Tag Georgie Birkett

Board Book Trio

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Hank Goes Peck
Maudie Powell-Tuck and Duncan Beedie
Little Tiger

If you’ve read anything about Hank, then you’ll already know that he likes to make trouble for others. Now he’s not honking but pecking and at the request of a small rodent, little humans are immediately involved in the story by keeping an eye – preferably both – on what he gets up to on the farm. Oh dear! The first thing he does is to stick his beak into the trampoline on which the chicks are bouncing. What a pesky creature. As you might expect though he just cannot keep that beak to himself: next he sticks it right into the limo holding a trio of pigs. Surely that’s enough sticking his beak where it’s not wanted so he’ll leave the old sheep in peace to get on with her knitting. Oh NO! spoke too soon, but Mouse has said he must take time out and consider the error of his ways. Apparently temptation gets the better of him however as he struts past the bull without heeding Mouse’s warning. Has he learned his lesson at long last? I wonder …

Hank’s preposterous behaviour is wryly depicted by Duncan Beedie and Maudie Powell-Tuck’s text offers plenty of opportunities for sound making and action from young listeners who will enjoy emulating Hank’s pecking and the sounds made by the animals he upsets.

A is for Apple
illustrated by Georgie Burkett
Little Tiger

With flaps to lift and tracks to finger trace, this alphabet book clearly illustrated will immediately get little learners involved. They can trace the capital letters with the help of the arrows and then lift the flap on each page and discover something else starting with the same letter, this time written with a lower case starting letter. Better still, children can try to guess what is hidden before opening the flaps. Simple, playful interactive learning and on the back cover are some hints for parents/carers.

Banana, Banana, Banana!
Sarah Finan
Post Wave Publishing

This is the second in a series of board books encouraging healthy eating from new publisher Post Wave.
Sturdily built to stand up to numerous readings, it’s told through a simple, jaunty rhyme and bold, bright illustrations with a clever die-cut on each double spread. The small children we meet in the book love to eat bananas in various situations and forms including as a smoothie slurped through a straw, sliced up for breakfast or lunch, to fill a hungry tum during a car journey or as a pre-bedtime snack. It’s good to see that even such young children know that the skin from a banana needs to be disposed of properly – in the bin, not tossed aside onto the pavement as a potential slip-hazard.

Poetry Prompts

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Poetry Prompts
Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Georgie Birkett, Grasya Oliyko, Amanda Quartey Voila Wang
Wide Eyed Editions

Children’s laureate, Joseph Coelho provides 41 ways for readers to ‘discover the poet within.’
His first prompt is to have a dedicated notebook of your own that you can always have to hand when an idea arises; he even demonstrates how to make such a book from a single sheet of paper.
He then proceeds to one word poems; the trick so we read, is to have a long title. If this idea works for you, you can he suggests, in his first ‘poetry power-up,’ write several on the same theme for example: ‘The Sound of Water / Splash. // The Feel of Water / Cold. // The Taste of Water / Nothing.’


There are suggestions for penning poems that use rhyme and repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, and metaphors as well as certain poetic forms such as haiku, and more challenging, triolets.
Most of the ideas are relatively light-hearted but there are also prompts for a ‘Home Is …’ poem in relation to World Refugee Day, and another for plastic pollution.


The four illustrators portray a diverse cast of children, as well as playful images of fauna, flora and an abundance of food ,

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which offer further inspiration. The message that poetry is “about having fun with words” comes through loud and clear. I envisage lots of primary age children having great fun with the ideas in this book. (If used in a classroom though, it would be advisable, I think, to include prompts for some non-Christian festivals as well as those for Christmas and Easter.)



Carry Me!

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Carry Me!
Georgie Birkett
Walker Books

It’s a while since Wilbur was an easy to carry, snuggly baby; he’s now considerably bigger and stronger. Nonetheless he still tries insisting, “Carry Me!” He loves piggybacks, shoulder rides and being pushed in his buggy regardless of the weather.

Unsurprisingly, all this effort eventually takes its toll on Wilbur’s Mummy and even when she suggests he should try walking, Wilbur is ready with an excuse or two.

One day however, when out with his mum, Wilbur drops his toy, Rabbit. Out of the buggy he leaps and off he hops to retrieve Rabbit.

On his return, who should be sitting in the buggy but his Mummy. I wonder what the little lad did next …

Thereafter, Wilbur and his Mummy can be seen walking home side by side, chatting happily and Wilbur’s chief want is no longer Carry Me! He’s replaced it with another request.

A smashing story for busy, weary grown-ups to share with their little ones. It would make a warm hug of a book to give a mum on Mother’s Day but equally it’s a great one to read to a nursery group or a small child at any time. Make sure you start reading from the front endpapers where. Georgie Birkett portrays Wilbur’s mum carrying her unborn child. The illustrations throughout show so much more than the straightforward narrative; you will definitely want to linger over every spread enjoying the humorous details and watching the changing expressions and body language of the two main characters.

I’m BIG Now!

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I’m Big Now!
Anthea Simmons and Georgie Birkett
Andersen Press
Being a big sister can be tough especially when a certain baby brother seems to be getting more than his fair share of adult attention. Here, a big sister tells what happens when she attempts to regain the limelight by playing ‘the baby big girl game’.

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After several attempts at different aspects of ‘baby biggirliness’, our young narrator comes to an important realisation: being a big girl and doing what big girls do, brings her far more satisfaction – even if it involves a fair bit of new learning.

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Moreover, it’s certainly a whole lot more fun …

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and sometimes you can get the best of both worlds …

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The combination of Anthea Simmons’ gently humorous rhyming words and Georgie Birkett’s adorable scenes of family life big-sis style, is a total delight.
This is the perfect book for family sharing when a new sibling arrives although it can most certainly be enjoyed with early years audiences at any time.

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Dinosaur Pursuits

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Dylan’s Amazing Dinosaurs The Spinosaurus
E.T.Harper and Dan Taylor
Simon & Schuster
Dinosaur-loving Dylan is back with another adventure – his third – and once again, he consults his Grandpa Fossil’s Dinosaur Journal with Wings, his toy pterodactyl by his side. The page about Spinosaurus is the launch-pad for their next dino mission and the objective is to discover the purpose of its spiny sail.
Off they go, but as they glide above the swampy jungle, disaster occurs; Dylan’s rucksack plunges down through the trees …

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and double disaster – it’s seized by the jaws of a Spinosaurus no less.
When the creature catches sight of Dylan and Wings, it’s time to put operation swamp monster into action forthwith.

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Story spoiler I won’t be; so if you want to know whether Dylan regains his rucksack and its precious contents from the Spinosaurus and finds out what it uses that spiny sail for, then get hold of a copy of this action-packed, vividly coloured book for yourself.
With a removable cardboard Spinosaurus included, I’m pretty sure, the new Dylan adventure will help him win more friends as well as satisfying those he already has.

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Yikes, Ticklysaurus!
Pamela Butchart and Sam Lloyd
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
When Brontosaurus and his pals feel in need of something to relieve their boredom, Ticklysaurus suggests a game of Tickle Chase. What better excuse can an adult reader aloud have for tickling a young audience than that? (Fortunately however, my 4s and 5s didn’t emulate Bronto’s excited wee though.)

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There’s a whole lot of tickling, wiggling and giggling in this madcap romp and a bit of splashing too; but what happens when the mischievous tickler finds himself face to face with that scariest of all dinosaurs? Will he dare to tickle a T.Rex? Erm… would you?

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Those brightly coloured dinopal depictions are just the thing to inspire young listeners to create their own dino-representations in two and three dimensions having listened to Pamela Butchart’s rhyming text.

 

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How to Bath Your Little Dinosaur
Jane Clarke and Georgie Birkett
Red Fox
For the very youngest dinosaur lovers, this is a series of instructions on changing the appearance (and the mind) of the cute-looking but very mucky little dino that is reluctant to get himself cleaned up. Seemingly, the small child involved knows just what to do already as he fills the bathtub, pours in lashings of bubble bath, then drops in a rubber duck and squirty fish before …

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Then of course, that little creature is enjoying himself so much that there’s only one way to get him out again

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And then a big hug in a cosy towel is the order of the day – or evening perhaps.
With Jane Clarke’s gentle rhyming text and super-cute illustrations by Georgie Birkett, this is just the thing for very young listeners. Their slightly older siblings who have begun to read for themselves may well be happy to employ their reading skills and share with baby brothers or sisters.
Equally delightful, also in board book format from the same team is:
How to Tuck in Your Sleepy Lion 

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– perfect bedtime reading for the very youngest.

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Dinosaurs, Numbers and a Picnic

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Ten Little Dinosaurs
Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
Orchard Books
Whether or not there were snails, frogs, bats, spiders, crayfish, crabs, hedgehogs, bees and the like in the time dinosaurs roamed the earth matters not: Simon Rickerty has chosen to scatter them liberally throughout the landscapes of this rhyming romp. Essentially it’s a countdown from when there are ‘Ten little dinosaurs, hatching from their eggs,/Blinking in the sunshine, stretching out their legs.’ These ten newly hatched creatures decide to take advantage of the fact their mother is fast asleep and off they go, in single file, to explore the wide world. Did I say ten? Stomp! That was Diplodocus stepping on one of their number. And so the adventure continues as they take in the surrounding aromas – Slurrrp!; – another gone; peep into a cavern, wander across the volcanic plains, take a dip in the bubbling springs, do a bit of scrumping ,

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polish up their poo-avoiding plodding, try their hand or rather paws, at mountain climbing –  and then they’re down to just one.

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Seemingly he’s about to meet his doom too. But…
PHEW! It’s neither a raptor, nor a T-Rex, not even a monster. No! It’s their very own mother who’s come in search of her missing offspring and hip-hooray!!, she now has them all together once more safe and sound within her sight – more or less anyway.

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Another winning Brownlow/Rickerty combo: a rollicking-good read, an ever-popular topic and an enjoyable countdown littered with tiny creatures to spot and count in the vividly coloured, comical scenes A certain winner for early years listeners (and counters).

For younger mathematicians is:

 

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Lulu Loves Numbers
Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
This is a small board book that features Lulu who, in this story, is with her mum visiting a farm. There they encounter lots of animals and Lulu learns to count from one all the way to …

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With doors to open or a flap to lift on every spread, this is an enjoyable interactive experience for the very youngest who can join in with the animal noises and practice their counting skills along with Lulu in this delightful little book.

Not a counting book as such but packed full of opportunities for mathematical exploration is

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Teddy Picnic
Georgie Birkett
Andersen Press
The toys from Teddy Bedtime return for a picnic expedition and we join them as they make their final preparations before setting off. They walk and skip into the woods where they have fun bubble blowing, hiding and dancing

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before settling down on their rug for some tasty lunch
Then, tummies full, the friends play while hungry birds make the most of the remains of the lunch; but all that rushing around is tiring so it’s a train ride home. Tired but happy the ‘teddies’ settle down for a cosy story-time session on the sofa before bed.

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With its gentle rhyming text, super-cute characters, and fun-filled scenes to focus on, this is ideal for sharing with the very young

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Animal Antics

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Little E engrossed in Teddy’s bedtime tale

Teddy Bedtime
Georgie Birkett
Andersen Press
In this board book we have some sixty words and seven spreads through which toddlers can enjoy sharing in the bedtime rituals of a trio of teddies plus other toys. Said teds play together then go upstairs for some fun in the bath.

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After that , it’s pyjamas on, teeth brushed, storytime and lights out.
A jolly rhymimg text and cute pictures with lots of patterns and items of interest for the very youngest; for bedtimes and other times too.
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The Short Giraffe
Neil Flory and Mark Cleary
Allen & Unwin (Murdoch Books) pbk
When photographer Boba the baboon arrives to take a photo of the tallest animals in the world, he is confronted with a poser of a problem. The desired perfect photograph can easily fit in five giraffe faces but what about Geri? The shortest ever giraffe offers to step aside but the others are having none of it; all credit to them. Various ideas are proffered – stilts, stacking,

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inverting, inflating and winging him; but none is successful and eventually the giraffes’ ideas are exhausted. Along comes a caterpillar with a seemingly simple solution (children of course, will already have got there).

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Then it’s just a case of a bit of repositioning and neck arching and with Geri in the centre front … click! Perfection at last.

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There are laughs aplenty in this neatly simple story of inclusion, embracing differences and exploring things from different perspectives.
With touches of slapstick, Cleary’s digitally manipulated images set for the most part, against manila coloured paper which has the effect of making the candy-coloured animals stand out, (and up) are bound to make you smile.
Share with individuals and small groups.
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The Mouse Who Ate the Moon
Petr Horacek
Walker Books
Little Mouse adores the moon, so much so that she longs to have a piece of her very own. One morning when she wakes up, there, just outside her hole is a slice of her heart’s desire – so she thinks. It smells so wonderful that she takes a tiny nibble, and another and …

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Oh no! No round moon now. But when she tells Rabbit and Mole her sad news, they say that nobody can eat the moon. A distraught Little Mouse returns to her hole until dark begins to fall when she hears a noise outside. It’s her friends Mole and Rabbit and they have something to show her, something large and shiny and ROUND in the starry sky. Time for a celebratory sharing of the rest of Little Mouse’s portion of moon, they decide. Mmm – delicious!
This cleverly designed book, with its peepholes and cutaway pages build up the scenes and extend the action as the story progresses. Horacek’s striking illustrations are created with a variety of media including wax resist and strong watercolours; the various techniques serve to add depth and texture.

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After sharing the story adults may well take the opportunity to examine more closely with their young audiences, how the scenes have been created and this could well inspire children to try out the techniques for their own artistic creations. Not only a charming and amusing story, but a great art lesson in looking.
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Nina orchestrating the story for her sister

The Farmer’s Away! BAA! NEIGH!
Anne Vittur Kennedy
Walker Books
When the farmer’s away, the animals play. What a din they make too as they tell the story in their very own words: a story of their day of boating,

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picnicking, switch-back riding, waterskiing, taking a trip in an air balloon and dancing. All that, until ‘ARF, arf, ARF’… dog gives the warning of the farmer’s return.Then it’s a mad dash, a CHARGE and a leap over the fence

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and shh shh shhhhhhhh. Phew!

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With its only words being those neighs, baas, quacks, arfs, oinks, rees, clucks cheeps, ribbets, quacks, moos and more uttered by the farm animals as they enjoy their anarchic day while the farmer – with the odd hmm hmm or oh dee doh – toils away on his tractor in the fields –, this delightfully silly story will appeal to children’s sense of the ridiculous. They will love joining in to create that animal cacophony (what better way to sharpen up those sound/symbol associations than this?) as well as relishing the shared joke between them and the author.
The watercolour illustrations of the rural scenes are an absolute hoot too.
Leave this one around in your infant classroom and you’ll hear those sounds echoing all over as children have a go at reading the story themselves.
(You might even create and laminate those animal sounds and leave them for the children to orchestrate their own versions of the book. Then what about some masks? small world play maybe … endless possibilities here.)
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