Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Adam Stower
|title=Where's Tim's Ted? It's Time for Bed!
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|title=Murray and Bun
|author=Ian Whybrow and Russell Ayto
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=Confident Readers
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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…
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|isbn=0008561249
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1732898766
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
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|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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>0007509561</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title=Momo and Snap are not Friends
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|author=Airlie Anderson
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''La la la!''
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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?
 
 
''Tum ti tum!''
 
 
 
''Eek!''
 
 
 
''Ack!''
 
 
 
Y’know?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846435986</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1913839656
|title=George's Dragon Goes to School
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|author=Claire Freedman and Russell Julian
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|author=Lainey Dee
|rating=4.5
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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>1407132067</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504775
|author=Jon Lycett-Smith
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=Moo! Said Morris
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There was a little mouse called Morris and he was a very unusual mouseWhilst all the other mice said ''Squeak'', Morris said:
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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 homeGradually, 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.
 
 
''MOO!'' and
 
 
 
''HONK!'' and
 
 
 
''NEIGH!''
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1909428175</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504767
|title=Blood and Guts and Rats' Tail Pizza
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|author=Vivian French and Chris Fisher
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 allA 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.
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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 lifeShe'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>1444007297</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1916459943
|title=Pittipat's Saucer of Moon
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|title=Squeakily Baby
|author=Geraldine McCaughrean and Maria Nilsson
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|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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!
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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>1444904663</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=140639131X
|title=Ruff and the Wonderfully Amazing Busy Day
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|author=Caroline Jayne Church
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|author=Briony May Smith
|rating=4
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|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Ruff, a rather sweet little dog, is a happy fellowHe pootles about, busy all day long and singing little songs to himself as he worksBut sometimes he wonders what it would be like to have someone else to sing with himBusy 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?
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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 replyPhilippa 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 obviousAll the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007483570</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574338
|title=The Day The Crayons Quit
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
|author=Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
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|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 sunPeach 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.
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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, thoughLeilong 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>0007513755</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574028
|title=Triassic Terrors
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|author=Isaac Lenkiewicz and Nick Crumpton
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|author=David Elliott
|rating=5
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|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1909263052</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou!
 
|author=Julia Donaldson and Karen George
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Julia Donaldson is probably best known for her collaborations with [[:Category:Axel Scheffler|Axel Scheffler]] on creations such as [[The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson|The Gruffalo]] and [[Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler|Stick Man]]. In this book she has teamed up with illustrator, [[:Category:Karen George|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.
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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>1447209575</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838226834
|title=The Bunny That Couldn't Be Found
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|author=Angela Mitchell
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|author=Ed Boxall
|rating=5
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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>1848861087</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
|title=How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth
 
|author=Michelle Robinson and Kate Hindley
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857075802</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|author=Michael Morpurgo and Helen Stephens
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|title=Jo-Jo The Melon Donkey
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|author=Cordellya Smith
|rating=5
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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 burnOwl 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>1405263539</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title=Isabel's Noisy Tummy
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|author=David McKee
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|rating= 4
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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>1849396892</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=The Pet Itch
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|author=Elli Woollard and Elina Ellis
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
|rating=5
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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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>1848861079</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
 
|title=ABC and Do
 
|author=Lee Singh and Karen Wall
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405265329</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!
|title=Ernest and Celestine: The Picnic
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}}
|author=Gabrielle Vincent
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{{Frontpage
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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?
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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>1846471672</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
}}
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|title=Mary's Hair
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Eoin Colfer
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|rating=5
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781122261</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Eleanor's Eyebrows
 
|author=Timothy Knapman and David Tazzyman
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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!
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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>0857078410</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=Mmm...Let's Eat!
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|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|author=Libby Koponen
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|author=Peter Cotton
|rating=3
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|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 blueberriesThis 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.
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|summary=Meet Fred.  Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quicklyBut 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>1609052927</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Stick Man's First Words
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|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler|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.
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|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>1407137352</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Squiglet Pig
+
|title=No, No, No!
|author=Joyce Dunbar and Tim Hopgood
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''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.
+
|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>1405257563</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
 +
 
 +
''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
  
{{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.
|title=Wild
+
|isbn=1638820457
|author=Emily Hughes
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=''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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1909263087</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title=Trumpety Trump
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|author=Steve Smallman and Adria Meserve
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
|rating=5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Two subjects guaranteed to have any nursery age child in stitches are bums and farts. This book has plenty of both, along with some other very rude behaviour which will have children begging to hear this again and again. Although the book reads like a non stop riot of rude and raucous behaviour, it does teach children about friendship and manners as well. Adults will appreciate the moral to the story, but children will be so busy laughing, they'll hardly notice that they are learning at the same time.
+
|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>1407121812</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
What will they buy?
|title=My Zoo
 
|author=Rod Campbell
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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 by Rod Campbell|Dear Zoo]], I feel this book is even better for infants.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230770924</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=0995647895
|author=Sean Taylor and Ross Collins
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|title=Robot Rumpus
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
|rating=5
+
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=My sons tore open the parcel with ''Robot Rumpus'' and were already reading it themselves before I could even get the tape from the rest of the box, so they had one up on me when we settled down to read it later as a family. We began looking through the robot models on the inside of the front of cover, and as I mentioned which ones I wish we could have, the boys were already laughing with a ''just'' ''wait'' ''and'' ''see'' look on their faces.
+
|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>1849396280</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|author=Mick Inkpen
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|title=Baggy Brown and the Royal Baby
+
''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=Baggy Brown had the best possible start in life. He was the first bear off the production line at Better Bears Limited and was destined for The Palace. Baggy was to be the bear of Princess Sophinyiniannia - that's Sophie to you and me - but life went disastrously wrong for Baggy before he reached the end of the conveyor belt. A NOT FOR SALE notice was stuck on his nose and a NO 1 tag in his ear, but it was the NOT FOR SALE notice which proved his undoing. He didn't line himself up correctly, and fell straight off the end of the conveyor belt and into the big red teddy bear machine.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444916467</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1782227741
|author=Pranas T Naujokaitis
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|title=The Radically Awesome Adventures of the Animal Princess: Balloon Toons
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I know so many parents who are completely fed up with the stereotyped role of little girls and especially princesses in stories. If you are looking for stories with a totally different type of princess, then this book is for you. The little princess, or Animal Princess as she is known, is most certainly not a damsel in distress. She is an active heroine boldly seeking adventure, and the messier the better. Rather than looking like a beauty pageant winner in a formal gown, the little  Animal Princess looks refreshingly child like in the illustrations. I am delighted to see a princess drawn with the proportions of an ordinary child rather than a Barbie doll. She also prefers nice comfortable animal pyjamas to ball gowns.
+
|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>160905296X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|author=Daniel Cleary and Kanako Usui
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|title=My Friend Fred (the Plant)
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I loved comic books as a child. As an adult. I love them even more as wonderful way to encourage literacy in young children. Unfortunately comic books for children are hard to come by now, and there are very few books in this format for children under age 8. Ballooon Toons seems poised to change this with a delightful new series of children's books printed in comic book style format, but with a sturdy hardback binding.
+
|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>1609052951</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1471191303
|author=Fran Manushkin and Dan Yaccarino
+
|title=The Invisible
|title=The Belly Book
+
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The formula for the perfect children’s picture book may go something like this:
+
|summary=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:
  
Simple Theme + Rhyming Text + Memorable Phrases + Great Illustrations = Happy readers.
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
  
In which case, it would seem that the authors of 'The Belly Book' have followed this blueprint to the letter, resulting in a delightful book that is perfect for cosy snuggle time on the sofa.
+
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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230768040</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|author=Ellen Crimi-Trent
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|title=My School Day
+
|rating=4
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The feature that initially attracted me to ''My School Day'' was the huge, interactive clock face on the front cover. Learning to tell the time is such an important life skill, but sometimes young children can struggle with the concept. A hands-on approach, combining the senses of sight and touch can be an effective method of teaching. The child is learning through play and having lots of fun at the same time.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849158533</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Tatyana Feeney
 
|title=Little Owl's Orange Scarf
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Little Owl's Mummy knitted him a scarf.  A long, itchy, orange scarf, and Little Owl does not like it!  He tries to get rid of it, using it as wrapping for a gift, and hiding it in a suitcase bound for Peru, but no luck!  Mummy finds it every time. Then one day, Little Owl goes on a school visit to the zoo and he comes home without his scarf. What will Mummy say?
+
|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>019279454X</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|author=Mike Smith
 
|title=The Hundred Decker Bus
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Can you imagine if one day, you're on the bus to town and suddenly the driver decides to take a different road?  Perhaps he carries on down this road, just to see where it might go.  I know what I'd be doing, and it isn't sitting happily in my seat waiting to see where we end up!  However, in fiction anything can happen and in this story, when the driver heads off on his own little jaunt, his passengers come along quite happily with him!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230754589</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

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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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

1782227741.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

B08R7LXQ9S.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

1471191303.jpg

Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

B08NFH7H9X.jpg

Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

Move on to Newest General Fiction Reviews