I am a huge fan of the canine bakers extrodinaire so was thrilled to receive a brand spanking new copy (plus TWO to giveaway!) of their latest adventure en Paris! Not only that, but the terrific twosome shared some of their baking knowhow and also sent over their top-secret gingerbread recipe and Eiffel Tower cookie … Continue reading ‘Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam – The Missing Masterpiece,’ by Tracey Corderoy, illustrated by Steven Lenton.
Don’t be a quakebottom! Prepare to be bumbazed by maverick lexicographer, Professor Crystal-Bloomer in this delightful celebration of long-lost and forgotten words. Shona is a lover of words and has even started compiling her own thesaurus. She is dismayed to hear on the news that some languages are on the brink of dying out completely … Continue reading ‘Shona, Word Detective,’ by John Agard, illustrations by Michael Broad.
Help! Aliens have invaded my blog! This is all thanks to the blog tour for Matt Brown’s latest book: ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show!’ Make sure you read Matt’s lowdown on his favourite aliens (good and bad!) Eric Doomsday just loves doing magic tricks. His best friend, Vinnie Mumbles, thinks they’re ace - even if … Continue reading ‘Aliens Invaded My Talent Show!’ By Matt Brown, illustrated by Paco Sordo.
Book Boy and I took a little time out of the heat this afternoon to enjoy one of the latest picture books from firm household favourite, Caryl Hart. Jack is far too busy laying outside to hear his mum calling him in for dinner, so unfortunately by the time he notices, his chips have gone … Continue reading ‘Lunch on a Pirate Ship,’ by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Kristina Stephenson.
Luke and the other members of S.C.A.R.F are back in another battle against intergalactic forces of evil in the fourth installment in this prize-winning series - evil’s never been so squishy... Following an unfortunate inter-dimensional incident in their previous battle to save Bromley/ the Earth, Luke’s mind has swapped bodies with that of his older … Continue reading ‘My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar,’ by David Solomons, illustrated by Robin Boyden – guest post and giveaway!
Imagine not being able to get any underwear that fits. Pants, right?! Now imagine being an octopus in that same situation - 8x as pants! There seem to be pants for every other fish/ cephalopod in the ocean, except for poor old eight-legged octopus. There’s evening wear for eels and jewellery for jellyfish; it’s just … Continue reading ‘Octopants,’ by Suzy Senior, illustrated by Claire Powell.
One of the things I love most about children’s authors, is the seamless way they blend challenging and sensitive issues with humour to make the subject matter approachable for children. ‘Walls’ fits brilliantly into this category with its main character Ned struggling to come to terms with his parents’ divorce and break-up of peer friendships. … Continue reading ‘Walls,’ by Emma Fischel, cover by Sarah Darby.
Protecting our oceans in a hot topic at the moment, with campaigners and some big business working to try to reduce the amount of pollution being dumped into the sea. Plastic in particular is being highlighted as a significant danger and was, interestingly, the most-used word in Radio 2s ‘500 Word’ story-writing competition for children. … Continue reading Sailing the Seven Seas
It was with much anticipation that I cracked open the covers of ‘Storm,’ the third and final installment in the epic The Huntress trilogy featuring daring and courageous Mouse with her loyal crew. Following the breath-taking rescue of her father from the evil mystiks, Mouse is holed up in Hackles, the Sky fortress. When a … Continue reading ‘The Huntress: Storm,’ by Sarah Driver, cover by Ray Tierney, map illustration by Joe McLaren.
Bertie’s back! Can you believe that this is Bertie’s 30th book? This one contains three mini stories, brilliant for newly independent readers aged 5+ The first of the three mini stories is football-themed to coincide with the World Cup. Bertie is chosen to be match mascot for his local team, the Pudsley Rovers, and can’t … Continue reading ‘Dirty Bertie Mascot!’ By Alan MacDonald, illustrated by David Roberts.
It’s encouraging to see a more diverse range of main characters appearing in children’s books at the moment. It’s in this way that we can help develop empathy and understanding of those different to ourselves. That’s why I was very happy to be invited to take part in the blog tour for Double Felix. Felix’s … Continue reading ‘Double Felix,’ by Sally Harris, illustrated by Maria Serrano.
Barry Loser is back in another mega-keel adventure (his tenth, in fact) and this time everyone’s gone football crazy! After being thrown out of the Mogden Maniacs for being completely rubbish at football, Barry is thrilled to discover that his best friend, Bunky, is actually a super striker. However as the big cup final approaches … Continue reading ‘Barry Loser is the Best at Football NOT!,’ by Jim Smith.
Ever wondered what would happen if eleven llamas unknowingly swallowed the ashes of one of the greatest footballers in the world? Wonder no more...! Llama United Book one sees the ghost of international footballing legend, Arthur Muckluck, narrating the tale of how several previously normal llamas came to accidentally eat his scattered ashes. He introduces … Continue reading ‘Llama United,’ by Scott Allen, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
The perfect collection of football poems to enjoy regardless of the highs and lows of the World Cup. This cracking collection of carefully curated poems has been in training for this year’s World Cup and is back and better than ever! From the best-selling poet, John Foster and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Korky Paul, this … Continue reading ‘Fantastic Football Poems,’ by John Foster and Korky Paul.
I am very excited to see more fantastic stories from around the world being translated into English so that we can enjoy them in this country too. It’s very important to value work from other counties and cultures, as well as our own. That’s why I was so pleased when Firefly Press gave me Dog … Continue reading ‘Dog Town,’ by Luīze Pastore, illustrated by Reinis Pētersons, translated by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini.
Perhaps you’re looking for a gift that’s a little bit different. Perhaps you want to introduce your own child to fantastic new books and activities each month. Or perhaps you love children’s books and want to treat yourself. Whatever the case, you could try a fabulous books subscription from The Happy Book Company who provide … Continue reading The Happy Book Club
I’ve featured this brilliant biographical series written by Matt and Tom Oldfield, with covers by Dan Leydon, on my blog before (click HERE for a link) and it has proved a massive hit with my own children and any other child I’ve offered them too! This being the case, I am DELIGHTED that there have … Continue reading Ultimate Football Heroes – the remix!
A child’s first experiences of reading can shape their future view of books, so it’s important to ensure they’re exposed to a range of interesting and attractive texts. This is true both at home and at school, where having to plough through a seemingly never-ending series of books about the same characters can really put … Continue reading Maverick Early Readers
Written by award-winning author-illustration Rosie Wellesley, The Itchy-saurus was specifically written to normalise itchy skin (particularly eczema.) Tyrannosaurus Rex is out enjoying himself in the jungle when his skin becomes itchy and scratchy. Of course, only having short arms means that he can’t reach everywhere to have a scratch, and where he can scratch just … Continue reading ‘The Itchy-saurus,’ by Rosie Wellesley.
One day, when Julian is on the way home with his Nana, he spots what looks like the most beautiful mermaids. Their long flowing hair and shimmering tails spark something inside Julian. When he gets home, Julian styles his hair, make-up and clothing to transform himself into one of those dazzling creatures. But what will … Continue reading ‘Julian is a Mermaid,’ by Jessica Love.
Library Girl and Book Boy 