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My First Car Was Red by Peter Schossow
A young boy receives a pedal car from his grandpa, but it's old, rusty and needs work. They tinker with it, do it up, and paint it bright red. Grandpa gives the young boy instructions on how to use it, then the boy and his brother, Cornelius, go off for an adventure in the car. They careen round corners, barrage through wasp nests, duck low branches in the forest, and nearly go flying off a cliff, before crashing into a creek and pushing the car back home, exhausted. Full review...
The Conquerors by David McKee
The General rules the country, with his strong army and large cannon. The army stomps from country to country, conquering other people, until they've conquered all the countries except one. Rather than fighting back, this tiny little country treats the army as friends, welcoming them into their homes, with warmth and kindness. Full review...
Wanted: The Perfect Pet by Fiona Roberton
What Henry wants most in the world, more than chips, more than a trip to the moon, is a dog. He has 27 different sorts of frogs but they, he claims, are boring. What he really, really wants is a dog, and so he decides to advertise to try and find one. Full review...
Get Well Friends by Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan
Nurse Nibbles has a hospital full of patients - who can we see who is poorly? There's a hamster whose whiskers got caught up in his wheel, and a centipede who sprained 98 ankles playing hockey! Will Nurse Nibbles be able to make them feel better? Full review...
Copy Cat by Mark Birchall
Copy Cat begins with the reader being told that:
Cat was small and Dog was big;
and whatever Dog did, Cat did too.'
We soon learn that this involves very exciting activities such as dinosaur hunting, balancing on a high wire, digging for pirate treasure and deep sea diving. Although it is perfectly understandable that Cat should want to join in all the fun, Dog does start to get fed up with him always tagging along. That is why, when she decides to explore Space, she makes sure that there is only room for one on her spaceship. You can imagine her annoyance though when Cat shows up in his own spaceship and this leads to her telling him off for being such a copycat. Full review...
Don't Wake Mr Bear! by Jill Newton
Dormouse is the leader of the woodland orchestra, and it is time for the lullaby of the forest to begin. Softly, gently the animals play and off goes Dormouse to hibernate for the winter, departing with the strict instruction remember, WHATEVER you do, don't wake Mr Bear! It's not hard to guess what happens next, is it?! Full review...
Beatrice and Vanessa by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
Beatrice (the sheep) and Vanessa (the goat) live together on a farm, staying in the same field, looking out at the same view, and talking together about the same things day after day. One day they find they've run out of things to say, so they decide to take a holiday together. Full review...
The Melancholic Mermaid by Kallie George and Abigail Halpin
Maude is a mermaid who was born with two tails. Her parents tell her it makes her special, stronger and faster, but amongst the other mermaid children it makes her an outcast. She is lonely, and she longs for a friend. Feeling sorry for herself one day she isn't paying attention and she is captured by a fisherman who sells her to a circus. On the same day that Maude was born, Tony was born in a cottage by the sea. He has webbed hands and, like Maude, is teased at school and left lonely and sad. His parents send him to live with the circus, believing he will be accepted and happy there but Tony is still lonely and he misses the sea. But then one day he is put in charge of a new attraction for the circus. A mermaid with two tails... Full review...
Sock It! by Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
Sock It! is a bit like Pants by Nick Sharratt, which makes it more of a long entertaining rhyme than a story as such. Because of this I'd say it's one to read together with your child when you want a bit of fun, as opposed to a bedtime story, as it has a very loud feel, with bright illustrations and silly rhymes to make kids giggle and want to join in. Full review...
Tigerbear by Steve Webb and Katharine McEwen
I'm a sucker for a good bedtime story and to me Tigerbear is just that. With the perfect tone for a bedtime read, a small amount of adventure, a nice rhyming pattern and friendly illustrations, I can see this book sending many children off to sleep to have their own adventure in years to come. Full review...
Rapunzel by Simona Sanfilipo
A poor villager and his wife are expecting a baby. However, when the man steals some rapunzel from a witch's garden and is caught, she insists that she be given the baby when it is born. That baby turns out to be a girl called Rapunzel, and as she grows up she is imprisoned in a tall tower by the witch. Her hair grows incredibly long and the witch uses this as a means of reaching Rapunzel in her room at the top. A passing prince hears her sweet singing and seeing what the witch does, also calls to Rapunzel to let down her hair. They form a friendship but before the prince can help Rapunzel to escape, the witch discovers what has been going on and cuts off Rapunzel's hair and banishes her to a lonely desert. The prince searches for her, albeit rather hazily, as he has lost his glasses. Will he find her so that they can live happily ever after? Well it is a fairy tale so what do you think? Full review...
Sneezy Bear by Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
At the beginning of 'Sneezy Bear', we meet Bear who is enjoying a soak in the river. Although he would be happy to luxuriate in the water all day, he starts to feel hungry so decides that he needs to go in search of some food. First he spots some tasty looking salmon but just as he is about to grab one, he lets out an almighty sneeze that causes a huge splash which allows all of the fish to escape. Next he spots a cherry tree, but before he can taste the juicy fruit, he sneezes yet again and the cherries explode everywhere leaving nothing to eat. Full review...
In The Attic by Hiawyn Oram and Satoshi Kitamura
I had a million toys and I was bored, exclaims the unnamed protagonist of In The Attic. Rather than moaning about his boredom, he does something about it, so he climbs into the attic and into his imagination. He finds little creatures, miraculous worlds, an old engine, and a tiger to be his friend. He fills his day with miraculous and dreamy adventures, then heads back home to report back to his mum. Full review...
Zoo Girl by Rebecca Elliott
Zoo girl was not what I expected. I was anticipating your average rhyming story aimed at preschoolers with the usual obsession over zoo animals. What I got was a very deep, moving tale aimed above the usual picture book age that will resonate with people who read it from children to adults. Full review...
Tales From Percy's Park: Percy's Bumpy Ride by Nick Butterworth
At the start of 'Percy's Bumpy Ride', all the park animals are puzzled by the strange noises coming from Percy the Park keeper's workshop. They cannot guess what Percy is up to, but soon all is revealed when the doors open and Percy drives out on a spanking new machine. It's a new lawn mower and when Percy claims that it will help him fly around the park he is not joking. He and the animals roar around the park cutting the grass speedily and efficiently. However, before long the mower literally takes off and it looks as if they are all heading for a nasty accident until some very friendly sheep help to soften their landing. Percy decides that maybe his exciting new mower is perhaps not up to the job of keeping the park's grass in trim, but luckily, the sheep have given him another idea... Full review...
Colours Sticker Activity Book by Nat Lambert and Andrea Petrlik
It's lovely to find a book – and even better to find a series of books - which allow parents and children to do something constructive together. The first book which we looked at was Colours. On each double page spread there are plenty of things to talk about with your child, stickers to find and put in the appropriate spaces and then a game or an activity to complete. You'll find songs to sing, pictures to colour in and join-the-dot pictures to complete. There are even some smiley faces so that you can reward your child for what they've achieved. They're suitable for the three plus age group and will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Full review...
When Chico Went Fishing by Robin Tzannes and Korky Paul
Chico wants to go fishing with his father very much, and begs him, but dad says no, he will make too much noise and scare away the fish. In the end, Chico sets out to go fishing on his own, and he does really well. This is a very simple story. It is accompanied though by fascinating, detailed illustrations. In fact, it is billed as a Korky Paul picture book, one in which illustrator Korky Paul has done the drawings. I think this is really interesting as often illustrated children’s books are sold on the basis of the author of the text. Full review...
This Book Belongs To Aye-Aye by Richard Byrne
Aye-Aye goes to Miss Deer's Academy For Aspiring Picture-Book Animals. Dontcha just love that concept? He's desperate to be in a book of his own, but he's not quite ready yet. Miss Deer announces that there's going to be a very special prize for the most helpful animal of the week. However, as the week goes on, the parameters of the competition seem to change, and the Rabbit Twins are up to their usual cheeky shenanigans. Full review...
The Animal Bop Won't Stop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner
The words are easy to read aloud and would be fun, perhaps, to share with a small group of co-operative pre-school children and try out the suggested movements. If you want to get your kids dancing, this might not be the best choice at bedtime, and my boys are a bit wary of directed activity (so we exercise them in the park). Full review...
Snow White by Sally Gardner
Having read many retellings of Grimms' tales, it is refreshing to read one that expands the story familiar into six short chapters while remaining faithful to the original narrative. Gardner adds some detail to the story (the Seven Dwarfs try to protect Snow White by inventing some alarm systems to warn of the queen's approach, and Snow White is making an apple pie when the queen disguised as an old woman arrives with the poisoned apple) but does not remove or prettify the more violent aspects of the story; the huntsman kills a deer and persuades the queen that its heart is Snow White's, and the queen is smashed to smithereens on rocks as she tries to escape from the dwarfs . The prince arriving and Snow White returning to life after the piece of poisoned apple is jolted from her mouth is the resolution to the story, but the dwarfs being the guests of honour at the wedding is a nice touch. Full review...
Bouncy Bouncy Bedtime by David Bedford and Julian Russell
At the very start of this book it is bedtime, but before going to sleep, the author asks the young reader:
'Have you ever wondered what the animals do?
Do they go to bed like me and you?'
and then we are asked to imagine... Full review...
Stanley's Stick by John Hegley and Neal Layton
Stanley loves his stick and carries it everywhere. He loves to play with it and finds all sorts of uses for it. Forget all those expensive plastic toys; the stick is the best toy he could have. (It is nice to see a child in a book playing with something that doesn’t cost money). Full review...
The Little Mermaid by Laura Barella
I've always found the story of the Little Mermaid to be a rather strange choice for a toddler's picture book since it doesn't have the expected happy ending. Of course that means that usually the ending gets altered, to make it palatable for little ones. This particular retelling for younger children is unusual as it steers clear of a romantic happy ending in Disney-style and actually ends on quite a solemn, sad note. Full review...
Snug! by Carol Thompson
What makes you feel snug? Tucked up like a bug in a rug? Being as snug as a mole in his underground hole? This story looks at all different ways that make us feel cosy and warm. Full review...
The Scarecrow Who Didn't Scare by Neil Griffiths and Vicki Leigh
Farmer Wallace makes himself a scarecrow, but the crows and rabbits and mice take no notice of it, eating the seeds and shoots and ears of corn so that when the farmer comes to harvest his crops he finds nothing. He throws his scarecrow into the hedge in a temper and there poor scarecrow lies... Full review...
Ants in Your Pants! by Julia Jarman and Guy Parker-Rees
Leopard is having a birthday party but he has very clear ideas about who should and shouldn't be invited. Specifically, he doesn't want to invite Aardvark - I really wondered what the poor animal had done to be so maligned. Aardvark isn't really too bothered, but Big Ant is very offended, and he brings all his friends to bite the party guests' bottoms. Who will come to the rescue and save Leopard's party? Why, Aardvark of course. There is a moral here - don't exclude people from your party because they're not cool enough. Full review...
Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever by Richard Scarry
This new edition of Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever includes eleven stories about the inhabitants of Busytown. These "people" are drawn as various animals, and many of them appear in several stories. The local policeman, Sergeant Murphy is a dog wearing a helmet, riding round on a motorbike, and he is kept busy investigating everything from theft to talking bread. He is often assisted by his friends Huckle (a cat) and Lowly (a worm). Full review...
Mrs Rainbow by Neil Griffiths
Mrs Rainbow lives in Rainbow cottage, an amazing brightly coloured country cottage. On the inside every room is a different colour, whilst Mrs Rainbow herself wears colourful outfits and dyes her hair amazing shades from beautiful blonde through to peacock green! One day, however, she receives a visit from the local planning councillors and is told she must paint her house to match the rest of the village...grey! Full review...
The Wheels on the Bus by Britta Teckentrup
I doubt that there are many parents who've not sung The Wheels on the Bus to their child at some point. I've heard it chanted in an attempt to get a fractious child to settle and I've often wondered why it is that no one seems to know all the words. Most parents never seem to get past the wheels going round and round but Britta Teckentrup has produced a book with cut-outs to take us through all the words as all the animals take the bus to the playground. Full review...
Elmer and the Hippos by David McKee
One day, just as Elmer was having a chat with Lion and Tiger, three angry elephants came by. The hippos had come to live in their river and they were worried that it would be crowded. Elmer was instructed to go and tell them to go. Elmer the patchwork elephant isn't like that though. He went to chat to the hippos and found that they'd come to this river because their river had dried up – and they really did need a river. Elmer went off to investigate the problem. Sure enough the hippos' river was completely dry. Full review...
The Hill And The Rock by David McKee
The Hill and the Rock is a very funny book that is based on one very quirky idea. Mr and Mrs Quest are an ordinary couple but their home gets many visitors as it is at the top of the only hill for miles around. Everyone admires the view, but as Mrs Quest spends much of her time in the kitchen, her view is blighted by the large rock that stands tall just outside the window. Mrs Quest is also extremely good at nagging and she pesters her husband every day until he agrees to dig the ground that surrounds the rock so that it eventually rolls down the hill. That night Mrs Quest is much happier but is puzzled by a hissing noise that stops her from sleeping. The next night they both hear it and it slowly dawns on them that now the rock is no longer in place, all the air is seeping out from inside the hill. Full review...
The Bear and the Wildcat by Kazuni Yumoto and Komako Sakai
This lovely picture book dives in at the deep end with its opening sentence of 'One morning, Bear was crying. His best friend, a little bird, was dead.' I must admit I initially wondered what on earth I was reading to my four year old and regretted not skimming it first to check, but as we read on together we discovered a beautiful story of friendship and loss, grief and hope. Full review...
One World by Michael Foreman
In 'One World', a young girl is found staring up at the sun and watching it go down at the end of the day. She then watches the moon and stars come out. Although no further comment is made, she obviously finds it most awe inspiring. This makes the reader think about the sheer magnitude of the world we live in especially when we are reminded of all the creatures that share it with us. Full review...
The Golden Goose by Roberta Angeletti
The eldest of the three brothers set off to cut wood and on the way he met an old man who asked if he had any food. The brother refused as he would need what he had for his lunch. He gave the same answer when he was asked for water – but as he cut wood he injured his finger and had to return home, wondering all the time if the old man had anything to do with his injury. The next day the second brother went to cut wood – and much the same thing happened, only this time it was his toe that was injured. There was but one brother left and the two older brothers thought that he was too weak to cut wood. But when the brother met the old man he was happy to share what food and water he had and – well you don't really need to tell me what happened next, do you? Full review...
One Two That's My Shoe by Alison Murray
We've met Grace and Georgie before, in the excellent Apple Pie ABC. She's the owner of the scampish dog, who then snaffled her apple pie and now is skedaddling with her shoe. As with the earlier book, Alison Murray takes a familiar rhyme (this time One Two Buckle My Shoe), tweaks it slightly, and tells a fresh story through her fantastic illustrations. Full review...
The Fearsome Beastie by Giles Paley-Phillips
When night comes, the fearsome beastie roams the streets, looking for children to eat. He's quite the monster and gobbles up some little 'uns, but doesn't notice little Pete, who enlists some help to do battle with the beastie. Full review...
Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen
Rolf is a good little wolf. He always eats up his vegetables. He is kind to his friends, including Little Pig and Mrs Boggins - who looks a lot like Little Red Riding Hood's grandma. One day he runs into the Big Bad Wolf, who opens Rolf's eyes to the kind of shenanigans that most wolves get up to. Will Rolf give in to his lupine heritage, or will he stay true to his well-behaved self? Full review...
Gobble! Gobble! Gobble! by Simon Mayor and Hilary James
In Gobble! Gobble! Gobble! we meet a turkey who lives in a farmyard and is afraid of Christmas dinners; another who gets married to a duck and a third who buys a car that never goes anywhere. The one thing that they all have in common though is that they all like to gobble a lot and there is certainly a great deal of gobbling going on in this book. There isn't a great story but the idea of the turkeys doing all of the things that I have mentioned had my daughter smiling. Full review...
The Nanny Goat's Kid by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Nanny Goat really wanted a kid – more than anything else in the world, but it wasn't possible. Her sisters told her kids weren't all they were cracked up to be and she should be grateful. Eventually she decided that she would adopt a kid. Now, we all noticed that the kid didn't really look like a kid at all. In fact he looks suspiciously like a tiger and as Nanny Goat struggled to bring him up the differences became more and more obvious. Matters came to a head when Nanny Goat's sisters' kids went missing and the sisters blamed Nanny Goat's kid. Nanny goat might not have given birth to the kid but she still saw him as her child and when the sisters said that he should leave the herd she decided to go with him. Full review...
Just One More by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop
What happened when a dragon moved into the town's library? Or when Cowgirl Katie's horse went shopping and rode on the escalator? This fun collection of short stories is unusual, odd and very entertaining! Full review...
Kitty Kool's Beauty School by Michaela Morgan and Katherine Lodge
Kitty Kool has a new beauty school, and she's very excited about her opening day. However, when her makeovers for a grumpy crocodile, messy rabbit and spider don't go quite as they expected she worries that perhaps her beauty school isn't as fabulous as she'd first thought! Full review...
A Day with the Animal Doctors by Sharon Rentta
It is going to be a very busy day for the animal doctors. There's a snake that needs unknotting, a leopard who has lost his spots and the inevitable dog who has swallowed an alarm clock. But today is going to be an important day for Terence too as he's going to be a doctor – just like his Mummy, who is a doctor every day. Terence packs his first aid kit (some VERY useful toys in there!) and off he goes to the hospital with Mummy. Full review...
Please Bear's Birthday by Avril Lethbridge, Diana Mather and Mary-Ann Mackenzie
Please Bear is having a birthday party and all the bears, both the nice ones and the naughty ones, are invited. In a delightful sing-song rhyme we see Please Bear writing his invitations, the preparations for the party, and the party itself. Some bears are very good, helping other bears if they are a little shy or helping mummy Bear to set the table. Unfortunately, other bears are not so good. They boast, they scream, their greedy and downright unreasonable. Full review...
Mrs MacCready Was Ever So Greedy by Julie Fulton and Jona Jung
Mrs McCready was ever so greedy. She was a cheerful, red-headed lady who simply loved her food. She would eat absolutely anything – sometimes it was quite healthy, such as the berries, especially cherries, but she didn't even worry if there were worms inside. She didn't even worry too much about whether the foods she ate tasted good together – she just loved to eat. This caused something of a problem with clothes, as absolutely nothing would fit her – not even the wedding marquee or the hot air balloon. Eventually she met her fate… Full review...
