Sadly, not a weather update, but a new blog post! Our House is currently plagued by chicken pox, so we’ve taken the opportunity to catch up on a bit of picture book reading.  I’m am pleased to share with you three pawfect reads you’d be barking mad to miss!

Picking Pickle by Polly Faber & Clara Vulliamy (Pavilion Books)

Open the pages to be taken on a tour of his dogs’ home by its longest-standing resident, Pickles, who hears you’re in the market for a new pet. Whether you’re looking for a pooch who’s pampered, sporty, or good at rounding things up, Pickles knows the perfect companion for you and your family.  My boys’ favourites were Dibble and Boo-Boo.

The gorgeous ice-cream parlour colour palettes and beautiful soft illustrations add a warm fluffy glow to this heart-warming story with a twist in its tail.

The Story Of Tantrum O’Furrily by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Mark Nicholas (Hodder Children’s Books)

As stray cats Tantrum O’Furrily and her kittens roam across the rooftops on a wild and windy night in search of food, Tantrum begins to tell them a story. A story of courage and making your own story. She tells a tale about Smallkins, a little cat with a very worried owner, who braves the world outside the cat-flap to write her own story.

A gorgeous story with echoes of The Gingerbread Man when foxy arrives and tries to trick Smallkins. Perfect for encouraging children to be brave but also to be cautious. Mark Nicholas’s illustrations were described by the Carmelite Prize judges as ‘classically reassuring but with a contemporary characterisation and palette.’

100 Dogs by Michael Whaite (Puffin Books)

I bet you never thought you’d find a book which constrained 100 dogs doing 100 different things.  Well, I’ve found one.  The pages are packed with capering canines sniffing and tooting and scratching and scooting. A crazy celebration of ‘man’s best friend’ in its (sometimes disgusting) glory.

The illustrations are full of humorous details and a lost dog to spot if you’re feeling observant.  The bouncy rhythm and rhyme, along with bold illustrations are sure to make this popular with little listeners.

Well I hope you’ve found something there which made you paws for thought. I’m going straight to the doghouse now for all my terrible animal-based puns!

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Pavilion Books, Hodder Children’s and Puffin Books for sending me these titles to review*