2017 is a year of celebration for beloved author and illustrator, Shirley Hughes. The summer sees her celebrating her 90th birthday and this year is also the 40th anniversary of her classic children's book, 'Dogger.' 'Alfie and Dad,' is a beautiful collection of stories, perfect to kick off this special year. This book is full … Continue reading ‘Alfie and Dad,’ by Shirley Hughes.
I was delighted to be invited to participate in the blog tour for this beautiful mother-daughter collaboration. The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a box on the living room floor. They sailed away for a year and a day and these are the things that they saw... Join two curious children on … Continue reading ‘The Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat,’ by Coral Rumble, illustrated by Charlotte Cooke.
This book rocked up at exactly the right time as my youngest son is currently obsessed with playing his drum kit and dancing around to his favourite Black Sabbath songs! Jimmy lived in the nicest village you ever did see - the prettiest park, a perfect police station and the most super school. The only … Continue reading ‘Jimmy Finnigan’s Wild Wood Band,’ by Tom Knight.
"This bear, that bear, likes-to-wear-a-hat bear. Brown bear, clown bear, about-to-fall-down-bear." Little Bear's off to watch the bear parade - what do you think he will see? A whole procession of different bears pass before his eyes and Little Bear loves each and every one of them. But soon the day draws to a close … Continue reading ‘This Bear, That Bear!’ by Sian Wheatcroft.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superbat! I was absolutely thrilled to be sent a copy of this super book to review; everybody loves superhero books so I'm always on the lookout for new titles. This is the tale of a bat who wakes up amongst his friends one night and … Continue reading ‘Superbat,’ by Matt Carr.
Head off on a watery adventure when you follow a boy and his Mom as they canoe across the mirror-like surface of the pond. As they row out over the water they encounter a diverse range of wildlife in the watery ecosystem. A hidden world of crayfish, turtles and bullfrogs. Whirligig beetles, caddisdly larva and … Continue reading ‘Over and Under the Pond,’ by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.
I am delighted to find a modern and beautifully illustrated book about ballet. Given the huge numbers of young Prima Ballerinas out there, I'm surprised there haven't been more! In this book, you can explore ten of the world's best-loved ballets (including my personal favourite,'The Nutcracker.'). I have lots of warm Christmas memories of being … Continue reading ‘Where’s the Ballerina?’ By Anna Claybourne and Abigail Goh.
I'm delighted to bring you not one, but two, brilliant picture books in this post. And one of them has just been nominated for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2017! The Bear Who Stared Bear liked nothing better than to come out of his cave in the morning and stare, and stare, and stare.... The … Continue reading ‘The Bear Who Stared,’ and ‘The Lumberjack’s Beard,’ by Duncan Beedie.
This glorious book has just been published with a new cover after the release of Sharon's second book, 'Snail Mail.' Lucy Lady Bird is feeling sad as her spotty friends keep telling her she doesn't belong with them as she has no spots. She flies off to be alone but keeps bumping into some of … Continue reading ‘Lucy Lady Bird,’ by Sharon King-Chai.
For this blog post, I have chosen two fantastic books which celebrate the importance of being yourself and pursuing your dreams. 'Duck Gets a Job,' by Sonny Ross Duck wants a job. All his friends quack on and on about how amazing their jobs in the city are. Duck thinks their jobs sound a bit … Continue reading It’s Good to be You!
My last festive review for the year, but a great one. There's still time to grab yourself a copy before the big day. Princess Eliza is an inventor. There's nothing she likes better than making new gadgets and toys but her parents would rather she was out making new friends. Eliza tries hard to make … Continue reading ‘The Princess and the Christmas Rescue,’ by Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton.
"When a child loves you...REALLY loves you, then you become REAL." This beautifully re-illustrated volume is the first title in a new series if classics for Nosy Crow Publishers. The gorgeous fully-foiled cloth binding and cover make it the perfect Christmas gift for old and new fans alike. Fed-up of being teased by Boy's mechanical … Continue reading ‘The Velveteen Rabbit,’ by Margery Williams, illustrated by Sarah Massini.
Stockton is a very clever cat and he knows it. Playing the violin, juggling, rhythmic gymnastics, all come easily to him. But knitting? Now that's a different matter entirely! Stockton has a very fancy party to go to and he simply must knit himself a fancy scarf to wear. If he's as good at knitting … Continue reading ‘I Am a Very Clever Cat,’ by Kasia Matyjaszek.
The perfect autumnal read for leaf-lovers everywhere! The Little Adventurers are having a 'Bring in a Pet Day' but Sprat can't find his black cat, Shadow, anywhere. Determined not to be left out, Sprat uses his imagination and creates a pet that no-one is going to have - Leafy the Pet Leaf. As all his … Continue reading ‘Little Adventurers – Leafy the Pet Leaf,’ by Philip Ardagh and Elissa Elwick.
Where you go, who you meet, what you do next - it's all up to you... This brilliant, interactive book provides budding writers with up to 3 billion different story combinations - say goodbye to cries of: 'But, I don't know what to write about!' Follow the story path through the pages, deciding where to … Continue reading ‘Story Path,’ by Madalena Matoso.
Martha is a twitcher - she just loves to go bird-spotting in her garden every day. One day she gets more than she'd bargained for when she spots a rather large and funny-looking bird. She consults one of her books and discovers that what she's spotted is a Dodo. But everyone knows Dodos are extinct. … Continue reading ‘Hello, Mr Dodo!’ by Nicholas John Frith.
There's now a third title in Britta Teckentrup's best-selling spotting series, and it doesn't fail to impress. All children are naturally inquisitive so I can't think of a better book to harness this than 'One is Not a Pair.' Each page contains several sets of pairs...but can you spot the odd one out? The rhyming … Continue reading ‘One is Not a Pair – A Spotting Book,’ by Britta Teckentrup.
Have you ever wondered what animals do at the zoo when all the people go home? Max and Mia are about to find out as they embark on a midnight adventure. Today is the day that Max and Mia's class go on a trip to the zoo. As their class clamber on and off the … Continue reading ‘Midnight at the Zoo,’ by Faye Hanson.
The third instalment of the bestselling How to Hide a Lion series has been released just in time for back-to-school. Iris's lion knows that lions aren't allowed at her school; Miss Holland had made that clear on several occasions. Lion uses his hiding know-how and ends up napping on top of the school bus. However, today's the … Continue reading ‘How to Hide a Lion at School,’ by Helen Stephens.
Shifty and Sam are back in their third picture book adventure. This time they have stolen jewels and penguin pandemonium to deal with! These former bad dogs turned bakers have been asked to cater Lady Kate's birthday ball at Woofington Hall. They're very excited to note that she's wearing her birthday tiara made of real … Continue reading ‘Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam – The Diamond Chase,’ by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton.
Library Girl and Book Boy 