Newest For Sharing Reviews
Hare by Zoe Greaves and Leslie Sadlier
Some animals feature large in mythology and the hare is one of these. The hare we're going to meet is O'Hare - well, we hope we're going to meet him: hares are well known for being elusive and this one is no exception! We'll be following him through the churchyard on a moonlit night - see him leaping in front of the moon - and through a summer meadow, where we only catch sight of his hind legs and his ears. Look on the riverbank - is that him in the water? Then he's in amongst the cabbages - the farmer is not going to be pleased about that. Is he in the foxglove patch? We can see the fox, but it looks as though O'Hare has gone. The best sighting we have of him is on the corn field, where he's leaping through the stubble. Full review...
Counting Lions by Katie Cotton and Stephen Walton
There are counting books, good counting books and ones where the pictures blow you away, whether you are an adult or a child. Counting Lions falls into the last category. Just have a look at that lion on the cover: that's not a black and white photograph - that's a drawing and you're going to see another nine of the same glorious quality. In her foreword to the book, Virginia McKenna says that with pictures like these words almost seem unnecessary as we can see all that we need of the unique form and beauty of each creature. But there are words too. Full review...
Ten Spooky Skeletons by Garry Parsons, Patricia Hegarty and Annette Rusling
With All Hallows' Eve approaching isn't it about time that you thought about some scary books for kids? Nothing quite says 'I Love You', more than making your toddler burst into a flood of tears. Perhaps you should get them a fun book about something a little worrisome – a set of smiley skeletons for instance, rather than completely terrifying them? Full review...
A Book of Feelings by Amanda McCardie and Salvatore Rubbino
Happy, shy, sad, jealous, angry, loved, grumpy…not the names of little dwarves, but just some of the powerful feelings and emotions that affect everyone from time to time. Sam and Kate live with their mum and dad and a dog with a name that I just adore: Fuzzy Bean. They have a typical family life with all the ups and downs and warmth and fun and the occasional chaos that comes with the territory. Full review...
Have You Seen Elephant? by David Barrow
Elephant wants to play hide and seek and Boy agrees that he Elephant should hide first. Elephant is completely fair and warns Boy that he's VERY good. Boy's fair too - he says that he'll try his best - and off Elephant goes to hide. Dog is looking slightly bored - actually he's having a good scratch - as Boy counts to ten and shouts Coming! Ready or Not! in the tradition of all hide and seek games and Boy and Dog go in search of Elephant. Now Elephant wasn't joking when he said that he was good, because he doesn't so much hide as disguise himself within the rooms. Boy doesn't spot him, but watch Dog! He spots Elephant every time, whether he's an armchair, a duvet, television stand, standard lamp or a shed. Full review...
BOO! by Jonathan Litton and Fhiona Galloway
Creating a fun book for a young toddler or older baby appears easy, but is actually tricky to pull off well. Just shoving a few animals or shapes into a cardboard BOO!k is not going to capture the imagination; there needs to be colour, fun and a certain je ne sais quoi to stand out from the many other baby booksks on the market. Setting a book around Halloween and all things spooky may not seem to fill these criteria, but a little fear can sometimes make a small child surprisingly happy. Full review...
Winnie's Haunted House by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Strange things are happening in Winnie the Witch's house – a broken vase, torn curtains, and a chandelier that suddenly crashes to the ground. There is no obvious explanation so Winnie decides her house must be haunted and reaches her spell book to solve the problem. As usual the spell only makes matters worse, at first anyway. Full review...
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
Bunny was cosily tucked up in bed. It's a big room, painted green (very green) and with lots of things scattered around. Before Bunny goes to sleep he's going to look at them all and then say goodnight to each of them. There are the pictures on the walls (from nursery rhymes and fairy tales), a couple of kittens, a pair of mittens, a doll's house and a young mouse, a comb and a brush and a bowl of mush as well as a quiet old lady who was whispering hush. You get the idea? We're moving through the objects one by one in gentle rhyme before we start to say goodnight to them all. Full review...
Charlie Chick Goes to School by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker
Charlie Chick is always late and today is his first day at school. He's having trouble getting out of bed and then getting to breakfast (trailing his toy crocodile, who - if anything - looks more awake than Charlie). The snap, crackle and pop of his favourite cereal frightens him into life - and then he has to grab his bag and scarf and rush off to school, because the bell's gone and everyone else is already there... Full review...
The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino
Tina is a really curious cow who just wants to know everything there is to know about, well, everything. Her sisters think that's just silly, and when Tina tells them that she climbed a tree and found a dragon they decide the situation has gotten out of hand. But what will they find when they looking for her in the woods? You'll just have to read the book to find out. Full review...
The Bath Monster by Colin Boyd and Tony Ross
A great book for parents and kids alike, with an excellent premise and brilliantly carried out, I can see this being a popular choice for bedtime reading. Even if your children might not be too fond of the bath for a while afterwards... Full review...
The Tiger Prowls: a pop-up book of wild animals by Seb Braun
It's a hardback book with a striking cover and when you open it, don't expect endpapers or gentle introductions: as you lift the cover, the tiger of the title appears:
The tiger prowls, stalking through the jungle.
Paw after heavy paw crunches on the forest floor.
Full review...
Grrrrr! by Rob Biddulph
Fred has won the contest for best bear in the wood for three years in a row. He's the best at everything from catching fish, doing the hula-hoop and scaring humans, to the all-important growling competition. But everything changes when another bear arrives and decides to enter the contest. Fred's no longer the best bear in town and, to make matters worse, he's lost his 'Grrrrr'. Fred's going to need help to find his 'Grrrr' in time for the start of the competition. But will the other animals want to help him look given he's been too busy training to make friends? Full review...
No More Cuddles! by Jane Chapman
Ah, what a problem it can be, to be just so snuggly that people can't stop cuddling you! This is poor Barry's problem. A solitary monster by nature, he does like cuddles of course, but too much of anything can become trying, and so when he is leaped on by all the other little forest animals every single morning, he wonders if perhaps there is some way to transfer their cuddles to someone else? Full review...
Lion Practice by Emma Carlisle
Laura loves practising at being different kinds of animals. As well as being a kangaroo and an elephant, she's an expert at being a crocodile (much to the other children's dismay in the swimming pool!) But one day she decides that it's time for lion practice, and this is the day when her parents think her imagination has gone just a little too far… Full review...
Molly Maybe's Monsters: The Dappity Doofer by Kristina Stephenson
Molly Maybe lives in Smallsbury, a snoringly, boringly, ordinary place - well, it is until you discover the town's best kept secret. But before we talk about that, let me tell you about Molly's treehouse, where she and her dog, Waggy Burns, can look out over her neighbours' gardens. Mr Bottomly Brown is doing some digging (it's going to be a pond) and he's discovered something rather peculiar: it looks like a small statue. Three days later the statue is in place in the middle of the pond but that's not what's making Mr Brown angry - there are piles of soil all over his perfect lawn. He's convinced that it's moles, but Molly has spotted a claw and she knows better. Full review...
Bear and Hare: Where's Bear? by Emily Gravett
Bear and Hare are playing hide and seek. Hare covers his eyes, turns to face the wall, counts slowly to ten and then goes looking for Bear. Unfortunately he's tried to hide behind and under the standard lamp and he's not exactly invisible. Well, let's be honest - he looks as though he's wearing a very strange hat. Still, we can always have another go, can't we? This time, after the ritual counting, Bear is behind a (very small) pile of books. OK, one more time? This time it's the fish tank. I'd like to be able to say that he was behind the tank, but he's visible over, under and through the tank. Even the fish look rather surprised. Full review...
More! by Tracey Corderoy and Tim Warnes
Archie the rhino has a new favourite word - more! Whatever it is that Archie likes, he likes it a lot! He just wants more of everything; more stories, more bubbles in the bath, more glitter...but what happens when one day, Archie's idea of 'more' becomes a little too much to handle? Full review...
Captain Pugwash by John Ryan
Captain Pugwash was first published in 1957. It was a comic strip, a TV animation and the story series developed into a further twenty four titles. Pugwash is conceited, stupid, podgy, unshaven and lovable. His crew are the laziest afloat, his enemy, Cut-Throat Jake, is satisfyingly villainous and cabin-boy Tom can always be relied on to save the day. Many families will remember these as childhood favourites whether in print or on the screen. Full review...
The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield
One day a small bear cub finds something strange in the middle of the woods. Not knowing what it is he tentatively touches it with his paw. It makes an awful sound! However the little bear continues to visit the object over months and years and gradually the sounds become beautiful and the bear feels happy. The other bears love listening to the wonderful music that he makes and then one day a father and daughter visit the forest and tell the bear he should take his musical talent to the big city. So the bear embarks on a journey to seek his fame and fortune. Although the city is all the bear could possibly have hoped for, something deep inside him is tugging him back home. Full review...
Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long
The Lord of the Rings has an impressive legacy, both as a trilogy of books and films. Its impact on the fantasy genre as a whole is almost immeasurable – in many ways the genre exists because of these books. Frodo and co. also lives on within the people who love and cherish the books and the fantasy genre as a whole, but how do you spark this enthusiasm in your kids? Matty Long may just have come up with a cunning plan. Full review...
Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur by Joan Aiken and Quentin Blake
If you think about all the many unsuitable items that Mortimer the raven has eaten, from staircases to bowler hats, it's surprising that he's still in as good a shape as he is. This time, Mortimer finds himself left alone with Mrs Jones' sewing machine. I'm still not sure why Mrs Jones ever lets him out of her sight, since he has an unerring capacity for trouble, yet here we find him, gobbling down the pink material that is intended for Arabel's new dress, swiftly followed by the needle! When Mortimer eventually discovers the foot pedal that makes the sewing machine go he and Arabel are turfed out of the house and allowed to go across the road to the park where a crowd has gathered around an interesting find in a large hole… Full review...
The Spiral Stair by Joan Aiken and Quentin Blake
I'm rather fond of Arabel and Mortimer. I like the outlandish situations that they find themselves in, and the way Joan Aiken wrote the stories without speaking down to her readers in any way, inserting humour for the grown ups reading them too. Here our terrible twosome have been sent to Uncle Urk at the zoo whilst Mr Jones is in hospital. Aunt Effie, however, has little patience for a noisy raven. Will Mortimer land them both in trouble? Or will they somehow manage to save the zoo from a scurrilous animal-stealing plot? Full review...
The Little House by the Sea by Benedict Blathwayt
By the sea, on the Isle of Mull, there was a ruined cottage, but it wasn't entirely uninhabited. The roof had fallen in and the windows were empty but that didn't stop the mice finding snug and dry homes in the walls. Rabbits enjoyed the weeds in the garden and the doorway to the cottage was used as a shelter by the sheep when it rained. Sparrows nested under the roof and a stray cat slept in the pile of leaves in the fireplace. Then one day Finn came along. He was a fisherman and he began to repair the house. He worked too - catching fish and taking tourists to see the seals and Fingal's cave. But what about the birds and animals who had lived in the cottage before Finn came along? Full review...
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr
Polly opens the door one day to find a large black wolf standing on the doorstep. With no preamble whatsoever, not even a cursory hello, the wolf informs Polly that he intends to eat her up. Incredibly Polly invites the wolf into her home and even into the kitchen! What can she be thinking of? Well, young Polly is clever, resourceful, independent and charming. The wolf is a wolf of very little brain. Therefore it is not long before she is able to outwit the wolf and send him packing. This first story is very short but sets the scene for the ongoing battle of wits between Polly and the wolf that will continue for the remaining twelve short stories in this charming and entertaining book. Full review...
NO! by David McPhail
A boy - we never learn his name - leaves home with a letter to post. If we look carefully we get a hint about who the letter is going to, but getting to the post box is not going to be easy, because the boy lives in a war zone. There are planes dropping bombs, tanks taking out buildings, soldiers carrying bayonets kicking down doors and a policeman with truncheon aloft and vicious dog at his side. The boy walks through it all as though completely unmoved, but when he reaches the postbox there's a bully lounging there and the first thing that he does is to knock the boy's hat off. Our hero has had enough - and we know just what he says... Full review...
Melric and the Dragon by David McKee
There's a hoard of dragons loose in the kingdom! Crikey! Luckily the King has a whole army of soldiers with nothing else on their plate (except quite a few jam sandwiches) so he has plenty of troops to send on a search and destroy mission. Full review...
Kipper's Beach Ball by Mick Inkpen
It's play time at the beach for Kipper and Tiger in this magical book about living in the moment because it might be over before you know it. Full review...
Katie McGinty Wants a Pet by Jenna Harrington and Finn Simpson
Katie McGinty wants a pet. Really, really, REALLY wants a pet. Daddy says no, not yet, not until she's bigger. So she waits. And she waits. And then the time comes. Full review...
The Bolds by Julian Clary and David Roberts
The Bolds, Mr and Mrs and their two small children, live in an ordinary semi-detached house in suburban Teddington. They have jobs; Mrs Bold designs and sells flamboyant hats and Mr Bold writes jokes for Christmas crackers. But they are most definitely not an ordinary family. Oh no! They are in fact hyenas. So far they have managed to successfully pretend to be human beings. Although very hairy and prone to laughing a lot they have kept the truth (and their tails!) a secret from everyone. But their grumpy next door neighbour, Mr McNumpty, is growing suspicious and then a trip to the local safari park has repercussions. Will the Bolds' carefully long kept secret be revealed? Full review...
Nina Goes Barking Mad! by Anita Pouroulis
Nina and George are Jules' dogs. George is badly behaved. He once dug up the entire front lawn. Mum said she wanted to give him away. It's Nina who is in the dog house though in this edition of the Jules, Nina and George series. She just won't stop barking. Mum, Jules and even George are being driven crazy. Inspired by a TV show, Jules sets out to think like a dog and pin down what on earth the matter can be. Full review...
Pirates Don't Drive Diggers by Alex English and Duncan Beedie
Ah, that age old dilemma or whether to go into the family business or whether to set out alone and follow your dreams! In this story we meet Brad, who has been born into a family of pirates but who dreams of life on a building site. His dad (friendly looking pirate though he is) has no time for Brad's nonsense, and packs him off to sea to learn what pirates do. Is this to be a tale of tragedy and woe? Don't worry, Brad may get to drive a digger after all… Full review...
Poo in the Zoo by Steve Smallman and Ada Grey
If you’re one of those parents who really can’t stand farting jokes, or avoids nappy changing discussions with your peers at all costs then step away from this review now! This is a story that is made for families who enjoy a funny poo story, and who can bear a few armpit fart noises now and then! For this is a book that is entirely about poo, from start to finish, so make sure everyone who needs to be is in a nice clean nappy, then get ready for a treat of a read! Full review...
Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando
'Black Cat, White Cat' made me laugh out loud. In a lifetime of consuming literature greedily, I can count on one hand the number of books that have had this effect on me. I couldn't wait to read it with someone else to share the joke. Given that the humour relies on an element of surprise, I'm torn about how much to reveal here so, for the moment, I'll tell you a bit more about the book. Full review...
The Only Pupil in the School by Hsukung Liu and Xinlin Wang (translator)
On the first day of the school term only one pupil appeared and the teachers began to worry about losing their jobs. So they made their minds up that they would make their only pupil the best in the school, which - when you think about it - wasn't going to be all that difficult. They began by trying to persuade her to come to their classes and when that didn't persuade her they began fighting amongst themselves and didn't notice our heroine creeping away. She went to the forest and met an old man who taught her lots about the flowers and the insects. A chef showed her how to make soup - it was delicious and warming - and then she had lots of fun (and exercise) with a dog she met in the park. The further she looked, the more she learned and at the library she drew a book about what she had seen - and it was there that the teachers found her. Full review...
Rama and the Demon King by Jessica Souhami
Rama was a brave and good prince, the king's favourite son. He loved his wife, Sita and his best friend was his brother Lakshman. Everyone loved him, except for one person. His stepmother was jealous and she was determined to get rid of Rama. Long ago she had saved the king's life and he had promised to grant her any wish. She asked that he send Rama into the forest for fourteen years and although the king was horrified he had to keep his promise. Rama was sent into the forest, but he did not go alone, as Sita and Lakshman went with him and for a while all was well. They fought off the demons who first appeared and then built a house and led a simple life among the forest animals. Full review...
When I Am Happiest by Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson
If Dani leaves her school for the summer holidays with one souvenir, it will either be the memories of the fabulous friendship she formed with Ella, who struck a chord in book one then moved away, or it will be a book she has written and compiled to remind her of all the happiness she has encountered along the way. That is not quite finished, for the following day is to be the great end of year party, and her classroom decorations are complete and her dress has been bought new specially. But not all of life is happiness and jollity – and Dani is removed from the classroom to face very bad news. What ending is in store, for her book and for ours? Full review...
