Tag Nosy Crow

Thieves At Large

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Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Cat Burglar
Tracey Corderoy and Steve Lennon
Nosy Crow
Reformed robbers of repute, Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are now successful bakers with their own café, an establishment frequented by those who particularly enjoy a good gossip; and there are plenty. One day Sam shares the latest news headlines with their customers: one Kitty Le Claw – a fiendish feline if ever there was one – is in town.

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Such news warrants a top secret meeting, but this is no sooner under way when a desperate-looking job-seeker arrives at the door.

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Ruby, for that is her name (supposedly – though young audiences will already be suspicious) is quickly taken on and becomes a star baker of delicious confections, waitress and cleaner.
At the end of the day as a result of Ruby’s sweeping and tidying, the dogs discover a secret tunnel in the basement of their establishment and are almost tempted back into their old ways but instead find themselves turning detective. But can they manage to apprehend the criminal and turn her over to the law? Well, Kitty is a certainly a pretty slippery character but …

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This is a second crazy canine caper from Corderoy and Lenton; she provides a pacey text that’s enormous fun to read aloud especially if you enjoy high drama; and he supplies the delectable visuals. The details therein are almost as delicious as the fare served up in Shifty and Sam’s establishment and the sight of those infant canines looking longingly at the cakes is a joy in itself.
Yummy stuff say I.

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The Cherry Thief
Renata Galindo
Child’s Play pbk
Chef Armand is a celebrated pastry cook; the rosy red cherries he decorates his confections with are his trademark. He’s even named his patisserie La Cerise. But then one day he notices that the cherries have begun to disappear. Quelle horreur! Has he merely forgotten to add them perhaps? No, not so but what an embarrassment when customers complain …

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Time to discover the perpetrator of the outrage decides the chef. I could say track down but our perplexed chef has missed the clue. His dog however, like children, is more aware and has noticed the telltale tiny blue footprints.
Having drawn Chef Armand’s attention to same, the two lie in wait and eventually the thief makes an appearance. A chase ensues: the thief eventually escapes leaving behind in the trail of havoc, something amazing

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and ultimately fruitful for all concerned…

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A tasty diversion illustrated in a spare style that children may well try to emulate. My audiences loved the slapstick humour of the chase,

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delighted in the small details and characterisation, and were surprised by the rapid growth of the tree. “Well, it’s just magic,” one suggested.

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Tickles, Troubles, Rewards and Rides

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Silly Dizzy Dinosaur!
Jack Tickle
Little Tiger Press pbk
Aptly named, Dizzy is a fun-loving young dinosaur that loves tickles – so long as they aren’t too tickly. Find out what happens when he receives an enormous tickling that is all a bit TOO much in this action-packed romp that is chock full of opportunities for shouting, shaking, hiccupping, and of course, tickling. The up-close scenes zoom readers right in to the main action

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but at the same time there are small part actors in the form of minibeasts and fish to add to the fun and frenzy.

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Go To Sleep, Monty!
Kim Geyer
Andersen Press
Max has looked after his toy dog, Snuffly Poo since he was a baby but now he’s a ‘big boy’ his parents have agreed to him having a real puppy. Little does he realize what he’s taking on though when he chooses his pup; Monty needs a fair bit of training to say the very least.

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But when bedtime comes, things prove even more tricky: despite Max’s very best efforts, Monty just will not go to sleep.

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Indeed, he pees all over the kitchen floor. Then Max has a brainwave; he offers Monty Snuggly Poo as a sleep mate. Bad move, Max.
Just what will it take for the boy and his lively pup to get a night’s sleep?
Kim Geyer has created some endearing characters – human and otherwise for her debut picture book, presenting the action very much from Max and Monty’s perspective using a subdued palette for the larger than life scenes. It’s a story that will go down well with under fives at bedtime or any time, particularly those who have a lively pup to look after.

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Babies Don’t Walk They Ride!
Kathy Henderson and Lauren Tobia
Brubaker, Ford & Friends (Templar)
Delectable infants grace the pages of this lovely book as they are pushed, shoulder ride, glide, stroll (in their buggies of course), roll in trolleys (and other things), go bumping in buses,

 

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charge charioteer-like and even fly sometimes;

 

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all courtesy of their parents, carers, siblings and very likely, grandparents and other willing movers and shakers, all of whom huggle and cuddle, and sing to their charges. And those babes if only they could, would join in the chorus of “Babies don’t walk they ride!’
What a joyful time is had by all – readers, listeners and of course, those infants and those who care for them in this gorgeously illustrated, rhyming parade of perambulations.

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A great partnership and a ‘read over-and over’-production for the very young and all their adult minders. One (or more) to give and one to keep, I’d say.

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The Fairiest Fairy
Anne Booth and Rosalind Beardshaw
Nosy Crow
When young, Betty starts Fairy School her teacher despairs of her. Although she does her very best Betty just cannot manage to make dewdrops sparkle in the sun, nor wake the flowers up in the morning

 

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or even paint rainbows like the other pupils. She does have a very kind heart though as we see when she attends to a rabbit’s foot, helps a baby bird learn to fly and rescues a butterfly tangled up in a flower.

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When it’s time for the annual Fairy Ball, a tearful Betty is convinced she won’t be chosen by the Fairy King and Queen. How could such a messy, muddle-making fairy, be the Fairiest Fairy in all the land?
Endearing infant fairies cavort and sometimes, stumble across the rainbow hued pages of this enchanting rhyming take on the joys and tribulations of starting nursery or school for the first time which is at the same time, a demonstration of the importance of showing kindness and consideration to all.

Other recent or reissued titles on first experiences at nursery/school are:

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Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes
Eric Litwin and James Dean
Harper Collins pbk
Groovy Pete dons his funky new school shoes and heads off to school. There he discovers the joys of the library, painting, eating his packed lunch and the slide in the playground. He also tries his paws at writing and basic maths and decides school rocks.
Upbeat and offbeat fun; and a song to sing-along with.
and
Going to Nursery
Catherine and Lawrence Anholt
Orchard Books pbk
A reissue of the beautifully reassuring story of Anna’s first forays into nursery wherein she meets the lovely teacher, Mrs Sams and the rest of her exuberant charges and samples the delights of the exciting range of activities on offer.

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Surprising a Dad/Superhero Dad

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How to Surprise a Dad
Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish
Hodder Children’s Books
The same team who gave us manuals for babysitting a Grandma and a Grandad now offer another instruction book. Herein we find a brother and sister joining forces to give their Dad a day (or several) to remember If you want tips on Dad-pleasing, then look no further, so long as you are prepared to be more than a little tricky;

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and it’s better to enlist Mum’s support too.
There are suggestions for the kind of surprises you might make – inventions for instance,

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or getting things ready or organising things for him, helping with the shopping, days out enjoying nature and some wonderful cooking extravaganzas with favourite ingredients (spicy crisps, smoked oysters, super-stinky cheese for instance) to serve along with those choc. chip cookies.

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With a plethora of plans to please a papa from Reagan and those digitally rendered illustrations peppered with presents and pop-pleasing humour from Wildish, this is an obvious choice for Father’s Day but equally fun to share with Dad at any time.

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Superhero Dad
Timothy Knapman and Joe Berger
Nosy Crow
The Dad in this rhyming romp is assuredly a larger than life character – a secret superhero – the boy narrator informs us. His snores are ear-splitting, breakfasts are outlandishly awesome concoctions,

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he laughs uproariously at his own super-soppy jokes, his strength is – well what do you think?

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So much is worthy of his superhero status: his roars, (and kisses), his zooms and lifts, his woodwork skills especially.

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But, the positioning of his pants puts his whole ‘superhero-ness’ in doubt (to those who don’t know him well that is) but not to our young narrator: he knows what others don’t. It’s Dad though, not boy who has the final word …
With comical celebratory capers, cleverly constructed by the super Knapman and Berger partnership, this is a special treat for Dads to share with their super-kids and vice-versa; but also great fun for all super-adults to read to all super-smalls.

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Gracie and Leo engrossed in the story.

 

 

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My Dad’s the Best!
Nicholas Allan
Red Fox pbk
All dads are special is the message in Nicholas Allen’s latest offering. None however is quite like that belonging to the young narrator of this rhyming celebration of one slightly eccentric father figure, and dads in general.

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Told through a jaunty text and a sequence of zany watercolour illustrations,
this is one for dads and their offspring to share and not just on Fathers’ Day.

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A Bear on a Chair, A Tearful Teddybear

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There’s a Bear On My Chair
Ross Collins
Nosy Crow
“There’s a bear on my chair,” declares the grumpy-looking mouse. Well, wouldn’t you be annoyed if you found an enormous white ursine character had plonked itself on your favourite piece of furniture and was refusing to budge despite your best efforts.

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Especially when said bear then proceeds to peruse the paper, attend to his coiffeur and cannot even to be tempted to shift with a juicy pear.
This is just not on – well I suppose it is, if you’re the bear – but our tiny friend is determined to reclaim his seat so scaring is his next move. But …

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seemingly this bear is not for moving. Hold on a minute, do I detect a slight shift …

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so what is all that about?
Completely at a loss, the despairing narrator mouse finally decides to quit the scene but whither do his little paws take him? Well, that would be telling wouldn’t it?
A resounding cheer – and another – and another for Ross Collins and his glorious two hander, or should that be monologue perhaps? Whichever, it’s superb.
The comic timing is spot on and what a gift to the adult reader aloud. This one has had terrific fun sharing it with groups of listeners wherever she can get a chair. And those illustrations speak volumes – I’d love to show you every single one but you’ll just have to get your paws on a copy of the book for that.

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Cheer Up Your Teddy Bear, Emily Brown!
Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
Hodder Children’s Books pbk
In this, the fourth title to feature Emily Brown and her rabbit Stanley, the two are indoors on a wet day playing at camping in the Australian Outback when they hear a PLIP! PLOP! seemingly coming from the toy box. Therein they find a somewhat soggy, very tearful little teddy singing plaintively about her loneliness.

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Emily invites the troubled ted to accompany them on their camping adventure in the hope of cheering her up and off the three go. But does this have the desired mood lifting effect? Oh dear no, so Emily undaunted (as yet) suggests a trip to the Yellowstone Park

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but although Emily Brown and Stanley have a great time bear spotting the grizzlies, black bears and others (despite the lack of other teddies), this too fails to lift the mood of Tearful Teddy.
What about the third attempt? Their south of France, Van Gogh efforts must surely do the trick …

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Goodness me NO! What a misery guts their ursine companion is. Eventually that large black cloud engulfs not only Tearful Teddy, but Emily Brown and Stanley too.
Time for some drastic action, thinks Emily B. Out comes her red brolly with a SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!! And, there before their eyes up pop …

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a dozen little teddies needing a temporary shelter from their picnic. They explain their initial reluctance to include Tearful Ted in their fun and she tries explaining her lack of smile. Emily Brown of course, in her unflappable way, is ready to help with a ‘rediscover your smile plan’ and all ends smilingly – despite another shower.
Another super read aloud and a real testament to young children’s imagination. It’s great for starting an exploration of feelings indicating that sometimes it’s OK to feel sad, particularly when there are friends to help you cheer up.
My audiences have loved joining in with Tearful Ted’s increasingly long song; some clapped at the umbrella-opening incident and immediately demanded a re-read at the end. Two 5 year olds even left the room singing Tearful Ted’s song.

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A group of 4s to 9s created a teddybears’ picnic for Tearful Ted

 

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Giants, Gold-Spinning and a Growing Nose

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Dolci was a little bit alarmed at the giant’s child-eating threats

 

The Giant of Jum
Elli Woollard and Benji Davies
Macmillan Children’s Books
Inspired by the traditional tale told to him by his brother, about a boy called Jack, the Giant of Jum – a bad-tempered chap – sets out in search of some children for a tasty teatime snack. The children he discovers though, far from fearing the giant, enlist his help in reaching their ball.

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He obliges promising to be back to fulfill his own purposes, then goes on his way again. Before long another group of children beg for his assistance

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and once again our giant obliges and promises to return. His search is now for Jack … and sure enough – soon enough, there at his feet is a very small boy pleading for a ride. I’m sure you can guess the name of this little fellow and he’s thoroughly beguiled by the giant.
But … “Fee!” he said, and “Fi!” he said and “Little Jack snack, is that right?” and a whole lot worse. (This bit really had some children on the very edge of their seats.)

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But he hadn’t bargained for the children’s rapid intervention, and their bargaining powers …
It’s a happy ending for all – kindness begets kindness – and the giant discovers that some things actually taste better than children.

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Enormous fun; and what potential for inspiring creative work from young children. Elli Woollard’s rhyming text bounces along jauntily and is brilliant fun to read aloud: Benji Davies has created a wonderful character in the giant: I love that funky head attire and those peep-toed boots are just superb. With all manner of interesting perspectives (and some darker scenes)

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every page is packed with small details to relish and chuckle over. The illustrative style seems something of a new development for Benji Davies; this new partnership with Elli Woollard is one to be celebrated if their debut book is anything to go by. Maybe that Giant of Jum could even make a return …

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Jack and the Beanstalk
illustrated by Ed Bryan
Nosy Crow
This is I think, the fourth in the series of fairy tales created from Bryan’s award- winning Nosy Crow apps. It’s a lively rendition of a favourite story that includes a mouse, a frog

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and a baby dragon in the cast of characters. The latter enlists Jack’s help to release him from a dungeon cell and in return he tells Jack the whereabouts of the giant’s golden harp. This harp however, is a trickster and once Jack has it in his clutches, calls out, “Master Giant, wakey wakey! This boy Jack is trying to take me!” Nevertheless Jack does manage to escape from the castle hotly pursued by the giant, grab his trusty axe and bring the beanstalk crashing down. We never learn the fate of the giant but at least he never troubles Jack and his mother ever again.
The setting has something of a modern feel: Jack’s mum, despite her poverty, wears a stylish dress albeit with jazzy patches, and long boots;

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and Jack carries a rucksack. The story itself reads aloud well and as the goose on the back cover says, ‘is all about being kind and helpful’. May be not ‘all ’ but no one would argue with that as a worthwhile message.

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Rumpelstiltskin
Mara Alperin and Loretta Schauer
Little Tiger Press
This is a lively rendition of a favourite fairy tale with some fairly lavish verbal, and hence visual, embellishments such as the miller’s pre gold-spinning boast about his daughter: “Tulips start to bloom when my daughter sings,” and “When Isabel catches raindrops, they turn into butterflies.” for instance. Young Isabel is duly thrust into the highest tower by the king once he’s heard of her ability to spin straw into gold and ordered to do just that. There follows her encounter with the little man who offers help, makes a bargain and in her desperation, Isobel has promised him his “pick of treasure” once she’s rich. Having spun as promised (‘coins and crowns, and trinkets and trophies’), he vanishes leaving Isabel to reap the rewards from the king. (His visits are cut to one here) and the king introduces her to his kind son, Prince Herbert. Before long wedding bells ring forth and, in due course, the couple is blessed with a baby boy.

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The little man is completely forgotten until one stormy night that is. Then POOF! There he is cackling and demanding his dues. Nothing short of the baby will do unless Isabel can guess his name within three nights.

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However, it’s not Isabel who takes the initiative – not sure I approve of that – but her husband, Herbert. He tracks down the little man, discovers his name and informs his wife who then ‘guesses correctly’ on her final chance and with a howl and a growl, a stomp and a stamp, Rumpelstiltskin vanishes through the floor, never to be seen again in the kingdom, leaving baby Hugo to grow up safe and sound with his loving parents.
With smatterings of word play and bright, jolly, richly patterned illustrations, this version has a modern feel to it. It’s certainly one young audiences will be attracted to visually and they will enjoy the tension of the guessing game and its outcome in particular.
For me nothing can beat an oral telling I once heard Sara Corrin perform (based on the text in her Stories for Seven Year Olds collection) but this one is an enjoyable read aloud if that’s what you want.

Not a traditional tale but a classic one that seems to be ever popular is:

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The Patua Pinocchio
Carlo Collodi and Swarna Chitrakar
Tara Books
The artist, Swarna Chitrakar, a West Bengali scroll painter has given the tale a wholly new visual interpretation, totally unlike the westernized, often Disneyfied one where Pinocchio, the mischievous Italian marionette wears a yellow hat and a kind of romper suit. Here, in keeping with clothing styles from her own tradition, Pinocchio is clad in a dhoti/ loincloth, is adorned with jewellery (anklets and armlets and a neck adornment),

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and has a rich brown skin and beatific smile reminding one – and this is the author’s conception too – of the Hindu deity, Krishna whom she refers to in her afterword as ‘a lovable yet godly trickster figure … who looks composed and serene at all times.’
Geppetto in contrast has a mustard-coloured skin and wears a dhoti.
Visually striking, with its stylized Patua folk art images, this book will  particularly appeal to those fascinated by traditional art forms, and anyone interested in exploring the universality of stories.

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Monstrous Reads

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The Big Monster Snoreybook
Leigh Hodgkinson
Nosy Crow
I’ve loved all Leigh Hodgkinson’s wonderfully playful books: this monster metafiction is no exception. It introduces, readers, courtesy of a supposedly unseen mini-monster, to all manner of large monsters that are all supposedly, fast asleep. This is called a ‘`Snoreybook’ after all.
First off there’s knobbly-kneed Norris with the chitter-chattering teeth. Our next encounter is with Jemima and Barbara: sleeptalking is their claim to fame.

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Then comes Tony with his tippy tappy toes, followed by fidgety Fiona, she of the five feet.

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Big-burbling-bellied Brian dreams of cream cakes so sweet readers need to take care – if he wakes up.
DINGA LINGA LING – that’s the alarm clock rousing those monsters from their slumbers, and snoozing has stoked their appetites. It’s a good thing little children are NOT to their taste; rather they have a penchant for little monsters but of course, we’ve not seen one of those anywhere recently have we? But what is that din? It couldn’t be a BIGGER monster – could it? Time for those BIG monsters to beat a hasty retreat seemingly.
Plan accomplished –

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Enormous fun; Leigh Hodgkinson immediately creates a bond with readers and maintains that magical connection throughout.

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One group of 4/5 year olds I shared this with were riveted and some immediately responded with their own monsters.

 

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Marilyn’s Monster
Michelle Knudson and Matt Phelan
Walker Books
Marilyn waits … and waits for a monster of her own, Her classmates all seem to have acquired in one way or another a monster which has become their very own as playmate, protector

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or constant companion. Eventually however, with everyone else paired up, Marilyn tires of just waiting and decides to take those monster matters into her own hands. Off she sets on a monster finding mission. Her success is far from immediate but when she and ‘her monster’ finally do come face to face, they know it was meant to be.

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This is a lovely, longish fantasy story that works on many levels: it concerns wanting to fit in – to have what others have; it’s also about being true to yourself, about sticking to your goal, about companionship, perhaps about journeying, going after your dreams and discovering your own particular place in the world. It all depends what you are bringing to the story as much as anything else. For me there are shades of Philip Pullman’s dæmons too.
Adorable rather than scary monsters, abound in this beautifully told tale. Phelan’s pencil and watercolour illustrations splendidly capture the changing emotions throughout

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as well as delightfully depicting those larger than life creatures with a gentle, mock-scary humour.

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And I just love all the different ways the various monsters came into those children’s lives …

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Knudson’s knitting together of this tender tale is absolutely spot on.

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Follow Me!/Get Out of My Bath!

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Follow Me!
Ellie Sandall
Hodder Children’s Books
‘Wake up! Follow me! ‘Exhorts the lemur leader of the pack as he heads off, swinging and leaping down the tree and off across the arid landscape leading his friends through flora and fauna and the pages of the book.

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En route they encounter various birds, reptiles, chewy things to munch on, and hop and jump on -well maybe not that one!

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All that leaping and swinging is tiring work though, so after an energetic adventure, it’s time to head back to the tree for a well-deserved … rest. PHEW!

 

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This is packed with lovable lemurs and Ellie Sandall has managed to give each one its own individuality – no mean achievement. Her mixed-media scenes are full of humour, while at the same time, capturing the feel of the Madagascan landscape. (One can almost feel the heat coming off the ground.)
Lemurs certainly seem to be in vogue as far as picture books are concerned this year. For me, this particular one is the leader of the pack, thus far.

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Get Out of My Bath!
Britta Teckentrup
Nosy Crow
What is it about elephants and baths? This is another favourite topic for picture books of late. Britta Teckentrup’s cleverly constructed, immediately interactive book starts with Ellie taking a bath and playing with her duck; and we are asked to play along by tipping the book from side to side to create waves, then turning the page one way and then the other. Suddenly though, we – Ellie and readers – are confronted by a crocodile intent on snapping up Ellie’s rubber duck. Shouting at the croc. only brings another creature – Flamingo –

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to the fray … followed quickly by Tiger, a mouse – more shaking and shouting required, unless that is Ellie’s water-sucking plan works. Oh good, it has. No water left, just a host of shivering animals that need additional human shivers to make them disappear.

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Safely alone once again, Ellie is able to refill her bath and resume her ablutions.
A bath time book that’s fun to share just before or after a bath; don’t try reading it to your little one during bath-time though. I doubt even those shiny pages will stand up to a soaking.

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Spins on Cinderella

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Interstellar Cinderella
Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt
Chronicle Books
This Cinderella with a cosmic twist is irresistible. I’m a real fan of fairy tale spin offs and certainly was not disappointed by this one. The heroine is cast as a strong, brainy, mechanically minded female who studies rocket ship repair by night, so determined is she to follow her dreams and become an engineer. And so she does. But first, with a bit of help from her fairy godrobot in fixing her own craft,

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she has to use her trusty socket wrench to perform a skilled overhaul of the prince’s spacecraft that has malfunctioned.
Of course said prince, having discovered they have such a lot in common, does fall in love with his saviour, seeks her out and proposes but then it wouldn’t be Cinderella if he didn’t. And being an independent young miss, this Cinderella when she does come face to face with her suitor, having chased after him to reclaim her lost wrench, turns down his offer of marriage but agrees to something much more appealing …

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It’s told in jaunty verse that reads aloud beautifully (love the sonic wordplays) and illustrated with appropriate verve and vigour by Meg Hunt whose choice of colour palette is superb, as is her attention to detail. And those endpapers are genius. The characterization too is terrific – that robot mouse, Murgatroyd is just brilliant and demonstrated thus: ‘Cinderella struggled but the space rope held her tight, till Murgatroyd’s robotic teeth cut through it with one bite.’

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Assuredly a Cinderella of the future; but very much one of the present too – if the positive reactions of my audiences of 5s to 9s are anything to go by.

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Cinderella’s Sister and the Big Bad Wolf
Lorraine Carey and Migy Blanco
Nosy Crow
Cinderella has a third sister, Gertie in this twisted fairy tale and it’s she who does all the chores not Cinderella (a thoroughly lazy sort who just looks on and lets her kind sis slave away while she does nothing more than paint her nails.) Not that all this drudgery seems to spoil Gertie from whom niceness shines forth at all times. Consequently the rest of the Ugly family members keep her out of sight. So, when an invitation inviting them all to a Grand Ball arrives, young Gertie begs to be allowed to attend.

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Mrs Ugly reluctantly agrees and Gertie is duly dispatched to the Wicked Queen to receive a crash course in nastiness.
Her arrival coincides with the Wicked Queen’s attempted poisoning of Snow White with an apple, a plan young Gertie duly foils, infuriating her supposed instructor who sends her back home forthwith to an equally furious mother who agrees to give Gertie another chance at being bad Ugly sister. This time she is sent to the Worst Witch of all and again she foils a murderous plan

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and is once more returned whence she came. However, she’s given one last chance to redeem herself and off she goes to the ‘meanest and nastiest baddie of all’ … .

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Again though, Gertie cannot stop herself mid-lesson and she scuppers the Wolf’s dastardly doings too. Seemingly, she’s about to become his dinner instead however, till she mentions the Ball that is. And from then on, things take a decided turn for the better – for the Wolf and Gertie that is: but not entirely for Cinderella although she does get to go to the ball, thanks to a timely wave of a Fairy Godmother’s wand. A wonderful time is had by all and a wedding occurs soon after. And the fate of Mrs Ugly and the other two Ugly sisters? Well, nobody really knows exactly why they disappeared from the scene but …

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A wonderful time too, was had by all when I shared this one with various groups of under sevens who relished the mixing of several tales and particularly appreciated Gertie’s thwarting of all the wicked plans and Cinderella’s unexpected transformation.

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Up the Beanstalk

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The Princess and the Giant
Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton
Nosy Crow pbk
I love pretty much everything about this book but then I’m a real sucker for fairy tale spin offs or anything that promotes books and the enjoyment of reading. This one offers both. And, I’ve so much enjoyed every occasion when I’ve shared it with children; it’s a real treat to read aloud both for audience and adult reader – this one certainly.
The tale centres around Princess Sophie whose dwelling is a tiny house, her companions a tabby cat servant and a mouse butler, in addition to her parents that is:
‘Her father made the porridge
And her mother chopped the wood,’ (love that)

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Life should have been pretty peachy for our heroine who is free to ride her bike at will but every night the pesky giant who lives atop the magic beanstalk in the yard kept her whole family awake with his stamping and stomping.
So after a series of intolerably sleepless nights Princess Sophie stows various items in her backpack, scales the beanstalk’s dizzying heights and visits the giant. However, her sleep-inducing supper fails to produce the desired result and so she makes a second attempt –
also story inspired –

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but the noise only gets worse. Undaunted, Sophie keeps on visiting and trying until she hits upon a solution and guess what? It’s a bedtime story and the giant isn’t the only one she manages to send off to sleep with her once upon a time …

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A celebration is announced, though that’s not quite the end of this delicious tale. However I don’t want to spoil that, so let’s just say that Sophie has some nifty teaching, not to mention line walking still to do before she and her large new friend can live ‘Happily Ever After.’
Gorgeous illustrations absolutely packed with delicious details , and superb storytelling – what more can one want?

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Jack and the Beanstalk
Kathleen Lines and Harold Jones
Oxford University Press pbk
This is a classy classic collection of some of the best loved traditional tales retold by a great storyteller in a direct manner as befits the oral tradition, and illustrated by Harold Jones whose distinctive, wonderfully composed watercolour paintings are now so gloriously old-fashioned.

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In addition to the title story are nine other nursery favourites including The Story of the Three Bears, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and The Story of the Three Little Pigs.
It’s hard to believe this book was first published about fifty-five years ago. It was considered a treasure then and should be a treasure now.

In contrast, a thoroughly modern take on the traditional story is now out in paperback; it’s one I reviewed last year when it came out in hardback:

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Jack and the Jelly Bean Stalk
Liz Pichon
Hodder Children’s Books pbk.

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On the Way to School & Follow that Car

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School
Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud
Chronicle Books
If the boy in this hilarious story came into my class with such outlandish excuses for his lateness, and in such profusion, I’d want to celebrate his imagination and award him first prize for creativity. His whole sorry saga is pretty much out of this world, as we are presented with such scenarios as the first “some giant ants stole my breakfast ” through increasingly hilariously, surreal situations such as …

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via a whole gamut of fairy tale meanderings,

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mad cap misadventures and flights of fancy, before our young hero arrives at the school gate, But even then he is forced to travel (ably or not so ably assisted by his uncle’s time machine) back home to pick up his forgotten packpack, only to be confronted when he does make it to his classroom, by his disbelieving teacher who seemingly, is having none of it.

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As the illustrator’s name might imply, this book is hot stuff – sorry about the pun. Those scenes of his are real rib-ticklers and Davide Cali’s droll delivery of the boy’s journey equally so.
A small book indeed; but one that packs a powerful punch.

Slightly less crazy but also involving a journey and food (oh! maybe forget that last bit) is:

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Follow That Car
Lucy Feather and Stephan Lomp
Nosy Crow
Hey, you … yes you!
Mouse needs your help and he needs it now!
He needs to catch Gorilla and he needs to be super-quick!
Are you ready? Then let’s go!
   FOLLOW THAT CAR!
An immediate engagement tactic that and one I doubt many young children would be able to resist.
Off speeds chunky Gorilla in his small car with Mouse on his mo-bike in hot pursuit. But what is the purpose of the chase? Has Gorilla stolen something? is the first thought, but we don’t find out (unless like this reviewer you cheat and read the ending before engaging in the chase. Not something I allowed my group of mixed infants to do, however – not knowing is really part and parcel of the fun.)
So off we go along with Mouse as he manoueveres around that sheet of glass and through the busy streets… past the building site where Gorilla completes a dare-devil stunt… down the car park ramp… over the fly-over towards the railway station. Oh no! Gorilla’s got through but Mouse is stuck at the crossing gate.

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Good job we saw that tunnel, so it’s on towards the farm taking care to avoid any tractors and oh my goodness! now comes a busy market and Gorilla’s drawing further away… and surely those cannot be mountains up ahead? But yes, and a ski resort;

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the end must be nigh…not quite yet though. First there’s a lakeside traffic jam to negotiate. Thank goodness then that Gorilla has to stop to refuel and that’s where we (and Mouse) catch up with him and …

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Off speeds Mouse but – hang on a minute: now why is Gorilla chasing after him?
Well, why should I spoil it for you– you’ll have to get hold of a copy of this fun-filled, action-packed book and find out for yourself.

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A Bus Ride and A Lullaby for a Little One

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The Bus Is For Us!
Michael Rosen and Gillian Tyler
Walker Books
‘But best is the bus.The bus is for us.’ is the oft-repeated refrain linking the various possibilities entertained by the narrator of this book. A small boy enjoys riding his bike; others like journeys by car or train, horse riding, floating in a little boat or a trip in a big ship,

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would love to ride a fish, sit on a cloud or dangle from a kite, play in a sleigh, perhaps try even more daring modes of transport

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but no matter what, the bus is best and by the end, readers are in no doubt about why.
The combination of Rosen’s shortish, playful rhyming text and Gillian Tyler’s delightful portrayal of the cast of a dozen young characters- not to mention the shaggy dog – who, as the story concludes at the end of the day,

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have all boarded the bus, is great fun.

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A Lullaby for Little One
Dawn Casey and Charles Fuge
Nosy Crow pbk
As the sun goes down the Little One of the title is in the woods with Big Daddy Rabbit but, he tells his offspring, there is still time for some fun and games before bedtime. So together the two of them race and chase and shout, “Woo-hoo!”, then other animals enthusiastically join them in a game of hide-and-seek, some splashing and sploshing

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and as the sun begins to set, they all dance and sing, whirl, twirl, and shout together before ending up in a great big heap. Whereupon a thoroughly exhausted Little One utters a “BOO-HOOOOOO!” and Big Rabbit knows just what to do next …

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And finally, father and baby rabbit snuggle together in the moonlight. Aaahh!
Dawn Casey’s rollicking rhyming text combined with Charles Fuge’s gorgeous georgic watercolour scenes make for a warm-hearted bedtime read for the very young.

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Princess Daisy and the Nincompoop Knights

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Princess Daisy and the Nincompoop Knights
Steve Lenton
Nosy Crow pbk
Troublesome dragons, knights desirous of wives and princesses in towers abound in fairy tales but sometimes we hear of one claiming to be different; such a one is this, pink cover notwithstanding. Herein the townsfolk, awoken by terrible roaring sounds, dash off to call on the King’s assistance. The King in turn calls for a brave knight to fight the beast, but Daisy his daughter, closeted in her tower, is less sure this dragon requires such drastic treatment; rather she calls for a more thoughtful approach.
Three knights come forward meanwhile, all proving to be useless in the face of adversity.

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But then who could this possibly be, heading into the cave astride not a mighty steed but a cow? And, what is the cow carrying in that basket? It looks very like a book and a baby’s bottle.

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Silence ensures and then after ages a sound issues forth from the cave – not a roar however but a snore. Then out comes the knight carrying a small slumbering creature … and all is finally revealed.

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Told in jaunty rhyme, this neo fairy tale was enthusiastically received by my audience of fives to sevens, one of whom, delighted by the “clever princess” as she called the heroine, then eagerly seized the book and began reading it herself.
The portrayal of the cast of characters – human and animal – is a real hoot. Every turn of the page will result in smiles or giggles from child listeners and adult readers alike. Great title too.

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Seasonal Scenes

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One Year with Kipper
Mick Inkpen
Hodder Children’s Books pbk
It’s January. Kipper has a new camera and he uses it to document a whole year, month by month. January is time for a New Year’s resolution (no throwing snowballs at best pal, Tiger). That lasts till February when the snow falls and an 87 centimetre icicle grows on Tiger’s house.

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March brings strong winds, April sees the pair catching tadpoles and so on with a double spread and a new photo for each month.
Seasonal changes are noted: In June Kipper notices an abundance of ‘little things with legs and wings’; whereas ‘October is an orangey brown sort of month,’ Tiger declares.

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When dark, cold December comes Kipper busies himself making decorations and taking the final photograph for Tiger’s present – a photographic memoir of the past twelve months.
A sweet, gently educational story of friendship, fun and frolics from a well-loved pair who take it in turns to have the upper hand …

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Great for individual sharing or early years classes to enjoy together.

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Littleland All Year Round
Marion Billet
Nosy Crow
Those who prefer to play I-spy rather than listening to a story have plenty to search for in Littleland. Starting with a chilly wintry morning, the animal inhabitants set out for nursery where they find many activities to enjoy and readers are invited to find various items in the busy scene. We then follow ‘the little ones’ through the seasons as they visit the countryside in spring …

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Come autumn, it’s time to visit the park,

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and dress up for Hallowe’en.
Wintry activities include ice-skating, tobogganing and building a snowman, and at the end of the year as Christmas draws near, there are decorations to make and hang, cards to make and presents to wrap just in time for a trip to town to see the Christmas tree in all its splendour.
Bright, jolly scenes, with objects to find in every spread.

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Books to Play With

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Bizzy Bear Dinosaur Safari
Benji Davies
Nosy Crow
Toddlers will enjoy accompanying Bizzy Bear on safari. Having parked his jeep, he’s ready for his dino day. Off he goes with friend rabbit to spot all manner of dinosaurs along the trail, some large, others hungry and one baby just hatching out. Then it’s time to head to the diner for a spot of refreshment: watch out though BB – what’s that with big sharp teeth behind the diner, ready to pop out? A sturdy board book with a brief rhyming text and sliders to pull, push or turn to reveal those prehistoric creatures in their brightly coloured jungly landscape.

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There’s an abundance of flora and fauna for young eyes to find in addition to the dinosaurs; and what can have made those enormous footprints?

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Snip-Snap
illustrated by Kasia Nowowiejska
Caterpillar Books
Five small animals in turn invite toddlers to guess the identity of five larger ones lurking in various places in the African landscape. The latter are revealed by lifting the flaps, thus allowing the animals to pop out from their respective hiding places.
Young listeners can absorb the simple concepts (‘high amongst the leaves’ or ‘beside the jungle path’ for instance)

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as they discover in turn, the roaring lion, chittering-chattering monkey, the elephant splashing,

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the giraffe stretching her neck and the snippy-snappy crocodile lurking in the swamp as they listen to the accompanying playful rhyming text.

A companion title with a farmyard setting is Cheep Cheep

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Doctor Molly’s Medicine Case
Miriam Moss and Deborah Allwright
Walker Books
Young Molly loves to dress up and has decided to be a doctor. She dons her doctor’s outfit (lifting the flap reveals the transformation) then finds her magical medicine case. Therein are all the things required to make her patients feel better. Molly is prepared

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and soon there’s a knock at her door. It’s Polar Bear with a bad case of the sneezles and shivers; seemingly he’s caught cold playing in the snow. A reassuring Dr Molly opens her case and takes out a thermometer and hot water bottle – just what’s needed to make Mr B. feel much better. (Children will love to open Molly’s bag, remove the items, tuck the hot water bottle into Polar Bear’s arms and take his temperature).
Dr Molly also successfully treats Crocodile (whose tail is injured as a result of a skateboarding accident) and Pelican (suffering from a sore throat caused by the consumption of too many bony fish)

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so why have all her patients returned? It’s a case of rumbly tums so it’s just as well that, in her magic case, Dr Molly has everything required for a cure. And a very tasty one it looks too.

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Picnic time everyone.
A fun, interactive treatment for the very young when they are suffering from a bout of ‘I- need-a-storyitis’.

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Love Always Everywhere …

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Love Always Everywhere
Sarah Massini
Nosy Crow pbk
In a follow up to her gorgeous Books Always Everywhere, Sarah Massini brings us another visual treat, with an amorous theme this time. Small children engage in all manner of loving activities including hugging pets, sharing a book,

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making music, dancing, playing together on the beach and in the park as they snuggle, dance, build sandcastles, eat ice-creams, bounce on space-hoppers and much more all to the accompaniment of a brief rhyming text.

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Totally lovable – what more can one say?

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Frog in Love
Max Velthuijs
Andersen Press pbk
Hurray! Andersen Press has reissued the very first of Max Velthuijs’ brilliant Frog titles just in time for Valentine’s Day. Herein Frog learns from Hare (courtesy of his large book) that the reason for his feeling out of sorts is that he’s in love. He sets about painting a picture of his beloved Duck and goes off to deliver it anonymously. The next day he leaves flowers. Duck is puzzled about the identity of the sender who meanwhile is getting desperate and has resolved to win Duck’s love by performing a reckless attempt at the world high jump record. During this feat however, disaster strikes and Frog crash lands right at the feet of the very one he wants to impress.
All ends happily despite the disaster

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and since then, (that’s about twenty five years in book time) the green frog and the white duck have loved each other dearly for as the author rightly says, ‘Love knows no boundaries.’

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If you didn’t get hold of a copy the first time around do so now, it’s just great.

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Guess How Much I Love You
Anita Jeram
Walker Books
It’s over twenty years since the first edition of this neo-classic picture book. Now, in time for that special day, Walker Books offer a lovely mini fold-out edition in a slip case. Perfect as a special gift for a special person.

I don’t often feature teen fiction but I couldn’t resist this one:

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Love Hurts
Malorie Blackman
Corgi pbk
Within the covers is a splendid collection of over twenty short stories and extracts from young adult writers, compiled by the wonderful Malorie Blackman. Young love in its many forms is contained herein and all are favourites of the compiler who has herself also written a new story for the book. As one would expect from Malorie, there’s not a dud among them: and the judiciously selected extracts offer great starting points for readers to meet authors they may not yet have tried.

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Louis Lemur, Laundry Lemur

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Lemur Dreamer
Courtney Dicmas
Templar Publishing
Somnambulist Louis, resident of the top floor of 32 Pebbly Lane, worries the fellow residents of his apartment block with his nightly wanderings. But one night when Louis actually leaves the building

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and snuffles out into the lane, they feel compelled to trail him as his dream-filled wanderings take him to the very edge, whereupon his fearless followers execute a daring rescue.

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Once safely on terra firma, Louis recounts his dreams to his rescuers only to discover how he and they have passed the night. But Louis is one lucky lemur for not only do his friends forgive him immediately, but the following day present him with a wonderful cheer-up gift, guaranteed to keep their erstwhile wanderer securely grounded in his own home.
From the title page,

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we know we are in for a treat with this one. Dicmas’ choice of colour palette is just right for those whimsical, dreamy scenes

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every one of which is a joy to behold and the perfect counterpart to her dead pan telling.

Last year there was a plethora of possums: are lemurs to be the favourite animal inhabitants of picture books in 2015, I wonder. There’s another in

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There’s a lemur in my laundry!
Jo Lodge
Nosy Crow
A top quality small chunky board book in a new ‘Slide + seek’ series for adults to enjoy with the very youngest, where sliding the lower or upper part of the page reveals the particular animal that has taken up residence in an unlikely place in the narrator’s home. So, as well as the title creature we have a sink with a seal, a frog in the fruit bowl,

 

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a snake in the sock drawer, a lion in the lampshade and a bear in the bed. In addition to the delight of revealing the animals themselves in Jo Lodge’s rainbow coloured pictures, there are animal sounds and the repeat ‘I don’t believe it!’ to join in with, and lovely alliterative sentences to relish.
Great for beginner readers to share with toddler siblings too.
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‘Little Pig, Little Pig …’

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The Three Little Pigs
illustrated by Ed Bryan
Nosy Crow
Ed Bryan’s funky illustrations for this somewhat truncated version of the nursery favourite are full of humour. That the third little pig uses a kit to construct his brick house is a source of amusement to young audiences as are the three day-glow colour pots of paint

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he uses to adorn the exterior and it’s good to see evidence of his use of wind power. The Big Bad Wolf is rather a hoot too, sporting red plaid shorts and a baker’s hat. Even so he manages to scare the first and second little pigs as they cower inside the house of sticks before beating a hasty retreat to the safe haven of their brother’s brick house. Soon after, said wolf is huffing and puffing outside with his intention-revealing pie van parked close by;

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however as children relish, it’s not the porcine trio who receive a roasting but …

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One thing though – what is the role of the small rabbit who introduces himself on the title page and makes just one further silent appearance. I was hoping to see this bit-part developed during the course of the book.

There is a companion story, Cinderella,

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published at the same time by Nosy Crow and also illustrated by Ed Bryan.

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The Four Little Pigs
Kimara Nye and Marcin Bruchnalski
Maverick Arts Publishing
Tom’s Granny is a witch (she’s no threat to children I hasten to add) so it’s no surprise that her story sessions have an added touch of magic and when she starts reading him The Three Little Pigs at bedtime, she knows just how to respond to his “I know that story! … It’s boring.” comment.
In a flash Tom himself is cascaded into the tale,

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cast as a fourth pig and off he dashes to warn the three traditional protagonists of their impending doom. In fact he has all manner of tricky plans up his sleeve to outsmart the big bad wolf and protect the trio.
Even when the BBW does gain entry to the brick house, he finds himself face to face with a character who has the nerve to call him a bully. Far from happy at this home truth, he beats a hasty retreat and heads off to participate in an alternative tale leaving the three little pigs to – well we all know that part. And Tom? His choice for Granny Mag’s next bedtime story will definitely be Little Red Riding Hood.
This one went down very well with my audience of fours and fives who were all familiar with the tale’s progenitor and thoroughly enjoyed this twisted version, in particular the sight of the BBW whooshing across the soap-smeared floor.

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and the idea that Tom’s gran could change fairy tales at will – that’s something I suggested they might try for themselves.
Bruchnalski’s bold, bright, broad-brush watercolour illustrations add further new perspectives to the tale.

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Heroes Small and Large

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Mighty Small
Timothy Knapman and Rosie Reeve
Oxford University Press
Meet Max, a diminutive would-be superhero who wears a cape and his pants over his trousers. Despite his best efforts however, Max’s superhero status goes unrecognized and he is forced to abandon the role, until that is, the circus comes to town. In all the razzle dazzle none of the townsfolk notices the shady goings on of some of the so-called performers who are actually bent on robbing the town of its riches. Time to prove himself a scared Max decides and it’s a case of BADDIE PANTS BEWARE! as our young rodent leaps into action and is immediately hot on the heels of the dastardly thieves.

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Before long Max is inside the Big Top yelling threatening orders to the robbers as he casts an almighty shadow in front of them. Their leader however isn’t that easily fooled and there follows some aerobatics and more on Max’s part before he finds himself face to face with Mr Big himself. It’s then that Max realizes his superpower and on hearing what the clowns say, has no hesitation in putting it into action …

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Guess what young Max spends his reward money on …

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A slightly crazy story which demonstrates that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes – a powerful message for young children – delivered by author and artist with panache and humour, not to mention a smattering of Ka-Pows Yee-harrs, Thwacks, Whumpfs and Pows.

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Dinosaur Rocket!
Penny Dale
Nosy Crow pbk
The dinosaur team returns with the fourth adventure in the series. So, it’s to the launch pad and after the final countdown,

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they’re off into space for a lunar expedition. Just imagine the size of their spacecraft to house such enormous crew members.
On arrival they drive their buggies,

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post their flag, for no dinosaurs have ever before been to the moon, then it’s time for space soccer and some collecting of rock samples. But before long it seems, the cosmonauts are blasting off back towards home and a safe splashdown on the ocean.
Dinosaurs and space are two endlessly popular topics with young audiences who will doubtless relish the combination of the two, herein. Penny Dale’s energetic illustrations (which also include other machines) are full of fascinating details and have enormous child appeal.

 

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Big Pet Day
Lisa Shanahan and Gus Gordon
Templar Publishing pbk
Mrs Dalton’s class is having a Pet Day and there’s to be a competition for the best pet. Courtney has brought hermit crabs, Ahmed, a pair of parrots, Caleb, a puppy, Sofia a duck, Glen, a ferret and Jody has her pony. Lily’s pet is a dragon. ‘There’s no such thing as dragons,’ Courtney maintains and continues in similar vein throughout. Soon with all those squawks, squeaks, quacks and woofs, the classroom has become a veritable menagerie. Best pet behaviour is supposed to be the order of the day but …

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The entire day is devoted to pet activities: there’s a carpet time discussion, a dried dog food eating contest between Caleb’s puppy and Glen (unofficial),

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the children draw pictures of their pets (Lily’s being the favourite – it shows her flying on her dragon’s back), lunchtime brings a show of pet tricks and after there’s the competition judging by headteacher, Mr Fisher.
The event turns out to be a rip-roaring success … kind of.
The winner of the large gold trophy is …

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With an action-packed text, a whole host of lively characters – human and animal, spot-on dialogue and amusing, wonderfully detailed mixed media illustrations, this is both a visual and verbal treat of a tale. I can see it becoming very popular in early years settings and younger primary classrooms.

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Badger and the Great Storm
Suzanne Chiew and Caroline Pedler
Little Tiger Press
This heartwarming tale features selfless Badger who, on hearing from Mouse that a terrible storm is on its way, puts friendship and the safety of his friends’ homes before his own. The resourceful character goes to great lengths to ensure that Rabbit’s burrow, Bird’s nest

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and Mouse’s hole are secure from the deluge and then stays overnight with Rabbit and his family. But on the morning following the storm his friends discover that disaster has struck Badger’s oak tree home. Badger however is not daunted. “Every problem has a solution!” he comments accepting their offers of help. Then together the friends set to work to create a very special new residence

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for their hero who finds an important use for Hedgehog’s tiny acorn.
A great message about being a true friend that offers children at home or in an early years setting a starting point for an exploration of friendship. The sight of badger sharing a bedtime story with all those baby rabbits is something to celebrate

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and I was delighted to learn that Badger prioritised the rescuing of his books in the aftermath of the storm. A creature after my own heart.

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An Animal Kind of Christmas

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Happy Hooves Oh! Oh! Oh!
A.Bogie and Rebecca Elliott
Fat Fox Books
Christmas Eve brings excitement for the Happy Hooves brigade. Galvanised by Cow’s urging to get their homes spick and span in readiness for Santa’s visit, they stir from their afternoon slumbers and set off to clean up their respective abodes. But a terrible realization soon dawns for first home, Pig: he has no chimney for Santa to come down. Sheep offers to put him up but then he too remembers he has no chimney.

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Both flee to Donkey’s abode but the same applies here. Off they go to Foal’s but once again it’s a case of a chimneyless residence. What use are sparkling clean homes if Santa can’t get in? It’s not Ho! Ho! Ho! but Oh! Oh! Oh! The despairing friends seek out Cow.
“Oh Cow, this news will make you glum,
We’ve got no chimneys for Santa to come!”
Fortunately Cow knows that Santa will deliver his gifts anywhere just so long as a mince pie is left to welcome him. However, she makes the others an offer they can’t refuse and so, panic over, gathered together in Cow’s warm barn, they hear that, now welcome, ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!‘ of Santa in the distance.

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Buy from Amazon

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Snow Bunny’s Christmas Gift
Rebecca Harry
Nosy Crow
As Snow Bunny snuggly wrapped in her red cape, joins her friends Mouse, Fox and Bear in the snow just before Christmas, she’s full of anticipation at the fun they’ll have. Sledging is first but the chill wind sends Mouse scampering for the warmth of her home.

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Ice-skating makes Fox shiver so he too departs, then when the snow starts falling in the forest, Bear heads off home leaving a sad Snow Bunny all alone. On her way home she discovers a coin shining in the moonlight and off she goes to Badger’s shop. There she buys something that, after a lot of hard work with her knitting needles, means that her friends need never feel cold again. Fox, Mouse and Bear all have their warm Christmas gifts but their creator has the very best present of all – their friendship.

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A warm-hearted, tenderly told tale full of the true spirit of the season and with added sparkly touches at every turn of the page.
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The Sheep that Saved Christmas
Jason Page and Adrian Reynolds
Red Fox pbk
Unfortunately for her flock-mates, Cynthia, is a sheep obsessed with Christmas, starting her anticipation of the festival in January. Fortunately for them however, maths is not her strong point so they come up with a cunning plan to pack her off on an extended holiday far away. And where do they dispatch her? – To the North Pole where Cynthia begs Santa to give her a job as one of his helpers. Seemingly though, she isn’t cut out to be a present wrapper, nor a cook’s assistant or even a sleigh puller. A disappointed Cynthia is on the point of heading home when she learns that disaster has befallen Santa himself. Christmas is cancelled, he announces but Cynthia thinks otherwise. Finally, the determined ewe gets her chance to save the day …

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Crazy, seasonal fun illustrated with Reynolds’ characteristic verve and humour. Cynthia’s changing fortunes are captured beautifully in her facial expressions and body language.
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Yikes, Santa-Claws!
Pamela Buchart and Sam Lloyd
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk.
Frivolous Christmas frolics dinosaur style delivered by the creators of Yikes Stinkysaurus …
Who is that green scaly creature sporting a red hat and beard and coming down the chimney as the dino-tots snuggle up in bed eagerly awaiting Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve? It’s one Santa-Claws and it seems he’s hell bent on wreaking havoc and wrecking Christmas at their and every other home too. It’s just as well then, that a sparkling tree stops him dead in his tracks

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just as the real Santa arrives to put a stop to all the mischief and mayhem caused by this imposter and making Santa-Claws to see the error of his ways.
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Spellbinders

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The Witch with an Itch
Helen Baugh and Deborah Allwright
Jonathan Cape pbk
When the little witch passes her final exams she cannot wait to start working her magic outside school. Her first subject is a frog – he’s destined to become a hat but, at the crucial moment, an itch comes upon our young heroine causing her wand to wobble and point instead at a flower – whoopsie! The frog’s still there but …

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A similar thing happens with the spider; this time it’s a toadstool not the arachnid that becomes a broom.
Another failed attempt follows and then a thoroughly frustrated little witch loses her cool completely hurling her wand to the ground in disgust.

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Suddenly beside her she notices a little girl with one hat, one pot, one broom plus the frog, spider and newt. And, she knows what’s been causing that aggravating itch; moreover, she knows how to get rid of that trying allergy once and for all.
Suitably spirited, wonderfully expressive illustrations and a lively, rhyming text that gives adult readers aloud the opportunity to let rip are the main ingredients of this diverting tale by a debut author.
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Winnie’s Big Bad Robot
Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Oxford University Press
Winnie’s decision to wave her wand and turn her junk robot into a real one is far from clever, all the more so when the big bad creature makes a grab for her wand and starts wielding it. Before long, not only has her house has become robotic but Winnie the Witch has become Winnie the Robot.

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Now it’s left to faithful Wilbur to retrieve the wand and restore things to their natural order once more. But can he do it?
Another crazy caper illustrated in Korky Paul’s witty, exuberant style. Those robotic rabbits, ducks and frogs are superb but all the spreads are crammed with
delicious details.
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Especially for those who like to add their own creative touches of magic to a story is:

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Spells and Surprises Activity Storybook
Marnie Edwards and Leigh Hodgkinson
Nosy Crow pbk
Best friends Princess Sapphire and Emerald the Witch become pupils at St Aubergine’s School just in time for the annual Hallowe’en festivities. First though there are all manner of lessons to be learned, not to mention costumes to be made and strange noises to be investigated. So it’s just as well that the pupils are ready to help each other out. Toasted marshmallows all round, I say.
There’s lots of fun to be had herein – glue, sequins and glitter at the ready: there are opportunities for adding to every one of the forty or so double spreads.
This one is definitely more likely to appeal to girls, probably from around five but perhaps younger depending on the individual. And don’t forget those witchy hats; time to head over to Mixtopia for some magical happenings.
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Starting with a Fairy Tale …

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Cinderella’s Big Day
Katie Cotton and Sheena Dempsey
Templar Publishing
It’s just one week before the wedding of Prince Charlie and Cinderella when a letter arrives on the royal breakfast table addressed to the King and Queen: a letter from Charlie, informing Their Most Marvellous Majesties that the ring he’s due to place on Cinderella’s finger has gone missing. Immediately the King’s suspicion falls on the ugly sisters. But is he right? There follow five further letters through which much of the narrative detail unfolds. The wedding does take place though with some notable absentees and all is made clear why through the final communication fired off by Cinders herself as she relaxes happily on her honeymoon – that and …

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Billed as ‘After Happily Ever After” I suspect this amusing novelty book is the first of a new series. Sheena Dempsey has used a palette of soft colours to create her scenes. Scenes that contain a mixture of contemporary items such as Cinderella’s heart shaped sunglasses, wry details like the mouse’s tail extending round the skin lotion bottle,

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as well as the more traditional fairytale paraphernalia. Children will particularly love the wedding fold-out scene that is crammed with characters from traditional tales and nursery rhymes.

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How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel
Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
On the top floor of an inner city tower block Rapunzel languishes, ignoring callers: the milkman, the postman bearing a letter, the baker woman, Rapunzel’s aunt with dinner, even a prince bearing chocs and red roses.

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All exhort, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your hair.” But, receiving no response, and with the lift out of order, one by one they continue on their way. Later though, concerned on account of her lack of food, they have a change of heart and after a discussion, all (except the prince who is never seen again) decide to return to make amends. Back they go and up, up to the sixteenth floor where a hearty meal is cooked for Rapunzel and the letter duly delivered. The food restores colour to her cheeks but it’s the contents of the letter that really puts a smile on her face.
‘Rapunzel leapt up and she shouted with glee:
“I’ve got a new job at the library!” ‘
From then on our heroine is transformed: no longer does she sit idly waiting to be wooed; she spends her time enthusing about books at work and educating herself when she gets home – courtesy of LIBRARY BOOKS – what else?
Told through a longish, zingy, rhyming text and bold illustrations that are full of funny details and mischievous touches such as the crow tugging at a tress of Rapunzel’s wayward auburn hair, not to mention cats, dogs and birds galore.
A great plug for libraries and the delights of books and a great picture book debut for illustrator, Rebecca Ashdown.

Also told in jaunty rhyme is:

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Princess Sleepyhead and the Night-Night Bear
Peter Bently and Laura Ellen Anderson
Orchard Books
Night has fallen over the kingdom; in the castle all are slumbering, all that is except one: Princess Sleephead is wide awake. But kindly Owl at her window is determined to help so off he flies, returning soon with Fox and Mouse. Their sleep-inducing ideas are great fun but very energetic and only serve to wake her further. Owl however has promised three friends so who is missing? Ah! It’s Bartholomew Brownfur-Brown – a large friendly creature – aka the Sleepytime Ted clutching a collection of bedtime fairy tales:

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just the thing to cure the princess’s insomnia.
Exuberant illustrations littered with the princess’s ephemera, endearing animal characters and some enchanting sleepy-time scenes and a text that is a pleasure to read aloud, are the main ingredients of this fairy tale romp.

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SHHH!
Sally Grindley and Peter Utton
Hodder Children’s Books pbk
It’s great to see this book reissued; my original hardback copy was read to destruction. Loosely based on Jack and the Beanstalk, the manner in which this book draws readers in is just superb. With the entreaty to “Come inside” we enter the giant’s castle wherein we view and creep past, a huge-bellied sleeping mouse, a slumbering cat – enormous, a broody hen, the giant’s wife busy cooking dinner and then, the snoring giant.
Distorted perspectives, grisly domestic details such as an axe to slice the bread and eyeballs in the stew pot, retrospective flaps so readers can check whether those they crept past have been disturbed – reassuring until the final one, after which it’s a case of doing what we are told …

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Not for long though, I can guarantee there will be cries of “read it again” straightaway.

Find and buy from your local bookshop:

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Above and Below

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The Something
Rebecca Cobb
Macmillan Children’s Books
The small boy narrator of this story loses his ball down a hole in his garden. Thus begins a whole host of flights of fancy about what might be lurking down in the darkness. Perhaps his red bouncy ball has caused breakfast-time havoc in the subterranean home of little mouse or maybe some frogs are having fun with it. Or, might there be something much larger and more frightening – a fiery dragon or a hungry troll? Although we never do find out what, if anything at all resides under the cherry tree, it certainly gives the lad something to talk about with his friends,

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grandparents and the dog. Assuredly the dog enjoys guarding said hole and dreaming about its possible residents.
Rebecca Cobb’s illustrations, as always are a delight; in particular those underground scenes of the disaster-struck mouse-hole with the mezzanine bedroom and that little mole sitting knitting a rainbow scarf.

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Cobb’s spare rendering of the child’s voice is spot-on allowing the pictures to provide the detail of his imaginings. Above ground, the passage of time is shown through the seasonal changes to the cherry tree beside which the watch is kept – just in case…
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Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Safari
Nosy Crow
Meet lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo, zebra, warthog, crocodile, cheetah, rhinoceros, giraffe and antelope each of which introduces itself with a jaunty, two-verse rhyme and a portrait courtesy of Scheffler. But we can also hear from a zebingo, an elephara, a wartodile

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and over a hundred other possible creatures thanks to the spirally bound, split page design of this book. The characteristic Scheffler humour is present too in the small creatures that ask “What is it” in the left-hand corner of every page, as well as in the expressions and stances of the larger beasts portrayed on the right hand pages.
I recall when I was a fledgling teacher, Penguin Education had a series of split page books and the children couldn’t get enough of them. Then there was Maureen Roffey’s Door to Door, also very popular. I foresee endless hours of fun being had with these new incarnations too. It’s as well they are printed on sturdy card and strongly bound; I’m sure they will get a lot of handling in primary classrooms and could well inspire children to try making their own split page books.
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Fairy Tale Imaginings

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Use Your Imagination
Nicola O’Byrne
Nosy Crow
Like its predecessor, this delicious book comes with a warning on the cover – (Rabbit’s suggestion I imagine judging by what ensues therein.). Open up to find a fantastic lesson in storytelling courtesy of one large lupine librarian – who ever heard of such a thing? – and one small and so he proves – highly imaginative Rabbit, not to mention the brilliant Nicola O’Byrne.
Feeling bored, said Rabbit wishes aloud for something to happen and this comment happens to be overheard by said librarian His suggestion is to co-write a story. Having got over (more or less) his surprise at the size of the librarian’s ears – “All the better for listening to stories with, my dear,” and his eyes “All the better for reading with,” the next thing is how to begin. USE YOUR IMAGINATION! – how else? So off we, or rather they, go… ‘Once upon a time.’ That’s the beginning dealt with and oh, it has to be a fairy tale; characters next and the requirement here is a baddie. Size is important; not too small and not too big…

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wolf size is perfect. Then there’s the hero (dress unimportant) and a setting. Again, imagination comes to the fore or should that be forest, here.
Now that’s all settled, let the story start –

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Time to decide who is really calling the shots thereafter and quickly too. Over to you Rabbit…
Cheeky humour, verbal and visual, mixes perfectly with fairytale frights and just the right degree of suspense in this superbly imagined (what else?) book.
It’s one of those that makes you want to wave it from the rooftops and shout come and listen to this NOW.
I had pretty much the same reaction to:

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Dog Loves Fairy Tales
Louise Yates
Jonathan Cape
As he dusts his bookshelves, Dog comes upon a long-lost book of Fairy Tales and in so doing, steps right into an adventure. His first encounter is with an imp who insists he is under a witch’s curse and must remain in his jar. Dog however disagrees. We must find the witch and break the curse he asserts leading the imp out into the Enchanted Forest.

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Now this imp is a thoroughly pessimistic character and no matter what Dog says, he counters it with negativity.
On their journey to find the witch, Dog and imp encounter Goldilocks (in the three bears’ cottage), three little pigs on their construction site,

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Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood in the wood, Rumpelstiltskin (but not Rapunzel; she was not at home – thanks to imp’s bad luck) and more than one big bad wolf before finding the witch.

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She turns out to be anything but wicked and cures imp of his pessimistic streak once and for all leaving Dog and his impish pal to continue together right to THE END and their very own ‘happily ever after’.
This thoroughly engrossing story is brimming over with fairy tale allusions, (some spoken, others shown) making this not only a delight for young audiences but also an absolute gift for teachers. It’s great to read aloud and a super starting point for an exploration of traditional tales in the primary classroom. As with her previous Dog stories, the characters are beautifully portrayed in Louise Yates’ wonderful, very funny watercolour illustrations. She manages to convey the entire range of emotions seemingly effortlessly with that light touch of hers. Cool endpapers too.
It’s me, not the imp who is bewitched where this book is concerned.

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Starting School

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A Big Day for Migs!
Jo Hodgkinson
Andersen Press
Migs’ big day has arrived; he’s starting school. Off he goes somewhat reluctantly, fighting back the tears as he bids goodbye to his mum. In the classroom, it’s a shy Migs who watches all the others enjoying themselves and then, in the dressing up corner, he discovers just the thing to boost his self-confidence.

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Before long there’s a super hero mouse roaring and rampaging around the room, cloak flowing behind; but like others, super heroes need to watch where they are going. WHOOSH… SPLOOSH! A whole pot of water spills over Rokko’s boat painting.
Even a super hero’s handiwork cannot repair the damage and a tearful Rokko makes his feelings known in no uncertain terms. But can that same super hero’s brain come up with a super plan?
Thanks to some great teamwork and creative crafting, it’s not too long before harmony is restored.

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Then it’s time for lunch, a story session and everyone departs smiling happily and eagerly anticipating another day of fun with new friends.

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Anyone who has spent any time in a nursery or reception classroom will recognize the way things can all too easily escalate from well-intentioned exuberant romp to minor mishap, and thence to complete disaster in a very short space of time. Jo Hodgkinson captures this so well here both in her amusing illustrations and the jaunty rhyming text, as she does too, those mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension about starting school.
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Dolci is fascinated by Mouse’s antics

Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School
Simon Puttock and Ali Pye
Nosy Crow
It’s little Mouse’s very first night at Moonlight School, Miss Moon’s establishment for nocturnal creatures. The other members of the class, Bat, Cat and Owl have all arrived but there’s no sign of Mouse: She is having an attack of newcomer’s nerves and has gone into hiding.

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However, Mouse’s mother has given strict instructions about good behaviour to her offspring and so when Miss Moon calls the register, she finds herself revealing her presence and eventually creeps out to show herself. The accommodating Miss Moon responds to her “I like hiding” by suggesting a game of hide-and-seek and the class members scamper off to hide. Owl, Cat and Bat’s whereabouts are quickly discovered but where is Mouse? (Observant readers will have spotted her hiding place). A careful search ensues but to no avail;

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Miss Moon begins to worry but eventually little Mouse can contain herself no longer … out she pops just in time for midnight snack with her new friends and what’s even more exciting, shyness overcome, she has discovered something she can do better than her classmates.
The nocturnal setting of this story with its friendly witch teacher, gives it a pinch of something extra so it is not just a ‘starting school’ story. Children love the idea of the teacher not being able to find mouse but I don’t think they needed to be told her whereabouts; perhaps better to let the pictures do the talking here.
There are lots of amusing details in Ali Pye’s muted, candle-lit illustrations and I just love those gorgeous, lunar-lighted landscapes, in particular, the endpapers.

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High Fliers

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DSCN2107 Nuts in Space
Elys Dolan
Nosy Crow
Will they or will they not find their way home with their precious cargo? That is the nub of this hilarious story starring Commander Moose and his half dozen crew members. Having completed their mission to find The Lost Nuts of Legend and boarded their super stealth covert cruiser, they discover that the Star Nav of their craft, Forest Fleet’s Finest Starship no less, has malfunctioned. Oh woe! DSCN2108

Moreover, their food supplies are exhausted and their maps have been mysteriously consumed. Hmm! What can they do? Certainly not start on those nuts guys: they are reputed to bestow unimaginable boons: invincibility and bedtimes that are never passed, for instance. Stopping by at the Death Banana to ask for directions? Certainly not a good move, either guys.

DSCN2109 So do those fearless, very hungry, crew members ever find their way back home again? And what about those all-important Nuts of Lost Legend; what is their fate? If you want to know, and I’m pretty sure you do, then get hold of a copy of this action-packed saga. It’s absolutely chock-full of treats – both visual and verbal (not to mention nuts). Well, maybe not NUTS! DSCN2110It’s guaranteed to keep youngsters absorbed for hours, days, maybe even weeks!
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When Angus Met Alvin
Sue Pickford
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Alien Angus is different; there’s nothing he likes better than to rest quietly in his peaceful garden. One day however his peace is disturbed when a spaceship crashes, creating havoc in the centre of his lawn.

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Out jumps Alvin, another alien whose mission it is to demonstrate his ‘special space skills’.
Angus is unimpressed by Alvin’s fancy flying and there rapidly develops a competitive element to their trickery. Time for Angus to consult Professor Poppemoff’s tome for a suitable idea.

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To say that Alvin’s already inflated idea of his skills is further inflated by Angus’s challenge and that it consequently causes his downfall – indeed his total deflation – is no exaggeration.
The resulting pin-sized Alvin is far from amused and quickly makes an ‘I promise to behave myself’ deal with Angus. Thereupon he receives a deft dusting of special, size restorative

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and sets to work to prove himself, which he duly does. Peace is finally restored in Angus’s garden.
A delightfully daft tale of friendship and lateral thinking, laugh-makingly delivered through a combination of completely crazy ideas compiled into a comic text, and playful pictures.

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These are littered throughout with off-beat details and appropriately idiotic images.
I envisage this one sparking off all manner of alien artistry and other imaginative ideas from enthusiastic listeners of the earthling species. It certainly got a huge thumbs up from both large groups of five and six year olds that I shared it with.
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 Pairs of children could be Angus and Alvin and then using the wonderful endpapers as a starting point, can compile and then depict, their own sets of ‘Special Things’ on small coloured pieces of paper. These can then be pasted up on opposite sides of a large sheet of card or paper, one half for Alvin’s, the other for Angus’s.

What about having an alien tea party, Alvin and Angus style, with young earthlings compiling the menu and concocting the food and drink. Then sharing it of course!

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Those Magnificent Sheep in their Flying Machine
Peter Bently and David Roberts
Andersen Press
I found myself struggling not to break into fits of laughter as I read this one out loud; indeed my ribs were aching trying to keep my giggles in. This absolutely uproarious saga tells and shows what happens when Lambert and Eunice and Marly and Mabs and Old Uncle Ramsbottom, Bart, Ben and Babs (phew!) accidentally take to the air in a biplane.

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Squashed into the cockpit they set forth on a round the world trip to see the sights. They drop in at, among other destinations, France for a can-can, Tibet where little Ben’s encounter with a Yeti is too close for comfort, DSCN2058

and India where a maharajah’s invitation to his Delhi palace for “Mutton curry” sends them scuttling hastily planewards. But then … east? west? Home’s best, the others firmly tell Ramsbottom , so, home they go. The returning plane is spotted by its silver-topped cane bearing owner who rushes eagerly to apprehend the thieves, only to find his empty flying machine at rest atop the hill, but no sign of any thieves, just a field full of white, woolly sheep.

DSCN2059 Wonderful!
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If you are interested in teenage fiction, nominations are called for the Queen of Teen award 2014. For further information got to: http://www.queenofteen.co.uk

Funky Fairy Tale Flights of Fancy

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Hector and the Big Bad Knight
Alex T. Smith
Scholastic Children’s Books pbk
It’s a case of little versus large in this wacky tale of derring-do and dastardly deeds in the peaceful, bunting-festooned haven of Spottybottom village. Peaceful that is, until Hector’s Granny’s magic wand is stolen by none other than the Big Bad Knight. (BBK hereafter) “You’ll never catch me,” laughs the boastful Knight as he gallops away on his trusty steed. Hector has a plan however, and is determined to prove him wrong, much to the amusement of the villagers. ”You?” they giggled, “But you’re tiny and small! And your spindly arms have NO muscles at all!”
Having packed a hanky full of useful things (crisps, scissors and an umbrella) Hector, with friend Norman set out on their rescue attempt.

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Into the deep, dark forest they go whereupon, with a twirl of Granny’s wand, the BBK causes an enormous and very tall tangle of thorny weeds to spring up.
Time for Hector to put plan A into action: SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! Think again BBK.
So over the dingy moat he goes and with a twirl of Granny’s wand, the drawbridge is no more. Time for plan B Hector: boating across umbrella style.

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Up the castle tower flees the BBK – the terribly tall one hotly pursued by Hector and trusty hen, Norman. More boasting and wand waving from the BBK and his horse becomes a hungry dragon, but it’s not Hector that he has his eyes on – oh no! The BBK would make a much more satisfying meal. Quick Hector: plan C – the crisps but first, a quick grab of Granny’s wand.
Then comes a triumphant return for Hector and Norman and a less triumphant one for the BBK. But what to do with the latter, Granny wonders. Luckily Hector has yet another plan – one of the malodorous variety and thoroughly deserved by the roguish thief.

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Alex K Smith’s madcap medieval tale of magic, mayhem and more makes for a marvellous storytime read. His madcap (and occasionally menacing) illustrations, be they large or small, garishly coloured or silhouette, are magnificently mirth-making manifestations of the ridiculous.
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The Deep Dark Wood
Algy Craig Hall and Ali Pye
Orchard Books
What is that little girl thinking about going alone into the dangerous, deep, dark wood wherein all manner of nasties lurk? She certainly doesn’t know the identity of the friendly tagger-on she acquires on her way; she’s off to visit her best friend’s house for tea, she casually informs him. But then, neither does her large black companion know the identity of said best friend. On they go together, deeper into the deep dark wood till there’s a YIKES! from the little girl. She might be frightened but her companion is unperturbed. His bristling and grizzling quickly have that witch running scared. He dispenses with the smelly old troll in similar fashion with some added claws and gnaws.

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On go the sweet little girl and her “very brave” companion … The hungry giant is disposed of howlingly and growlingly and then they are at the friend’s house. Big bad wolf, mouth a-watering, cannot wait to meet her but is puzzled by her place of residence.
Time for the friend to show herself …

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Guess who’s running scared now.
With twists and turns aplenty, plus a wonderfully satisfying finale, this hilarious reworking of the old favourite is guaranteed to keep listeners on the edge of their bottoms even though they know what the large black hairy animal accompanying the little girl really wants.
It’s a real joy to read aloud and Ali Pye’s illustrations are just brilliant, adding even more to the already sublime mock scariness of the story.Don’t miss this one.
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The Princess and the Presents
Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton
Nosy Crow
With her head of wild auburn curls and fiery temper, pampered princess Ruby puts me in mind of a modern day Violet Elizabeth Bott.
As her birthday draws near, the princess’s demands are issued loud and clear and if they are not fulfilled, she’ll ‘ “scream and scream and SCREAM!” ‘

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When the presents crammed within, cause the catastrophic collapse of the castle with her most precious possession (so she thinks) crushed inside, Princess Ruby comes to her senses. All is not lost however, for what do the hard-working fire fighters discover in the rubble after hours of digging? the object of their search, safe and sound.

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Then selfishness set aside, the princess and her pater set to work to reconstruct, first a birthday and then, a new residence – just for two.
Pink? Yes. Princessy? Assuredly, but this feisty miss does finally see the error of her ways and does indeed abandon her perfect pinkishness – almost!
An up-to-date cautionary tale with a powerful punch and peachy ending.
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Jack and the Jelly Bean Stalk
Rachael Mortimer and Liz Pichon
Hodder Children’s Books
This is the third twisted traditional tale from Mortimer and Pichon and another winning, albeit slightly silly, one it is too. (I have to admit to a particular penchant for such stories though).
Jack’s mum sends him off to sell their beloved cow Daisy, which he duly does – for twenty gold coins no less. Unfortunately however, Jack cannot resist the lure of the sweetshop he passes on his way home.

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There he parts with his precious coins for an enormous bag of jelly beans with every flavor imaginable and some unimaginable ones too. Needless to say, Jack’s mum is livid, hurls his spoils outside and despatches him to bed. During the night Jack is awoken by a gloriously mouthwatering smell and discovers in his garden in the moonlight, a gigantic jelly bean stalk. Oh joy!
Off up the beanstalk he goes forthwith, coming upon a golden gate at the top. In he goes tentatively, only to be apprehended by sobbing goose with a tale of woe.

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Soon both Jack and goose are fearing for their lives, as the ground shakes and they hear
“Fee-fi-fo-foy,
I smell a juicy boy!
Goose is good but boy’s so tasty,
Served with chips and wrapped
in pastry!”
The quick-thinking Jack makes a deal with the giant and is soon hard at work frantically picking jelly beans. The hastily harvested jelly bean feast meets with the giant’s approval but the hungry goose cannot resist partaking of said feast – oh no! All is not lost however; the beanstalk cannot support the jellybean stuffed giant’s weight.

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CRASH! Farewell giant, hello goose and a never ending supply of jelly beans; watch out for those smelly old socks tasting ones though.
Ridiculously funny, with its slightly tongue in cheek telling and bright, appropriately garishly coloured, pictures that are perfectly in keeping with the tenor of the tale and the nature of the beanstalk’s origins. Many of the illustrations are chock full of witty, laugh-making details both visual and verbal.
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Find and buy from your local bookshop:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

I Spy …

jillrbennett 2 Comments

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I Spy in the Sky …
Edward Gibbs
Templar Publishing (Brubaker, Ford & Friends)
Information is painlessly and playfully  absorbed as young readers engage in a game of I-Spy in this series; here the focus is birds, the format is the same as for previous titles.
On the right hand side of each double spread is a die-cut peep hole. This offers an up-close view of a portion of a wing of the particular flying creature being ‘spied’ be it parrot, hummingbird, pelican, eagle, owl or other bird. The left-hand page provides a look at the bird in question’s own eye. To aid the guessing there are factual verbal clues relating to food, manner of flying, and colour of plumage whilst a glimpse of the animal’s habitat is presented across the double spread; add to that additional information in the form of speech bubbles, then turn the page to reveal a wonderfully dramatic vision of the bird itself executed in Edward Gibbs’ characteristically bold style.
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Maisy’s World of Animals
Lucy Cousins
Walker Books
Join an appropriately clad and equipped Maisy and visit such contrasting environments as the icy Arctic, snow-capped alpine mountains, the scorching sandy desert, the hot grassy savannah,

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the Oceanic depths, a lush jungle and finally, the freezing South Pole. At each location we are can spot four different kinds of animal (except at the Pole), one or more of which can be moved by a tab-pull or opening flap.
Yes, I’m sure the very young will  be absorbing some basic science concepts but more important, they will be expanding their horizons, increasing their vocabulary and vitally, having fun sharing the book with an adult or older child. How long the movable parts will last in enthusiastic hands, I’m not sure, but I suspect this one, like other Maisy titles, will get many re-reads.
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Pip and Posy Look and Say
Axel Scheffler
Nosy Crow
Illustrations from Pip and Posy’s other titles have been reworked into this large format I Spy book. My first thoughts when I saw the title of this one were: Are the publishers/author trying to oust the current phonic obsession that presently holds our nation’s beginning readers in its thrall? Would that they were.
Actually though I don’t think that is the intention (more’s the pity). This is essentially a sequence of playful scenes showing the friends in a variety of locations – the park,

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the town, home and garden engaged in those everyday activities that can make special moments for small children. We see them scooting, flying a balloon, peering out at two birds tugging at a worm in the rain, tobogganing, pulling off wellies, playing with building blocks and trains, sharing a snack, dressing up, using play-dough and more. Each double page scene has an accompanying narrative and underneath is a series of eight small, captioned, telescope-view style pictures preceded by an invitation from a minibeast, bird or toy “Can you find these things?” Hence, many hours of enjoyable togetherness with small child, book and adult or older sibling.
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Not actually an ‘I-Spy’ book, rather one that invites the very young to count is:

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Giraffe’s Jungle Boogie
Liza Miller and Sarah Pitt
Templar Publishing
Giraffe loves to dance but without a tune to follow, she makes it a leg-tangling disaster. Off she goes (seemingly armed or should that be legged?) with instruments in search of a band to keep her on beat. She encounters in turn one elephant – he receives a bell, two monkeys – they get cymbals, three zebras – drums for them

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and four lions – they become banjo strummers. But then elephant downs tools or rather bell and the other animals quickly follow suit. Time for some quick thinking and a new plan… Before long there is a reconvened group starring an elephant trumpeter and five jiving giraffes.
Having said this isn’t an I-spy book, it could, with the assistance of an adult mediator, very easily become one. As well as the animals to count, there are all manner of minibeasts, brightly coloured flowers, musical instruments and other items in the landscape to spot and/or count.
With jolly, bright and often amusing, images from Sarah Pitt, paper engineered pop-ups by Jonathan Litton and Liza Miller’s rhyming text, this one should provide lots to engage preschoolers.
Buy from Amazon

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Stephen Biesty’s Giant Vehicles
Stephen Biesty, Rod Green and Andy Mansfield
Templar Publishing
This sturdy book (it will need to be) is a veritable feast for the eyes, not to mention the mind. Biesty has chosen eight giant movers to be the subjects of this thoroughly engrossing info-graphic book. The featured whoppers are ‘The Super-Train’, The Giant Jumbo (Airbus A380), The Whopper Chopper (Russian Halo helicopter),

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Saturn V, the rocket that powered the Apollo spacecraft, The Caterpillar 797F dumper truck, floating hotel the Oasis of the Seas, the Russian naval submarine Typhoon and the world’s biggest ship Maersk Triple-E.
Countless hours, weeks even, of child (or adult come to that) absorbed in book are assured with this one. In addition to the numerous written facts (provided by Rod Green) visible on the page, lift the flaps – over 40 in all – (Andy Mansfield engineered those) to reveal further informative annotations to Biesty’s mind bogglingly detailed, pen/ink and watercolor washed, illustrations.
I can see it being read to death – literally. Buy to give and buy to keep. It’s an infinitely better way to turn young minds on to science/technology than any endless testing regime.
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Find and buy from your local bookshop:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Prehistoric Animal Brigade

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Woolly
Sam Childs
Scholastic pbk
The new addition to the mammoth family has something of a problem. She’s not woolly at all, just the opposite in fact; she’s bald and pink and feels the cold terribly. Mum has an idea – a tea towel wrapping, but this scares off the potential friends she meets. Poor Woolly: back home she goes. Time to start knitting advises Daddy but Mummy has another idea in the form of a rainbow-hued, feathery coat. However, Woolly’s attempts to emulate the birds win her no friends either so it’s back home once again.

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This time though, Mummy heeds Daddy’s advice and gets knitting.

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The outcome? A very happy Woolly with lots of playmates until she gets overheated in the family cave and rushes out to play in the cold, cold snow. That proves to be her undoing but it’s not a total disaster; far from it in fact … Unashamedly cute and heart-warming; what endearing characters Sam Childs has portrayed in the mixed media illustrations of her hugely enchanting story.
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Dino-Mummy
Mark Sperring and Sam Lloyd
Bloomsbury pbk.
Dino-Mummy is a marvel. From singing a morning ‘Tra la la” to after lunch rocket launcher, afternoon dino-pirate

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or evening bath time bubble maker she is hard at work caring for and entertaining her two demanding dino-offspring. Nothing seems to faze this super-mum and although it would have been good to see her engaging in some less traditional female activities, Dino-Mummy as portrayed by Sam Lloyd is a charmer with her matching pink shoes, necklace and floral adornment. Sperring’s rhyming text reads aloud well though I suggest if you are sharing it with a group that you try it on your own first as the phrasing in one or two places can be a bit tricky on the tongue.
Definitely a good bet for appreciative (dino) tinies to give to their mums on Mother’s Day.
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There’s a Dinosaur in My Bathtub
Catalina Echeverri
Bloomsbury pbk.
Not so much a dinosaur, more an imaginary friend is the huge green creature in this story, especially as he is only seen by Amelia, sports a large black curly moustache, hails from France and answers to the name, Pierre. Said large beast certainly adds spice to Amelia’s life: together they picnic on the moon, dance upside down to Pierre’s magic violin and much more besides, the bathtub becoming a vehicle for their flights of fancy.

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Sadly though, Pierre and others like him only stay during the summer months and so, when the autumn leaves begin to fall, it’s time to bid farewell. But not before one last special picnic with Pierre’s most favourite food: can you guess what that might be?
Catalina Echeverri’s wonderful scenes abound with witty detail, including captions and labels, adding to the quirky humour of her tale, a tale told by Amelia herself who engages her audience with her opening speech … ‘My name is Amelia. … Shhh!! It’s a secret so you mustn’t tell anyone in the whole world … OK?’
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Toot Goes to Dinosaurland
Catherine and Laurence Anholt
Nosy Crow pbk
Toot has a little red car with a magic satnav that will take him and his toy puppy to all manner of exciting places. He decides to visit Dinosaurland. (I can see a series coming here.) Off goes the car, through the city, into a tunnel, up and down mountains, to the top of a high hill and down to his destination. There he meets dinosaurs of different sizes – a weeny one, a middle-sized one and a big one but not, much to Toot’s relief, a huge enormous one. So what is that long green slope you are driving up Toot? “ROA-AR!”

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Time for some fast thinking and a clever trick to escape those open jaws.
This story will go down well with very young children either individually or in a preschool setting. The bright illustrations are engaging and will hold their interest; and the text offers lots of opportunities for audience participation through sounds and actions, Children will enjoy being in the know as they notice what Toot does not; that he is driving along a tail-shaped road towards danger.
After sharing the story you could take the opportunity offered therein to talk about comparative sizes. Then, why not let preschoolers play out the story with small world dinosaurs of various sizes, a little rabbit soft toy for Toot and a toy car large enough to fit him in; the children could decide what else is needed.
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Nina is immediately grabbed by the story

Gigantosaurus
Jonny Duddle
Templar Publishing
“His feet go STOMP!
His jaws go CRUNCH!
In the blink of an eye
You’d be his LUNCH!”
Watch out! The Gigantosaurus is about, warn the dinosaur mums as Bonehead, Tiny, Fin and Bill set off to play on the hill one day.
Self-elected lookout, Bonehead posts himself on the termite nest and it’s not long before he raises the alarm “GIGANTOSAURUS!”…

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THUD THUD THUD – a false alarm as it turns out. So too is the second cry and the third. Bonehead laughs at his pals, leaves them and goes to take a nap so he says, but “GIGANTOASARUS!” he calls again. Enough is enough decide the others going off to explore but then …
Duddle’s prehistoric take on The Boy Who Cried Wolf is nothing short of stupendous. The rhyming story rollicks along and with their filmic quality, the digitally created illustrations almost leap off the page.

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There’s also a fold out page and sturdy dust jacket that doubles as a large two-sided poster,one side of which shows the dinosaurs on a time-line and, to whet the appetites of knowledge seekers, there are snippets of information about the featured dinosaurs on the two final double spreads.
With his dinosaurs, Duddle has definitely done it again.

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WOW!

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Finally, not really a picture book

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Hot Dogs and Dinosnores
Amanda Li
Macmillan Children’s Books pbk
‘What do you get when a dinosaur sneezes? Out of the way’.  You can find this joke, more dinosaur jokes and a whole host of others in this ‘first animal joke book’. It’s ideal for those gaining confidence as readers, and even if they don’t laugh uproariously at Li’s one hundred odd groan making jokes, Jane Eccles’s dotty line drawings are sure to raise a smile.
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Find and buy from your local bookshop: http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Have you marked  5th March in your diaries? wrad13nodate

Birthday Bonanza

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Boa’s Bad Birthday
Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Andersen Press
Boa is anticipating his best ever birthday. He’s invited his friends to join him and wonders what gifts they might bring. But Orang-utan’s outsize parcel and the presents from Monkey, Jaguar, Sloth and Ant Eater are all disappointments.

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Then his mother announces the arrival of Dung Beetle. Her present will be a pile of – – – – thinks Boa. He’s right of course but inside that stinky dung ball is a small seed and from that seed sprouts something very special that in due course, becomes the perfect place for a Boa to hang around in. The moral of this story is, ‘Never turn your nose up at a stinky present; you never know what delights it might hold in store.’
The sight of Ross’s Boa, sporting his conical party hat and showing a whole range of expressions from sobbing despair to snaky smiles is a real treat as are his depictions of the other animals bearing their self-centred offerings.
The understated humour of Jean Willis’ straight-talking text is the perfect counterpart to Ross’ illlustrations.
The Willis/Ross partnership just goes from strength to strength.
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Dylan engrossed in Captain Beastie’s birthday celebrations

Captain Beastie’s Pirate Party
Lucy Coats and Chris Mould
Nosy Crow pbk
Join the disgusting Captain Beastie as he counts down the five days left till his birthday while engaging in his unpleasant habits. When Saturday dawns the Captain wakes early and gets a big surprise: all his unsavoury clothes have vanished over night. An even bigger surprise is to follow though – a scrub in a large tub courtesy of his long-suffering crew.

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Then, after a detangle and a towel wrap, our squeaky clean Captain spies a large parcel wherein awaits a spanking new pirate suit and hat. Time for some celebratory singing, cake and other tasty tidbits. ‘Oops!’ What’s that you’ve spattered all over your new suit Captain?
Avast! me ‘arties; hasten aboard for a splendidly riotous romp with marvellously Mouldy illustrations dotted with suitably disgusting details of Beastie’s detritus and a host of other nasties. Miss the Captain’s party at your peril.
I suspect shouts of “again” will be the order of the day where this one is concerned.
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Find and buy from your local bookseller:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

International Book Giving Day is on Friday 14th

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Picture Book Allsorts

jillrbennett 3 Comments

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Wanda and the Alien to the Rescue
Sue Hendra
Red Fox pbk
Rabbit Wanda and her alien friend discover a small, lost creature in the woods one day. After an abortive search for his mummy, they take him home, wash him, feed him and eventually succeed in getting him to bed. Next morning after breakfasting on a custard concoction, the little creature is starting to make more mischief when his mummy arrives on the scene.

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Reunited again, parent and child depart leaving the friends to relax together peacefully at home. O- oh! Who is that knocking on their door? …
Fans of Wanda and her Alien pal will be delighted to know that they are soon to star in a TV series; meanwhile, they can enjoy this, their third, slightly crazy, adventure in book form with its sparkling cover and gentle humour. Just right for an early years story time.
In my experience these stories spark off children’s own creative ideas in the way of picture and model making and message writing. Perhaps this one might result in some music making and you might want to have a few packets of custard powder and bowls ready after sharing the story.
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Meet the Parents
Peter Bently and Sarah Ogilvie
Simon and Schuster pbk
Parents are not there merely to boss their offspring about: they have many much more useful roles too. They make handy mending machines, large handwarmers, building foundations, horses and donkeys. They are great targets for hoses and ketchup, toy hunters, twirlers, tree trunks and much more.

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They are great muddle and mess sorters, have wonderful memories, and are super storytellers, apologisers and comforters. Watch out though, their fingers just love to … TICKLE!
Lively, bright, jocund elaborations of Bently’s engaging rhyming text,
Sara Ogilvie’s hilarious portrayals of family life cannot fail to delight both youngsters and their parents.
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Crayon
Simon Rickerty
Simon and Schuster pbk
In Simon Rickery’s latest witty offering he entertains young (and not so young) readers with some crazy crayons capers. Two blobby characters, a red one with a blue crayon and a blue one with a red crayon wield their implements in turn, keeping to their own territories. But then Red crosses the gully with his mark making. This transgression leads to a verbal battle and worse. The friends cross crayons and before long Red’s blue is snapped in two. Blue makes a peace offering in the form of his red crayon but Red misuses it and turns his friend purple. Enter a purple blobby character. Purple wields the power with purple, yellow, pink, orange, brown and green crayons which, leaving Red all alone, he and Blue use to co-create building blocks. Soon all that’s missing is a roof and what colour is needed for that?

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Time for a friendship to be repaired …
With minimal text and simple forms, Rickerty has fashioned a perfect parable of how a childish dispute develops, flares up and is resolved.
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I totally don’t want to play
Ann Bonwill and Simon Rickerty
Oxford University Press
The bird/hippo friendship of Bella and Hugo is threatened by a third party. Hugo is not happy; his invitation to go skating has been turned down by his best pal, Bella. Bella has found a new companion, Cressida and is off to the playground with her instead. Bella grudgingly invites Hugo to tag along but as he quickly finds out, the real fun does not appear to include him.

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Before long though, it’s Bella’s turn to feel left out. “I’m going home,” she announces huffily. Just in time, Cressida suggests a game that is absolutely perfect for three friends together.
Ann Bonwill’s manner of telling (she uses dialogue throughout) works particularly well for this, the third Hugo and Bella story. Simon Rickerty’s delightful illustrations, executed with simple shapes, black blotchy outlines and bright dayglo colours bring occasional hilarity to the scenes; I particularly like the images of the diminutive Bella endeavouring to push Cressida on the swing. Triangular friendships are often tricky but this author/artist partnership has created a story which demonstrates that with a bit of give and take, it can work.
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Dinosaur Rescue!
Penny Dale
Nosy Crow
Prepare yourself for some noisy story sessions with the latest adventure of Penny Dale’s dinosaur troop. Here , they race to the rescue in aid of a large truck stuck across a railway crossing. As the train dashes down the line, along they come in fire engine, ambulance, police car, helicopter and on foot making a glorious cacophony. Then Screech! Screech! Screech! The steam train grinds to a halt just in time and it’s rescue dinosaur teamwork in action to ensure the safety of everything and everyone.

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With crashed truck hitched to Dinotow, team members drive back to base ready for some thoroughly deserved rest and play, and of course, a hearty meal.
Once again, Penny Dale provides a winning formula – dinosaurs and large vehicles this time. A perfect opportunity for chuffing, calling, Nee Naa-ing wooing, choppa chopping, brake screeching and more.
This one would be brilliant to act out either with small world dinosaurs and vehicles or with children themselves, some acting as dinosaurs, others a chuffing train, rushing rescue trucks, racing police car, hovering, swooping helicopter or lifting, brrming tow truck.. And, as well as vocal accompaniment, audiences could suggest percussion instruments or other items to create the various sounds.
If all that isn’t enough, or you just want to quieten things down a little, then turn to the end papers for some visual delight: at the front is the dinosaur rescue team at the ready, wonderfully portrayed in bright colours and at the back are the rescue vehicles.
The text bursts with energy, not to mention onomatopoeia. Yes we adults might argue with the actions of the dinosaurs staying right by their crashed truck as the train charges ever closer, but I’m sure it will be another resounding hit with its target audience of under fives.
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Who’s in the Tree that Shouldn’t Be?
Craig Shuttlewood
Templar Publishing
To discover the answer to the title question follow the instruction on the first page and then lift the flap opposite to reveal a perplexed-looking penguin on a branch. In the tree too are more animals that also have something so say and add to the rhyme.
Readers can find the identity of a whole host of other out-of-place creatures – in the long grass, in the air, in the desert, in the ocean, in the ice and snow, in space even;

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then, turn to the final spread and see who is out of place there.
Quirky creatures, their somewhat offbeat comments and mixed media, slightly crazy illustrations by artist Craig Shuttlewood are the key ingredients of this interactive book. It’s a quality production too.
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What are you playing at?
Marie-Sabine Roger and Anne Sol
Alanna Books
I love the provocative style of this picture book that challenges gender stereotypes and powerfully advocates a ‘You can be anything/do anything’ mode of thinking and being. The use of photographs of children, for example a girl engaged in domestic play, opposite such thought-provoking assertions as ‘boys don’t play kitchens’ written large on a page that folds out to reveal a male chef, acts as a superb counter to the gender biased statements. Other flaps reveal men dancing, feeding a baby, skipping and crying and women playing soccer,

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driving cars, working as boat builders and flying rockets.
Share this with a group of infants; it will assuredly get them thinking and arguing.
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Find and buy from your local bookseller: http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Finally, here is a handful of books I’ve previously reviewed which are now out in paperback:

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How amazing that Mike Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s brilliant We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Walker Books) is celebrating its 25th anniversary – congratulations!
Assuredly it’s a book that should be in every young child’s library. How about buying a copy to give on International Book Giving Day which is coming up soon.

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Christmas is Coming part 2

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I Love You Father Christmas
Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd
Orchard Books
A small child’s delight in the festive season is lovingly portrayed through Giles Andreae’s bouncy rhyme, which is actually a letter to Father Christmas, and Emma Dodd’s characteristically bright, bold pictures.

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The latter have enormous child appeal and her jolly scenes of a totally endearing character should reassure any young child who is slightly nervous about Santa.
One to give to the youngest children.
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Are You Ready For Christmas?
Helen Lang
Templar Publishing
It’s Christmas Eve and Reindeer meets and greets friends Mouse, Squirrel and Dove. Each tells him of their special last minute preparations but then Reindeer seems to have forgotten what his special role is. The final fold-out reveals all.

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This is actually in board book format but I think this rhyming story could be enjoyed by children beyond that stage too. With its bold, coloured lines, patterns and touches of sparkle, Helen Lang’s artwork is quirky and charming. The scenes set against the dark night sky are particularly striking.
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Lollipop and Grandpa and the Christmas Baby
Penelope Harper and Cate James
Phoenix Yard Books pbk
When Lollipop receives the news that there’s to be a new addition to her family and that it will arrive just in time for Christmas, she is far from enthusiastic. Crying, stinky and attention grabbing is what she thinks of babies. “Christmas is ruined!” she feels as the infant’s arrival time draws ever closer. Fortunately for Lollipop, Grandpa is on hand to involve her in all the festive preparations and when on Christmas Eve, Dad and Mum have to leave her to go to the hospital, he helps her hang up the stockings. But on Christmas morning, although Santa has left presents, her Mum and Dad still haven’t come back. It’s over to Grandpa once again – to do the Christmas dinner this time. And even if it’s not quite the conventional festive meal her parents might have expected, it does have that Wow factor. So too does the tiny Christmas Baby that Dad is holding all wrapped up and definitely NOT crying.
This, the fifth of the series, is as enjoyable as the others and Lollipop should win some new friends with this seasonal goodie.
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Belle and Boo and the Merry Christmas
Mandy Sutcliffe
Orchard Books
The fourth in this series about a little girl and her rabbit friend (toy or real?) sees the inseparable pair getting ready for Christmas. First they decorate the tree and Belle has to explain to Boo what Christmas entails and then together they put up paper-chains, make cards and Christmas cookies, hang up their stocking and finally snuggle up for the night. Then, next morning after opening their respective presents, Boo decides they should share the joys of Christmas with their animal friends outside in the garden.
A gentle, slightly whimsical story with an old-fashioned charm, illustrated in appropriately soft colours. with just a touch of festive sparkle on the cover.
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Father Christmas Comes Up Trumps!
Nicholas Allan
Red Fox pbk
A few years back, Father Christmas was in need of a wee; now he needs something much more explosive. It’s the result of his over indulgence in – wait for it – Brussels sprouts – on his final supper before departing on his Christmas Eve delivery round. With his wind-filled tum, it’s a good thing that Santa is accompanied by his helpful elf who is on hand to push him down chimneys and utter ‘Sssshhh!“ warnings when those bubbling, rumbling, gurgling sounds start to emanate from his explosive belly. Santa does his level best to keep his wind in but his utterance of “Ooooo! my tum – it’s going to start. This time I’m really going to f . . . !” signals that the effort has become just too much. Out comes a ‘cheep’ and its time to run from the stirring child. But, horror of horrors! His reindeers are totally zonked in the sleigh. Perhaps it’s as well then that the elf’s final exhortation goes unheeded: time to make use of that WIND power to launch the sleigh skywards and homewards. PWHOOOAH!
As before, this slightly risqué humour will have young children wriggling on their bottoms in delight especially, in anticipation of the final grand
F F A A A R R T T !
Buy from Amazon

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A Letter for Bear
David Lucas
Flying Eye Books
Bear is a postman, painstakingly ensuring he delivers every letter in his sack to the correct address each day and then trudging back to his cave to drink soup and wonder what it would be like to get a letter himself. The trouble is Bear never sends any letters. One windy day when out on his round, the wind takes the mailbag scattering the contents all over the snow. Bear collects all the letters but the addresses are smudged so he conscientiously knocks on each door to ensure correct delivery. The recipients are thankful but Bear feels even lonelier as he returns to his cave. Time for a change, he thinks as he gazes out at the snowy night. He sets to work writing Christmas party invitations and next morning he delivers a whole snowstorm of letters to his new acquaintances.

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That evening having waited for ages and ages, Bear is about to give up when he hears voices outside. It’s party time after all and even better, the following morning guess who gets a whole sackful of letters of his very own.
The real strength of this book is Lucas’ intricately patterned illustrations. Almost every double spread has a geometric border of patterned triangles, rectangles, diamonds or scallops and set into some of the scenes, we view Bear’s lonely world through circular peephole vignettes. His use of limited colours – shades of blue, orange, purple, russet, pink and orange and his use of geometric shapes for, or to pattern, trees, buildings, flowers and more, add to the impact. Then there are angled viewpoints, interrupted borders and beautiful snowscapes . This book is a small masterpiece of design.
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The Smallest Gift of Christmas
Peter H. Reynolds
Walker Books
Having eagerly anticipated the great day, Roland is less than impressed when he dashes downstairs on Christmas morning to discover a very small parcel awaiting him. So, he wishes for a larger one again and again and … Still not satisfied he storms off and eventually launches himself in a rocket to search the whole universe. It’s not until he glimpses Earth as a tiny dot growing ever smaller through his telescope, that Roland begins to realize that bigger isn’t always better, unless of course, it’s your home and you are heading back towards it.
A simple message amusingly rendered through Reynolds’ comic scenes. This author/artist has the unfailing knack of getting right to the nub of things every time and, he clearly demonstrates with all his books, that small things can often be among the very best.
Buy from Amazon

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Alfie’s Christmas
Shirley Hughes
Bodley Head
Making cards and decorations, counting down the days with an advent calendar featuring a nativity scene, Christmas cooking, buying and decorating a Christmas tree, choosing and wrapping presents, writing to Santa, carol singing, hanging up Christmas stockings and a family Christmas dinner with visiting relatives:

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these are just some of the ingredients of four-year old Alfie’s Christmas so lovingly told and illustrated in Shirley Hughes incomparable style.
This is a traditional family Christmas full of warmth, friendship, love, bustle and excitement, and some secrets too. It’s Christmas as we would wish it to be for everyone, before Christmas started in October and consumerism took over.
A book to buy and cherish year after year.
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Find and buy from your local bookseller:http://www.booksellers.org.uk/bookshopsearch

Don’t forget:
Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish
Rebecca Harry Nosy Crow pbk
Lonely Snow Bunny’s Christmas wish is for a friend so she writes to Santa with her request.
For full review of this lovely story, now in paperback, see Seasonal Selection: Christmas Books 2012

Also reviewed there and now in paperback is :
When It Snows
Richard Collingridge
David Fickling Books pbk
A small boy’s favourite book transports him on a magical snowy Christmas adventure .

October Miscellany

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tales of Bedtime

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

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

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

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