Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to search
 
(760 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
+
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|title=Where Are You Banana?
+
|author=Adam Stower
|author=Sofie Laguna and Craig Smith (Illustrator)
+
|title=Murray and Bun
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
+
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=BananaIt may not be the most obvious name for a dog but it’s the name of Roddy’s petApparently it was Roddy’s first word, spoken, by coincidence, when the new pup arrived. A tad precocious and serendipitous as first utterances go but I’m going to let that one slip as, dog name aside, 'Where Are You, Banana?' contains some delicious observations of family life captured in both written and painted form.
+
|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 twoBut 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 whiffsThis 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>1743361629</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0008561249
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1732898766
|title=Mungo Monkey has a Birthday Party
+
|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
|author=Lydia Monks
+
|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It’s Mungo Monkey’s birthday which means…Party Time! From baking a cake to blowing up balloons, he’s so excited to get things organised and ready for when his friends arrive.
+
|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>1405268662</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=What's Your Favourite Animal
 
|author=Eric Carle
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=I love that this book is written by ''Eric Carle and friends''. There’s something rather lovely about the idea of a group of authors and illustrators, hanging out and deciding to collaborate on a project together. Unlike the usual two-person job, though, where the result is typically as seamless as if it came from a single pen, this is an eclectic mix of pages that very clearly come from various minds. Let me explain.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406356514</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title=Bear and Hare Go Fishing
+
|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|author=Emily Gravett
+
|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Bear and Hare are friends who like to do activities together, and since Bear REALLY loves fishing, that’s what they’re doing today. But will Bear catch a fish…or something else?
+
|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>0230745393</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1913839656
|author=Eleanor Updale and Sarah Horne
+
|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|title=Itch Scritch Scratch
+
|author=Lainey Dee
|rating=4
+
|rating=3.5
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|summary='''Warning: This Book Will Get Under Your Skin'''
 
 
 
Well, that's what it says on the back of the book and I can promise that it's true.  You might like to wear a pair of those cotton mittens for babies whilst you read.  It will feel awkward, but you'll feel the benefit, honestly.  But - I'm getting ahead of myself.  You want to know about the book.  It's a family story - and the family in question are head lice.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781122946</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Morpurgo and Ross Collins
 
|title=All I Said Was
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
 
|summary=Our young friend looked up at the window and saw a pigeon balancing on the window sill and our young friend had a thought. ''I'd like to be you,'' he said, dreaming of flying off to anywhere that he liked.  The pigeon was quite happy to change places: lying on the bed reading a book seemed like a good idea, so the two changed places.  Our young hero thought it was great as he flew off towards the sea:
 
 
 
''I want to be a bird all my life''.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781123489</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Hector and the Big Bad Knight
 
|author=Alex T Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=All is not well in the happy village of Spottybottom as the Big, Bad Knight has stolen Granny’s magic wand. Hector wants to help his Granny get her wand back but there is a problem because Hector is the tiniest boy in the village and the thief is quite possibly the biggest and the baddest knight around. However, perhaps Granny should not despair because Hector has a plan!
+
|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>1407138480</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1529504775
|title=Watch Out for the Crocodile
+
|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|author=Lisa Moroni and Eva Eriksson
+
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Little Tora is going on a very special trip with her Dad. Trekking, camping and animal spotting are on Tora’s agenda. No more work, coffee drinking or talking on his mobile for Dad. Well, perhaps not much talking on his mobile anywayFirst though, there is some boring stuff; buying supplies at the supermarket and making the long car journey to the forest. When will they start to have fun? And where are those wild animals?  A little bit of imagination is called for from both father and daughter to make the trip a memorable one.
+
|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 itMany 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>1877579890</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1529504767
|title=Cuckoo!
+
|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|author=Fiona Roberton
+
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=We do love Fiona Roberton's books in our house, a passion that started with [[Wanted: The Perfect Pet by Fiona Roberton|Wanted: The Perfect Pet]]This new story, about fat little cuckoo, is just as delightful as her others, and one that I've sneakily read without the children, once or twice, just so that I can properly enjoy it by myself!
+
|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 herShe 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>1444912615</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1916459943
|title=Pom and Pim
+
|title=Squeakily Baby
|author=Lena Landstrom and Olaf Landstrom
+
|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When Pom and Pim go out for the day things start off well, but bad luck comes their way. Can they look on the bright side of every situation, even when they feel tripped up time and time again?
+
|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>1877579661</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=140639131X
|title=Oi Frog!
+
|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|author=Kes Gray and Jim Field
+
|author=Briony May Smith
|rating=5
+
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Normally I would shy away from any book rhyming frog with log and cat with hat and hare with chair...normally it would fill me with a sense of dread to be faced with such a 'poem' to readThis time, however, I make an exception, because ''Oi Frog!'' is very funny and definitely worth a read, and again, and again!
+
|summary=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 obviousAll the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>144491085X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1776574338
|title=Extra Yarn
+
|title=Leilong's Too Long!
|author=Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
+
|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
|rating=5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When Annabelle finds a box of yarn, she uses it to knit a jumper. There’s some left so she knits her dog a jumper too. And then one for the boy next door. And one for his dog. And still there’s yarn left over. So she goes on and on. She knits jumpers for everyone she knows and then starts knitting for things that don’t even need jumpers. Pretty soon her dark, dreary town is transformed!
+
|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>1406352489</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1776574028
|title=Say Hello Like This
+
|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|author=Mary Murphy
+
|author=David Elliott
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''Hello!''<br>
+
|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!
''Hi!''<br>
 
''Good day!''
 
 
 
There’s lots of ways people can great each other, but what about animals. How do they say hello? If you read this book you’ll know who says ''bow-wow'', who says ''tip tap'', who says ''hee haw'' and so on.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406347469</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|isbn=1838226834
 +
|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
 +
|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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:
  
{{newreview
+
''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
|title=A Walk In Paris
 
|author=Salvatore Rubbino
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Welcome to the City of Lights! Come join a little girl and her grandad as they spend a magical day exploring the sights of Paris.  Follow them as they see the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. Sit down with them in the bistro as they tuck into lunch, and then look longingly alongside them as they gaze at the delicious treats in the window of the pâtisserie.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406341525</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|title=Princess Stay Awake
+
|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|author=Giles Paley-Phillips and Adriana J Puglisi
+
|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This cheerful picture book will resonate with parents everywhere. Princess Layla doesn’t want to go to bed. Every single evening she stays awake instead. The cheeky princess ignores every attempt to persuade her that a good night’s sleep is what children, even princesses, need. She skips around the bedroom, plays with her toys without even a yawn in sight. Her exhausted parents have tried everything they can think of...or have they?
+
|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>1848861095</amazonuk>
+
}}
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|author=Rob Keeley
 +
|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
 +
|rating= 4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.
 +
|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=I Love Mum
+
|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|author=Joanna Walsh and Judi Abbot
+
|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When I went to get dressed this morning, there, on my only decent post baby bra, was what appeared to be butternut squash. Regurgitated. Veg I.D. was confirmed by the Daddy of the house. Ever helpful, he recalled that he had seen our little boy chewing it. It is because of incidents like this that books like ''I Love Mum'' get written, bought and read. Without a bit of positive affirmation for Mummies, the human race could die out. Quickly.
+
|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>0857070592</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
 
|title=Miffy at the Zoo
 
|author=Dick Bruna
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Miffy and daddy are off on an exciting day trip. They’re catching a train to the zoo! Aren’t they lucky? They see zebras and monkeys and giraffes. What a lovely day they have.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471120821</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
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=Millie Shares
+
}}
|author=Claire Alexander
+
{{Frontpage
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's a perennial problem for parents of little ones - how to get them to share. When my daughter was little she used to hover around the doors of the toy cupboard, hoping to be first in the queue to get her hands on a dolly pushchair... there are never enough dolly pushchairs it seems! Different parents react in different ways.  Some see their little darling snatching a toy from another child and immediately leap in and start the 'share!' conversation. Others laugh and say 'well, they have to learn...' I think reactions differ depending on whether your child is always the one stealing the toys away, or if yours is the child weeping in the corner because someone took the yellow ball from her. Anyway, if you're having problems with the idea of sharing then try this sweet story!
+
|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>140526408X</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
 +
}}  
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
 +
|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
 +
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.  .
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=The Beatles
+
|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|author=Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
+
|author=Peter Cotton
|rating=5
+
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''The Beatles'' begins with the childhood of John Lennon at the end of the second world war. The first illustration seems to convey and infant John twisting and shouting on his way to the air raid shelter. The text and illustrations both paint a picture of mischievous but intelligent child. We especially loved an illustration that shows the mixed emotions of the passengers and driver as John plays an old harmonica for hours on the bus. Some of the passengers look desperate to escape, but the driver is so impressed he gives John a better harmonica.
+
|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>1847804519</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=The Perfect Hug
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Joanna Walsh and Judi Abbott
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Who doesn’t like a nice hug? Hugs and cuddles are something you know from birth are nice, and unlike with kisses you don’t have to worry about Aunty Florence’s smelly breath or wet slobbering. In this book, our unnamed, panda-shaped hero is out to find the perfect hug. Along the way he tries big hugs and small hugs and prickly hugs and tickly hugs, but none are quite right. Can he find the one he’s looking for? Is there a secret to the perfect hug?
+
|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>1471120058</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=No, No, No!
 +
|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.
  
{{newreview
+
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
|title=Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
+
 
|author=T S Eliot and Rebecca Ashdown (Illustrator)
+
''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|rating=4.5
+
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
+
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.
|summary=It has always struck me to be the very definition of disappointment to think you're going to study Eliot's poetry at college or university, only to find it is some errant dross like 'The Four Quartets'. His book of Cats poems is in the strictest of verse, it's bursting with levity, it's surely great fun to share – what's not to prefer here?  If I were you, I'd just ignore what kind of show these pages once inspired, and turn or return to them, Prufrock be damned.
+
|isbn=1638820457
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571311865</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title=Serious Sas and Messy Magda
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|author=Marianne de Pierres and Rachel Annie Bridgen
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Parenthood. Isn’t it great? Setting an example. Forming young minds. Embarrassing your kids. Whether it’s Dad dancing or Mum singing in public, most parents do one thing that makes their child cringe. Pity then poor Sas whose Mum is messy Magda, a woman with more than the one odd habit.
+
|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>1909423041</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
What will they buy?
|title=Zoom Zoom Zoom
 
|author=Katherina Manolessou
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Monkey and Bird aren’t tired. They don’t want to sleep. They want an adventure! And so leaving the birds sleeping in the trees, they set off to the moon.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230763782</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title=Squishy McFluff: the Invisible Cat!
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|author=Pip Jones
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=Meet Ava.  She's a girl of great imagination and a big heart, who brings an invisible cat home to mum one day, who humours Ava by feeding it invisible food and letting the two bond.  But when mess gets made, and mistakes about the house happen, Ava declares innocence, and blames it all on the cat – and you'd be surprised how many accidents can be the result of having an invisible kitten indoors…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571302505</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Best Counting Book Ever
 
|author=Richard Scarry
 
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There are a number of things I like about this book. One is the illustrations which are reminiscent of the Richard Scarry books of my youth, not surprising since this is a reissue of a book that first hit the shelves in 1975. They are bright and colourful, but simple too and the restrained plain colour pallet is refreshing in a world of patterns and glitter.
+
|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>0007531141</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|title=A Book is a Book
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|author=Jenny Bornholdt and Sarah Wilkins
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.
|rating=4
+
|genre=Emerging Readers
+
Her imagination was firedShe'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularlyOne 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 shoutWhen 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=Yes, children – adults lie to youSometimes, even in the titles of the books they make for you, like this oneA book is a door, it's great for boredom, it's fine for time up a tree, or in the bath (just not the shower).  It can be borrowed, and then lent if it's a great one you enjoyedIt's certainly never the case that a book is just a book, as the title of this  book would have you believe.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1877579920</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=I am Cat (mini edition)
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|author=Jackie Morris
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=You're always supposed to tell when a dog is dreaming – the twitching limbs and jerking joints allegedly proving the sleeping Fido is imagining himself on the chase.  Cats are, as always, a bit more secretive, but [[:Category:Jackie Morris|Jackie Morris]] offers evidence here that they are more or less thinking the same thing – even the domestic moggy, curled up and closed in, is picturing a different self – one sleeking through snows, relaxing on the savannah or alertly moving through its territory.  It's a very pleasant view into the mindset of cats.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847805078</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Choosing Crumble
 
|author=Michael Rosen and Tony Ross (Illustrator)
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Terri- Lee wants a dog. She is positive that a dog will be the perfect pet for her and will settle for nothing else. When Terri-Lee and her mum visit the pet shop together they think that they will be choosing a dog however, Crumble, the dog, has very different ideas. He wants to be sure that his prospective owner is the perfect match for him and has a few questions of his own. Will Terri- Lee be able to convince Crumble that she should be his owner?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849395284</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|title=Giraffe's Big Night
 
|author=Carrie Grant and David Grant
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=To my generation, Carrie and David Grant are the slightly annoying couple from Pop Idol. True story – I asked at Cheer and based on my description of them (her with the bright red hair), that’s the adjective I got. For the next generation, however, they are a much loved duo from CBeebies and associated TV whatnot, and, now, the authors of a series of ''Jump Up and Join In'' books.
+
|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>1405258373</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title=There's a Wocket in my Pocket
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|author=Dr Seuss
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
|rating=3.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=If you like made up creatures, this is the book you need, because virtually all of it is invented in a cuckoo, mixed up, doolally kind of way. Not only is there a ''wocket'' in a pocket, but there’s also a ''wasket'' in the basket, a ''yottle'' in the bottle and ''bofa'' on the sofa and so on. What a funny house this boy lives in!
+
|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>0007487738</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title=Crayon
+
|title=The Invisible
|author=Simon Rickerty
+
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Meet Red and Blue. They are colours who like to colour. Red colours with a blue crayon, and Blue with a red one. Are you keeping up? Red and Blue are usually friends, but when one colours on the other’s page, and then on the other colour himself, things get messy. And scribbly. And at one point, almost violent.
+
|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:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471116794</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
  
{{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.
|title=Noguchi the Samurai
 
|author=Burt Konzak and Johnny Wales
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Noguchi the Samurai is the  story of two Samurai. Michihara is old and wise, while Noguchi is young and brash but very powerful and strong. Noguchi and Michihara both find themselves on a boat, with several very frightened passengers as Noguchi vents his anger on all around him and revels in the fear he causes. While the rest of the passengers huddled in fear, Michihara slept, unperturbed by the events around him. This drove Noguchi to even greater extremes, taking a swipe with his great sword near the sleeping Samurai, who still showed no fear. No matter how much Nogushi tried, he could not provoke Michihara or disturb his calm and peaceful nature. But with the safety of others at stake as well, the quiet old man at last agrees to a duel. It seems like victory will be certain for the young and powerful Noguchi against the small and age wizened elder, but things are not always as they seem. I don't wish to give away exactly how this ends, but I am sure you can guess who will come out victorious. Michihara triumphs, not through might, but through wisdom. But even in victory his calm and quiet nature remain unchanged and his compassion becomes all the more evident - turning an enemy into a friend.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>189555554X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|title=Meet the Parents
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|author=Peter Bently and Sara Ogilivie
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=What are parents for? Perhaps young children think that all their parents do is nag them about what they should be doing such as remembering their manners, tidying up and eating all their vegetables. Well, it may be that parents do all this but they do so much more too. This lovely, gentle picture book describes the other very important roles that parents fulfil, covering everything from the slightly unusual ketchup targets and tent pole holders to the much loved storytellers and cuddle- givers.
+
|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>0857075829</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|title=There's a Shark in the Bath
 
|author=Sarah McIntyre
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=What would you do if you found a shark in your bath? Or worse still, if you found a whole family of sharks in there? As luck would have it the person who does discover her bath has been invaded by scary sea creatures is Dulcie and Dulcie is one of life’s copers. She uses her skills and several sneaky games in her efforts to outwit the sharks in this jolly and enjoyable adventure.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140712191X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

0008561249.jpg

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

1732898766.jpg

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

1913839656.jpg

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

1529504775.jpg

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

1529504767.jpg

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

1916459943.jpg

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

140639131X.jpg

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

1776574338.jpg

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

1776574028.jpg

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

1838226834.jpg

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

B09MYXSRV4.jpg

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

B09HHN541V.jpg

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

B09FFJF8YS.jpg

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

B09C2RVJ2W.jpg

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

B09BG8V3Q6.jpg

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

B07GZ81J7C.jpg

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

B098BJZYHH.jpg

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

1638820457.jpg

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

194812467X.jpg

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

0995647895.jpg

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