Category Picture Books

Porridge Please!

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Porridge Please!
Laura Mucha and Marc Boutavant
Walker Books

This is a terrific fairy tale spin off featuring a host of favourite characters that visit a little bear who is trying his very best to read the last page of his new book. The poor bear has had a continuous stream of visitors each wanting some of his ‘sumptuous scrumptious porridge’

as the Little Pig calls it when he comes a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK knocking.

Having kindly fed Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood and three pigs,

Bear’s feeling frazzled when there comes yet another visitor – Granny supposedly – telling a tale of woe. But suddenly a realisation dawns: ‘THAT WASN’T GRANNY. Red Riding Hood said she was eaten by the Big Bad Wolf’. Time for some quick thinking and a clever ploy from Bear.

There’s so much to love about this book: Bear’s problem solving, his love of story books, and the tastiness of porridge: three vital ingredients in Laura Mucha’s telling and Marc Boutavant’s hilarious scenes of of the dramatic events.

In case you’re wondering whether Bear ever did get to read that last page, you’ll have to get your own copy of their book to find out. One thing that is certain though is that young listeners will endorse the READ IT AGAIN! plea on the final endpapers.


Big Thoughts / Some Days I’m the Wind

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Big Thoughts
Laura Dockrill and Ashling Lindsay
Walker Books

We’re all beset with worries from time to time – ‘Big Thoughts’ as the child narrator of this books calls them. Such thoughts can’t be seen by others despite them being loud inside your head. They might be Big Thoughts about the future, the past or perhaps even make-believe (not telling the truth). Moreover the more one tries to ignore such thoughts, the louder and more all embracing they become.

So what can be done to alleviate a very worried mind? One way is to share them with a an older person who has learned some coping strategies. Strategies that can be passed on and will then stay with the sufferer henceforward. Another way is to talk with a friend who has suffered similarly, so neither person feels alone.

Laura Dockrill’s text is such that readers/listeners are made to feel the centre of attention – seen and heard – and together with Ashling Lindsay’s sensitive illustrations and the final spread entitled Tips and Techniques’ make this a very reassuring and helpful book.

Some Days I’m the Wind
Rebecca Gardyn Levington and Dinara Mirtalipova
Barefoot Books

Using metaphors relating to the weather and the natural world, the young narrator of this book tells us how her feelings and emotions can change from day to day or perhaps several times in a single day. “Some days I’m the sun, welcoming, warm /patient, pleasant, fair. // Some days I’m the sun, / stubborn, HOT! / A raging, blazing glare.’

Or, ‘Some days I’m a tree, / flourishing, strong, reaching for the sky/ // Some days I’m a tree / trembling, bare, / bidding leaves goodbye.’

The well chosen, child friendly metaphors combined with the repeat ‘Some days’ of the gently rhythmic text and the vibrant, boldly coloured illustrations, keep readers turning the pages as they, like the narrator come to understand that there are a whole multitude of ways to feel, to act and to be. This is reaffirmed in the final proclamation, “And just like the wind, / or the sun, / or the sea / on some days / I’m some ways, / but all days // I’m me.”

After the child’s narration is a spread entitled “Exploring Our Emotions’ written by a child development specialist. A book to share and talk about at home, or with an EYFS or KS1 class.

To Activate Space Portal Lift Here

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To Activate Space Portal Lift Here
Antoinette Portis
Scallywag Press

This is an intergalactic romp of the metafictive kind; it’s also interactive.

On the first spread readers will find a small orange rectangle containing a smaller black circle and at the bottom of the right page are two little green dots, one labelled ‘power’, the other ‘auto translate’. A turn of the page shows a larger central rectangle within which is a large eye with a black pupil and orange iris. A couple of page turns on a portal opens up to reveal two extraterrestrial beings – Blrg, (with yellow skin) and Zrk (with orange skin). At first these two creatures are petrified concluding “Aliens are real!!!”

The two decide to engage readers in conversation to discover whether the alien being spoken to intends to eat them and ask to see its teeth. Having done so their concern disappears for the teeth are very tiny. “Alien, what is your planet called?” the two enquire. ‘Planeturth’ they hear in response, which of course they’ve never heard of.

The interaction continues and is mainly agreeable and an array of additional extraterrestrials appear to gaze at and greet the Alien.

They’ve just said “Hi!” when the power level of the book drops indicating the imminent closure of the portal before which farewells are exchanged and Blrg and Zrk deliver a final message to all planeturthlings. However by now the auto translate has turned red so they and we readers will never know what “SKF FLRBL GRNK!” means.

With its vibrantly coloured illustrations this weird, out of this world tale, will likely go down especially well with space fans.

The Monster in the Lake / The Kerfuffle

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These are both recent Gecko Press titles – thanks to the publisher and Nicky Potter for sending them for review

The Monster in the Lake
Leo Timmers

Following one duck’s suggestion, four ducks contemplate some fun in the lake. Another however, has concerns about the monster said to be in there, but the others insist there’s no need to worry. Off they go into the water, with three ducks urging the fourth, “Trust us!”. Eric trails reluctantly behind and perhaps this gives him a clearer idea of what is going on beneath the surface.

At each turn of the page readers and Eric see more of the subaquatic reality while his companions remain oblivious despite his loud, “MONSTER!”warning, even insisting that they are the only ones around other than frogs and small fish. It takes Eric’s disappearance to ruffle his friends’ feathers,

though his reappearance soon puts them at their ease again. For Eric, this whole swim has been a truly memorable adventure; as for the others, they certainly won’t know that the monster is far from threatening, rather it’s a playful beastie.

Young audiences will love sharing in Eric’s subterfuge. They’ll love too, Leo Timmers’ bold, bright, whimsical images of the marine characters and the their underwater accoutrements: why though did Eric keep all the fun part to himself?

The Kerfuffle
Clotilde Perrin

Kitty and Pup are neighbours and the best of friends but suddenly everything changes. Kitty eats Pup’s fish, so in return Pup takes Kitty’s slipper. Now the two besties have become enemies and they decide not to see one another any more – ever. To that end they build a wall separating their abodes (the book’s flaps let readers see what is happening on either side.
With the wall complete, peace reigns but then a bunny rabbit appears on top of it. Dog and Kitty both want to make friends with the rabbit and they start fighting over the newcomer.

Now none of them is happy and Rabbit runs off. Eventually however Kitty decides it time to make peace with Dog and a lot of crashing and banging ensues that results in a solution that makes everyone happy.
Demonstrating the pointlessness of building walls, Clotilde Perrin’s clever amalgam of narrative and illustrations with those strategically placed flaps works really well. The illustrations deserve careful perusal as there is a lot going on between bit part players such as a pair of birds that start nesting, as well as a couple of mice.

The Bear Who Wanted to Dance

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The Bear Who Wanted to Dance
Stephanie Stansbie and Wendy J Warren
Little Tiger

Follow your dreams no matter whoever or whatever you are, is the message that shines through this story of Rita the bear who was inspired by the very first ballet she saw and knew in her heart that she too wanted to become a dancer. She took lessons with Monsieur le Fox where she met Wanda and the two became firm friends dreaming of their lives in dance. Rita, our narrator tells how she practised daily, pushing herself ever harder until the day came when Monsieur le Fox tells the class that there’s to be an audition for the prima ballerina.

The night before the auditions, as the two friends browse through dance magazines, Rita begins to worry and her worry grows as she realises that none of the ballerinas depicted look at all like her – there’s not a single bear.

At the auditions the following day their teacher has worked them till they ached and come moonlight, he gives the instruction: “Everyone in arabesque!” Having taken up the pose, Rita loses her balance, falls, and is distraught.

Is that the end of her dance dream? Happily Monsieur le Fox’s response to her fall is unexpectedly positive and up she gets and on she goes and …

With a body-positivity theme, this story with its soft-hued illustrations and forest setting is a delight and will surely encourage those who dream big but don’t see themselves depicted in the media.

I’m Going To Eat A Polar Bear

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I’m Going To Eat A Polar Bear
Karl Newson and Nicola Kinnear
Happy Yak

Despite being very hungry, a little penguin turns down the offer of fish, declaring it boring and instead demanding ‘something new. Something soft … and fluffy!’ One of the older penguins recalls hearing of something matching that description called a ‘bolar pear’. Off sets the little penguin, full of bravado, on a mission to find and eat a bolar pear, despite not knowing what such a creature actually looks like.

After a long journey over land, sea and the occasional croc. and the dismissal of warnings about the bear’s enormity, the little penguin finally arrives at the North Pole, the place where polar bears live.

Our bear seeker has an extremely rumbly tum but apparently not much common sense, for the little penguin decides that there are no polar bears, not even a tiny one, anywhere. Back home to some fish is the only option, that, or remain hungry. Little does said penguin realise that an equally hungry polar bear has been following close behind all the time.

This is one of those books that is sure to have young listeners yelling, “it’s behind you” as the story progresses and the totally oblivious little penguin almost ends up becoming the next meal for a polar bear, rather than the other way round. Children will love being in the know with the author in this tongue-in-cheek tale, the drama of which is captured with aplomb in Nicola Kinnear’s story-telling sequences.

Squirrel and Bird

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Squirrel and Bird
Laura Baker and Stacey Thomas
Little Tiger

Squirrel and Bird are best friends and the external narrator introducing them emphasises their difference: ‘Squirrel is loud! Very LOUD!’ Bird, on the other hand, ‘hardly makes a sound at all.’ ‘Squirrel is busy. Busy, busy, busy!’ Bird though, ‘prefers to sit and do nothing.’ This way of describing them really annoys Bird as the comments are not the whole picture – far from it.

As the friends prepare for a concert to be held in front of the entire forest, tension mounts and eventually the feathered creature has heard enough and lets the narrator know in no uncertain terms. “ENOUGH!” comes the angry cry. ‘We are not only what you say we are. There’s so much more to us than that.’

Feeling the rebuke, the narrator shows a degree of surprise and has to agree ‘Bird is LOTS of things … and Squirrel is too!’

With Laura Baker’s very effective minimal text and Stacey Thomas’s charmingly detailed, muted sepia and grey scenes, the vital message comes through clearly: we are all an amalgam of different things at different times and hasty judgements are foolish.

A thought-provoking book to share and talk about with primary classes, possibly in a circle time session.

I Definitely Don’t Like the Dark

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I Definitely Don’t Like the Dark
Fiona Barker and Christine Pym
Scholastic

The two delightful squirrel best friends, Hank and Hoog, return in another of the I Definitely Don’t Like stories.

After an enjoyable day together, as the sun sets the friends start to head for home when Hoog remarks on the long length of his shadow. Hank speeds up eager to get home before dark. “I d… don’t like the d… dark,” he whispers to his pal. An understanding Hoog offers to accompany him all the way back but as the sun disappears completely, Hank is alarmed by noises, noises made by other creatures

and the creaking of a tree. Once all is quiet, Hank starts worrying again, this time about what could be hiding, waiting in the dark.

After some reassurance from Hoog, they continue their way, Hank still not fully sure about the surrounding darkness. However Hoog still has something tucked in his fur to share with him. Together they sit on a branch gazing at the stars shining bright all around them and a realisation comes to Hank: ‘… despite having fear, with a good friend … there will always be light in the darkness.’

Fiona’s reassuring story is perfect to share with young children who, like Hank , are scared of the dark. Christine Pym uses a variety of viewpoints from which to present the events and this further adds to the power of the telling.

Brown Girl in the Snow

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Brown Girl in the Snow
Yolanda T. Marshall and Marianne Ferrer
Greystone Kids

Amina, the narrator of the story has recently moved from the Caribbean where she was able to grown all kinds of plants, to a snowy city in a new country, and she’s not happy.

“There’s a brown girl in the
Tra la la la la,
where none of her plants will grow”


She sings as she watches the other children playing, then asks her elder brother how she can grown her garden in such an environment. He suggests she should wait for the spring to come. Hearing her song, her dad takes her to the library where she discovers a book about gardens. This cheers her somewhat and the following day her teacher asks why she’s not out playing with the other children. Having heard how Amina misses growing plants, she has an idea:

she sets up a class field trip to a greenhouse. When her classmates her about this, some of them start talking about the plants they are missing from their home countries such as The Republic of Congo and India. They also ask Amina to join them in their play outside next time. The weeks pass and at last it’s the field trip. Amina is a bit disappointed that she doesn’t see sweet potatoes growing in the greenhouse though there are lots of other tropical plants; nonetheless the trip is a success. Particularly when Mr Lokon discovers that she was hoping to find sweet potatoes and gives her some slips to plant.

He also invites her and her new friends to return and watch their growth. This they do though it takes a long time and in the meantime, Amina becomes much more positive about her new home.

The refrain, “There’s a brown girl …” is repeated several times throughout the story, with different ending lines as events progress and young listeners will enjoy joining in each time. Aptly Marianne Ferrer’s stylised watercolour depictions of the plants and some clothing items are in various green hues, with a dark magenta for Amina’s sweet potatoes.

The author draws on her own experience for this story: it’s ideal for children who are moving to a different climate and those who feel homesick for a previous country as well as for a KS1 topic related to growing plants.

The Mushroom of Doom

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The Mushroom of Doom
Becky Davies and Thomas Elliott
Little Tiger

This story begins with a horrified-looking button mushroom hurtling down into a blender whirring on a work surface: certain death looks more than likely.
Prior to that said Mushroom was an optimistic fungus anticipating becoming the star ingredient on the evening’s pizza. That’s not what happens however: Pineapple is chosen for the topping not Mushroom, after which the day gets progressively worse. Milk accidentally spills all over him and his best trainers;

then down comes a big boot – somebody has stepped on him. After all this our protagonist is unceremoniously dumped into the compost bin where a closer look reveals hundreds of other mushrooms.

Time for revenge: designating himself the Mushroom of Doom, he assembles a mushroom army to take revenge – little do they know what they’re in for under the tyrannical leader that even refuses them any water.

But a dehydrated army is unable to fight at all. Worse is to follow for the Mushroom but just when it seems the end is nigh an erstwhile fridge sharer steps in and .… Surely now our Mushroom narrator will finally become a reformed character. Errr!

Thomas Elliott’s dramatic illustrations work superbly with Becky Davies’ pun-laden text in this anarchic story, the ending of which may come as a surprise.

Tiger’s Last Roar

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Tiger’s Last Roar
Harriet Howe and Katie Cottle
Templar Books

Mae and her pet cat Tiger are inseparable. When they’re together the garden becomes a vast jungle of which the two are queens, exploring and adventuring all day until the teatime call comes. Having dined together, they bath together, draw together and tell stories together.
However, Tiger is getting older and as summer turns to autumn, Tiger is tired and wants to spend more time sleeping instead of exploring. Then one day when the teatime call comes, she fails to return. Tiger has died and Mae is heartbroken. Unable to speak she lets out an almighty roar, then turning her back on the jungle she shuts herself away.

Her empathetic Mum gives her time and loving hugs, then gently suggests that talking about Tiger might help her cope. After a while, under Mum’s gentle guidance, the two of them tell stories of Tiger, Mae draws and they share memories of the beloved animal. Mae then starts to venture outside, albeit apprehensively, anxious that nothing will be the same without her pet. However, Mae discovers that Tiger has left paw-prints everywhere in the jungle and most importantly, in Mae’s own heart

and there they’ll remain for ever.

With Katie Cottle’s richly coloured illustrations, this powerfully moving story, full of warmth and tenderness shows just how big an impact the loss of a pet can have on a child, especially an only child. After the story, there’s a helpful spread that provides a space for children to use, should they too lose a much loved pet, as well as a page for adults on ‘supporting a child through the loss of a pet’.

Sharing & Caring – Stop That Squirrel! / A Dinosaur Lives In Our Shed

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Stop That Squirrel!
Smriti Halls and Lucy Fleming
Scholastic

Scout the squirrel is an obsessive nut hunter and with autumn in the air she decides it’s time to prepare for winter. Off she goes, sack on her back, to collect as many nuts as possible.

Having filled her larder with her first haul, she sets out again, beating all the other creatures to each and every nut.

They decide to try and halt her greed so they put up a sign ‘STOP THAT SQUIRREL!’
When snow starts to fall, badger and the rest of the animals search desperately for nuts but to no avail.
Meanwhile Scout is busy baking and being delighted with her delicious-looking cake, she calls out, offering some to her friends. Suddenly she sees the sign and a horrible realisation dawns. Time to show the others what being a friend really means …

Lucy’s illustrations and Smriti’s rhyming tale show and the final line says, ‘… nuts taste the best when you share them around.’ That applies to so many other things too, something one hopes that young listeners will take from the book.

A Dinosaur Lives In Our Shed
Kaye Umansky and Pippa Curnick
Alison Green Books

Supposing a little dinosaur unexpectedly followed you home from the park, what would you do? The children in this story fed him and put him in the shed overnight. Thereafter they gave him cuddles, read him stories

and took him on excursions to the seaside and into the woods.

Then one day the dinosaur gave an almighty ROOOOAAAAR!!! and became so sad he didn’t want to go out with the children. What could be wrong. they wondered and then light bulb moment: he was missing his mum. But where was she? The concerned humans put up posters around the locality – not lost ones but found. After waiting a day and a night the children heard noises outside, so they thought. Could it possibly be …
The following morning when they look in the shed, what do they discover …

Kaye Umansky’s rhyming text in combination with Pippa Curnick’s uproarious illustrations full of fun details make this a book that will amuse young children and adult sharers alike.

Children of the Throne

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Children of the Throne
Joseph Coelho and Richard Johnson
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Three children are called from their tower block home to a hidden world beneath. They listen to a story of a tree-grown man explaining how things have changed, greatly endangering the world. It’s the hottest day of the year and already golden brown leaves are drifting down from the trees, the birds cannot find the food to fly and the worms can’t penetrate the surface of the baked-hard ground.

As they listen, they hear that the trees have been duped by the unseasonal heat and think it’s autumn. Meanwhile the grown-ups, delighted by the hot summer, are unconcerned and continue their polluting actions.

The wise tree-grown man puts a crown on each young narrator’s head, telling them “You have the magic now … to make this madness end.” Still though the adults ignore what they hear. Frustrated, using their magic and playing a ‘tune of change’, the three call forth the other children and they all work together,

watched by the amazed adults. Impressed by what they see, they wake up and start to play their part by replacing the burning fossil fuels with other means of generating power as well as trying to eliminate waste-producing systems. In this way, they hope the children’s future will be protected.

Jospeh’s powerfully moving and ultimately hopeful poetic narrative is complemented by Richard Johnson’s stunning luminescent scenes. Let’s hope that young readers/listeners will be inspired by the message that big changes start with small individual actions which can grow into community efforts.

It’s Really, Really Not Fair

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It’s Really, Really Not Fair
Angie Morgan
Otter-Barry Books

Nothing in her life is fair according to Polly. She wants to fly like a pigeon, climb a mountain, dig her way to Australia and paint the house, but her Mum says no to them all. “It’s REALLY, REALLY NOT FAIR!” Polly shouts, stamping and stomping. Instead of all these outlandish ideas, Mum suggests her daughter should eat her fish fingers; but Polly has now decided that she hates them

and starts screaming very loudly. Finally she’s all screamed out and it’s then she hears a loud noise on the opposite side of the garden gate. It appears that the little boy next door is prone to screaming too. Shock horror.

Mum excuses his behaviour by saying it could be because he’s tired. This prompts Polly to feel tired too and look forward to tomorrow and some more crazy notions. Fortunately Mum is on hand to come up with an acceptable counter suggestion before Polly falls fast asleep.

Angie Morgan’s insightful story, which explores the idea of fairness with gentle humour, will resonate with parents and carers; young listeners will be introduced to the notion that not getting what you want doesn’t mean that it isn’t fair. Polly’s melodramatic behaviour is brilliantly portrayed as she learns that important life lesson.

The Other Side of the Rainbow

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The Other Side of the Rainbow
Beatrice Blue
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Like many young children, Lucien is very cautious about change. He worries about such things as trying new foods, the first day of school and making new friends.

One night a very strong wind blows open a window in his room extinguishing the flames in the fireplace. Having closed the window, he notices a glowing ember, a tiny spark that suddenly starts to move and change into something new. The flame introduces itself as Seraphin and asks Lucien if he’d like to accompany him to see the spring flowers. Somehow Lucien finds himself following him outside into the sparkling rain where there are small, friendly playful creatures. Seraphin draws the boy onwards showing him all the colours of a rainbow that they move across towards the summer. In fact during his day with Seraphin, Lucien journeys through all four seasons. He sings and dances in summer, on into autumn, the time of transformation – ‘ending and starting at the same time’.

Eventually as they sit together, the flame says, “It’s time for me to go now, Lucien.” Having explained that everything must change to make way for new adventures, Seraphin leaps into the sky for now his work is done – Lucien understands the vital need for change. Back home he goes with his memories, excited about new possibilities and new adventures.

Joyful and reassuring, this is a story to share with all young children, not just those scared of change. Beatrice Blue’s illustrations bubble over with magic and movement, almost overwhelming the senses.

Old MacDonald on the Move

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Old MacDonald on the Move
Philip Ardagh and Maria Karipidou
Walker Books

Philip Ardagh has taken the popular nursery rhyme and twisted it hither and thither to create a zany new version.

Nothing, it seems, is going right for Old MacDonald, (now an aging fellow) when his beloved farm starts crumbling before his eyes. First it’s the leaking barn roof. So to save his cows from the continual drip, dripping, he takes them off to a grand hotel for a couple of weeks while he attends to the leak. Next, the pigsty begins to sink, so the pigs are taken to join the cows, followed not long after by the loss of the hen coop.

Then the creek runs dry so, on account of no water and thus no grass, the sheep too are taken to become hotel guests.

Back at the farm Old MacDonald looks around. Enough! he decides. He puts the farm up for sale and moves out forthwith. Now, where will they all live … It’s in their happy ever after home. E-I-E-I-O!

Young children will delight in joining in with the animal sounds and repeat refrains, as well as watching the drama unfold in Maria Karipidou’s hilarious, contrasting scenes of the farm and the hotel. Look out for the mice and their diverting antics.

Little Bad Wolf

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Little Bad Wolf
Abie Longstaff and Leire Martin
Happy Yak

This is not so much a fractured fairytale more a fairytale prequel.
We first meet the wolf – Baby Wolf – as a cute looking creature but with the habit of gobbling up anything that makes him cross. This distresses his mother and also on his first day at school, the teacher and fellow pupils. Needless to say Wolfie does not get the Star Pupil badge at the end of the week.
The following week though, our lupine resolves not to eat anything annoying, the result being he’s Star Pupil that Friday. His Dad is especially proud and makes Wolfie a swishy red cloak onto which is stitched a golden heart. Almost immediately Wolfie gets blueberry jam on the cloak’s hem.

One lunchtime the cloak disappears and who should arrive the next day but Little Red; guess what she was wearing. Wolfie is certain the garment is his but Little Red comes up with reasons why it’s hers

and this makes him want to revert to his old ways, but the teacher grabs him just in time. Little Red is absent the day after: she’s moved to Australia, so the teacher tells Wolfie who thinks he’ll never regain his cloak.

Years pass, Wolfie grows big and and stops (more or less) consuming annoying things. Then who should appear in the woods but a considerably larger Little Red, still wearing the cloak. “Everyone calls me Little Red Riding Hood now, because of my famous cloak,” she announces, going on to tell Wolfie that she’s off to visit Granny. Now, thinks Wolfie, this is my opportunity to find out if Granny really did made the cloak so he dashes off beating Red to Granny’s abode

and stows her safely away. Rather than spoil this hilarious story, that’s where I’ll leave things.

This is a great read aloud: when I shared it with a five year old relation, her ten year old brother stopped what he was doing to listen in, transfixed by the story even though he couldn’t see Leire Martin’s dramatic portrayals of the action with their fun details.

Mama’s Special Wonton Soup

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Mama’s Special Wonton Soup
Wai Mei Wong and Xin Yue Zhu
Lantana

This story is set in Southern China and begins with Mama announcing to her young daughter that she’s going to make wonton soup for supper that night and asking the girl to go to the market for some meat. Eagerly the child sets off, empty basket in hand and on her way she passes villagers who are already busy at work. What kind people they are: one gives her radishes, another some shrimps, her Grandma gives some sweet persimmons and her aunt gives a hug. Each time she stops the same words are exchanged: “zǎo ān” (Mandarin for “good morning”) and “xiè xiè” (thank you), except that is, when the girl pauses to splash in puddles and later tries using a stick to turn a toad into a prince.

At the meat stall in the market, the girl purchases the special meat her Mama requested and also receives a bone for the family puppy.

Back home once more the chid narrator gives Mama the unexpectedly heavy basket and tells her about how she came by the additional items. “I have an idea,” she then announces and dashes off back to the village to invite various villagers to come and partake of Mama’s tasty meal.

Wai Mei Wong’s charming tale of a warm-hearted village community is portrayed in earthy hues by Xin Yue Zhu whose scenes amplify the kindness of everyone.

A feel-good tale and a reminder of the importance of caring and sharing.

Harry and the Heron

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Harry and the Heron
Wendy Meddour and Merle Goll
Oxford Children’s Books

Elsie, Clive and Harry are otters and we first meet the playmates as they practise keeping still by pretending to be logs. This is easy for Elsie and Clive but Harry, no matter how hard he tries, just can’t. Just as he’s about to have one more try he spies something in the reeds and asks the others what it is. ‘Just a heron,” Elsie replies urging Harry to lie down again. As you probably anticipate, Harry keeps fidgeting and staring at the static heron.
The heron, Ray, meanwhile stares at the water wondering why he never gets to play with the otters. Feeling left out, he hunches over and lifts one leg out of the water deciding that ‘Feeling a bit left out is probably the worst feeling in the world!”

Along comes Harry waving and calling hello to Ray. He tells the heron his name and how he loves the way he stays so still. Ray in return says he loves how Harry moves so much. They decide to teach one another their respective skills.

Meanwhile Harry’s otter pals rouse themselves and notice Harry with the heron. The tell the bird to leave Harry and drag their friend away, unaware of the effects it will have on Ray. A dejected Ray goes into miserable mode and Harry begs the other otters let Ray play with them. As Clive gives what he thinks is a good reason for refusing, Harry points out something about Ray, something that the other otters can’t argue with and it changes the way all four creatures feel.

A fun story about including everyone in a group activity. I love the wry humour of Wendy Meddour’s telling and Merle Goll superbly expressive illustrations of characters with their similarities and differences. Definitely a book to share and discuss with younger primary readers and in families.

Lulu Moves Home

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Lulu Moves Home
Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw
Alanna Max

There’s soon to be a new addition to Lulu’s family and her parents have decided that their current home won’t be big enough for five people so they need to move.

Mummy has a great packing plan and off they go to buy lots of sticker sheets. Then back indoors they set to work boxing up their things and adding orange stickers to those holding Lulu’s things, green for Zeki’s, yellow for her Mummy and Daddy, blue for the kitchen things and purple for the things belonging in the living room. Mummy also lists the contents of the boxes. Goodness what a protracted process.

However, by the evening virtually everything is packed so it’s fortunate that their upstairs neighbour invites them to share a farewell supper with her.

After breakfast the following morning, everything that will be required straightaway is packed, Mum takes a last minute photo and in come the removal people.
When they reach their new home, all the boxes are waiting and as they contemplate unpacking, their kind new neighbours call bringing dinner.

Then it’s time to begin unpacking and thanks to Mum’s careful planning, all the boxes are where they should be. Lulu puts her important things by her bed before falling fast asleep in her new room.

Another charmer of a story about Lulu et al, and what a brilliant way of organising their move.

The Angel and the Mermaid

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The Angel and the Mermaid
Becky Cameron
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Meet siblings Avery and Mira born one midsummer’s night. Baby Avery was ‘gentle and quiet as the whispering breeze.’ In contrast, baby Mira was ‘as wild and loud as a crashing wave.’ As they grew, despite their differences they spent their days playing together close to their home. However as the days turned to years the siblings become curious about the world and one day Mira suggests they play a game: whoever went the furthest and found the best treasure would be the winner.

Excitedly they begin their quest, Mira diving deep down in the ocean and Avery taking flight to the highest mountain. On their return the two compare treasures and Mira considers her shell the best whereas Avery declares his feather much better.

They squabble and part company but soon begin to miss one another. Suddenly a storm blows in and Mira, concerned for her brother’s safety, determines to find him. Meanwhile Avery is missing his sister too and the thought comes to him that she probably feels the same. Unable to swim, he dives courageously into the waves but starts sinking.

Fortunately a hand stretches out and takes hold of him: it’s Mira, and they give each other sorry, forever friends hugs.

Henceforward no matter where their lives led them, they’d always return home to their special place where sky and sea meet.

An unusual magical tale of two siblings and their unbreakable bond. Becky Cameron’s illustrations are a delight, detailed and capturing the feelings of the siblings beautifully.

Albert’s Bubble Bath / Bert and the Bubble

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Albert’s Bubble Bath
Mark McKinley
Oxford Children’s Books

Albert the bear is a grumpy character but there’s one thing that makes him feel good. No it’s not picnics, nor fishing, and definitely not singing around a campfire: it’s relaxing in a bubble bath. However, Albert’s bubble bath is the envy of the forest creatures and they’re keen to try it too. Albert though, is certainly not going to allow this and makes it quite clear with the signs he puts up around his home. When they have no effect he hires top security, again with no effect. The subterranean relocation of the bath fails too. Time to don those thinking specs Albert. After much hard thinking he has an idea of the constructive kind: surely this must work.

Oops! He hadn’t factored in sharp-beaked birds. POP! Albert plus his beloved bath tumble earthwards but the bath gets stuck before reaching the ground. Reluctantly Albert asks for ideas and up steps a beaver. Maybe he and his family can help … Seemingly they do so in more than one way.
With it’s fun finale this is a dramatic story with plenty of giggle-inducing moments that ensure that the learning to share message is imparted lightly.
It makes a satisfying read aloud and should definitely go down well with foundation stage/ KS1 children.

Also about sharing is:

Bert and the Bubble
Kim Hillyard
Ladybird Books

When Bert the frog finds a beautiful shiny bubble he shows it excitedly to his friend, Sandra. Sandra is eager to hold the bubble; Ben agrees but asks she treat it carefully. Pop! That’s the end of the bubble: clearly Sandra wasn’t careful enough. The following day Bert finds another bubble, a bouncy one that Norman wants to play with. ‘Yes”, Bert says, “But please bring it back.” But Norman fails to do so. Poor Bert is starting to think his bubble luck has run out when down floats the biggest bubble in the world.

So eager is Bert to keep this one safe that he goes to great lengths to protect it. Determined not to share this time, he builds a fort and locks himself and the bubble inside. It’s a tight squeeze but Ben remains shut away pondering upon the terrible consequences should he come out.

Suddenly there’s a tapping on the door accompanied by voices calling him to come out, apologising and promising to be more careful in future: it’s his friends. Out comes Bert and out comes the bubble looking bigger than ever. The three frogs have great fun playing with it all afternoon and just as Bert is thinking he’s having the best time ever …

However now Bert’s reaction is somewhat different. He’s clearly learned that when it comes to friendship and bubbles, one is definitely way more important than the other.
An amusing, learning to share story with funny froggy scenes at every turn of the page.

A Totally Big Umbrella

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A Totally Big Umbrella
Sarah Crossan and Rebecca Cobb
Walker Books

Tallulah hates the rain; it spoils things for her and after a downpour she dashes inside to her Grandma and asks to borrow her umbrella. Grandma says that the rain has stopped, but Tallulah explains that if it starts again, ‘her life will be ruined’. The girl insists on carrying around the brolly no matter what. However, walking about clutching an umbrella presents Talulah with challenges aplenty, outside, in the classroom and at home.

Nevertheless, back she goes to Grandma, still very concerned and her Gran finds her a larger umbrella and a teapot. Talullah’s worrying continues and so does her brolly carrying.

Then comes the day of Grandma’s party and guess what; down comes heavy rain. Up goes Talulah’s umbrella and she takes cover. However, nobody else seems to be particularly bothered by the downpour.

A realisation dawns: maybe squelchy rain-soaked parties can be fun after all and her constant worrying about the rain means that she’ s missing out on so much.

A sensitively written story infused with gentle humour that is ideal for sharing with young children who will see how it can take some time to overcome anxiety, be it about rain or something else. Sharing ones feelings with a trusted adult or friend is the best way to help manage them. Rebecca Cobb’s portrayal of the endearing Tallulah and her emotional learning journey are truly captivating: I love the range of view-points she has used.

Little Snail Goes House-Hunting

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Little Snail Goes House-Hunting
Bia Melo
Happy Yak

Little Snail is an ordinary little snail living in Snail Garden in an ordinary house. Despite loving her large family, Little S sometimes feels rather different and consequently wants to try something different too. She decides to go house-hunting and off she goes hither and thither trying out different life styles, Her first idea is to try living like Frog; yes Frog’s house has its own swimming pool but Little S finds it’s far too wet.

An upside-down house like the bats doesn’t suit her either, nor does the countryside where she feels a tad stuck and as for a house share – that’s a definite no on account of the crowd. Transformational living is another no thank you, as is an underground abode.

Off goes Little S to pay a visit to her aquatic cousins with their variety of houses and even after trying so many different ones, none of them feels like home. A realisation takes place

and back she goes towards Snail Garden in her perfectly sized, perfectly shaped house and there her appearance proves inspirational..

Young children will love following Little Snail as her quest takes her far and wide and will be much amused at the final outcome of her travelling. The story is illustrated with zany humour in Bia Melo’s bright, textured, patterned scenes.

Thank You, Old Oak

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Thank You, Old Oak
Britt Crow-Miller and Amy Schimler-Safford
Barefoot Books

Old Oak has flourished in the forest for more than 400 years but now it’s tired and one morning just as Owl has settled into his hole, down she crashes sending him skywards. Then all manner of forest creatures – squirrels, moths and butterflies,

rabbits, possum, deer and black bears gather to show appreciation for the food and shelter Oak has provided over the years. Indeed every branch in the forest is also crowded ‘with noisy nuthatches, blue jays, and thrushes, each crooning a call of gratitude, creating a symphony of crowing, whistling and lively trills.’ All these and more are shown in Amy Schimler-Safford’s mixed media textured illustrations.

Yes, that might be the end for her rooted life but in other ways it’s another beginning. Old Oak still has a key role bringing new life: trees growing nearby gain strength from her minerals, animals of various kinds feast on her trunk and come the spring rains, her softened logs help young mosses and ferns to grow (nurse logs, they’re called, so the information after the story tells us).

It’s wonderful to see a whole new generation of oak seedlings (Old Oak’s legacy), planted by forest animals starting to grow as sunlight fills the earth that Old Oak once shaded.

A moving story that also contains a considerable amount of information about oak trees. Well worth getting for family bookshelves and primary class collections.

The Remembering Candle

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The Remembering Candle
Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
Barefoot Books

This is a beautiful book that teaches young children about the Jewish tradition, Yahrzeit, for remembering lost loved ones. Herein, with a small boy acting as narrator, we join a Jewish family on the anniversary of Grandpa’s death one year ago.. They are observing the tradition of yahrzeit by lighting a candle in honour of his memory. The candle burns from one sunset to the next and during this time the various family members share the wonderful memories they have of him.

Each of their reminiscences links to something Grandpa used to enjoy: looking through a telescope at the night sky, and being shown Orion in the summertime is recalled by the boy;

this prompts him to start creating a memories collage and his sisters joins in making images of Grandpa’s hats. These hats are also remembered by Mum and Aunt Sara who joins the others for lunch bringing one of Grandpa’s favourite desserts to share.

Then Mum sits at the piano and recalls how she and Grandpa used to play duets. All the while the candle burns, then come nighttime again they gather to watch it go out. Yes, there is sadness but Grandpa’s memory still remains bright in their hearts and minds.

Alison Goldberg’s poignant tale shows so well how the ritual and the memories help the family to deal with their grief and Selina Alko’s sensitive, beautifully crafted collage illustrations wherein she uses white dots to great effect throughout, enhance the family’s feeling of connection to the memorial custom and one another.

(After the story are notes from both author and illustrator and information about Yahrzeit, Jewish Memorial traditions and the Jewish Calendar.)

Fox and the Mystery Letter

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Fox and the Mystery Letter
Alex G Griffiths
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

There’s a clue on the cover as to the sender of the mystery letter Fox receives as he sits alone in his cottage in the middle of a forest. He’s just sat down to breakfast when there’s a knock at the door; it’s a mail bird with a letter for him sent special delivery. It’s ages since Fox has received any post, his last being from … he pushes the thought away and opens the letter. It’s something of a puzzle and instructs him to head to the forest path to begin his journey and is signed ‘from an Old Friend’. After musing on the message he decides to take a quick look at the first clue, so he packs a few things in a bag and sets out, telling himself he’ll come straight back.

Soon he comes upon a fragment of a map and an arrow marked on the ground. He follows the direction of the arrow and the next one, eventually seeing a moose sitting by a campfire waiting. The Moose says, “I have a little gift for you,” handing him a box but refusing to say who it’s from.

Instead he gives Fox a clue – a photograph – and off goes Fox again in a northerly direction as indicated by the compass also in the box.

Come nightfall, after journeying, over land and water and another encounter –

with a Mole this time – Fox is sure he knows the sender of the letter and despite memories he’d been continually pushing to the back of his mind, he finally hears the gentle voice of his dear friend with whom he’d quarrelled so long ago. It had taken a treasure trail to bring him to face his ursine pal and resolve whatever they’d fought about.

Illustrated in Alex Griffiths’ characteristic detailed pen and ink drawing style, coloured in predominantly earthy hues, this is a story of friendship, forgiveness and revealing your true feelings. Sharing this with a KS1 class could lead to some interesting discussion.

The Enchantment of Golden Eagle

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The Enchantment of Golden Eagle
Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King
Allen & Unwin

Ella and her younger brother, Leif, live with their father in a small village at the edge of a forest. One day the siblings discover a fledgling Golden Eagle with a broken wing. They take it home and with their father’s help, they care for it for seven days and seven nights. With its wing mended, the bird is then ready to fly away but despite having looked longingly skyward, the bird promises to remain with them.

After a while their father is called away and it’s then that the Golden Eagle senses the wind calling and decides to take to the air – ‘just for a moment’. While he’s gone, the children are very frightened.

They tell the eagle that when he returns some time later and Ella even pushes him away when he tries to enfold them in his wings, cursing him thus, “You will fly without stopping for a year and a day.” Off he flies through all kinds of weather, longing for a rest, for the chirping of other birds and for warmth from a wing.

Eventually, completely exhausted the eagle drifts home once more and is greeted by Leif. As they face one another, eagle and Ella, the girl says that the curse wasn’t real and apologies are made. The three celebrate that night and Ella imagines the future when the Golden Eagle is once again well and strong, ‘larking about in the sky as all birds do.’

This is a multi-layered story that can be interpreted in many ways depending on the reader. Stephen Michael King’s wonderful ink and watercolour illustrations of Lief, Ella and their world work in harmony with Margaret Wild’s text with its themes of letting go, forgiveness and appreciation.

The Great Nut Hunt

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The Great Nut Hunt
Karl Newson and Nia Havilliard
Scholastic

Squirrel has spent a lot of time and energy collecting nuts, so much so that his home is full and he has to stash lots of them around in the woods. But then he realises that he’s completely forgotten where they are. Off he goes to Bear’s cave; maybe he’s left them there. Bear is fast asleep but is disturbed by Squirrel’s intrusion as he grabs a case in his paws and beats a hasty retreat. Anticipating a breakfast of nuts, Squirrel opens the case only to discover a sock.

Off he goes again on his nut search, next stop Owl’s. Owl seems to be out so up the tree goes Squirrel, ‘Sneakily, Sneakily, Snoopily …’ Squirrel makes off with a sack of … nuts, he expects. But …

Beaver’s dam is his third possibility but there are no nuts there either. Squirrel is by now looking so down in the dumps, his friends ask if he’s OK. Squirrel apologies for being a bad friend but the other animals respond by offering to join the nut hunt. They look in lots of possible places but of a nut there’s no sign. Suddenly Owl realises what has happened to all the nuts Squirrel buried. Can you guess what is revealed?

Karl’s rhyming text bounces along in dialogue form and in combination with Nia Havilliard’s dramatic scenes of the search and animal interactions, makes for a fun read aloud, one I’d suggest saving for the autumn to share with young children.

Funnily enough my partner pointed out three saplings growing in the front garden our home yesterday. “Those are black walnuts buried by squirrels and unfortunately are totally unsuitable to grow where they’ve been planted, less than a metre from the front wall of the house,” he said.

The Snappy Shark

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The Snappy Shark
Michelle Robinson and Tim Budgen
Scholastic

It’s not a good day for Mark the shark.When he plays with his friends nothing goes right be it during the hide-and-seek game,

the painting session or the shell hunting. Eventually he swims off in a big huff and goes into a cave, overwhelmed by his feelings.

Alone now, Mark has time to think and he recalls how his inability to keep his temper in check has upset his pals. Several slow, deep breaths later, Mark feels a lot better and ready to apologise to his playmates for his snappiness. “I’ll NEVER snap again,” he promises but suddenly a large fishing net entraps them all. Now Mark has a dilemma: to snap or not to snap …

Fortunately for all, he makes the right decision and henceforward he’s a ‘brand-new fish’ safe in the knowledge that he has a strategy to use whenever he starts feeling stressed and tempted to snap. Moreover his friends know the perfect game they can all enjoy together.

All children feel overwhelmed by their feelings from time to time and the calming strategy Mark used in Michelle’s fun rhyming narrative is one that any youngster should learn to do.

Hangry

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Hangry
Kathryn Wanless and Fred Blunt
Templar Books

Whenever Evangeline feels hunger pangs she gets grumpy. This is a frequent occurrence: it happens when she wakes up but once she’s had a snack, she feels better again albeit only temporarily. After breakfast as she heads to school all is well: Evangeline is a happy girl but come lunchtime, those rumbles return and once again she’s HANGRY! Woe betide anyone who crosses her path.

Hunger satisfied again after consuming her packed lunch, Evangeline enjoys the afternoon session, yet when school is over for the day back comes that HANGRY monster. Her poor mother has to put up with her demands to know when dinner will be ready, which of course delays things monstrously. Can a snack sate her monstrous appetite?

Told through Kathryn Wanless’s jaunty rhyming text and Fred Blunt comical scenes of what we’re led to believe is a typical day in the life of young Evangeline, this zany story will resonate with parents of many young children and those they share the book with will likely find they see themselves in Evangelina, when they have rumbly tummies.

Perfect Pedro

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Perfect Pedro
Simon Philip and Ella Okstad
Oxford Children’s Books

Meet Pedro, he’s a perfectionist. His toys are always perfectly organised, his name perfectly spelled, he plays only perfect dings on his triangle and performs perfect somersaults. However despite all this, there’s something lacking in his almost perfect life. He doesn’t have the perfect friend and he really needs one soon as the school talent show is imminent and for that he wants a perfect partner.

Step forward Poppy one playtime. At first everything she does is perfect and then Pedro is invited to play at Poppy’s home after school one day. All starts perfectly but soon things deteriorate. Poppy’s chip eating disgusts Pedro and despite being too polite to comment at first, eventually he shouts out, “Your manners aren’t perfect at all!”. Poppy retaliates pointing out that his are equally imperfect.

Nevertheless the pair have a show to rehearse and this they are determined, will be performed to perfection.. Errr! looks as though this might not be the case. PIC Pedro decides that they should each do their own routine and Poppy stomps off in a huff.

Back at home Pedro practises into the night and as a consequence is tired and edgy the following day. Up steps Poppy to do her routine; it’s not perfect but a crowd-pleaser nonetheless. Then comes Pedro, starting perfectly but then OOPS!

Now what? Can Poppy perhaps save the day? Possibly, so long as Pedro can finally embrace imperfection …

Ella Okstad’s characters are a joy and the inherent message in Simon Philip’s pitch perfect text is an important one. Every child deserves a friend as perfectly imperfect as Poppy. After all no-one is perfect and too many children from far too young an age worry about their imperfections, which after all, are part of what makes everyone unique.

A perfectly delightful story to share and discuss at home and in EYFS/KS1 classrooms.

No, I’m a … Flamingo!

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No, I’m a … Flamingo!
Catharine Robertson and Ana Gomez
Happy Yak

Like many three and a half year olds, the little girl narrator of this story only ever wants to wear one particular item of clothing. In this case a pink flamingo onesie. I had a relation who at the same age insisted on wearing what she called her fruit shorts wherever she went.

Our narrator’s patient Dad suggests that as it’s very hot, she should put on her elephant T-shirt. You can guess the response. A panda themed offering is similarly rejected. So, he tries clothes depicting a different sort of bird – a penguin, or a puffin perhaps?

“NO, I’M A FLAMINGO! I only wear pink.” comes the reply.

Now this Dad knows something about flamingos that his little daughter does not. At her age, flamingos are grey and only turn pink when they’re older. Time to find that old grey T-shirt.

Suddenly the little girl is a flamingo no longer so Dad quickly produces some jazzy shorts. Dad might know more about flamingos but our narrator is a creative thinker … Will they ever leave the house and if so, what will that little girl be wearing?

The combination of Catherine Robertson’s text that takes the form of the dialogue between father and daughter and Ana Gomez’s disarmingly charming scenes will ring true with many adult sharers whereas young listeners will find the little girl’s choice entirely logical and delight in the final twist to the tale.

Frank is a Butterfly

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Frank is a Butterfly
Alex Latimer
Oxford Children’s Books

The story starts with ten caterpillars of various shapes and sizes all munching on a leaf for breakfast. There are caterpillars small, caterpillars large, caterpillars short, caterpillars long, hairy caterpillars and hairless ones and nine have a spotty and stripy pattern of some kind. The tenth one, Frank is brown and bears no distinctive marks. In between nibbles the nine talk of the kind of butterfly they will morph into. One says ‘magnificent’, another ‘handsome’, a third the prettiest … on Earth’, the fourth ‘fabulous’ and so on. Frank, in contrast says nothing; he’s ‘happy to be a plain, medium-sized caterpillar on a leaf in the sunshine.’it’s not long before the caterpillars turn into chrysalises to await their transformation.
When they emerge from their chrysalises, despite looking gorgeous, nine of the butterflies are thoroughly dissatisfied with their appearance: they definitely do not live up to their expectations.

Finally Frank appears and he’s elated with his plain strong brown wings that will enable him to take to the air: he anticipates a world of flowers.

After some time, thanks to Frank’s positive example,

the other butterflies realise that what is more important than appearance is being free to explore the beauty around them without that nagging feeling that you’re not enough.

Alex’s richly hued scenes have a gentle humour about them that ensures that the important messages about self-acceptance and self-possession in his words don’t weigh heavy.
(After the story there’s a page showing Frank’s life cycle from egg to butterfly.)

A book for family bookshelves and KS1 class collections.

Paul the Peacock (Reluctantly) To the Rescue

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Paul the Peacock (Reluctantly) To the Rescue
Tilly Matthews
Happy Yak

Time was Paul the Peacock was the most egotistical creature in the forest but recently he’s endeavouring to live up to his new persona as Mr Nice. It’s exhausting however and he longs for a brief spell of peace and quiet. While snatching a few relaxing moments alone, his slumbers are disturbed by the arrival of a letter. This he throws away without bothering to open it and continues snoozing, albeit briefly, for a few minutes later, there is Norris clutching the now opened letter and looking very worried. The letter is from Paul’s cousin Connie the Peahen far away and Paul’s help is urgently required.

Immediately Norris packs their bags and off they sail to save the day, After a testing journey over stormy waters, through a horrendously hot deserts, up the side of a bubbling volcano they eventually reach the forest. Now to find Connie. The local creatures are unhelpful but then a gorilla appears and points to the direction in which Connie lives. Or does she? All they discover when they reach the spot is one egg in an abandoned nest. Norris begins a series of attempts to get the egg to respond. They’re on the point of giving up and returning from whence they came when the egg cracks revealing a perfect peachick.
At Norris’s insistence Paul agrees that after he’s rested they should take it home with them.

Norris goes to find the best route and Paul convinces himself that he’s been left by his best pal. Not by Chick though: the fluffy creature has already become a Paul devotee.

Next morning with the three of them reunited, they prepare for the homeward journey. Suddenly Connie appears whereupon Paul decides that he and Norris have one final task before their departure …
Thanks to Chick, Paul has learned that caring has something to offer even the most selfish animal.

A droll telling that carries vital messages about loving and caring and the environment, with some deadpan comic incidents theatrically portrayed in Tilly Matthews’ scenes.

How to Tame a Mummy Monster

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How to Tame a Mummy Monster
Rochelle Falconer
Oxford Children’s Books

Siblings Ruby and Junie are perpetual bickerers. They argue over breakfast, they pick a fight over a pencil (albeit a special one) and come to blows over clothes. “You two are acting like cheeky monsters! How would you like it if I was a monster all day?” their Mum says. The bickerers dismiss this as an impossibility.

However, they are so sure of this that they don’t notice that their Mummy has indeed morphed into a huffing, fluffy-tailed, horned being, one that gobbles up their favourite snacks.

Not only that but Mummy Monster starts using Ruby’s special pencil,

trying on the sisters’ clothes and generally creating havoc: a taste of their own medicine indeed and enough is enough. They really need to turn Mummy Monster back into nice Mummy and as soon as they possibly can. Of course, to do this they’ll need to set aside their own silly squabbles and find their affable selves again.

Rochelle Falconer’s debut picture book is imbued with humour, engaging and shows the ups and downs of family life. Young children will love the drama and the story’s denouement.

Is It Asleep?

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Is It Asleep?
Olivier Tallec
Gecko Press

If you’ve read Tallec’s A Better Best Friend, you will already be familiar with best friends Squirrel (the narrator) and talking mushroom Pock. One of the things they love to do is to sit and watch the birds flashing past but on this particular day. having grown tired of so doing, they’ve moved on to the meadow to listen to their favourite bird, the blackbird. However, after searching carefully, eventually they spot it lying motionless on the path; perhaps it’s deeply asleep. After waiting quietly for some time for it to wake up. they decide to try being noisy but this has no effect so they fetch Gunther the mouse. Gunther’s idea of launching the bird into the sky doesn’t work and that’s when Pock suggests that perhaps it’s dead.

After another long wait they all decide that indeed the blackbird has in fact, died.
Working together the three bury it under a large pile of the prettiest leaves they can find

and once this is complete Gunther reads a poem, after which they stand and Squirrel thinks about the beautiful songs the blackbird sang. Having thought about ways to remember the bird, they pay it tribute in the very best way possible and finally a different bird pours forth its beautiful song.

A poignant story that explores death simply and frankly and in so doing, offers possible starting points for adults in school or at home to discuss with young children what can be a very difficult topic. That the book’s creator has given the story an autumnal setting is especially appropriate: the warm red and gold hues of the scenes subtly convey sadness and the sense of an ending.

I Am So Strong

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I Am So Strong
Mario Ramos
Gecko Press

Self-opinionated and a bully, wolf decides to go for a walk in the woods and while so doing find out what others think of him. His first encounter is with a tiny rabbit. In response to wolf’s question, “Tell me, who do you think is the strongest around here?” the rabbit answers that it’s certainly Mister Wolf. This boosts the lupine’s ego (not that it needs any boosting) and he continues on this way. Little Red Riding Hood, the three little pigs and the seven dwarves respond in similar fashion.

Wolf decides it’s his best ever day but then he meets ‘a little toad of some sort.’ Could wolf be about to get his comeuppance at last?

At each encounter it appears that the wolf is thinking of something else in addition to polishing his ego: he addresses the little rabbit as ‘sugar bun’, Red Riding Hood is told she looks sweet enough to eat and called my little strawberry and the three little pigs are ‘little bacon bits’: is he creating a mental menu?

A thoroughly nasty bully finding someone who stands up to them calmly is a really satisfying occurrence, be the bullying physical, verbal or psychological and in this instance the little toad’ s use of calm reasoning completely surprises the wolf, pulling the rug from under his feet.

With Ramos’ s bold bright illustrations, repetitive textual pattern and almost exclusively conversational style narrative, this is a great book for dramatic reading aloud. (Imagine yourself with wolf’s super-scary teeth as you share it) I wonder what that little red bird watching the action from the safety of a tree branch is thinking: why not try asking your listeners.

Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant

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Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant
Craig Barr-Green and Francis Martin
Little Tiger

Gina Kaminski, the book’s narrator, is a wonderful character and she’s back sorting out the errors in another fairy tale.

She and her classmates are on a school trip to a large art gallery, one Gina deems is rubbish as it’s too big, too brightly lit and lacks an obvious place for her to eat her lunch. On the first spread readers will notice she’s carrying a card with emojis and is accompanied by her helper, Anya. Realising Gina is stressed Anya takes her to the reading room, and selects two books asking the girl to choose but this is also stressful and so Anya decides on Jack and the Beanstalk.

Straightaway, Gina’s analytical mind gets working and she points out that the book has ‘three massive mistakes’. She picks up her teddy, Lady Wiggles, puts it in her backpack and off they set to fairy land to sort out the mistakes. First comes getting a better deal in exchange for the cow: Gina negotiates two cakes in addition to the three magic beans.

Second, why actually plant the beans – that will put paid to any beanstalk. However, as she sits eating her cake a beanstalk grows, seemingly by itself.

Gina gets going on plan B: she warns the giant, confronts the villagers making them drop his harp and most special hen, deals with the beanstalk and bids farewell to the giant. 

She then returns to the Reading Room – job done, Gina informs Anya. Meanwhile Anya has found a map of the gallery which they use to find the place to have their lunch before taking Gina to an exhibit of everyday giant items that meet with her approval as well as causing her to reconsider her initial judgement of the school trip.

Practical, inventive and a hugely engaging hero – that’s Gina Kaminski; she’s also neurodivergent and looks at things in her own way as readers who have read her previous story will know, and others will likely have worked out.

Craig Barr-Green has carefully chosen his words for Gina so as to present her as someone who feels safer in an orderly, rational environment. Illustrator, Frances Martin’s illustrations ensure that in the busy opening scene, we readers share Gina’s unease, which continues until she gets to the reading room, then gradually become more relaxed as she takes control of the events.

Altogether a smashing book to share with KS1 children especially; they will love the protagonist and her alternative version of a favourite fairy tale.

No More Mr. Mice Guy

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No More Mr. Mice Guy
Fiona Ross
Little Tiger

This was originally published almost a decade ago as Hyde and Squeak, which may give today’s readers a clue as to the story it’s based on. This book features a young mouse, Squeak, that lives with Grandma and loves to enter competitions. We first meet them as Squeak has won another competition, the first prize being a rather large wobbly jelly, with so we read , ‘a whiff of something monstrous.’ Disgusted by it Grandma throws it in the bin straightaway but that doesn’t prevent Squeak from thinking about his slimy prize.

That night once Grandma is fast asleep, he creeps downstairs and tastes the squidgy thing. Big mistake! He grows and grows transforming into Hyde, a horrifying monster mouse. Said mouse consumes everything it can lay its paws on, clearing out the fridge and cupboards completely. Desperate for more food Hyde storms into the town and as he grabs a string of sausages his stomach starts aching and POOF! Hyde reverts to Squeak.

Grandma meanwhile wakes to find no food in the house and just as she’s setting out to buy something for breakfast another jelly desert prize is delivered.

The process starts over again but now as there’s no food Hyde decides to make a Mega Munch Machine that will turn everyday objects into food. Back comes Grandma to a find a slimy mess and nothing much else besides a sleeping Squeak who remembers nothing. The police are called but it’s Grandma who saves the day by means of a very large fruit. To say what happens would make me a story-spoiler so I‘ll say no more.

Presented in comic book style, there’s tension and craziness in both words and pictures making this a fun read, but beware, you’ll never again want to eat green jelly.

Changing Tides

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Changing Tides
Júlia Moscardó
Little Tiger

Lula and her dad are going on holiday to the seaside, Lula’s favourite place, but for the first time Theo and his mum, Simone, are coming too. Lula isn’t at all sure about this; even though her dad reassures her that they are now part of the family. Having a big brother is something new for Lula.and she’s far from pleased when Theo gets her bucket and spade and puts them in the car.

Once they reach the seaside, Lula dashes straight down onto the shore but Theo is reluctant to go near the water. Simone suggests the two children make a sandcastle together and as they do so, they begin to bond

and by the end of the day, having co-created a wonderful sandcastle, they are good friends despite the stormy water destroying the castle. As they walk back to the caravan together, the children are already making plans for the next day.

So realistic are Júlia Moscardó’s soft illustrations you can almost feel the sand between your toes, smell the salty sea and hear the waves breaking on the shore as the two children – full of life and enthusiasm – go about their play.

With its theme of adapting to change, and particularly relevant to blended families, this is a lovely book to share with young children at home or in the classroom.

Enchanted Beach

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Enchanted Beach
Esther Freud and Emma Chinnery
Walker Books

A boy shares with readers the joys that each season brings him and his family when they visit the beach, not just in the summer when he relaxes on the sand, shell to his ear listening to the musical sounds, but in the winter, the spring and autumn too. ‘When autumn’s here I fly my kite. / Chase the seagulls. hold on tight. / Typhoons, whirlpools, fog, a gale. / A rainbow when the sun meets hail.’

You can almost feel the chill of the seawater on winter days as they all plunge into the waves with a shriek and then beat a hasty retreat back to the shore.

The sing-song narrative is mostly in rhyming verse and for the most part reads well aloud though I don’t advise sharing it sight unseen as there are a few bumpy bits.

Emma Chinnery’s detailed scenes are a delight and beg to be lingered over; the more you look the more you see. Young children might create their own stories using a picture, be it large or small, as the starting point: Emma Chinnery’s style reminds this reviewer somewhat of Simon James’ watercolour illustrations.

To Catch A Ghost

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To Catch A Ghost
Rachel Michelle Wilson
Scholastic

Young Sam has recently started at a new school and now must contend with her first Friday show-and-tell. Anxious to make a good impression, she decides to bring a ghost. Gumption is what’s needed for the task, Sam tells readers and plans the entire operation out in three easy steps: find the ghost, observe and get to know it and finally, catch it.

Having donned a hat with attached camera, Sam hunts everywhere in the playground until whoppee! A ghost. Time to get to know the presence. This Sam does by playing hide-and-seek, watering plants and sharing a pizza.

Then comes cage building (done while the ghost is having forty winks) and when complete Sam baits the trap.

By now though Sam has come to think of the spectre as a friend and so trapping it feels all wrong. Off comes the padlock and the ghost is free. Sam sits and weeps briefly but what will happen at show-and-tell? A disaster or a rewarding experience? That you must find out by getting your own copy of this deliciously quirky book. It’s penned in the second person and the interplay between the words and the wonderfully expressive chalky illustrations exudes a gentle humour that will delight both young readers and adult sharers.

How To Train Your Teacher

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How To Train Your Teacher
Bethany Walker and Sophie Kent
Scholastic

From its title you anticipate this will be a fun story and so it is. Having taught both nursery children and reception classes for a considerable time I found it particularly amusing.

Our narrator is a member of a class of lively reception pupils and she is very welcoming and reassuring from the outset, for the teacher, Miss Piper, is in need of a lot of help. First she’ll struggle to remember names so needs to use a special list – the register and that’s before activities begin – activities such as ‘washing up’

and ‘make and build’. Alternatively you can opt to work outdoors and perhaps serve Miss Piper with her favourite snack.

As the day progresses she’ll definitely need help with her maths (numerical sequencing) as well as her favourite thing – really! – ‘making funny sounds’ aka phonics. No wonder she needs a ‘play’ at lunchtime while the children get their well-deserved rest from their jobs, especially as she’s likely to have to contend with some ‘difficult situations’

Come the end of the day, the children help an exhausted Miss Piper relax by listening intently to her as she reads a story.

This is vital as she’ll need lots more assistance the following day by which time, more than likely, she’ll have forgotten what she’s learned.

Bethany Walker’s carefully chosen words in combination with Sophie Kent’s scenes of young children clearly having a great time make this a highly reassuring book to share with young children, especially those transitioning from a nursery setting to a reception class.

Five Little Friends

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Five Little Friends
Sean Taylor and Fiona Woodcock
Walker Books

What a treat for anybody who wants to get young children moving their hands, arms and sometimes their whole bodies, and using their imaginations too. This collection of thirty five short rhymes that cover all manner of topics both of the everyday and those full of drama, from tree climbing to teeth brushing, a bubble to a bike and a snake to snow.

There’s a wealth of lovely, playful language such as this from The Waterslide – ‘I’m sliding, sliding, sliding, / in a slipping, speeding flash. // Then I’m out the end / and ready for the … SPLASH!’

I had to laugh to myself as I read On My Phone that encourages young children (for the duration of the rhyme I hasten to add) to imitate the adults around them: it includes the lines ‘On my phone I listen music / and hear messages from my boss’ and concludes ‘I am on my phone so much / I think it’s stuck to my hand …’

The way Fiona Woodcock has incorporated visual cues to suggest actions for the rhymes into her mixed media illustrations is nothing short of genius. See how she presents The Wind –


Totally different but equally clever and highly effective is the Snake portrayal –

Teachers, librarians and carers have long used finger plays and action rhymes with young children; this new collaboration from Sean and Fiona offering hours and hours of enriching fun is a must have.

Millie Fleur Saves The Night

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Millie Fleur Saves The Night
Christy Mandin
Scholastic

Those living in Garden Glen fear the dark and come nightfall, everybody switches on their lights and keeps them on until daybreak. Everybody that is except Millie Fleur La Fae; she loves the dark and since moving to the locality has missed all the nocturnal creatures that stay away from all the lights. To try and bring them closer, she plants a moon garden. Her mum removes the bulb from the streetlamp outside their home and this displeases the local committee whose members claim that’s dangerous and scary. Millie assures them that dark isn’t scary, “You just need to get to know her.” she says.

The girl embarks on a new plan: she makes moon pies and takes them out to the edge of the woods where she meets the Dark

and then the two of them lead the night creatures to her garden. There plants spring to life, their delicious aromas wafting towards the homes of her neighbours who decide to follow their noses and are drawn to Millie’s garden eager to see what lies therein.

Millie Fleur tells them all to be brave, extinguish their lanterns and leave them behind, which they do; their path being lit by glowworms, fireflies and plants with delightful names such as ‘snoozing sugarplum’ and ‘forty-winks fern’. In the sparkling light the visiting children soon discover that the Dark offers amazing new experiences not found in the light.
Consequently, the lights around Garden Glen are switched off, magical moon gardens spring up and start to flourish as the nocturnal creatures settle in.

Finally, thanks to Millie Fleur the townsfolk have embraced the dark.

A magical bedtime tale that should help reassure children who are frightened of the dark. Christy Mandin’s illustrations of flora and fauna of the darkness evoke a sense of wonder that will enchant both young listeners and adult readers aloud.

The Tour at School (Because You’re the New Kid!)

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The Tour at School (Because You’re the New Kid!)
Katie Clapham and Nadia Shireen
Walker Books

As the young narrator/guide informs us, ‘When you show a New Person around, it’s called giving them The Tour.’ The aim of this really important job is to make the new arrival feel welcome. As you might expect the tour begins with the toilets – a vital place of course but our guide feels things need to be made more fun with some additional facts such as, “The soap smells like strawberries” and there’s an ‘amazing-zing-zing’ echo when you sing (lots of people love to sing in the toilets after all).

The next most important task is to decide on an ‘Emergency Meet-Up Place’

but it’s hugely important too to show off the best places – the playground and the library and to tell inviting stories about them but not to take too long.

Sensitivity is key so our guide considers introducing the newcomer to someone she knows, however this sensitive guide doesn’t notice everything especially that the new person is looking increasingly alarmed, overwhelmed even and may just have gone missing. (of course readers/listeners will have noticed).

Fortunately our guide tries putting herself in the new person’s shoes and also recalls ‘how it feels not to know anyone.’ This experience she shares with the new person whom she finds in the Emergency Meet-Up Place before proceeding to answer the all important question, “What happens when the Tour is over?” For any newcomer, the response cannot be better.

A smashing story that captures so well those collywobbles that many children feel when starting a new school. Equally it’s reassuring to know that an empathetic someone will be there to help. Both author, Katie Clapham and illustrator Nadia Shireen clearly understand how it feels to be starting something new. Nadia’s choice of colour palette is great and her illustrations are hugely expressive and in tune with the words. The use of capitalisation and font size make the book a terrific read aloud to share with a class or group.

The Sleeper Train

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The Sleeper Train
Mick Jackson and Baljinder Kaur
Walker Books

A little Sikh girl relates what happens when she and her family take an overnight trip on a sleeper train.
Having settled into their carriage and briefly look through the window. it’s time to open their bunks and get ready for bed. Mum and Dad are soon fast asleep but not so the little girl; she’s way too excited. She decides to bring on a sleepy feeling by remembering all the places she has slept starting with her parents’ room. She also recalls sleeping in a seaside hotel bedroom, a sleeping bag in a tent in a field, staying overnight in hospital for an operation and sleeping over at her grandparents home.

Seemingly by this time only the narrator and the train driver are still awake but eventually, lulled by the rocking of the train, the little girl goes off to slumberland. Come morning, the family dress, have breakfast and look out through he window until the train reaches its city destination.

There the family spend an enjoyable time with friends. Now the little girl has another memory to recall should she be unable to sleep on future occasions.

A warm-hearted tale of family love and togetherness. Baljinder Kaur’s vibrant scenes have lots of images that anybody who has visited India will recognise and the motifs in framed borders on many of the pages are reminiscent of block-printed designs.

Try sending your little one(s) off to sleep with this soothing bedtime story.

Every BOTTY Burps

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Every BOTTY Burps
Becky Wilson and Alex Patrick
Little Tiger

A fantastically silly but reassuring book about those rear end fizzling flatulences that tend to trump forth, often at the most embarrassing times. As the author reassures readers, ‘It’s just what bottoms do!’ We all break wind …” and she then proceeds in rhyme to give a host of examples from penguins’ popping parps to sharks’ silent but sometimes violent whooshing poots and elephants’ mega-trumps to the mini put-putts of mice; and if you can believe it, the pointy parps that shoot forth from the butt-butts of porcupines.

I could go on but then who wants to spoil the fun for anyone wanting to get their hands on a copy of the book.

Alex Patrick has certainly illustrated each of these examples and the others with an abundance of humour and should I say enthusiasm (he probably had some kind of air freshener to hand as he worked).
As for enthusiasm, this topic is one that seems to get young children thoroughly enthused whenever it crops up in a picture book and I’m sure Becky and Alex’s presentation will do so. I foresee cries for repeat renditions when you share this comical collaboration with an individual, group or class.

Heave Ho

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Heave Ho
Sally Anne Garland
Sunbird Books

After a bad night, Cub is so full of big feelings that there’s no room left inside his mind and body for anyone or anything else. As a result he lets fly at his friends and classmates refusing to allow them to participate in activities and even tosses Mo’s teddy bear way up into a big tree when she offers it to him to cuddle. Then having stamped and stomped around he begins to swing on a bendy tree branch that is even stronger than his feelings.

Gradually as he does so, with each pull and push, Cub’s big angry feelings begin to get smaller and smaller and he starts to feel he’s going to a good place. Eventually his friends Ossie, Flick, Rhu, Mo and Nook feel able to come and swing with him on the branch and they set off on a flight of fancy to an imaginary world far from their classroom: joy and happiness have replaced Cub’s inner turmoil and all is well once more.

A story that young children can relate to as they watch and hear how Cub responds to his big feelings that push him over the edge. If shared in a nursery setting or EYFS classroom, it could be followed by a circle time discussion.