Fly, Chick, Fly
Written by Jeanne Willis
Illustrated by Tony Ross
Andersen Press
£10.99
ISBN: 978-1849393447
This is an endearing picture book
from a winning author/illustrator collaboration. Three barn owls are born in a nest in a big
oak tree, but the youngest refuses to leave the safety of the tree to learn to
fly. The big wide world looks simply too scary!
Eventually she is persuaded, and the following year finds her raising
her own young in a big beech tree in the same woods. This lovely book is full
of engaging and enriching text, together with pastel illustrations that are
both atmospheric and sympathetic to the silent flight of the barn owl. The text has rhythm, pattern and eloquent
allusions to the natural world around.
The story is simple but effective and well-balanced, with elements of
tension and a happy resolution. The
illustrations are softly drawn and evocative without being sentimental, and
flood the pages with gentle colour, conjuring the twilight world of the owl
family. This is a beautiful book, ideal for reading aloud or as a bedtime story
for very young children.
Liz Dubber
Small Bunny’s Blue Blanket
Written by Tatyana Feeney
ISBN: 978-0192757920
It’s an oft told tale of when the
comfort blanket or toy needs washing much to the distress of its small
owner. In this case, the blanket is blue
and the owner is a small bunny. Feeney’s
illustrations are simple, but effective, line drawings with splashes of blue
for the blanket. The first half of the
text is repetitive and rhythmic. After
the dreaded washing Bunny takes his new, clean blanket through all the
activities that got it dirty in the first place and soon it is back to being
just the way he likes it. The language
is simple enough that it could be returned to in later years when the child is
ready to read it for themselves, but the book’s initial attraction will be as a
cosy shared read about a common childhood situation.
Annalise Taylor
The Hueys in the New
Jumper
Written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Harper Collins (eB)
£10.99
ISBN: 978-0007420650
A large format book and large
text introduces the Hueys. These are
bean-like creatures which tend to look identical and behave in identical
ways. Then Rupert knits himself “a nice
new jumper” and brings shock and confusion to the Huey community. But the Hueys
obviously need conformity because soon they all have jumpers. Identical ones! I hope the readers start
arguing about this one. Is it about conformity, trendsetting or limited
knitting skills? And how did the Hueys
get to the endpapers where they all wear wildly different hats? The discussion starts here!
Pat Thomson
Not on a School Night!
Written and illustrated by Rebecca
Patterson
Macmillan £5.99
ISBN: 978-0230747685
Two young
brothers share a bunk bed and a sense of mischief. They really don’t want
to go to sleep. Every night from Monday to Thursday they think up noisy
games to play after bed-time, until Mummy and Daddy have to intervene.
But Friday is different – as it’s not a school night. They enjoy tea in
their den, staying up late, and watching TV until they fall asleep briefly,
until Saturday morning - yet another lively time! The cheerful cartoon style
pictures make this a bright and lively read. The boys are shown with a
host of toys, leaping about their room, playing and jumping and having a great
time. The images are full of life and almost seem to bounce off the page.
The language is simple and repetitive and should engage the youngest
child. The pictures also offer plenty to talk about beyond the limited
language of the text.
Liz Dubber
Copycat Bear!
Written by illustrated by Ellie Sandall
Hodder £11.99
ISBN: 978-1444901573
Mango, the bird, had an enormous
friend. He was a blue bear who loved to copy everything Mango did. When Mango hopped daintily along the ground,
Blue wobbled right after him. When Mango
flew into a tree, Blue climbed up too, shaking all the new twigs out of Mango’s
nest. Flying off by herself seemed a
good idea at first but then Mango had second thoughts. Large stylish illustrations and a satisfying
tale of accommodation within friendship make this book the perfect choice to
share with a young audience.
Marianne Adey
The Littlest Bear
Written by Gillian Shields
Illustrated by Polona Lovsin
Macmillan £5.99
ISBN: 978-0230754454
This is a
charming if sentimental story about a small polar bear and his mother living in
the snows of the north. The illustrations are fairly one-dimensional, but
nevertheless the story reads well. The littlest bear is told by his
mother not to go too far in case of meeting the wild white wolf. Of
course, little bear forgets the warning and wanders off, only to encounter a
small white wolf, child of the wild white wolf, who in turn has been warned
against the dangers of the wild white bear. Fortunately the two realise
they need not be afraid of each other, and become playmates, much to the
surprise of their mothers. It is a simple story which defies the rules of
nature and hardly offers a realistic view of life in the frozen north. But it
does provide a comforting story suitable for bed-time for the youngest children
and has the capacity to provoke discussion about animals, the northern
landscape and even the northern lights which feature on a couple of mystical
dream sequence pages.
Liz Dubber
Hairy Hettie
Written by Polly Lawson
Illustrated by Jo Allan
Kelpies £5.99
ISBN: 978-0863158711
Hettie is so incredibly hairy
that birds, butterflies and even a squirrel and a mountain hare recognise her
warm thick fur coat as a rare and special place to snooze and even make a home
throughout the winter. By spring, poor Hettie is decidedly itchy and feeling
more than a little tired of being used as a hairy hotel. Granny, Kirsty and Callum come to the rescue,
but how do the guests fare? This is a
delightful picture book which the children loved because they were sympathetic
to Hettie but also worried about the other creatures surviving the winter. It led to some interesting discussions!
Gill Roberts
Let’s find Mimi - At
home
Written and illustrated by Katherine Lodge
Hodder £10.99
ISBN: 978-0340999721
This is a delightful picture book
designed to encourage play and talk. The
story is confined to a simple rhyming description of Mimi’s day at home whilst
waking, getting dressed, having breakfast, and doing various activities with
members of her family, until bed time arrives. Whilst there is interest in
these episodes, the book is designed principally as a puzzle, with each page
showing a host of tiny mice each engaged in the same activity. The challenge is
to find Mimi in each illustration. Many children will enjoy scouring each page
looking for Mimi. The pictures are full of detail, so there are enormous
opportunities for imaginative play and conversation about the various members
of Mimi’s family shown on each page.
Liz Dubber
Fetch
Written and illustrated by
Jane Cabrera
Orchard, £10.99,
ISBN: 978-1408313879
The hero of this tale is
Fetch, a little black dog who is rescued from being a stray by Rosa , and in return proves the most useful of companions
- fetching and carrying things for anyone who needs help. With its bold and
colourful illustrations depicting toy-like characters, Fetch is an ideal read
for younger children who like dogs and enjoy indulging in some of the charming
clichés surrounding our four-legged friends. The simple, repeated action of the
dog’s fetching is in step with this age group’s desire for repetition and the
reward at the end comes when Fetch reveals a litter of puppies to Rosa who
cries “This is the BEST thing you’ve ever fetched!”
Rowan Stanfield
Red Riding Hood and
the Sweet Little Wolf
Written by Rachael Mortimer
Illustrated by Liz Pichon
Hodder £10.99
ISBN: 978-1444900668
Everybody knows that wolves like
to eat juicy little girls, but not this wolf! She just loves all things pretty,
especially anything pink and fluffy, and she loves stories, much to the despair
of her parents who are traditional ‘big bad wolves’. This is a re-telling of
the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, but it is a brilliant story
that children will enjoy, without any knowledge of the original. The cover
illustration tells the reader that this is no ordinary wolf and the
illustrations inside are brilliant, bright, cheerful and attractive. This is a
wonderful book to read and children will love it.
Pat Thompson
Harry and the Jaggedy
Daggers
Written and illustrated by Jan Fearnley
Egmont £6.99
ISBN: 978-1405261692
After Harry, the Harbour Mouse,
loses his boat to the Jaggedy Daggers in a storm, he improvises a blue and
white teacup to ferry around his cargo and passengers much to the amusement of
the river rats. However, when another storm strikes, it is only Harry's
ingenious little boat that can save the day and prevent the Jaggedy Daggers
from claiming more victims. This is a charming story brought to vibrant life by
amusing and detailed illustrations that reward curiosity and careful study, as
well as providing lots of opportunity for interaction and sharing. The book
includes an ingenious foldout map of Bottlenose
Bay
Benjamin Scott
The Pirates Next Door
Written and illustrated by Jonny Duddle
Templar £6.99
ISBN 978-1848773929
Jonny Duddle won both the
Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize and Best Picture Book for this fresh, funny,
inventive and wry rhyming tale. Matilda lives in Dull-On-Sea, where nothing
ever happens, few children live, and life is dull. Then, a new family moves in
next door; the Jolley-Rogers with their son, Jim, who is barefoot, and has an
eye patch, a wooden legged dog and a pirate ship with treasure chests and
barrels full of grog. Matilda loves the life, colour and kindness the pirate
family bring. But the townsfolk are appalled, phone lines are hot, gossip grows
and a petition demands their departure. This book is tremendous fun;
fast-moving, engaging, thought- provoking, and much concerned with how we live
and how we judge others. Lively, detailed illustrations amuse and, unusually,
reveal as much as the words. A very
lovable book for reading aloud. Superb!
Tina Massey
Blue
Written by Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Michael Foreman
ISBN: 978-1406335224
Young Raffi lives with a big
brother who can do everything! Poor Raffi wishes that there was just one thing
that he was good at, but he can’t think of anything at all. One night, when he
can’t sleep, he hears a strange voice that belongs to Blue, a blue cat, who
takes him on a wonderful journey through the night sky. During this journey
Raffi finds his own particular skill. This is a lovely,
gentle story about Raffi and Blue. The language is varied and very poetic. The
illustrations are a delight. Children will immediately relate to Blue and Raffi
and become involved in their adventure.
Pat Thompson
Slobcat
Written and illustrated by Paul Geraghty
Andersen (R)
£5.99
ISBN: 978-1849393881
I'm sure that most people who've
ever owned a cat have had that feeling that their pet's constant sleeping is a
sneaky cover for a secret double life. It seems to his family that all
the affectionately named Slobcat ever does is sleep. While the words
convey the ponderings of a little girl on the inactivity of her cat, the
pictures tell a contrasting story, showing what he really gets up to when
no-one's looking. These covert activities include stealing fish from the
fishmonger's, saving kittens from drowning, hanging out with mice and other
small creatures and chasing off invaders from the garden. Paul Geraghty's
characterful depictions of Slobcat's adventures bring to life this charming
tale that will appeal to cat lovers everywhere.
Rowan Stanfield
Little Lion
Written by Lesley Beake
Illustrated by Erika Pal
Frances Lincoln
£11.99
ISBN: 978-1847801890
Dad comes home from work one day
with a pet for the family. “Brought you
a dog” he says, but the children know this is not a dog. It’s a lion, even if
Dad can’t see it. They settle the lion-dog into the family and try to hide its
lion-like behaviour. However, hiding it from the curiosity of the school bully
proves hard, especially as Big Jonno is determined to make life difficult for
them. Until one day, the lion-dog escapes and a bully gets his just deserts. Based
on stories of the Bushmen from the Northern Cape
in South Africa ,
the book has a slightly surreal quality to it but the story is fun and enhanced
by Pal’s gloriously rich illustrations. The fact that the children see a lion
where the adult sees a dog creates humour that will appeal to child readers.
The story has a positive anti-bullying message and the ending has a neat twist
that offers the reader further opportunities for the adult and child to talk.
Annie Everall
The Queen’s
Knickers
Written and
illustrated by Nicholas Allan
Red Fox
(R) £5.99
ISBN:
978-0099413141
Re-released
to coincide with the Queen’s Royal Jubilee year, this humourous classic is
still as witty and appealing as when it was first published eleven years ago.
Playing on children’s’ inevitable puerile humour, it details all the different
underwear that the Queen sports for various occasions - black pants for state
funerals, union jack ones for foreign visits, and a special pair with a
parachute in for travelling. All of which are guaranteed to raise a chuckle
from both parent and child, as well as making HRH seem a whole lot more
accessible that she does on the average television broadcast. Allan’s simple
watercolours are packed with character and his rosy-cheeked people bring the light-hearted
prose to life.
Rowan
Stanfield
Melric the Magician
Who Lost His Magic
Written and illustrated by David McKee
Andersen £10.99
ISBN: 978-1849394390
This is exactly what we have come
to expect from David McKee, a good story well-told and illustrated in his own
well-loved and instantly recognisable style. Melric, the king’s magician, uses
his magic to do everything for everyone and nobody else in the kingdom ever has
to do a thing. When one morning Melric
wakes up to find that his magic has gone and none of his spells will work, the
people have to try to get by without magic, but they struggle with even the
simplest tasks and there is mayhem everywhere. So, the magician sets off on a
journey to seek help. This is a lovely book to share with young children as
there is so much to look at in the detailed pictures on every page and all of
us, including Melric, have to know that magic should only to be used on very
special occasions.
Jan Lennon
Goldilocks
Written by Allan Ahlberg
Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg
ISBN: 978-1406330052
This novelty book starts off with
an amusing retelling of the well known story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears and then Mr Ahlberg’s
wonderful imagination completely takes over and he reinvents the story several
times. In the next story Goldilocks encounters 33 bears, not just the usual
three, and after that she meets three Blim who live in a spaceship in the
woods. The stories themselves are entertaining and delightfully wacky and the
book is greatly enhanced by Jessica Ahlberg’s colourful illustrations and also
by all the flaps and tags just waiting for small fingers to investigate. There
is even a small removable book, which contains yet another version of the
story, waiting to be discovered part way through. This is not just a book, it
is a whole interactive experience that children will love and it may very well
even encourage them to imagine yet more adventures for Goldilocks, or even
Little Red Riding Hood, for themselves.
Jan Lennon
The Fishing Trip
Written and illustrated by Béatrice Rodriguez
Gecko £8.99
ISBN: 978-1877579240
This wordless picture book has
plenty of scope for the reader to provide the story. Hen, nursing an egg, is
informed by her partner, Fox, that there is no food in the house. Consigning the egg to his care, she goes
bravely forth to fish for supper and successfully battles against the sea, a
bird of prey and a sea monster, but returns with supper. On her return, she sees the broken egg and a
frying pan! But all is well, Fox is
cuddling their offspring which has safely hatched and a celebratory supper can
be enjoyed. I would also recommend this
for older pupils studying writing. In
the face of a ménage à trois with a
crab, a partner who sends his nursing partner out to get the food and the
arrival of a newborn , even the most dismissive teenager would find it hard to
resist giving you their opinion.
Pat Thomson
Re-Zoom
Written by Istvan Banyai
Puffin £9.99
ISBN: 978-0140556940
Like Zoom before it, this is a picture book for older readers. Each page
contains a colourful and detailed drawn image and each relates closely to the
previous image by being located in the same scene, but dramatically zoomed
out. So we see that what starts as an
archaeologist studying hieroglyphics, ends as a picture in a book on a train
journey. It all seems slightly
impossible but that’s not really the point.
The value is in treating each pair of pictures together and challenging
our assumptions as we move through the book. There is no text in this book, but
it is a great way to play with visual imagery and help our children to develop
a critical eye. The images are different
enough to surprise us as we move through the pages, and provide plenty of
material for discussion. Leave this out
for children to pick up and see what happens and what conversations follow!
Liz Dubber
Excuses,
Excuses
Written by
Anushka Ravishankar
Illustrated
by Gabrielle Manglou
ISBN:
978-9380340128
A very
contemporary book with a surreal and strange feel about it, Excuses, Excuses is a storytelling poem
that follows a young boy, Neel, through a series of naughty escapades for which
he has more and more outlandish excuses. Neel is depicted photographically
throughout, posing in black and white amongst odd and abstract illustrations
and collage. You almost need to digest the imagery on its own before tackling
the words; the two together are quite intense. For all its quirkiness, the book
is a great introduction to different poetical forms, utilising as it does
several different rhyming conventions and meters across the different days of
the story. The average child reader will no doubt identify with Neel, and be
able to have a giggle at some of his excuses, while for the parent it provides
a useful tool for approaching bad behaviour in a non-aggressive way.
Rowan Stanfield
Taka-chan and I: A
Dog’s Journey to Japan
Written by Betty Jean Lifton
Photographs by Eikoh Hosoe
Frances Lincoln Ltd
£9.99
ISBN: 978-1590175026
Betty Jean Lifton tells us this
story just as it was told to her by Runcible, a rather amazing Weimaraner
dog. Runcible was digging in the sand
near his home one day when he found himself in a tunnel. He carried on through
the darkness until he emerged into the daylight once more and discovered he was
in Japan .
There he met Taka-chan, a little girl who was being held captive by the Black
Dragon of the Sea, and in order to secure her freedom Runcible accepted the
challenge to find the most loyal person in Japan and lay a white flower at his
or her feet. Runcible and Taka-chan set off for Tokyo to begin their search. This story of
friendship and loyalty is beautifully presented. The language is clear and
simple and Eikoh Hosoe’s stunning, large black and white photos illustrate the
two friends’ journey to Tokyo ,
their adventures in the city and their growing affection for each other. Some
readers may find the story hard to believe but Runcible has an answer for that.
He says “who is to say what a dream is and what is real?”
Jan Lennon
Every Little
Thing
Adapted by Cedella Marley
Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Chronicle Books (eB)
£10.99
ISBN: 978-1452106977
This is an original
interpretation of Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds from the classic
album Exodus. Marley’s daughter has taken the refrain Every little thing is gonna be alright and expanded this into
a lively, uplifting picture book. The energetic and brightly coloured
illustrations provide a fitting accompaniment to the positive message of the
song.
Dave Chant
Harold and the
Purple Crayon
Written by Crockett Johnson
Harper Collins (R) (eB)
£6.99
ISBN: 978-0007464371
First published over fifty years
ago this children’s classic is reprinted here in a larger format and will
delight readers of all ages. The illustrations are bright and full of vitality
and the story unforgettable. Harold sets out on a night-time adventure with
only a purple crayon for company. Whatever he draws comes to life. This is a
‘must have’ and will evoke lovely memories in fans and stir imaginations
everywhere.
David Blanch
Two Shy Pandas
Written by Julia Jarman
Illustrated by Susan Varley
Andersen £10.99
ISBN: 978-1849394093
They say pandas are shy and these
two, although next door neighbours and longing to play together, are just too
shy to make the first move. Then, it snows and both of them take courage. The
gentle winter pictures give us scenes of anyone’s garden play and the story
tells of anyone’s desire for a friend. The bamboo grove is a bonus.
Pat Thomson
Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Pavilion (R) £10.99
ISBN: 978-1843651031
Irresistible tunes and witty
words will delight everyone. Abundantly illustrated by an easily recognised
artist in a magnificently colourful setting, this book is set to be a true
family favourite.
Jenny Blanch
Friends
Written and illustrated by
Michael Foreman
Andersen £10.99
ISBN: 978-1849394116
Cat can wander wild and free, but
his friend, Bubble, is confined to a goldfish bowl. Cat transfers him to a
small bucket to show him the wonderful world and then gets the idea to set
Bubble free so he too can be wild and free. But Bubble is not ready to swim
away because he values his friendship with Cat more than his freedom. A very
gentle story of true friendship told with few words and soft, glowing
illustrations! A book to treasure from a great author and a wonderful
illustrator.
Sinead and Martin Kromer
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