Tag Little Tiger

Time Travel is NOT My Superpower / The Appletree Animal Agency Collie Chaos

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Time Travel is NOT My Superpower
Nathanael Lessore, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh
Little Tiger

Sara, the young narrator of the second story set in the town of Walsham where special powers are part of everyday life, is working on improving her recently discovered superpower – teleporting. Thus far she is able to teleport herself but is unable to take any objects with her. However trouble starts when she accidentally teleports not only herself but her best friends, Georgie and Javier, as well as Jock her arch enemy, back in time to 2002. It’s crucial that they don’t interact with anybody, so nothing in the future is changed. However how is that possible when you find you’re at someone’s birthday party, a boy called Herman, someone that you don’t know. They eventually get away though, back to the present day, or is it? If it is, then why is Sara’s Mum wearing flip-flops and her Dad dressed in a parking warden’s uniform? They’re supposed to be superheroes. And as for being fed Brussels sprouts – don’t even mention the F__T word.

Something definitely is wrong, so how will Sara get herself and her companions in this muddle back into their proper universe.

With giggles aplenty both verbal and visual, this will go down well with KS2 readers who enjoy crazy adventures.

The Appletree Animal Agency Collie Chaos
Katya Balen, illustrated by Gill Smith
Walker Books

It’s winter and we’re back in the village of Mossdale where Appletree Agency have three new clients on their list – Algernon, a ten year old terrapin, Crumpet, a cat that’s something of a diva, and Domino, a dog with three legs. Domino is allocated to Mrs MacDonald but it’s not long before he escapes. The team load up with pet supplies, a compass, snacks and other useful equipment and off they set into the snow: Appletree Agency on the case.

They decide to follow a trail of threepaw prints and thanks to Luca, eventually track Domino down in a field belonging to the curmudgeonly farmer they’d already had a run it with. The dog makes it clear that the children should follow him and he leads them to discover a boy they’d seen earlier but now he’s injured.

Eventually having taken him to safety, the Appletree team learn that the boy, Finn, is staying with his grandpa, the very farmer they’d upset. Moreover he’s an animal lover. Finn was eager for a pet of his own and with Domino forming a bond with him it felt almost like he had one. Then the Appletree Agency members have an idea, an idea that will make everybody happy. But that’s not quite the end of this story …

A wonderfully heart-warming adventure that is perfect for pet lovers who like a touch of humour as well as passion in their stories.

Gordon in the City / Huxley and Flapjack Wild West Escape

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Gordon in the City
Alex Latimer
Oxford Children’s Books

Gordon the erstwhile ‘meanest Goose on Earth’ is now, thanks to Anthony the Piglet, a reformed character. Indeed it’s been almost twelve months since he started trying to be good.
One day as he walks home feeling happy with his new self, he sees a letter pinned to his door. It’s an invitation to present the trophy for the Meanest Goose on Earth to this year’s winner. Hmm!
Being the great friend that he is, Anthony says he’ll disguise himself as a goose and accompany Gordon to the City for the presentation.

This he does and the two arrive expecting one of the four previous runners-up to receive the award. That however, is not what happens. Big surprise or rather, shock horror for Gordon when he discovers the winner. Moreover he and Anthony are invited to stay with her. Not a good idea at all as Gordon rapidly discovers.

Next morning Anthony has disappeared and Gordon starts reverting to his old wicked ways under his host’s influence. Fortunately he comes to his senses and having been told that something dangerous has happened to his friend, Gordon knows he must save him. Is there anyone or any goose, he can call upon to help and if so, what will be the outcome?

I know lots of young solo readers who will be honking their loudest for Gordon and Anthony in this their 4th adventure and looking forward to the next one.

Huxley and Flapjack Wild West Escape
Alan MacDonald, illustrated by Francesca Gambatesa
Little Tiger

Best friends Huxley the koala and Flapjack the penguin return in a third story and what an adventure they have when they sign up for a job as cowhands at Daisy Bank Farm. This is because Huxley wants a new guitar and has spent all his money. He even goes so far as to tell Dolly the farmer that they can horse ride but on their very first day things start going wrong. However they make it through to sundown when the cows are returned to their pen at Daisy Bank, safely behind a shut gate, so Huxley assures his friend.

Next morning, shock horror! The cattle pen is empty and after looking all over the farm, off they set to search further afield. Eventually they reach Bull Bottom Farm owned by Big Bull. The curmudgeonly fellow insists that all the cows on his land belong to him and are marked with a letter B. But is he telling the truth and if not can Huxley and Flapjack work out which are Dolly’s and get them back to their rightful owner? Could music be the solution?

With an abundance of daftness, this foray into the world of cattle farming is full of action, a bit of guitar strumming and Francesca Gambatesa’s fun colour illustrations. It’s just right for those ready for first fiction books.

The Mushroom of Doom

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The Mushroom of Doom
Becky Davies and Thomas Elliott
Little Tiger

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

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

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

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

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

Dead Yard : Seeds of Doom / How to Survive a Horror Sequel

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These are both new titles from Little Tiger – thank you to the publisher for sending them for review.

Dead Yard : Seeds of Doom
P.J.Kilburn, illustrated by Markia Jenai

P.J.Kilburn’s debut novel celebrates Caribbean culture and folklore.

Jermaine’s wish is to be a movie director and he’s spending the Easter holidays shooting an entry for a junior film making competition. However he has to attend his great great uncle’s Dead Yard (a service for the deceased lasting all night) and he’s instructed not to eat any of the food until after midnight. But the sight of a plate of delicious- looking patties proves irresistible and chomp! he starts biting into one. A big mistake.

Suddenly he’s in his own horrific adventure bound-up with Uncle Carl’s ghost and boy, is he bad-tempered. Moreover, there’s a malevolent-looking man searching for a bag of cursed cassava seeds and an outbreak of an epidemic that makes the local children dangerously ill. All that plus the unanticipated arrival to of a woman claiming to be an old flame of Carl’s.

Can Jermaine possibly work with his uncle Carl, sort out this complex chaotic situation and save those they care about, before it’s too late?

Imbued with humour and creepiness, this fun, shortish horror mystery, is set not in the Caribbean but in a modern day London’s Shepherd’s Bush community. Taste it and see …

More creepiness in:

How to Survive a Horror Sequel
Scarlett Dunmore

This sequel to How to Survive a Horror Movie begins towards the end of October with protagonist Charley trying to rebuild her life after attempts to kill her at her boarding school. As the story opens Charley is with her mother who is driving the car northwards through the darkness of the Scottish countryside to the town where they hope to make a new start. When they stop for petrol and some supplies, Charley is certain she sees a ghost nearby though she doesn’t say anything. But then the car stops and won’t restart alongside a road sign telling them they have reached Glendale, (a village also known as the Devil’s Punchbowl) and they have to go back to the garage on foot to seek help. The bad news is that the car will take some considerable time to mend, the good news is that someone offers them a temporary dwelling – a run-down, rather creepy house.

Charley has little choice but to stay and she begins investigating her new environment. Soon she becomes aware of both ghosts and disappearances. It transpires that Glendale has a long-standing association with witches, but worse than that Charley convinces herself that the Harrogate Killer is on her trail. As Halloween draws ever closer, she’s determined to discover just what is happening at Glendale.

Can she possibly do so when she’s not sure who among its residents an be trusted. Full of horror movie tropes, some new characters to enjoy, and imbued with a dry wit, plus a dramatic finale, this will grip readers all the way to its final question.

Play and Learn with Board Books

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My First Black and White Book: Play
Pascale Estellon
Post Wave

This is a sturdily designed, wordless book with a cover that acts as a container for the free-standing pages that fold in and out accordion style and it’s intended to be used with a baby lying on its front.
There’s a mirror, followed by illustrations, mainly black and white with splashes of colour that show a wide variety of items such as geometric shapes, faces and animals. Little ones can develop their fine motor skills by tracing trails, as well as developing their language, especially if an older person is using the images as starting points for talk.

Lion’s Cleaning Day
Nicola Kent
Little Tiger

This is the fourth story in the interactive Busy Chores for Little Paws series.
Lion’s neighbour, Bear, is coming to pay him a visit so Lion decides some tidying up is required. There are art materials scattered on the rug that need to go back on the shelf, crockery in the sink waiting to be washed up and put away, a dirty worktop to wipe and floors in need of a run over with the vacuum cleaner. Lion, with the assistance of little humans who use the slippers, flaps and wheel, get the work done just before there comes a knock on the door. Hurrah! Lion can welcome his friend to a spotless home.
Ideal for developing fine motor skills and beginning sound/symbol awareness by joining in the splish splash … chink … spray… whoosh and knock! knock! sounds.
There’s more interactive fun in:

Glow
Sophie Ledesma
Little Tiger

Firefly has lost his glow – or has he? One night the moon’s aglow, the lighthouse is sending bright beams out to the boats on the stormy sea, jellyfish dances with a fish, shimmering as she does so. So what has happened to Firefly’s glow: even Owl is puzzled. Will the little insect ever find his sparkling light? What to you think?
Once an adult has moved the switch on the back cover to the on position, little ones can delight in the sounds and lights that are activated when they press the button on each spread.

Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First Friends: Colours, First Friends: Opposites / Don’t Ever Mess with a Monkey

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First Friends: Colours
First Friends: Opposites
Mk Smith Despres and Libby Burns
Barefoot Books

Colours begins with the nursery children and their teachers heading outside to play. The instruction is, ‘Look high, look low. / Look all around!// So many colours/ to be found.’ There are black ants marching across the sand, pink worms wiggling on two children’s hands, a red slide, a blue swing and a purple bar to swing along, as well as a wonderfully messy opportunity to use mud and leaves to create mudpie faces. Meanwhile at the water tray a floating and sinking activity has yellow, orange and white objects to test. Then just before snack time everybody blows bubbles with rainbow colours. The final spread encourages interactive learning with a ‘can you find’ showing all the coloured items featured throughout the book.
In Opposites, we join the children preparing for a rest time with some winding down movements that involve stretching high and low, then yawning, mouths open and sleepy eyes closed. When everyone wakes up, some are smiling, others frowning as they stack the mats up and take down the toys.
During the remainder of the session the narrative builds in other opposites – empty/full, small/big, behind/ in front and the final spread asks listeners to act out eight pairs of opposites.
Both books have bright, inclusive illustrations that show a diverse cast of characters.

Don’t Ever Mess with a Monkey
Harriet Evans and David Creighton-Pester
Little Tiger

The latest in the Don’t Ever pop-up series features five wild animals that live in the savannah region. Readers/listeners are warned against riding a zebra, boxing with hyenas, question the decision of rhino, rob an ostrich or give a monkey food that isn’t to its taste. For sure, the results will be far from pleasant for anyone who ignores the warning on each spread.
Harriet’s rhyming text accompanies David Creighton-Pester’s dramatic scenes, each of which includes one or more bit part players that young children will enjoy spotting

No More Mr. Mice Guy

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No More Mr. Mice Guy
Fiona Ross
Little Tiger

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

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

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

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

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

Changing Tides

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Changing Tides
Júlia Moscardó
Little Tiger

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

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

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

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

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

Every BOTTY Burps

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Every BOTTY Burps
Becky Wilson and Alex Patrick
Little Tiger

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

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

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

Bad United Fast As Lightning / Guardians of the New Moon: The Year of the Ox

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These are both additions to popular series from Little Tiger – thanks to the publisher for sending then for review.

Bad United Fast As Lightning
Louise Forshaw

Having achieved two wins, Bad United are starting to attract a fair bit of attention, so much so that Hoof the unicorn declares ‘We’re famous’.
When manager, Serena Winter announces a visit to the spa, it’s no surprise that one team member is far from enthusiastic: Bolt (cheetah) considers yogic breathing a complete waste of time; he’s the best striker so why bother, he thinks. But whether the experience has had the desired effect of bringing the whole team back together ready for anything as Hoof hopes, we’ve yet to find out when they begin training for the next match, which is against Storm. Pretty soon though, it appears that it’s not the case with Bolt.

On match day Serena reminds them all to focus on their happy places but with all the other players waiting on the pitch, team Storm hasn’t shown up. What happens thereafter is I suspect, the strangest ever match that commentators, Waffle and Cyclops have ever witnessed, so much so that Serena immediately asks for a rematch. Will Bad United emerge victorious, this time? And has Bolt finally learned about team play? If so, fans will be cheering extra loud.

Guardians of the New Moon: The Year of the Ox
Eric Huang, illustrated by Phùng Nguyén Quang

Shocked that his son Xiao Nioh has been wasting his time working on a dance he was going to perform to usher in the Year of the Ox, Lord Chiyou is finding it very difficult to understand his son’s creative performance involving a sword and a long coloured ribbon. Frivolities is what he calls it and in an effort to make his son brave, at the suggestion of the Jade Emperor sends Xiao Nioh off on a quest accompanied by the Guardians of the New Moon, Ming and Miaow. They must deliver a message about farming techniques and one more matter – the crops and the whole valley must be protected from the nian, a fierce magical one-horned beast with a massive appetite. With the help of the Guardians, can Xiao Nioh prove himself without having to abandon his dancing dreams, or will the Year of the Ox be a huge let down?

With plenty of action and humour too, this third book in the series is as exciting as the previous Guardians stories.

Shoot For the Stars

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Shoot For the Stars
Danielle Brown, illustrated by Jayde Perkin and Filigrana de Ideas
Little Tiger

Both empowering and full of information, this is written by double Paralympic gold medallist and five times world champion in archery, Danielle Brown MBE. She hopes to encourage girls from around twelve years old on to keep participating in sport instead of dropping out of physical activities, which often coincides with the onset of puberty when among other things, girls start menstruating and they sometimes see this as a barrier to sporting activity.

This and other perceived barriers are discussed in a matter of fact manner, be it feelings of discomfort in school PE kit, ideas of body image or worries about controlling one’s temper when one’s performance is adversely affected by hormones. It’s particularly good to see the spread featuring Chinese swimmer, Fu Yuanhui, who openly discussed the impact of starting her period on her performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The dress code of bikini bottoms for women’s beach volleyball was not altered until 2021 when he Norwegian team took action by wearing shorts instead. They were fined for so doing but public outrage precipitated the change. It was not until 2023 that the all whites rules for underwear for women players at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships was changed.

A stand was also taken by Kulsoom Abdullah, a weightlifter. She was invited to compete in the national championships, but against her religious beliefs, wasn’t allowed to cover her limbs or to wear a hijab, so she didn’t participate. However she did take her story to the media with them behind her to the International Weightlifting Federation. The outcome was that the rule was changed and so Kulsoom represented Pakistan that year at the World Championships.

Accepting feedback and applying what you’ve been told is vital for making progress and improving in any sport, and indeed other aspects of life and a chapter is devoted that topic: all those who brief biographies are included must certainly have done that.

I was listening to a discussion on the radio this morning about the increased number of people who are over weight and how this can lead to ill-health. Food was the subject under discussion but I couldn’t help thinking that being physically active is equally important and Danielle’s book encourages readers to do just that whether or not they end up going further and becoming sporting competitors.

Illustrations by Jayde Perkin and Filigrana de Ideas and colour photos of renowned women sports stars add to the enjoyment of the book.

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.

Go Go Dodo!

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Go Go Dodo!
Huw Lewis Jones and Fred Blunt
Little Tiger

This is one of those “look out he’s behind you’ stories and I can almost hear children’s voices shouting out from the moment Dodo decides to take that evening stroll through the ‘gentle jungle’ with a big cat hot on his trail. His perambulations take the bird across the ‘friendly swamp’ tip toe, tip toe,

then up the ‘peaceful hill’ and right down to the ‘soothing sea’, from where having been suitably soothed by its waves, Dodo proceeds into the lovely long fairly dangerous grass. Therein he suddenly becomes aware of the presence of a human with a net and a pith helmet – very dangerous for sure. That’s when realisation dawns

and our Dodo decides to beat a hasty retreat and then make his way back home to the safe haven of his bed. “Absolutely nothing to worry about.” we read on the penultimate page but there comes a delicious final twist …

The interplay of words and pictures as the drama unfolds is what makes this book such a winner.
Not only is it a terrific, suspenseful read aloud but with its short, patterned text, it’s also ideal for beginner readers to try for themselves, once they’ve heard it read aloud of course.

Toddler Treats To Share

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Matty and Mo: The Lost Teddy
Matty and Mo: Are We There Yet?
Rosalind Beardshaw
Campbell Books

When you’re little there are SO many life lessons to be learned. So it is with the pups in this new series.
Matty and Mo are sibling puppies, Matty being the elder of the two. We meet them on a rainy day playing inside picnics together.. Matty notices that Ted is missing and Mo, of course wants to help find him. They search in the likely places – the bed, a cupboard and in their liege toy pile but there’s no sign of Ted. This upsets Matty and Mo attempts to cheer him up and suddenly Matty notices something sticking out of Mo’s ‘new useful bag’. What could it be? Mo, so it appears can sometimes be a little silly
In the second book Matty and Mo are off to the beach in the car with Mum. It’s quite a distance so patience is needed. In her excitement Matty gobbles all her snacks in one go and then inevitably, one of the pups needs a wee. It’s Mo. (Matty went before they set off.) Inevitably too, boredom sets in and Matty gets busy with her sticker book … Mum must have a lot of patience as she drives and at last the beach is in sight, but the puppies can’t see it until they wake up.
Trying to be patient has tired them out – only for a short time though.
Little humans will have a giggle at the puppies as they earn to deal with what to them are challenging experiences. They will also enjoy using the moving parts – flaps, a wheel and the final fold-out heart in both books that were inspired by real-life family experiences..

Duck & Friends
Octopus & Friends
illustrated by Surya Sajnani
Quarto Kids (Wee Gallery)

Wee Gallery are a husband and wife team who create books to help babies and very young children develop through visual learning.
Both of these take the shape of the titular character and little ones will love joining in as both Duck and Octopus look for their friends in these splash splash bath books wherein each black and white creature magically comes to life in full colour when wet. Duck will meet the likes of frog, dragonfly and swan whereas Octopus’s friends include a large fish, jellyfish and a crab..
Splishy, sploshy, squishy, squashy tactile bath time fun for tinies.

Hippo’s Garden Day
Nicola Kent
Little Tiger

Lion and Hippo have very different gardens. Lion’s is neat and nothing looks out of place. In contrast Hippo’s is overgrown. I assume it’s not been left to grow wild deliberately. Hippo decides he needs to do some serious work on his grade. Having collected tools from his shed he sets about mowing, trimming, watering and in due season, harvesting fruit to share with his friend, Lion.
With some onomatopoeic language for small children to join in with as Hippo works, flaps to explore, a slider and wheels integral to the bold bright illustrations, this is a fun introduction to a task some adults thoroughly enjoy, some do under sufferance and others – those in favour of rewilding – don’t do at all. Toddlers however, will love the opportunity to assist Hippo in his work.

The Big Day

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The Big Day
Rachel Plummer and Forrest Burdett
Little Tiger

The child narrator of this story receives a very large envelope containing an invitation to the wedding of two giants.. “ I fashioned a pen from / the trunk of a tree// and used it to / write a HUGE RSVP.” A detailed one asking about means of transport to the celebration and listing such possibilities as ‘travelling on the omnigrobbliwobblibus’ .

Come the big day, off sets the child in a smart new outfit feeling not particularly brave and keeping the destination secret from Mum. The church is full of enormous wedding guests of the fantastical kind such as witches, monsters and goblins and Giant Aunt Clara wearing her ten-ton tiara. The organ starts up and in come the two male giants (one carrying ‘fresh morning dew from the dawn’ (something new); the other holding ‘sky that bright stars wandered through.’ (something blue). They say their vows before a official,

everyone sits for the grooms’ speeches and the feasting commences.

Why was I invited wonders the small human narrator and groom two reveals the reason: there’s a message to go back with “love is just love, whether GIANT or small.”

A joyful, life-affirming demonstration that everyone matters and love is love delivered in Rachel Plummer’s rhyming text with lots of playful language and Forrest Burdett,’s illustrations in suitably vivid hues on pages that will excite with their flaps, die-cuts, and gate folds.

Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye / Donut Squad Take Over the World! / Toby and the Pixies: Best Frenemies!

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Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye
Guy Bass and Pete Williamson
Little Tiger

For those not yet acquainted with Stitch Head, he’s the first creation of the mad Professor Erasmus and resides in Castle Grotteskew along with various other weird creatures.
Then there’s a recent one of the Prof’s creations, an Octopus, and as ever Stitch Head has to use one of his potions to turn the creature into a kindly one. We also meet Arabella Guff from the village, she who fears nothing. Arabella tells Stitch Head as they read a diary together that he’s part pirate because he has a blue eye that once belonged to its writer, Captain Dash Flashpowder. Could that really be so?
Stitch Head recruits a crew and as he prepares for a life of derring-do on the high seas, some decidedly suspicious business closer to home threatens to put a stop to his harum-scarum swashbuckling plans…
Fans of Stitch Head, as well as others who love gothic tales, wacky adventures, mystery with the occasional scary character will love this graphic novel presentation of the original book.

The next two are both David Fickling Books graphic novels:

Donut Squad Take Over the World!
Neill Cameron

Herein you’ll find a lot of daft doings by the Donut Squad who have decided to take over the entire world. The squad comprises Sprinkles (their leader) Jammyboi, Chalky (tho ghost one), Justice Donut, Anxiety Donut, Caramel Jack (a tad salty) Daunt and Li’l Timmy, and Spronky.
The trouble is though they have some serious opposition in the form of the Bagels – arch nemeses of the Donuts that abready have plans of their own including a (w)hole lot of new merchandise.
Uh-oh1 Seems that those Donuts are also launching a lot of new merchandise – they’re definitely endeavouring to out-MERCH the Bagels..
Now I have to say that both sides are wasting their time as this reviewer strongly dislikes both Donuts and Bagels – I wouldn’t eat either of these foods. Nevertheless I found myself having a really good giggle at the utterly daft shenanigans of both torus teams in their fight for world domination.

More giggles assured when you read:


Toby and the Pixies: Best Frenemies!
James Turner and Andreas Schuster

With Toby having accidentally become king of the Pixies that reside at the bottom of his garden he discovers that misunderstandings are all too common with those little folk. Now though Steph, Toby’s nemesis at school has learned of his regal status and contrary to Toby’s expectations, rather than teasing and insulting him about it, she thinks it’s cool. She even becomes, along with his best pal Mo, a part of Toby’s adventures. Rather we should say misadventures, for whenever those Pixies get involved something is absolutely certain to go wrong. There’s the school disco for instance and much, much more.
At the end Steph makes a surprise revelation and it’s one that lets Toby know how she really feels. Zany chaos abounds but importantly there’s a heartwarming message about acceptance and friendship. (If you’ve now taken to Toby’s erstwhile enemy, there are a couple of ‘How to draw Steph spreads at the end of the book).

Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed

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Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed
Eve Wersocki Morris, illustrated by Honie Beam
Little Tiger

This story of gangsters, hoodlums and heists is set in London in the early 1950s. Herein we meet fearless young crook twelve year old Clem Fatale as she embarks on the night’s robbery to be led by her dad at Lord Weatherdale’s North London abode. Things don’t quite go to plan however as said dad, Jimmy Fatale leader of the Spider Gang and notorious jewel thief, seems to have gone missing along with the Fool’s Canary, a rare yellow diamond cut in the shape of the bird. However, Clem and her mates appear to have got themselves a young prisoner.

The outcome is that Clem along with her captive Gilbert, the terribly polite, unadventurous son of Lord Weatherdale for company, follow a trail of clues that take them on hair-raising adventures in greasy spoon cafes, nightclubs, safe houses and through London’s back alleys where rival gang leaders, fences and henchmen all operate. Aided and abetted by the son of Clem’s parents’ Polish cook, Konrad, and Winnie, a cab driver from the West Indies Clem learns that her Dad’s criminal operation has a secret side.

Will she find her father safe and sound or will the most dastardly villain of all prevent her so doing? That is the leading question as the plot turns this way and that. Clem is a great character, determined and resourceful; to her surprise, so too is Gilbert who sticks with her through everything. The dialogue between them is superb. There are lots of other superbly imagined characters including cranky crooks and dizzy dames, some will make you laugh, others hold your breath in horror. Many of these are depicted in Honie Beam’s black and white illustrations

The story’s ending sets the scene for Clem’s next adventure: this reviewer and I have no doubt, countless KS2 readers will await it with bated breath.

Zizzi Moonbeam

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Zizzi Moonbeam
Emily Hibbs and Natalie Smillie
Little Tiger

It’s Zizzi Moonbeam’s first day as an official party planner at Fairy HQ and she’s fizzing with excitement!. Having made her way to the Party Planners floor, she’s greeted by chief party planner Elvina Glass who hands her the day’s assignments.

Anxious to impress, Zizzi turns down the offer of help from Caspar who is seated next to her and sets to work by herself. She wizzes to the rescue to make sure every party is successful despite there being in turn, rain on the day of a garden party, a bridesmaid’s dress spattered all over with jam

and an ice-cream shop whose owner has forgotten to send out the invitations to its grand opening.

Seemingly no problem is unsolvable when it comes to Zizzi; but just before she’s due to go home she discovers another letter. How could she have overlooked it? There’s definitely not sufficient time to solve this party problem alone. Finally Zizzi realises she needs to act on Elvira’s advice and see if one of her new friends can come to her aid and save the day. Perhaps teamwork will become dreamwork of a very special kind.

Young listeners, party fans in particular, will love Emily Hibbs’ enchanting story and Natalie Smilie’s richly detailed scenes with their letters to open, books to consult, as well as the spreads showing the outcomes of Zizzi’s magical interventions.

Our Tree

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Our Tree
Jessica Meserve
Little Tiger

When Little Red the squirrel scampers up the trunk of the titular tree uttering, “This tree is all for me” he receives some surprises and several lessons.

Before long the squirrel realises that he is not on his own: animals of all shapes and sizes spend time on or around the tree. They use its branches to rest upon, they nibble its leaves, use it as a place to congregate; Elephant even enjoys using it as a back scratcher but none of these trouble Tree; rather it makes them feel welcome. Little Red has no intention of sharing however and decides to seek a tree of his very own, but in his haste, he slips,

tumbles and lands on something soft.

What follows is a somewhat perilous encounter with a leopard and thereafter a change of heart from Little Red. He finally realises that to be surrounded by friends who are ready to cover your back is extremely valuable. Will his host allow him to stay? Indeed yes and Tree even introduces Little Red to a special new playmate. Undoubtedly, life is better together: community is the way to go.

This message comes across loud and clear from Jessica Meserve’s treasure of a tale with her delicately detailed illustrations. It’s one that shows young humans how important it is to learn to accept others and to share.

Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower

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Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower
Nathanael Lessore, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh
Little Tiger

Everybody living in the town of Walsham has a superpower, everybody except Sara (narrator) whose parents are members of the IPA (Incredible Protection Agency). Her mum can control the wind and her dad has super strength. Her best friend, Georgie can smell fear and is a football fanatic as well as captain of the school team; the mayor emits multicoloured farts and an old lady can levitate squirrels (albeit waist high only). Although she’s great at cracking really funny jokes, Sara is still waiting for her power to appear (she’s around the age it usually happens).

So when their school’s all important soccer trophy is stolen just four days from the final match, Sara has no choice but to solve the crime using only her powers of deduction. As well as a notebook in which to jot down clues and suspects, she has her two pals Georgie and Javier close at hand to help investigate.

Sara is especially determined as Walsham’s school team has never lost to Ramsdale in eighty years due to the power of the soccer trophy.

During their investigation the three uncover some town secrets but will they recover the all-important trophy and will Sara discover her superpower. (I love what Sara’s dad says to her early in the story, “And remember: the only TRUE powers are … a lovng heart, a helping hand and the courage to do what’s right.”)

This funny story is witty and warm and the dialogue is great: it will have young readers laughing frequently as they whizz through the story perhaps solving the mystery before the threesome.
It’s the first in a new series and has lots of lively drawings by Simran Diamond Singh. I look forward to the next adventure, Time Travel Is Not My Superpower.

Agent Harrier Mission Impossib-Hole/ Adventuremice: Mice, Camera, Action!

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These are both additions to popular series: thanks to Little Tiger and David Fickling Books for sending them for review.

Agent Harrier Mission Impossib-Hole
Ben Sanders
Little Tiger

Agent Harrier is back for his third mission of the secret spy kind. However before he can even get going, the bottom falls out of his world – literally – and having plunged downwards, he finds himself face to face with his trusty friend, Mr Mole. Mole informs him of a new case : the case of the Mysterious Holes and our agent is not happy. Holes in his precious book, holes that transport him to different dimensions starting with a strange fairy tale where a princess dances till the clock strikes twelve. Then comes a kind of detective story where he meets a dragon and lastly, a scary sc-fi adventure in outer space.

Time is running out for Agent Harrier: if he can’t uncover the offending hole-maker very soon, not a single one of his books will make any sense and it’s curtains for the entire series. With Mole looking decidedly untrustworthy, – the villain maybe – to whom can Harri look for assistance?
With punny daftness and word play in abundance, this is a hilarious dose of meta-fictive madness that Agent Harrier’s fans will love. If you’ve not met this particular detective before, I suggest starting with This Book Will Self Destruct.

Adventuremice: Mice, Camera, Action!
Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
David Fickling Books

The Adventuremice series gets progressively crazier and this one definitely takes the biscuit – enough said about biscuits.

The Adventuremice are super excited to receive an invitation to Hollybush, reputed to be the most glamorous place in all of the Mice Islands, the place where all the big mouse movies are made. Needless to say, Pedro isn’t too thrilled about this but that’s Pedro for you. Skipper too is unenthusiastic about going, but in the end they all board the Daring Dormouse, Hollybush bound. Apparently however, despite it being called the Adventuremice movie, the team won’t actually be acting; rather they’ve been invited to visit the studio and watch the making of the movie .

On arrival they’re greeted by Scoot McHairy, Mr Cheezeburger’s assistant. The film set is certainly a glitzy place but Pedro is confused by all the fakery including an exceedingly large mechanical otter

and it’s not long before he ruins a scene making Mr Cheezeburger furious that his precious film will never be finished in time to be shown at the film festival. Can the Adventuremice team come to the rescue and save not only the movie but a real live baby creature too?

Established Adventuremice fans will certainly be cheering them on and the team will likely gain lots more followers too.

Early Years Bookshelf: Little Dino Boo-Boos! / Bear

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Little Dino Boo-Boos!
Sophie Aggett , illustrated by Jannie Ho
Little Tiger

The little dinosaurs are a very lively lot and inevitably accidents happen: Triceratops gets a graze, Spinosaurus gets a soaking, followed by a cold, Velociraptor take tumble and bumps his paw and so on, so it’s important to know what to do when one gets hurt or doesn’t feel too good.

Through this delightful interactive board book, with its first aid kit containing a set of reusable stickers in the form of a fold-out inside the back cover, very young children can begin to learn about first aid and care in a playful way. On a first reading you may just want to point out each item and name it, but this is a book you can share over and over so your little one can learn more about each item as appropriate in addition to enjoying Jannie Ho’s humorous scenes.

Bear
Natalia Shaloshvili
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

A story about learning to share – maybe.
Bear is very happy with his ursine life: he loves his cookie, his book and his balloon; and he loves to sit by himself on his bench. As he sits comfortably contemplating, up comes Fox wanting to sit beside him on the bench. Wolf too wants something belonging to Bear – a delicious cookie; Rabbit wants a look at his book and Elephant asks for the balloon. Bear’s problem is that he doesn’t know how to say no to their requests

and consequently ends up with nothing. Now our ursine friend isn’t happy, he’s very, very unhappy as he sits thinking. Some while later along comes Duck with a cookie. Now we know Bear loves cookies so he requests a bite of Duck’s. I wonder how Duck will respond.

It’s important to know when to say no to others and this seemingly simple story with its wonderfully expressive, smudgy illustrations created with watercolour crayons and acrylic paints offers a good starting point for discussion with little humans.

The Tortosaurus

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The Tortosaurus
Katie Cottle
Little Tiger

It’s Dot’s first day at her new school; she wants to fit in and make friends; but maybe she’ll start joining in tomorrow, she decides. Dot as you’ve likely realised already, is a person who likes taking things slowly, something her pet tortoise Monty truly understands.

In class during a discussion about pets, Jude tells everyone that he has a tortoise and Dot is on the point of saying something when Jess makes the disparaging comment that tortoises are old and slow. As a result Dot puts her hand down but is spotted by her teacher and so she announces that she has a Tortosaurus and will bring it for show and tell.

Fortunately Dot is a creative child and so she sets to work on Monty transforming him into an amazing creature that awes her classmates. Very quickly Monty becomes something of a ‘shell-ebrity’ which is not at all what he wants. Indeed he finds being in the limelight is really hard but he doesn’t want to let Dot down. After a while Monty is awarded a certificate of reptilian excellence and the stage lights make him feel all hot and bothered so he wriggles around until he’s removed every bit of his costume.

Initially Dot is angry; she grabs Monty and makes a dash for home but once there she calms down and on realising she’s forced the creature to be something he’s not, she apologises profusely.

Thereafter Dot decides it’s time to start being true to herself; gradually she comes out of her shell and makes friends with fellow tortoise owner, Jude.

This is a celebration of being one’s true self, allowing others to do likewise: and valuing them for what they are: that way real friendships based on honesty are formed and sustained. Katie Cottle’s illustrations speak volumes as we see Dot’s changing emotions throughout the story. Read at home and read in the classroom. I can imagine a lively circle time discussion resulting from a sharing with KS1 children.

Mr Norton’s New Hat

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Mr Norton’s New Hat
Huw Lewis Jones and Corey Egbert
Little Tiger

Horace Norton is a kind character so when he discovers one Monday morning that a mouse has taken up residence in his hat, he leaves it there and cycles off to work. On Tuesday he notices some birds have made a nest in his bicycle basket but he pedals off obligingly with both lots of tenants.. Come Wednesday there’s a squirrel asleep in one of his shoes. What does he do? The same as on the previous two days. Subsequently he decides to leave undisturbed the stoats in his satchel, and the cats curled up in his coat. By the weekend it’s evident that Horace needs some time to relax. It’s not to be, for the animals are clearly taking advantage of his good nature. Having realised a wash is out of the question, he decides to return to his bed but …

Mr Norton’s increasing frustration with his ever growing menagerie builds to a response which surprises the man himself: “Enough is Enough!’ he shouts causing the animals to scamper away. Is this the response he longed for though? Not so, for he realises how very lonely an empty silence in one’s home can be.

When the next Monday comes around, Horace finds a surprise parcel at his front door; it’s a gift from the animals and one that results in a welcome solution to his solitude.

Young listeners will love Huw Lewis Jones’ zany cumulative tale with its wealth of alliteration, as well as lots of repetition to join in with. They’ll love too Corey Egbert’s scenes of the mischief-making animals and the growing mayhem they cause for their host. A smashing amalgam of words and pictures; it’s sure to be a story time winner.

The Bookshop Dog

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The Bookshop Dog
Harriet Evans and Claire Shorrock
Little Tiger

Scamper absolutely loves his home with Paige at The Happy Tails Bookshop and can’t imagine a better place to live in the whole world. Everybody in the neighbourhood has made him feel welcome and he loves them all, Paige especially. To show his appreciation, the pooch decides to follow her example and he selects some books he thinks his friends might enjoy reading. This proves very successful: Scamper has helped all his friends

but is there a book that can put a smile on the face of the person who seems to have read every one already? His search of his friends’ abodes yields nothing suitable and it’s a down-hearted Scamper that returns to the bookshop but joy of joys …

What a delightful character is Scamper, especially in the way his observations enable him to find the right book for each person, even though it’s unlikely to be what they themselves would have chosen.
I love that reading and books are celebrated both verbally and visually at every turn of the page: listeners and readers aloud will love the wordplay and clever book titles – Mansfield Bark and Doggy Deeds of Derring Do – for instance. Claire Shorrock’s illustrations have lots of details that offer starting points for discussion and I absolutely love the exchange between Paige and Scamper near the end: “Reading takes us all on incredible journeys.” (Paige) and ‘reading is a way of coming home.’ (Scamper). So true, both.

Tourmaline and the City of Nowhere

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Tourmaline and the City of Nowhere
Ruth Lauren
Little Tiger

Tourmaline’s magical ability is no longer a secret so it’s no surprise that lots of people want something from her, including her power-hungry father who is on the loose again.

As the story starts bits of Pellavere University are collapsing, indeed the whole place is in crisis. It seems as though Tourmaline, together with her best friends Mai and George must embark on another adventure just days after their last one. They’re off in an airship to the Midnight Islands to find her father and they hope, save Pellavere. However if the magical City of Nowhere doesn’t hold the solution they seek, it is likely to give Tourmaline’s father what he hungers for.

Ruth Lauren has you on the edge of your seat from the minute Tourmaline embarks on her mission to save her beloved home, a mission which culminates in her finding a new adventure of a completely different kind. Absolutely brilliant. I can’t recommend it enough, but you need to have read books 1 and 2 first: those who haven’t can look forward to a triple treat. I’ve absolutely loved this trilogy especially watching the growth of the main protagonist and the development of the bond between her and her two special friends.

Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas

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Yomi and the Clash of the Abadas
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

Based on African mythology, this is the fourth adventure for Yomi, Kay and Uncle Olu. After receiving a call for help from their Uncle’s best friend, Daba, they’ve recently arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is troubled at the disappearance of very large numbers of the Abadas from the national park managed by the Sacred Beast League and wants to know why this is happening.
Arriving at Uncle Daba’s camp, they find the place completely deserted and it seems the place has been attacked by something or someone. Uncle Olu’s reaction is to head back to Kindu, not so Yomi and Kay; but while they’re discussing what they should do a herd of enormous Jagura come hurtling in their direction. All three quickly climb trees.
The next thing they know is that Uncle Olu has disappeared, captured by Beast Hunters.

Now the siblings are on their own and need to hide; but soon they find themselves lost in an unknown place.
Then they encounter a group of young Abadas, but with disquiet among the various herds, can Yomi and Kay persuade the creatures to set aside their disagreements to save their friends and put a stop to the Beast Hunters’ activities in the DRC.

Followers of Yomi and Kayode will be on tenterhooks as they read what I think is the dramatic conclusion to this series. I’ve loved every one of their adventures, each of which is enhanced by Adam Douglas-Bagley’s illustrations.

Just One More Story

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Just One More Story
Perry Emerson and Sean Julian
Little Tiger

Pip and Bun are bunnies with very different predilections. Pip loves to read; Bun considers books boring and enjoys lively play. So when Pip invites Bun to read with her, he flatly refuses causing Pip to close her book with the comment, “You wouldn’t like this book anyway. It’s not for little bunnies.” Cross at being called ‘little’, Bun decides to read Pip’s book for himself so he takes it from the shelf and looks inside.

He’s astonished to discover the main character is a penguin that rides a motorbike. “Penelope Penguin, super spy!” Pip informs him. With Bun’s interest sparked, Pip starts reading more with the listener very actively engaged. After the story, Bun selects a book about a pirate princess and with Pip reading the words, Bun becomes a swashbuckling freebooter.

They spend the entire day reading stories together until there are no more books on the shelf. Pip suggests they make up their own story; this leads to a squabble with Pip remarking angrily, “Books aren’t for little bunnies.” Bun is left alone feeling very, very small, but Pip too feels. Soon they realise there’s only one way to get themselves out of this impasse: reading books together the way they were, is too good to stop because of a silly squabble.

The characters are endearingly portrayed in Sean Julian’s scenes of the furry, floral frolics. It’s good to see an acknowledgement that there are different ways to enjoy sharing a book, some of which involve being physically actively: so it was for the young bunnies, so it is for their human counterparts.

My First 1 2 3 / Upside Down Opposites / Love

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My First 1 2 3
illustrated by Edward Underwood
Nosy Crow

This is a new addition to the excellent My First series illustrated by Edward Underwood. With flaps to lift – one per page – toddlers will engage in the basic counting element and enjoy guessing what is hiding under each flap, quickly working out that the number of hidden items each time is the same as the visible item depicted and clearly labelled.. For instance beneath one of the 3 flowers, are 3 bees, and beneath one of the 18 birds are 18 worms.

A thoroughly engaging way of developing basic numeracy skills – number recognition and one to one correspondence.

The large format of this sturdy book make it ideal for sharing with a toddler and in addition to the mathematical aspects, there’s a wealth of potential for language development. Each of the images depicted on every single one of the coloured background panels is richly patterned and also provides talking/ storying opportunities aplenty.
Definitely one to add to family bookshelves and preschool collections.

Upside Down Opposites
Danielle McLean and Matt Hunt
Little Tiger

This is a rhyming and visual demonstration of eight pairs of opposites for an adult and young child to share. Each spread uses a different object – a bird in flight, a hand-held ball, a face, a snail, a drinking glass, a squirrel, a hand and a dolphin. The adult reads the sentence on the first verso, the book is then rotated and with the change of perspective, its opposite is seen on the recto and its respective sentence is then read.
Its clever construction means that the book can be read from either end.

Love
Fiona Munro and Laura Hambleton
Design Eye, Quarto Kids

Herein we meet a group of ursine characters and their animal friends as one little bear finds out how the love of family members endures, even when they are separated by long distances and you cannot see your loved ones. Should you feel tired, angry or sad you can take hold of the heart in the centre of the die-cut and cuddle it close to you: that should help you feel that love flowing right to you.
A reassuring narrative by Fiona Munro and sweet, but not sickly illustrations by Laura Hambleton, remind us all, especially small children, that love is inside us and all around.

Bad United: Foul Play

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Bad United: Foul Play
Louise Forshaw
Little Tiger

Bad United, the team that includes a skeleton captain, a dinosaur, a unicorn, a fairy and a spider goalkeeper return with some more splendid soccer silliness. In this instalment team members are celebrating their first win, albeit in a rather dis-united manner, when news comes of their next match. They’re up against Tinkerball’s old squad, The Fairy Dusters – the one from which she was given the boot – and she’s very worried about the prospect of having to perform against them. Nevertheless Hoof suggests the fairy teaches them some special moves, so Tinkerball starts on the magical moves training. A successful session is followed by some enjoyable team bonding.
Come match day, the commentators remark, “Tensions will be running high”. Meanwhile Bad United are given special new magic repellant kit and onto the pitch they go. With Tinkerball’s twin sister heading up the opposition and Tinks out for revenge the sparks begin to fly. Come half time the siblings are both booked and Tinkerball is forced to relate the whole story of why the Fairy Dusters threw her out.

Bad United’s captain gives the siblings a good talking to and the second half begins.
What will be the result? Is it possible that Bad United can win their second match?

Further football foolishness delivered cartoon strip style that new solo readers will revel in.

Bertha & Blink Take To The Skies

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Bertha & Blink Take To The Skies
Nicola Colton
Little Tiger

When Bertha discovers that her erstwhile friend, now her inventor nemesis, Finnius Fink, has allowed filthy smoke to belch from the chimneys of his new factory in the jungle, she and her roommate, robo-bird Blink, are horrified. With thick smog everywhere, they need to step up their mission to save the jungle from complete destruction and that means asking some of their fellow animals to join them.


The creatures gather at Bertha’s treehouse where she shows them down to her secret workshop to see her latest invention: a plane with lots of additional features – even more once her new friends start to help. Said friends are shocked to learn that Bertha intends Finnius i to steal the invention and enter it into the Invention Competition as his own. During his absence at the competition the plan is that Bertha et al will destroy Finnius’s factory. It’s certainly a daring plan but can they possibly pull it off, get rid of the factory and set about replenishing the jungle trees and plants? Let’s just say that teamwork is dreamwork and sometimes dreams come true.

A fun, early chapter book with lots of speech bubbles and highly engaging illustrations. What will Bertha and Blink’s new mission entail, readers will be eager to discover.

Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race / Guardians of the Moon: The Year of the Rat

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Guardians of the New Moon: Ming and Miaow’s Great Race
Guardians of the Moon: The Year of the Rat
Eric Huang, illustrated by Phûng Nguyên Quang
Little Tiger

In the first two books in the new Guardians of the New Moon series, readers are transported to a world inhabited by characters from traditional Chinese legends or based on them.
Ming and Miaow’s Great Race begins with the Jade Emperor sitting finishing breakfast and feeling bored by the predictability of his life since creating the Earth. What he longs for is excitement and as he sits staring he notices a black and white cat chasing around near a temple. This gives him an idea: he will organise a great race between all the animals of Earth and the first twelve will each be honoured by having a lunar year named after them.
Miaow, the temple cat is at first not excited by the news of the race but cannot resist participating and sets off on a journey to where the three-part event will start. The Great Race has strict rules that must be adhered to, with rule-breakers being disqualified.
Soon Miaow encounters Ming, a temperamental nine-tailed, elemental fox who is able to shape shift into a human girl and gradually they forge a strong friendship as they struggle to stay in the three day race which takes them down into a valley, across treacherous mountainous terrain and across a mighty river with various competitors falling out at each stage, not so however the wily rat Su. Will these three number among the first twelve across the finishing line? The excitement is high, the perils plentiful and teamwork powerful.

The black and white illustrations help to bring the Chinese folklore characters to life, the story ends with Ming and Miaow becoming The Guardians of the New Moon, thus setting up the next adventure which sees the two preparing for their first assignment in their new roles.

With the race duly completed Su has been honoured by having the first lunar new year named The Year of the Rat after her. The new year is just a week away and that’s when Ming and Miaow (neither having finished the race) are given a new mission: to escort Su to her temple home and liaise with its monks to prepare for the upcoming festivities. Once they arrive, squabbles soon break out and chaos follows.
What happens enrages the sea goddess, Mazu who after thinking briefly acts against the cat and rat by means of a spell.
The celebrations now look increasingly unlikely to go ahead, so can Ming help Miaow and Su see sense and put things right ahead of the new year? It’s that or the Jade Emperor’s plan to honour the twelve animals selected by the Great Race is doomed to fail before it begins.

With action aplenty and lots of dramatic illustrations these stories are just right for readers gaining confidence in lower KS2 as well as for reading aloud around the time of the Chinese New Year (it starts January 29th this year), which is celebrated in many primary schools. I look forward to further titles in the series.

Croc’s Cooking Day / Tractors Have Wings!

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These are both titles from Little Tiger – thank you to the publishers for sending them for review.

Croc’s Cooking Day
Nicola Kent

This is the second in the Busy Chores for Little Paws series.
When Croc hears his pal Hippo’s tummy rumbling, he decides to make some pancakes, with some assistance from young humans that is. Once Croc has taken the equipment and ingredients needed from the cupboard and measured out the amounts required, by pulling the strategically placed tab, said assistants can pour and sprinkle flour and splash milk into a mixing bowl,

manipulate the hand mixer and once the batter is fully mixed ready to cook, try their hand at tossing the pancakes.
Croc certainly looks pleased as he approaches Hippo. The pachyderm clearly enjoyed the repast judging by the rate at which he consumes his share. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up with tummy ache!
Interactive fun and lots of opportunities for little humans to develop their fine motor skills as they use the sliders, flaps and wheel.

Tractors Have Wings!
Becky Davies and Gareth Lucas

Eleven modes of transport in all appear in this board book, some of which are deliberately introduced with a false statement such as ‘Did you know that tractors have wings?’ and ‘ And trains run on water’ which are clearly intended to provoke correction from a savvy young listener. However, when wheels appear on the scene, things get a little tricky. Sure, lorries, unlike unicycles and bicycles must have more than one or two wheels but though the two dimensional illustration of a lorry shows the vehicle with six wheels captioned with the statement ‘And lorries have at least six wheels?!’ True enough but it would need double that number if it were not to fall over on its side. Some youngsters will likely realise this; but beneath the same lorry depicted on the spread headed ‘Thank goodness you’re here to help’ are the words ‘Lorries have six wheels.’ Is this an illustrative faux pas or a deliberate ploy to instil a questioning disposition rather than believing everything that appears in print? I wonder …

Elves on Strike / Clementine’s Christmas

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Elves on Strike
Nicola Edwards and Pauline Gregory
Little Tiger

It’s Christmas Eve and trouble is brewing in Santa’s workshop. Tired of working their fingers off the toy-making elves decide to stage a walk out. This sets off a concatenation of walk outs from the reindeer-training elves, the gift wrappers, the present deliverers and the mailroom staff. With just one little elf remaining a note flutters into the workshop. Having read that it’s a special plea from the sister of a child who is very sad,

the elf takes it to show Santa and he calls a meeting of all the elves, promising to help them henceforward. Can teamwork and a touch of magic change things and make Christmas a happy and surprising time after all?

Nicola’s rhyming narrative together with Pauline Gregory’s detailed, flap-filled scenes of chaotic elf activities, the strike and what follows, make a seasonal story that shows what Christmas is really about.

Clementine’s Christmas
Annie White
New Frontier Publishing

With Clementine on the scene, things are sure to be lively as the pooch’s family members prepare to celebrate Christmas. The tree is bedecked with baubles and bobbly bits, and the presents stand wrapped and ready. Granny, who has been busily knitting stays up late to complete her garment but then discovers that her ball of purple wool has disappeared. “Clementine, have you seen it?” she asks. The two begin to search until to her delight, Granny finds the wool. They also find the jumbled mess they’ve created. A quick tidy leaves everything sorted out but the labels are no longer on the presents. Granny hastily deals with re-attaching them and off to bed she goes.

Come the morning however, when the family presents are opened something is definitely not right. Can the bemused recipients find a way to sort things out? And who was responsible for the muddle?

Another fun, rhyming story about the loveable dog illustrated in amusing watercolour and pencil illustrations by the author.

The Elephant Who Came For Dinner / I’ll Love You Till The Crocodiles Smile

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The Elephant Who Came For Dinner
Steve Smallman and Joëlle Dreidemy
Little Tiger

The latest of this fun series starts with the three friends, Wolf, Hotpot and Omelette strolling out one starry night when suddenly beautiful music fills the air above the woods. The three follow the spellbinding sounds further into the woods where the trees and bushes have been transformed into all sorts of animal shapes: but who was the maker? Badger (something of a know-all) insists the work was done by a spotty wood-warbler. The friends accompany Badger on a search for the mystery topiarist that Hotpot calls a ‘wobbler’.

However as the evidence emerges, it isn’t at all like smarty-boots Badger has led them to believe – far from it. Despite the confidence with which he asserted his ‘facts’ it was completely false information.

A great way to show children how important it is to interrogate whatever information they receive, no matter the source. Young audiences will love discovering the identity of the creative creature responsible for the singing and the shapes, who joins Hotpot, Wolf and Omelette for a post prandial sing-song that sends the friends off to sleep in the moonlight.

I’ll Love You Till The Crocodiles Smile
Kathryn Cristaldi and Kristina Litten
Harper 360

A bedtime tale with a difference. Jungle animals adult and offspring – kayaking crocs, shaking snakes on zip-wires, slow-crawling sloths sporting yoga pants and chimps sneezing because of clouds of globe-trotting fleas are among those featured in the gentle rhythms of Cristaldi’s gently rhyming text and Kristina Litten’s suitably humorous, mixed-media, digitally created scenes of the creatures preparing for the night. I love the giraffes that might ‘laugh at knock-knock jokes while taking a bath / and sipping sweet tea from a carafe.’

as well as the sneezing chimps – some holding tissues – attempting to extricate the fleas from each other’s backs.

Finally, silly antics over all is peace and quite in the forest with gentle snores emanating from the slumbering animals.

Young children will delight in exploring the various silly antics the animals are engaged in be they featured in the foreground or lurking in the background unmentioned in the words. Whether the story works as a pre-bedtime read rather depends on how much time little humans spend poring over the pictures: maybe two or three slow recitations of the text will do the trick.

For Baby’s Bookshelf

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Frog & Friends
Fish & Friends
illustrated by Surya Sajnani
Quarto Kids (Wee Gallery)

These bath books cleverly change colour when wet.
The first introduces a little green frog on the lookout for friends to leap with: there’s a dragonfly, a duck and an otter each of which will come to life on the squishy tactile pages as an adult speaks the dozen words of the text, possibly then adding some croaky sounds.
The second is a fishy shaped sub-marine offering wherein the titular fish and friends starfish, turtle, whale and seahorse assume their colour when immersed by tiny human hands.
Both books offer splishy, splashy tactile fun learning for the very youngest humans at bath time: peekaboo with a difference.

We Hug Night Night
Patricia Hegarty and Thomas Elliott
Little Tiger

A loving father gently prepares a little child for sleep and in so doing, introduces listeners to parent and infant creatures – bears, possums, otters, cats, giraffes and birds all safe in their respective abodes also snuggling up in readiness for slumbering. Patricia Hegarty’s soothing rhyming words and Thomas Elliot’s endearing illustrations combine to lull little ones as an adult turns the cutaway pages of this goodnight charmer that is likely to become a bedtime favourite.

There’s parental love aplenty too in

I Love You Forever and a Day
Amelia Hepworth and Tim Warnes
Little Tiger

A big bear talks a cub through a specially imagined day of delights as the two enjoy companionable wanders through grassy fields, hop and leap across a flowing river, pausing awhile in a flower-filled meadow before splashing into the water, then carefully crossing a waterfall at sunset and finally heading off homewards under a star-filled sky.
Adults who have already delighted in I Love You to the Moon and Back will likely recognise the names of its creators from the cover of this one.

Santarella

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Santarella
Suzy Senior and Lucy Semple
Little Tiger

Suzy Senior has created a smashing seasonal twist on the Cinderella story telling in rhyme how Cinders comes to the aid of Santa Claus who has the misfortune of a pulled muscle in his back.

One evening Cinderella sits alone in the kitchen after her sisters have departed for the ball and as she stares miserably at her phone something causes the chimney to wobble. In the living room on the floor is Santa Claus complaining about his back and in desperate need of some help. No sooner has Cinders offered to assist than they’re up and away in Santa’s sleigh delivering gifts all around the world. The job is almost done in double quick time and on the brink of midnight they land on the palace roof with one final gift. A pair of party shoes for Santa’s special helper. Down the drainpipe goes Cinderella and peers into the ballroom.

However rather than going in to join the dancers she returns to Santa and asks for a lift back to her abode. She collects all her important belongings together and sets off to see the world, stopping at various locations to give assistance where required;

she learns a lot and makes friends with some unlikely characters. No matter where she is though, Cinders returns to help Santa in the run-up to the big day and on his Christmas Eve round.

I love fractured fairy tales and Suzy Senior delivers this one with panache. Accompanied by Lucy Semple’s funny scenes – watch out for the antics of the mice, the hoarding signs and other giggle-making details, this is a story to share at home or in the classroom in the weeks before Christmas.

Time Travellers: Secret and Spies / The Arctic Fox

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These are both Little Tiger books: thanks to the publishers for sending them for review.

Time Travellers: Secret and Spies
Sufiya Ahmed

This story begins during the Easter holidays when friends Suhana, Mia and Ayaan are spending time together in Edinburgh. It’s not long before down comes the rain and the three head into the Museum of Scotland. Very soon though they are spinning back in time and their trip to Scotland becomes a trip to 1799 India: their mission being to ‘save the young princess’.

As they are wondering what exactly that entails they encounter young Imran wanting to know why they’re talking about The East Indian Company.. Dressed as a soldier, Imran tells the three that he’s preparing to join Tipu Sultan (the Sultan of Mysore) in battle. He then helps them explore the fort and palaces. They’d seen the date of the Sultan’s death in the Edinburgh museum so things are urgent; they split into two groups and Suhana and Mia head to the harem in search of the little princess. There they see a little girl, Casimebi, causing a todo about her doll and decide she must be the princess they seek. However the female guard is suspicious of their presence and the girls have to make a run for it and hide. This results in them discovering a secret passage in the harem grounds.

Slightly later they overhear a conversation between an army general and Tipu Sultan’s dewan who is planning to betray the Sultan. Perhaps it’s too late to save the Sultan from his fate but what about his family, especially the little princess?

Based on historical events, this dramatic story is an excellent way for readers to learn something about British Colonial history, a subject that should be more widely known. Make sure you read the author’s note after the conclusion of the story.

There’s time travelling of a sort in

The Arctic Fox
Holly Webb, illustrated by David Dean

Ellie is thrilled to be spending five days in Lapland during the Christmas holidays but before she goes, is horrified to learn on a school trip, that Arctic foxes were trapped for their fur in the early part of the 20th century. Her mum reassures her that this no longer happens and that it’s not likely they will see an Arctic fox during their holiday as these extremely rare creatures are very shy.

However soon after their arrival, Ellie looks out the cabin window and sees what she thinks is a fox. She worries about this fox when the family go to see the Northern Lights. In bed that night she’s woken by a sudden light and when she creeps outside to see the foxfire, she hears an eerie wail and tries to find its source.

The narrative then alternates between Essi (a dream character perhaps) and Ellie. A snow fox, Āppās, is freed from a trap but Ellie is a long way from her family and the cabin. The fox leads her through the snow but a lynx appears which Ellie manages to ward off with a pine branch and return safely to her cabin.

An exciting adventure with occasional illustrations by David Dean that younger animal lovers especially will love: it made me want to go and see the Northern Lights.

Scrap: The Good, the Bad and the Rusty

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Scrap: The Good, the Bad and the Rusty
Guy Bass, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Little Tiger

In this second story in the trilogy readers join Scrap, Paige and Gnat as they journey across Somewhere 513. The book opens with the three going on a quest to find the Pink-Footed Goose, supposedly it’s landed somewhere in the no-go Badlands of Elsewhere and it’s their only chance – so the children’s mother said – of getting off-world. There are perils aplenty but then they encounter Wired Bill who takes them to the wandering robot town of Mooch where the robots have rejected Mayor Highshine’s views, welcome the three visitors and make them feel at home.

Wired Bill is even more welcoming when he learns that Scrap and KI-NG are likely one and the same. Scrap then begins to think perhaps the three of them should abandon their plans to escape the planet and instead make their home with the folks of Mooch. Enter Newman desperate to know where the King’s core is and promising to help and keep the children safe in return.

Then Paige starts seeing visions of ghostly humans: now she can hardly wait to get away from the strange town. And when their gofer is fixed that’s what she’s determined to do but then agrees to stay another night, the result being an attack from glowsharks, one of which bites Paige. When they eventually depart for Tumbledown Canyon things get more perilous and suddenly Scrap learns something that rocks him to the very core. Events get progressively weirder, Gnat gets angry, but who can be trusted?

The book ends on a cliff-hanger with Scrap, Paige and Gnat taking the only chance they have and heading off in search of Newman’s ship which may or may not have been destroyed already. Brilliantly done with a scattering of splendid illustrations by Alessia Trunfio. Book three can’t come quickly enough for me and I’m sure Scrap’s countless followers.

You Only Spy Twice

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You Only Spy Twice
Ben Sanders
Little Tiger

Agent Harrier is back with another mission. First off he goes to collect his eagerly awaited spy car from Doctor Doppler at BARK’s gadget lab. What he’s given though is let’s say disappointing, though there are supposedly some useful gadgets that need slight adjustment before it’s ready. Off goes Harrier to see Patsy. Her reaction to his obvious feelings about the vehicle is to tell him, “The spy car does not make the spy”.

Time for the mission: apparently somebody from inside BARK has stolen Top Secret files, leaving behind a car with a symbol and Harrier is tasked with uncovering the double agent. The next thing Harrier knows is that his car has disappeared – stolen. The traitor perhaps? A chase is on with Patsy at the wheel and hair-raising, not to mention car raising it definitely is.

Following a near disastrous landing Harrier finds himself facing a carbon copy of himself – a doppelgänger no less. A weird conversation between the two Agent Harriers ensues but how will the whole mission end?

That would be telling; but I will let you know that the DIY reference made this reviewer both groan and splutter with laughter.

A second zany, punny graphic novel ideal for new solo readers.

Ivy Newt and the Vampixies / Dream Weavers: Chaos of the Fun Fiend

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Ivy Newt and the Vampixies
Derek Keilty, illustrated by Magda Brol
lScallywag Press

At the start of the story Ivy and Tom, (Ivy’s best friend and familiar) set out with Griselda the Sand Witch on an expedition to find the spell ingredients from her very long list. Their first stop is the Isle of Hob with its extinct volcano Mount Krakatoenail; there they hope to find sneezewort. This they do, but they almost lose Tom when he falls into a quarry-like area in the side of the volcano. Close by, they discover cart tracks running into tunnels that they deduce are part of a dust mine from where Dust Pixies mine the ore which is crushed to make a dust that is on Griselda’s list of required spell ingredients. However as they collect the dust they overhear something alarming that causes them to hide and from their hiding place they hear an announcement from Queen Drusilla, the leader of the Dust Pixies. Said Queen then proceeds to turn the Dust Pixies into Vampixies that will then go and sprinkle this dust everywhere in Miracula thus robbing the witches and wizards of their magical powers.

Griselda and Ivy realise that something needs to be done urgently to prevent this disaster; but what can they do to stop the malevolent plot and thereby save both Miracula and magic itself? The next thing they know, they’re hurtling into the sea not far from the Fishy Wizards’ ship. Perhaps the captain of this ship can help them …

With a plot that moves fast, gentle humour, a satisfying finale and lively black and white illustrations, this fourth adventure for Ivy and Tom will captivate newly confident readers and also works well as a KS1 read aloud.

Dream Weavers: Chaos of the Fun Fiend
Annabelle Sami, illustrated by Forrest Burdett
Little Tiger

Tito is eagerly anticipating the holiday with his grandparents especially as his best friend Neena is joining him, his parents and little brother for the week.at the seaside. However even before they arrive at his grandparents’ home Tito feels that something isn’t right. Then the reception they all receive from Nan and Grandad is decidedly unwelcoming. All Grandad is interested in is listening to the clock ticking. It’s very strange indeed that his grandparents’ behaviour is uncharacteristic of their usual fun-loving selves. Tito decides that to get to the root of the trouble he and Neena should dreamweave into Grandad’s dream that night.

Despite feeling somewhat guilty that it’s an invasion of his privacy, he and Neena create a portal through which they enter and it soon becomes evident that they’ve found Grandad as a boy. Then suddenly there appears a tall pale figure that immediately begins to sap child Grandad’s energy. It’s a vampire.; not one that sucks blood, rather this one sucks fun.

In the morning Grandad and Tito talk and iGrandad realises his grandson is a Dreamweaver. He, Tito and Neena set out walking and Grandad tells them that he is a Spiritlink and they in turn tell him about the vampire. As they walk Neena suggests the Bhoot (her uncle) has done something to speed up his plan of merging the human world and the spirit world. Things get progressively weirder but it’s evident that it’s up to the children to find out exactly what is going on. There’s a confrontation with the Bhoot: he’s obviously up to evil tricks and more are to follow.

The story ends on a cliff hanger with Neena and Tito agreeing that they must travel to the spirit world.
A thoroughly gripping tale, the third in the sequence: you really need to read the first two before this one though.

Clive Penguin

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Clive Penguin
Huw Lewis Jones and Ben Sanders
Little Tiger

Far, far away lives a penguin named Clive; but is he happy? No poor Clive is having an identity crisis. ‘Same old snow. Same old bloomin’ penguins, ‘ he tells us. He’s clearly fed up with his mundane existence and after due consideration, he decides to leave his boring abode and seek a new life. There’s sure to be something incredible waiting around the corner, so he thinks. His travels don’t last long for very soon he comes upon an enormous whale floating in the sea. Wow! Nevertheless, this isn’t what excites Clive Penguin. Rather, he is attracted to something much smaller close to the whale.

It’s unique, fashionable and what’s more, it has many possible uses.

Sporting his new find – it’s a perfect fit – back goes Clive to his huddle. At this point the narrative states, ‘… they lived happily ever after …’ However, in case you’re thinking this applies to Clive, you are in for a fun surprise. Our adventurous Clive is not feeling comfortable AT ALL …

This witty tale will certainly bring some laughs but it will also make readers ponder upon its message: finding what you think you want is not necessarily compatible with discovering where you truly belong and Clive has to go a long way to appreciate his true identity. A cool and hot tale amusingly illustrated by Ben Sanders.

My Brother Is A Tiger

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My Brother Is A Tiger
Joaquin Camp
Little Tiger

One afternoon young Teresa is playing downstairs while her parents enjoy a relaxing drink and snack together. Suddenly she hears a weird noise coming from upstairs so she decides to go up and try to discover the cause. Shock horror! Her little brother Thomas has turned into a fierce-looking tiger.

When it comes to school activities, this new persona has its pros and cons and it takes Teresa a while to get used to having a fierce feline for a brother but all in all she copes pretty well. Not so though the neighbours and others that find themselves way too close to Thomas for comfort.

Then one day Tiger Thomas is nowhere to be found: Teresa hunts high and low but without success. Where can he be? She entertains all manner of possibilities …

Clearly distressed, big sister waits and …

When he does appear there’s a surprise in store, but more than one person can play at that game. The surprise twist in this tale will have young listeners chuckling with delight as will some of the scenes of Teresa’s imaginings.

Hank Goes Honk

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

Hank is a goose, an obnoxious one so we’re told. He honks continuously, interrupting everybody at every opportunity. Not only that but he annoys others by pinching the cherries from their cupcakes; he pecks the books visitors are reading in the library, he creates a rumpus in the cinema and bursts balloons of unsuspecting passers by. However such mean behaviour is not without its consequences and Hank finds himself being avoided by all the other animals.

This loneliness causes him to reconsider his thoughtlessness and he spends some time reading a book entitled How To Be An Impeccable Goose. Thereafter he sallies forth a reformed character, determined to be considerate to his fellow creatures. All goes well for a while but then along comes Bunny with a large new balloon and Hank just can’t resist the temptation …

His new friends though are a forgiving lot and, appreciative of the way Hank tried to be good, give him another chance. They wait with bated breath as the goose gives Bunny a new balloon: will he finally be able to restrain himself? I wonder.

A honkingly fun story with an important message and lots of possibilities for audience participation. Young children will revel in following Duncan Beedie’s droll portrayal of Hank and his efforts to change his reprehensible ways.

Interact With Board Books

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Sweet Dreams
Hannah Abbo
Little Tiger

Very young children are invited to join mother owl as she hunts for food, soaring across the starlit sky one night. She flies over tall grass that shelters a mother rabbit and her little ones, passes a log pausing briefly to peep at Fox and its cub, discovers a mother mouse and her babies snuggled together under some leaves and finally flies back to the tree where she tucks her three waiting owlets safely beneath her wing.
With its alluring die-cut cover, five differently textured, touchy feely flaps to explore, a gentle rhyming text and scenes of the natural world at night from various viewpoints by Hanna Abbo this is a lovely board book to share with the youngest humans at bedtime especially.

Don’t Ever Conga With A Cow
Harriet Evans and Michael Slack
Little Tiger

This is an addition to team Evans and Slack’s Don’t Ever series, this one being set down on the farm. Young children are warned against disturbing a slumbering rooster; tricking a woolly sheep, wrongly blaming a large pig for the mucky deposits it hasn’t left; getting your rear end too close to a hungry goat

and finally never ever attempt the titular conga with a cow; it’s sure to move to a different tune.
Farm animal silliness with creatures that are guaranteed to make little ones giggle and relish joining in with the RING! RINGs, YEE-HAWS, OINKs and NOM NOMs as you turn the pages making each animal in turn move. Cause alarm and you’re in for a shock.

Yomi and the Curse of Grootslang / Let Sleeping Gods Lie

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Yomi and the Curse of Grootslang
Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley
Little Tiger

In this third fantasy adventure in Davina Tijani’s Nkara Chronicles series with Adam Douglas-Bagley’s dramatic illustrations, Yomi and her younger brother, Kayode, accompany their Uncle Lou ( a researcher for the Sacred Beast League) to South Africa. Shortly after they arrive the siblings meet the Vilha Treasure Hunters, a group of children who have heard about their bravery when they rescued a Senegalese dragon king and saved a city. The Treasure Hunters believe the qualities the siblings exhibited are exactly what will be required if they agree to join them in their quest to find the Tusk Diamond and bring it back to the rightful owners as well as hopefully, to break a curse issued by the elephantine serpent, Grootslang in whose cave the jewel is hidden. Yomi and Kay agree and so begins their adventure.

On finding the cave the adventurers try bargaining with Grootslang using the pyronite Kayode had brought in exchange for their freedom and the diamond.

When this fails can they come up with something else to persuade her and ultimately help bring peace and harmony to Vilha?

The author weaves mythology, culture and details of South African landscapes into her fast-paced story which also demonstrates the importance of camaraderie and working together, leaving it neatly set up for the next adventure in the series, set in the Congo. Bring it on.
There’s mythology too in

Let Sleeping Gods Lie
Thiago De Moraes
David Fickling Books

Following her adventure with trickster gods in Old Gods New Tricks, Trixie dos Santos is settling back into her usual way of life, this includes school. She manages to tolerate the boredom of lessons but hates the taunting from some of the pupils, so on some days she spends her time elsewhere, wandering in the woods for instance. It’s on one of these occasions that she loses track of time and reaching home late, is greeted with the news that her grandmother has died and they have to go to Norway for the funeral.

Shortly after arriving there’s some talk of Grandma’s magical cauldron but it isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Trixie notices some strange marks on the kitchen floor. She decides to take a look outside and with Bragi the dog, she sallies forth into the freezing cold. In a clearing in the wood she encounters Baba Yaga.

It turns out that the witch knew Trixie’s grandmother and knows about her magic cauldron. Thus begins Trixie’s next mission: to travel to the Land of the Dead and search for the cauldron.

While in the underworld, having met her dead grandma, Trixie comes upon Hel (goddess of death) and her father Loki, the latter she already knows. Can she trust the trickster when he offers to help. her? Not only he but all the other tricksters that offer assistance as her quest continues taking her through many underworlds. There’s really no choice if Trixie is to prevent the evil army from taking over the world.

A breath-taking tale with plenty of humour, that introduces mythology from various cultures. It will have readers on the edge of their seats as they root for Trixie at every twist and turn. The author’s black and white illustrations are superb – striking, often intricate and very powerful. I can’t wait for Trixie’s next foray into the world of mythology; her emergence from this quest has left her mentally stronger.

The Shy Book / One Up

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The Shy Book
Howard Pearlstein and James Munro
Graffeg

This interactive picture book is a novel way of introducing young children, particularly those about to start nursery or school, to a way of coping with their fears about meeting new people and coping with new situations. Its narrator is the titular book and it really does want to be read despite its extreme nervousness. It’s worried, sometimes to the point of dizziness, in case a reader finds it laughable, silly or much worse, boring …

‘go ahead … pick a different book’ it suggests. But what if instead a reader keeps turning the pages? Could they come upon the narrator’s suggestion and gently discover a non-threatening way to feel brave, despite feeling shy as the book does, especially at the outset?

Howard Pearlstein’s clever idea is simply presented, and brought to life by James Munro’s droll illustrations. Empowering and amusing.

One Up
Ben Sanders
Little Tiger

Blue and Green are tortoises and they’re best friends. But which is the bestest? That is a cause for competitiveness as each tortoise adds to his shell, making it bigger and bigger, until things get more than a bit out of hand, not to mention out of shell. Both Blue and green are way, way up in the sky

whereas their places of residence remain on the ground and the who is best issue is still unresolved.
For a reason unknown to both characters, Blue and Green start craving gelato. But they might have to wait a long while before that desire is satisfied. What in sky’s name can they do? And will they remain best friends?

With inventive, increasingly detailed illustrations of the competitive craziness resorted to by Green and Blue, plus the fun final twist, this is an amusing read aloud that shows the inventiveness of the characters (and the book’s author/artist). With an abundance of visual humour, both children and adult sharers will find themselves laughing as things get progressively precarious.

Cows Are Pink! / How It Works: Fire Engine

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These are both Little Tiger board books: thanks to the publishers for sending them for review.

Cows Are Pink!
Becky Davies and Gareth Lucas

Down on the farm, the animals have all got their colours muddled up. Small children will enjoy predicting what is behind each cut out section before the page is turned to reveal in turn which animal is pink, yellow and red. What about cats though? They’re a bit more problematic and they certainly aren’t green, one of the colours visible through a cat diecut. So what is orange, black and green?
The final spread shows eight different farm animals and each is appropriately coloured, to the satisfaction no doubt of the little mouse character.
With bright, textured illustrations by Gareth Lucas this is a playful book for the very youngest.

How It Works: Fire Engine
Molly Littleboy and David Semple

Curious learners, especially those with an interest in vehicles will enjoy this addition to the How It Works series. Nee-naw! Nee-naw! goes this emergency vehicle but first come explanations for little ones about where fire engines are kept; what firefighters do at the fire station when not out on call,, as well as what their uniform comprises. When the crew receives an alarm call it’s a case of off as fast as they can go, sirens and flashing lights warning other vehicles to give way as they approach.
Once the scene is reached it’s masks on and out with the hoses.Sometimes though fire engine crews have to perform acts of rescue for such things as cats stranded high in trees, or they might pay a visit to a nursery or primary school to teach the children the importance of fire safety. Perhaps some of them will be so enthused they go on to join the fire service themselves.

With cutaways, ‘did you know?’ questions, labels and a simple narrative there’s plenty to engage small children.

Huxley and Flapjack: Trouble At Sea / Wigglesbottom Primary: The Pirate Cat

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Huxley and Flapjack: Trouble At Sea
Alan MacDonald and Francesca Gambatesa
Little Tiger

This is the second story of best friends, Huxley, an outgoing koala and Flapjack, of a somewhat nervous disposition who prefers staying at home whereas his bestie likes to seize every opportunity for a new adventure.

It’s a hot summer’s day and the two are spending the day on the beach, Flapjack hoping to be able to finish reading his book. It seems unlikely this will happen as the rescue of a wildly thrown ball (you can guess by whom) results in a meeting with underwater explorer, Winston, or Wizz for short.

Wizz invites the two to join him aboard his submarine to search for the shipwreck of the Isabella on board which he suggests they might find some treasure. Needless to say Huxley immediately starts imagining the possibilities whereas Flapjack is rather worried, especially when his friend takes over steering the craft. This almost inevitably leads to a troublesome situation but also a discovery; make that several, not to mention a shark encounter

when the two friends try to untangle the submarine’s propellor from the seaweed. Do they find treasure though? That rather depends on what you call treasure.

Full of drama and with one of Francesca Gambatesa’s illustrations on every spread reflecting the humour of each situation, this is ideal summer reading for new solo readers.

As is:

Wigglesbottom Primary: The Pirate Cat
Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Becky Moor
Nosy Crow

This latest in the Wigglesbottom Primary series is, like its predecessors, pitch perfect for newly independent readers. Like the others too, it contains three zany episodes, the first being the titular The Pirate Cat which starts when Miss Riley announces a Y2 class trip to the beach. However it’s not for the purposes of paddling, sand castle building and picnics. Rather the children are to spent their time participating in a beach clean up project. The possibility of a prize makes things rather better but then what should appear on the sand but a black and white cat; a cat Jayden King immediately suggests could be of the piratical kind.

It isn’t, but it certainly ensures that the litter grabbers are put to good, if unexpected, use; moreover the moggy – Carlos – is actually a regular passenger on the bus used for the class trip.
Episode two, The Tallest Pupil in the World is so called because Miles suddenly has a growth spurt that gets rather out of control. Can this really be so or is there another reason that his trousers are way, way too short when he puts them back on after PE?
The Halloween Disco concludes the book and inevitably its announcement causes MEGA excitement but ends up with one of Class 2 in a decidedly sticky mess thanks to ‘ghost slime’ no less.

Brilliantly funny, laugh out loud silliness conjured up by an author with a wonderful imagination, abetted by an illustrator who accentuates the drama in every situation.