For sharing
The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen
Lazlo is afraid of the dark. Each night he takes a torch to bed as he knows that the dark shares the house with him, lurking in all the corners of his home. Usually though, the dark lives in the basement and each morning Lazlo builds up the courage to go to the door of the basement and say hi to the dark. But then one night the dark does something different and visits Lazlo in his bedroom and speaks to him! It has something that it wants to show Lazlo and it is something that will help Lazlo to overcome his fear. Full review...
Wolf and Dog by Sylvia Vanden Heede and Marije Tolman
Wolf and Dog are cousins, and whilst Wolf is wild and lives in the forest, Dog is tame and lives in a house with his boss. In spite of their differences they somehow develop a friendship, of sorts, sharing everything from food to fleas! Full review...
The Disgusting Sandwich by Gareth Edwards and Hannah Shaw
What do you do if your sandwich falls on the floor? Do you have a three second rule? Does it depend on how good a sandwich it is?! I stopped worrying so much when my daughter began to crawl and one day, in a cafe in town, I discovered her under someone else's table eating crumbs and fluff and goodness knows what off the floor there, with no adverse effects thank goodness! Here in this story Badger, poor Badger, is very, very hungry. He spots a delicious looking sandwich, peanut butter on fresh white bread. But the little boy holding the sandwich accidentally drops it in the sandpit. A little girl sees and she says you can't eat it now. It's disgusting. What about badger though? Does he still want to eat it? Full review...
Stupid Baby by Stephanie Blake
Simon (a rabbit) has a new baby brother. Suddenly Simon is being cautioned for being too noisy. He begins to worry that this 'stupid baby', who has been there for three whole days might actually be staying forever! And that would be horrible! How on earth will Simon cope? Full review...
Things That Go (Baby Can See) by Leonie Lagarde
Things That Go is one of a series (more on the other books later) of books designed with the youngest readers in mind. It has just twelve pages in a substantial board and with a padded cover which will be soft in baby's hands will wipe clean. It's sturdy but not immune to being pierced if it encounters a sharp object. Each double page spread shows a method of transport in black, white and one primary colour. There's a statement of what it is: 'It's a bike' along with a very small amount of supplementary text. The picture has simple lines and it's obvious what it is. Full review...
Tamara Small and the Monster's Ball by Giles Paley-Phillips and Gabriele Antonini
On a dark and windy night Tamara Small lies awake in bed, clutching Ted. There's something stirring in the garden and when she and Ted go to look out of the window there's something moving around and making a grizzly sound. As the pair dash back to bed a monster breaks through the window and whisks them away - to the old village hall which is where the Annual Monsters' Ball is being held. And what a collection of monsters it is! I saw skeletons, goblins, ghosts and ghouls, witches in black pointy hats and a few other monsters that defy description. And what happened to Tamara? Well, she had a ball... Full review...
Tabitha Posy Was Ever So Nosy by Julie Fulton and Jona Jung
It's a couple of years since I met Julie Fulton's Mrs MacCready, who - in case you don't know - was ever so greedy. Remembering what a glorious romp that was, how could I resist a young friend of Julie's by the name of Tabitha Posy? Well, I didn't even try... Full review...
Dinosaurs in the Supermarket by Timothy Knapman and Sarah Warburton
There are dinosaurs in the supermarket!
Look, they’re everywhere!
If only grown-ups noticed them
They’d get a frightful scare.
But of course, the grown-ups are so immersed in their grocery shopping, that they don’t notice the dinosaurs hiding on the shelves, in amongst the vegetables and behind the display cases. Only one little boy is observant enough to spot the dinosaurs all around the supermarket and the fact that their antics are causing chaos. If he doesn’t do something soon, the adults may blame HIM for all the mess appearing on the walls and floors. Full review...
The Cautionary Tale of the Childe of Hale by Rachel Lyon and Vanina Starkoff
There was a giant who lived in Hale and if you care to you can visit the cottage and grave of John Middleton who reputedly topped nine feet tall and had to sleep with his feet dangling out of his cottage windows. Rachel Lyon tells the lightly-fictionalised story of how the Childe - as he was known - was taken up by the king, commanded to move to London and given every luxury. For a while he didn't regret leaving Hale at all - for once he was dry, slept in a comfortable bed and had clothes which fit him. He mixed with the royal family and the court - and life seemed good, until the day when the king commanded him to fight. This was bad enough, but even then the king's motives were not exactly as you might expect. Full review...
I Got a Crocodile by Nicola Killen
A lonely child wishes for a little brother or sister to play with, but ends up with a crocodile instead. The crocodile is messy and intrusive and soon starts making a nuisance of himself, causing trouble at teatime, bathtime and bedtime. Can the crocodile and the child get over their differences and become friends in the end? Full review...
The Chicken and the Egg by Allan Plenderleith
Flo the chicken lived on a farm where every chicken laid one egg every day, except for Flo, that is. She tried everything - you'll see from the pictures that she really did try everything, but nothing worked. Then one day it rained and all the other chickens went into the coop but there was no room for Flo - so there was nothing left for her to do but hide under a tree. As the rain came down, so did something else and a really BIG egg landed right next to Flo. The other chickens were just a bit sceptical (the egg was bigger than Flo), but Flo was the maternal type and she loved that egg and cared for it all through the year. Then came the night when a predator came calling at the farm and Flo wouldn't leave her egg... Full review...
Harold Finds A Voice by Courtney Dicmas
Harold is a parrot, quite a talented parrot in fact. He is able to mimic almost anything with great accuracy. From the washing machine to the toaster, the vacuum cleaner to the phone Harold delights in imitating every single sound he hears in the apartment in which he lives. One day Harold decides that he has tired of all these familiar sounds and ventures out into the big city where is he delighted to discover a whole range of exciting new sounds for him to copy. However something is worrying Harold; despite all the many sounds he makes he is worried that he does not have a sound of his own. Surely he must have a voice and if he does what does it sound like? Full review...
Christopher's Bicycle by Charlotte Middleton
Something is going on in the shed! Christopher Nibble (the guinea pig) wonders what his dad is doing in there, banging and crashing about. And his mum too has some secret sewing project going on. What on earth could they be up to? Worry not, for all is revealed when Christopher is presented with his very own brand new recycled bicycle! Full review...
Never Ever by Jo Empson
The little girl in this story is firmly convinced of the fact that nothing ever, EVER happens to her. Nothing interesting anyway. We meet her walking through the countryside with her stuffed rabbit, moaning about the lack of excitement in her life. Yet whilst she's complaining, what's that we can see? In the field of pigs behind her there's one with wings, flying in the sky! Has she noticed? No, she hasn't! She continues to walk on, telling us how there is never, ever any excitement and of course there are more and more things happening around her that she's just not noticing. Will she ever discover that her life is perhaps one of the most exciting in the world?! Full review...
Prince Charmless by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Prince Charmless was probably born complaining and every day there is something new to complain about. Amongst his complaints are that he wants to be a panda rather than a prince; he wants to live in a big, gold palace instead of a silly, silver, little one; and he wants to get up in the middle of the night rather than in the morning. If he can find something to complain about, he will, and Prince Charmless does not worry about upsetting people when he does complain. Unsurprisingly, the palace staff has had enough and all decide to leave. Full review...
Snug as a Bug by Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot
When George looked out the window at the rain, he was a bit reluctant to go out. That was until his mum told him that they would be taking lots of extra cuddles that would keep him lovely and warm. In fact, he would be as 'snug as a bug rolled up in a rug'. Added to that he would be 'like two cosy bats in thick woolly hats' and even 'as hot as three pigs in big purple wigs'. This list of how snug he will be keeps being added to all the way up to ten when Mum tells George that he will be 'tucked up like... Ten toasty geese all sharing one fleece'. Full review...
The Wind in the Wallows by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
I'm always ready for a fun story when I see that Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross have come together to do another picture book. This is a particularly fun one to share, especially with kids who enjoy anything to do with farts and stinkyness and, most importantly, the tussle over who is responsible for the terrible smell! Full review...
Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
The Black Bloomer and her crew of scurvy pirates are off in search of treasure, but this is no ordinary booty. These underwear-loving scoundrels are searching for the fabled Pants of Gold, which can be found in Big Knickers Bay. Following the route on their trusty treasure map, they lift anchor and set sail for the island. Unfortunately, when they arrive, it seems that another crew have beaten them to it! Armed with a sharp cutlass and a wicked glint in his eye, the Captain has a plan to reclaim the Golden Underpants for himself... Don’t worry, this is a children’s book; you will have to read it to find out exactly what the Captain does with the cutlass... Full review...
Come On Daisy! by Jane Simmons
Daisy the duckling is having too much fun exploring the riverbank to listen to Mamma Duck. Mamma has told her to stay close, but where is the fun in that? After all, there are lots of interesting creatures living in the river and Daisy wants to make friends with them. Then, of course, there are the giant lily pads. Daisy loves to bounce on the lily pads. Bouncy, bouncy bouncy. Bong bong! But when Daisy stops playing, she notices something. She is all alone. Full review...
Flip-A-Shape: Go! by SAMI
Packed into this sturdy sixteen-page board book you'll find a fun way for toddlers to develop colour and shape recognition. In Go! the theme is transport and you'll see the yellow blade of the digger becomes the sail on a boat as the book is opened. Similarly a circle of a bicycle wheel becomes a balloon as the page is turned over. The blue square of a train cab becomes the purple body of a lorry. The yellow rectangle of a bus becomes the red body of a pull-truck. I'm sure that you get the picture! Full review...
Let's Find Mimi In the City by Katherine Lodge
Mimi the Mouse and her family are going on an adventure in the big city, visiting shops, cafes and parks along the way. Mimi wears a bright red bow on top of her head and a pair of pretty pink fairy wings on her back, so you would think she would stand out in a crowd. But does she? Full review...
Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty
Two curious little spiders find a monkey nut lying on the ground. They don’t know what it is, but they do know that they both want it and that they don’t want to share. But what is this strange, knobbly object? Is it a chair? A musical instrument? Maybe a boat? Whatever it is, the two little spiders are not the only ones interested. A much bigger, hairier spider is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to grab the monkey nut for himself, but will he succeed? Full review...
Elmer and Aunt Zelda by David McKee
Elmer the patchwork elephant was reminded by his cousin Wilbur that they had promised to visit Aunt Zelda, who is getting old and a little bit deaf. Their visit is peppered with misheard words and misunderstandings but there’s an obvious affection between the two generations. Aunt Zelda is very proud of the two youngsters, and Elmer and Wilbur just love Zelda for what she is. There’s never hint of impatience or frustration, no matter how wrong Zelda hears what the two young elephants have to say. But - just in case Elmer was feeling at all superior - he finds when he gets home that he’s been rather forgetful too. Full review...
Anton and the Battle by Ole Konnecke
Anyone who has spent any amount of time with small children will know of the 'well I'm taller than you!' arguments which seem to appear, all of a sudden, and carry on for years! Everything becomes a competition, and it's all about who is stronger or bigger or can eat more beans or can run the fastest or jump the highest or has the noisiest baby brother...This story captures the way these arguments begin, and escalate, as we meet Anton and his friend Luke and see them imagining bigger and bigger ways of being 'better' than each other! Full review...
That's Mine! by Michel Van Zeveren
I've come to look forward to picture books published by Gecko Press. They always seem to come up with something a bit different, and this book is no exception. This is the story of an egg, found by a small green frog who claims it for his own. But then snake says it's his egg, and eagle says it's his egg. Just whose egg is it?! Full review...
More and More Ant and Bee by Angela Banner
Right at the beginning, when you're just starting to read books which have more words than pictures, you need a book that's structured to help you. You need a book which is comfy to hold in small hands and which has a firm cover so that everything keeps straight. You need to share the reading and to know which words you're going to read and you might perhaps appreciate a hint in the form of a picture which will help you to get the word all on your own. Most of all though, you need to have a proper story and a feeling that you've achieved something when you get to the end. You need Ant and Bee. Full review...
Arthur and the Earthworms by Johanne Mercier
Arthur has got himself a new job. He might be only seven but a boy can never start too soon. He's going to be selling earthworms from a table at the side of the road and the idea came when his pet duck started pulling up the worms. They were his favourite food, you see and on a rainy day you could find a lot of them just near the surface. He and Grandad managed to get quite a few worms together, but trade wasn't very brisk on the first and the woman who was determined to buy his pet duck did rather scare him. But the next day, trade picked up (although some of the customers did look suspiciously family) and then the big order came in... Full review...