Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
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{{newreview
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|author=Lucy Murphy, Freddie Hutchins, Neil Dunnicliffe and Stella Gurney
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|title=The Big, Big Bing Book!
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|rating=4
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|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=We've all seen books described as big.  It usually means that the book is a bit bigger than usual, or thicker, or it's a bind up of some previously-published books.  That's not the case with ''The Big, Big Bing Book!''  It could well be bigger than your toddler at nearly two feet high and over fifteen inches wide and weighing in at well over a kilo.  You need ''space'' to open it.  This is not the book you take along on a trip just chance a little distraction is needed from the Bingster.  It might be a book which is pored over - it's almost certainly going to be a book which is ''crawled'' over as that's likely to be the only way that your toddler is going to be able to give the content the attention which they will feel that it so richly deserves.
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|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008139598</amazonuk>
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}}
 
{{newreview
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jane Chapman
 
|author=Jane Chapman
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|summary=Archie the rhino has a new favourite word - more!  Whatever it is that Archie likes, he likes it a lot!  He just wants more of everything; more stories, more bubbles in the bath, more glitter...but what happens when one day, Archie's idea of 'more' becomes a little too much to handle?
 
|summary=Archie the rhino has a new favourite word - more!  Whatever it is that Archie likes, he likes it a lot!  He just wants more of everything; more stories, more bubbles in the bath, more glitter...but what happens when one day, Archie's idea of 'more' becomes a little too much to handle?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848691343</amazonuk>
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848691343</amazonuk>
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= John Ryan
 
|title= Captain Pugwash
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Captain Pugwash was first published in 1957. It was a comic strip, a TV animation and the story series developed into a further twenty four titles. Pugwash is conceited, stupid, podgy, unshaven and  lovable. His crew are ''the laziest afloat'', his enemy, Cut-Throat Jake, is satisfyingly villainous and cabin-boy Tom can always be relied on to save the day. Many families will remember these as childhood favourites whether in print or on the screen.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847807283</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}

Revision as of 11:33, 12 October 2015


The Big, Big Bing Book! by Lucy Murphy, Freddie Hutchins, Neil Dunnicliffe and Stella Gurney

4star.jpg For Sharing

We've all seen books described as big. It usually means that the book is a bit bigger than usual, or thicker, or it's a bind up of some previously-published books. That's not the case with The Big, Big Bing Book! It could well be bigger than your toddler at nearly two feet high and over fifteen inches wide and weighing in at well over a kilo. You need space to open it. This is not the book you take along on a trip just chance a little distraction is needed from the Bingster. It might be a book which is pored over - it's almost certainly going to be a book which is crawled over as that's likely to be the only way that your toddler is going to be able to give the content the attention which they will feel that it so richly deserves. Full review...

Is it Christmas Yet? by Jane Chapman

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Ted is excited. Well, let's be honest - he's out of control, dashing around the house and yelling Faster, Rudolph, Faster. Poor Rudolph is in Ted's truck for the moment, but he's looking as worried as all the other toys. Christmas is coming, but the trouble is that it's not coming fast enough. And then the questions start. Poor Big Bear is bombarded with Is it Christmas yet? every few minutes. Big Bear's more patient than I could be and keeps saying soon in a soothing voice which eventually turns to a growl. Explaining what needs to be done before Christmas arrives doesn't help, as Ted offers to help. And we all know how much help that sort of help is... Full review...

Little Owl's Colors by Divya Srinivasan

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When you pick up a children's book, sometimes things feels a little off. Books for kids can be almost too sickly sweet; the characters have massive eyes and enjoy themselves too much. Who has that much fun in one day? What is wrong with Divya Srinivasan's Little Owl's Colors? Perhaps it is the lack of attention to detail when printing a book for the UK market? Colour me perplexed. Full review...

The Wolf Who Fell Out of a Book by Thierry Robberecht and Gregoire Mabire

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What would happen if a character from a story fell out of the book and into the real world? I'm sure this is an issue that many a Jane Austen fan has pondered whilst reading Pride and Prejudice, giving their copy an extra little jiggle to try and set Mr Darcy free! Here, however, it is the scary wolf who falls out, but he discovers that the world he falls into is a lot more scary than the one he's left behind in the book! Full review...

Cat and Dog by Helen Oswald and Zoe Waring

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Cat always sleeps in the day, and Dog always sleeps at night, but in the evening, when they're both awake, they always meet for a scrap! One day, however, they have a really big argument, bigger than they've ever had before. Will they ever be able to be frenemies again?! Full review...

The Snow Beast by Chris Judge

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The Beast always loves it when he wakes up and finds that there's snow on the ground. Every year - on the first day when there's snow - the Beast helps the mountain villagers to put on a festival to celebrate. Unfortunately, there's a problem. When the Beast goes to collect his tools they're all gone. He races down the mountain to the village, but every tool has been stolen from there too. Some of the villagers are very angry and they decide that it must be the work of the abominable Snow Beast and the Beast promises to find the monster and get everyone's tools back. Full review...

Pom Pom the Champion by Sophy Henn

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Pom Pom is on a winning streak. He first discovered it when mum suggested that they should play a game - and he won! He liked winning. After that he won at all sorts of things, including not being the tallest or the shortest, finishing elevenses first, getting ready to go out, and packing his bag at the supermarket. Fortunately there was no prize for packing everything safely because he certainly wouldn't have won that one. He didn't go down too well with the librarian when he announced that he was the winner of the 'first to finish reading your book' competition. Full review...

Elmer and the Flood by David McKee

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It's been raining heavily and the elephants are sheltering in a cave. It's a very large cave but Elmer had heard enough bad jokes and complaints about the weather to last him a very long time. So - rain or no rain - he's going for a walk. Other caves were full of animals too - and they all wanted Elmer to come inside and shelter, but Elmor just kept on walking. Predictably the ducks were loving it, but they were the only ones. Then Elmer came across two more elephants who were looking very serious. Young Elephant hadn't been seen since the rain began and they were worried about him. Full review...

Give and Take by Lucie Felix

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Some of the best children's books are the simplest. Do away with pages too full of imagery; begone novelty characters and repeat references to underpants. Some books don't need this; they are so clean, crisp and simple that they border on being art. A book that can be fun for a child, educate them and look amazing is a rare thing, but does happen once in a while. Full review...

Dog on a Train: The Special Delivery by Kate Predergast

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It's one of those mornings for Boy: late out of bed he grabs at his hat and hurtles out of the house to catch his train - only he drops his hat as he goes through the door and Dog chases after him with the hat in his mouth. They head to the tube station (Dog doesn't forget to wait at the zebra crossing) with boy just twenty or so yards in front, but Dog is losing ground as he has to find someone to carry him on the escalator. He misses Boy's train and has to wait for the next one, but remembers his manners well enough to stand up so that an old lady can have his seat. Will he catch up with boy when he reaches London Kings Cross? Full review...

The Burp that Saved the World by Mark Griffiths and Maxine Lee-Mackie

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Have you heard of the world-famous burping twins? They could stun a rhino, fell a tree and even shatter glass with their burps! They took their fearsome burps with them everywhere they went, burping in libraries and scaring waiters with their outbursts. As you can imagine, they were not very popular in their town and found that, eventually, the townsfolk asked them to leave. Poor Ben and Matt! But then, the world is faced with something much worse than a couple of burping boys! However will everyone escape from the invasion of the toy-stealing aliens?! Full review...

Walter's Wonderful Web by Tim Hopgood

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A staple of any early sharing library is a book about shapes. Love them or hate them, you are going to be reading a lot of books that talk about circles, triangles and squares. Making shapes appealing to a young toddler or baby is one thing, but what about the poor adult? Are there not any books out there that have a bit of a story as well as talk about shapes? Usually I would not condone spiders, but in the case of a spider called Walter, I may just be able to stomach them as he combines shapes with a fun story. Full review...

A Dublin Fairytale by Nicola Colton

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I like a good fairytale, especially when a writer approaches it in a different way. This one is all about a little girl called Fiona who lives in Dublin with her mum. She has a nice red hooded raincoat, if you’re looking for a clue as to which fairytale this might be! Rather than wandering through a deep dark wood to get to Grandma’s house, she walks the streets of Dublin, past various landmarks, to get to the magical witches’ market and buy all the things she needs to take to Grandma’s house. On her way she does, as you might imagine, meet some interesting challenges! Full review...

The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin

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Roger the Rabbit wanted to fall asleep, but somehow he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. It wasn't that he didn't do much during the day, because he did but sometimes he was so tired that he could fall asleep on the swings. One night Mummy Rabbit took Roger to see Uncle Yawn, who had a notice outside his house saying I can make anyone fall asleep and once Roger went home (it was actually quite difficult for him to get there as his eyes kept closing) he went straight to bed and fell asleep. Full review...

Mad in the Back by Michael Rosen and Richard Watson

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Mum is setting off on a long car journey with two kids in the back - did I hear you groan? Mum groaned too because she knew what was going to happen. She told the kids before she set off that they had to behave because she couldn't drive properly if the kids were going mad in the back. The kids told her not to worry - and off they went. Then the kids started The Moaning. Every parent will know exactly what this means: requests for drink, food, windows open... Then the squabbling starts: accusations that HE has got my book, ears are bitten by HER. Mum tries diversionary tactics: look out of the window - there's a lamp-post. (Yes MUm - we know desperation when we hear it.) And it gets worse. And worse. Then Mum snaps. Full review...

Hare by Zoe Greaves and Leslie Sadlier

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Some animals feature large in mythology and the hare is one of these. The hare we're going to meet is O'Hare - well, we hope we're going to meet him: hares are well known for being elusive and this one is no exception! We'll be following him through the churchyard on a moonlit night - see him leaping in front of the moon - and through a summer meadow, where we only catch sight of his hind legs and his ears. Look on the riverbank - is that him in the water? Then he's in amongst the cabbages - the farmer is not going to be pleased about that. Is he in the foxglove patch? We can see the fox, but it looks as though O'Hare has gone. The best sighting we have of him is on the corn field, where he's leaping through the stubble. Full review...

Counting Lions by Katie Cotton and Stephen Walton

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There are counting books, good counting books and ones where the pictures blow you away, whether you are an adult or a child. Counting Lions falls into the last category. Just have a look at that lion on the cover: that's not a black and white photograph - that's a drawing and you're going to see another nine of the same glorious quality. In her foreword to the book, Virginia McKenna says that with pictures like these words almost seem unnecessary as we can see all that we need of the unique form and beauty of each creature. But there are words too. Full review...

Ten Spooky Skeletons by Garry Parsons, Patricia Hegarty and Annette Rusling

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With All Hallows' Eve approaching isn't it about time that you thought about some scary books for kids? Nothing quite says 'I Love You', more than making your toddler burst into a flood of tears. Perhaps you should get them a fun book about something a little worrisome – a set of smiley skeletons for instance, rather than completely terrifying them? Full review...

A Book of Feelings by Amanda McCardie and Salvatore Rubbino

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Happy, shy, sad, jealous, angry, loved, grumpy…not the names of little dwarves, but just some of the powerful feelings and emotions that affect everyone from time to time. Sam and Kate live with their mum and dad and a dog with a name that I just adore: Fuzzy Bean. They have a typical family life with all the ups and downs and warmth and fun and the occasional chaos that comes with the territory. Full review...

Have You Seen Elephant? by David Barrow

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Elephant wants to play hide and seek and Boy agrees that he Elephant should hide first. Elephant is completely fair and warns Boy that he's VERY good. Boy's fair too - he says that he'll try his best - and off Elephant goes to hide. Dog is looking slightly bored - actually he's having a good scratch - as Boy counts to ten and shouts Coming! Ready or Not! in the tradition of all hide and seek games and Boy and Dog go in search of Elephant. Now Elephant wasn't joking when he said that he was good, because he doesn't so much hide as disguise himself within the rooms. Boy doesn't spot him, but watch Dog! He spots Elephant every time, whether he's an armchair, a duvet, television stand, standard lamp or a shed. Full review...

BOO! by Jonathan Litton and Fhiona Galloway

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Creating a fun book for a young toddler or older baby appears easy, but is actually tricky to pull off well. Just shoving a few animals or shapes into a cardboard BOO!k is not going to capture the imagination; there needs to be colour, fun and a certain je ne sais quoi to stand out from the many other baby booksks on the market. Setting a book around Halloween and all things spooky may not seem to fill these criteria, but a little fear can sometimes make a small child surprisingly happy. Full review...

Winnie's Haunted House by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul

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Strange things are happening in Winnie the Witch's house – a broken vase, torn curtains, and a chandelier that suddenly crashes to the ground. There is no obvious explanation so Winnie decides her house must be haunted and reaches her spell book to solve the problem. As usual the spell only makes matters worse, at first anyway. Full review...

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

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Bunny was cosily tucked up in bed. It's a big room, painted green (very green) and with lots of things scattered around. Before Bunny goes to sleep he's going to look at them all and then say goodnight to each of them. There are the pictures on the walls (from nursery rhymes and fairy tales), a couple of kittens, a pair of mittens, a doll's house and a young mouse, a comb and a brush and a bowl of mush as well as a quiet old lady who was whispering hush. You get the idea? We're moving through the objects one by one in gentle rhyme before we start to say goodnight to them all. Full review...

Charlie Chick Goes to School by Nick Denchfield and Ant Parker

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Charlie Chick is always late and today is his first day at school. He's having trouble getting out of bed and then getting to breakfast (trailing his toy crocodile, who - if anything - looks more awake than Charlie). The snap, crackle and pop of his favourite cereal frightens him into life - and then he has to grab his bag and scarf and rush off to school, because the bell's gone and everyone else is already there... Full review...

The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Merino

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Tina is a really curious cow who just wants to know everything there is to know about, well, everything. Her sisters think that's just silly, and when Tina tells them that she climbed a tree and found a dragon they decide the situation has gotten out of hand. But what will they find when they looking for her in the woods? You'll just have to read the book to find out. Full review...

The Bath Monster by Colin Boyd and Tony Ross

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A great book for parents and kids alike, with an excellent premise and brilliantly carried out, I can see this being a popular choice for bedtime reading. Even if your children might not be too fond of the bath for a while afterwards... Full review...

The Tiger Prowls: a pop-up book of wild animals by Seb Braun

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It's a hardback book with a striking cover and when you open it, don't expect endpapers or gentle introductions: as you lift the cover, the tiger of the title appears:

The tiger prowls, stalking through the jungle.
Paw after heavy paw crunches on the forest floor. Full review...

Grrrrr! by Rob Biddulph

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Fred has won the contest for best bear in the wood for three years in a row. He's the best at everything from catching fish, doing the hula-hoop and scaring humans, to the all-important growling competition. But everything changes when another bear arrives and decides to enter the contest. Fred's no longer the best bear in town and, to make matters worse, he's lost his 'Grrrrr'. Fred's going to need help to find his 'Grrrr' in time for the start of the competition. But will the other animals want to help him look given he's been too busy training to make friends? Full review...

No More Cuddles! by Jane Chapman

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Ah, what a problem it can be, to be just so snuggly that people can't stop cuddling you! This is poor Barry's problem. A solitary monster by nature, he does like cuddles of course, but too much of anything can become trying, and so when he is leaped on by all the other little forest animals every single morning, he wonders if perhaps there is some way to transfer their cuddles to someone else? Full review...

Lion Practice by Emma Carlisle

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Laura loves practising at being different kinds of animals. As well as being a kangaroo and an elephant, she's an expert at being a crocodile (much to the other children's dismay in the swimming pool!) But one day she decides that it's time for lion practice, and this is the day when her parents think her imagination has gone just a little too far… Full review...

Molly Maybe's Monsters: The Dappity Doofer by Kristina Stephenson

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Molly Maybe lives in Smallsbury, a snoringly, boringly, ordinary place - well, it is until you discover the town's best kept secret. But before we talk about that, let me tell you about Molly's treehouse, where she and her dog, Waggy Burns, can look out over her neighbours' gardens. Mr Bottomly Brown is doing some digging (it's going to be a pond) and he's discovered something rather peculiar: it looks like a small statue. Three days later the statue is in place in the middle of the pond but that's not what's making Mr Brown angry - there are piles of soil all over his perfect lawn. He's convinced that it's moles, but Molly has spotted a claw and she knows better. Full review...

Bear and Hare: Where's Bear? by Emily Gravett

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Bear and Hare are playing hide and seek. Hare covers his eyes, turns to face the wall, counts slowly to ten and then goes looking for Bear. Unfortunately he's tried to hide behind and under the standard lamp and he's not exactly invisible. Well, let's be honest - he looks as though he's wearing a very strange hat. Still, we can always have another go, can't we? This time, after the ritual counting, Bear is behind a (very small) pile of books. OK, one more time? This time it's the fish tank. I'd like to be able to say that he was behind the tank, but he's visible over, under and through the tank. Even the fish look rather surprised. Full review...

More! by Tracey Corderoy and Tim Warnes

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Archie the rhino has a new favourite word - more! Whatever it is that Archie likes, he likes it a lot! He just wants more of everything; more stories, more bubbles in the bath, more glitter...but what happens when one day, Archie's idea of 'more' becomes a little too much to handle? Full review...