Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door by Julia Donaldson and Hannah Shaw
I love Julia Donaldson's books for younger children. Everyone loves The Gruffalo and Tyrannosaurus Drip is still one of our favourites, but as the children have grown, these books have been read less frequently. I have to admit, I've missed them. Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door gives us a chance to enjoy this brilliant author for just a little while longer. This is fun story, told in the first person, so we never know the name of the main character. We do know she is lively active young girl, perhaps with an active imagination. I would guess her to be about 10 years old with an equally active and inquisitive younger brother named Elmo. Full review...
My Zoo by Rod Campbell
My children have always been drawn to Rod Campbell's simple but appealing illustrations, so I was delighted to have a chance to review this book, even though my boys are now older than the expected age range. This is a very simple book. There are fifteen large die cut animals on a pastel coloured background. The illustrations have a unique quality to them that I can only describe as Rod Campbell. The animals all have friendly appearance, and a kind of gentleness to them. The front view of each animal has only the animal's name in bold black print. When you turn the page, there is a single sentence about the animal in smaller print. With a very young baby, the parent can read only the animals name, perhaps adding the sound for each animal. As the child grows older, the parents can begin reading the extra line on each animal. The fact the animals are larger than usual in these pictures, and on sturdy pages that are perfect for little hands, means this book would be ideal for babies as young as six months. I feel this would make a lovely first book for young child. As much as we loved Dear Zoo, I feel this book is even better for infants. Full review...
Kurt Gets Truckloads by Erlend Loe
Meet Kurt. He's a dockyard truck-driver, with a wife and three children, and more dreams than money. The family has travelled before, but might not be able to in future, as there is just not the budget. Funnily enough, just the day after talking about what having a huge amount of money would do for and to Kurt, he gets a windfall. And then the problems start… Full review...
Dustbin Dad by Peter Bently and Russel Ayto
Dustbin Dad is a cautionary tale aimed at all of those children who leave food on their plate at the end of a meal. Dad likes nothing better than to polish off the leftovers, much to the disgust of his family. One day, however, he gobbles down a pint of something that tastes like fish chowder. Unfortunately, it is cat medicine and it has some very strange side effects indeed, as dad discovers when he hears a loud rip and a long tail pops out of the back of his trousers... Full review...
Horrid Henry's Nightmare by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
Horrid Henry was the first chapter book my son ever read alone. It was quickly followed by a succession of books in the series and my son's confidence in reading grew by leaps and bounds with this engaging series that gets young children reading and keeps them reading. The simple fact is, with such a large number of books in the series, any child who reads through the whole lot will improve their reading skills. As he has grown older, his tastes in books have changed, but as I sat down to read 'Horrid Henry's Nightmare' to my four year old he was happy to listen in as well and we all enjoyed sharing this book as a family. Full review...
How Brave Is That? by Anne Fine and Vicki Gausden
All Tom has ever wanted to do is join the army, but the odds seem stacked against him. Schoolwork doesn't come easily for Tom, and without a lot of work, he'll never pass his exams. Tom is determined and with enough determination we can overcome huge obstacles. It's a good thing too - because Tom is going to have major obstacles thrown in his path. Any child with younger siblings will be able to laugh at the disasters that befall Tom as he tries to prepare for the most important day of his life - the exam that will determine his future. If he passes he can join the army. If not - his dreams are over. Full review...
The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino
'The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water' begins with a Mother crocodile carrying a basket of blue eggs. But one of the eggs isn't quite like the others, and when the little crocs hatch, one crocodile isn't quite like the others. All of the other crocodiles love the water, but the odd one out prefers to climb trees. The other crocodiles were not cruel, but he felt left out as they all played water games. He tried to fit in, but he just wasn't meant to be a water creature. His attempts to be something other than what nature intended are touching, but also terribly funny. Soon the reason for the little crocodile's dislike of water becomes apparent - he isn't a crocodile at all and he wasn't meant to swim - he was meant to fly. Full review...
It's a Little Book by Lane Smith
Lane Smith's blockbuster hit 'It's A Book' spent six months on the New York Times bestsellers list. Her new 'It's a Little Book' provides a very similar story, but on a level better suited to very young children. Both books feature a very computer-literate donkey and a quiet thoughtful monkey. In both books, donkey has never seen a book before and has all sorts of questions to which monkey always replies no or it's a book. Donkey doesn't seem able to quite figure out why monkey is so interested in this thing with no whistles and bells or lights or action, or to understand why monkey likes this strange thing so much - until monkey shows him the magic of books as well. Full review...
Dork Diaries: Holiday Heartbreak by Rachel Renee Russell
This being the sixth full-length novel to feature Nikki Maxwell and her crush on Brandon, there is little point in doing a summary or resume at great length. They're still at school, and they're still finding being in any kind of friendship both socially awkward and hampered by the presence of the evil Mackenzie, Nikki's cute but catty rival. All you really need to know is this volume covers an entire February, in order – and manages to finish with the Valentine's night school dance. Yes, it has weird circumstances, Nikki getting embarrassed and jealous, and more. But I haven't told you about the greatest surprise yet… Full review...
Amazing Esme by Tamara Macfarlane
Esme leaves behind her circus home for the first time to spend the summer with her cousins Magnus, Cosmo and Gus at Maclinkey Castle and discovers that it is not quite as she expected. It is very easy to get lost inside the castle and all sorts of weird and wonderful animals can be found in unlikely places. The children are cared for by Mrs Larder the housekeeper who allows delights such as a bad-mannered tea party. Despite the fun and laughter Esme misses her dear friend Donk, a loveable half donkey- half horse until one day a mysterious parcel arrives for her. It is then that the adventures really begin. Full review...
Claude in the Spotlight by Alex T Smith
You have met Claude, haven't you? He's a funny, plump little dog whose best friend is Sir Bobblysock and the two of them frequently get themselves embroiled in all sorts of adventures. This time Claude heads, accidentally, towards a career on stage. But something is amiss in the theatre. Can Claude help save the show? Full review...
You, Me and Thing 4: The Mummy That Went Moo by Karen McCombie
Do you remember Thing? Yes, that's right, he's that funny little creature who's a bit like a troll or a fairy or a squirrel or a, well, a something and he lives in the woods at the bottom of Ruby's garden. Ruby and Jackson became friends thanks to discovering Thing, and now they try to take care of him as best they can, and keep him out of trouble if at all possible. Unfortunately with Thing's wayward magical powers it isn't always easy to do! 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...