Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
==For sharing==
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{{Frontpage
__NOTOC__
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|author=Adam Stower
 
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|title=Murray and Bun
{{newreview
 
|author=Karen King and Marina Le Ray
 
|title=Silly Moo
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=When an apple falls on Cow's head, she gets all woozy so decides to go home for a bit of a lie down. She's got mild amnesia, so she goes from place to place on the farmyard, getting to meet all the animals, and causing all sorts of problems as she doesn't realise where she needs to go.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846669014</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Rebecca Elliott
 
|title=Cub's First Winter
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It's the first day of winter and Cub can't sleep, so Mum decides the best option is a forest walk. Cub is a mass of questions about the new experiences - why are the trees undressed, why can they see their breath, and why are the birds going on holiday? Mum informs and reassures Cub as they enjoy the wonders of nature and each other's company.
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|summary=Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two. But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs.  This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849560994</amazonuk>
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|isbn=0008561249
 
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1732898766
|author=Rebecca Elliott
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
|title=Just Because
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|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Toby's best friend is his big sister, Clemmie. She can't walk, talk or move around much. Just because. He loves her dearly, and we discover all the many ways they play together. It's an utterly gorgeous tale of sibling affection.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0745962351</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Anthony Browne
 
|title=Play The Shape Game
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=You might have already played the shape game. It involves doing a squiggle on a piece of paper, then either you or someone else has to turn that squiggle into a full picture. Anthony Browne played it lots when he was little, and now he's playing it with 45 celebrities and you. Proceeds from the book and the auction of the artwork are going to [http://www.rainbowtrust.org.uk The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity], who provide emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness. A fantastic cause.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406331317</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Rebecca Elliott
 
|title=Milo's Pet Egg
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Milo the lemur discovers a pretty pebble one day. He prods it, and to his surprise it moves! He listens carefully, and finds that it's breathing, so he realises that it's an egg, calls it Snappy, and the two of them get up to all sorts of adventures.
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|summary=When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine Repute.  Their greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing them. He's right behind them, spewing hot, sour milk from his nostrils.  (Please don't try this at home: it won't end well.)  Fortunately, they were nearly at Nobby Lob-lolly - and when a ladder of moss and vines was lowered for them, they escaped.  They climbed up to the Tree Wee homes high up in the tangled woods where they lived with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408802007</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|author=Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|title=Big Bad Bun
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|rating=4.5
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|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Big Bad Bun (formerly known as Fluff) has run away from home to join the Hell Bunnies. He passed the initiation ceremony of being buried up to his nose in cowpats, and has since gone on to do all sorts of baaaaad things, like getting his ear pierced and never washing his whiskers. What on Earth will Big Bad Bun's parents make of all this? ...It IS true, right? He REALLY has joined the Hell Bunnies, right? ...Right?
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|summary=Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline.  On top of the ice was a polar bear.  As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another. He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842709453</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1913839656
|author=Edward Hardy and Deborah Allwright
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|title=Martha, No!
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|author=Lainey Dee
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Martha Felicity Molly-Anne May gets through nannies faster than most kids get through... well, everything. She's a bit of a handful is our Martha, always doing what she shouldn't, and running her nanny ragged. Her day is, unsurprisingly, peppered with cries of ''Martha, noooo!''
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|summary=Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice. He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmother. She had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends. At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could be. Grandma thought that it might be because he looked different.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405240784</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504775
|author=Leigh Hobbs
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=Mr Chicken Goes To Paris
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Mr Chicken wants to see France, so he reads his guidebooks, learns his French phrases and arranges for his penpal Yvette to meet him at the airport. Ooh la la!
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|summary=Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive past.  Elsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficult.  One day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home.  Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind it.  Many decades later, Elsie brought the bus, now damaged and rusted, to the Repair Shop, hoping that the experts there could make it so that her grandchildren could play with it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408805243</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504767
|author=Alan Durant and Simon Rickerty
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=Unfortunately
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=One day a boy is walking through the jungle. Unfortunately, a lion tries to get him. Fortunately, he escapes. Unfortunately, a huge snake is poised to snaffle him up. Fortunately... and on and on it goes, with good news followed by bad followed by good. Ok, so that might make it sound a little simple and boring, but trust me: it's fantastic.
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|summary=Susan was very young when she was evacuated from London in 1939 and nervous about how she would be greeted when she got to her final destination.  She needn't have worried though as she went to the home of Mr and Mrs Russell, who couldn't have been kinder to her. She even had her own room - all to herself. Gradually she relaxed and began to enjoy her life. She'd help Mrs Russell with the baking and when it came to Christmas Eve Susan and Mr Russell put the decorations on the Christmas tree. The best surprise happened the following morning.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408309890</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1916459943
|author=Chris Wormell
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|title=Squeakily Baby
|title=Molly and the Night Monster
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|author=Beth Webb
|rating=4.5
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|rating=4
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Molly is in bed, but then she hears a creak on the stair. Could it be an elephant or a rhino coming to get her? Might it even be a night monster? Luckily, Molly is well-armed with her monster catcher, so should be alright, as the door sloooowly inches open...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862301859</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Daisy Dawes
 
|title=Get Ahead Fred
 
|rating=3
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Fred loves wearing hats. He's got a fez, a bonnet, a stetson, and a glittery fedora. When the Queen announces she's coming to town, he decides to get the finest hat he's ever had. There's no possible way that anything could go wrong, is there? ...Is there?
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|summary=Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby. He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and ''wails''.  The sea offers to help.  It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing ''hush, hush''. Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly.  The mermaids join in - ''la lou, la lay...''  And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyes. Then a seagull '''shouts''' and we know exactly what's going to happen next.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848860404</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=140639131X
|author=Anne Fine and Ruth Brown
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|title=Ruggles
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|author=Briony May Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Every dog owner has known a dog like Ruggles: they're so good at escaping from where ever they are that they're generally known as HoudiniRuggles had it all worked out, from the opportunist hop over the fence aided by a pile of newspapers, a bucket and the rabbit hutch to who would snitch on him if he met them (unaccompanied) in the parkThe dog lady knows him well and whilst you wouldn't quite call them friends it's obvious that Ruggles knows when he's met his match and hops in the van without complaint.
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|summary=Philippa Pheasant was ''tired'' of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak RoadShe wrote to the mayor about the problem but didn't even get a reply.  Philippa wasn't a bird to sit back on her tail feathers when there was a problem which needed solving: she saw the benefits of the lollipop lady at the school crossing and decided that she would set up something similar herselfHer uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obvious.  All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392064</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574338
|author=Jan Fearnley
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
|title=Arthur and the Meanies
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|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Arthur the elephant is desperate to play, but the monkeys, Tiger, Peacock and Cheetah all say no. The big meanies. Oh sure, they're happy to be his friend when they want something from him, but as soon as they don't need him any more, they just scamper off and leave him sad. Go on, Arthur, give 'em a soaking! Teach 'em a lesson!
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|summary=Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes.  Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck. It's perfect, isn't it?  What could be a more fun way of going to school?  There is a problem, though. Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up. The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405253819</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
 
|title=The Bear's Water Picnic
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=It's a gorgeous summer's day, so the pig, hen, squirrel, hedgehog and bear all head out on a raft for a picnic in the middle of the lake. They're disturbed by the ''awrk awrk'' of the frogs, so paddle off to a different part of the lake, but when they get stuck, they discover the benefits of working together and making new friends.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390045</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
 
|title=Old Dog
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The Young Pups don't want to go and see Grandpa - all he does is talk about the past, his breath stinks, his false teeth fall out all the time, and he doesn't know how to play all their new games. Their mother reminds them that he's really kind and they visit him after all. When there, they discover that Grandpa wasn't always an old fuddy duddy, and actually there's plenty of excitement lurking under the surface if they just take the trouble to get to know him.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842708805</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574028
|author=David McKee
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|title=Elmer and Grandpa Eldo
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|author=David Elliott
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Elmer the patchwork elephant is back, and this time he's visiting Grandpa Eldo. Elmer reminds Eldo of all the things they did together when Elmer was really little, but Eldo can't remember them (or so he says) so Elmer keeps reminding him and reminding him, as they revisit old haunts. Grandpa and grandson, sorry, grandelephant, spend a lovely day together, enjoying one another's company.
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|summary=I love a good board book!  ''Bumblebee Grumblebee'' is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can ''play'' with words and make something quite different from each one.  We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a ''balletphant''.  The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a ''fluffalo''.   The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a ''crynoceros'' (think about it!)  The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a ''sm.......''  OK, let's not go there  Some people are eating!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842708392</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838226834
|author=Michael Foreman
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|title=Dinosaur Time
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|author=Ed Boxall
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Tom's mum has just bought a new timer for the kitchen. It's not a toy, so she tells Tom not to touch it. However, there's a little blue light winking at him, so he can't really help himself. He reaches out and... finds himself whisked back in time.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390479</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jessica Meserve
 
|title=Bedtime Without Arthur
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Arthur is a very special bear. Using bravery, strength and karate, he keeps Bella safe from monsters when she sleeps. One day, Arthur goes missing, and Bella has to face the monsters on her own. Will Arthur turn up? Will Bella ever get a good night's sleep again?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842709437</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=John Fardell
 
|title=Jeremiah Jellyfish Flies High!
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Jeremiah Jellyfish is drifting aimlessly through life. He's bored of doing nothing in the great big jellyfish shoal. With a bit of geeing up from his granddad, he strikes out on his own, meets a high-powered businessman, swaps jobs, and becomes an executive in a rocket plane company. As jellyfish do, obviously.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390142</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Camilla Reid and Michael Foreman
 
|title=The Littlest Dinosaur and the Naughty Rock
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=After the littlest dinosaur's [[The Littlest Dinosaur by Michael Foreman|earlier]] [[The Littlest Dinosaur's Big Adventure by Michael Foreman|adventures]], Camilla Reid takes hold of the writing reins, whilst Michael Foreman offers up his beautiful illustrations as always. This time, the dinosaur is in a bit of a bad mood, being rude to his dad, shouting at his siblings, and ruining his meal. His mum sends him to sit on the naughty rock, but he's in for quite a surprise when he gets there...
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|summary=It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140880266X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jean Reidy and Genevieve Leloup
 
|title=Too Pickly!
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=It's [[Too Purply! by Jean Reidy and Genevieve Leloup|Too Purply!]] with food. That about sums it up, but for those of you who haven't already fallen in love with Jean Reidy's tale of getting dressed, ''Too Pickly!'' looks at a little boy (and his hamster) deciding what to eat. Dish by dish, he rejects them for being too pickly, too wrinkly, too burpy, too stringy, and so on, until he finds the one that's just right.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408807114</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby
 
|title=Lulu's Loo
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=We've been here before, as Lulu introduced us to her [[Lulu's Shoes by Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby|shoes]], [[Lulu's Clothes by Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby|clothes]] and [[Lulu's Christmas by Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby|Christmas]]. Here, she's kind enough to show us all that goes on with her loo, nappies and potty. As before, there are plenty of interesting flaps to lift and things to explore.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408802651</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
|author=Neil Gaiman
 
|title=Instructions
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Go through the mysterious door, mind the imp, trust the wolves and answer the ferryman's question carefully. Neil Gaiman takes us on a tour of a fantasy land with a series of instructions for surviving the adventure. You'll discover wonders beyond your wildest dreams, and return home safely, a little older and a little wiser.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408808641</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|author=Tasha Pym and Joel Stewart
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|title=Have You Ever Seen A Sneep?
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|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Ever fallen foul of a Sneep? (No, not [[Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland|Oliver Donnington Rimington-Sneep]]). What about a Grullock, Knoo or Loon? One poor little boy tries to go about his daily business, but keeps getting interrupted by these mysterious monsters. You've never heard of them before, you say? He wants to have a word with you then...
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|summary=When the world was made, the animals were given gifts.  Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector.  Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn.  Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present ''and'' the future.  Rabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately,  not the ability to use it well. He liked to trick other animals. He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle.  You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see. Things are not always as they seem. I'll tell you how it came about.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>055255698X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Rob Keeley
|author=David McKee
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|title=Elmer On Stilts
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|rating= 4
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Who doesn't already know and love Elmer the patchwork elephant? This time round, he's helping all his other elephant chums avoid the nasty hunters. Throw in a CD version of the story read by Joss Ackland - yes, really - and you're on to a real winner.
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|summary= Lily loves eating fruit and vegetables. She likes carrots, broccoli, cabbage and aubergines. When her friends at school turn up their noses, Lily is keen to explain how good they are for you and how nice to eat. One day, poor Lily gets tricked by Jordan, who tells her that carrots grow on trees. Infuriated, Lily checks with the teacher, who explains that fruits grow on trees and vegetables, like carrots, grow in the ground. Jordan says, "I did try to tell her, Miss!" and everyone laughs at poor Lily.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842708376</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|author=Joel Stewart
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|title=Dexter Bexley And The Big Blue Beastie On The Road
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie are hooting and hooting and hooting. Everyone in town is sick to the back teeth of their incessant hooting, so they kick them out of town. Dexter and the Beastie hit the road, hooting as they go, embarking on a rollicking adventure and meeting up with a princess and a dragon.
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|summary=''For the big, grownup girls out there, the potty masters in training, "You Can't Wear Panties!" is a cry (the big-girl kind!) of toilet triumph and persevering panty pride.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0385617720</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
 
|author=Anthony Browne
 
|title=Me and You
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Once upon a time there was a little girl called Goldilocks... You know the rest. ''Me and You'' flips the classic fairy tale around, telling it from the three bears' point of view. Nice idea, non? It is, but calling it a retelling merely scratches the surface...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0385614896</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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And so it is! This latest book from Justine Avery celebrates a little girl's final goodbye to nappies and pull-ups and graduation to "proper" pants by following her around as she proudly explains to her dog, her cat, her stuffed rabbit and her baby sibling that ''she'' can wear super-duper proper pants, while they cannot. Neither can the flowers, nor the fish, nor the birds. Boy's certainly can't. She's a big girl now and she wants everyone to know it!
|author=Alison Murray
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}}
|title=Apple Pie ABC
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{{Frontpage
|rating=4.5
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Take one traditional rhyme (''A was an apple pie, B bit it...''), mix it up a bit with new words, add a pinch of sweet girl and a dash of naughty dog, and you've got a recipe for... well, a unbelievably cliched first line in a review from me, but also a super book.
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|summary= Toots, trumps, farts. Whatever your word for them, find us a child that doesn't find them irresistibly funny. Funny to talk about and joke about, that is. But horribly embarrassing if you let one go at the wrong time. In class, say, when everyone will hear it and everyone will laugh. At you. Justine Avery's latest entry in her ''Everybody Potties!'' series takes aim at any shame associated with tooting and gently and calmly, with the familiar humour attached, explains that tooting is perfectly normal. Everybody does it: ''Everybody Toots''!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408308010</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
}}
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|author=Tony Ross
+
|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|title=Super Dooper Jezebel
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Jezebel is a good girl - so good, in fact, that everyone calls her Super Dooper Jezebel. She's neat and tidy, does her chores, is perfectly behaved, and is an inspiration to all. The Prime Minister sent her a special medal for being so good, and Jezebel gets her own TV show to show others how to behave. She won't even run, because it's against the rules. Sometimes, just sometimes, rules are meant to be broken...
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|summary= ''Who Needs Nappies? Not Me!'' is the latest release in the ''Everybody Potties!'' series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you. .
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390169</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Mark Sperring and Miriam Latimer
 
|title=The Sunflower Sword
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=There's a little knight (who looks remarkably like a boy with a colander on his head) who wants to battle with dragons a sword, but his mum says he can't. He's desperate to whoosh and swoosh with a shining blade, so she gives him a sunflower instead, and off he goes to the top of a hill to do battle with not one but three imaginary dragons. There's a roar of fire and billowing smoke, and he finds himself face to face with a real dragon...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390576</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Tony Mitton and Sarah Warburton
 
|title=Sir Laughalot
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Sir Laughalot is a brave knight. He's got all the gear and is desperate to smite a wicked foe, so off he sets on his travels. He meets a fearsome dragon and a whopping great big giant, but each time they end up laughing with one another. Will things change when he tries to rescue the fair damsel from the evil sorceress?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408302748</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Ian Whybrow and Caroline Jayne Church
 
|title=Wobble Bear Gets Busy
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Wobble is a very busy little bear who has just learned to walk and now, of course, wants to walk everywhere.  We see him here walking in to wake up his parents, treading on the cat, dancing and falling over, walking on a wall, splashing in a puddle until, of course, by the end of the day he has worn himself out and is too tired to walk up the stairs to bed!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192792628</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|author=Ian Whybrow and Caroline Jayne Church
+
|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|title=Wobble Bear Says Yellow
+
|author=Peter Cotton
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Wobble Bear is a delightful little bear who is just starting to learn about colours.  He insists through the book on calling everything 'yellow', whether it is or not, much to his mummy's frustration and my daughter's delight!
+
|summary=Meet Fred.  Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quickly.  But I'm getting ahead of myself: I'd better tell you a bit more about Fred.  Fred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him.  He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk.  And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>019279261X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|author=Sheryl Webster and Tim Warnes
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|title=What Small Rabbit Heard
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's cold and windy. Small Rabbit just wants to stay inside, but Big Rabbit insists that it's fresh, not cold, and they're going on a walk. He's a bit of a cheeky scamp is Small Rabbit, so when Big Rabbit says ''try to keep up'', Small Rabbit somehow mishears it as ''jump in the mud''. As the walk goes on, Small Rabbit mishears Big Rabbit time and time again, getting up to all sorts of shenanigans.
+
|summary= Can potty training ever be joyous? It often isn't, as any parent will tell you. But really, why shouldn't it be? We all have to learn about our bodily functions just as we have to learn about everything else when we are small. Why shouldn't potty training be as much fun as, say, learning about why the sun and the moon take turns in the sky?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192728679</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|author=Brian Wildsmith
+
|title=No, No, No!
|title=Animal Gallery
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Starting off with a crash of rhinoceroses, through a corps of giraffes, a hover of trout, and ending up with a dray of squirrels, Brian Wildsmith treats us to a beautiful look at collections of animals.
+
|summary=They say the best picture books are the simplest ones. And nothing could be truer of this latest from Justine Avery, a Bookbag favourite.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>019272794X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
|author=Nicola Killen
 
|title=Not Me!
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A group of kids are playing, and making an awful mess. One by one they're asked if they're responsible, and one by one they deny any involvement. But have they been caught red handed, and will it really fall upon Jess the pup to do all the tidying up?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405248297</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|author=Caryl Hart and Sarah Horne
 
|title=Rhino? What Rhino?
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The rhino was lonely and bored and the zoo, so he squeezes between the bars and heads out into the great, wide world. Being a rhino, his manners aren't quite up to scratch, so he gets into all sorts of scrapes and japes as he steals people's clothes and food. Other poor animals get the blame, so they decide to have a word with the rhino to set him back on the right path.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340981393</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Andrew Weale and Margaret Chamberlain
 
|title=The Newt In The Suit
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=There's one newt in a suit, and he's looking very dapper. He's joined by two snazzy-looking flies in ties, three cockatoos in high-heeled shoes, and so on up to ten. Yep, this is a counting book with lots of well-dressed animals going about their business.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340988673</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside.
|author=Mark Marshall
+
|isbn=1638820457
|title=Little Tiger's Big Holiday
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Little Tiger is going on holiday. Whatever will he need? Well, flying goggles, obviously. A parachute is a must. Who goes anywhere without stilts? Oh, and a helmet, in case he goes in a racing car. Item by item, his suitcase gets more and more full. His holiday sounds like it's going to be an amazing adventure.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>186233773X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=194812467X
|author=Lynne Rickards and Lee Wildish
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|title=Jacob O'Reilly Wants A Pet
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Like many young children, Jacob O'Reilly Wants A Pet. He'd love a dog. A cat would be great. Ooh, what about gerbils? Or an iguana? He's desperate for an animal to look after, but mum and dad don't fancy the idea. Then they suggest that he start a pet-sitting business, and all hell breaks loose...
+
|summary=Kirelle and her best friend Sam the cat decide to go for a walk. Kirelle is dressed for all weathers in her bright yellow wellies and Sam is perfectly turned out as ever in his smart grey fur coat. As they walk to the top of the hill, they see a big barn with a sign outside. It's a farm shop! But this is a farm shop with a difference: all the stallholders and customers are farmyard animals. There are sheep and ducks and cows, goats and chickens, and even some mice. Excited, Kirelle and Sam go shopping.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>034098838X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
What will they buy?
|author=Mara Bergman and Cassia Thomas
 
|title=Lively Elizabeth!
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Elizabeth is a lively little girl. She loves stomping around, making a racket and creating an awful kerfuffle. One day she does the thing that she knows she should never do: she pushes Joe Fitzhugh. Joe tumbles into Jonny, who knocks into another child, and on and on and on. Oh dear, Elizabeth! What have you done?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340988045</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Ellie Bethel and Alexandra Colombo
 
|title=Litterbug Doug (A Michael Recycle Adventure)
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Litterbug Doug lives on a hill, just outside a beautiful town. His home is an absolute dump, with rubbish strewn everywhere, rats scurrying through the mess, and he won't tidy up his bloomin' bedroom. It's disgusting. Utterly utterly disgusting. His mess spreads and spreads and spreads and spreads. Thankfully, Michael Recycle is on hand to teach Doug the error of his ways.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394151</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Lucy M George and Rachel Swirles
 
|title=The Elves and the Shoemaker
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The shoemaker grows older and older. Where he once made the finest shoes in town, he's now struggling to make ends meet. With only enough money for the leather for one pair of shoes, he's on his last legs. He leaves the leather on the table, ready to assemble the next morning, but when he comes down, the elves have made the most beautiful shoes ever.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394135</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=0995647895
|author=Kari-Lynn Winters and Christina Leist
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|title=On My Walk
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A little girl is going for a walk with her mummy and her dog. They hear a horse saying clippity-clop and a frog saying frippity-frop. They enjoy all the sights and sounds of the beautiful summer's day, until it starts to rain, drippity-drop, drippity-drop...
+
|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1896580610</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|author=David Lucas
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|title=Something To Do
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.
|rating=4
+
|genre=For Sharing
+
Her imagination was fired. She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly.  One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shout. When she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure.
|summary=The little bear is boooored. He's desperate for something to do, but he lives in a monochrome line world, with nothing around except the horizon, and a couple of simple seagulls. He and the big bear go on an adventure to amuse and entertain themselves, and then create new surroundings by drawing them with a stick.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337268</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1782227741
|author=Amy Husband
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|title=Dear Miss
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's Michael's first day back at school and he really doesn't fancy sitting through maths and double geography. He writes a letter to his teacher, explaining that the secret service have recruited him to rescue a missing explorer. Letter after letter of his adventures follow, until Miss counters with a letter of her own...
+
|summary=One day, Gold Ted falls into a puddle. It's quite a deep puddle and the water is swirling. Poor Ted starts to spin around and around and is sucked down a drain on the side of the street. Finding himself  down in the sewer, Ted starts to panic. ''OH HELP ME PLEASE'' he cries and alerts the attention of Reg the sewer rat, who plucks him out of the dirty water using his cane, which might look just a bit like an old cricket bat. Reg is a kind soul and he dries Ted off and warms him up with a nice bowl of broth.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845393732</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|author=Gill Linder
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|title=Little Sapling
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
|rating=2.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Little Sapling is growing up, bit by bit. Like any plant, she stretches out into the sunlight. She competes with bindweed, and then is transplanted by a forester. On the way, she comes into contact with a number of animals, like Rabbit and Hedgehog.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1904312721</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Xavier Deneux
 
|title=My Circus
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=An utterly gorgeous board book that everyone will love to pore over, from the very youngest right on up.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408807009</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Maureen Roffey
 
|title=Bedtime (Slip-and-Slide Books)
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''Bedtime'' is a pull-the-tabs book about - unsurprisingly - bedtime. Page by page reveals child after child rubbing their eyes, changing into their pyjamas, kissing mummy goodnight, and cuddling up with teddy. Each pulled tab changes that picture, much like a before and after shot.
+
|summary=Remy is feeling miserable. He's let himself down ''again''. The school bully Jayden, together with his sidekicks Ryan and Brandon, have been laughing at Remy, calling him names because he is short and has small eyes. They are mean but they are not stupid. They are careful to wind up Remy when nobody can see and then push him just that little bit further when the other kids are around. So, when Remy reacts, it looks as though he was the instigator. And then he gets into trouble at school and the teachers don't believe him when he tries to explain what happened.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747599386</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1471191303
|author=Jim Helmore and Karen Wall
+
|title=The Invisible
|title=Hold On Tight, Stripy Horse!
+
|author=Tom Percival
|rating=4
+
|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Stripy Horse and his friends live in a bric-a-brac shop. One day, they discover that it's raining ''inside''. Ella, the pink flamingo umbrella, keeps them dry for a bit, but then she's caught by a gust of wind and Stripy Horse is pulled up into the air. Will they discover the source of the rain? Will the shop ever get dry again? And what's the deal with that weathervane parrot that keeps spouting proverbs?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405248262</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jonathan Shipton and Francesca Chessa
 
|title=Baby Baby Blah Blah Blah!
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Emily loves making lists. When her mummy gets pregnant, Emily makes a list of all the good things about a new baby, and another list of all the bad things. Emily's worried that she's going to have to wear babygros to school and eat left-over squish. Her daddy decides to set her straight about what a new baby will mean.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337799</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Gillian Shields and Liz Pichon
 
|title=Don't Let Aliens Get My Marvellous Mum!
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A young girl imagines how awful life would be if aliens got her marvellous mum. She pictures all manner of ooky space monsters tucking her up in bed, giving her green eggs for breakfast, and scaring all the other parents at school. She (and the readers too) realise just how lucky she is to have such a lovely mum. Aww, bless!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337780</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Eva Montanari
 
|title=The Alphabet Family
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Mummy A wants to write a story, but she can't think what to write. She sees what her children (b, c, d and so on) are up to. Some are playing musical instruments, some are running races, and some are playing in the garden. With plenty of ideas to hand, Mummy A writes her story, and then tells it to all her children and Daddy Z.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394054</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Poly Bernatene
 
|title=When Night Didn't Come
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=One night, after the sun has gone to bed, the night doesn't come. There's no darkness, no moon and no stars. Someone's going to have to do something about it, so the man in charge rouses a group of children and they do what they can to bring the night.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394925</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham
 
|title=Cloud Tea Monkeys
 
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Tashi and her mother live below a tea plantation in India.  Usually Tashi goes along with her mum, and whilst mum picks tea leaves with the other women, Tashi sits under a tree and plays with a group of monkeys, sharing her fruit with them, allowing them to groom her and playing with the little baby monkeys.  One morning, Tashi's mum is too poorly to go to work, so Tashi struggles with the big tea basket herselfThe plantation owner derides her, saying she is too little to pick the tea, and Tashi is worried about how she and her mother will cope with no money to get her mum a doctor, or to buy food.  She shares her worries with her monkey friends and somehow, at the end of the day, Tashi's basket is full of beautiful, fresh, fragrant tea leaves that are a very rare type of tea called 'Cloud Tea'.
+
|summary=This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big differenceIsobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406300926</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
|author=David Conway and Dubravka Kolanovic
 
|title=The Secret To Teddy's Happiness
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=When the toys discover an old, bedraggled teddy bear, they rack their brains to find a way to mend his broken heart, to make him smile again. The velvet rabbit who knows everything offers to tell them the secret of Teddy's happiness, but he wants them to do him a favour first.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337624</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happy. Then the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the city.  This part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
|author=Jill Newton
 
|title=Crash Bang Donkey!
 
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Farmer Gruff spends all his time chasing the crows from his corn. Eventually he needs to sleep, so all the animals tiptoe around, making no noise whatsoever. What's this coming over the hill with a crash and a bang? Oh no! It's a donkey with a drum. How's Farmer Gruff going to get his sleep? If he can't sleep, how's he ever going to be able to keep the crows from his corn?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337209</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|author=Mark Sperring and Leo Timmers
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|title=Green
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Clive loves wearing green. It's all he ever wears. He thinks he looks mighty snazzy, but his big sister (boo! hiss!) takes every opportunity to call him a cabbage, moss, a sprout or a toad. Clive keeps wearing his green clothes, certain that he'll have the last laugh and get one over on his sister.
+
|summary= Many children have an obsession and Sandy Lane, who lives in Beartown, is obsessed with bears. She collects books about bears. Her favourite toy is Berisford, a teddy bear passed down by her grandmother. Every night, she looks out of her bedroom window and says goodnight to the bear statue outside. Every morning she says hello to Bee Bear, a colourful painted bear that lives at her school. She even has bears on her bedroom wallpaper!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394534</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Ian Whybrow and Lynne Chapman
 
|title=Stinky! Or How The Beautiful Smelly Warthog Found A Friend
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Stinky the warthog lives in a neighbourhood with the Crocodile family, the Monkey family and the Littlebird family. One by one they invite Stinky round to play with their children, but his foul odour and the flies buzzing around him cause all manner of problems. Will he be able to find a friend? ...Well, yes, it says so in the title.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1862337594</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|author=Preston Rutt and Ben Redlich
 
|title=Tortoise vs. Hare - The Rematch!
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Harry 'The Hurricane' Hare has been licking his wounds since 'Steady' Eddie Tortoise beat him in the famous race. It's time for a rematch, and Harry's been training hard. Eddie couldn't possibly win again, could he?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1845394186</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

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Review of

Murray and Bun by Adam Stower

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two. But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs. This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do… Full Review

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Review of

The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon by Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)

4star.jpg For Sharing

When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine Repute. Their greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing them. He's right behind them, spewing hot, sour milk from his nostrils. (Please don't try this at home: it won't end well.) Fortunately, they were nearly at Nobby Lob-lolly - and when a ladder of moss and vines was lowered for them, they escaped. They climbed up to the Tree Wee homes high up in the tangled woods where they lived with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny. Full Review

B0CC9W7GLR.jpg

Review of

On the Beach: The Winter Visitor by Chris Green and Jenny Fionda

5star.jpg For Sharing

Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline. On top of the ice was a polar bear. As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another. He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do? Full Review

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Review of

Let's Celebrate Being Different by Lainey Dee

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice. He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmother. She had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends. At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could be. Grandma thought that it might be because he looked different. Full Review

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Review of

The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories) by Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive past. Elsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficult. One day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home. Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind it. Many decades later, Elsie brought the bus, now damaged and rusted, to the Repair Shop, hoping that the experts there could make it so that her grandchildren could play with it. Full Review

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Review of

The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories) by Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey

5star.jpg For Sharing

Susan was very young when she was evacuated from London in 1939 and nervous about how she would be greeted when she got to her final destination. She needn't have worried though as she went to the home of Mr and Mrs Russell, who couldn't have been kinder to her. She even had her own room - all to herself. Gradually she relaxed and began to enjoy her life. She'd help Mrs Russell with the baking and when it came to Christmas Eve Susan and Mr Russell put the decorations on the Christmas tree. The best surprise happened the following morning. Full Review

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Review of

Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb

4star.jpg For Sharing

Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby. He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and wails. The sea offers to help. It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing hush, hush. Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly. The mermaids join in - la lou, la lay... And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyes. Then a seagull shouts and we know exactly what's going to happen next. Full Review

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Review of

A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant by Briony May Smith

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Philippa Pheasant was tired of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak Road. She wrote to the mayor about the problem but didn't even get a reply. Philippa wasn't a bird to sit back on her tail feathers when there was a problem which needed solving: she saw the benefits of the lollipop lady at the school crossing and decided that she would set up something similar herself. Her uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obvious. All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight. Full Review

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Review of

Leilong's Too Long! by Julia Liu and Bei Lynn

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Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes. Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck. It's perfect, isn't it? What could be a more fun way of going to school? There is a problem, though. Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up. The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore. Full Review

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Review of

Bumblebee Grumblebee by David Elliott

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I love a good board book! Bumblebee Grumblebee is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can play with words and make something quite different from each one. We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a balletphant. The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a fluffalo. The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a crynoceros (think about it!) The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a sm....... OK, let's not go there Some people are eating! Full Review

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Review of

Carried Away With the Carnival by Ed Boxall

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It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:

It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand. Full Review

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Review of

Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare by Cordellya Smith

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When the world was made, the animals were given gifts. Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector. Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn. Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present and the future. Rabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately, not the ability to use it well. He liked to trick other animals. He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle. You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see. Things are not always as they seem. I'll tell you how it came about. Full Review

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Review of

Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! by Rob Keeley

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Lily loves eating fruit and vegetables. She likes carrots, broccoli, cabbage and aubergines. When her friends at school turn up their noses, Lily is keen to explain how good they are for you and how nice to eat. One day, poor Lily gets tricked by Jordan, who tells her that carrots grow on trees. Infuriated, Lily checks with the teacher, who explains that fruits grow on trees and vegetables, like carrots, grow in the ground. Jordan says, "I did try to tell her, Miss!" and everyone laughs at poor Lily. Full Review

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Review of

You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!) by Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik

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For the big, grownup girls out there, the potty masters in training, "You Can't Wear Panties!" is a cry (the big-girl kind!) of toilet triumph and persevering panty pride.


And so it is! This latest book from Justine Avery celebrates a little girl's final goodbye to nappies and pull-ups and graduation to "proper" pants by following her around as she proudly explains to her dog, her cat, her stuffed rabbit and her baby sibling that she can wear super-duper proper pants, while they cannot. Neither can the flowers, nor the fish, nor the birds. Boy's certainly can't. She's a big girl now and she wants everyone to know it! Full Review

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Review of

Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

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Toots, trumps, farts. Whatever your word for them, find us a child that doesn't find them irresistibly funny. Funny to talk about and joke about, that is. But horribly embarrassing if you let one go at the wrong time. In class, say, when everyone will hear it and everyone will laugh. At you. Justine Avery's latest entry in her Everybody Potties! series takes aim at any shame associated with tooting and gently and calmly, with the familiar humour attached, explains that tooting is perfectly normal. Everybody does it: Everybody Toots! Full Review

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Review of

Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Seema Amjad

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Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! is the latest release in the Everybody Potties! series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you. . Full Review

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Review of

When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended by Peter Cotton

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Meet Fred. Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quickly. But I'm getting ahead of myself: I'd better tell you a bit more about Fred. Fred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him. He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk. And that was where the problem started. Fred didn't have any road sense. Or brakes. Full Review

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Review of

Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

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Can potty training ever be joyous? It often isn't, as any parent will tell you. But really, why shouldn't it be? We all have to learn about our bodily functions just as we have to learn about everything else when we are small. Why shouldn't potty training be as much fun as, say, learning about why the sun and the moon take turns in the sky? Full Review

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Review of

No, No, No! by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

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They say the best picture books are the simplest ones. And nothing could be truer of this latest from Justine Avery, a Bookbag favourite.

No, No, No! is based around the simplest text imaginable.

No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.

That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside. Full Review

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Review of

The Farm Shop by Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic

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Kirelle and her best friend Sam the cat decide to go for a walk. Kirelle is dressed for all weathers in her bright yellow wellies and Sam is perfectly turned out as ever in his smart grey fur coat. As they walk to the top of the hill, they see a big barn with a sign outside. It's a farm shop! But this is a farm shop with a difference: all the stallholders and customers are farmyard animals. There are sheep and ducks and cows, goats and chickens, and even some mice. Excited, Kirelle and Sam go shopping.

What will they buy? Full Review

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

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Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.

Her class had gone one rainy afternoon
When all the houses cowered in the gloom,
To the Maritime Museum.

Her imagination was fired. She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly. One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shout. When she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure. Full Review

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Review of

Little Gold Ted by Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha

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One day, Gold Ted falls into a puddle. It's quite a deep puddle and the water is swirling. Poor Ted starts to spin around and around and is sucked down a drain on the side of the street. Finding himself down in the sewer, Ted starts to panic. OH HELP ME PLEASE he cries and alerts the attention of Reg the sewer rat, who plucks him out of the dirty water using his cane, which might look just a bit like an old cricket bat. Reg is a kind soul and he dries Ted off and warms him up with a nice bowl of broth. Full Review

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Review of

Remy: A book about believing in yourself by Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal

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Remy is feeling miserable. He's let himself down again. The school bully Jayden, together with his sidekicks Ryan and Brandon, have been laughing at Remy, calling him names because he is short and has small eyes. They are mean but they are not stupid. They are careful to wind up Remy when nobody can see and then push him just that little bit further when the other kids are around. So, when Remy reacts, it looks as though he was the instigator. And then he gets into trouble at school and the teachers don't believe him when he tries to explain what happened. Full Review

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Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

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This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big difference. Isobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:

Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.

The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happy. Then the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the city. This part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible. Full Review

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Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

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Many children have an obsession and Sandy Lane, who lives in Beartown, is obsessed with bears. She collects books about bears. Her favourite toy is Berisford, a teddy bear passed down by her grandmother. Every night, she looks out of her bedroom window and says goodnight to the bear statue outside. Every morning she says hello to Bee Bear, a colourful painted bear that lives at her school. She even has bears on her bedroom wallpaper! Full Review

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