Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy and Rosalind Beardshaw
When we first meet Dog he is rushing joyfully through the woods clutching a big, blue suitcase festooned with stickers from his travels. In this suitcase he has put all the treasures he has collected and he is sure that these are all he needs to make him happy. But then one morning Dog meets someone. That someone is Mouse and it is through meeting Mouse that everything changes for Dog. Full review...
Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
Ten little pirates, sailing out to sea,
Looking for adventure, happy as can be.
Are they hunting treasure? Are they going far?
Ten little pirates all say, 'Arrrrrrr!
Full review...
The Little Ghost by Otfried Preussler and Anthea Bell
I have to admit I was slightly prejudiced about this book. The Little Ghost immediately brought back memories of Robert Bright's Georgie which I had cherished as a child. Like Georgie, Little Ghost is a wonderful friendly character, if you are looking for a fright, this book will not be at all suitable. But if you jut want a feel good adventure for younger readers, this book is just the thing. Full review...
Mixed Up Nursery Rhymes by Hilary Robinson and Liz Pichon
Many children have a great fondness for traditional nursery rhymes and it doesN't take long for them to know them so well that they can join in as you are reading to them. They know that Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard and that Dr Foster went to Gloucester. However, what fun it might be to sometimes mix up these tales so that the rhymes become even stranger and funnier than the originals. Full review...
Little Mouse's Big Book of Beasts by Emily Gravett
You know right from the start that this is going to be a special book. The cover art is fantastic with a true 3D feel that truly pops, and when you open it, the animals jump out at you. Literally. Full review...
Dixie O'Day in the Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy
The first collaboration by award winning children’s author Shirley Hughes and her illustrator/author daughter Clara Vulliamy has been eagerly anticipated for some time and this gorgeous little book more than meets expectations. In the first of a new series we meet Dixie, a car-loving dog who is always ready for adventure and Percy his smaller and slightly more cautious friend. Together the two chums enter an all-day race in Dixie’s car and are determined that they will win first prize. However, first they discover that they will be up against Dixie’s arch rival Lou-Ella, then all manner of mishaps cause them problems and the race does not go smoothly for our heroes. Can Dixie save the day? Full review...
Jump! by Carol Thompson
Who doesn’t like to jump? Jumping on the bed, jumping with friends, jumping like a kangaroo – it’s all good! Full review...
Boris Gets Spots by Carrie Weston and Tim Warnes
The pupils in Miss Cluck’s class have an awful lot of fun at school. In fact, if our schools were like theirs, you’d want to go every single day and never make a fuss. The latest news is that Mr Gander from the farm is coming to visit! Everyone’s excited – everyone, that is, except Boris who asks if he can sit quietly inside instead. Miss Cluck is a lovely teacher so of course she says yes but in the flurry of excitement, no one really stops to ask why the big, lively bear wants to miss out on the fun. Full review...
Snowflakes by Cerrie Burnell and Laura Ellen Anderson
Mia is a little girl from the city who moves to the village of Silver Vale to live with her Grandmother in the forest. The first question you might encounter from curious readers is why this happens. And where her mummy and daddy are. What’s happened to them? Was it something bad? Did they just leave Mia behind one day, go to work and not return? It’s not too clear and the opening picture which shows a little girl, all alone, looking out of the window to the city below, is rather sad. Full review...
Something Delicious by Jill Lewis and Ali Pye
There once lived a Greedy Guzzler who was always eating and during one particular day:
'He had munched breakfast, crunched elevenses, chomped twelveses and guzzled the most enormous lunch.' Full review...
Where's Tim's Ted? It's Time for Bed! by Ian Whybrow and Russell Ayto
Tim is visiting Grandad and Granny Red on the farm. It’s bed time, but Tim can’t find Ted. He makes them look for him, but they don’t really bother. Just a perfunctory peek behind the sofa and, when that doesn’t unearth the teddy, Tim is packed off to bed with the promise that they’ll look again in the morning. But it’s hard to sleep without your toy, isn’t it? So, deep in the middle of the night, Tim creeps out of bed to go searching once more. He’s not alone, though. Grandad and Granny Red might be fast asleep but others on the farm are awake, and like the Pied Piper, Tim soon finds himself with quite a following. Full review...
Momo and Snap are not Friends by Airlie Anderson
La la la!
Tum ti tum!
Eek!
Ack!
Y’know? Full review...
George's Dragon Goes to School by Claire Freedman and Russell Julian
I would have been useless during Take your pet to school week. The goldfish who lived with us for short moments of my life (and the entirety of their short lives) wouldn’t have been very portable and even if they had, they’d have been a bit boring, swimming in circles mouthing 'o-o-o' . I would have been immensely jealous of anyone who brought in a lively puppy or a cute snuffly bunny rabbit. As a bit of a trophy whore even at a young age, I would have been very sad that I wasn’t really in the running for the Best Pet cup. Full review...
Moo! Said Morris by Jon Lycett-Smith
There was a little mouse called Morris and he was a very unusual mouse. Whilst all the other mice said Squeak, Morris said:
MOO! and
HONK! and
NEIGH! Full review...
Blood and Guts and Rats' Tail Pizza by Vivian French and Chris Fisher
Despite a revolting menu with dishes like slug and snail stew or rats' tail pizzas, Billy Bone's café was usually packed at lunchtime. Perhaps because there was no other place to eat. All of their customers were male, because neither Billy Bones, nor his assistant Hank liked girls at all. A large sign in the window proclaimed Absolutely No Girls! But one day the customers disappeared - and what was worse, Hank soon discovered their customers had all been stolen by girls. The girls were very large, green and hairy but they were girls nonetheless, and their traveling cake shop had enticed all of Billy Bone's customers away. Full review...
Pittipat's Saucer of Moon by Geraldine McCaughrean and Maria Nilsson
Pittipat the little black kitten is off to the moon, brave and fearless, for he's heard that the moon is a saucer of cream and he thinks that his brothers and sisters have gone up there without him to drink it all up! Off he sets to chase after them, determined to get his own lick of the cream! Full review...
Ruff and the Wonderfully Amazing Busy Day by Caroline Jayne Church
Ruff, a rather sweet little dog, is a happy fellow. He pootles about, busy all day long and singing little songs to himself as he works. But sometimes he wonders what it would be like to have someone else to sing with him. Busy making himself a new pond in the garden one day he discovers a small mouse who appears to be rather cross about someone digging up his home...oh dear, Ruff! Can he help the little mouse to find a new home to live in? Full review...
The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Duncan loves colouring but one day he receives a very surprising stack of letters from his crayons. Some are quite content, but others are really getting fed up. Red and Blue want a break, they get used far too much and are nearly worn away. Purple is delighted to be the colour of the wizards and dragons, but he is rather fussy about staying inside the lines. Black wants to colour in fun things like beach balls, and yellow and orange can't stop quarrelling over which should be the colour of the sun. Peach has had her wrapper peeled off and won't come out at all now, as she is embarrassed about being naked. Pink however is the most upset all. Duncan has never used Pink once. Pink wants to be something fun, like a dinosaur. Full review...
Triassic Terrors by Isaac Lenkiewicz and Nick Crumpton
With a son who has insisted he will become a palaeontologist since the age of three, we have collected a vast assortment of books on dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. I have never found one yet which so clearly explains exactly what is and is not a dinosaur. The majority of the reptiles in this book are not dinosaurs. The Triassic saw the very first of the dinosaurs to walk the earth, and these were much smaller than their Jurassic and Cretaceous counterparts. There is no shortage of fascinating creatures here though. This book has a wide variety of reptilian life, made all the more fascinating by the fact that these are creatures we see very little of in other books. The text in this book is limited, as this is primarily an activity book, but what is there is surprisingly informative. Books focussing on the Triassic period for children are few and far between. This is a rare treasure for any child with more than a passing interest in dinosaurs, and an absolute must have for budding palaeontologists. Full review...
Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George
Julia Donaldson is probably best known for her collaborations with Axel Scheffler on creations such as The Gruffalo and Stick Man. In this book she has teamed up with illustrator, Karen George, in order to present a charming yet sleepy character, Lydia Lou. Throughout this delightful picture book, we see Lydia Lou, with her sweep of curly brown locks, sleeping soundly and contentedly in her bed with her teddy. She is sleeping so soundly that it appears that nothing will wake her; not even the sly ghost that creeps into her room with the sole intention of making her scream. Full review...
The Bunny That Couldn't Be Found by Angela Mitchell
Princess Lolly is a little girl who is in charge of lots of grown ups, which in itself is a lovely start to any book. But Princess Lolly isn’t a happy bunny because… Johnny Bunny has gone missing! He left her room just as she was waking up, and she can’t find him anywhere! As anyone would be when a favourite pet has gone missing, she is so, so sad! So she sets hoards of policemen on the case to search the kingdom for him. They search high and low in the palace and the gardens but can’t seem to find what they’re looking for. Full review...
How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth by Michelle Robinson and Kate Hindley
Some tasks are just so big and daunting, you don’t know where to start. Like washing a woolly mammoth. I mean, it’s a big job when you think about it. Luckily if you have a woolly mammoth, or just like to imagine you do, there is this book, a step by step guide to the task. Full review...
Jo-Jo The Melon Donkey by Michael Morpurgo and Helen Stephens
Jo-Jo is donkey, but he desperately wishes he were something else. His is a life of hard work and little comfort. He works all day hauling melons, tormented by flies, derided by passers-by and despised by his owner. Finally he finds a friend. A kind and gentle child who looks into his sad eyes and finds beauty rather than just a shaggy old beast. The child runs out each day to buy a melon, and for a few minutes Jo-Jo knows happiness - but this is no ordinary child, this is the Doge's daughter. Sadly, the Doge does not share his daughter's ability to see the inner beauty of things, scorning Jo-Jo as a lowly beast. His daughter will not give up on her friend though, and when disaster strikes Jo-Jo repays her kindness by saving all of the people of Venice. Full review...
Isabel's Noisy Tummy by David McKee
Isabel is a very good little girl with a very naughty tummy. It burbles and rumbles and gurgles loudly at school, and her teacher is not impressed. Everyone has advice on what to do to stop it making such rude noises. Her mother tells her to eat slower, but that doesn’t work. Her father suggests exercise, her doctor medicine, but still, no joy. But, one day on a school trip, Isabel’s tummy saves the day, and saves her classmates. And after that, well, no one really minds a noisy tummy any more. Full review...
The Pet Itch by Elli Woollard and Elina Ellis
Most children want a pet at some point. Mossy Monster wants a pet itch more than anything else in the world. But his family (refreshingly consisting of a Granny, an Uncle and a sister) have all sorts of reasons why he shouldn't have one and his sister just seems to delight in tormenting him - as sisters do. But Sister comes though in the end with a crafty plan that will help Mossy get the Itch of his dreams, and make sure the grown ups do all the work as well. There is never a dull moment in this book with temper tantrums, rude rhymes and absolutely delightful illustrations. The best part of all though is the way the adults are so easily bamboozled. Full review...
ABC and Do by Lee Singh and Karen Wall
Being able to recognise letters is an essential aspect of emergent literacy. I know so many parents and children who feel that being able to sing their ABC's is the same as knowing the alphabet. It isn't. A child must be able to recognise the letter forms, in upper and lower cases, identify them by name and understand the sound or phoneme made by each. Learning the alphabet is something that most children will need some help with at home. No matter how good the school your child attends, it is impossible for a teacher to give each child the individual attention required to master this subject easily, and failure to do so often leads to lifelong difficulties in literacy. Full review...
Ernest and Celestine: The Picnic by Gabrielle Vincent
Ernest, a large bear, and Celestine, a small mouse, have made themselves a beautiful picnic. Everything is packed and ready to go for when they get up tomorrow morning. However, when morning comes it's raining very heavily. Ernest says that unfortunately they can't have their picnic after all but poor Celestine is distraught. Is there any way Ernest can make things up to her? Full review...
Mary's Hair by Eoin Colfer
Mary hates her hair. It has black bits and brown bits, curly bits and straight bits and Mary feels that it looks very much like a bush. Her Daddy says if you don't like something, you should change it (instead of whining about it to your parents when they want to relax with a cup of tea). Mary's Daddy, like many others, should watch what he says to children. Mary follows his advice with hilarious results. First she cuts her hair, but when that doesn't go to plan she decides to dye it. She has learned something from the whole hair cutting experience though, this time she plans to try the dye out on someone else first. Full review...
Eleanor's Eyebrows by Timothy Knapman and David Tazzyman
Eleanor just can't see the point of eyebrows. They don't do anything. They just sit there, two silly, scruffy, hairy, little bits of fluff! Sadly for Eleanor, her eyebrows overhear her describing them in this way, and they refuse to stay where they aren't wanted and so pack their bags and set off into the big world to find a place where someone will love them! Full review...
Mmm...Let's Eat! by Libby Koponen
Children often have a tendency to end up eating brown and white foods, not wanting to branch out into any more colourful territory for fear of the unknown of purple aubergines or blue blueberries. This book aims to get children thinking a little bit more about the colours of foods, perhaps encouraging them to try something a little bit out of the ordinary one day. Full review...
Stick Man's First Words by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Does your child roam the house dressed as the Gruffalo? Do you know the words to Tiddler off by heart? Have you read and loved Stick Man as we at The Bookbag have? Well, this is one for the fans, a first words book full of wonderful illustrations by Axel Scheffler and based on the Stick Man story. Full review...
Squiglet Pig by Joyce Dunbar and Tim Hopgood
Squiglet Pig is based on a real deep sea creature, the piglet squid. This is one of those creatures you have to see to believe. It honestly does look like it always smiling, and very much like the main character in this book. Full review...
Wild by Emily Hughes
Wild is the story of a girl who has grown up in the forest with only the animals to care for her, but this is where she belongs and she is happy. All of the animals love her and she loves them. She learns how to speak from the birds, what to eat from the bears, how to play from the foxes, and the deer and the rabbit keep her company as she sleeps. She has no clothing, nor does she need it, Her long mane of unruly green hair covers the important bits and gives her the appearance of something that has sprung to life from the forest itself. She is creature of pure innocence. Full review...