Last night’s bedtime story took us off down the yellow brick road to visit the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in this great adaption for little ones. In this modern reimagining of a classic children’s tale, preschooler Little Dot is helping peg the washing out when a tornado blows in. Little Dot and her dog, Toto, make it … Continue reading ‘The Wizard Of Oz,’ by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Meg McLaren and Sam Hay.
It’s a damp, grey bank holiday Monday so what is there to do apart from crack open the latest rib-tickling collection of poetry from Joshua Seigal? The boys were getting restless when rain cancelled play so I whipped open this book and started reading. Soon they were giggling along as we read about cavemen teachers, … Continue reading ‘I Bet I Can Make You Laugh,’ by Joshua Seigal and Friends, illustrations by Tim Wesson.
This beautiful story was originally published in Syria and has been translated from Arabic by author and illustrator Nadine Kaadan. Everything around Yazan was changing. He never went to the park, he never saw his friends, his mum never painted any more. All she did was watch the news. Yazan was so bored - he … Continue reading ‘Tomorrow,’ by Nadine Kaadan.
I am a huge fan of Chris Riddell’s beautiful work so was particularly excited to receive a package containing his first picture book in eight years (and a delicious gingerbread biscuit)! Turning traditional fairy tales on their heads, Little Green Raincape is on her way to Rapunzel’s party, deep in the dark wild woods. On … Continue reading ‘Once Upon a Wild Wood,’ by Chris Riddell.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the gorgeous ‘The Garden Of Hope’ which is the work of author, Isabel Otter and new illustrative talent, Katie Rewse. Things hadn’t been the same for Maya, Dad and Pip since Mum had been gone. They were a mess, the house was a mess and the … Continue reading ‘The Garden Of Hope,’ by Isabel Otter, illustrated by Katie Rewse.
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 & … Continue reading Raining Cats and Dogs
Today two new titles from the fab ‘Unicorn Academy’ series are adding some glitter and sparkle to my blog. Ava and Star get caught up in a struggle to save the unicorns’ magic as it starts to fade. The special sky berries that the unicorns need to survive have disappeared! With a little help from … Continue reading Unicorn Academy Series by Julie Sykes, illustrated by Lucy Truman, typography by Joel Holland.
“Tonight’s the Starlight Parade, but the invitations haven’t been sent out yet! Luckily, Mayor Snail is on the job. And maybe Etta can lend a hand?” Etta the Elephant is very excited about the Starlight Parade which is happening in Cycle City that evening. Her Aunt Ellen takes her around town getting everything they will … Continue reading ‘Cycle City,’ by Alison Farrell.
We always enjoy testing out new bedtime reads, particularly one which comes with a ‘100% guaranteed to make you yawn’ bedtime promise. Book Boy and I cosied up in front of the fan to test out the sleepy powers of this story. Millie’s all snuggled up in bed ready to go to sleep when she … Continue reading ‘Millie’s Missing Yawn,’ by You Jung Byun.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Father’s Day is always the perfect opportunity to buy a new book for daddies and little ones to snuggle up with. As fate would have it, Raj dropped through my letterbox just in time. Raj and Dad are very excited about heading off on an adventure and have big plans and a long list. All … Continue reading ‘Raj and the Best Day Ever!’ By Seb Braun.
