Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[image:lumplump.jpg|center|link=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDc9DQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=lump+lump+and+the+blanket+of+dreams&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiz47visd3QAhVT_WMKHQ8CA8UQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=lump%20lump%20and%20the%20blanket%20of%20dreams&f=false]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
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{{Frontpage
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
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|author=Adam Stower
{{newreview
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|title=Murray and Bun
|author=Michelle Robinson and Claire Powell
 
|title=Have You Seen My Giraffe?
 
 
|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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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1732898766
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
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|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Imagine, if you will, a world in which you no longer win goldfish at the fair, but you could potentially be coming home with a giraffe! This is the situation that the family in this story find themselves in, and it turns out that having a giraffe in your house may not go down too well with your parents!
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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>0857075993</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Simon Puttock and Matt Robertson
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title=Fluffywuffy
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|rating=3.5
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
 +
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Mr Moot, and his dog Fluffywuffy, are very happy in their quiet little life togetherBut one day, Mr Moot's cousin, Clarence, comes knocking at the door and announces that he has come to stay for a week, or a month, or a year! Clarence turns out to be a most inconsiderate house guestWhatever will Mr Moot do?
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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 another. He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleepWhat else would you do?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847808719</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Emilia Dziubak and Przemyslaw Wechterowicz
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|isbn=1913839656
|title=The Secret Life of a Tiger
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|rating=4
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|author=Lainey Dee
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=If David Attenborough has taught us anything is that a lot goes on in the natural world that we are unaware of.  Animals will hunt in interesting ways, or find a mate using secret dances, but did you know that Tigers sometimes sneak up on apes and give them new haircuts? You will be amazed with the revelations found in Emilia Dziubak and Przemyslaw Wechterowicz's book, but I am not convinced that this kid's book is based on facts.
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|summary=Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice.  He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmotherShe had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends. At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could be.  Grandma thought that it might be because he looked different.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>191027724X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Peter Bently and Charles Fuge
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|isbn=1529504775
|title=A Home Full of Friends
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Bramble Badger was out looking for nuts by the river when the storm broke and he was so cold that he decided to go straight homeOn the way he met a trail of devastation: Snuffle Dormouse's house has been squashed by a falling tree.  She'd like shelter in Bramble's sett, if he has roomHe's a ''little'' bit reluctant because he thinks his sett is in a mess and there isn't much space or dinner available, but what can you do when a friend is in need?  Next it's Tipper the Toad whose home is full of mud, then Boo the Hedgehog's nest has been covered by leaves.
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|summary=Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive pastElsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficultOne day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home.  Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind itMany decades later, Elsie brought the bus, now damaged and rusted, to the Repair Shop, hoping that the experts there could make it so that her grandchildren could play with it.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>144492057X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jill Atkins and Barbara Vagnozzi
 
|title=Peck, Hen, Peck! and Ben's Pet (Early Reader)
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=It probably sounds obvious, but you really shouldn't keep your pet chickens in a bag! Well, that's what I learned from this book which tells us first the story of Tom who puts his hen in a bag.  The hen pecks through the bag, as hens are wont to do, and escapes!  A simple and somewhat tragic tale!  This is swiftly followed by a story about Ben's petWill it be another hen, I wondered?  No, actually, after several incorrect guesses, we discover that Ben's pet is only a rabbit!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848862482</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Alice Hemming and Louise Forshaw
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|isbn=1529504767
|title=Buzz and Jump! Jump! (Early Reader)  
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=After hearing a mysterious buzzing in the kitchen, mum traps a fly in a jar, but then she hears the buzzing again...what could be going on? Meanwhile, Ken the Kangaroo (who declares himself to be the best at jumping), is jumping everywhere he can. In this red level book, aimed generally at those who have completed their reception year in school, there are two simple, sweet stories in one book, perfect for those who are just learning to read.
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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 lifeShe'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>1848862504</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Alice Hemming and Julia Seal
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|isbn=1916459943
|title=Bamboo and I Wish (Early Reader)
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|title=Squeakily Baby
|rating=5
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|author=Beth Webb
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=With two stories in one book, there's plenty to like about this simple, and funny, early reader.  The first story, Bamboo, deals with a cheeky panda who has run off to hideWhere can he be?  The second story is about a wishing well which is granting wishes left, right and centre!  Evaluated as a red level book, it sets itself as being about the right level for those around the end of their reception year.
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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 helpIt 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>1848862512</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Sarah Brennan and Jane Tanner
 
|title= Storm Whale
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= This is one of the most beautiful picture books that I have read for a while.
 
 
 
''Bleak was the day and the wind whipped down
 
When I and my sisters walked to town…''
 
 
 
So begins this story of three sisters who set off to walk to the beach together in this stunning and rather special picture bookThe cover illustration is reminiscent of traditional family holidays depicting three girls, hand in hand and wearing sunhats disappearing over sand dunes on their way to the beach.  The story then departs from a typical seaside theme as the sisters find a stranded whale on the beach and spend the day in desperate attempts to save it.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910646253</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Barney Saltzberg
 
|title= Chengdu Can Do
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= There's something utterly delightful (and, it must be said, sometimes infuriating, especially when you're in a hurry) about the toddler's determination to be independent. Scrambling along using any handy piece of furniture or, if they don't move fast enough, the family pet as a prop, exploring cupboards full of the most enticing objects, and the daily struggle to get as much dinner in his or her own mouth as on the walls – all that requires grit and a refusal to fail which augurs well for the little one's future. That can-do attitude, so lauded by education, enterprise and big business, is a quality Chengdu the panda has in bucket-loads!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1484758471</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek
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|isbn=140639131X
|title=I am Actually a Penguin
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
 +
|author=Briony May Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre= For Sharing
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Do you know a child who loves to dress up? Well this is the perfect picture book for that child. Quite probably the perfect picture book for the parent of that child too.
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|summary=Philippa Pheasant was ''tired'' of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak Road.  She wrote to the mayor about the problem but didn't even get a reply.  Philippa wasn't a bird to sit back on her tail feathers when there was a problem which needed solving: she saw the benefits of the lollipop lady at the school crossing and decided that she would set up something similar herself.  Her uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obvious. All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783704519</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Barney Saltzberg
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|isbn=1776574338
|title=Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep
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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=The list of entertaining things about toddlers does not include any of the following; throwing food against your recently painted walls, nappy deposits, or deciding to stay up way past their bedtimeThere are few things more unsettling to a parent than a toddler used to their routine suddenly deciding to stay up way past their bedtime; they scream, they procrastinate, they blub and then finally collapse (and that is just Mum and Dad).  The reason that so many children's books are about settling down and going to bed is to avoid the staying up eventuality, so will a book about an insomniac panda work?
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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, though.  Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up.  The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1484775651</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Libby Walden and Stephanie Fizer Coleman
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|isbn=1776574028
|title=Hidden World: Forest
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|rating=4.5
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|author=David Elliott
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=Sometimes, less is more. But a wood doesn't understand that, does it – it just stretches on and on, expanding outwards and outwards, and upwards and upwards – it's quite a galling thing for a young person to understand. This book reverts to the very basic detail that will let the very young student get a grip on the life in the forest, whether they can actually see it for the trees in real life or not…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848575971</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Carles Ballasteros
 
|title=Nee Nah! Nee Nah! To the Rescue: Press the tabs, hear the sounds (Sound of the City)
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The cover of this book might tell you all that you need to know if you're buying a book for a boy who loves noisy vehicles, but if you dismiss it on those grounds you might be making a mistakeLet me tell you a bit about it.  It's a substantially-built board book with suitably rounded corners for when it's used as a missile and it has tabs which take you to the pages for the vehicles we're going to be looking atThere's a helicopter, a police car, a fire engine and an ambulance. For a lot of books for the youngest children that would be it - and a lot of children would enjoy looking at the picturesBut - there's more...
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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 oneWe 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>1784937428</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Craig Shuttlewood
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|isbn=1838226834
|title=Town and Country (Turnaround Book)
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|rating=5
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|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I know I should have been working but I've just spent the last hour pouring over ''Town and Country''.  On the face of it there's a very simple idea here: on each double-page spread you get examples of what happens in towns and what happens in the countryside with regard to various activities, modes of transport and even things like beaches and snow.  You turn the book one way for the country scene and then flip it over for what happens in the townDown the side of each page there's a list of things for you to find, complete with a thumbnail of what it is you're looking for.
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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>1782404422</amazonuk>
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview <!-- remove 11/8 -->
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{{Frontpage
|author=B C R Fegan and Lenny Wen
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|title=Henry and the Hidden Treasure
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|rating=4.5
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|author=Cordellya Smith
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Henry is a careful young manHe has a lot of treasure and he keeps it very well hiddenWe might not call it 'treasure': like his parents we'd probably call it 'pocket money' and suggest that what he's not going to spend he should put in the bankBut Henry's worried and ''he'' knows that only ''he'' can keep his treasure safeBut what, or who, is he keeping his treasure safe ''from''? Well, he has a little sister called Lucy and despite the fact that his parents think he should be nicer to Lucy, Henry knows that she's really a secret ninja spy sent to steal his treasureIsn't that true of ''all'' little sisters?
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|summary=When the world was made, the animals were given giftsBear was given strength so that he could become a protectorWater Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burnOwl had excellent sight so that he could see the present ''and'' the futureRabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunatelynot 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 seemI'll tell you how it came about.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0995359253</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Anna Kovecses
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title= Counting Things
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
 
|rating= 4
 
|rating= 4
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Little Mouse is learning lots of new things in this series of books by the Hungarian illustrator Anna Kovecses, and here we see the delightful little rodent counting its way through the jungle, the farmyard, the countryside and the town. On every page the same question is asked, beginning with 'How many . . . ?', and the toddler, with the help of an adult or older sibling, will soon learn to touch the named items on the page and under the flap.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1786030365</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Alison Jay
 
|title= Alison Jay's ABC
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= At first glance, this is a beautiful but fairly standard alphabet book: one letter per page with a nice big picture of an apple or a panda front and centre - after all, the ABC format is pretty restrictive, isn't it? And truth be told, that's all most small people will see first time round. But look a little closer . . .
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1787410196</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Anna Kovecses
 
|title=Opposite Things
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Rearing a child is not a competition, but have a conversation with a certain type of parent and they won't agree. Their child can speak four languages.  Their child wrote their first sonnet at the age of three.  Their child can be seen wistfully looking into the middle distance just wanting to play on the bouncy castle. For me, I am happy, if my child is happy; be that doing sums, or eating play-doh. However, even with a relaxed attitude to educating your kid, it can be fun to learn a little, especially when a book is as fun as Little Mouse's ''Opposite Things''.
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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>1786030381</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Sarah Powell
 
|title= Search and Find: Pride & Prejudice: A Jane Austen Search and Find Book
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= Emerging Readers
 
|summary= Search and find books are usually aimed at children. They are a good bit of fun, but they are also a good study tool for adult readers alike. Jane Austen is a fantastic novelist, but her style of writing can be daunting for those not used to such heavy prose. It is very easy to become lost in the myriad of dialogue, characters and events. I find a good plot summary helps when approaching her works, this was especially so in the case of the perplexing and long-winded Emma.  
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783708271</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Bob Shea
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=The Scariest Book Ever
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
 +
|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Ghost is a bit of a scaredy-cat! After spilling some orange juice on his sheet, he stays at home, naked, and we as readers head out into the woods to tell him what's there.  Whilst he tries to persuade us that the woods are super scary and full of bad things, and that we'd be much better off staying in and cleaning the bathroom, we get to see what's really going on in the woods, and try to persuade ghost to come out with us…
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|summary=''For the big, grownup girls out there, the potty masters in training, "You Can't Wear Panties!" is a cry (the big-girl kind!) of toilet triumph and persevering panty pride.''
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1484730461</amazonuk>
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}}
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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=Bethan Woollvin
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}}  
|title=Rapunzel
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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=Ah Rapunzel, how well we all know about her long golden hair and her difficult-to-escape tower!  Here, however, the story is told with a twist, because there is no handsome Prince who comes riding by to save Rapunzel from her incarceration. No, instead we see Rapunzel is smart enough to figure her own way out, defeating the witch, and going on to a successful witch-hunting career.
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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>1509842675</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
}}
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}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Simon Puttock and Daniel Egneus
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|title= The Thing
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|rating= 5
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= One day ''the Thing'' falls from the sky and four strangers stumble across it. At first they are confused. What is ''the Thing''? What does it do? What is it for? Then the four of them decide to work together to look after and care for '''the Thing''. Soon word spreads about ''the Thing'' and others come from far and wide to find out more. Gradually a media circus builds up around ''the Thing''. Throughout all of this ''the Thing'' remains silent. Then just as suddenly and silently as it arrived ''the Thing'' departs.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405283718</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Bond and R W Alley
 
|title=Best-loved Paddington Stories
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=With the sad passing of Michael Bond there is no time like the present to revisit some of the adventures of his most iconic creation; Paddington.  As the character has proved so timeless regular re-issues of the books have appeared and ''Best-loved Paddington Stories'' brings three of these stories together.  Does this collection really reflect the best that the bear has to offer or are they just three random tales stuck together with marmalade?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008245037</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Heather Pindar and Sarah Jennings
 
|title=Wishker
 
|rating=4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Mirabel is a small girl who wants rather a lot from life and is sadly frustrated when everyone says no to her. Then a stray cat appears in her garden. He's a rather special cat with wish-granting whiskers. All Mirabel's problems will be instantly solved. Or so she thinks…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184886244X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Judith Kerr
 
|title=My First Mog ABC
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= There are few children's series that have been as long lasting as Judith Kerr's ''Mog'' books and even though the cat may no longer be with us, there is a huge back catalogue of old stories and images that could be repurposed. In the wrong hands reusing old Mog images would seem like a crass cash in, but done right, they could still hold the same sentimental appeal that the daft old cat has for so many peopleWhich way does ''My First Mog ABC'' fall?
+
|summary= ''Who Needs Nappies? Not Me!'' is the latest release in the ''Everybody Potties!'' series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008245509</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Tracey Corderoy and Jorge Martin
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title= Fairy Tale Pets
+
|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|rating= 4.5
+
|author=Peter Cotton
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Bob is neat. He lives in a neat and tidy house with Rex his friendly and really quite neat dog. All is well in their neat and happy world except for one thing. Bob needs a job. He decides to be a pet-sitter and is looking forward to looking after cute little hamsters and bunnies. What actually arrives is unfortunately something quite different and poor Bob is quite unprepared for the chaos that ensues when his ''pets'' misbehave.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848694415</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Mini Grey
 
|title=The Bad Bunnies' Magic Show
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=In a slight change to the scheduling, the Great Hypno is unavailable for tonight's magic show...but not to worry, ready to step into the breach are Mr Abra and Mr Cadabra, a pair of innocent looking bunniesTheir show promises to be fast and dangerous, and it certainly turns out to be both, though perhaps not quite in the way the bunnies imagined!
+
|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 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 walk.  And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471157601</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Julia Jarman and Lynne Chapman
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Class One Farmyard Fun
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|rating=3.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When Class One go on a trip to the farm, the day is not plain sailing. The teacher's traumas don't revolve around the usual 'who will be sick on the coach' issues however, and instead relate to one rather grumpy farmyard animal - the bull!  All sorts of trauma ensues when the bull escapes from his field, and it takes a lot of the children working together to be able to catch him back in his field and lock him up.  All things considered, this probably isn't the best book for any teachers to read aloud the day before a school trip...
+
|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>1444927159</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Antje Damm
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Waiting for Goliath
+
|title=No, No, No!
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Bear is waiting for Goliath. That's Bear on the cover and it was what first drew me to this book. He looks so ''forlorn'' that I wanted to know what the problem was. He's not exactly forlorn, but he has been waiting at the bus stop since dawn and he might be getting just a little bit bored. He lies down (legs dangling down and tummy flat on the seat) and explains to everyone that Goliath is his best friend. Robin wanted to know if Goliath is as strong as Bear and Bear says that he is.  He's smart too.  He can count to eighteen.  Bear's obviously been at the stop for quite a while as the spring flowers have fallen from the trees.  He's there through the dark too - he just curls up and  sleeps on the seat.
+
|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>177657141X</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''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.
 +
|isbn=1638820457
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Reece Wykes
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title=I Dare You
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|rating=2.5
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Some children's books require a robust sense of humour from a parent, or at least the ability to look the other way when a book is being naughty. There are more books on pants and poo than could fill a landfill, but when is something too far for a children's book?  Bragging?  Lying? Cannibalism?
+
|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>1783445378</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
What will they buy?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Chris Hadfield and The Fan Brothers
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title=The Darkest Dark
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|rating=4.5
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Back in the nineteen sixties in a cottage on Stag Island in Southern Ontario, Canada there was a boy called Chris who loved playing with rockets.  Actually they were made out of cardboard boxes, but they were rockets to Chris and he and his dog would play space games all dayHe really didn't have time for anything else and he certainly didn't have time to sleep. Well, actually, there's a secret here: Chris was afraid of the dark and everyone knows that when it's ''very'' dark the worst sort of aliens come into the bedroom.  Night after night his parents worked very hard to get him to sleep in his own bedroom and it was only the threat that if Chris didn't get into his own bed and go to sleep everyone would be too tired to go next door the following evening to watch something special on television.  There was only the one television on the island, you see.
+
|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doingShe lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>150982409X</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
{{newreview
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|author=Kate Milner
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.  
|title=My Name is not Refugee
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A child's mother tells her child that they will have to leave this town: it's not safe for them any longer.  She explains what will happen.  The child can pack his own bag, but he has to remember that he must only take what he can carry.  Initially it will be exciting and they can't live in a place where there's no water in the taps and the rubbish just piles up in the streets.  It's going to be an adventure, but sometimes they're going to be on their own and it will get a bit boring, but sometimes they'll be with other people and he must remember to hold on to an adult's hand.  They'll see lots of cars and lorries and sleep in some strange places.  They'll hear people speaking in strange languages and taste new foods.  Eventually they'll get to somewhere where they are safe and can unpack.  The strange words will start to make sense.
 
 
   
 
   
He'll be called Refugee, but he has to remember that Refugee is not his name.
+
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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1911370065</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Oliver Jeffers
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=The Great Paper Caper
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|rating=4.5
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Something terrible is happening in the forest.  Branches from trees are going missing overnight, and nobody knows what's going on.  Everyone living in the forest gathers together to look at the crime scene, and to try to discover what has happened.  Initially they blame each other, but after discovering everyone there has a solid alibi they continue their investigations to try and find the culprit.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007182333</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Maudie Smith and Paul Howard
 
|title=The Dressing-Up Dad
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Danny and his dad both love dressing up!  Whatever the event, or reason, they are ready. Indeed, they don't really need a reason, but just happily dress up together at home, or when they go out, as spacemen, a knight and a dragon, sea creatures and wizards...you name it, they can dress up as it!  Danny loves having so much fun with his dad, but then one day he does start to wonder what it would be like to have a normal, ordinary dad, and so for his birthday he decides to ask his dad to dress up as an ordinary dad!
+
|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>019274979X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title=Triangle
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
 +
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This is a story about TriangleOne day he goes out of his house and walks a long way to go and play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square.  It's quite a long walk, past lots and lots of triangles, and then lots of shapes with no name, and then lots and lots of squares. What will happen after he's played his trick on Square, though?  Will Triangle get his comeuppance?
+
|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>1406376671</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Sam Usher
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title=Sun
+
|title=The Invisible
|rating=4
+
|author=Tom Percival
 +
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It was the hottest day of the yearHotter, if such a thing is possible, than broccoli soup, the Atacama Desert and the surface of the sunGrandad decreed that it was the perfect day for an adventure and began packing the picnic basket with all sorts of useful things: water, biscuits, a telescope, camera, sun protection, fruit, sandwiches, toys and lots, lots moreHow are a boy and his grandad to know what they're going to need?  Grandad was the navigator and the boy was the lookout.
+
|summary=This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big differenceIsobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178370795X</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 happyThen the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the cityThis part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Laura Williams
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|title=Grandpa Diet and Diabetes
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Nick's Mum is an accident and emergency nurse and life can get a bit hectic at times, particularly when she has to arrange for someone to look after Nick and his twin sister Emma.  One day in the school holidays Grandpa had the pleasure of looking after the kids and Nick thought this was cool. Grandpa used to be a bit of a rocker, you see, and that's the sort of music he always has playing.  He might have a stick but Nick sure that he doesn't really need it - it's there just in case. He does have a problem though and Mum explains it by saying that Grandpa has to eat at the right time every day because he has diabetes.
+
|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>1524667641</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
 +
 
 +
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]

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

194812467X.jpg

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

0995647895.jpg

Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

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

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

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

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Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

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

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