Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Ross Montgomery and David Litchfield
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|author=Adam Stower
|title=The Building Boy
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|title=Murray and Bun
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 +
|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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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1732898766
 +
|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
 +
|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This is the story of a boy and his Grandma. An award-wining architect, Grandma promises to build the boy a special house on a hill over the horizon, over a city and beyond the sea. But Grandma is getting old – too old to make houses. And, one day, she is gone. Without Grandma, the house is empty. It’s just rooms. But the boy has an idea – it requires a lot of work but the result is totally magical.
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|summary=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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571314104</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Helen Peters and Ellie Snowdon
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title= A Piglet Called Truffle
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|rating= 5
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=5
|summary= Living on a farm, with her father who works as a farmer and a mother who is a farm-vet, Jasmine has spent all her young life learning how to care for animals.  On a visit to a neighbouring farm, Jasmine is excited to see the new baby piglets. Expecting to see eleven piglets, she is stunned to find one extra - a tiny little runt hiding in the cornerBeing smaller than her hand, the farmer has no sympathy and expects it to die by the end of the day.   Of course, Jasmine can't allow this to happenThe story is then set for a struggle to save the smallest piglet, called Truffle.
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|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857637738</amazonuk>
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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 bearAs 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 anotherHe obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do?
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1913839656
|author= Julia Donaldson and Sebastien Braun
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|title= Spinderella
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|author=Lainey Dee
|rating= 4.5
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|rating=3.5
|genre= For Sharing
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary= From high above the classroom, Spinderella watches in fascination the classroom activities at Scuttleton Primary SchoolShe wants to be able to do two things: play football and count.  However, her family of spiders are only interested in flies, flies and fliesThey also have no desire to learn how to count ''Down with numbers'' they all cryUnperturbed by their lack of enthusiasm, Spinderella goes in search of numbers and playing footballAlong the way she meets a familiar wish granting character (no spoilers here) and her journey begins.  
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|summary=Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juiceHe 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 friendsAt 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>140528272X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Lou Treleaven
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|isbn=1529504775
|title= Letter to Pluto
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|rating= 5
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=4.5
|summary= Letter to Pluto is a story told through an inter-planetary pen-pal friendshipSet in the year 2317, writing with a pen and sending letters has certainly become a dying art-formHowever, Jon’s teacher, Mrs Hall, decides it is important to keep the art of letter writing aliveThe only difference is that Jon’s pen-pal lives a long way away.  75 billion km to be precise.  On Pluto.  At first the idea of writing at all is bad enough, but when Jon finds out that his pen-pal is a girl he nearly quits the programme.  Encouraged by his teacher’s bribes of merit awards for his best writing, Jon soon learns that Pluto is not as boring, small and smelly as he first thought.
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|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848862318</amazonuk>
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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 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 homeGradually, 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.
 
}}
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Rob Biddulph
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|isbn=1529504767
|title=Odd Dog Out
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
 +
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=As the title suggests this is the story about the 'Odd Dog Out'. All Odd Dog wants is to fit in and she, therefore, travels around the world to find a place where everyone is just like her. Everything seems perfect until she meets a dog who is behaving differently and realises that it might actually be a good thing to stand out from the crowd.
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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>0007594151</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Mo O'Hara and Ada Grey
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|isbn=1916459943
|title=More People to Love Me
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|title=Squeakily Baby
 +
|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary='More People to Love Me' is a story about a little girl with a huge family. She has a mummy and a step-mum, a daddy and a step-dad and four brothers and sisters. She also has lots of grandparents: in fact, she has so many grandparents she has to have a special name for some of them – like Grananna, who is her step-dad David's mum. Given the size of her family, it's not surprising that this little girl struggles to fit everyone on the family tree she draws at school. This upsets her a bit until she realises it's actually better to have a forest than a single tree.
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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 eyes. Then a seagull '''shouts''' and we know exactly what's going to happen next.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1509821295</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Katie Cotton and Sarah Jacoby
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|isbn=140639131X
|title= The Road Home
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|rating= 3.5
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|author=Briony May Smith
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=4.5
|summary=The year is winding down, and nature is beginning to turn her thoughts again to winter.  As the leaves begin to change, and birds start to fly South, animals throughout the forest are preparing for this change in seasons.  This book follows their trials and tribulations as they all try to take the road that leads them home.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847808034</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton
 
|title= Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: The Spooky School
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= As a teacher and a parent, one of the main aims I have when it comes to reading is to promote a love of reading in all children.  This can of course in general be more challenging with boys.  Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton have created a wonderful book with two familiar characters at the centre.  Their previous tales of Shifty McGifty were shorter books around 35 pages told though rhyme.  However, their latest book, The Spooky School, at 124 pages, is perfect for the maturing primary school student (approximately 6-9 years of age).  If these children had experienced the earlier books, then there is a feeling that Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam have grown up with them.  Although this book will appeal to both boys and girls, boys will particularly enjoy these fun tales.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857637010</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Lari Don
 
|title= The Dragon's Hoard
 
|rating= 3.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= If you ask anyone to name a Viking story, legend or tale, my money would be on ''Beowulf''.  However, it is not clear whether this was an Anglo-Saxon or Viking tale.  Try further and search on Amazon for Viking sagas for children and you won't get very far.  Until now, that is.  Lari Don has written a collection of stories which bring tales from this historical era to life.  Most primary schools study Vikings as a topic, so it is surprising that there are so few quality stories around for this age group.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847806813</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Kate Prendergast
 
|title=Dog on a Digger: The Tricky Incident
 
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I'm going to tell you a story about Dog, Man, Lady and the PupThey all work on an industrial site - in fact Dog and Man live there in a caravan and Man drives the sort of digger which is dreamed about by boys large and small.  Lady and the Pup run the snack bar and one day as they're all having something to eat, the Pup goes missingMan and Lady search everywhere but it's Dog's sharp ears which finally track him down - caught in a branch over a fast-flowing stream.  And it's Dog who works out how to rescue himI needed 88 words to tell you that story, but Kate Prendergast does it without using  a single one - and she tells it in a far more engaging way than I could ever manage.
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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 replyPhilippa 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 herselfHer uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obviousAll the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910646148</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Sebastien Braun
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|isbn=1776574338
|title=Can You Say It Too? Brrr! Brrr!
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
 +
|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=What most parents don't tell you is that they only have children for their own entertainment – the little tykes can be hilarious funnyOne fun area is when a baby starts to learn words – DaDa, MaMaSoon they pick up seemingly random words Light! Yallow! (I think that is meant to be hello)Once they start looking intently at your lips as you speak you can start to guide them to words that you want them to use. For example, what language skills would they require if they visited Antarctica?
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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 neckIt's perfect, isn't it?  What could be a more fun way of going to school?  There is a problem, thoughLeilong 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 upThe school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857637177</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Dorothee de Monfreid
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|isbn=1776574028
|title=A Day With Dogs
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
 +
|author=David Elliott
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I couldn't resist a book entitled ''A Day With Dogs'', not least because it's my idea of heaven, and I was intrigued by the subtitle ''What Do Dogs Do All Day?''  Well, when you open the book you'll get an answer to that question, although it certainly won't be the one that you're expecting: these dogs are in cars, on skis, in the kitchen, at the doctor and in lots more placesThere's a hint to the style of the book in the dedication: ''for [[:Category:Richard Scarry|Richard Scarry]]''.
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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>1776570987</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Yu-hsuan Huang
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|isbn=1838226834
|title=Sing Along With Me: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|rating=4.5
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|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I'm not normally a great fan of Christmas-themed books: after the day they're a bit old hat - for the adults if not for the children, but just occasionally something comes along that's so well done that an exception can be madeAs soon as I touched ''We Wish You a Merry Christmas'' I could feel the quality: it's a chunky board book with added extras. The fun starts on the cover: there's a slider (look for the red ring with the yellow arrows) which makes a penguin (I think!) and a fox appear and disappear from behind a Christmas tree.  As the animals move you can see pictures of two more animals playing in the snow.
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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 funA young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857636782</amazonuk>
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|title=Lamellia: The Kingdom of Mushrooms
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|author=Gloria D Gonsalves
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
 +
|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Lamellia is a kingdom of mushrooms lying deep within a forest. It is ruled by Polipoli, its big brown king. One day, a group from his mushroom army finds a human baby abandoned in the forest. The baby is hungry and crying. What will the mushrooms do? Will they reject the baby as a member of a hostile species? Or will they take care of it and accept it as one of their own? They choose the latter option, but how will a kingdom of mushrooms take care of a human baby? By working together, of course!
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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 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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1524634972</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Beatrix Potter and Quentin Blake
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title=The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|rating=4
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|rating= 4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=At night a serious, well-behaved and (let's be honest) rather ''superior'' young black cat goes out hunting. Well, if we're being ''totally'' honest, there's a little bit of poaching in there too. By day she is Miss Catherine St Quintin, although her owner calls her Kitty. Other cats call her ''Q'', or ''Squintums'', but they are very common cats and Kitty's owner would have been scandalised had she known that there was an acquaintance. The reaction would have been even stronger had she known that Miss Kitty went out in a gentleman's Norfolk jacket and fur-lined boots.  With a gun.
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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>0241247594</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
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{{Frontpage
 +
|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
 +
|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
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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.''
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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=Alison Donald and Alex Willmore
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}}
|title=The New Libearian
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{{Frontpage
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=For a job that often deals with words, Librarian is not an easy thing to spell. I often drop one of the Rs and end up with Libarian and that just will not doOne simple spelling mistake can make a word take on a whole new meaning; what would possibly happen if you spelt it Libearian?  Is it a mistype, or does the person behind the Help Desk look a little hairy to you? What big paws you have Libearian – all the better to stamp your books with.
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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>1848862237</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
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}}  
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{{Frontpage
 +
|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
 +
|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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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jill Murphy
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|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=Meltdown!
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|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
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|author=Peter Cotton
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Before I say a word about this book, I want to offer a few words of reassuranceFirstly, we've all been there, cringing, trying to pretend that it's not your childSecondly, it doesn't mean that you're a bad parent - or, if you are, so is everybody elseFinally there is nothing wrong with your child: they've just got a dose of the terrible twos (or threes) or the frightful foursIt will passHonestlyRight?  Are you ready to read on now?  Good. Just take it steadily.
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|summary=Meet FredWell, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quicklyBut 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 himHe 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 walkAnd that was where the problem startedFred didn't have any road senseOr brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406327913</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Bhakti Mathur
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Amma, Tell Me About Diwali!
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|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Klaka had celebrated Diwali and it had been great fun - a wonderful, beautiful day and tonight the city is lit up by thousands and thousands of lights. Amma and daddy had given many gifts to their boy and Klaka and his brother had lit the earthen oil lamps known as diyas. They didn't just eat and have a good time - they also offered their prayers for good fortune, prosperity and health to Ganesha, the God of new beginnings and to Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth.  But Klaka was curious:  ''Amma'' he said, ''tell me about Diwali''.
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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>9881502888</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
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{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Lou Treleaven and Maddie Frost
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|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=The Snowflake Mistake
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|title=No, No, No!
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Princess Ellie lives in an ice palace that floats high in the sky. Her mum is the Snow Queen and they have a very special machine that collects clouds and turns them into snowflakes. The machine works perfectly until the day that Princess Ellie is left in charge – the machine breaks and Ellie has to find another way of making snowflakes. Luckily her friends the birds are able to help.
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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>1848862180</amazonuk>
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}}
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''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
{{newreview
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|author= Oliver Jeffers
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''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|title= An Alphabet
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|rating= 5
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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.
|genre= For Sharing
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|isbn=1638820457
|summary= Some might say you only ever need one alphabet book in a home. Considering we have half a dozen (and, as it happens, no little ones in the house) I would counter this with a question: how many words are there in the world? Because when you only get one for each letter, you may find a simple book of 26 entries may not be enough.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008182515</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Judith Kerr
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title= Mog Time
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|rating= 5
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary=''Mog Time'' is a compendium of six stories about the beloved cat. It is a beautiful, heavy hard back book which means it is perfect for reading together. The pages are large so everyone can crowd round and have a look. It might be a little tricky for smaller hands to manage but that's not a problem as these are much better for reading aloud and enjoying together.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008183317</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Allan Plenderleith
 
|title=The Snowman Strikes Back
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
+
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's not easy being a snowman, you know - particularly when you are made by Ernest Green-Bogle, who delights in tormenting you. Sometimes he'd make you upside down or looking like a pig (it's just plain ''undignified'', you know). That's not the worst of it. He has been known to attack snowman with a hairdryer, feed his carrot nose to a rabbit and even encase him in a block of ice.  The snow clown was ''not'' funny and the snow ice cream cone even less so. But one day everything changed when Ernest came home and there was a big boy with him.  Ernest had a black eye and the big boy was threatening him.
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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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1841613932</amazonuk>
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 +
What will they buy?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title=Little Monster and the Spooky Party
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|rating=4
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There are spooky things happening in the world of books for children that can only mean one thing; Halloween is around the corner. There are books for Christmas, Easter and the August Bank Holiday, so why not some for the scary holiday? After all, themes such as ghosts and skeletons are far easier to write about than traffic jams on the M6 and spending time with your in-lawsOne little monster has been invited to the type of spooky party that may just entertain your own little monster.  
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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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405277424</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
 +
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
 +
''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 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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=Ten Little Monsters
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
 +
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Halloween is a strange event, it has been increasingly Americanised and sold to children as a fun day of scary activities and sweetsHowever, if you think about it, dressing your child as an undead bride or blood sucking vampire actually seems a little odd.  These are the same kids that get scared when Brian Blessed shouts on TV, yet they are happy to cover themselves in fake blood. Creating a book that is Halloween themed is a balance of making it exciting, but not scary; sometimes the books can be both.
+
|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>1408334038</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Brendan Wenzel
 
|title=They All Saw A Cat
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=If I told you that ''They All Saw A Cat'' is a children's picture book about perception, you might be forgiven for thinking that toddlers were taking their pleasures a little sadly these days: you might be slightly mollified when I added in that it was also about the natural world, but it's much better that I just tell you a little bit about the content and I'm sure that you'll understand.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1452150133</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
 
|title= Ada Twist, Scientist
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= Emerging Readers
 
|summary= The first thing you must know about Ada Marie is the way she said nothing until the day she was three. Now that's a way to pique your interest from the start. After all what sort of child does not speak until she turns three? In this case it's a very smart little girl.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1419721372</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Jools Bentley
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title= The Hippopandamouse
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|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|rating= 4.5
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= When the princess comes to your shop, everyone stands to attention, and Fluffley's Fine Toys is no exception. In preparation, the staff work hard to ensure everything is perfect. The floor is clean, the shelves neat and tidy, a place for everything and everything in its place. And if anything doesn't meet these exacting stands then POOF! It's off to the Unstitcher room. There is no room for anything less than perfection here.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447288904</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Oliver Jeffers
 
|title=What's the Opposite?
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= When a child is very young they don't have the ability to grasp what their hands are, never mind complex matters of State, but eventually they all must start to learn. One way to achieve this is by reading fun books about the alphabet or numbers, but not all concepts are as clear as letters and numbers.  What about the concept of opposites?  How do you define to a 16 month year old why one thing is opposite to the other?  Thankfully, you don't need to know the answer as the Hueys are on hand to help in their usual irreverent way.
+
|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>0007420722</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Stephanie Blake
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title=Super Rabbit
+
|title=The Invisible
 +
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=We do love a good Stephanie Blake story in our house, and since we've pretty much worn out ''Stupid Baby'' we were very happy to give Simon's newest adventure a goSimon the rabbit is not just any old rabbit, he is Super Rabbit, of course, complete with cape and mask!  He is brave, he is bold, he is adventurous and, oh my goodness, he has got a splinter…!
+
|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>1877579564</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''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 cityThis part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Maudie Powell-Tuck and Richard Smythe
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|title=The Messy Book
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When cat makes a big mess, he'd rather come up with any idea than tidy it up!  He tries to get rid of his mess in various different ways, unsuccessfully, until there is no other option but to tidy up properly.  It's a familiar scenario for many families, I'm sure, and told here with a great deal of charm!
+
|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>184869279X</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
{{newreview
+
 
|author=Sarah Goodreau
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|title=The World-Famous Book of Magical Numbers
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary= If you are very lucky, the act of reading feels just like magic.  You pick up a book and your imagination takes you on adventures you could never have in the real world.  You should try and start this magic as early as possible and one way is to use interactive books, babies love to grab tabs or lift flaps.  You may even stumble across a book all about numbers that provides this magical feeling for your child.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783704640</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David Melling
 
|title=D is for Duck
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Duck, the magician, is giving a demonstration of his magical skills, conjuring up a wide variety of items from his top hat. Things begin normally enough with a bunny, but with lizards and lions and dragons following on soon after duck finds that perhaps his magic is getting a little out of hand!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444931091</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Lou Kuenzler and David Wojtowycz
 
|title=Eat Your People
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Monty the monster is having his dinner. He is eating all of his vegetables without any problems at all, but when it comes to eating up his people he really isn't happy, declaring them to be chewy and crunchy and full of bones!  In a funny twist on the picky eater story, this is a lighthearted way of broaching the tricky 'eat your vegetables' issue!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1509801596</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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

1782227741.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

B08R7LXQ9S.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

1471191303.jpg

Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

B08NFH7H9X.jpg

Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

Move on to Newest General Fiction Reviews