature being a hairdresser, Leonard finally decides to give him a chance. The result is a
tonsorial work of art that delights the lion so much that he allows Marvin to try out all manner of funky styles and soon the two become best friends.

All is serene in the kingdom until one day Leonard detects a familiar aroma drifting on the air and
his nose leads him, to horror of horrors, his best pal working his magic on another animal. Consequently Leonard decides to let his hair grow and grow, vowing never again to get it cut. But with the increasing growth of his hair comes increasing sadness as Leonard misses his friend. Wiser than their parent, Leonard’s cubs suggest finding Marvin and apologising for the jealous behaviour Leonard has shown but he refuses so to do.

Suddenly Leonard hears a protracted yet familiar sound

and off he dashes to the rescue only to trip and take a precipitous tumble. Happily however, despite some mild injuries Leonard saves Marvin and in so doing finally sees the error of his ways, apologising profusely to the mouse. That isn’t quite the end of the story though for Marvin’s response generates a clever idea in Leonard’s mind and results in an exciting new enterprise. Even that however isn’t quite the end for there’s a clever and fun final twist yet to come …

Hair-raising indeed is Bethany Walker’s comic story of an unlikely friendship with its themes of learning to say sorry and to share. Hilarious illustrations by Stephanie Laberis are full of dramatic moments and laugh-out-loud twists and turns. A story-time favourite in the making methinks.

Not a Cat in Sight / Ruffles and the New Green Thing

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Not a Cat in Sight
Frances Stickley and Eamonn O’Neill
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books

Mouse sports a snazzy pair of specs so how come he is completely oblivious to the presence of a very large cat following his every move on this warm, sunny day? I’m sure young listeners to Frances’s splendidly rhythmic, rhyming narrative will, in addition to joining in the repeat refrain ‘with not a cat in sight’, be wanting to shout out to the little creature in best pantomime style, “Look out he’s behind you” as debut illustrator Eamonn O’Neill shows him in his suitably playful scenes dressing and venturing outdoors to spend an almost unimaginably ‘perfect day’.
Determined to make the very most of his day we see Mouse teeter across a tightrope, try a spot of skydiving,

delve deep in the compost for treasure, play at being a pirate, and more besides.

It’s sheer theatrical delight as myopic Mouse frolics hither and thither, his stalker ever on his trail until a comic slapstick moment involving a pooch coming to his aid, almost certainly saving him from a catastrophic demise.

But will our Mouse ever realise that during all of his wonderful adventures something has been right on his tail?

Ruffles and the New Green Thing
David Melling
Nosy Crow

When it comes to canine things Ruffles is pretty much like most other dogs; however he’s somewhat averse to anything new and different. It’s certainly true when he spies something green in his bowl: what ever is this green item unlike anything he’s ever seen before?
His initial sensory investigations yield no ideas but then he’s distracted by the arrival of his pal Ralph. Ralph is the dog that can dig deeper, find bigger sticks and jump higher than Ruffles but they both share a love of …

Having spend some playful energetic time together with his friend, Ralph decides to chomp at the new green thing and then it’s a case of anything Ralph can do … and suddenly the bowl is completely empty. What’s more Ruffles has a new favourite food. So Ruffles loves new things? Errr! …

With its clever mix of droll humour in the illustrations and a straightforward narrative, Ruffles fans will eagerly gobble this new episode up and I have no doubt the adorable pooch will add to his following too.

The Friendship Bench

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The Friendship Bench
Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egnéus
Oxford Children’s Books

New beginnings is the theme of this beautiful story that celebrates young children’s creative play.

Tilly has just moved to a new home beside the sea: the setting looks gorgeous but she’s very disappointed when her mum tells her that her beloved dog Shadow can’t go into her new school on her first day. Nothing is the same without her canine friend.
At playtime, Tilly is alone and when her teacher notices this he suggests she try the Friendship Bench. However when she gets there, the bench is already occupied. Back to the teacher goes Tilly who tells her to have another try.

The little boy hasn’t vacated it however, so she joins him and after a bit they both decide the bench needs fixing to make it work. They set to work improving it until …

On the way back from school that afternoon Tilly tells her Mummy about how she and Flint transformed the Friendship Bench and about their future plans.

As always, there’s power in both Wendy’s straightforward, finely honed telling and Daniel Egnéus’ dreamlike illustrations. I love his warmth, the occasional gentle humour in the details and the way he puts readers right close to the action.

One to add to foundations stage/KS1 collections and family bookshelves.

Wanda

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Wanda
Sihle Nontshokweni & Mathabo Tlali, illustrated by Chantelle & Burgen Thorne
Otter-Barry Books

“Intombi mayizithembe mayazithe, Wanda. Be confident. Trust in yourself.” So says Wanda’s Mama in this uplifting story starring a girl with a wonderful head of hair that makes her feel anything but confident as she’s teased by unkind members of her class. Unbeknown to her Mama, who spends ages combing her daughter’s hair each morning, before she goes into her classroom Wanda usually changes her hairdo making the ‘big switch’ so that her teacher won’t call her hair a “bird’s nest”. However on this particular day she’s late and unable to make the alterations.

Mrs Stewart sends her to find an Alice band in the lost property box and this she wears throughout school time.

On the way home she sadly tells herself that maybe after all, she’s not that proud African queen with beautiful hair, ‘strong like clouds’, as her Mama tells her every morning. However on her return she’s greeted by her Grandmother who, after a distraught Wanda has shared how she feels, is able to help her swallow all that sadness, partly by giving her a scrapbook that they look at together. Therein Wanda sees pictures of African women with amazing hairstyles, each one of them beautiful and every one of them, deservedly famous;

then on the final page is her own mother. At last Wanda can truly embrace her own hair, especially with a bit of extra knowledge from her gran concerning the secret of her crown – “Water and 100% olive oil.”
Next morning,, it’s a proud, emotionally strong Wanda who waits at that bus stop.

This heartfelt look at how society can drain the positivity instilled by a loving family, is a powerful reminder that everyone has the right to feel confident to celebrate their culture and that we should all share in that celebration rather than attempt to undermine it. The broad themes of the story – self belief and kindness, with its compelling, vibrant illustrations, make this a book to share with primary classes wherever they are.

The Wild Garden

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The Wild Garden
Cynthia Cliff
Prestel

Jilly lives in a village called Mirren with her Grandpa and dog, Bleu. Outside the village, as we see in the beautifully detailed illustrations, is a wonderful wild place, a mix of meadowland, woods and ponds, while within the village is a carefully cultivated shared garden wherein people grow row upon row of vegetables and ornamental plants.

It’s the wild place that Jilly, Grandpa, and Bleu, spend much of their time, in spring enjoying the birds and minibeasts and searching for edible greens to eat for supper. At the same time the community garden is a hive of activity. And so it continues through the seasons, one difference between the two locations being that Jilly never knows what their forays might yield,

whereas the results of the labours of the other villagers in their garden are much more predictable.

Then with winter comes a fierce snowstorm after which the villagers decide to enlarge their growing space: a much much bigger garden should result in more and more rows of plants. Needless to say this plan perplexes Jilly and Grandpa: what will happen to the meadows, the nut trees and all those animal habitats? They have to do something to stop the wildlife devastation. Can two people possibly show all the other village residents that a bigger garden isn’t as they think, a better garden?

Perhaps there’s a way that everybody can be satisfied …

Cynthia Cliff’s illustrations of the contrasting growing spaces show that both have much to offer while both these and her story help make youngsters aware of the beauty and vital importance of nature; and how our amazing planet isn’t owned by humans, rather we must share it with the wealth of flora and fauna, respecting and caring for their habitats.

The Journey Home

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The Journey Home
Frann Preston-Gannon
Pavilion Books

The conservation message of this tenth anniversary edition of Frann’s thought-provoking picture book is even more urgent now than when it was first published.

It begins with a Polar Bear, forced to leave home when the ice has melted and there’s no longer any food. As he swims he comes upon a small boat, climbs in and sets out he knows not where. Soon he discovers a city and there on the dockside is a Panda. The Panda climbs into the boat and they sail off together. Some time later they see an Orangutan, now without any jungle and Panda invites her to join them.

Suddenly Orangutan notices an Elephant that is endeavouring to hide from tusk-stealing hunters. Then there are four packed into that tiny boat and before long a storm brews up carrying then far, far away from all their homes.

Eventually the boat approaches an island upon which stands a Dodo.

The sailors explain their plight, saying that they really want to go home. “Well of course you can go home!” comes the reply … “You can go home when the trees grow back and when the ice returns and when the cities stop getting bigger and when the hunting stops.” What choice do they really have but to stay put and as the Dodo suggests, “Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

We adult readers know what the Dodo’s fate was, but it need not be the same for Polar Bear, Panda, Orangutan and Elephant. Yes the story, with its beautifully executed collage illustrations in a muted colour palette, is pretty bleak; and as we discover in a factual section after the narrative, all these wonderful creatures are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. However all is not lost thanks to the work being done on their behalf by various organisations and individuals. To that end, the final page has ideas about what young readers and their families (or classes) can do to help the environment.

Sam Plants a Sunflower / Tilly Plants a Tree / Shelly Hen Lays Eggs

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Sam Plants a Sunflower
Kate Petty and Axel Scheffler
Tilly Plants a Tree
William Petty and Axel Scheffler
Nosy Crow

Published in collaboration with the National Trust, these lift-the flap books each with a strategically placed pop-up are just right for helping young children discover the delights of growing things for themselves.

As Sam cat basks in the sunshine a passing ladybird responds to his “Why can’t the sun shine every day?”with a suggestion that he should plant sunflowers. We then follow the process as he chooses a suitable day, a suitable spot in his garden, plants and waters his seeds and waits. And waits … Beneath the soil (and a series of flaps) an earthworm watches adding comments until a few days later, Sam discovers a row of sprouting leaves. As it gets hotter Sam worries about how to help his sunflowers grow and receives advice from the ladybird. The plants continue getting ever taller until eventually buds appear but still Sam waits for his big yellow sunflowers until at last there to his delight, that of his friends and of readers, they are.

As summer ends the petals fall, the leaves wither and there again is the reassuring ladybird telling Sam to remove the seeds, share them with his pals and plant them the following spring.
If by chance, the story hasn’t made youngsters eager to plant sunflowers, there’s a final page of helpful tips.

Tilly, the main character in the second story is a squirrel. One day she rushes home from school with exciting news; everyone in her class is going to grow an oak tree. Grandma takes Tilly to a woodland full of majestic oaks and beneath Grandma’s special tree the little squirrel finds an acorn. Gran knows just what to do to get the acorn to germinate and after more than a year, with the help of ladybird and worm too, Tilly’s sapling is ready to be planted out in the wood near her Grandma’s.

With its straightforward explanatory narrative and a final page of tips I’m sure many little humans will be eagerly collecting acorns for planting this autumn.
Ideal for sharing with foundation stage children and for home use, both books have bright, expressive illustrations from Axel Scheffler that young children and readers aloud will enjoy.

Shelly Hen Lays Eggs
Deborah Chancellor and Julia Groves
Scallywag Press

This is the third in the Follow My Food picture book series aimed at helping young children understand where their food comes from. We join a little boy as he watches Shelly a free range hen as she takes a dust bath to get rid of mites, feeds on bugs in the grass and herbs she comes upon, clucks with her friends in the flock, returns to her coop at sundown, settles down in the nesting box and at dawn, lays an egg ready for the helpful little boy narrator to collect along with the other eggs later in the morning. It might even be the one he eats for his tea.
After Deborah Chancellor’s straightforward narrative accompanied by Julia Groves’ bright, cut paper illustrations comes a trail-type quiz based on the facts of the story, where youngsters match words and pictures. There are two further information pages with paragraphs on ‘Happy Hens’, ‘Tasty Eggs’ and Chatty Chickens’.
Food is a popular theme in foundation stage settings so this would be a useful book to add to school and nursery collections.

No More Peas

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No More Peas
Madeleine Cook and Erika Meza
Oxford Children’s Books

Given the chance, young Oliver would restrict his meals to pizza, chips, burgers, cakes and other sweet stuff. However his father insists on giving him carrots – hard ones, broccoli (green and puffy) or a plate of roly-poly peas at dinner times. All of these Oliver donates to the dog.

Time to devise a healthy eating plan, thinks Dad.

Next day off they go into the garden where as Dad informs his son, “I grow vegetables here.” Again Oliver comes up with his usual “YUK!” response. Dad doesn’t give up that easily though and proceeds to tell the boy all about the growing process as well as the wealth of colourful vegetables it’s possible to cultivate. Now Daniel is impressed at the possibility of eating a rainbow: seems as though Dad’s plan is starting to work.

That evening Oliver helps prepare the meal:

there are lots of exciting new veggies to try but what will be the boy’s reaction? Is there at last a vegetable he really truly likes? Happily yes: it’s tiny, spherical and green. So why that title? …

Madeleine Cook’s fun, gently educative story of growing your own vegetables, healthy eating and trying new foods is deliciously illustrated in Erika Meza’s scenes that – like good picture books do – convey so much not said in the words; Oliver’s feelings about Dad’s offerings are superbly captured as are those of the other characters.

Whether or not there’s a fussy eater in your family, (or class) this is a terrific book to share with foundation stage/KS1 children for so many reasons and the classroom potential is enormous.

A Little Bit of Hush

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A Little Bit of Hush
Paul Stewart and Jane Porter
Otter-Barry Books

Squirrel and her babies live in a big tree; so too do all sorts of noisy birds. Their cacophony is such that the baby squirrels are unable to get to sleep so their mother decides to consult Owl. Having heard her problem Owl brings out a jar containing so he says, “A Little Bit of Hush”. Squirrel is somewhat puzzled that she can’t see anything in the jar so Owl demonstrates the way in which it works and goes on to show her his special invention, a Silence Catcher.

The two of them then embark on a magical journey through the woods with Owl capturing the hush between the Blackbird’s song and its alarm call, and encourages Squirrel who finds some of his own – the hush within a hollow tree stump, a hush deep down in some fallen leaves.

Owl then captures the stillness after an acorn drops before it bounces on the forest floor and even the silence between lightning’s flash and thunder’s roll. All these Owl stows in pockets of peace and pouches of stillness and hush; then back in his workshop he uses these ingredients, creating a special mixture that he puts into a jar for Squirrel to take back to her family.

The noise outside her front door is louder than ever when she returns, but now she has her own bottle of helpful hush. Will it work its unique magic on the five squirrels?

I love this idea and tried it out on my walk after this book had arrived in the post. It certainly made me more mindful of the spaces between the natural sounds that surrounded me as I stopped and sat for five minutes just listening.

With its examples of natural sounds, though interesting in themselves, but which can sometimes becomes distracting, Paul Stewart’s story shows the importance of silence in our busy world. Like Squirrel we all need times without noise either to drift off to sleep or as a kind of sacred space into which we can retreat and be contemplative. In her collage illustrations, Jane Porter beautifully captures the noisy woodland environment of the creatures’ quest for peace and quite, amusingly portraying the various sources of the distractions.