Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
==For sharing==
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{{Frontpage
__NOTOC__
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|author=Adam Stower
{{newreview
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|title=Murray and Bun
|author=Richard Scarry
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|rating=4.5
|title=Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever
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|genre=Confident Readers
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|summary=Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two.  But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs.  This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do…
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|isbn=0008561249
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1732898766
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
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|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This new edition of Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever includes eleven
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|summary=When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine ReputeTheir greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing them. He's right behind them, spewing hot, sour milk from his nostrils. (Please don't try this at home: it won't end well.) Fortunately, they were nearly at Nobby Lob-lolly - and when a ladder of moss and vines was lowered for them, they escaped.  They climbed up to the Tree Wee homes high up in the tangled woods where they lived with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny.
stories about the inhabitants of BusytownThese "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).
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007413556</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|author=Neil Griffiths
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|title=Mrs Rainbow
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|rating=4
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|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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!
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|summary=Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline.  On top of the ice was a polar bear.  As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another.  He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905434936</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1913839656
|author=Britta Teckentrup
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|title=The Wheels on the Bus
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|author=Lainey Dee
|rating=4
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I doubt that there are many parents who've not sung ''The Wheels on the Bus'' to their child at some pointI'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 wordsMost 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.
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|summary=Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice.  He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmotherShe had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends.  At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could beGrandma thought that it might be because he looked different.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408314401</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504775
|author=David McKee
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=Elmer and the Hippos
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 goElmer the patchwork elephant isn't like that thoughHe 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 riverElmer went off to investigate the problem.  Sure enough the hippos' river was completely dry.
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|summary=Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive pastElsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficultOne day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home.  Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind itMany decades later, Elsie brought the bus, now damaged and rusted, to the Repair Shop, hoping that the experts there could make it so that her grandchildren could play with it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184270981X</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504767
|author=David McKee
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=The Hill And The Rock
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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|summary=Susan was very young when she was evacuated from London in 1939 and nervous about how she would be greeted when she got to her final destination. She needn't have worried though as she went to the home of Mr and Mrs Russell, who couldn't have been kinder to her. She even had her own room - all to herself. Gradually she relaxed and began to enjoy her life. She'd help Mrs Russell with the baking and when it came to Christmas Eve Susan and Mr Russell put the decorations on the Christmas tree.  The best surprise happened the following morning.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849393052</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1916459943
|author=Kazuni Yumoto and Komako Sakai
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|title=Squeakily Baby
|title=The Bear and the Wildcat
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|author=Beth Webb
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1877467707</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Foreman
 
|title=One World
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849393044</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Roberta Angeletti
 
|title=The Golden Goose
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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 injuredThere was but one brother left and the two older brothers thought that he was too weak to cut woodBut 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?
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|summary=Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby.  He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and ''wails''.  The sea offers to help.  It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing ''hush, hush''Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly.  The mermaids join in - ''la lou, la lay...''  And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyesThen a seagull '''shouts''' and we know exactly what's going to happen next.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184643324X</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=140639131X
|author=Alison Murray
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|title=One Two That's My Shoe
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|author=Briony May Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=We've met Grace and Georgie before, in the excellent [[Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray|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.
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|summary=Philippa Pheasant was ''tired'' of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak Road. She wrote to the mayor about the problem but didn't even get a reply.  Philippa wasn't a bird to sit back on her tail feathers when there was a problem which needed solving: she saw the benefits of the lollipop lady at the school crossing and decided that she would set up something similar herself.  Her uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obvious. All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408311968</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574338
|author=Giles Paley-Phillips
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
|title=The Fearsome Beastie
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|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
|rating=3
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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|summary=Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes. Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck.  It's perfect, isn't it?  What could be a more fun way of going to school?  There is a problem, though.  Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up.  The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848860668</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574028
|author=Nadia Shireen
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|title=Good Little Wolf
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|author=David Elliott
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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?
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|summary=I love a good board book!  ''Bumblebee Grumblebee'' is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can ''play'' with words and make something quite different from each one.  We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a ''balletphant''.  The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a ''fluffalo''.   The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a ''crynoceros'' (think about it!)  The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a ''sm.......''  OK, let's not go there  Some people are eating!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780080018</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838226834
|author=Simon Mayor and Hilary James
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|title=Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!
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|author=Ed Boxall
|rating=3
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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|summary=It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849563179</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
|author=Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
 
|title=The Nanny Goat's Kid
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390789</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|author=Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|title=Just One More
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|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=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!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1877467677</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michaela Morgan and Katherine Lodge
 
|title=Kitty Kool's Beauty School
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Kitty Kool has a new beauty school, and she's very excited about her opening dayHowever, 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!
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|summary=When the world was made, the animals were given gifts.  Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector.  Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn.  Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present ''and'' the futureRabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately,  not the ability to use it well.  He liked to trick other animals.  He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle.  You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see.  Things are not always as they seem.  I'll tell you how it came about.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340989920</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Rob Keeley
|author=Sharon Rentta
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|title=A Day with the Animal Doctors
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|rating= 4
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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|summary= Lily loves eating fruit and vegetables. She likes carrots, broccoli, cabbage and aubergines. When her friends at school turn up their noses, Lily is keen to explain how good they are for you and how nice to eat. One day, poor Lily gets tricked by Jordan, who tells her that carrots grow on trees. Infuriated, Lily checks with the teacher, who explains that fruits grow on trees and vegetables, like carrots, grow in the ground. Jordan says, "I did try to tell her, Miss!" and everyone laughs at poor Lily.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407116444</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|author=Avril Lethbridge, Diana Mather and Mary-Ann Mackenzie
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|title=Please Bear's Birthday
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
|rating=3
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=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.
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|summary=''For the big, grownup girls out there, the potty masters in training, "You Can't Wear Panties!" is a cry (the big-girl kind!) of toilet triumph and persevering panty pride.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848860676</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
 
|author=Julie Fulton and Jona Jung
 
|title=Mrs MacCready Was Ever So Greedy
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=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…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184886065X</amazonuk>
 
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{{newreview
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And so it is! This latest book from Justine Avery celebrates a little girl's final goodbye to nappies and pull-ups and graduation to "proper" pants by following her around as she proudly explains to her dog, her cat, her stuffed rabbit and her baby sibling that ''she'' can wear super-duper proper pants, while they cannot. Neither can the flowers, nor the fish, nor the birds. Boy's certainly can't. She's a big girl now and she wants everyone to know it!
|author=Simon Mayor and Hilary James
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}}
|title=I'm A Parrot
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{{Frontpage
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
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|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I think that most small children will love the friendly, chatty parrot who speaks to them in 'I'm a Parrot'. From the very start of the book, the parrot chatters on, talking what can only be described as nonsense – but it is very amusing nonsense even though he claims to enjoy intelligent conversation. He talks about the different places he would or wouldn't live and the things that he might do. There are many puns and some play on words such as living in 'Polly-nesia' and becoming a 'parrot-trooper'. My daughter also found it quite comical the way the parrot keeps repeating particular words, although I can imagine that if we were to read the book a few times, it might become a little annoying to say the least.
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|summary= Toots, trumps, farts. Whatever your word for them, find us a child that doesn't find them irresistibly funny. Funny to talk about and joke about, that is. But horribly embarrassing if you let one go at the wrong time. In class, say, when everyone will hear it and everyone will laugh. At you. Justine Avery's latest entry in her ''Everybody Potties!'' series takes aim at any shame associated with tooting and gently and calmly, with the familiar humour attached, explains that tooting is perfectly normal. Everybody does it: ''Everybody Toots''!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849563187</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|title=You Are Very Special
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Su Box and Susie Poole
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|rating=3.5
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|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''You Are Very Special'' introduces the idea of individuality, of how we're all different and how we're all special. This isn't really a story as such, but rather a book that invites further discussion. Written in occasionally clunky rhyme, it investigates how everyone is different, all different shapes and sizes. It suggests how miraculous our bodies are, breathing and working through the day and also through the night, even when we're asleep!
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|summary= ''Who Needs Nappies? Not Me!'' is the latest release in the ''Everybody Potties!'' series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you. .
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0745963005</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=From the Day You Were Born
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|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|author=Sophie Piper and Kristina Stephenson
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|author=Peter Cotton
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This lovely little story looks at parental love, of that special bond that grows between parents and children, how babies grow and develop as they get older, and how that love is ''for ever and for always.''
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|summary=Meet Fred.  Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quickly.  But I'm getting ahead of myself: I'd better tell you a bit more about Fred.  Fred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him.  He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk.  And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0745962378</amazonuk>
 
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Play With Colours (The Happets)
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|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Laurence Jammes and Marc Clamens
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|rating=4
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The Happets are a friendly looking bunch of animal friends all made of different coloured fabrics.  In this story we're introduced to each character and told about its colour, for example Milo is green like ''gorgeous green apples, gorgeous green clover, gorgeous green balls.''  Each page has a fabric tab, to match the character in question, making it a lovely book for babies to touch and play with.
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|summary= Can potty training ever be joyous? It often isn't, as any parent will tell you. But really, why shouldn't it be? We all have to learn about our bodily functions just as we have to learn about everything else when we are small. Why shouldn't potty training be as much fun as, say, learning about why the sun and the moon take turns in the sky?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444904078</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=We Love Bears
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|title=No, No, No!
|author=Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Two young children wake up one morning to find their teddy bear has come to life and is waiting to take them on an outing to a Teddy Bear Town. The simple text makes for a short and sweet bedtime read, always useful in our house. There are just a couple of lines of rhyming verse on each page, with a nice rhythm for easy reading aloud, and I think it could be enjoyed by quite young toddlers. However, I liked the amusing pictures, with lots of detail to look and discuss with slightly older siblings.
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|summary=They say the best picture books are the simplest ones. And nothing could be truer of this latest from Justine Avery, a Bookbag favourite.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408311682</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
|title=Oomph! (Preston Pig)
 
|author=Colin McNaughton
 
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Preston Pig is a charming and somewhat lucky character who features in quite a few of Colin McNaughton's picture books. In ''Oomph!'', Preston and his family go to the seaside for their holiday where he makes a new little friend called Max. They have great fun together all week but are blissfully unaware that there is someone a bit sinister lurking in the background. With this book, as well as reading the words, make sure that you pay close attention to the illustrations where there is a slightly different story being told.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392617</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|author=David McKee
 
|title=Elmer's Special Day
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=My daughter has grown up loving the Elmer the Elephant stories and even though she is now six, he still remains one of her firm favourites. His brightly coloured patchwork skin, along with his wise words and thoughts, is particularly appealing. In 'Elmer's Special Day', all of the elephants become as bright and colourful as Elmer, as this is their one opportunity to paint and decorate themselves as brightly as him. They do become rather noisy and excitable though which causes some of the other jungle animals to complain. Elmer is both wise and resourceful though and soon realises that the way to keep all of the animals happy is to invite them all to join in. He does this and the outcome is truly colourful with lions, monkeys, giraffes, as well as elephants and many more animals, all uniquely decorated and wearing elephant masks. All except one elephant that is. Because this is the day when all of the other animals can shine, Elmer goes and rolls in elephant coloured berry mud until he is the one that looks like an ordinary elephant. At that moment the parade begins and it is truly enjoyable and spectacular.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1842709852</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside.
|author=Tony Ross
+
|isbn=1638820457
|title=Little Princess: I Want A Party!
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The Little Princes is quite a famous character among young children having starred in many stories as well as her own TV series. In her latest book, 'I Want a Party!', she is set on having a do even though there is nothing to actually celebrate. And of course, if you are familiar with this series of books, you will know that what the little princess wants, she usually gets. Having brushed aside her parents' objections, she sets about writing invitations, preparing party food with the Cook, making party hats with the Prime Minister and planning games with the General.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392684</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=194812467X
|author=Cerys Matthews and Fran Evans
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|title=Tales From The Deep
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
|rating=3
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Cerys Matthews has adapted two Welsh legends - ''Cantre'r Gwaelod'' and ''The Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach'' - for a young and modern audience. The first tale from the deep, ''The Ghost Bells of the Lowlands'', tells of a drunken watchmen whose carelessness leads to the destruction of a village. The second tale, ''Myddfai Magic'', sees a man marry a beautiful lady of a lake, with the promise that she will leave him if he hits her three times.
+
|summary=Kirelle and her best friend Sam the cat decide to go for a walk. Kirelle is dressed for all weathers in her bright yellow wellies and Sam is perfectly turned out as ever in his smart grey fur coat. As they walk to the top of the hill, they see a big barn with a sign outside. It's a farm shop! But this is a farm shop with a difference: all the stallholders and customers are farmyard animals. There are sheep and ducks and cows, goats and chickens, and even some mice. Excited, Kirelle and Sam go shopping.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848513127</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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What will they buy?
|author=Ellie Sandall
 
|title=Daisy Plays Hide-and-Seek
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Jake's friend, Daisy, is a cow.  In fact, she's a very special cow.  If we were a little older than Jake we'd call her a chameleon because she's not black, or black and white, or brown.  Wherever Daisy goes she can take on the colours of what's around her.  So when she stands in front of the stone wall she's a mottled grey colour but when she's in the field of corn she turns golden.  Funniest of all is when she stands in front Mum's washing and is the colour of the sheets which she has hung out on the line.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140525419X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0995647895
|author=Dan Crisp and Mark Chambers
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|title=Pandamonium
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=At the start of 'Pandamonium' by Dan Crisp and Mark Chambers, everything is very quiet at the zoo. In fact, it is so quiet that the zoo keeper is taking the opportunity to put his feet up and to have forty winks. Once the octopus spots this though, he reaches over with one of his long tentacles and borrows the keys that have been left on the table. Before long, he has opened all the cages and freed the animals who decide that it is time to have a party. Soon there is a lot of noise and partying but somehow the zoo keeper manages to sleep through it all. That is until the skunk disgraces himself by making an extremely nasty pong to all of the animals' eyes. It even rouses the zoo keeper who surprisingly does not realise that all of animals have been out partying because the awful smell has made them all return to their cages. As far as he is concerned, it's just another quiet night at the zoo.
+
|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849563020</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|author=Sally Gardner
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|title=Cinderella
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.  
|rating=4.5
+
|genre=For Sharing
+
Her imagination was firedShe'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly.  One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shoutWhen she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure.
|summary=Most little girls must surely know the story of Cinderella by heartMy little girl likes nothing better than putting on her princess dress and parading around the house talking about pumpkins and lost shoes.  This version of the familiar story is written specifically for early readers and manages to capture the magic of this wonderful fairy taleI once got to be Cinderella, in my very last year at school before I left for University (surely just on the verge of being too old!)  It is a wonderful, magical story and I never get tired of hearing it and it is, fortunately, my daughter's favourite too so we both sat down eagerly to try out this new retelling by Sally Gardner.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444002414</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1782227741
|author=Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|title=Queen Victoria's Knickers
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A message from the palace has arrived!  It's from Queen Victoria, and as mum reads it she cries out 'The Queen wants my knickers!' Queen Victoria, ruler of the British Empire, has riches galore, but she has no knickers, so the dressmaker's family set about making her some.
+
|summary=One day, Gold Ted falls into a puddle. It's quite a deep puddle and the water is swirling. Poor Ted starts to spin around and around and is sucked down a drain on the side of the street. Finding himself  down in the sewer, Ted starts to panic. ''OH HELP ME PLEASE'' he cries and alerts the attention of Reg the sewer rat, who plucks him out of the dirty water using his cane, which might look just a bit like an old cricket bat. Reg is a kind soul and he dries Ted off and warms him up with a nice bowl of broth.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007418310</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|author=Adele Geras and Shelagh McNicholas
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|title=My Ballet Dream
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Tutu Tilly really loves ballet. She's been learning for about a year now, and her ballet school is about to put on its end of year show.  She is both excited and nervous. But, of course, disaster strikes...the wrong costumes are sent and the tutus and shoes aren't pink...they're blue!
+
|summary=Remy is feeling miserable. He's let himself down ''again''. The school bully Jayden,  together with his sidekicks Ryan and Brandon, have been laughing at Remy, calling him names because he is short and has small eyes. They are mean but they are not stupid. They are careful to wind up Remy when nobody can see and then push him just that little bit further when the other kids are around. So, when Remy reacts, it looks as though he was the instigator. And then he gets into trouble at school and the teachers don't believe him when he tries to explain what happened.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408309815</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1471191303
|author=Jaclin Azoulay and Fenix
+
|title=The Invisible
|title=Hic!
+
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When Snuffletrump woke up on the morning of his birthday, he felt very sad. No one seemed to have remembered and he had been given no cards and no presents. The only thing he had got for his birthday was the hiccups. His mum and dad were very busy and told him to go off and play but that is a difficult thing to do when you have hiccups. He wondered off and went to visit Cow who was sympathetic and suggested drinking a glass of milk whilst standing on his head! Unsurprisingly, when he tried this, Snuffletrump was covered with milk and he still had the hiccups. Other farmyard animals offered well meaning suggestions too but nothing seemed to cure them and the poor little piglet became messier and messier as he juggled eggs and fell in mud and straw. Finally though, there was a very happy surprise in store for Snuffletrump and, as everyone knows, that really is the best cure for hiccups!
+
|summary=This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big difference.  Isobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849563039</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
|author=Ann Bonwill and Teresa Murfin
 
|title=Naughty Toes
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=This dancing story is told to us by a little girl called Trixie.  She tells us that her sister, Belinda, is a ballerina but that she, Trixie, is not.  We see Trixie shopping for dancing clothes and being drawn to bright colours rather than the pretty pink of the other ballerinas, then in class her toes won't point like the other girls (hence the 'naughty toes').  She's dancing off the beat to her own jazzy rhythm...just what kind of a dancer is she?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192728512</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happyThen the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the cityThis part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
|author=David Melling
 
|title=Don't Worry Douglas
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Some of you may have already met Douglas, the rather dopey, yet endearing bear, in his first adventure [[Hugless Douglas by David Melling|Hugless Douglas]]Here he's back again, this time the proud recipient of a brand new woolly hat, a gift from his DadBut what should he do when he has a bit of trouble and the hat starts to unravel?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340999802</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|author=Tom MacRae and Ross Collins
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|title=When I Woke Up I Was A Hippopotamus
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A small boy goes through the day imagining that he is a variety of different creatures, everything from a grumpy hippo who doesn't want to get up, to a Robot who can't eat cornflakes or a statue who can't move, can't blink, can't do anything at all!  But when he imagines his parents are fierce dragons he finds things have gone a little bit too far...
+
|summary= Many children have an obsession and Sandy Lane, who lives in Beartown, is obsessed with bears. She collects books about bears. Her favourite toy is Berisford, a teddy bear passed down by her grandmother. Every night, she looks out of her bedroom window and says goodnight to the bear statue outside. Every morning she says hello to Bee Bear, a colourful painted bear that lives at her school. She even has bears on her bedroom wallpaper!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849390738</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Emma Chichester-Clark
 
|title=Mimi and Momo: No More Kissing!
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Momo is one puzzled little monkey.  'Why does there have to be so much kissing?' he asks.  We travel with him through the jungle, seeing all the kissing that's going on. It seems to especially be, as Momo notes, Mummies kissing babies.  Momo does not want to be kissed, by his family or by people he doesn't know, but no one seems willing to listen to him...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392315</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|author=Gordon Volke and Fenix
 
|title=Hullabaloo!
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=In 'Hullabaloo!' the reader meets a host of animals that all seem intent on making a huge amount of noise. First, there is a donkey named Drew who is soon joined by a cockatoo who squawks out 'Boo!' There are also twin chimps called Daisy and Maisy enjoying their tea as well as hopping bunnies, a calf called Cassie (who moos a lot), downy ducklings, a kangaroo with her little joey, as well as many many more. As you can imagine, when they all get together they make an incredible hullabaloo as they get up to their varied antics. It's a great deal of fun and is a story that builds in such a way that it will really appeal to young children.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849563055</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

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Review of

Murray and Bun by Adam Stower

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two. But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs. This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do… Full Review

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Review of

The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon by Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)

4star.jpg For Sharing

When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine Repute. Their greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing them. He's right behind them, spewing hot, sour milk from his nostrils. (Please don't try this at home: it won't end well.) Fortunately, they were nearly at Nobby Lob-lolly - and when a ladder of moss and vines was lowered for them, they escaped. They climbed up to the Tree Wee homes high up in the tangled woods where they lived with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny. Full Review

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Review of

On the Beach: The Winter Visitor by Chris Green and Jenny Fionda

5star.jpg For Sharing

Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline. On top of the ice was a polar bear. As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another. He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do? Full Review

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Review of

Let's Celebrate Being Different by Lainey Dee

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice. He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmother. She had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends. At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could be. Grandma thought that it might be because he looked different. Full Review

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Review of

The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories) by Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey

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Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive past. Elsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficult. One day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home. Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind it. Many decades later, Elsie brought the bus, now damaged and rusted, to the Repair Shop, hoping that the experts there could make it so that her grandchildren could play with it. Full Review

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Review of

The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories) by Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey

5star.jpg For Sharing

Susan was very young when she was evacuated from London in 1939 and nervous about how she would be greeted when she got to her final destination. She needn't have worried though as she went to the home of Mr and Mrs Russell, who couldn't have been kinder to her. She even had her own room - all to herself. Gradually she relaxed and began to enjoy her life. She'd help Mrs Russell with the baking and when it came to Christmas Eve Susan and Mr Russell put the decorations on the Christmas tree. The best surprise happened the following morning. Full Review

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Review of

Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb

4star.jpg For Sharing

Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby. He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and wails. The sea offers to help. It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing hush, hush. Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly. The mermaids join in - la lou, la lay... And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyes. Then a seagull shouts and we know exactly what's going to happen next. Full Review

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Review of

A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant by Briony May Smith

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Philippa Pheasant was tired of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak Road. She wrote to the mayor about the problem but didn't even get a reply. Philippa wasn't a bird to sit back on her tail feathers when there was a problem which needed solving: she saw the benefits of the lollipop lady at the school crossing and decided that she would set up something similar herself. Her uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obvious. All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight. Full Review

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Review of

Leilong's Too Long! by Julia Liu and Bei Lynn

4star.jpg For Sharing

Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes. Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck. It's perfect, isn't it? What could be a more fun way of going to school? There is a problem, though. Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up. The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore. Full Review

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Review of

Bumblebee Grumblebee by David Elliott

4star.jpg For Sharing

I love a good board book! Bumblebee Grumblebee is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can play with words and make something quite different from each one. We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a balletphant. The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a fluffalo. The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a crynoceros (think about it!) The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a sm....... OK, let's not go there Some people are eating! Full Review

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Review of

Carried Away With the Carnival by Ed Boxall

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It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:

It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand. Full Review

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Review of

Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare by Cordellya Smith

4star.jpg For Sharing

When the world was made, the animals were given gifts. Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector. Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn. Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present and the future. Rabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately, not the ability to use it well. He liked to trick other animals. He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle. You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see. Things are not always as they seem. I'll tell you how it came about. Full Review

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Review of

Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! by Rob Keeley

4star.jpg For Sharing

Lily loves eating fruit and vegetables. She likes carrots, broccoli, cabbage and aubergines. When her friends at school turn up their noses, Lily is keen to explain how good they are for you and how nice to eat. One day, poor Lily gets tricked by Jordan, who tells her that carrots grow on trees. Infuriated, Lily checks with the teacher, who explains that fruits grow on trees and vegetables, like carrots, grow in the ground. Jordan says, "I did try to tell her, Miss!" and everyone laughs at poor Lily. Full Review

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Review of

You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!) by Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

For the big, grownup girls out there, the potty masters in training, "You Can't Wear Panties!" is a cry (the big-girl kind!) of toilet triumph and persevering panty pride.


And so it is! This latest book from Justine Avery celebrates a little girl's final goodbye to nappies and pull-ups and graduation to "proper" pants by following her around as she proudly explains to her dog, her cat, her stuffed rabbit and her baby sibling that she can wear super-duper proper pants, while they cannot. Neither can the flowers, nor the fish, nor the birds. Boy's certainly can't. She's a big girl now and she wants everyone to know it! Full Review

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Review of

Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

4star.jpg For Sharing

Toots, trumps, farts. Whatever your word for them, find us a child that doesn't find them irresistibly funny. Funny to talk about and joke about, that is. But horribly embarrassing if you let one go at the wrong time. In class, say, when everyone will hear it and everyone will laugh. At you. Justine Avery's latest entry in her Everybody Potties! series takes aim at any shame associated with tooting and gently and calmly, with the familiar humour attached, explains that tooting is perfectly normal. Everybody does it: Everybody Toots! Full Review

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Review of

Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Seema Amjad

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! is the latest release in the Everybody Potties! series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you. . Full Review

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Review of

When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended by Peter Cotton

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

Meet Fred. Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quickly. But I'm getting ahead of myself: I'd better tell you a bit more about Fred. Fred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him. He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk. And that was where the problem started. Fred didn't have any road sense. Or brakes. Full Review

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Review of

Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!) by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

4star.jpg For Sharing

Can potty training ever be joyous? It often isn't, as any parent will tell you. But really, why shouldn't it be? We all have to learn about our bodily functions just as we have to learn about everything else when we are small. Why shouldn't potty training be as much fun as, say, learning about why the sun and the moon take turns in the sky? Full Review

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Review of

No, No, No! by Justine Avery and Naday Meldova

4star.jpg For Sharing

They say the best picture books are the simplest ones. And nothing could be truer of this latest from Justine Avery, a Bookbag favourite.

No, No, No! is based around the simplest text imaginable.

No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.

That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside. Full Review

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Review of

The Farm Shop by Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic

4star.jpg For Sharing

Kirelle and her best friend Sam the cat decide to go for a walk. Kirelle is dressed for all weathers in her bright yellow wellies and Sam is perfectly turned out as ever in his smart grey fur coat. As they walk to the top of the hill, they see a big barn with a sign outside. It's a farm shop! But this is a farm shop with a difference: all the stallholders and customers are farmyard animals. There are sheep and ducks and cows, goats and chickens, and even some mice. Excited, Kirelle and Sam go shopping.

What will they buy? Full Review

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.

Her class had gone one rainy afternoon
When all the houses cowered in the gloom,
To the Maritime Museum.

Her imagination was fired. She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly. One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shout. When she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure. Full Review

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Review of

Little Gold Ted by Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha

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One day, Gold Ted falls into a puddle. It's quite a deep puddle and the water is swirling. Poor Ted starts to spin around and around and is sucked down a drain on the side of the street. Finding himself down in the sewer, Ted starts to panic. OH HELP ME PLEASE he cries and alerts the attention of Reg the sewer rat, who plucks him out of the dirty water using his cane, which might look just a bit like an old cricket bat. Reg is a kind soul and he dries Ted off and warms him up with a nice bowl of broth. Full Review

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Review of

Remy: A book about believing in yourself by Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal

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Remy is feeling miserable. He's let himself down again. The school bully Jayden, together with his sidekicks Ryan and Brandon, have been laughing at Remy, calling him names because he is short and has small eyes. They are mean but they are not stupid. They are careful to wind up Remy when nobody can see and then push him just that little bit further when the other kids are around. So, when Remy reacts, it looks as though he was the instigator. And then he gets into trouble at school and the teachers don't believe him when he tries to explain what happened. Full Review

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Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

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This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big difference. Isobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:

Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.

The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happy. Then the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the city. This part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible. Full Review

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Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

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Many children have an obsession and Sandy Lane, who lives in Beartown, is obsessed with bears. She collects books about bears. Her favourite toy is Berisford, a teddy bear passed down by her grandmother. Every night, she looks out of her bedroom window and says goodnight to the bear statue outside. Every morning she says hello to Bee Bear, a colourful painted bear that lives at her school. She even has bears on her bedroom wallpaper! Full Review

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