Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to search
 
(131 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
[[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]]
+
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
<hr/>
+
{{Frontpage
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
+
|author=Adam Stower
{{newreview
+
|title=Murray and Bun
|author=Alexandre Lacroix and Ronan Badel
 
|title=Dragons: Father and Son
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=Emerging Readers  
+
|genre=Confident Readers  
|summary=You know dragons.  They're there to look splendid and fierce, and to burn down human villages in rampages, with or without treasure in mind.  But they need to be trained in that.  And our father dragon has just tasked his son dragon with that very errand - to go and torch a human houseThe lad is reluctant to cook anything more severe than lunch - what could possibly happen?
+
|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 whiffsThis 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…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910277231</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=0008561249
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= David McKee
+
|isbn=1732898766
|title= Elmer and the Tune
+
|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
|rating= 4.5
+
|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=4
|summary= Everybody loves a catchy tune, but sometimes you come across one that you just can't get out of your head, no matter how hard you try. And that's what has happened to Elmer and his friends – all over the jungle, folk are humming the same tune, over and over and over again, and passing it on to their friends and neighbours like a musical virus. Anyone who has heard about how the wheels on that wretched bus go round and round eleventy-seven gazillion times on a long car journey will know what we mean.  
+
|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783445467</amazonuk>
+
|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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Dr Seuss and Tish Rabe
+
|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title= Oh Baby, the Places You'll Go
+
|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|rating= 4
+
|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=5
|summary=A slightly odd concept to get one's head around, ''Oh Baby, the Places You'll Go'' is both a book within a book, and a book sized advert all in one. Dr Seuss (fun fact: 'Seuss' originally rhymed with 'voice') wrote many, many books in his lifetime, and lots of us will be familiar with his best-known characters such as [[The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss|The Cat in the Hat]] and the copious numbers of adventures he wrote about such as when [[Horton Hears a Who by Dr Seuss|Horton Hears a Who]]. This book is different, because rather than introducing new wild and wacky characters, it brings together existing ones who may never have met each other before. Adapted by Tish Rabe (though very much influenced by Dr Seuss's originals), this book rattles through the different titles and their key characters, knitting them together with the premise that these are all people baby will meet in the future, through the wonder of children's books.
+
|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008241651</amazonuk>
+
|summary=Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline. On top of the ice was a polar bear.  As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice.  Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another.  He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Rachel Bright and Jim Field
+
|isbn=1913839656
|title= The Squirrels Who Squabbled
+
|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|rating= 5
+
|author=Lainey Dee
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=3.5
|summary=First we had a cute little mouse finding his inner beast in [[The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field|The Lion Inside]] and then we had a nervous koala trying to move out of his comfort zone in [[The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright and Jim Field|The Koala Who Could]] and now we have a couple of greedy, fighting squirrels. Whatever next?
+
|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408340488</amazonuk>
+
|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 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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark
+
|isbn=1529504775
|title= Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of The Wizard of Oz
+
|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|rating= 4
+
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
|genre= Emerging Readers
+
|rating=4.5
|summary= The timeless story that we all know as The Wizard of Oz is given a twist in this original interpretation by master story-crafter Michael Morpurgo. It's the tale of a character that seems to be so often overlooked in the well-known story: Dorothy's faithful dog, Toto. We hear the whole story from his point of view, told in first person narrative from the moment the tornado sweeps across Dorothy's Kansas farm. Toto continues to tell the story as it happens to him in a witty and charming manner as their house is lifted into the air and whisked away to the mysterious land of Oz. Of course, Toto and Dorothy meet the absurd but loveable scarecrow without a brain, tin man without a heart and lion who lacks courage, and together they set off along the yellow brick road to find the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, hoping that he might help Toto and Dorothy return home. Along the way, the tin man, scarecrow and lion learn that what they think they are missing might have been there all along.  
+
|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008134596</amazonuk>
+
|summary=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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=J M Barrie and Robert Ingpen
+
|isbn=1529504767
|title=Peter Pan and Wendy
+
|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|rating=4
+
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 +
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's a childhood staple - the story of Wendy, John and Michael Darling and their beloved nurse, Nana the Newfoundland dog who took them to school each dayIt's George Darling, their father, who makes the mistake when he locks Nana in the yard and the children are whisked away to Neverland by Peter Pan and TinkerbellThere's a wonderful mix of characters, from Peter Pan, the boy who never wants to grow up, Tinkerbell, the rather unpleasant fairy, Captain Hook, Tiger Lily, the lost boys and - of course - Wendy, but then it wouldn't have been a classic since the original stage production in 1904 and the novel of 1911 if it were otherwise.
+
|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 herselfGradually 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>1786750856</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Clare Foges and Al Murphy
+
|isbn=1916459943
|title=Bathroom Boogie
+
|title=Squeakily Baby
 +
|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Every day I leave the house with the feeling that I left it in a pretty tidy state, but on my return some things always seem out of place.  This is especially true of my bathroom.  Why is there toothpaste on the mirror, or a flannel on the floor?  It would appear that I may not actually be to blame and that when I'm at work all the bathroom items come out for a boogieWill I ever catch them in the act?
+
|summary=Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily babyHe'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>0571337317</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Fearne Cotton and Sheena Dempsey
 
|title= Yoga Babies
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Radio host, TV presenter, fashion designer, author – is there anything Fearne Cotton can't do? Based on the content of this book, we can undoubtedly add Yogi to the ongoing list of talents, because it's hard to imagine any other way in which this came into being.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783445645</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Claire Freedman and Jane Massey
 
|title= Florence Frizzball
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Florence Frizzball has the frizziest, curliest, most out of control mop of hair you've ever seen! And she longs for smooth, sleek, brushable locks like all her friends. As a kid, I remember being chased round the garden by my mother, brandishing a hair brush and trying to get me to sit still and have my frizz sorted out. To say I identified with Florence would be an understatement. As the tale goes on, though, we see another side to the story. Florence gets what she wants, but when her dream comes true she quickly learns that maybe she was wanting all the wrong things, and that actually her frizzball is part of her identity.  
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471144542</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Phil Allcock and Richard Watson
 
|title= Clumpety Bump
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Clumpety Bump likes apples. Nothing wrong with that, after all: they're tasty and full of goodness. But you don't get delicious, juicy treats like that unless you deserve them, and naughty Clumpety is a bit too keen on saying ''I can't be bothered'' when his friend Wally asks for help. So, after several disasters, Wally decides he'd be better off leaving Clumpety at home and using his tractor instead. Unfortunately, things don't turn out too well, and our two heroes learn that if you want to be properly happy, other people need to be happy too. Selfishness just makes everyone sad.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848862458</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Jackie Morris and James Mayhew
 
|title= Mrs Noah's Pockets
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= The heavy rains, Noah building his ark and the animals going in two by two to be saved. This most familiar of stories has been retold time and time again but not like this.  This time there is twist and someone else quietly takes centre stage. When Mr Noah builds the ark, he makes two lists - one for all the animals who will come on board and one for those troublesome creatures he will leave behind. Meanwhile, Mrs Noah gets out her sewing machine and makes a coat with very deep pockets. Lots of pockets.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>191095909X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Lisa Papp
+
|isbn=140639131X
|title=Madeleine Finn and the Library Dog
+
|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
 +
|author=Briony May Smith
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Madeleine Finn doesn't like to read - not anythingIt's not really her fault, you knowHer teacher tries to encourage her, but some of the other kids giggle when she makes mistakes.  And they pull faces of the type which would have given me my head in my hands to play with when I was a childThe words just don't seem to come out right for her.  The other children are getting gold stars (I've ''never'' liked that system) but all Madeleine gets is a heart sticker which tells her to keep trying.  She's got plenty of those.  All week she tries her best but doesn't get the star she longs for.
+
|summary=Philippa Pheasant was ''tired'' of nearly getting squished as she tried to cross the Old Oak RoadShe 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 obvious.  All the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910646326</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Rose Blake
+
|isbn=1776574338
|title= Going to School
+
|title=Leilong's Too Long!
 +
|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= At the start of a new school year parents often ask for recommendations for books that would help make things a little easier for those about to start school for the first time or for slightly older children making the transition to Junior School. This vibrant and cheerful picture book contains much in both text and images that would be useful and encouraging for anxious children and equally anxious parents.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847808980</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Rob Biddulph
 
|title=Kevin
 
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Sidney Gibbons is always in trouble and, to make matters worse, he insists on blaming the mess he makes on his invisible friend – Kevin. This, however, changes when Sidney actually meets Kevin and discovers what it is like to be on the receiving end of bad behaviour. In a magical world of make-believe, Sidney finally comes to realise that he's been selfish and resolves to put things right for both his invisible chum and his very own mum.
+
|summary=Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes.  Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck. It's perfect, isn't it?  What could be a more fun way of going to school?  There is a problem, though.  Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up.  The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008207410</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Rob Biddulph
+
|isbn=1776574028
|title=Sunk!
+
|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|rating=5
+
|author=David Elliott
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''Hoist the Colours! Set the Sail! It's time to hit the treasure trail.'' Penguin Blue and his friends are prepared to sail the seven seas in search of gold but they become unstuck when a rip in their ship means they're suddenly SUNK! Luck is, however, on their side and they find a handy desert island in the nick of time. Here they make a special new friend and ultimately find a treasure that's worth much more than gold.
+
|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>0008207402</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Jason Rekulak and Kim Smith
+
|isbn=1838226834
|title=The X-Files: Earth Children are Weird. A Picture Book
+
|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|rating=4.5
+
|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=We know that Dana Scully and Fox Mulder didn't know each other as children, for they met much later on, at work for the FBI.  But if they had, they may well have camped out in the back yardThey made have read scary stories to each other, but one thing is for sure – Mulder's imagination would have seen aliens everywhere.  He would have seen mystery in the deep impression in the yard, horror in the shadows, and the unexplained in any vaguely mysterious noise.  For that's what happens on the pages of this picture book – but that's not ''all'' that happens – the truth is something much more peculiar…
+
|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>1683690273</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Akala and Sav Akyuz
+
|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|title=You Can do Anything
+
|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|rating=3.5
+
|author=Cordellya Smith
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= If you think about rapping, what comes to mind? The hard streets of the East Coast and West Coast of America as they brag about what cars they own and women they date?  Rap is like any musical form; it varies greatlyThere is loads of Gangster Rap, but what about the pop of Will Smith, or the Grime of the UK? Just have a look at the 80s for loads of unqualified people having a dabble in the format (Wham! Rap)Rap in of itself is nothing but a way to project a message and if this message is about trying hard and succeeding, it could just be suitable for a kid's book.
+
|summary=When the world was made, the animals were given gifts.  Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector.  Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn. Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present ''and'' the futureRabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately, not the ability to use it well. He liked to trick other animalsHe 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>0192747800</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Jon Burgerman
+
|author=Rob Keeley
|title= Rhyme Crime
+
|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|rating= 5
+
|rating= 4
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Sometimes books for sharing need to be calm and gentle, soporific even, to lure little ones under the duvet and off to sleep. And sometimes books need to be utterly zany, full of bright colours, daft doodle-style illustrations and crazy rhymes for the child to shout out loud. Please, dear parent, do not try to read this wonderful book to your offspring within an hour or two of lights out. Seriously, be warned - You Will Regret It.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192749501</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Georgiana Deutsch and Ekaterina Trukhan
 
|title= 10, 9, 8... Owls Up Late!
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= It's tough being a mother owl. Rather than just one or two rambunctious little ones to calm down ready for bed, she has ten of them! And there's so much going on in her tree that she must sometimes despair of ever getting them to sleep. But gradually, one by one, the owlets' eyes begin to droop and they make their way to their comfy little nest until at last . . . zzzzzz!
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184869704X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michelle Robinson and Claire Powell
 
|title=Have You Seen My Giraffe?
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|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!
+
|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>0857075993</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Simon Puttock and Matt Robertson
+
|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=Fluffywuffy
+
|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=Mr Moot, and his dog Fluffywuffy, are very happy in their quiet little life together.  But 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 guest.  Whatever will Mr Moot do?
+
|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>1847808719</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
 
{{newreview
+
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=Emilia Dziubak and Przemyslaw Wechterowicz
+
}}  
|title=The Secret Life of a Tiger
+
{{Frontpage
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|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.
+
|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>191027724X</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
 +
}} 
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
 +
|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
 +
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.  .
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Peter Bently and Charles Fuge
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=A Home Full of Friends
+
|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
 +
|author=Peter Cotton
 
|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 treeShe'd like shelter in Bramble's sett, if he has room.  He'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.
+
|summary=Meet Fred.  Well, 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 FredFred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him.  He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk. And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>144492057X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Jill Atkins and Barbara Vagnozzi
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Peck, Hen, Peck! and Ben's Pet (Early Reader)
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|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 pet.  Will it be another hen, I wondered? No, actually, after several incorrect guesses, we discover that Ben's pet is only a rabbit!
+
|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>1848862482</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Alice Hemming and Louise Forshaw
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Buzz and Jump! Jump! (Early Reader)
+
|title=No, No, No!
|rating=5
+
|rating=4
 
|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.
+
|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>1848862504</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=Alice Hemming and Julia Seal
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title=Bamboo and I Wish (Early Reader)
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|rating=5
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 +
|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 hide. Where 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.
+
|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>1848862512</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
What will they buy?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Sarah Brennan and Jane Tanner
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title= Storm Whale
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|rating= 5
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=3.5
|summary= This is one of the most beautiful picture books that I have read for a while.
+
|genre=For Sharing
 
+
|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.
''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 beachThe 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.
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1910646253</amazonuk>
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
}}
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.  
{{newreview
+
   
|author= Barney Saltzberg
+
Her imagination was firedShe'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly.  One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning 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.
|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
 
|author= Sean Taylor and Kasia Matyjaszek
 
|title=I am Actually a Penguin
 
|rating=4.5
 
|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.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783704519</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Barney Saltzberg
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=Chengdu Could Not, Would Not, Fall Asleep
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
 +
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|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 bedtime. There 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?
+
|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>1484775651</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Libby Walden and Stephanie Fizer Coleman
 
|title=Hidden World: Forest
 
|rating=4.5
 
|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
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Carles Ballasteros
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title=Nee Nah! Nee Nah! To the Rescue: Press the tabs, hear the sounds (Sound of the City)
+
|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=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 mistake.  Let 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 pictures.  But - there's more...
+
|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>1784937428</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Craig Shuttlewood
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title=Town and Country (Turnaround Book)
+
|title=The Invisible
 +
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|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 snowYou 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.
+
|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>1782404422</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 <!-- remove 11/8 -->
+
{{Frontpage
|author=B C R Fegan and Lenny Wen
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|title=Henry and the Hidden Treasure
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Henry is a careful young man.  He has a lot of treasure and he keeps it very well hidden.  We 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 bank. But Henry's worried and ''he'' knows that only ''he'' can keep his treasure safe. But 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 treasure. Isn't that true of ''all'' little sisters?
+
|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>0995359253</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
{{newreview
+
 
|author= Anna Kovecses
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|title= Counting Things
 
|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>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

0008561249.jpg

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

1732898766.jpg

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

B0CC9W7GLR.jpg

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

1913839656.jpg

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

1529504775.jpg

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

1529504767.jpg

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

1916459943.jpg

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

140639131X.jpg

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

1776574338.jpg

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

1776574028.jpg

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

1838226834.jpg

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

B09MYXSRV4.jpg

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

B09HHN541V.jpg

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

B09FFJF8YS.jpg

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

B09C2RVJ2W.jpg

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

B09BG8V3Q6.jpg

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

B07GZ81J7C.jpg

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

B098BJZYHH.jpg

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

1638820457.jpg

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

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