As I’ve said many a time before, reading to babies right from the start is fundamental in building not only a love of books, but also in laying the foundation stones of future language development. It’s also the perfect time to snuggle up and bond or to enlist the reading skills of an older sibling. … Continue reading Brilliant Board Books
When Book Boy was younger, this imaginative dinosaur series was on constant bedtime story repeat. Although he’s now a very grown-up Year 7, he couldn’t resist having a peek through this new Christmassy title when it dropped through our letterbox. When Santa’s sleigh gets stuck in a snowdrift on Christmas Eve, there’s only one team … Continue reading Christmas Advent – Day 19 ‘Dinosaur Christmas,’ by Penny Dale.
I am a huge advocate of funny books and promoting more diverse humorous titles in school and home libraries. That’s why I was so thrilled to be asked to champion one of the titles for this year’s Lollies (The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2020), run by Scholastic with Michael Rosen as head judge. The … Continue reading Introducing the Laugh Out Loud Book Award nominee ‘Planet Stan’ by Elaine Wickson (illustrated by Chris Judge)
I’ve been sent a treasure trove of beautiful board books recently. Some are wonderful new editions of classics and some are brand new. We all know the benefits of starting the bedtime story habit with babies - bonding time, language acquisition, fun! So whether you’re looking for a new bedtime read or buying a gift … Continue reading Don’t be bored, get board (books!)
Do you love shopping? Do you love dinosaurs? Then head for The Dinosaur Department Store and its stonking blog tour! It’s Eliza Jane’s fourth birthday and she knows exactly what she wants. Not a colouring book, bike or a fluffy bunny. What she really wants is a pet dinosaur! Her beleaguered parents obligingly take her … Continue reading ‘The Dinosaur Department Store,’ by Lily Murray, illustrated by Richard Merritt.
Book Boy is an absolute fiend for a big chunky non-fiction book. There is nothing he likes better than settling down with a pack of sticky tabs in one hand and a pen in the other, ready to mark the important pages. ‘Timelines of Everything’ is a little different to other books in its category … Continue reading ‘Timelines of Everything,’ from the team at DK
Introducing ‘Absolutely Everything! A History Of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and Other Things too Numerous to Mention,’ a book of true wonderment which has been long-listed for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019, in the ‘Best Book With Facts’ category along with some other stunning titles. Devised after a camping trip where Lloyd released that, … Continue reading ‘Absolutely Everything!’ by Christopher Lloyd, cover illustration by Justin Poulter.
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.
I am delighted to welcome ‘Planet Stan’ to my blog today to round off its blog tour. I am even more delighted that I had the opportunity to ask author, Elaine, some quizzing questions. The story revolves around the tricky sibling relationship between space-loving Stan and his disgusting younger brother Fred. Stan is struggling to … Continue reading ‘Planet Stan,’ by Elaine Wickson, illustrated by Chris Judge plus exclusive Q&A.
I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Dinosaurium - the stunning new title in the Welcome to the Museum series, written by Lily Murray and featuring over 60 full colour spreads by Chris Wormell, each packed with glorious details. I am also more than delighted to be giving away an amazing signed … Continue reading ‘Dinosaurium,’ by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray.
Dinosaurs never go out of fashion so I am delighted to introduce you to the new children's book from best-selling author and artist, Matt Sewell. This absolutely brilliant book features a whole host of fabulous prehistoric creatures from the Ceratosaurus to the Spinosaurus. Sewell's glorious watercolour illustrations draw on the fact that palaeontologists now think … Continue reading ‘Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures,’ by Matt Sewell.
These next three books are perfect for fans of all things dinosaur. We have some fabulous fiction, non-fiction and a gorgeous colour and discover book. 'The Book of Prehistoric Beasts,' from Angela Rizza and Jonny Marx (Buster Books) This gorgeous book is a clever mix of facts, profiles and fearsome creatures to colour in. … Continue reading Dinotastic Discoveries!
This hide-and-seek dinosaur story would make a perfect Father's Day gift for all the Papasauruses out there. Babysaurus loves playing hide-and-seek with Papasaurus but one day he hides a little too well and Babysaursus can't find him, no matter how hard he tries. Starting to get a bit worried, Babysaurus asks his prehistoric friends for … Continue reading ‘Papasaurus,’ by Stephan Lomp.
Three brilliant choices for young fact fans. Non-fiction books can be the perfect way into reading for curious minds and reluctant readers. Our first selection is 'Pick me up! Dinosaur.' Part of a brilliant new series of books which encourage readers to take them and play. This one imagines what a baby diplodocus might have gotten … Continue reading Dinosaurs, Sharks and Woodland Creatures – Oh my! First non-fiction from DK Books.
Calling all Dino-fans! Your chance to win a copy of this excellent book from the amazingly talented Jonny Duddle. The story is about a group of little dinosaur friends who don't take their mothers' advice seriously - 'Beware my child, of the Gigantosaurus so fierce and wild...' The group are being quite cautious until their … Continue reading Win ‘Gigantosaurus,’ by Jonny Duddle.’
The next two books are from a new interactive book series aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers. Both books have lots of fun interactive elements to physically engage young readers. There are plenty of glittery, bumpy trails for fingers to follow, encouraging the development of the fine motor skills needed for pre-writing. My three year old … Continue reading ‘Follow the Trail series,’ from DK.
