Newest For Sharing Reviews
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Where Are My Lambs? by Francesca Simon and Emily Bolam
When you're just coming to terms with this thing called reading there's a big jump to be made. Gone are those nice big picture books with not too many words and in their place is something much smaller (and not nearly so easy to handle – you have to do it yourself) with a lot more words and probably just a few black and white pictures to break the page up and if you're lucky to give you a clue as to what those pesky words mean. There's a stepping stone along the way now and it might just help children who find that big leap a little daunting. Full review...
The Tickle Ghost by Brett McKee and David McKee
It's Dylan's bedtime, but the Tickle Ghost (very possibly his dad with a sheet) is out to get him. Cue plenty of giggles and not very much going to bed. Dylan's mum shouts upstairs for them to be quieter, but when the noise continues, she heads up to sort them out. ...Will the Tickle Ghost get her too? Full review...
My Cat Just Sleeps by Joanne Partis
The little girl in this story has a pet cat who she loves, but she's noticed that whilst her cat spends his days sleeping all her friends' cats seem to lead much more exciting lives, hunting and playing and climbing and fishing...she attempts to entice him into doing something active, but he sleeps through it all until, finally, she realises that even if he is very sleepy he's also warm and cuddly and affectionate and she loves him very much. But she still wonders what it is that makes him so sleepy... Full review...
Superfrog! by Michael Foreman
Pond City is a peaceful place in the daytime. Little Frank the frog loves simply dangling his toes in the water and watching the world pass by. However, come nighttime, things take a turn for the worse: the Big Boss oversees a crime wave. When the Big Boss' creeps frighten Frank's granny and kidnap some frogspawn she'd been babysitting, enough is enough and Frank turns into Superfrog. Full review...
I Love My Mummy by Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd
Mummies are good for lots of things - wiping noses, singing in the car, helping with wee-wee's! This sweet story tells us the best things about mummies from a baby's point of view. Full review...
Fatou, Fetch the Water by Neil Griffiths and Peggy Collins
is waylaid by various friends who have gifts and messages for Fatou to take for her mother. As the gifts pile up in Fatou's arms, and the messages for her mother crowd her head Fatou, somehow, forgets to get any water! Full review...
Itchy Bear by Neil Griffiths and Judith Blake
Poor bear has an itch. An all-over sort of itch. And everywhere he goes to try and have a good scratch it seems he's disturbing someone! Will he ever find anywhere for a satisfying scratch?! Full review...
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Thirty years ago, Harris Burdick walked into a book publisher's office with samples of his work. He had fourteen stories ready for publication, but just brought one picture and caption from each. Burdick was never heard of again. The publisher spent many years trying to track down Burdick, showing the pictures to people - many of whom were inspired to write their own stories. (Shh about The rights of Chris Van Allsburg to be identified as...). Full review...
Best Bedtime Stories Ever by Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry's style is instantly recognisable. I grew up reading his books so this collection is a trip down memory lane! Here there are six stories, about Huckle the cat, Lowly the worm, Mr Raccoon and Mr Frumble the pig, plus a counting section at the back. The stories are a mix of the usual text plus picture format as well as those full page spreads that Scarry is known for where he labels different parts of the picture and there are hundreds of little details to spot. Full review...
Simon and the Easter Miracle: A Traditional Tale for Easter by Mary Joslin and Anna Luraschi
Simon is on his way to market with his eggs, wine and bread to sell. On his way he gets caught up in a crowd watching soldiers forcing a man to carry his cross out of the city. When the man is unable to carry his cross any longer the soldiers look around for someone else to do so, and they pick on Simon. After carrying the cross to the place of crucifixion Simon hurries back to get his goods, but he finds they've been spilt, broken and trampled. He returns home, dejected. The next morning, however, he discovers there has been a miracle and there are 12 white doves and Spring has come early to warm his crops. Full review...
The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Elena Pasquali and Sophie Windham
There are three trees standing side by side on a hill. They dream together of what they hope to become in the future; one wishes to become a chest for the finest treasures, one wishes to be a ship carrying a mighty King, and the last wants to stay on the hillside quietly pointing up to heaven. The first is cut down and made into a trough, but then it turns out it is a trough in the stable where Mary gives birth to Jesus, so it becomes the manger for him. The second is made into a simple fishing boat, but then it is the boat which Jesus goes in when there is a big storm and he calms the waves. The third tree is cut down and forgotten in a yard until one day it is made into a cross. It is, of course, the cross Jesus is crucified on and becomes the symbol of hope, forever pointing to heaven. Full review...
Tales From Percy's Park: After the Storm by Nick Butterworth
One day, after a particularly wild and windy evening, Percy the Park Keeper discovers on his check around the park that an old oak tree has fallen down in the storm. All of the animals who lived in the tree ask Percy to help them find a new home. He loads them up in his wheelbarrow and, after a bit of an adventure, they finally find a new place for Percy to rebuild their homes. Full review...
Claude in the City by Alex T Smith
Claude is a sweet little dog who wears a beret and whose best friend is a sock called Sir Bobblysock. They live with Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes, and when Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes go out, Claude and Sir Bobblysock go out and have their own adventures which, in this book, involve capturing a thief in an art gallery and solving a medical mystery in the local hospital. Claude, who reminds me a little bit of Snoopy, is very endearing and it's amazing how much personality an old sock can have! Full review...
Peely Wally by Kali Stileman
When Peely Wally lays an egg, she's so excited that she jumps up and down. Oh no! The egg rolls out of the branch and lands on Jemima Giraffe! Her egg rolls from animal to animal on an amazing adventure, until finally the egg makes it safely home again. Full review...
When Baby Lost Bunny by Julia Jarman and Adrian Reynolds
A little boy goes for a walk with his mum, dad, baby brother and dog. Along the way baby is trying very hard to tell them all something, but they misunderstand him over and over again until, frustrated, he starts to cry. Suddenly his big brother figures out what the problem is and is able to make his baby brother smile again. Full review...
Rollo and Ruff and the Little Fluffy Bird by Mick Inkpen
Somebody has been chewing Rollo's mat...and somebody has taken Rollo's little red ball...and somebody has been leaving wet footprints all over the floor. But who could it be? Mick Inkpen's latest book introduces us to three new characters: Rollo the cat, LFB (as she's referred to in the book, standing for little fluffy bird) and Ruff the rat. Full review...
Mole's Babies by David Bedford and Rosalind Beardshaw
Morris the mole is about to become a first time dad. Excited and eager to be a good parent he goes looking around the farmyard to see the best way to make his babies happy. He tries to hop like a bunny, splash like a duck, and flap like a bird, but each attempt fails and Morris becomes worried about how he will ever manage to make his little babies happy. Full review...
The Railway Rabbits: Fern and the Dancing Hare by Georgie Adams
In this third episode of the delightful 'The Railway Rabbits' series Barley is taking his five children to meet his parents for the first time. Their mother, Mellow, is staying at home to look after the burrow and, as she wryly comments, tidy up the mess that five young rabbits have left. Smart, tidy and clean behind the ears the rabbits head off to meet Blackberry and Primrose Longears. The journey to the big burrow under the castle is full of adventure – and there's even more when they reach the big burrow. Full review...
Wolf Won't Bite by Emily Gravett
Those three little pigs have captured the big bad wolf and are showing off all the tricks they can get him to do. They make him stand on a stool, and wolf won't bite. They can ride him like a horse, but wolf won't bite. He jumps through hoops and dances, looking more and more frustrated with the pigs' shenanigans. Full review...
The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge
The beast likes to garden. And drink tea. And read. And bake cakes. But he lives by himself, and he is lonely. So one day he decides to go on a journey to try to discover whether there are any other beasts in the world. Full review...
The Heron and the Crane by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
Heron and Crane live at opposite ends of the swamp. One day Crane decides that he is lonely and he would like to get married. Heron seems the only suitable potential mate, and so he makes his way over to propose. Heron, taken completely by surprise, reacts badly to this sudden proposal and rejects Crane, rather insultingly. Poor Crane. As he makes his way home, Heron is overcome with guilt and decides perhaps she would like to marry him after all. Full review...
Norris is a bear – a large, brown bear. He's also a very wise bear because he knows something which will always be useful to him. He knows about sharing. It all began when he saw the plorringe on the tree and he knew that plorringes are the best fruit of all. All he had to do was to wait for the fruit to fall. In the meantime Tulip and Violet discovered the plorringe too. They had a sniff at it – and it was gorgeous – and even a squeeze which showed that it was soft and fluffy – but what were they to do about Norris who was much bigger than them and could easily run away with the fruit? Full review...
Funny Face by Nicola Smee
The young boy is playing with his ball, when along comes a bear who steals it. The big meanie! He takes the only sensible action when faced with a big scary bear: he sticks his tongue out and pulls a funny face! Full review...
Frank and Teddy Make Friends by Louise Yates
Professor Frank Mouse loves to build things in his workshop, but he's envious of the wild creatures that make things in the company of others. He does what any sensible engineer does: he makes a friend for himself. Teddy and he have a lovely time building things together, until Teddy's attempt to do something nice for Frank goes wrong, and the two friends fall out. Thankfully, a reforming of the friendship isn't too far away, and the two chums are back stronger than ever. Full review...
Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan and Mike Lowery
Frog and bunny are best friends, but from time to time they fall out. However, after a bit of a sulk and a bit of a think, they soon remember why they were best friends again. Full review...
Kipper by Mick Inkpen
Kipper's blanket stinks, his ball is chewed and his bone is soggy. He's in the mood for some tidying up, so he tosses them and gets everything spick and span. Sans blanket, his basket is suddenly very uncomfortable, so he looks around to see how animals get comfy. You know Kipper, right? You've read the books and seen the TV series narrated by Martin Clunes. You'd like a dog, like a dog, like a dog like Kipper. Now we're treated to a 21 year anniversary edition of the original book, complete with a 10 episode DVD. Full review...
Oliver and the Noisy Baby by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland
We've met Oliver Donnington Rimington-Sneep before - he has had trouble sleeping and travelled far and wide. This time, he's suffering with a noisy baby. He does what every sensible older brother does: he goes and plays with his toys, retreating into his imagination and flying around the world, taking in all the sights and sounds. Full review...
Nutmeg Says Yum! by Caroline Jayne Church
That Nutmeg is one naughty mouse. First she won't go to bed, and now she's turning her nose up at all the delicious fruit that's on offer. She doesn't want apples as they're too crunchy. Pears are a funny colour. Bananas? Too squidgy. She wants strawberries. Thankfully, Nutmeg's mummy is a wise and sneaky mouse, so she whips up a delicious strawberry surprise, with an interesting mix of ingredients. Full review...
The Tale of Georgie Grub by Jeanne Willis and Margaret Chamberlain
Georgie Grub flat out refuses to have a bath. His mother is fed up of trying to get him clean, so she throws in the towel and leaves him to his filth. As the week goes on, he gets dirtier and dirtier. People hold their noses when he walks by, his teacher throws him out of school, and Georgie ends up scrabbling around in bins. Happy ending? Oh no no no. Georgie Grub gets his comeuppance, and quite right too, the mucky pup! Full review...
The Kiss That Missed by David Melling
The king is in an awful rush, and doesn't even have time to read the prince a bedtime story. He blows him a kiss, but it misses! So, he dispatches his knight to track it down, and an elaborate and bizarre adventure ensues. Full review...
Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
There's something very satisfying about a good picture book. With a pre-schooler at home with me all day we get through a lot of books, so I've seen hundreds, from dazzlingly brilliant through to terribly dull. There are times when my daughter at I look at each other at the end of a book and shrug in disbelief that a publisher thought it worth printing, and there are times when we read something over and over (and over!) because it's so good. This particular book is one of the brilliant ones I'm happy to say, and let me tell you why... Full review...
Horrid Henry's Thank You Letter by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross
I'm sure most of us have, at one time or another, found ourselves being forced to write a huge pile of thank you letters to distant relatives, perhaps even for gifts that we weren't all that excited to receive in the first place! This is the predicament that Henry finds himself in, and rather than knuckle down to get them over and done with he, of course, procrastinates as much as possible before coming up with an ingenious, money-making scheme! Full review...
Tales from Thimble Hall: Mrs Stopper's Bottle by Malcolm Fawbert
One night Evie and Jacob, who lived at Thimble Hall, asked their mother for a story about a bottle and strangely enough, she knew a rather good one which was about a small shop not far from where they lived. Full review...
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, Naomi Lewis and Christian Birmingham
Kay and Gerda are dear, dear friends. However, Kay gets splinters from the Devil's shattered magic mirror in his eye and heart, changing his personality for the worse. Shortly after, he is whisked away by the Snow Queen. Everyone assumes Kay must have fallen in the river and drowned, but Gerda is sure her friend is still alive, and embarks on a magical quest to bring him home again. Full review...
The Wombles at Work by Elizabeth Beresford
Bloomsbury have re-issued another tranche of the original Womble books, following the release of the first titles in late 2010. This brings the total to six available titles for you to have a Wombling good time with. And quite frankly, what's not to love here? Any story featuring Elisabeth Beresford's environmentally-minded, charming characters is a delight, for young and old alike. Full review...
Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel is scared to go to sleep at night. He has all sorts of tricks to keep himself awake so that he doesn't have to face his night-time fears. But his sleeplessness is having a toll on his health. Can he find a solution to his problem? Full review...
More! by Peter Schossow
What happens when the wind blows off your hat, and you chase it along the beach? This sweet, short little book has only one word (and that comes on the very last page), but it still manages to tell an imaginative story! Full review...
Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott
The title of this picture book is really intriguing. I admit I had not previously thought much about the needs of the customers in a story before. It's written in the first person, so we never learn the name of the boy who is the main character. This seems unusual for children's picture books, and the only other one I can think of offhand is The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss. Full review...
A Year in Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem
It makes me feel old to see a 30 years anniversary edition of the Brambly Hedge stories...I remember loving them as a little girl, and 30 years on reading them with my daughter I find that they've lost none of their charm. This beautiful collection takes us through a year in the lives of the mice of Brambly Hedge. There are four books, one for each season, and they are all delightful. Full review...
George and Ghost by Catriona Hoy and Cassia Thomas
George and his friend are inseparable, but George isn't sure he believes in Ghost any more. He asks Ghost to prove he is real by weighing himself, having his photo taken and showing he takes up space. But the scales don't move, Ghost can't be seen in the picture and the water in the bucket doesn't spill when Ghost stands in it. Ghost can't be real. Or can he? Full review...
Willow of the Woods: Litter to Glitter by Helen Bailey and Kirsten Richards
Willow is a wood sprite who lives with her friends in Windybottom. Unfortunately one day, they notice a really terrible smell that is so bad that no one can concentrate in their lessons and the school concert has to be cancelled. The rank smells of rotten eggs, smelly cabbage and pongy feet have turned the usually idyllic Windybottom into 'Stinkybottom'. My daughter found this description very funny! Full review...
The Scallywags Blow Their Top by David Melling
The Scallywags, for those who do not know, are a bunch of wolves who in their previous escapade had to learn a few manners in order to get along with the other animals. This time they're taking part in a play, a fairy tale story along with the other animals, and the wolves are playing the part of the dragon. Of course, things are destined to go badly and inside the dragon costume their tempers begin to fray until finally, as the costume rips, the wolves are sent home in disgrace. On the way home they all start blaming each other until they see, quite by surprise, that waiting by their house is a little sheep... Full review...
Dodo Doo Doo by Kaye Umansky and Korky Paul
We're big fans of the Winnie the Witch stories in this house, so we were very interested to see this new book with the same illustrator, Korky Paul. He's teamed up here with Kaye Umansky, who I already like from reading her stories for slightly older children, so we sat, eager with anticipation, to see what sort of story they'd come up with... Full review...
Running Rhino by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway
Rhino runs everywhere. And as he runs, he leaves a wake of devastation in his path. The other animals are fed up of this rampant running and so Lion confronts him, telling him he must stop. Rhino refuses and challenges anyone to try and stop him. Out of all the animals it is little Tickbird who takes up his challenge, with interesting results! Full review...
Midnight Mischief by Victoria L Thompson and Ben The Illustrator
James is fast asleep, when his bear wakes him up and points him in the direction of an astronaut coming alive from one of his posters. James is suddenly whisked away on a trip into deep space, because aliens have stolen Pluto and are using it as a football. Will James be able to save the day or will he fall foul of those pesky aliens? Full review...
The Railway Rabbits: Berry Goes to Winterland by Georgie Adams
In this story, the young rabbits are very excited when they see snow for the first time. They have great fun sliding, building snow rabbits and falling over. When it is time to go home though, they realise that Berry has disappeared and before long, a search party is set up. Full review...
The Bear with Sticky Paws and the New Baby by Clara Vulliamy
When Pearl's new baby brother arrives, she resents the fact that he is the baby and that she is supposed to be the grown-up sister. She tries to persuade her mum that she is still a baby too but with no success. It is at this time that the Bear with Sticky Paws arrives and they decide to play at being babies. The bear excels at making a mess while eating without a spoon, getting Pearl to dress him and scribbling all over her pictures. It is through all of these activities that Pearl comes to realise that she can do so much more than any baby and perhaps she is quite happy being that little bit more grown up after all. By the time the bear leaves, she has completely revised her opinion of her little brother and presents him with a beautifully drawn picture that has no scribbles at all. Full review...
In The Beginning by Jan Pienkowski and David Walser
Using a modified text, based on the King James bible, this book collects some of the best-loved stories from the Old Testament and they are portrayed in full page, gloriously vibrant pictures. With everything from the Creation through to Noah, Joseph and David and Goliath this is an extensive collection of stories to share with children. My daughter and I love Pienkowski's funny illustrations throughout the Meg and Mog stories, so I was hopeful that this would be another lovely book to share with her. Full review...
Mr Aesop's Story Shop by Bob Hartman and Jago
Aesop's fables have been known for centuries all around the world, and here is a new edition where a selection of the fables have been given some new embellishments. Aesop features in the stories himself, as a teller of tales himself with a stall in the market where people, especially children, gather to listen and hear him. His stories are often set within the context of an understandable situation, making it easier for children to see parallels between the animals in the tales and the real life action. Full review...
The Christmas Eve Ghost by Shirley Hughes
Bronwen and Dylan live in the poor part of 1930s Liverpool. Their mam takes in washing to make ends meet, and often has to leave them alone whilst she's pushing the big old pram full of washing to the part of the city where the well-off people live. They're under strict instructions to have nothing to do with their neighbours, the O'Rileys. Then, on Christmas Eve, when they're alone, Bronwen and Dylan hear a plonk, plonk, plonk and are sure it's a ghost... Full review...
Jake and Dixie: Super Magic Lightning Boy by Scott McIntyre and Laura Raine
Meet Jake, Super Magic Lightning Boy, the fastest kid in town, and his sidekick Dixie Thunder Paws, the meanest cat around! Full review...
The Railway Rabbits: Wisher and the Runaway Piglet by Georgie Adams
Wisher and the Runaway Piglet is the first book in a charming series about the Railway Rabbits. The little family of rabbits are delightful creatures who enjoy life and exploring the big wide world. Lots of dangers lurk, but they always seem to come through unscathed. However, when they hear rumours of a fierce dog chasing a runaway pig, even they are a little daunted. All except Wisher that is, who feels the need to go and warn her friend Violet Vole. Along the way she is almost trapped by the buzzard and trampled over by the Red Dragon. Somehow though, she escapes major disaster and even manages to save the day. Maybe such narrow escapes and her parents' obvious relief on her return may lead her to be more cautious in the future but that remains to be seen. Somehow, I doubt it! Full review...
