Tag Jake Hope

Ming the Panda

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Ming the Panda
Jake Hope and Yu Rong
Otter-Barry Books

When a young child is unable to sleep, Mama tells a story about a very special panda who brought love and hope to millions of people. It’s the real-life story of Ming, the first baby Giant Panda to be brought to London Zoo in 1938, who became a wartime symbol of courage and hope. The little panda began its life in the mountains of China. As she grew in size, she also grew in bravery and one day she began a journey that took her all the way to London Zoo. There she was looked after by a kindly zookeeper – his very first panda – that he named Ming (a Chinese name that means Brightness).

People came from near and far to visit the panda and they even wrote her messages and sang to her. One very special visitor was a young princess, who later became Queen Elizabeth. Ming’s fame spread all around the world but then war broke out and bombs fell on London. Despite this, brave Ming helped those who visited her until one day, transported in her mind to the snowy Chinese mountains. she died. However, her memory continued to act as a shining light bringing hope to the people.

Ming’s inspiration also brought hope at worrying times to the little child hearing her story and it is to be hoped to other children who need help to be resilient whatever trouble they face.

Jake Hope’s sensitively told narrative – a story within a story – reads aloud well and together with Yu Rong’s beautiful illustrations, a combination of Chinese folk art paper-cutting and pencil drawing, make this a child-friendly way to start discussing issues such as war and animals being kept in captivity.

Lola Loves Walks / Serena and the Little Blue Dog

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Lola Loves Walkies
Jake Hope and James Brown
UCLAN Publishing

Meet Lola, a furry creature with many loves, so author Jake Hope tells us: she loves kisses and cuddles, having fun with friends, snoozing in sunny places and her favourite of all, walkies, especially when her human takes her to the park.

She has a particular predilection for hide and seek. Paddling along beside the pond is another of her favoured activities and on reaching the bench, she hides to watch the ducks waddling past. Like pretty well, all pooches, Lula enjoys chasing and retrieving objects but thus far, we readers have yet to see Lola in her entirety.

This is revealed in a fun final twist that will amuse adult sharers (who may have guessed what’s afoot) as well as the children they read the story with.
Illustrator James Brown has done a splendid job creating thirteen richly hued scenes of the lively main character enjoying herself without giving the game away about her identity until the final spread.

Serena and the Little Blue Dog
Rosemary Clunie
Zephyr Books

‘Once upon a time a little girl called Serena lived in a cottage in the woods. She was friends with all the birds and animals of the forest. … But what she really wanted was a special friend of her own.’ : so begins a magic modern fairy tale. One day as she’s wandering in the woods surrounding her home, there suddenly appears a little blue dog. Not knowing at the time, that he’s magic, Serena names him Haiku. She takes him home with her and they become the best of friends. Haiku grows and grows until one day he’s grown too big for her house. Seeing her sadness, he asks what’s wrong. Surprised he’s able to talk, Serena tells the blue dog what is wrong and together they embark on an adventure that takes them over a mountain eastwards, over plains, into valleys and between fields to a distant castle to consult the wise woman. On the way Serena is given three stones – a green one from the mountain bird, a red one from a snake and a yellow one from a golden fish.
These, as per the sweet-voiced woman’s instructions, she places into her crown. What the woman tells her comes as a surprise,

but does it help Serena with Haiku and the size problem?

With its friendship theme Rosemary Clunie has created with striking illustrations and a longish text, a kind of modern fairy tale that can be enjoyed by solo readers as well as shared with young listeners, perhaps as a bedtime story read over several nights.

This is the Way in Dog Town / Cheesed Off! / Blue Badger

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This is the Way in Dog Town
Ya-Ling Huang
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Spend a day in Dog Town with little ones and you’ll soon be singing along to the tune of Here we go round the Mulberry Bush. Just like humans, the residents of this canines only town start by brushing their teeth, after which they get dressed (with a bit of adult assistance) as they ‘Pull, pull, pull!’ Then it’s off to school, hurrying of course as there’s so much there to enjoy be it drawing, playing outdoors and having lunch at midday. Duly sated, ‘Yum, yum, yum!’the afternoon is spent painting and swimming. Early in the evening, the young dogs, walk home and once indoors the way they eat their dinner is let’s say rather messy as they ‘Slurp, slurp, slurp! their way through plates full of spaghetti. So, it’s as well they have a jolly good scrub in the bath later in the evening before retiring to bed.

As they share this book with an adult, little humans will enjoy joining in with action words, as well as emulating the puppies’ actions and exploring the various busy scenes created by Ya-Ling Huang.

Cheesed Off!
Jake Hope and Genevieve Aspinall
uclan publishing

The humans are having a party and it’s time for the photos: on the count of three everyone say “Cheese!” but what about that warning sign at the start of this book – the one about a certain word bringing mice from their house. Too late! The partiers have uttered the word and it’s been heard behind the skirting board. Out come the mice but not a whiff of cheese can they detect. Not a single sighting of a sliver can they spy no matter how hard they try.
Then suddenly an announcement is made and something with candles atop is carried in. Now what might that be …

Huge fun for those in the early stages of becoming readers especially, is Jake Hope’s extended joke illustrated with lots of amusing details from the viewpoint of the mowses’ – oops, make that mice. Therein Genevieve Aspinall shows how humans don’t always realise what’s actually going on right under their noses – or, to be more accurate, beneath their feet.

Blue Badger
Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders
Happy Yak

Badger is having an identity crisis: is he black or is he white – albeit with a blue bottom having sat down beneath a bush to eat berries. Off he goes to ask the opinion of other creatures. Bird is unsure, Dog doesn’t know either although he admires Badger’s blue rear and invites him to play. Both Cow and Skunk are dismissive whereas Zebra is equally nonplussed about his own colour markings and Panda merely takes the opportunity for some self-flattery.
Whale sends Badger off to meet Penguin whose considered response is both helpful and constructive, making Badger feel much more positive about himself as well as perhaps, a tad hungry … Happiness at last.

Author Huw Lewis Jones adopts an almost detached tone to his gently humorous text that includes a repeat refrain, while Ben Sanders places his black and white characters on stark, coloured backgrounds in this story with its ‘You can be whatever you want to be’ message.