Tag Adam Thompson

The 123 Tree, Flip-Flap-Peekaboo Owl, Let It Snow!

jillrbennett Leave a comment

The 123 Tree
Adam Thompson and Erica Harrison
Messy Press

As the sun sets over the forest, the oak tree is a busy place with lots of different kinds of creatures going about their various bedtime routines while the owl is still sleeping. There are 2 cozy squirrels sharing a bedtime story, 3 fuzzy bears enjoying a bath together, 4 dozy slugs making a slimy path along a branch, 5 croaky frogs singing to the music of a guitar, accompanied by six small birds chirping along. Clearly the 7 ants are still hungry; they are nibbling one of the oak leaves and further along the branch 8 tired mice are brushing their teeth. Now that the moon is shining brightly, it’s time for the 9 drowsy bats to wake up and perhaps enjoy the glowing lights of the 10 twinkling fireflies. Also beginning to wake is the owl, albeit somewhat slowly, now that it’s almost too dark to see.

Little humans will delight in discovering the various animals’ pre-slumber routines and counting the creatures in the bold illustrations while enjoying listening to the rhyming text that will help them get ready for sleep too. There’s a ladybird that appears on every one of Erica Harrison’s scenes and that adds another fun visual element.

Flip-Flap-Peekaboo Owl
Ali Pye
Little Tiger

Five locations are visited in this flap book: first the dark, dark cave wherein Bat ‘is snoring sweetly’ – not for long though as suddenly there comes a ‘Flip-flap- BOO!’
A similar thing happens when we look under the large leaf: Mouse is ‘nibbling nicely. Yum, yum.’ but he too cannot resist a surprise – ‘Squeak-a- BOO!’ Racoon’s resting spot is a green bush – a good place for a sniffle of a flower but maybe he’s a hay fever sufferer for very soon we hear, ‘Achooo-BOO!’ I wonder what is behind the log making a soft ‘ribbit’ sound and what happens then. Last stop is a cosy nest wherein an owl is snuggled: a surprise awaits little ones when they open the final flap …

another interactive board book is:

Let It Snow!
Nicola Edwards and Sophie Ledesma
Little Tiger

With its rhyming text by Nicola Edwards and Sophie Ledesma’s snowy scenes little hands can have fun manipulating a wheel, a double-sided pull-out, a pull-down mechanism and another tab that makes polar bear jump about. All the while snowflakes float in the air and tucked away behind a snowy mound is a sleepy animal: now what might that be? …

Ask Me About Bedtime / Ask Me About Busy Wheels/ Where Do They Sleep?

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Ask Me About Bedtime
Ask Me About Busy Wheels
Rebecca Atkinson and Susie Hammer
Happy Yak

It’s almost Bedtime in the first book, the opening scene of which is the bathroom where a little blue creature is enjoying a bubble bath. Also in the bath – or almost – is what introduces itself as a ‘Quizzy Bean. On this first spread the Bean asks how many boats little humans can find. The little human must then count and move the slider mechanism found on the right hand side to the appropriate number.

Once dry it’s time to put on pyjamas and the little human is tasked with finding the pattern on the pair in the cupboard tucked behind a flap: do they have stripes, spots or squiggles and again the slider is moved to select. A vital pre bedtime task is tooth cleaning and the favourite toothpaste is almost hidden behind the mug: opening the flap reveals the choice, which is then indicated by moving the slider. Every bedtime routine needs a pre-slumber story.The question is ‘What is Quizzy Bean reading about? The final spread sends the little human back to count the total number of Quizzy Beans and last of all, to answer a question.

Ask Me About Busy Wheels presents five vehicles – a digger, a fire engine, a rubbish truck, a tractor and a snack van and works in a similar way to the previous title, with its ‘decider slider’ mechanism and flaps to lift. Both have Susie Hammer’s bold, amusing illustrations and together with Rebecca Atkinson’s texts offer entertainment as well as developing Early Years concepts such as colour, and shape, plus furthering the development of manipulative skills, counting and vocabulary.

Also about bedtime is:

Where Do They Sleep?
Adam Thompson and Erica Harrison
Messy Press

This very simple look at where and how some animals like to sleep uses creatures large and small as exemplars. For instance flamingos sleep standing on one leg in lakes; bats snooze in caves, mice snuggle in nests and dogs sleep in dog beds (rather a different shape from those humans use as we see in the bright illustrations). I wonder where elephant sleep? Find out by getting a copy of this board book to share with your small human just before they snuggle down for the night.