Newest For Sharing Reviews
Barking for Bagels by Michael Rosen and Tony Ross
Barking for Bagels is the story of Schnipp the dog, who loves her owners very much, though she does find their snickering a little annoying from time to time. One day, whilst out for a walk in the park, she starts to run away, and she finds that once she starts running she can't stop, and she runs and she runs until she finds Bessie the Bagel lady and thus discovers her new favourite food, and her new home. Full review...
Thank You, Mr Panda by Steve Antony
Mr Panda is back! And this time, rather than his box of doughnuts, he has a large pile of presents for all of his friends. Accompanied by his friend, the ring-tailed Lima, he goes around giving out the presents, whilst Lima helpfully reminds everyone on the receiving end that it's the thought that counts since it turns out that Mr Panda is perhaps not the best judge of gift giving! Full review...
Fairytale Frankie and the Mermaid Escapade by Greg Gormley and Steven Lenton
If you think about it enough it is amazing how many characters in fairytales are thick. How long would it take you to figure out that was not your Nan, but a wolf? Or, how many people would decide to start eating a house that appears to be made out of gingerbread, but is overseen by what looks like a crazy lady? Nope, the only reason that fairytale characters make it half the time is because a sensible and brave character saves the day; an intelligent brick laying pig, or a feisty woodsman. Your average story dweller needs a guardian angel and this may just come in the form of Fairytale Frankie. Full review...
Edie by Sophy Henn
Edie is a gorgeous little girl and with the sort of nature which we all hope that our children will have in abundance. She's just so helpful. For instance, she's gets up extra early herself just so that she can make certain that everybody else in the house gets up in good time. The cymbals work well on her brother, but if not, dragging him out of bed usually achieves the desired result. As for her parents, playing her guitar and serenading them usually does the trick. She's an independent young lady and likes to dress herself. It's not exactly school uniform and her mother might well be wondering where some of her clothes have got to - but what's a girl to do? Full review...
My Mummy by Roger Hargreaves
In My Mummy we learn of all the ways Mummy is wonderful. And, funnily enough, her positive attributes are quite a lot like those singular, nominal traits beheld by certain Little Misses. For example, she is happy like Little Miss Sunshine, she is curious about things like, erm, Little Miss Curious, and she enjoys her cake, just like Little Miss Greedy. Ooops. Full review...
The Glump and the Peeble by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown
When does someone learn who they truly are? As a baby, you don't know what your feet are, so any sense of true self-discovery is going to at least wait until you are out of nappies. As a child you start to see the world, but most of us only see our part in it. Enter your teenage years and twenties and you start to understand what role you play in life, but do you really know yourself? If you are lucky, very lucky, you may start to figure stuff out in your thirties and know who you are and what you want to do. Things may have happened a little quicker if you had read more books as a child all about being whomever you want to be. Full review...
How to be a Tiger by George Szirtes and Tim Archbold
Wet again, yet again! Down it drips, little fingertips, tapping and snapping as if the rain were cross.
See the branches toss? See the puddles grow? Has it stopped raining?
NO.
Yes, sometimes only a quote will do. After all, we do come to poetry for snappy concision, and that's what we get here… Full review...
Everybunny Dance by Ellie Sandall
Children's book have a long history of the lion lying down with the lamb when most adults understand that the only thing that the lamb would be lying on is the lining of the lion's stomach. However, there is plenty of time to learn about what creature eats what creature and perhaps we should just allow children to imagine that bunnies like to dance the night away and perhaps even get along with a fox. Full review...
What are Aunties Made Of? by Carna Brooks
We all know what little boys and girls are made of, although I have to confess to having always been just a little bit jealous of the puppy dog tails and quite willing to pass on the sugar, spice, slugs and snails. But what are aunties made of? Could it be:
Smelly old cars and old milk jars?
Or fragrances of lavender and roses in our noses?
Full review...
Queen Munch and Queen Nibble by Carol Ann Duffy and Lydia Monks
Queen Munch and Queen Nibble are two very different queens, in two very different kingdoms. Queen Munch, as you might imagine from her name, really loves her food. Her Saturdays begin with 'The Munching of the Breakfast' which is a grand extravaganza that her people all come and watch involving a grand setting, the Royal Musicians playing the 'Queen Munch Tune', dancing and an important reader of the menu, a delicious breakfast all finished off with a nice belch from the Queen! Queen Nibble, then, is much the opposite of Queen Munch. She is tall and as pale as a stick of celery! She lives alone, barely eats, but she makes beautiful jewellry from raindrops. One day, Queen Munch invites Queen Nibble over for a visit, and what will happen when these two extremely different rulers come together? Full review...
Rabbit and Bear: The Pest in the Nest by Julian Gough and Jim Field
Rabbit was struggling. There he was having a nice, peaceful sleep in his friend Bear's cave when a terrible noise woke him. Was it thunder? No, it was Bear snoring. Very loudly. Rabbit tried putting his paws over his ears although that's not very successful when you have small paws and very big ears. But there was something good: when Rabbit went outside the cave he realised that spring had sprung. Suddenly he felt strong. After a winter spent in his friend Bear's cave it was time to go home to his burrow. Only there was a surprise lurking there - and it looked suspiciously like a snake. Full review...
This is a Serious Book by Jodie Parachini and Daniel Rieley
If you want a silly book, this is not the one for you. This is, as the title says, a serious book. And just so there's no doubt, it shows you all the things you won't find in this book (because they are silly and this is serious). So we see pictures of donkeys pulling silly faces and doing backflips but only as a warning. They are examples to show us what we won't find in this book. For they are silly things (yuck). Full review...
I Don't Know What to Call My Cat by Simon Philip and Ella Bailey
Getting a new pet is rife with things that you have to do. Where will they sleep? What will they eat? And, of course, what on Earth are you going to call them? Giving a pet the right name when they are tiny can be an issue in itself – a cute fluffy dog can grow into a massive hound called Fluffy, or you could call your male cat Claire. Perhaps it would help if the animal itself could tell you what name they want? Full review...
That's Not How You Do It! by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar
Lucy the cat knows how to do everything. Yes, she is one of those dreadful know-it-alls who can build a tower, play the xylophone, eat with a knife and fork...you name it, she can do it! Everyone knows that she's the best at all of these things, so she's the one they go to if they need help. One day, however, there's a new panda in town, Toshi, and Lucy watches him and sees that he doesn't know how to do anything right at all! His music is strange, and he eats differently to everyone else, and he can't make paper stars, only some weird-looking bird! Lucy finds this more and more frustrating until she suddenly can't contain herself any longer and she tells Toshi that he's doing everything wrong… Full review...
Stone Underpants by Rebecca Lisle and Richard Watson
Poor Pod has a chilly bottom! His leafy clothing is just not cutting it, and he needs to find an alternative. But what can he use to make himself some pants? This is a madcap story that will see Pod wearing everything from stone pants to feather pants, to even, in desperation I suspect, some pants made from spider's webs! Will he ever manage to find something suitable to make his pants from? Full review...
The Liszts by Kyo Maclear and Julia Sarda
When you read enough children's books you start to be able to pick up patterns in the genre. There are books that are aimed at the child alone and alienate the adult and there are those that cater for both. Perhaps the oddest grouping is those children's books that are seemingly designed for adults to enjoy and do not appeal to children. Full review...
Sun Moon Star by Kurt Vonnegut and Ivan Chermayeff
In his own delightfully imaginative way Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of the birth of Christ in this unique and long out of print children's book. Told from the perspective of the new born infant in his first hours of birth, this charming little story feels different to other children's Christmas books whilst at the same time goes back to the basics in exploring the true nature of Christmas. Full review...
In the fir tree in the forest there were two holes: in the small hole at the top Blue Bird lived, but the big hole, in the ground below the fir tree was the home of Mother Bear and her little bear, Lump Lump. It was coming to the time when bears should be hibernating, but Lump Lump wanted to run in the forest and eat more honey. Somehow he didn't think that sleeping could be that much fun. Blue Bird sang him a song about a blanket of dreams and Lump Lump had to have one. There was a snag though - before the blanket could be woven Lump Lump had to collect the white light of morning, the red light of evening, the falling rain and the rainbow for Spider Woman to weave into his blanket. Full review...
As Nice as Pie by Gary Sheppard and Tim Budgen
The day that you build that bird table and set out some nuts you are unwittingly creating a millstone for your own neck. From now on your inner voice is going to keep telling you to keep the food topped up. What will happen to those poor little birdies should they go without, will you be to blame for their hunger? Worse than the voice in your head is if the birds themselves started to demand more food. Could you deal with a cheeky chaffinch or a rabid robin? Full review...
Raven Child and the Snow Witch by Lina Sunderland and Daniel Egneus
A beautiful story of hope, family and love. In the frozen north and safe away from the icy wilderness, young Anya lives a happy care-free life in the Snow Garden. She plays, she is at one with the animals and she dreams. On one day, no different from any other, Anya’s mother sets off on a journey to the glacier to collect a special flower to plant in the Snow Garden. Anya waits for her mother’s return and keeps busy throughout the day. After a long while of waiting Anya falls asleep and dreams of a terrible event involving the most dreadful enchantress of them all – the Snow Witch. From here on, Anya becomes determined to find and save her mother but she has no idea what lies ahead. Can Anya pit her wills against the frozen wilderness, the wild wolves and ultimately the Snow Witch herself? Full review...
Farm by Surya Sajnani
In this sturdy, interactive board book little ones have clues to animals you might find on the farm, and can then slide the pieces of picture round on the facing page to uncover the answer. Full review...
Hush...Little Bear is Sleeping by Surya Sajnani
In this somewhat ironic interactive board book, Baby Bear is trying to sleep but other animals around him keep making a noise. I say ironic because this would otherwise be a perfect bedtime story, but because it's a press and listen book with sound effects on every page, it's far too much fun and more likely to get them engaged and playing than carefully drifting off to slumber. Full review...
Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers
Fred is an imaginary friend. He really loves being an imaginary friend, and he throws himself into his role wholeheartedly whenever he is 'summoned' by a child. The problem is that his children always end up finding a real friend, and then they don't need him, and slowly he fades away until the wind whisks him away into the clouds where he waits until he is summoned once more. When he becomes Sam's friend he thinks that all his dreams have come true - they like the same things, they have so much fun together, but Fred has a funny feeling in his imaginary tummy that one day, Sam won't need him any more either… Full review...
One Hundred Sausages by Yuval Zommer
Mmm, sausages! Everyone knows that dogs have special hearing when it comes to the discussion of what's for dinner, especially when it comes to sausages. My mum used to hide the worming tablets in sausages as our dog would eat the sausage so fast he wouldn't notice the tablet. Well, most times! Anyway, this book is all about one particular dog's love of sausages, and what happens when he is falsely accused of stealing all of the town's sausages! Full review...
Gordon's Great Escape by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
The life of the humble balloon is one full of fear and dangers. Imagine going out of the house each day and all that protects your vulnerable self is a thin sheet of taut rubber. Even if you do get to survive into your dotage, this is not a long time. Who has not left a balloon alone for a week or so, it starts to sag and go wrinkly until it is nothing more than a floppy bag. Depressing as this may be, Gordon the balloon looks on the bright side of life and is determined to enjoy every moment he has. Full review...
How to Save a Superhero by Caryl Hart and Ed Eaves
It's just an ordinary day for Albie – he's playing with his toys just like any little boy. However little does he know that his day is going to be super in more ways than one. This is another fantastic adventure in the next in the series of books by Carol Hart and Ed Eaves. Full review...
Winnie and Wilbur Meet Santa by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Winnie and Wilbur are writing their letters to Santa. Wilbur wants lots of things including a wind up mouse, tins of sardines, and a cuddly blanket. Winnie, however, just wants a lovely surprise. When Christmas Eve arrives that is what she gets – but it's not exactly the surprise that Santa had in mind. He gets stuck in their chimney for so long that he might not have time to deliver all the presents. Luckily Winnie and Wilbur find him in time and, for once, Winnie's magic seems to be working. Full review...
There's a Snake in My School! by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Miranda loves to be different so no one is really surprised when she arrives at school on Bring-your-pet-to-school Day riding on the back of an enormous slithery python called Penelope. But they are a bit frightened. After all, pythons EAT people. Miranda, however, soon convinces her classmates that Penelope is both friendly and lots of fun to play with. It looks like it's going to be the best day of school EVER. But that's before Miss Bloat, the headmistress, intervenes and locks up all the pets. Luckily Penelope has a special talent that will save the day. Full review...
That's Not a Hippopotamus! by Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis
With the onset of TV, the internet and colourful books we take for granted that we know what different animals look like. A giraffe has a long neck, a lion has big teeth and a Dodo does not look like much anymore. However, imagine a time before all this technology, the closest you would get to an exotic animal might be the assorted stuffed creatures in a local Natural History Museum. Perhaps the children of Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis' That's Not a Hippopotamus! learned from some poor taxidermy, as they sure don't know what a Hippo looks like. Full review...
An Animal ABC by Alice Pattullo
If you have ever tried to print a design using traditional methods such as screen printing or block printing, you will know how tricky a feat this is. Making a simple black and white design is tough enough as you try and spread the paint evenly and avoid bleeding, but multicolours are even more complex. You have to remove your screen and add another, then make sure the new colour sits exactly where it should. When it goes wrong it looks amateurish and you have to start again. Do it right and it can look as wonderful as An Animal ABC by Alice Pattullo. Full review...
The Queen's Present by Steve Antony
We join the story on Christmas Eve. The Queen hasn't finished her shopping yet, which is probably unlikely for a grandmother and great grandmother, but then I suppose most people in that position don't have a job ruling the country so she can be forgiven. She's shopping for the little prince and princess, but in a surprisingly unpatriotic moment she realises the UK just won't do, and she needs to venture further afield. If only there was someone with access to airborne transport who could whisk her away to the likes of France and Egypt and Italy and China at the drop of a hat (or the tug of a reign). Full review...
Greatest Animal Stories by Michael Morpurgo (Editor)
We all know of Aesop and his animal fables: the hare and the tortoise, the boy who cried wolf or the ant and the grasshopper. In this stunning collection of animal stories, Michael Morpurgo has collated well-known and much-loved animal stories in a beautifully presented book. In the introduction he writes that we often first meet animals in stories before we meet them in real life and this collection is selected from his favourite childhood animal tales. Within his own stories, Morpurgo favours the inclusion of animals as the central character and these are all well received by children. As a primary school teacher, I value the fact that such a well-known author has collected these valuable animal-centred stories which can be used not only to engage children with tales from different cultures but also in providing life lessons. Each is beautifully illustrated and individual in style to each story. Prefacing each tale is a short paragraph giving information on the origin of the story and often a question or two to promote thought and discussion within the story. The stories originate from across the globe: Iceland, Africa, China and North America to name a few. Full review...
Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Felix Bernard, Richard Smith and Tim Hopgood
It’s the end of October – almost November – and the embers of Christmas are just being brought back to life now. The weather is changing, the leaves are falling and it’s dark before six o’clock. No matter how much we try not to, our thoughts are turning to Christmas. Now, I absolutely love Christmas. However, what I love more than Christmas is the idea of Christmas. Walking in a Winter Wonderland paints the idea of Christmas better than anything else. It is a Christmas card in words and although it may be 13 degrees on Christmas day with grey skies, in our hearts sleigh bells are ringing, snow is glistening, Mister snowmen are being built and we all conspire as we dream by the fire. What a fantastic way to epitomise Christmas by using this great song, made famous by Peggy Lee and originally written in 1934, as a story book for children. Full review...
The Princess and the Christmas Rescue by Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton
Christmas can be an awesome time surrounded by friends, but if you don't have many, it can also be a rather lonely time. One way you could get more friends is to socialise a little and perhaps join a hobby group or two. What is unlikely to help is locking yourself up in a workshop and inventing things on your own all the time. This is exactly how Princess Eliza spends her time, but what caused her to have a lacks in friends may help her when a Christmas crisis occurs. Full review...
