Category Picture Books

Christmas is Coming 1: The Nativity Story

jillrbennett 3 Comments

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Christmas
Dick Bruna
Simon and Schuster
When I first taught infants many, many years ago Dick Bruna’s Christmas – the Methuen edition – was THE Christmas nativity book to share with young children. Indeed I can remember a number of children trying to copy Bruna’s illustrative style on their own cards and paintings. Now some thirty years on this new 50th anniversary edition still has the same charm and appeal as it did back then but it comes with a gleaming white cover, gold spine, embossed gold lettering and a lovely cut- out angel to use as a book mark. The story inside is the same and starts with the shepherds who receive a message from an angel

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and then set off to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus in the stable. The narrative then moves to the three kings on their camels, who bring gifts for the special child.

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The story is simply told and illustrated in Dutch artist Bruna’s characteristic striking style with bold blocks of colour with thick black outlines.
For the very young, this is the perfect introduction to the nativity story in book form.
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The Nativity
May Eliot and Richard Johnson
Picture Corgi pbk
This story starts with the Annunciation and then we join Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem where they are offered a stable for the birthplace of their baby. Johnson’s faces speak eloquently of the range of emotions of the characters; Mary’s expression of awe and fright at the sight of the Angel Gabriel, the couple’s troubled countenances as they are turned away from lodgings,

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and the looks of reverence on the faces of the new parents as they gaze at the baby Jesus in the manger.

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A straightforward telling, beautifully illustrated in sombre hues.
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Love and Friendship

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I Love You, Too!
Michael Foreman
Andersen Press
Father Bear has finished Little Bear’s bedtime story but Little Bear does not want to sleep. Instead he tries some of delaying tactics, telling his dad how much he loves him in all kinds of ways. Dad reciprocates, out-loving Little Bear’s love each time until they complete a full circle of love and then a-a-a-a-h-h-h. It’s Dad who finally falls asleep. And his offspring? Having tucked Dad in, he picks up his book and starts reading it all over again …
It’s great to see a father/son bedtime story session.
Foreman’s watercolour illustrations are as alluring as ever; here, extending the text into playful scenes of the two bears having fun together, sometimes clad in their pyjamas and dressing gowns and other times wearing more appropriate apparel.

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Beautful to share at bedtime or any other time.
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Alex and Lulu Two of a Kind
Lorena Siminovich
Templar Publishing pbk
Can you be best friends despite having some very different interests?
That’s the question at the heart of this story featuring best pals, Alex, a lively adventurous dog and Lulu, a thoughtful, artistically minded cat. Of course they do have some common interests such as going to the park but it’s when they get there that their differences manifest themselves. Alex climbs trees and swings from high branches,; Lulu stays still observing ants, intending to paint them at home later. On the way home in the rain, Alex cannot resist splashing in all the puddles; Lulu hurries ahead keeping her feet dry. “..we are just SO different,” she remarks.
Back home Alex begins to wonder if they are too different to be best friends. There follows another day of differences and more worries for Alex.
Then it is down to Lulu to explain how differences can actually enrich and enhance their friendship. It’s a case of opposites attract, their bond of friendship is strong enough for all their differences.
Filled with bright colours, patterns and textures, Siminovich’s illustrations are immediately attractive. Her images are outlined with a thick black line making them stand out against the patterned backgrounds.

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A charming and reassuring exploration of friendship.
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Laika the Astronaut
Owen Davey
Templar Publishing
Laika, the first creature to be launched into space, has her story told and given an alternative ending by the wonderful artist. Owen Davey.
Taken from the Moscow streets as a stray, she, along with other dogs, was trained and tested to undertake the next step in the Soviet space programme intended to maintain their supremacy in the space race. In 1957, Laika was blasted off into space in a rocket and after only a few hours, her craft developed a fault and Laika perished. (Seemingly she would have done so even without this catastrophe, there being no means of returning her craft to earth anyway.)
Davey chooses a happier ending with the lonely Laika finding a new family to love and cherish her. His use of muted tones, stylized images and shadowy figures give a vintage feel to the scenes and it is Davey’s illustrations that are the strength of the book and what make it work seeking out.

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This fanciful story could be a good starting point for a space theme in a primary school with children then going on to research factual reports on the Laika story.
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Doug the Bug That Went Boing!
Simon & Schuster pbk
Sue Hendra
Doug the Bug is in trouble. Not only has he had a quarrel with his best pal Trevor while playing ball, but on top of that, he’s been unceremoniously separated from him by a large shovel. So, can he manage to find his way from atop the tower block back to Trevor and put things right with him? Assisted by a grateful fly, Doug finds himself having a thrilling time, narrowly missing falling into the loo before ‘boinging’ into all manner of strange places – a fried egg yolk, in a shower of pepper, a sponge cake, a pedal bin, even right through a slice of toast.

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But anything is worth a try so that he can get back to Doug and put things right with him.
Bright bouncy illustrations, with some hair-raising scenes, are part and parcel of this light-hearted, action-packed adventure.
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Miki and the Wishing Star
Stephen Mackey
Hodder Children’s Books pbk
In this, the third story about Miki, Penguin and Polar Bear, the three friends share a birthday and are celebrating together, each making a birthday wish. Penguin has first wish but this (to be the biggest penguin in all the world) results in all manner of challenging situations for the threesome. All ends happily however in this gentle, atmospheric tale of magic, wishing and friendship. Makey’s soft-focus illustrations have a dreamlike quality and it’s these that are the main strength of the book.
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Rules of Summer
Shaun Tan
Hodder Children’s Books
If you want to be challenged, made to think deeply and interpret, look, look and look again, then try this latest work of Shaun Tan. It’s dark and mysterious, disturbing even; and both simple and complex – a real paradox – leaving much to the imagination. Is it about rules, challenges, friendship?  Or perhaps all of these as seen through the eyes of one of the boys.
In Tan’s own words, it’s a picture book about the relationship between two boys who could be brothers or close friends whose friendship is tested by challenging situations.
He presents readers with a sequence of thirteen scenes of the two boys each with a single sentence beginning ‘Never …’ placed opposite a enigmatic illustration rendered in oil paints, that is open to interpretation.

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Never argue with an umpire.

After this are three wordless double spreads, two scenes each with a sentence beginning ‘Always…’ then one saying ‘Never miss the last day of summer.’,  a double wordless spread and a final ‘That’s it.’ set opposite a scene of the boys sitting together seemingly watching television.
Definitely a book that raises more questions than it answers and one that readers will respond differently to on each re-reading
I can envisage this book being discussed by groups of children/adults in both primary and secondary schools; indeed, each scene and accompanying text could form the basis of an enquiry.  Just what are those dark, sinister looking birds doing, for example.
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Creativity is THE Thing

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Here are four books that are a true testament to the power of creativity and
the imagination:

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Ike’s Incredible Ink
Brianne Farley
Walker Books
Would-be author Ike is a blobby looking being with straggly (spindly) limbs who, having read all manner of incredible stories, wants to write one himself. He sits himself down, very briefly, and then the displacement activities begin: finding that favourite pen, calling up a friend, vacuuming (he must be desperate) but still things aren’t right. Ink is the missing something Ike decides, his very own ink. Thus begins a search for the special ingredients – shifty, shady, mysterious shadows, soft, floaty feathers from the Booga-bird, and a round, velvety ‘something’ from the dark side of the moon (that one involved constructing and flying a rocket). These – and what magical sounding items they are – Ike stuffs into his big bag and then it’s back to reality for some very messy mashing and mixing and then at last the vital ink is ready.

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So too is the author who, with problem solved, finally finds his ideas begin to flow: his process has become the story.
Anyone who has ever tried writing will immediately recognize Ike’s procrastinating tactics and that important period when ideas and possibilities need to gestate, float around in your head or just ‘be’ for a while. Educators take note!
Farley’s spare, quirky illustrations executed in ink – of course – and digital collage using a limited colour palette are ideal for this off-beat adventure.
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The Nowhere Box
Sam Zuppardi
Walker Books
Sam’s younger brothers are a pesky nuisance, derailing his train set, demolishing his brick constructions and following him wherever he goes. Enough is enough, George decides and sets off in search of a place where they cannot follow: a place called Nowhere. And how does he get there? In the way that most young children can, if they have a very large cardboard box and various other assorted items of junk, plus scissors and pens – via his imagination. Before long George has ridden on a switchback,

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zoomed through space in a rocket and sailed the seven seas of Nowhere. But no matter how amazing, magnificent, and fantastic it might be, there’s a distinct lack of enemy pirates, dragons, anyone at all in fact. Perhaps not such an exciting place after all, thinks our would-be adventurer and maybe those little brothers might have some uses after all.
A great debut for Sam Zuppardi. Playful, and quirky; the mixed media illustrations beautifully capture the creativity of young children. I shall certainly be on the lookout for his next book.
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Journey
Aaron Becker
Walker Books
It’s virtually impossible to do justice to this amazing wordless book in a short review. Essentially, a little girl, lonely and ignored by her busy parents, takes up her red crayon and draws herself into a magical journey through a door she draws on her bedroom wall and out into a forest illuminated by strings of glowing lights and lanterns. With her crayon she draws a boat that takes her down river to a castle where further adventures begin;  adventures involving a flying balloon, a purple bird, a rescue and much more. It would spoil the wonderful tale if I continue but suffice it to say there’s a wonderful ending involving a surprise encounter.
There is a brief nod to Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon and a wink to Anthony Browne’s Bear stories in that the crayon is used to draw the adventure but this Journey is much more complex and symbolic. Here the crayon unleashes the girl’s imagination as she makes a scooter, a door in the wall, a boat, a hot air balloon and a flying carpet. Once the adventure starts, the girl moves from a sepia toned world into one of colour and brightness: worlds wherein her feelings are palpable as she experiences loneliness, cruelty and danger and finally finds joy.
There is an element of steam punk too, which gives the book a wide age appeal.

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In fact there is so much for anyone and everyone here: adventure, danger, sadness, joy, beauty, wonder, and most important of all, creativity and the imagination. All these are so brilliantly encompassed within this amazing story. Truly it is the JOURNEY not the destination that is so important as Becker has so powerfully shown. Each double spread can be the starting point for a personal flight of fancy and where any one person’s journey will take them as s/he follows this story is, well, another story and another …
I think this has to be my FAVOURITE EVER wordless picture book.
It’s a must for anyone who believes in the importance of the power of the imagination.
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Mr Wuffles!
David Wiesner
Andersen Press
If ever there was a fussy moggy, it’s Mr Wuffles. This black and white cat rejects all the specially bought toys and then he comes upon a very interesting looking object. This is in fact a miniature spaceship containing not one but five little aliens resembling robed grasshoppers. But, after a rough play session courtesy of Mr W. their spacecraft is in need of repair so the aliens go off searching for suitable materials. The watchful Mr Wuffles spots their move and is all set to pounce when his attention is diverted by a flying ladybird. His prey make their escape under the radiator and there make a kind of alliance with the resident insects. Despite a language barrier, the two groups manage to communicate through pictorial representation

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and eventually, thanks to a co-operative effort, an escape is engineered. ‘Oh, Mr Wuffles!’
This near wordless masterpiece is completely absorbing. It needs careful attention to follow the action and to appreciate the wealth of detail Wiesner has so cleverly embedded within the comic strip sequences. Ingenious.
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Alphabet Mayhem – Z is for Moose

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Z is for Moose
Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinsky
Andersen Press pbk
From cover to cover, this alphabet book is an absolute hoot.
Zebra is trying to stage manage an alphabetical show and is attempting to ensure that each object appears in proper order of its initial letter/sound. But there is an exuberant Moose who is so eager to get himself on stage and in the spotlight that he keeps appearing at inappropriate times. When it does get to his letter, poor Moose discovers that in fact, it is Mouse that is be featured. Oh woe!

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He then determines to sabotage the whole production.

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Zebra remains equally determined and keeps the show rolling– well almost – and then right at the end, comes up with a wonderful conflict resolution as the grand finale. Have you guessed it?
Everything about this romp through the alphabet is a joy. Start from Zelinsky’s cast of characters just visible under the curtain in front of the stairs on the first opening and then go to the dedication page and watch the alphabetical cast emerging through the stage door. From there on in, you can see each of Kelly Bingham’s alphabetic characters, some entirely, some just sufficiently (despite Moose) to be able to determine what should be centre stage.

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The whole book is brilliantly done through a wonderful partnership between author and artist.
Also brilliant are the contrasting characters: Zebra –graceful and calm, most of the time, Moose – gawky and in your face, but with oh so winning a smile.
Children will adore everything about this book and like me, be in fits of laughter at the antics of Moose especially the spread whereon the Queen is dethroned.
Truly an alphabet book like no other. But DO NOT think of this as just an ABC book; it’s a marvellous story in its own right. Simply wonderful stuff.
I urge you, wherever and whatever your connection with young children, get hold of this book and share it over and over. No connection? – then get yourself a copy and just ENJOY!
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It is possible to create an alternative alphabet book from this one using feelings and moods that emerge throughout this romp of a story: A- Anger, B – Bravado, C – Cool, D Disappointment, E – Exuberance and so on. For X of you’d need to use the second letter of the word eg eXcited.
Why not take on the challenge with your children?

Dot and Gracie

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Dot.
Randi Zuckerberg and Joe Berger
Doubleday
Young Dot is a true technophile. She can tap, touch, tweet and tag, surf, swipe,

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share and search. And, she just loves to talk… and talk… and talk … until she’s completely talked out. ‘Time to reboot,” says her mum pushing her out of the house. There, with the help of her friends, Dot rediscovers her ability to tap, touch, tweet and tap, to surf, swipe, search and share as she plays for real in the great outdoors.

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This vital lesson is one all our children need to learn. Would that there were more parents like Dot’s mum who would give them that push to set aside all their technological devices and embrace the great outdoors. Joe Berger’s slightly retro illustrations convey much of the sense of the straightforward story and remind us that the good, some might think, old-fashioned, picture book still has a vital place in every child’s experience. Equally important they convey that exuberance and joie de vie which can take over when children play outdoors.
Great book, great message. Moreover, with its natural repetition it’s a lovely one to offer children just embarking on their reading journeys.
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Star Girl
Karin Littlewood
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Every night Gracie looks through her bedroom window at her special star shining brightly but she misses it during the daytime. So, one night she creeps out into the forest, climbs the tallest tree and catches hold of the beautiful star.
Having got it back into her bedroom though, the star seems to have lost its sparkle. Gracie tries her best to bring it back. She dances for it in her sparkly clothes, takes it to the top of a hill, to the place where fireflies and glowworms shine and to the rock pools where the starfish live, she even takes it out onto the moonlit sea. But nothing brings back that sparkle. Finally Gracie realises she must send the star back to its rightful place in the sky so, kissing her stellar friend goodbye, she sadly releases it once more into the night sky. When she gets back home and looks through her bedroom window, there it is shining more brightly than ever, just for her.

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This Gracie was thrilled to find ‘herself’ in the book.

There is gentleness about this whole book. Gracie is a thoughtful little girl and is beautifully portrayed in Karin Littlewood’s gorgeous watercolour illustrations; every turn of the page is a delight.
With its underlying ethical and possible environmental themes this is a lovely book to share and discuss with young children.
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A book to make you laugh, a book to make you cry, a book to make you sing

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Monkey Business
Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Wojtowycz
Orchard Books
We had the story of Major Trump’s missing knickers: now from the same partnership comes another of those books that quickly reduces early years audiences to uncontrolled giggles. Once again we are on board the ark and Mr Noah has been woken by cries from young monkey, Charlie Chatter who is in desperate need of a wee and has lost his potty. What group of under fives will be able to resist his opening speech?
“ Oh, bother my botty!
            Where,
          oh where,
          oh where
        is my potty?”
The thought of sitting on the toilet is too distressing for young Charlie so Mr Noah calls upon the other animals for some loo loving anecdotes. These win him over but when he finally heads for his bathroom, the door’s stuck fast. Will the result be a puddle on the floor? Fortunately not for it’s Mrs Noah on the other side doing a spot of DIY on the bathroom roof and guess what she had been using to catch all the drips… All’s well that ends well though and Charlie finally enters the little room for some very important and by then very urgent business.
David Wojtowycz’s bright exuberant illustrations are a real hoot and the perfect complement to the rib-tickling, rhyming text; I especially like the story-reading snakes sitting with their heads in books from the bathroom library; they won’t be out in a hurry then.
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The Memory Tree
Britta Teckentrup
Orchard Books
Fox has lived a long, happy life with his friends in the forest but one day he is tired and it is time for him to fall asleep – for ever. He goes to his favourite clearing and as the snow falls and slowly covers him, the other animals gather to remember him.

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Owl is the first to share his most precious memory of Fox and then, one by one, Squirrel, Weasel, Bear, Deer, Bird, Rabbit, Mouse and others talk of their favourite memories about Fox. As they do so, a little orange plant begins to peep through the snow and as each animals adds to the story telling, it grows bigger and stronger till in the morning it has become a small tree; and Fox’s friends know in their hearts he is still a part of them. Time passes, the tree grows with each new memory and finally it is large enough to shelter all the animals that had loved Fox: a strength-giving tree of memories and love.
Beautifully told without sentimentality, this book celebrates life, love and friendship. Teckentrup’s  illustrations in suitably subdued colours perfectly capture the sadness of the animals at the loss of their friend and their warmth as they  recount their memories of him. Every turn of the page is a delight.
A tearjerker? Yes if like me you are a bit of a softie but ultimately this is an uplifting book.
Recommended for family reading and a must buy for all primary schools and nursery settings. A lovely book to sit alongside Badger’s Parting Gifts.
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Octopus’s Garden
Ringo Starr and Ben Cort
Simon and Schuster
I defy you to read this book and listen to the accompanying CD without getting the classic number stuck in your brain. Apparently, Ringo Starr wrote it in 1968 when holidaying in Sardinia after a sea captain told him about how octopuses move around the seabed collecting objects. Ringo was taking time out from the Beatles and wanted to escape somewhere; what better place than under the sea?
Back to the book. Here we find a little boy gazing at his goldfish bowl from whence he is transported, along with four of his friends, to a wondrous sub- marine garden. There they ride on turtles, share a story read by their cephalopod host,

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cavort on the pillars of an ancient temple and much more.

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These joyous scenarios and others are brought into being in ‘Aliens Love Underpants’ artist, Ben Cort’s wonderful illustrations. These absolutely bubble over with the kind of exuberant fun that young children take delight in.
Share the story, listen to the song, listen again and your children will be joining in. Then they can follow the story with the book as it’s read aloud by Ringo. There are opportunities for movement too, when the tune is played over at the end.
Everyone loves the idea of a special place where they can take time out from the real world, away from any worries or niggles they might have and away from watchful adult eyes. This book offers an opportunity for you to invite children to think about and discuss the kind of place they would like to escape to.
I’d definitely include this in an early years sea theme collection and possibly leave a copy in an undersea role-play area for children to enjoy once they have had the book read to them. They (and you) will have to be adept at turning the book around on a couple of occasions, as the page layout becomes portrait to deepen the undersea experiences.
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October Miscellany

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Aunt Amelia
Rebecca Cobb
Macmillan Children’s Books
Showing not telling is the name of the game in this charming and witty book. The two small children in the story are in a bad mood; Aunt Amelia is coming to look after them overnight. Mum and Dad leave her a list of instructions but fortunately for her charges, she interprets these instructions with a considerable degree of latitude.
It’s not surprising then that the youngsters are eager that their parents issue another invitation to come and stay very soon and moreover, they suggest she be left another of those ‘helpful’ lists of instructions.
What makes this story such a delight is what we are shown, rather than told what takes place while the parents are away. Rebecca Cobb’s watercolour, pencil and ink illustrations are executed with a child-like freshness and panache that is appealing to both adults and young children.
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Pigeon Pie
Debbie Singleton and Kristina Litten
Oxford University Press
It’s market day so life down on Farmer Budd’s farm is especially hectic. There are the cows to milk, the eggs to collect, cherries to be picked so Mrs Budd can bake cherry pies, and the remaining cherries to be protected from marauding birds. Then there are all the animals to be fed, the scarecrow needs a replacement hat and the milk and eggs have to be loaded into the trailer. Busy, busy busy; but oh dear! Farmer Budd has forgotten to close the gate to the cornfield. He’s forgotten too, that there is a goat in the next field. Before long the scarecrow is reduced to a pair of crossed sticks – the ideal perching place for five peckish pigeons with their sights set firmly on the corn. It’s fortunate for him then that a tiny chick has a clever plan in mind, a plan that involves telling the other farm animals about a special dish that Mrs Budd is preparing to serve that day; and it definitely is not cherry pie.
There is plenty to make you smile in this gently humorous story. Children love the way the pigeons are duped and delight in joining in with the repeated refrain, ‘Pigeon pie! Oh my! ‘ That – and of course – the burping opportunities.
Kristina Litten’s richly patterned, comical pictures abound with amusing details, in particular the antics of the bit part animal characters, the rat trio and the snail that are never mentioned but greatly add to the fun. Then there are those wacky pigeons with their red-rimmed eyes and ballooning bellies; the sight of them shooting up into the air when they spy what they think is the dreaded dish being prepared is a hoot.

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I really like the way the end papers are part of the story portraying the changing time from early morning when Farmer Budd fixes the FREE RANGE EGGS for sale notice to his fence at the front, to early evening when the sign indicates ‘sold out’ as the sun sinks below the horizon.
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Spider Sandwiches
Claire Freedman and Sue Hendra
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk.
Do NOT accept Max’s invitation to tea or any other meal for that matter, unless like that green hairy monster, you have a penchant for all things disgusting. The things he dines on are sure to make your stomach heave; things like toenail scrambled eggs, grasshopper legs smoothie, cold, crunchy, cockroach curry or horror of horrors, squiggly spider sandwiches. Odd then that he turns his nose up at a relatively ordinary vegetarian soup with small, green spherical objects floating in it.
This rhyming litany of loathsome fare is one that will have your young audiences UGGGHHING, EWWWWW and YUCKING almost continuously as you read. And, they will love to feast their eyes on Sue Hendra’s suitably garish illustrations, which depict a series of satiating scenes. The supermarket for example, has shelves packed with an alluringly awful array of produce.
If you plan to read this aloud around Hallowe’en (or any time for that matter) I’d suggest making sure you can get your tongue around all those nasties first.
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Princess Penelope and the Runaway Kitten
Alison Murray
Nosy Crow
This is one of those pink, glittery covered books that are instantly attractive to many little girls. All too often though, such books fail to live up to their external sparkle. This one, and yes it does feature a little princess, proved to be an exception, and, that string bling does actually serve a purpose. What lifts Alison Murray’s book above most of its kind is her charming, retro illustrations with their fresh palette, gentle humour, and judicious use of pattern. I particularly enjoyed the scene with the balletic butler and the portrait of the princess on her prancing pony.

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Essentially the story, told in rhyme, revolves around Princess Penelope and the mischievous kitten that snatches one end of a ball of wool from the queen’s knitting basket and dashes off through the palace entangling almost everything in sight.
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Sugarlump and the Unicorn
Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Macmillan Children’s Books
Wishing and magic are the ingredients for former children’s laureate Julia Donaldson’s latest collaboration with What the Ladybird Heard artist Lydia Monks. The magic comes from a blue-eyed unicorn and the wishing is done by rocking horse, Sugarlump. He is happy rocking to and fro when the children are at home to ride him but when they go to school he has nothing to do. That’s when the wishing begins. He wants to be out in the big wide world. So, thanks to that unicorn and her flashing eyes he is able to try out all manner of horsey roles – a farm horse, a race horse and a circus horse; but then Sugarlump wants to go back home to the children. Time has passed though and the children have outgrown their once favourite toy. He makes another wish but fortunately, the unicorn is on hand again and she comes up with a much better one and Sugarlump finally finds somewhere in the world that is just perfect.
As one would expect from Julia Donaldson, the rhyming text reads aloud beautifully but this adult reader and some children among my audiences were rather brought up short by Sugarlump’s last request, “I wish I had never been born!” It proved a good talking point afterwards though.
Lydia Monks’ bold, bright, mixed media illustrations have a joie-de vie and sparkle even without the added glitter on every page.
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The Princess’ Blankets
Carol Ann Duffy and Catherine Hyde
Templar Publishing
The princess in this story can never get warm. The king promises that anyone able to stop his daughter feeling so cold, can have the reward of their choosing ‘even unto half his kingdom’. Intent on winning the princess as his prize, a cruel-eyed stranger covers her in turn with four blankets: the ocean’s blanket, the forest’s blanket, the mountain’s blanket and the earth’s blanket. All to no avail: despite his efforts, the beautiful princess remains as chilled as ever. Then a newcomer arrives, a musician with a flute and a good heart: just the heart to warm that of the princess as he fills her body with the beauty of his music, and his love.

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Lyrically told, this neo fairy tale has a pertinent message for our times: a message about mankind’s carelessness, greed and continuing destruction of our world. It is beautifully interpreted through Catherine Hyde’s powerfully atmospheric paintings, which orchestrate the story showing the changes brought about by the elemental blankets and finally, the power of love.
Not so much a picture book, more an illustrated story, with its longish text, this book is likely to have a wide appeal from primary age children to adults and one to return to over and over.
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Dragon Loves Penguin
Debi Gliori
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Baby penguin, Bib, lives in the land of ice and snow with his mummy and daddy. One bedtime as a delaying tactic he asks, ‘ “… can I have a story? The one about dragons.” ‘ So begins a tale of a dragon that wants an egg and an abandoned egg that needs a mummy. Perfect – or so it seems. Certainly the dragon loves her Little One and the Little One loves her. But, Little One’s appearance isn’t quite like that of the other recently hatched creatures; no flying, fire breathing or rock chewing. She doesn’t grow big and strong with a long neck and hard scaly covering. Rather she is slow, careful, small, fluffy and courageous – rather like a penguin. The others are showered with flashy gifts but Little One receives the best of all possible gifts; love and time.
Then one day all the big dragons have to leave their little ones and that’s when Little One is taunted by the small dragons and made to feel an outcast. So, feeling hurt, she takes himself off to be alone. However, things can happen for a reason… Little One suddenly feels her soft feathery body getting very, very hot; the volcano is alive. “FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!” he yells to the others and so they do, leaving Little One behind hotly pursued by the flames of the volcano. Fortunately for her though, she takes a tumble all the way to the bottom of the flaming mountain and what should she find waiting for her at the bottom? – an egg. And, thanks to her mummy, Little One knows just what to do…
Loving and being loved, being yourself and being different are all themes of this tender tale that moves between present and past, seamlessly uniting the two through the medium of story. For, Bib is the egg at the end of the bedtime story and Little One, his Mummy penguin.

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Debi Gliori’s charcoal and watercolour illustrations are glorious and beautifully convey the loving feelings that are a vital element of this book: the penguins and main dragon character are truly endearing.
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Herman’s Letters
Tom Percival
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
When your very best friend in the entire world moves far away, what do you do? Promise to write to one another and remain best friends forever.
That’s just what best pals Herman, a large brown bear, and Henry, a reddish raccoon resolve to do. Henry keeps his side of the bargain, writing often as promised and giving details of his new friends and the exciting things he’s been doing. But, his letters don’t make his old pal happy; instead he’s overcome with jealousy and begins to doubt the friendship. Poor old Herman.

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Eventually hibernation time draws close and he still hasn’t written.. Another Henry letter arrives; one that is much more reassuring and this one spurs Herman into a flurry of activity. He finally writes a letter and dashes off to post it right away. Oh no! The post office has closed for the winter. There is only one thing left for Herman to do – deliver that all-important letter by hand. Off he goes into the snow. But can he make that long, long journey before sleep overtakes him? Can he make it at all in fact?
With its realistic looking lift the flap letters and endearing characters, this book is a delight. Despite the inherent sadness of parting and feelings of loss, there is a gentle humour running throughout the whole thing. The sequence depicting Herman’s journey to deliver his letter into his friend’s hands is wonderful.

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The message (along with Herman’s snoring) comes across loud and clear: true friendship knows no bounds.
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Teachers wanting to stimulate children’s writing, I urge you to get hold of a copy of this and share it with the class group. Then turn an area of your classroom or nursery into Herman’s home with a letterbox another space into Henry’s. Add writing materials to each and start the enterprise going by writing a Henry letter of your own for the children to find.

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One World Together

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One World Together
Catherine and Laurence Anholt
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
“I want a friend” Who will I choose?” says the little boy narrator of the Anholts’ latest offering. He then travels the globe visiting Brazil, Morocco, Kenya, Holland, Sweden, Russia, India, China and Japan meeting boys and girls from a variety of cultures who tell him something about themselves and their way of life. Which one does he choose? All of them, for, as he discovers, friendship has no boundaries.

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Nina and Rosa exploring the world together

The themes of universal friendship, inclusion and diversity come across loud and clear in this lovely book that would make a fine addition to collection for young children. I would go further and say, it’s one that should be there. It’s definitely one to spend time over, exploring and discussing the details in both the pictures and the narrative. We learn how people greet one another, see some of the ways of playing and of dressing (although I don’t think a little Indian girl would wear a dupatta over her head, unless of course, she is dressing up – I’ve certainly never seen one) and much more besides.
The final fold-out would make a superb poster for any early years setting if reproduced separately.

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Tinies and Monsters

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Very Little Red Riding Hood
Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap
David Fickling Books
With Red Teddy in hand and blanket, tea-set and a box of cakes safely stowed in her pull along bag, Very Little Red Riding Hood sets out to her Grandmama’s for a sleepover. Before long, what should she meet but a Wolf. “A Foxie!” she cries in delight giving him a big hug. More than a little put out at her lack of fear and her refusal to give him a cake, the Wolf suggests gathering a bouquet for Grandmama. Red – insists our feisty young heroine, inviting ‘Foxie’ to a game of chase all the way to Grandmama’s and a ‘cuppatea’ when they get there. But is this a step too far? Well, there’s a rib-tickling ending but if you want to find out what happens, then get your hands on this sweetly funny variation of the traditional story.
With her toddler talk and winning smile, Very Little Red Riding Hood is an absolute charmer.

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Rosa and Nina sharing Little Red’s exploits

The end papers show the route she took to her Grandmama’s house but also a number of other homes occupied by ‘Very Little’ fairy tale characters. Is this then the start of a series? I do hope so. Certainly this first time collaboration between Heapy and Heap is a whole heap of fun.
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The Tiny King
Taro Miura
Walker Books
In a castle far away lived a king. But the castle was very, very big and the king was a very, very Tiny King. The Tiny King had a big army and a big, big table for his meals but delicious food isn’t much fun if you’re all alone. It’s a good thing then, that the Tiny King fell head over heels in love with a princess, albeit a Big Princess and she agreed to be his wife. Before long, the Tiny King and the Big Queen had lots of children and what seemed like a very big castle for one Tiny King now felt just right with ten children playing and laughing the whole day.
Of course, big families mean lots of sharing: sharing meals, sharing the space on the big white horse’s back and sharing a riotous bath time; and what comes of sharing? Happiness; certainly that’s so in the case of the Tiny King.
Japanese artist and author, Taro Muira uses precision, patterned cut-outs in bold, bright colours and white, to construct simple shaped collage scenes, which stand out dramatically against flat black backgrounds. These scenes remind me of scenes from young children’s small world and construction play.

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Told in a straightforward manner, this simple neo fairy tale is a delight to share with under fives.
(Quite apart from the story, there is a wealth of learning opportunities here: talking about sharing, counting, identifying shapes, mathematical language and concepts relating to size, pattern making, block play, collage and small world castle play.)
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Upside Down Babies
Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds
Andersen Press
There is a lovely twist at the end of this funny rhyming tale of a world turned upside down when ‘the earth went blue and the sky went brown.’ On this fateful topsy-turvy day, all the baby animals find themselves with the wrong mothers. What is Mummy Camel to do when confronted with a baby Polar Bear in the middle of the desert and baby Rooster’s dawn greeting of “Cock-a doodle-dee” definitely does not go down well with a sleepy Mummy Owl trying to get some shut eye in her tree.
With its bold, bright, wonderfully expressive pictures of the consternation all round, and a text that trips off the tongue, this is one to share  with the under sixes and will prompt many an encore to the huge enjoyment of readers and listeners alike.
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Enormouse
Angie Morgan
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Enormouse was big; much, much bigger than all the other mice in Mouse House. But being big had its advantages. Enormouse could lift REALLY heavy cheese, reach high up things and give lifts to tired-legged little mice. One day while out exploring he and his best friend Tinymouse find a large book with pictures of furry animals. That’s when Tinymouse concludes that his pal is actually A RAT. How the other mice laugh at poor Enormouse. Off he goes to find a new home with the rats but, what a shock he gets on arriving at ‘Rats’ House’; there’s mess everywhere. His offer to clean up is laughed at and once again Enormouse feels at odds with his housemates. In the meantime, his mouse friends have seen the error of their ways and set off in the hope of bringing their absent friend back home. But it’s now dark and they don’t know where to go…
From the mouse photo portrait endpapers, every turn of the page brings much to talk about and explore in the mixed media illustrations. The squalor of the rats’ house is truly disgusting with the grubby rodents lolling amongst half eaten fruit, discarded chips, over-turned cans, fish bones, filth and flies. You can almost smell the pong.

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Rosa couldn’t resist coming to see what we were so disgusted at.

The story too offers plenty of food for thought with its themes of not judging by appearances, self-belief, friendship and finding ones place in the world.
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Here Be Monsters
Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene
Macmillan Children’s Books
With the fiercest pirate crew and the fastest pirate ship, fearless Captain Cut-Throat is the meanest pirate to sail the seas. So, when he hears of an island strewn with giant gemstones he is determined to set sail straight away. His crew members though are far from happy; monsters are hiding in the mist, so the legend tells. At first all goes well but then they reach the MIST from which emanates all manner of alarming sounds. “Sail on!” commands the Captain and they do – into the swirling white. ‘ “Here be monsters!” cried the lookout…
‘ “Nonsense!” growled the Captain. “Monsters simply don’t exist.” ‘

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And so he maintains, heading on, unaware of the diminishing crew numbers, until an island comes into view. Once ashore, the penny finally drops but undaunted, the greedy Captain has his mind only on those giant jewels littering the shore. Oh foolish one!
Emmett’s riotous rollicking rhyme rattles along apace and when read aloud, it will have delighted audiences joining in with the repeated refrain of the fearless captain, as they see what he does not – his crew disappearing one by one.
Poly Bernatene draws his inspiration for the dastardly crew from the less attractive members of the animal kingdom with crow, rat, crocodile and blue-bottomed baboon all featuring. The almost filmic quality of his arresting illustrations adds to the dramatic impact of the story.
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Brilliant Bear Books

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The Bear in the Book
Kate Banks and Georg Hallensleben
Andersen Press
We start with a familiar scenario – small boy ready for bed, chooses favourite book for his mother to read to him and snuggles close to her. The book is about a large black bear and immediately, the boy is immersed in the world of the bear as it beds down for the long winter sleep. “Shh,” he says almost feeling the snowflakes falling around the sleeping form. Staying quiet, the young listener watches the children and other animals in the winter landscape;

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he sees too, the snowplough, somebody chopping firewood, crocuses starting to show through and finally as his own eyes close, the black bear emerging into the spring sunshine.
A gorgeous bedtime tale and one that highlights the power of a story and how children can become one with the world of a book. Young listeners and readers aloud will delight in the beautiful images both visual and verbal as they too become one with this story world.
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No Bears
Meg McKinlay and Leila Rudge
Walker Books pbk.
Meet Ruby, this is her book and, rest assured, “There are absolutely No BEARS in it.” Ruby should know, she’s in charge of it. Now Ruby has a great imagination, moreover she knows exactly what should be in a good story; it’s pretty things like princesses and castles and some exciting and scary things like monsters perhaps, but definitely NO BEARS. So are you ready for the bearless story? It’s in a special spiral bound volume and yes, there’s a princess living in a castle with her parents the King and Queen and her fairy godmother. There’s a is a deep dark forest and you’ve guessed, it – A MONSTER,  an evil one who wants to steal away the princess so she can read him bedtime stories every night. (almost excusable I suppose). And steal her he does. Somebody rescues her of course – with the wave of a magic wand … hmm.
“Wow! Says Ruby close to the end. ‘This has turned out to be a pretty good book, don’t you think?’ Well Ruby, actually I think that’s a huge understatement: It’s an absolutely brilliant one with its oh so cleverly constructed text and wonderfully whimsical pictures working in perfect harmony. Moreover it’s just perfect for inspiring children to create their own storybooks too – ABSOLUTELY NO BEARS of course!

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In fact, whilst there are no bears in the story Ruby is telling, unbeknown to her but not to us, in the book we are reading, there is a bear who’s keeping a watchful eye on proceedings and acting as page-turner, props provider, scene changer and much more besides. And that’s not all; explore the illustrations further and all manner of other nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters make an appearance. That and the on-going visual joke are what make the book so irresistible and the ‘in the know’ audience squirm with delight.
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Tales of Old Retold

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Gobble You Up!
Sunita and Gita Wolf
Tara Books
The wily jackal is hungry but he’s far too lazy to search for his own food. Instead he tricks his friend crane into catching some fish. Crane obliges but not only does jackal eat the lot, he gobbles up crane as well. He then goes on to consume tortoise, squirrel and cat. “My, you’ve put on weight!” peacock remarks and meets the same fate. Then along comes a huge elephant. Surely jackal won’t manage to fit an elephant into his now enormous tum but …
Time for a drink of water he thinks. But even jackal’s tummy cannot go on stretching for ever: SQUEE! BLEAH! BLAM! BURST and out tumble all the animals safe and sound.

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And what about jackal? Considerably deflated, he goes off in search of the tailor bird for a large repair job.
This lively retelling of an old Rajasthani folk tale will perhaps remind European readers of the Danish story The Fat Cat or the Russian tale of The Clay Pot Boy. Readers aloud and their young audiences will enjoy the cumulative rhyming refrains and the latter will want to join in this part of the telling.
The illustrations are done by a Meena artist, Sunita, who was taught Mandana art by her mother. (In the Meena villages of Rajasthan women paint the floors and walls of their homes as well as communal areas to mark festivals, such as Diwali, celebrations and the passing seasons using this decorative form. Designs and images are made using cloth soaked in a chalk and lime paste that is squeezed through the fingers of the artist.)
As a frequent visitor to Rajasthan I was particularly interested to see, what is to me a familiar art form, being used to illustrate a story. In order to create this beautiful and unusual book, the artist’s original images (made with diluted acrylic paint squeezed through her fingers) were photographed, converted into graphic images and silkscreen printed – with the jackal rendered in black and the animals he consumes in white – onto specially made paper and hand bound. Truly a work of both art and craft.
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Even quite young children can try out this technique using white acrylic paint on brown sugar paper or better, large sheets of paper painted over with household size brushes in terracotta colour paint and left to dry before the design is added. This can be applied using a variety of tools – fingers, cotton buds, twisted rag, small plastic bottles with nozzles such as those from hair colour, etc.

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Wayland
Tony Mitton and John Lawrence
David Fickling Books
Tony Mitton seems to get better and better. For me this spell-binding reimagining of a northern legend, brought to these shores by the Vikings, is his best yet. Essentially it is a tale of greed, revenge, hope and above all, love. It tells how three brothers, two warriors and Wayland, a smith, take three Swan Sisters as their brides having seized and hidden their swan capes to prevent their escape. Only Wayland’s wife loves him and when the three discover the whereabouts of their capes and plan their escape, she alone hopes to see her husband again. After the wives flee, Wayland’s life gets harder and harder. More and more terrible events occur but eventually, in this version at least, he and his beloved are reunited.
Tony Mitton’s beautifully crafted, lyrical verses are a joy to read aloud, and to get the best out of this book, it really must be read aloud.
‘From out of the dark spring stories
to banish both drear and cold.
So gather you near, come, listen and hear,
Where the fire burns red and gold.’
Equally beautifully crafted and the perfect complement to the poetry, are John Lawrence’s exquisite woodcut illustrations. These really draw you even deeper into the story making you want to linger long over each one.

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There are some allusions of sex in the story so parents/teachers should read this themselves before offering it to under elevens.
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Terrific Troll Tale

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Troll and the Oliver
Adam Stower
Templar Publishing

Not an Oliver, but Daniel, enthralled by the story

Not an Oliver, but Daniel, enthralled by the story

If your name happens to be Oliver, beware. There’s a large, blue, lumbering troll around and there’s nothing this sneaky looking creature would like better than to eat you for lunch. Said troll finds Oliver catching a very tricky business; somehow, the Oliver in question – a cheeky little red head – always manages to elude him, dashing hither and thither and then vanishing suddenly. So, by the time spring comes around there is one very grumpy, hungry troll who’s not had a single mouthful of Oliver stew, or Oliver anything else for that matter. Oliver of course is still roaming free; indeed he manages to go shopping without even a sight of his enemy.

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Back home and feeling full of the joys of living, he concludes that his old adversary has finally given up the chase and sets about baking some celebratory cakes. But has he? Leap! CHOMP! BLEEEUGHHHH! Not quite the delicacy he’d long been anticipating; Olivers taste revolting. One disappointed Troll. Wait a minute … tick tock PING! What is that wonderful aroma emanating from Oliver’s oven? Mmmmmm! Cake – Guess what Troll’s new favourite food is.
I love Adam Stower’s books and this one is particularly satisfying. Superb characters, portrayed with panache, and a clever, funny storyline. There is even a page from ‘Trolliver’s Cookbook’ giving full instructions on how to create Troll Cupcakes. Repeat readings are sure to be the order of the day here.
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Separation

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Here are two picture books that I would want to have in any setting where there are young children. Both deal with separation and each has come about as the result of direct experience. Most children will at some time have to face an extended temporary absence of one or other parent. Indeed I can well remember times when my own father (who worked for an airline) was sent on overseas assignments and how much he was missed.

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My Daddy’s Going Away
Christoper MacGregor and Emma Yarlett
Doubleday
The small child alien narrator of this story shares experiences of having an absent father. We hear about preparations and packing, saying goodbye, keeping in touch, staying strong, missing each other, anticipating the return and crossing off the days, getting ready for a welcome celebration and finally, home at last.
The overall tenor of the rhyming text is upbeat – a mix of humour and pathos – and grew out of a poem Lieutenant Colonel Chris MacGregor wrote and recorded before being separated from his own two children during a six-month tour of duty in Iraq in 2007. What comes across loud and clear is that it is love that keeps everything together.

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Emma Yarlett’s alien world is intriguing and seems to be set somewhere between outer space and under water with spaceships, fish and tentacle creatures abounding and the featured family sporting antennae and tails. This makes it somehow a safer place in which to explore the emotions of separation and assuredly, this book offers an excellent starting point for discussion.
The book is endorsed by HRH The Prince of Wales and the author gives ideas, support and things to do as well as further information about what inspired him on http://www.mydaddysgoingaway.com/
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Two Nests
Laurence Anholt and Jim Coplestone
Frances Lincoln pbk.
A pair of birds sits in a tree as the autumn leaves fall. Betty requests a nest to snuggle in; Paul builds one and the two cosy up for the long winter. Spring brings cherry blossom and a rumbly feeling in Betty’s tum. A few weeks later there is a new baby; Betty sings it a song of love. However, the nest becomes an unhappy place – too small for three and the parents are squabbling. Paul decides to move out and a new nest is built. Now there are three sad birds but Betty sings her little one another song. The message is loud and clear: “WE BOTH LOVE YOU.” The cherries ripen and Baby sprouts wings. Now s/he is able to visit both homes and spend time with each parent.
Jaunty verses and amusing illustrations help make this topic accessible to very young children. Parental separation is not an easy issue and here we have a sensitive treatment presented through the medium of a story that nursery age children can relate to and enjoy. The important message is that no matter where they live, there are two parents who love them and it is those parents, and not their offspring, who are responsible for the separation.
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Tales of Bedtime

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Counting Sheep
Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell
Frances Lincoln pbk.
Tom just cannot get to sleep so he follows his mum’s suggestion, “…try counting sheep.” But rather than having the desired effect, one of the sheep leads him off through the bedroom cupboard on an amazing adventure wherein he encounters all manner of animals not to mention pirates and ghosts to count –There are sharp toothed wolves, twenty three pythons, goats, penguins and more. After facing danger after danger, Tom is all counted out; time to tiptoe back to the bedroom and finally fall fast asleep.
The story bounces along in carefully paced rhyme that reads aloud like a dream. Chris Riddell’s detailed illustrations are wonderfully scary (I wouldn’t use this as a bedtime tale for those easily frightened) and reminiscent of his superb pictures in The Edge Chronicles.
This book, first published over twenty years ago, has so much to offer – counting opportunities aplenty (going as far as 100) with all the objects in silhouette form, glorious full colour scenes and lots of tension. It should appeal to a wide age range.
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The Ghost Library
David Melling
Hodder Children’s Books pbk.
Imagine a library with no books; just row upon row of empty shelves –a ghost library no less. That is where young Bo finds herself when, after settling down with her favourite bedtime book about a witch with smelly feet, she is dragged unceremoniously up into a tall tower that houses The Ghost Library. There she is confronted by a ghostly trio, tall skinny Magpie, rotund floater, Twit and beaked Puddle Mud. These three are not interested in Bo herself; rather, they have designs on her book. Before long, ‘Story Time’ is announced and the library shelves are filled with all manner of apparitions clamouring for a tale from Bo. She obliges by reading her witchy book, but responds to their demands for another story by inviting the listeners to return the favour. The ghosts need more than little help to get going but eventually the ideas start to flow and Bo has a new story to share with her other worldly pals – their very own Ghost Story. Then it’s back to her own bedroom as a fully-fledged member of The Friends of the Ghosts Library.
This is assuredly a book that advocates the enjoyment of books, story telling and story making- the unleashing of the imagination no less. There is plenty of opportunity for that here as both Bo’s witchy tale and that of the Story Book Collectors are presented as wordless pictorial sequences so, it’s not just three stories in one but any amount of them.
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Pip and Posy The Bedtime Frog
Axel Scheffler
Nosy Crow
Posy is excited about going to her friend Pip’a house  for a sleepover. But, at bedtime after a lot of fun and games, she realizes as she snuggles into bed, that she has forgotten to bring her favourite toy, Froggy. Disaster! Her pal offers his teddy but that’s not green, a toy dinosaur – too big and scary, a money box frog – the wrong frog – and then finally his very own favourite Piggy. This special offering saves the situation and before long, the friends are both fast asleep.
Reassuring, and comforting, with just the right amount of gentle humour for the very youngest, this latest tale about the two friends is just the thing for bedtime sharing.
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Traditional Art, Traditional Tales

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Alone in the Forest
Bhajju Shyam, Gita Wolf and Andrea Anastasio
Tara Books
Gond tribal art has a distinctive style characterised by two dimensional patterned forms intricately detailed with dots, dashes and lines. According to The All India Artisans and Craftworkers website artists use colours extracted from natural materials: colored soil, charcoal, plant sap, rice paste, cow dung and leaves. Colours are used to convey emotions and character. Red is said to depict fear and green is associated with nature. Originally the paintings were done on the mud walls of houses.
Here, one Gond artist, Bhajju Shyam has used his talent to provide a powerful and striking visual interpretation of a story about a boy, Musa who ventures off alone into the forest to find firewood when his mother is sick. Wandering and humming to himself, he hears a loud noise and lets his imagination run riot.

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As he hides in the hollow of a tree, Musa visualizes first one and then a whole herd of wild boars close by. After what feels like a very long time, Musa emerges from his hiding place to find that the source of the noise that gave rise to his escalating fear was in fact a friendly cow. The same animal leads him safely back to the village – albeit without any firewood but with a story to tell.
An unusual story that draws readers into what for Western audiences is largely, a completely unfamiliar world. It offers an opportunity to look at, discuss and perhaps try experimenting with this particular style of aboriginal art.
A beautifully designed book; recommended for primary school libraries and for anyone interested in art.
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Breaking the Spell
Lari Don illustrated by Cate James
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Lari Don is an accomplished storyteller so each of the ten stories in this collection is a pleasure to read aloud. She has included some traditional tales that are specific to Scotland and others such as Whuppity Stoorie, which are Scottish tales that have variants the world over. You can find witches, giants, monsters, royalty, warriors and more herein.
It’s impossible to pick a favourite; each one weaves its own enchantment. I particularly liked The Monster of Raasay wherein we are shown that true monsters are not always the ones billed as such.

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Then of course, the teacher part of me found The Three Questions great fun. It was so good to see that horrible bully of a teacher get his just deserts and to learn why ‘nowadays all teachers are clever and kind and very good at riddles, and none of them ever shout. Do they?’
All the stories are quite short especially The Ring of Brodgar (though if you felt adventurous, its duration could be extended by some giant dancing, or rather stomping, thumping, jumping and yelling).
If you are familiar with the Lollipop and Grandpa picture books series you will recognize Cate James’ illustrative style. She layers ink drawing and textures digitally to create whimsical, witty illustrations and here they range from small vignettes to whole page pictures.
This would certainly make a very worthwhile addition to any family or primary school collection.
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Beauty and the Beast
Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb
Orchard Books pbk.
Ursula Jones infuses her spirited retelling of the classic fairy tale with gentle humour: ‘The two older sisters were horrified by the countryside. It was full of plants! And not a clothes shop in sight!’ …
’boom! – in a split second the pretty clothes turned into silly knickers and the sisters had to cover themselves up in Beauty’s sheets.’ Here we seem to have up to the minute language in what looks like a regency setting.
Sarah Gibb’s delicately patterned illustrations are gorgeous. Her fine silhouettes remind me not a little of some of Jan Pienkowski’s work which in turn was influenced by Lotte Reiniger.
Altogether an interesting edition, well worth exploring. One to invest in.
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Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Shopping

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Billy the Goat’s Big Breakfast
Jez Alborough
Doubleday
As Nat the Cat prepares a tasty breakfast to share with her friends Billy Goat and Hugo Hare, she is interrupted by the early arrival of a ravenous Billy. Nat leaves Billy waiting and continues her preparations but her pal is unable to resist the temptation to start sampling the food and before long, not only has he slurped all the juice but also taken an enormous bite of the bread – a very gooey mouthful. That’s when the real trouble begins; instead of a rumbling tum, Billy Goat now has a gurgling, swelling one not to mention a very sticky grin. It’s that grin which causes Nat to take her bag and head off to the shops leaving Hugo Hare to listen to Billy Goat’s confession. On her return she discovers Billy wrapped in a coat supposedly cold and tells him to sit by the fire. Well, we know and she knows what will happen then… Time for Billy to own up to his hostess but she knows he has learned his lesson so its time for a belated breakfast and a singsong. (words are provided).
Alborough’s gentle cautionary tale bounces along and his large illustrations are immediately engaging. The expressions on the faces of the three friends, particularly Billy Goat’s, are hilarious. Billy’s Breakfast Song can be downloaded from http://www.jezalborough.com.billythegoat
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Just out in paperback is Jez Alborough’s first story about the three friends, Nat the Cat’s Sunny Smile previously reviewed in the March Selection.

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The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet!
Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter illustrated by Garry Parsons
Red Fox pbk.
The McFly’s Christmas pooping dinosaur is back in another rhyming romp. This time, armed with a packed lunch, he accompanies Danny to the Science Museum to see the rockets. They discover one with a door large enough for a boy plus pet dinosaur to go inside. It’s an open invitation and needless to say, the temptation to touch the controls is too great: Intergalactic Mission is under way. Before long the dinosaur’s tummy rumbles in readiness for lunch but where are those packed lunches? Certainly not on board! So begins a disastrous dinosaur feast and not only the controls but great chunks of the rocket itself are consumed, even the moon, Martians and more are munched. Finally, with nothing at all left of their rocket and Danny crying space-suits full of tears, the dinosaur realizes there is only one way to get them safely back to earth. Time for another pooping plan to be put into action right away…
Poo, planets and pandemonium – definitely a recipe for resounding success with small children who will laugh uproariously at the galactic gallivanting of the boy and his pet, hilariously portrayed and documented in tongue teasing verse that will have many adults in fits too.
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Ding Dong Gorilla!
Michelle Robinson and Leonie Lord
Orchard Books pbk.
In this ‘off the wall’ story, we hear first hand from a small boy what happens when he opens the door, not to the pizza delivery boy who is expected but to an enormous gorilla. Said gorilla barges into the house and proceeds in pursuit of fun, to take enormous liberties creating havoc all over the house and in the garden too. Such activities as crayoning, dressing up and picking flowers not to mention smashing a vase, a window and a chair have given him large appetite, so he sets to work creating even more mess with the blender and ingredients for a chocolate cake. Finally the delivery boy does turn up with the order but guess what – there is a big black hairy shape exiting through the front door clutching a huge cheesy pizza just as a pair of high heeled feet can be seen on the stair.
It’s truly amazing just how much chaos one gorilla or one small boy can create in the time between ordering a pizza and his mother going upstairs to get ready for dinner. Leonie Lord runs riot with wonderful scenes of devastation at every turn of the page; I know a good many mums with young children who will recognize such scenes. Wonderful stuff.
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Spells-A-Popping Granny’s Shopping
Tracey Corderoy and Joe Berger
Nosy Crow pbk.
Supermarket shopping can be rather a bore but that is definitely not the case in this story. The little girl narrator recounts what happens when she accompanies her Granny to stock up on provisions, a granny who just happens to be a witch. Needless to say it’s not long before biscuits are dancing, popcorn is popping and the fish fingers are swimming towards the door. And that’s before the two of them spot a couple of robbers stashing sweets and cakes into a large sack. Time for another wave of granny’s wand and a bit of help from a chocolate bear and then, robbers safely under arrest it’s back home and a tasty meal for two cooked up by one very special granny.
Zany characters, action-packed scenes full of amusing details and a lively rhyming text – just the right ingredients for a hugely enjoyable storytime read.
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A Pair of Picture Book Gems

jillrbennett 2 Comments

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That Is NOT a Good Idea!
Mo Willems
Walker Books
Mo Willems is just brilliant and this book definitely is A GOOD IDEA!
The members of cast in this high drama are Hungry Fox, a very dapper looking chap sporting brown suit and matching top hat, tie and waistcoat, black shoes and spats, Plump Goose with shopping basket and headscarf and half a dozen yellow baby geese. Of course, everyone knows that foxes like nothing better to eat than plump geese and true to form, this one invites Goose for a stroll leading her through town, into the dark wood, and on to his nearby kitchen and to boil some water for soup. As Goose agrees to each invitation, the yellow goslings warn, “That is NOT a good idea” adding more and more emphasis as the journey proceeds. When Hungry Fox asks his visitor, “Would you care to look at my soup? A key ingredient is missing. “ The goslings’ warning is a frantic,
“That is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY NOT a good idea!” And so it proves, but for which of the characters? Suffice it to say, this goose is anything but cooked and it’s she and the six goslings that sit down for supper.
The silent movie presentation is pure genius. At each stage Fox and Goose are shown hamming up their parts with their words displayed on the subsequent decorated blackboard-filled pages; the chorus of warnings from the goslings that follow the captions echoing the audiences reaction as the tension mounts.

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There will be encores aplenty for this one I have no doubt.
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Peck Peck Peck
Lucy Cousins
Walker Books
This book has more holes than The Very Hungry Caterpillar; in fact it is absolutely riddled with holes thanks to its young woodpecker narrator. Excited by his initial success on the tree trunk and eager to follow his father’s instructions, to “Practise hard and have some fun.” said little bird not only pecks at the gate and front door of a house but hones his skills on pretty much everything else inside – clothes, toys, furniture, furnishings, books, the soap and shampoo – even the loo and that’s before he starts on the food. Having pecked his way through everything in sight, the young learner is, unsurprisingly, more than a little tired, so it’s back to the nest to report to his waiting dad and then off to bed, full of the joys of pecking. Such a blissful finale too.

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This rhyming, ‘holesome’ tale of household havoc simply bounces along and has Lucy Cousins’ trademark bright coloured pages and images and a hand lettered text.
Definitely destined to be right at the top of the pecking order when it comes to story time sessions at home, in nurseries, schools and libraries, I shall enjoy sharing this one on many occasions.
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Witches, whales, washing and wandering

jillrbennett 2 Comments

Rich Witch Poor Witch
Peter Bently and Jim Field
Macmillan pbk.
Meet twin witches, poor Rose who provides her services free to the ordinary folks and rich Rita whose wealthy clients include royalty. Indeed it is the King himself who calls asking for help to cheer up the young Princess Anna Lucinda Cecelia Grace who just will not smile. However, no amount of wand wielding and magical trickery makes one iota of difference to the gloomy miss. Before long the whole palace is in utter chaos with drapes aflame and tables trashed but what of the princess? It’s left to butler Mort, to announce not only the arrival of Witch Rose but also the whereabouts of the missing Anna Lucinda. Both are outside playing chase and yes! the Princess has an enormous smile on her face. Magic or what? Definitely not explains Rose; all that the princess needed was someone to play with.
This rhyming tale fizzes and sparkles with energy and the appropriately gaudy illustrations abound with visual jokes.
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The Storm Whale
Benji Davies
Simon and Schuster pbk.
Noi lives a rather lonely life in a beach-side house with his fisherman father and their six cats. One morning after a stormy night, he goes down onto the seashore and as he walks he comes upon a small whale left high and dry by the storm. Noi manages to get the whale home and into the bath where he tells it stories about his island life. Concerned about his dad’s reaction to the newcomer, Noi keeps quiet all evening but finally his secret is discovered. Then he has to face the fact that his new friend belongs in the sea and together father and son return the whale to its rightful home.
A gentle tale of loving and caring enough to let go. I love the fact that Noi is shown playing records of Sounds of the Sea and Handel’s Water Music to the whale in the bath. Understated as it is, this warm-hearted book packs a powerful punch.
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How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth
Michelle Robinson & Kate Hindley
Simon and Schuster pbk.
Presented as an instruction manual, a small girl narrator provides a step-by-step guide to performing a very tricky and likely to be, protracted, operation – Woolly Mammoth washing or rather, bathing. Should your mammoth need this treatment, make sure you don your mackintosh and wellies and have to hand: a broom, spooky mask, skateboard, heavy-duty crane, cake, and of course, shampoo. Just make sure the latter doesn’t go in its eyes though. Oh, oh! … for STEP EIGHT: To get said ‘wet woolly mammoth down from a tree you’ll need … a very STRONG trampoline.’ To discover the remaining steps, you’ll just have to get hold of a copy of this delightful book. Beautifully understated, simply told in dead- pan style, the text leaves Kate Hindley plenty of scope to exercise her sense of the ridiculous in both her full-page scenes and smaller comic cut capers.
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Pi-Rat!
Maxine Lee
Caterpillar Books pbk.
Meet the fearless Pi-Rat and his mates as they sail the high seas. Seemingly nothing daunts them be it crocodiles, sharks or the darkness but when the brave pirate captain sights a hairy paw through his telescope it seems the hearty crew are about to meet their doom.
The visual clue to the setting of this adventure is the name of Pi-Rat’s craft on the back cover and the first spread. This bath-time tale of the imagination is told almost entirely through speech bubbles and bold visuals that zoom right in on the action. There is plenty to laugh at in the larger than life illustrations inspired by the treasure trove of bath-time and everyday toys; I love the space- hopping and pogo-sticking crew members as they leap and bounce across the crocodile-infested waters. I envisage this one being asked for over and over again.
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Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo
Amy Sparkes and Sara Ogilvie
Red Fox pbk.
When the boy narrator receives a letter announcing he’s won a prize, off he cycles to run a zoo for the day. And what a strange, chaotic place this turns out to be. Its inmates include the growling Grimblegraw, the dangling Dinglebee, the Morph, Quees, Furry Furbles and horror of horrors, the child gobbling Squirgal, to mention just some of the crazy creatures he encounters. But in our small, prize-winning hero, those recalcitrant rioters more than meet their match.
Crying out for audience participation, this story certainly went down well with several groups of under fives who loved the tongue tingling rhyming text and crazy mock scary monsters.
It’s a good one to stimulate young children’s artistic and verbal creativity: have huge sheets of paper, paints and large pens at the ready.
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Dog Loves Counting
Louise Yates
Red Fox pbk.
Louise Yates’ endearing bibliophile Dog returns for a third adventure. Now he’s looking for alternatives to sheep to count, so that he can get to sleep. And the vehicle for his search is of course, a book.; a Big Book of Curious Creatures wherein he discovers all manner of fascinating things to innumerate, beginning with one baby dodo that emerges from a large egg. The two of them continue through the book encountering in turn, a three-toed sloth, … a five-lined skink… to a ten-legged (pincers included) crab and so on to an infinitely grained sandy desert whereupon the the all-important number one is counting stars. And we leave the whole cast star gazing and still counting, until … it’s morning again, the start of another day filled with books, friends and, let’s hope, many more adventures.
This flight of fancy is another winner from the inspirational Lucy Yates. It’s wonderfully imagined, cleverly constructed and brilliantly portrayed through both words and pictures. Moreover, it is likely to make young listeners enjoy counting just as much as the chief protagonist who has already encouraged countless children to become like him, lovers of ‘Books’ and ‘Drawing’.
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The Acorn
Edward Gibbs
Templar Publishing (BF&F) pbk.
This wonderfully simple book has lessons a-plenty between its covers – reading lessons and science lessons but more important than those, the whole thing is a real pleasure to share with the very young.
A little yellow acorn falls from a tree, a little acorn with a large purpose. But there is a problem – also large –all manner of hungry forest animals think that an acorn would make a tasty tidbit. Such are the acorn’s powers of persuasion ‘Oh, please don’t eat me now, … I’ll be even tastier later.’ that it manages to escape the jaws of white mouse, orange squirrel, blue bird, grey rabbit, brown boar and red deer. Then the acorn begins to grow, time passes and true to its words, it becomes a huge shelter-giving tree with acorns aplenty. And, in familiar folk-tale, patterned text style, the whole thing begins over again…
Each spread is cleverly linked to the previous one so that every turn of the page serves to move the visual narrative seamlessly forwards. Gibbs’ delightfully scribbly animal images on the forest floor are a treat in themselves, and, there is a further fold-out surprise at the end.
Perfectly predictable, endlessly re-readable.
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Beasts and Baskets

jillrbennett 1 Comment

Picnic
John Burningham
Jonathan Cape
There are echoes of the wonderful Mr Gumpy’s Outing in Burningham’s latest book. Boy and girl invite sheep, pig and duck to join them for a picnic. Their search for a picnic place proves protracted. They are chased by bull and have to hide in the woods, the wind whisks sheep’s hat away, pig drops his ball and duck loses his scarf. When all the items are retrieved they share the picnic basket spread and after fun and games the tired picnickers return to boy and girl’s house on the hill and bed.
Burningham’s peerless pictures in crayon, ink and watercolour and his spare, clear short sentences with engaging questions are in perfect balance within the empty spaces of each page.
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Big Book of Beasts
Emily Gravett
Macmillan
Emily Gravett has a co-creator for her latest offering; it’s Little Mouse (from a Big Book of Fears). Said rodent proceeds to edit her efforts throughout, daubing, nibbling, scribbling and generally interfering with every spread. As the author attempts to present ten animals pictorially with accompanying verse, Little Mouse offers his own take on each one. So, he proceeds to silence the lion’s roar, placing mittens over its claws, swat the worrying wasps with a specially pressed newspaper, and put dainty high-heeled shoes on the feet of the rampaging rhinoceros; but can he avoid being swallowed by the crushing Boa-Constrictor? Seemingly so, for after one final confrontation, what do we find fleeing across the final end-papers but a small, white, paint-spattered mouse?
Purists may be left aghast at mouse’s defacement but the rest of us will revel in this ingenious, truly interactive creation with its mini book of origami, wasp-swatting newspaper, healthy teeth guide, flaps to open and holes throughout.
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The Cat, the Mouse and the Runaway Train
Peter Bently and Steve Cox
Hodder Children’s Books
This adventure starts when a mouse – a skitter-scattery one – living in the stationmaster’s house, steals a piece of cheese and is seen by Carruthers the cat. The mouse is trapped, escapes and is hotly pursued by Carruthers but as he crosses the track, the cat takes a tumble getting his tail stuck in the rails. The minutes tick by and a large red steam train is speeding ever closer, Carruthers promising to chase him no more, begs the mouse to stop the train. Can that tiny creature get back and warn the stationmaster before the train makes mincemeat of his much-loved moggy? Suffice it to say that by the end of the day there is a third resident in the stationmaster’s house, and now he’s entirely welcome.
This rhyming tale, like the train positively races along and one can almost hear the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the track echoing when reading the book aloud. There’s some delicious alliteration too and the tension builds as the stopwatch counts the minutes to ten o’clock when the train is due.
Full of humour and pathos, Steve Cox’s bold bright illustrations mirror the gathering pace and tension of the text. For additional fun, spot Cat and Mouse among the cogwheels, clocks and pipes of the endpapers.
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The Lion and the Mouse
Nahta Noj
Templar Publishing
Cleverly interactive die-cuts really make this version of one of the most retold of Aesop’s fables distinctive.
Standing out against the flat colour backgrounds, composite, collage-style cut-outs help build up the bold images which are truly striking. Jenny Broom’s retelling too is noteworthy and further enlivened by variations in the font size, and weight with lines of print sometimes following the outlines of the illustrations.

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A great book for the primary classroom or for individual sharing.
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Little Evie in the Wild Wood
Jackie Morris and Catherine Hyde
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
One afternoon, wearing red and carrying a basket, Little Evie sets off alone into woods. Following the path ever deeper, her senses alert, she emerges into a clearing and there encounters a great black she wolf. Shades of Red Riding Hood; but, Evie has been sent by her Grandma to find the wolf and share with her seven blood-red jam tarts. After their meal, as the sun sets, the wolf carries Evie on her back to the edge of the wood where she can see the cottage and her waiting mama.
It’s not so much the story, but the manner of the telling that is so striking. Its lyrical, powerfully atmospheric, eerie haunting quality draws you right in from the start creating an air of wonder and mystery.
Visually wonderful too, Catherine Hyde has used acrylics to conjure soft-focus woodland scenes suffused with glowing sunlight, which intensify the air of mystery.
Truly, a book to enchant young and old alike.
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The Day the Crayons Quit
Oliver Jeffers and Drew Daywalt
Harper Collins
Have you ever thought about the crayons you give children to use; did you know for example that they have feelings? No? Well, this hilarious book/story by the brilliant Jeffers (no prizes for guessing which medium he has used) and debut author, Daywalt might make you think again.
Duncan wants to do some colouring but when he goes to use his crayons, he discovers a bundle of twelve letters all of which contain strong words of admonition for the would-be artist.
Red complains that he is even has to work on holidays, Purple is upset that Duncan won’t keep his colour within the lines, Beige is fed up with playing second fiddle to Brown, Grey is demanding a break from colouring large animals, White feels empty and Black doesn’t want to be limited to outlines, Green is happy with his use but wants Duncan to settle a dispute between Yellow and Orange over which is the rightful colour of the Sun, Blue is bothered that he is almost completely used up and Pink thinks she is being discriminated against because Duncan is a boy. And finally, Peach doesn’t want to leave the crayon box because Duncan has peeled his label off leaving him naked.
Needless to say, this wonderfully wacky, creative picture book has plenty of colour particularly after Duncan takes on board all the crayons concerns. I’m not convinced that Beige will be entirely happy though.
Don’t miss this one.
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Eddie and Dog
Alison Brown
Little Tiger Press
Eddie lives close to an airport; he spends time watching the planes and dreaming of adventures in faraway places. One day he spies a small dog in a basket on the luggage carousel and invites him to play. The two briefly enjoy some adventures together but on their return home, Eddie’s mum sends his new playmate to a more suitable home. Next day however, dog is back and despite further attempts to send him packing, Eddie’s determined canine pal returns. Moreover he has a plan: a clever one involving a rooftop space whereon he and Eddie construct a garden compete with lawn, topiary, a tree-house and more.
I like the fact that imagination, determination and perseverance win the day in this story for which Alison Brown’s illustrative style creates the illusion that the characters and objects have been created with a modeling medium.
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Trolls, Toucans and Travels

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Troll Swap
Leigh Hodgkinson
Nosy Crow pbk.
Meet Timothy Limpet. Unlike other trolls, Timothy is nice, polite and tidy, his cave light and dry; a rubbishy specimen is what his fellow trolls consider him. Meet Tabitha Lumpit, a noisy, messy, loopy little girl who likes nothing better than jumping into muddy puddles and making a ‘super-splashy muddy mess’, much to the consternation of her long suffering parents. When these two characters meet, they decide it’s time for operation place swap. Though initially surprised and delighted at the changes, the trolls and parents soon begin to miss the old Timothy and Tabitha. Equally Timothy and Tabitha find their new ways of being, equally dull; time for plan two – operation swap back. So, do all live happily ever after? Not only that but loopily too.
Sporting spotty clothes, and bobbly headgear, the two misfits are a delight.
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The Toucan Brothers
Tor Freeman
Macmillan pbk.
Meet the super plumbers of Tapton, Sammy and Paul. Their skill is unrivalled when it comes to plumbing problems. One day however, a new plumber arrives on the scene, one Flash Rover. He beguiles the townspeople with all his flashy gear, undercutting his toucan rivals and stealing their business. But, before long, this dodgy dealer has a flood on his hands: thanks to all his botched jobs and short cuts the entire town is awash. Then of course, it’s time to call in the real experts and sure enough the talented toucans save the day with their watery wizardry and send the dastardly dog packing to the jubilation of all Tapton’s residents. For sure he’s one dog that won’t be plying his trade there again.
The toucans’ tale truly trips off the tongue as the talented tradesmen turn near tragedy to triumph. There is talent aplenty too in Tor Freeman’s truly funny, action packed illustrations. Every spread is liberally scattered with visual jokes and dotty details. These in themselves will ensure hours of fun for young children even without an adult reader aloud to orchestrate the action.
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Russell, Grunt and Snort
Jason Chapman
Red Fox pbk.
Russell is certain there’s more to life than muddy fields and pigpens so he starts hatching a plan. A plan that involves, an upturned pigpen, some twisted hedgerow twine, some broken branches and some very tricky cliff -edge manouevering but by the following evening he and his two companions are heading off into the sunset. Well, that was what they thought. However, the world outside the farm is much more dangerous that the three pigs had anticipated especially when they start receiving ‘join us for dinner’ invitations. So will the porcine trio end up as pork chops or can they find that perfect place with all the apples and truffles they can eat after all?
The ending does seem rather abrupt but despite that there is plenty to amuse in this tale of misadventure and the illustrations are great fun; the expressions on the faces of both hunted and hunters are superb.
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Eleanor’s Eyebrows
Timothy Knapman and David Tazzyman
Simon and Schuster pbk.
Insulted at being called ‘silly, scruffy, hairy little bits of fluff!’ Eleanor’s eyebrows take off to have a life of their own in the Big Wide World, determined to find somewhere or someone appreciative. They try out various roles including being caterpillars, a magician’s moustache, woolly hand-warmers for lady beetles, tyres on a stick insect’s motorbike, even an exclamation mark on a SLOW DOWN SIGN. None however prove satisfactory. Having frightened off her own Granny, an eyebrowless Eleanor meanwhile, is realizing the error of her ways. She makes various attempts to replace her missing facial features, but to no avail. Time to think seriously about the next move for all parties concerned; time for a spot of signwriting …
All ends happily in this totally crazy tale, which is certain to make your own eyebrows do more than a little twitching. Tazzyman’s illustrations of the assorted quirky characters both human and otherwise perfectly complement the text .
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May Miscellany

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Don’t Spill the Milk!
Stephen Davies and Christopher Corr
Andersen Press
From a tiny village in Africa one rainy season, young Penda sets out to take her daddy a bowl of milk as he tends the sheep in the grasslands some distance from their home. With her mother’s words ‘Try not to spill any on the way’ ringing in her ears as she walks, bowl on her head across the dunes, through the cavorting beasties of the mask dance, crossing the River Niger aboard a fishing boat, then travelling on among the giraffes on the plains and finally up the high mountain all the while balancing the bowl perfectly without spilling a drop. Then as she approaches her dad sitting under the mango tree, disaster strikes as a fat mango drops from above, SPLOSH! spilling the milk everywhere. But all is not lost as her father explains: in that bowl there remains something even more important, Penda’s love, not to mention some juicy mango.
A riot of colour and pattern abound in this heartwarming story of determination and family love: a splendid follow-up to The Goggle-Eyed Goats.
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J&D Owl 2

Little Owl’s Orange Scarf
Tatyana Feeney
Oxford University Press
Little Owl is a creature with definite tastes: he is fond of maths, ice-cream, scooter riding and especially surprises, well usually. However, the new orange scarf lovingly knitted by his mother is one surprise he does not like at all. Despite his most determined efforts, Little Owl just cannot get rid of that long, itchy accessory until that is, his class visits the zoo from where he returns sans scarf at last. After a fruitless call to the zoo, Mummy Owl determines a new scarf is called for and this time, the joint endeavor is much more to the little owlet’s liking and just the thing to wear on return trips to the zoo.
Delightfully minimalist in style (unlike that orange scarf), this cute story has warmth to match the new soft jade green wrap-around Mummy Owl lovingly knits for her little one.
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The Book of Dreams
Shirin Adl
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
By nocturnal journeying readers are invited to enter into a whole variety of dream worlds narrated in short explanatory sentences and gloriously illustrated in Shirin Adl’s magical collage illustrations. We are transported to a jungle landscape, a perplexing riverside location, confront a dinosaur, find the ability to breathe underwater, to fly and even to gather clouds from atop a mountain. We can swing from star to star, time travel and hold dream-related conversations with animals large and small. Such exciting possibilities come in dreams of many forms if only you can remember them.
This unusual picture book offers a multitude of possibilities for discussion, art work, movement, music making and of course, for dreaming, either at home or school.
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Bubble & Squeak
James Mayhew and Clara Vulliamy
Orchard Books
With her amazing Pyramid of Peril act, Bubble the elephant is the star of Mr Magnifico’s travelling circus. People come from far and wide to see the amazing feat wherein Bubble’s balancing atop the pyramid is assisted only by her bouquet of flowers. The trouble is, being constantly on the move, Bubble never manages to make a real friend; in short, she is lonely. One night however, a tiny mouse seeking a place to shelter comes upon the circus tent and once inside, is mesmerized by Bubble’s performance. Full of admiration, he watches her night after night but hasn’t the courage to tell her; instead he stows away when the circus moves on and is eventually discovered. There follows a search, which ends when he is chased out of the big top. Fortunately he hasn’t got far when he discovers that Bubble is in terrible danger. So, being a brave little fellow he returns to save his heroine and become not only a hero but also a friend and named co-star in the famous show.
This new partnership of two already established creative talents has resulted in a charming book. Much of the charm comes from Clara Vulliamy’s retro-style illustrations in striking colours which are at once funny and tender, capturing the gentle humour and warmth of Mayhew’s tale of an unlikely friendship beautifully.
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The Hundred Decker Bus
Mike Smith
Macmillan pbk
Bored with his dull routine wherein the same people board the bus at the same place at the same time, day in day out, the bus driver decides to do something different. Rather than following his normal route he takes an alternative road, a small one he’d not noticed before. So begins an amazing adventure over days, weeks and months with the double decker bus growing ever taller as it travels over land and sea, taking on an ever-increasing number of passengers until, CLUNK! CLUNK disaster strikes and then there is only one way to go…
With an enormous fold-out page (one snag here: the perforations do tear rather easily), bright pictures packed full of interesting and amusing details, not to mention counting opportunities galore, Mike Smith’s debut offering is sure to win votes with young audiences. Long live co-operation, a sense of fun and imagination.
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The Wheels on the Bus
Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner
Oxford University Press
We start with the opening lines of the favourite song and then it’s the action off the bus rather than on it that is the focus of attention, for the bus (sporting its zebra stripes) is heading for a wildlife park. Therein we and the passengers can see (and join in the action of) springing gazelles, singing, ringing birds in the trees,  howling, yowling wolf cubs, tumbling, bouncing, baboons, splashing pouncing otters, mud-loving hippos  wallowing and rolling, dashing leaping cheetahs, trot trotting llamas, slow moving sloths beaming in the trees and last of all as the sun goes down, leaping lemurs … as the wheels of the bus just keep on turning all day long.  Despite the sleepy looking passengers on the final spread, the whole emphasis is on movement and sound; both of which young audiences will delight in joining in with.
A lovely variation on the early years favourite for nurseries and playgroups in particular, it’s great for both language and physical development.
Why not try adding a basket of musical instruments alongside and letting children choose which ones to use to represent each animal and its antics.
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