Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
 
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
 
{{Frontpage
 
{{Frontpage
|author=Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title=What Wonders Do You See... When You Dream?
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|rating=4
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|rating= 4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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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.
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''The day has ended''<br>
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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.''
''Hasn't it been splendid?'' <br>
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''But now, it's time, to be sure'' <br>
 
''For an entirely different adventure'' <br>
 
  
I hope you haven't forgotten how it feels to be much too excited for bed. If you're a parent at least, you'll know how it is to persuade an excited small person that yes, it is in fact time for bed. ''What Wonders DoYou See...'' sets out to cater to these children. Instead of trying to persuade them that night time is calm time, it takes a slightly different tack. It tells them that sleep is actually an exciting time: a time of dreams in which imagination takes over and has no limit. But the trick in accessing this wonderful and exciting world, is to get calm and relaxed first so that you can easily fall asleep and open the door to it
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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!
|isbn=194812422X   
 
 
}}  
 
}}  
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{{Frontpage
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
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|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
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|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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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''!
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
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}} 
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
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|rating=4.5
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|genre=For Sharing
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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.  .
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
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|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
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|author=Peter Cotton
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|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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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.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
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|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
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|rating=4
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|genre=For Sharing
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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?
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|isbn= B098BJZYHH
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}}
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{{Frontpage
 +
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
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|title=No, No, No!
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|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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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.
  
{|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15"
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''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
<!-- Peter Lynas and Clare Lindley -->
 
|-
 
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[[image:0993340334.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993340334/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
  
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''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
  
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
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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.
===[[Bunny by Peter Lynas and Clare Lindley]]===
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|isbn=1638820457
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=194812467X
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|title=The Farm Shop
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|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
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|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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|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.
  
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
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What will they buy?
 
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}}
You might have seen Bunny on the beach where he lived.  Like many beaches it was full of sand and Bunny didn't like sand, not least because it got between his toes and ''scratched''.  What he really liked was juicy green grass.  All the other rabbits lived on the top of the cliff, where Bunny could see a lot of tasty-looking grass.  But the cliff was very high. [[Bunny by Peter Lynas and Clare Lindley|Full Review]]
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{{Frontpage
 
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|isbn=0995647895
<!-- Belinda Landsberry -->
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|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|-
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|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
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|rating=3.5
[[image:1925820025.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1925820025/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
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|genre=For Sharing
 
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|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.
 
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
===[[Once, I was Loved by Belinda Landsberry]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Tock, the toy rabbit, is in a box of toys going to the charity shop.  He realises that he's not wanted any more, but muses that it wasn't always this way.  ''Once'', he says, ''I was loved''.  And he tells us of all the children who have loved him over the years. [[Once, I was Loved by Belinda Landsberry|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:0993340342.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993340342/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
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===[[Madeleine Goes to the Moon by Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Madeleine is a very lucky girl: in her room she has all a girl could ask for in the way of toys, books, games and dollies. She's a very lucky girl in another way too: she has imagination and everything in her room can be used to take her on adventures. She spends all day there: Dad thinks that she likes to be alone, but Madeleine's not alone on all the trips she takes. We'll find out that yesterday she was told to tidy her room, but instead of doing that she went to the moon. [[Madeleine Goes to the Moon by Peter Lynas and Charlie Roberts|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Peter Lynas and Andy S Gray -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:0993340350.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993340350/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
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===[[The Very Rude Toytoise by Peter Lynas and Andy S Gray]]===
 
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
It was one of those blissful days in the forest.  Mrs Rabbit was collecting carrots because she wanted to make a cake.  Mrs Blue Bird was gathering twigs to build a nest. Mrs Spider was busily spinning a web to catch juicy flies.  Mrs Squirrel was piling up acorns.  And Mr Bear sat comfortably in a chair, fishing for lunch.  What could be better?  And then... [[The Very Rude Toytoise by Peter Lynas and Andy S Gray|Full Review]]
 
  
<!-- Peter Lynas and Rosie Alabaster -->
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''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|-
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''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
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''To the Maritime Museum''.  
[[image:0993340318.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993340318/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
 
===[[Recipe for Making a Snowman by Peter Lynas and Rosie Alabaster]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Who knew it?  You can even get a recipe book which tells you how to make a snowman - and there's no cooking involved!  Mum, Dad and the two children are absolutely meticulous though: they're going to get everything right, even down to doing some mining to get the coal for the eyes, searching through the bits 'n bobs jar for buttons for the snowman's coat and picking out the perfect piece of headgear.  There's quite a choice available, but the family decide on the bobble hat, presumably to keep the snowman warm.  The moth-eaten pair of mittens simply won't do and a pair with purple and pink stripes are chosen. [[Recipe for Making a Snowman by Peter Lynas and Rosie Alabaster|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Fegan -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:1925810097.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1925810097/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
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===[[Don't Drink the Pink by B C R Fegan]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
   
 
   
Madeline is very fond of Grandfather Gilderberry. He's always busy in his workshop, creating crazy potions, and he always has a smile on his face. Madeline's dad thinks he's a bit bonkers and Madeline's mum thinks the same but gives him a pass because he's old. But Madeline? She thinks Grandfather Gilberberry is just great. Particularly on her birthday when he unfailingly arrives with a selection of potions and allows her to choose one as a gift. And he always says the same thing...  [[Don't Drink the Pink by B C R Fegan|Full Review]]
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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.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1782227741
 +
|title=Little Gold Ted
 +
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
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|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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|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.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
 +
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
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|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 +
|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
 +
|isbn=1471191303
 +
|title=The Invisible
 +
|author=Tom Percival
 +
|rating=5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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|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:
  
<!-- Teresa Heapy and Katie Cleminson -->
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:1910989339.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910989339/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
  
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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.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
 +
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
 +
|title=One Night in Beartown
 +
|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
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|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!
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|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
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}} 
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1849766920
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|title=Everything is MINE
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|author=Andrea D'Aquino
 +
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|summary=Marcello Von Cauliflower Bonaparte Jackson is a schnauzer: what else could you be with a name like that?  He knows that you'll realise that he's kind, clever and loyal.  You'll also need to know that everything is '''MINE'''.  And he means ''everything''.  It begins with the slipper: mum still has one.  Why would she need more?  You sense that Marcello feels that he's being generous in allowing that.  Then it was the pork chop.  Well, did you see anyone's name on it?  ''And'' he left the carrots for Leo.  That's another example of Marcello's generosity.  There was the acorn which squirrel was gnawing at: there was no documentation to prove ownership.  And talking of ownership the tree would provide all the sticks he could ever want to chew.  There's nothing unreasonable in any of that, is there?
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1849767009
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|title=It Isn't Rude to be Nude
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|author=Rosie Haine
 +
|rating=5
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|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=This could have been one of those books which 'preaches to the choir': the only people who'll buy it are the people who know that nudity is OK and the ones who ''know'' that it's shameful will avoid it like they avoid the hot-and-bothered person in the supermarket who is coughing fit to bust.  But... Rosie Haines makes it into something so much more than a book about not wearing clothes.  It's a celebration of bodies: bodies large and small and of every possible hue.  Bodies with disabilities and markings.  They're fine.  In fact, they're wonderful.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|author=Blake Nuto and Charlotte Ager
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|title=Child of Galaxies
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|rating=5
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|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=What does it mean to be alive?  What are we made of, and where are we going?  ''Child of Galaxies'' is a lovely children's picture book that deals with all the big questions.  Written as a poem, the lyrical words don't shy away from darkness, nor talk down to the children you are reading to, but rather than work beautifully together with the illustrations to create a powerful, uplifting reading experience.
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|isbn=1912497425
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1948124572
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|title=Think Outside the Box
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|author=Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk
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|rating=4
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|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=''Whenever you find a problem <br>
 +
''Wherever there's a puzzle to solve <br>
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''However you get stuck in a sticky situation <br>
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''Just think outside the box''
  
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
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And so begins the latest picture book from Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk. It's a clarion call to children to use their imaginations and not logic alone when it comes to solving problems.
===[[Loved to Bits by Teresa Heapy and Katie Cleminson]]===
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1948124440
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|title=What Wonders Await Outdoors
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|author=Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk
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|rating=4
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|genre=For Sharing
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|summary=The second book in Justine Avery's Wonders series is the perfect antidote to long summer days with bored children - or, indeed, as we've found recently, for those long lockdown days when an awful pandemic is rolling across the world. What do you do when every book has been read and every toy has been played with, repurposed, and played with again?
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1776572858
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|title=How Do You Make a Baby?
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|author=Anna Fiske and Don Bartlett (translator)
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|rating=5
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|genre=Home and Family
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|summary=It's more than sixty years since I asked how babies were made.  My mother was deeply embarrassed and told me that she'd get me a book about it.  A couple of days later I was handed a pamphlet (which delivered nothing more than the basics, in clinical language which had never been used in our house before)  and I was told that it wouldn't be discussed any further as it ''wasn't something which nice people talked about''.  I ''knew'' more, but was little ''wiser''.  Thankfully, times have changed.
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|author= Justine Avery and Daria Yudina
 +
|title= This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book)
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|rating= 4
 +
|genre= For Sharing
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|summary=This Living Book is on a mission. What's the mission? To make you laugh! I can't think of many better missions than that, can you? Let's see how it does...
  
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
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.... well, it opens up with a terrible joke. A groany joke, an eye-roll joke. The joke isn't very funny but it is funny to see how enthusiastic and how generously this book wants to make you laugh - ''Oh, I'm terrible at jokes. Some books are so good at them. I always wanted to help someone laugh.''  
 
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|isbn= 194812453X
''Loved to Bits'' is the heartwarming story of a boy's love for his bear.    Bear's adventures with boy take him to all kinds of places and together they fight and defeat every obstacle put in their way, from the jungle to the sea.  Inevitably mishaps occur on the way .  The loss of an arm, a leg, an ear or an eye are nothing to Stripy Ted who shrugs off all injuries with a cheery ''don't worry, I've got one more''.  But boy loves him just as he is and won't hear of him being mended.  His place, after all, is in Boy's bed. [[Loved to Bits by Teresa Heapy and Katie Cleminson|Full Review]]
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
<!-- Lee -->
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|author=Justine Avery and Daria Yudina
|-
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|title=Baby Trolls Get a Bad Rap (Underrated Babies Book 1)
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
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|rating=4
[[image:0874869722.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0874869722/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
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|genre=For Sharing
 
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|summaryHoratio, Saul and Grizelda are three baby trolls who are fed up that everyone forgets about baby trolls. They are ignored in books and TV shows and films in favour of their very scary grown ups. Our three heroes want equal rights for baby trolls. They want to be seen and heard and they've started a petition about it that they want you to sign. But how should they go about it?
| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|
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|isbn= B07XGN4LGY
===[[When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee]]===
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}}  
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]], [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]
 
 
 
There is a place on this earth that, at the time of writing, is resplendent with life. In the spring seals gambol in the river – not venturing too far, for fear of being slashed open on the razor wire the humans have put in place. In the autumn, salmon come upstream, looking doleful as well they might, for they will spawn and die, if they reach their birthing grounds. Mountain goats gambol prettily among the hills – if the landmines men left behind do not prevent them from doing so. This is a snapshot of life in the DMZ, the demilitarized zone between the two countries with Korea in their name, and it's the world's least welcome wildlife sanctuary. [[When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee|Full Review]]
 
 
 
 
 
|-
 
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[[image:1419731408.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1419731408/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
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===[[Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster by Jonathan Auxier]]===
 
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]], [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Nan is a climber, the best chimney sweep in London. She is growing fast, so what will happen to her when she gets too big to climb, when people realise she is a girl? Everything changes, when she is stuck in a chimney, set on fire, and saved by a golem. A story of outcasts, and friendships, told through two tales, the girl and the sweep, and the girl and her monster. Both intertwined beautifully, so that you have a fairy tale within a fairy tale. Moments of sadness slip easily into glorious happiness, then swiftly into heart-breaking tragedy. This is a heart-warming and engaging read for both young and old. [[Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster by Jonathan Auxier|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Haig -->
 
|-
 
| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|
 
[[image:1786894327.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786894327 /ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]
 
 
 
 
 
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===[[The Truth Pixie by Matt Haig and Chris Mould]]===
 
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]], [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Poor old Truth Pixie. She's cursed! She can't speak unless it's to tell the truth. You might think this is a good thing because telling lies is bad, right? But sometimes the truth isn't nice and sometimes a white lie is okay and sometimes it's better to say nothing at all. You might not want to attract the attention of the school bully by calling him mean and nasty, for example, or you might not want to tell someone that you think their brand new haircut looks awful.  [[The Truth Pixie by Matt Haig and Chris Mould|Full Review]]
 
 
 
<!-- Kermani -->
 
|-
 
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[[image:1785899953.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785899953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21
 
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===[[The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
''Biriwita the blue frog longs to be accepted at Croak College, the most famous school for frogs in Malawi, but the other students all turn their backs on him. He is just too different!''
 
 
 
Biriwita hails from Lake Ticklewater. Many creatures find a home there, including frogs. For some reason that nobody can remember, all the Lake Ticklewater frogs are blue. They think nothing of it. So, when Biriwita wins a place at Croak College, the first Ticklewater frog to manage such a feat, he is filled with excitement and his only worry is how much he will miss his friends and family.  
 
[[The Frog Who Was Blue by Faiz Kermani|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[Worzel goes for a Walk. Will you come too? by Catherine Pickles and Chantal Bourgonje]]===
 
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]], [[:Category:Pets|Pets]]
 
 
 
When we [[Worzel says hello! Will you be my friend? by Catherine Pickles and Chantal Bourgonje|last met Worzel Woolface]] he was a rather frightened dog who had difficulty meeting people.  He's a bit better now and something which he really enjoys is going for a walk.  It's not just a case of attaching a lead and heading for your favourite spot - there are a lot of other things to think about first. [[Worzel goes for a Walk. Will you come too? by Catherine Pickles and Chantal Bourgonje|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[The Dragonfly Story: Explaining the death of a loved one to children and families by Kelly Owen]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
''The Owen family were feeling sad. There used to be five of them. There was Mum, Dad and three children: Abi, Jenny and Joe. But then Abi died. Now there were only four of them. Life felt very strange without their sister, and they were all very unhappy.''
 
 
 
How does a family cope with the loss of a beloved child and sibling?
 
[[The Dragonfly Story: Explaining the death of a loved one to children and families by Kelly Owen|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Tungtang is not like other toads. She can't sit still, tongue protruding, and wait to catch a fly. Tungtang needs to be on the move. Sometimes, she even hops right the way over to the rotten tree stump in her community of Muddy River. And she loves to regale her fellow toads with stories of her exploits. That is, until a mean old crow comes along and tells Tungtang that a real adventure would take her a lot further than a tree stump by a bridge everyone knows. Infuriated by the crow and inspired by her grandfather's stories of humans and ancient toad prophecies, Tungtang decides on a Real Adventure and heads off to the town of Little Cobblestone... [[The Toad Who Loved Tea by Faiz Kermani|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[My Favourite People by Rob Keeley]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
In ''My Favourite People'' the central character takes us to meet all the important people in his life. There's Auntie Meg, who does brilliant haircuts and loves cats. She has four of them! There's Uncle Steve, who's a gentle giant and an inveterate joker. There's best friend Alice, who can do that clever whistle when you put your fingers in your mouth. There's Carmel the library lady, who always suggests brilliant books to read. And loads more. The book ends with a fabulous party to which everyone is invited. [[My Favourite People by Rob Keeley|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[Gillie Can Share by Sarah-leigh Wills]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Gillie the rabbit is baking cookies with Daddy. We might think they look most appetising (they're shaped liked carrots and rabbits, you know) but Gillie is really taken by the way that they smell.  Lips are being licked.  Does she dive in and eat them?  No, she doesn't  There are eight cookies.  Two - a carrot and a rabbit - are for Grandma and Gillie hops off to deliver them. Another two are for Grandpa and then there are two for Mummy.  Now there are just two left and Daddy gives them to Gillie, but Gillie is a kind, generous and thoughtful rabbit and whilst she eats one cookie, a rather scrumptious looking rabbit is offered to the reader.  I wanted to hug her! [[Gillie Can Share by Sarah-leigh Wills|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B C R Fegan and Lenny Wen]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Mr Nicholas Noo is the host of the magical Hotel of Hoo and he's just welcoming his very first guests. They're going to be in room number one and it looks very comfortable with a cosy fire and comfortable bed. But Mr Noo is a considerate host and he shows his guests around the hotel. There's only one rule: don't ever look behind door 32. Now, you're going to wonder about what, exactly is in room 32, because we'll see some exciting and wonderful things as you move from room 2 to room 31. Forget expensive theme parks: you'd be much better off going to the Hotel of Hoo. [[Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B C R Fegan and Lenny Wen|Full Review]]
 
 
 
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===[[Fantastically Great Women Who Made History by Kate Pankhurst]]===
 
 
 
[[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]], [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]], [[:Category:Children's Non-Fiction|Children's Non-Fiction]]
 
 
 
A lot of history is about men. Kings and generals and inventors and politicians. Sometimes, it feels almost as though there were no women in history at all, let alone ones young girls might like to read about or regard as role models. Of course, this isn't true and there are plenty of women who, throughout history, have achieved amazing things or shown incredible bravery, or created something never seen before. So here, in this wonderful picture book from Kate Pankhurst, are the stories of some of them. [[Fantastically Great Women Who Made History by Kate Pankhurst|Full Review]]
 
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===[[Lamellia: The Wicked Queen by Gloria D Gonsalves]]===
 
 
 
[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:For Sharing|For Sharing]]
 
 
 
Lamellia is a kingdom of mushrooms in a land far away. Many types and colours of mushroom live there and they are all ruled over by King PoliPoli, a big brown mushroom who is a wise and kind leader. King PoliPoli is married to the beautiful Queen Nobilia. But Queen Nobilia cannot conceive a baby and this makes her very sad. She sings a sad song so emotive that her sorrow infects the whole land. [[Lamellia: The Wicked Queen by Gloria D Gonsalves|Full Review]]
 
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Revision as of 15:46, 9 November 2021

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Review of

Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! by Rob Keeley

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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Review of

Everything is MINE by Andrea D'Aquino

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Marcello Von Cauliflower Bonaparte Jackson is a schnauzer: what else could you be with a name like that? He knows that you'll realise that he's kind, clever and loyal. You'll also need to know that everything is MINE. And he means everything. It begins with the slipper: mum still has one. Why would she need more? You sense that Marcello feels that he's being generous in allowing that. Then it was the pork chop. Well, did you see anyone's name on it? And he left the carrots for Leo. That's another example of Marcello's generosity. There was the acorn which squirrel was gnawing at: there was no documentation to prove ownership. And talking of ownership the tree would provide all the sticks he could ever want to chew. There's nothing unreasonable in any of that, is there? Full Review

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Review of

It Isn't Rude to be Nude by Rosie Haine

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This could have been one of those books which 'preaches to the choir': the only people who'll buy it are the people who know that nudity is OK and the ones who know that it's shameful will avoid it like they avoid the hot-and-bothered person in the supermarket who is coughing fit to bust. But... Rosie Haines makes it into something so much more than a book about not wearing clothes. It's a celebration of bodies: bodies large and small and of every possible hue. Bodies with disabilities and markings. They're fine. In fact, they're wonderful. Full Review

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Review of

Child of Galaxies by Blake Nuto and Charlotte Ager

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What does it mean to be alive? What are we made of, and where are we going? Child of Galaxies is a lovely children's picture book that deals with all the big questions. Written as a poem, the lyrical words don't shy away from darkness, nor talk down to the children you are reading to, but rather than work beautifully together with the illustrations to create a powerful, uplifting reading experience. Full Review

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Review of

Think Outside the Box by Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk

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Whenever you find a problem
Wherever there's a puzzle to solve
However you get stuck in a sticky situation
Just think outside the box

And so begins the latest picture book from Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk. It's a clarion call to children to use their imaginations and not logic alone when it comes to solving problems. Full Review

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Review of

What Wonders Await Outdoors by Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk

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The second book in Justine Avery's Wonders series is the perfect antidote to long summer days with bored children - or, indeed, as we've found recently, for those long lockdown days when an awful pandemic is rolling across the world. What do you do when every book has been read and every toy has been played with, repurposed, and played with again? Full Review

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Review of

How Do You Make a Baby? by Anna Fiske and Don Bartlett (translator)

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It's more than sixty years since I asked how babies were made. My mother was deeply embarrassed and told me that she'd get me a book about it. A couple of days later I was handed a pamphlet (which delivered nothing more than the basics, in clinical language which had never been used in our house before) and I was told that it wouldn't be discussed any further as it wasn't something which nice people talked about. I knew more, but was little wiser. Thankfully, times have changed. Full Review

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Review of

This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina

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This Living Book is on a mission. What's the mission? To make you laugh! I can't think of many better missions than that, can you? Let's see how it does...

.... well, it opens up with a terrible joke. A groany joke, an eye-roll joke. The joke isn't very funny but it is funny to see how enthusiastic and how generously this book wants to make you laugh - Oh, I'm terrible at jokes. Some books are so good at them. I always wanted to help someone laugh. Full Review

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Review of

Baby Trolls Get a Bad Rap (Underrated Babies Book 1) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina

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Horatio, Saul and Grizelda are three baby trolls who are fed up that everyone forgets about baby trolls. They are ignored in books and TV shows and films in favour of their very scary grown ups. Our three heroes want equal rights for baby trolls. They want to be seen and heard and they've started a petition about it that they want you to sign. But how should they go about it? Full Review

Move on to Newest General Fiction Reviews