Up high, in the dark, dark sky....a message: LOST, ONE SMALL STAR. When a little brother happens upon a very sparkly treasure whilst out hunting, he and his big sister try very hard to find its owner - surely something so special must have an owner. But search as they may, no one seems to … Continue reading ‘Star in the Jar,’ by Sam Hay, illustrated by Sarah Massini.
One of the greatest things about running a book blog is the regular deliveries of books dropping through your letter box. This is never truer than in the run-up to Christmas when little festive treats are delivered to me by the book elves. My 'to be read' pile is suddenly awash with gold, red, green … Continue reading Have a Picture (book) Perfect Christmas
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.
It started with an “Oops!”... ...and so begins the mystery of ‘The Elephant in the Room.’ Father Giant’s favourite elephant has been smashed into little pieces and he wants to know who’s to blame so he can banish them from the house, but no one seems keen to confess. After some serious investigating, and a … Continue reading ‘The Elephant in the Room,’ by James Thorp and Angus Mackinnon.
November is officially the month to celebrate all books non-fiction and I have a beautiful one here for you today. ‘Urban Jungle’ is a winning combination of maps and wildlife, taking its readers on a fantastic journey around the globe, visiting 38 major cities along the way. Each city has its own double page spread … Continue reading ‘Urban Jungle,’ by Vicky Woodgate.
My next spooky choice for little ones is the delightful 'Monster & Son' by David LaRochelle. This tale takes a look at the softer side of some of the world's most feared monsters. Have you ever wondered what a daddy Frankenstein and his son get up to when they play together? Or how Yeti and … Continue reading ‘Monster & Son,’ by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Joey Chou.
Sometimes books arrive and are snatched out of my hands before I get a chance to read them, and Ludwig was one of them - I think it was the promise of adventure and the lure of 3D glasses! This is actually the second eye-popping adventure about Ludwig the dog (after 'Ludwig the Space Dog), … Continue reading ‘Ludwig the Sea Dog,’ by Henning Lohlein.
Follow the world's most amazing animal journeys through superbly illustrated mazes by Melissa Castrillón. Did you know that every year in the Serengeti Plain of East Africa, up to 1.3 million wildebeest migrate north - the largest mass migration of in the world? Or that a humpback whale can eat up to 1.8 tonnes of … Continue reading ‘Animazes,’ by Melissa Castrillon.
Today I'd like to introduce you to a magical new bedtime story - Dreamweaver. The dreamweaver glides through the jungle sprinkling dream-dust over all the sleepy (or not so sleepy) baby jungle animals. Collecting flowers from magical mountain-tops and glittering comet trails from high in the heavens, she crafts the perfect dream for each little … Continue reading ‘Dreamweaver,’ by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Carrie May.
As we enter the month of October, I am looking forward to sharing with you books which celebrate Autumn and all things spooky. My very first offering is the gorgeous 'Cat Learns to Listen at Moonlight School,' the third title in the Moonlight School series. Tonight, Miss Moon is taking her class of pupils out … Continue reading ‘Cat Learns to Listen at Moonlight School,’ by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Ali Pye.
Now that Autumn is officially with us, I thought I'd share some titles which sum up the very essence of the season: squirrels, sticks and hibernation! 'The Nut Stayed Shut' by Mike Henson (Templar Publishing) Rodney is a champion nut cracker, so the task of cracking three nuts should be easy, right? Wrong! The third … Continue reading Autumnal Delights
I am spoiling you with two gorgeous picture books by illustrative powerhouses: Britta Teckentrup and Sam Usher. 'Moon: Night-time Around the World,' illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, written by Patricia Hegarty (Little Tiger Group) Teckentrup has established herself as one of the great illustrators of our time. In this book, she brings the nocturnal world alive … Continue reading The Moon and the Sun…
I am thrilled to be able to combine two of my great passions in this blog post: fabulous books and chocolate cake! 'Chocolate Cake' by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron ( Puffin Books) Finally, there's a gloriously illustrated picture book of Michael Rosen's now classic funny poem, 'Chocolate Cake.' It tells the tale of … Continue reading Let Them Eat Cake!
One Button Benny isn't like all the other robots. He only has one button. Which must ONLY be pressed in an emergency. Benny gets teased so much by the other robots that he longs for an emergency to happen so he can find out what (if anything!) his button actually does. He waits....and he waits....until … Continue reading ‘One Button Benny,’ by Alan Windram, illustrated by Chloe Holwill-Hunter.
In today's society, with not only peer pressure but the pressures of social media to contend with, children can sometimes struggle to have the courage to be themselves. 'Perfectly Norman' is a story about a boy who felt exactly the same way, until one day something extraordinary happened to him... Norman had always been perfectly … Continue reading ‘Perfectly Norman,’ by Tom Percival.
Any book which makes its reader twist, turn, jump and shout gets a huge thumbs up in our house. That's why we were so excited to receive these three titles recently... Crocodali by Lucy Volpin (Templar Publishing) Crocodali considers himself one of the world's greatest artists and YOU are privileged enough to be invited to … Continue reading Twist and shout!
I am loving the current trend for drawing on the classic plot lines and characters of beloved fairy tales and injecting them with a hefty dose of attitude and wit, especially those where the formerly helpless princesses was expected to lay about waiting for a prince to come and rescue them. The two new paperback … Continue reading Two deliciously twisted tales…
"Once there was a soft brown toy called Dogger. One of his ears pointed upwards and the other flopped over. His fur was worn in places because he was quite old. he belonged to Dave." I'm fairly sure there aren't many children of the eighties who haven't heard the timeless and endearing story of 'Dogger.' … Continue reading ‘Dogger,’ by Shirley Hughes.
Library Girl and Book Boy 