Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
==For sharing==
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{{Frontpage
__NOTOC__
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|author=Adam Stower
 
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|title=Murray and Bun
{{newreview
 
|author=Jean Reidy and Genevieve Leloup
 
|title=Too Purply!
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=It's time for school, but the young girl and her tortoise don't want to wear any of their clothes. They're too purply, too tickly, too puckery, too prickly, and so on. You get the idea. Adjectives abound in this fun getting dressed book.
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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…
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408803151</amazonuk>
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|isbn=0008561249
 
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1732898766
|author=Rachel Isadora
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
|title=The Twelve Dancing Princesses
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|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Bookbag recently loved Rachel Isadora's take on [[The Night Before Christmas by Rachel Isadora and Clement Clarke Moore|The Night Before Christmas]], which put the classic Christmas poem in an African setting. This time round, she has turned her eye to the Grimms' ''The Twelve Dancing Princesses''.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0142414506</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Angela McAllister and Alex T Smith
 
|title=My Mum Has X-Ray Vision
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Milo suspects his mum has x-ray vision. She can see through the ceiling downstairs when he's jumping on her bed. She can see through the outside wall when he's making potions in the garden in her saucepans. Is she really a superhero? Milo puts her to the test...
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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>1407105388</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|author=Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|title=How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|rating=3.5
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|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=[[How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen|How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?]] was a witty and visually creative tale of Very Bad Bedtime Behaviour for modern children enamoured of dinosaurs. 'How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?' continues the formula, this time with table manners.
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|summary=Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline.  On top of the ice was a polar bear. As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another.  He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep.  What else would you do?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007216092</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1913839656
|author=Kate Lum and Sue Hellard
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|title=Princesses Are Not Perfect
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|author=Lainey Dee
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Princesses Allie, Mellie and Libby love baking, gardening and building respectively. The day before the big summer party, they suddenly fancy a change and all swap jobs. With a hundred punnets of blueberries to pick, a hundred cupcakes to make, and a hundred chairs to build, the children are going to be awfully disappointed if the princesses' new-found interests aren't successful.
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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 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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747599297</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner
 
|title=The Terrible Plop
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The rabbits are sitting by the lake, munching on cake and carrots. An apple falls in, with a terrible plop, and they scamper off scared. All the other animals join in the stampede and get as far away as they can from the terrible plop. Bear is far too big and grumpy to be scared, so he gets the littlest rabbit to show him just where the scariness lies...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405251379</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
 
|title=Emily and the Big Bad Bunyip
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=The author-illustrator partnership that created the 'Diary of a Wombat', [[Pete the Sheep by Jackie French|Pete the Sheep]] and 'Josephine Wants to Dance' bring all their Aussie characters together in a Christmas book with a Antipodean twist.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007324278</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504775
|author=Graham Oakley
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=The Church Mouse
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Arthur the church mouse lives in peace with Sampson the meek church cat, but he gets lonely from time to time. He hits on a great idea: he'll invite all the other mice of the town to come and live with them. The parson agrees, as long as they agree to do a few odd jobs around the place. Then one day, a burglar breaks in and there's no-one around to stop him but Arthur, Sampson and the mice...
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|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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1840116102</amazonuk>
 
 
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1529504767
|author=Janet Charters and Michael Foreman
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|title=The General
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
|rating=4
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|rating=5
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=General Jodhpur keeps his soldiers busy, polishing their boots and practising shooting. He wants to become the most famous general in the whole world. One day, he's thrown off his horse, and discovers the joys of lying in the grass. On his walk home, he gets a chance to smell the flowers, and soon sets about putting his soldiers to more peaceful activities.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0763648752</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Alison Jackson and Keith Graves
 
|title=Desert Rose
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Desert Rose is mucking out the pig stalls, when she stumbles across a giant gold nugget. She decides to buy the fattest hog in Texas, so she can win first prize at the state fair - a gal's gotta have a dream. However, she gets one highfalutin hog who won't do as it's told, so she ropes in all the other inhabitants of Laredo to help her out, and win the prize.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408802198</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jane Ray
 
|title=Snow White
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Jane Ray has taken the classic fairy tale of Snow White, the dwarves and the wicked queen, and created beautiful three-dimensional tableaux. It's a much-loved story that everyone is familiar with, and this is a great opportunity to rediscover a classic in an interesting new way.
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|summary=Susan was very young when she was evacuated from London in 1939 and nervous about how she would be greeted when she got to her final destination.  She needn't have worried though as she went to the home of Mr and Mrs Russell, who couldn't have been kinder to her.  She even had her own room - all to herself.  Gradually she relaxed and began to enjoy her life. She'd help Mrs Russell with the baking and when it came to Christmas Eve Susan and Mr Russell put the decorations on the Christmas tree.  The best surprise happened the following morning.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406311839</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1916459943
|author=Chris Van Dusen
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|title=Squeakily Baby
|title=The Circus Ship
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|author=Beth Webb
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=When a circus ship sinks off the coast of Maine, the animals escape and make their home in a nearby town. They soon enchant the locals, who in turn decide to protect the animals from the greedy circus-owner. Very loosely based on the sinking of the ''Royal Tar'' in 1836, ''The Circus Ship'' is a fun picture book that animal-lovers will enjoy.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>076363090X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Rachel Isadora and Clement Clarke Moore
 
|title=The Night Before Christmas
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Everyone knows and loves Clement Clarke Moore's poem ''A Visit From St Nicholas''. Even if you don't go the whole hog, gathering the family round by the log fire, and reading it together, its opening line of '''Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...'' fills you with a warm glow. You can practically smell the mulled wine and hear the snores of Auntie Gertrude during the Queen's Speech. It's an absolute classic.
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|summary=Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby.  He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and ''wails''.  The sea offers to help.  It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing ''hush, hush''.  Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly.  The mermaids join in - ''la lou, la lay...'' And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyes. Then a seagull '''shouts''' and we know exactly what's going to happen next.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0399254080</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=140639131X
|author=Karen Sapp
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|title=Christmas Is...
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|author=Briony May Smith
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Christmas is looming and thus the market for picture books featuring santas, presents and Christmas trees. It's hard to come up with anything new here, and it's rather not the point - is it? Christmas is, after all, about annually repeated celebration of traditional rituals that add delight and nourishment to the spiritual, emotional and social fabric of life.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007303750</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jill Tomlinson and Paul Howard
 
|title=The Penguin Who Wanted To Find Out
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Otto the penguin lives on his father's feet at the bottom of the world. He's an inquisitive little thing and wants to know why they haven't fallen off the world. His dad explains that they won't Because I say so. Otto and his friend Leo gradually expand their horizons from their fathers' feet - they meet other penguin chicks, get to know their aunts who watch them when their fathers are away, and eventually grow feathers so they're big enough to toboggan on their bellies and swim in the sea.
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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>140523041X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574338
|author=Patrick O'Brien
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
|title=You Are The First Kid On Mars
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|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=It is a sci-fi future of no danger whatsoever, with no technological breakdown, and no fatal meteor strike, but that of course is only to be expected for this market.  I say it more to highlight how well the book has been illustrated.  Digital airbrush techniques and more have taken the antiseptic sheen off the whole experience, but have still allowed for a great detail in the machinery, and also a lovely warmth in the face of the lad we're empathising with.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0399246347</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=John Abbott Nez
 
|title=Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Meet Cromwell DixonHe's a real tinkerer, forever in a barn or somewhere building something manically unusualLuckily - although his long-suffering mother may disagree with that word - he's around at the birth of powered flight. Will his plans for a pedalled air machine work?
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|summary=Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goesChildren 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 upThe school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0399250417</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1776574028
|author=Jim Helmore and Karen Wall
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|title=Oh No, Monster Tomato!
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|author=David Elliott
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Marvin is entering the Great Grislygust Grow-Off, but just like him, his tomatoes aren't growing very big. He takes the only sensible course of action: he sings his tomatoes a song. The results are spectacular. Victory is surely within his grasp.
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|summary=I love a good board book!  ''Bumblebee Grumblebee'' is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can ''play'' with words and make something quite different from each one. We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a ''balletphant''. The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a ''fluffalo''.   The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a ''crynoceros'' (think about it!)  The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a ''sm.......''  OK, let's not go there  Some people are eating!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140524741X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1838226834
|author=Iain Smyth and Michael Terry
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|title=The Wide-Mouthed Frog
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|author=Ed Boxall
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Do you know the joke about the wide-mouthed frog? You must have heard it. It's a classic. It's one that you really need to tell in person, with your fingers pulling your mouth wide open, but to hopefully spark your memory, the wide-mouthed frog introduces himself to a number of animals until he finally comes across a crocodile who eats wide-mouthed frogs, and the frog does his best to disguise who he is whilst saying ''Ooh, you don't see many of those round here, do you?'' I'm hardly doing it justice, but it's very cheesy and funny. Anyway, this is a book of that joke.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408804964</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb
 
|title=The Princess Who Had No Kingdom
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=The princess who has no kingdom wanders around in a cart pulled by her horse Pretty. She's very polite, friendly, and kind-hearted, but she feels like something is lacking because she doesn't have a kingdom of her own. The other royals she meets treat her nicely enough, but there's always a feeling that she's not quite as good as them because she isn't the princess of anywhere.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846160421</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Mij Kelly and Louise Nisbet
 
|title=The Happiest Man in the World or the Mouse Who Made Christmas
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Mouse doesn't like anyone and keeps herself to herself. Her things are her things and she is too selfish to share them with anyone else. One day, an old man moves in to Mouse's house. He used to be the happiest man in the world, but now he's sad. He's fed up of having given, given, given all his life and never got anything back. He just sits quietly and mopes. This makes Mouse miserable, so one day she decides to cheer him up by giving him a clementine...
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|summary=It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340931558</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
|author=Nick Bland
 
|title=The Very Cranky Bear
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Moose, Lion, Zebra and Sheep head into a cave to get out of the rain, but little do they know that Bear is fast asleep in there. When they wake him up, he roars at them, chasing them outside, so they decide to cheer him up somehow. Zebra paints stripes on him, Moose fashions antlers for him and Lion sticks a mane of straw on him. Unsurprisingly, this makes Bear even crankier, so it's down to Sheep to save the day...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340989424</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|author=Kes Gray and Lee Wildish
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|title=Mum and Dad Glue
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|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A young boy's parents are splitting up. He's going through the usual emotions that children of divorce go through: worry, feeling unsure, blaming himself, anger, denial, and then trying to get them to stay together. His method for this isn't the usual response though: he looks for glue to stick his mum and dad together. Thankfully, he finds some wise and kindly advice in the process.
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|summary=When the world was made, the animals were given gifts.  Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector.  Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn.  Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present ''and'' the future.  Rabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately, not the ability to use it well.  He liked to trick other animals. He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle.  You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see.  Things are not always as they seem. I'll tell you how it came about.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340957107</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|author=Rob Keeley
|author=Clara Vulliamy
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|title=The Bear With Sticky Paws Won't Go To Bed
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|rating= 4
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's Pearl's bedtime, but she says she's really busy and isn't going to sleep. She just wants to play and play and play. When the bear with sticky paws rings the doorbell, he whisks her away on an amazing adventure - although as you might expect, the bear has a little more energy than Pearl and eventually she does get a little sleepy.
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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>1408300648</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|author=Stephen Mackey
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|title=Miki
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
|rating=4
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's cold, dark and icy, and Miki and Penguin are trudging through the snow. But it's Midwinter Eve, when wishes come true. They wish for a tree, lights, someone strong to power the lights, and finally a star that will shine brightly forever. Miki is taken deep below the ice to find the star, whilst up top Penguin and new friend Polar Bear start to worry about her.
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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>034095065X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
 
|author=Margaret Mayo, Geraldine McCaughrean, Rose Impey, Andrew Matthews, Jane Ray, Ian Beck,  Angela Barrett, Emma Chichester Clark and Alan Snow
 
|title=Magical Princess Stories
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=Most little girls would love a pretty pink book all about princesses, wouldn't they?  This one has seven retellings of traditional fairy tales accompanied by beautiful illustrations and would make a lovely gift for a birthday or Christmas.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140830516X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Joyce Dunbar and Jimmy Liao
 
|title=The Monster Who Ate Darkness
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Jo-Jo is scared that there might be a monster under his bed. He's right! The hungry monster doesn't want to eat little boys though; he eats darkness. He starts with all the darkness in Jo-Jo's room, and keeps eating and eating until he's eaten all the darkness in the world. With no darkness at all, strange things begin to happen...
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406315540</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{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=David Lucas
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}}
|title=Peanut
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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=One day, a flower opens up and a little monkey the colour of a pea pops out. He soon turns brown, and is the size of a nut, so of course he decides he's a peanut called Peanut. Peanut is a nervous little thing: dragonflies are monsters coming to eat him, the rain is the sky falling down, and night is the end of the world. Thankfully, he meets Beetle, who sets him straight about a thing or two.
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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>1406319589</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
}}
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}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|author=Michael Rosen and Joel Stewart
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|title=Red Ted and the Lost Things
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Red Ted is handed in to a lost property office, where he meets Crocodile. Red Ted is sure Stevie will come to find him, because she loves Red Ted as much as she loves cheese. He then starts to have a nagging doubt - Stevie doesn't know where he is, so what if she never comes?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406310379</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Various
 
|title=Let's Play Peeka! (Waybuloo)
 
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Come to the land of Nara and meet Nok Tok, De Li, Lau Lau and Yojojo. ''Let's Play Peeka!'' accompanies the CBeebies show ''Waybuloo'', and is aimed at the very youngest children.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405248173</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Various
 
|title=Piplings Come and Play! A Sound Book (Waybuloo)
 
|rating=1.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A tie-in with the CBeebies show ''Waybuloo''. There's nothing really to recommend it as a standalone book: it's just an introduction to the characters, with annoying (and difficult to press) sound-producing buttons. Take a look at [[Let's Play Peeka! (Waybuloo) by Various|Let's Play Peeka!]] instead.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405248181</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David McKee
 
|title=The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr Benn
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Ooh, it's a book of Mr Benn! Excellent! For those of you not already wrapping yourselves in the comforting blanket of nostalgia, I suppose an introduction is warranted. Mr Benn lives at 52 Festive Road, and enjoys visiting his local fancy dress shop. When he tries on a costume and steps through a secret door, he finds himself transported to a new and exciting world.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>034099715X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
 
|title=Room On The Broom
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=As the witch flies around the countryside, she drops various objects, which are picked up one by one by animals. As thanks, she offers all the animals a lift, but will there be enough room on the broom? This book comes with a fantastic interactive CD to stick in your PC.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0330508911</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Nick Sharratt
 
|title=What's In The Witch's Kitchen?
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The witch's kitchen is magical: if you open the fridge door one way, there's something tasty inside. Open it the other way, and there's something scary and gruesome. Dare you look in all the drawers in this delightful pop-up book?
+
|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>140632227X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|author=Hilaire Belloc and Mini Grey
+
|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|title=Jim, Who Ran Away From His Nurse and Was Eaten By A Lion
+
|author=Peter Cotton
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Hilaire Belloc's ''Cautionary Tales For Children'' are rightly lauded as classics. Mini Grey (also [[Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog by Mini Grey|rightly lauded]]), has illustrated one of these fine tales, so that a new generation of children can discover just what happens when you run away from your nurse and a lion eats you. Pay attention kids.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0224083678</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jan Pienkowski
 
|title=The First Christmas
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The First Christmas is, as you might expect, the story of Jesus' birth, Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men and Herod, presented as a picture book.
+
|summary=Meet Fred.  Well, actually, you're going to be meeting Fred-Fred for reasons which will become all too obvious very quickly.  But I'm getting ahead of myself: I'd better tell you a bit more about Fred.  Fred is a snake and even those of us who have a phobia about snakes are going to warm to him.  He arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk.  And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141500972</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|author=Debi Gliori
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|title=Stormy Weather
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's bedtime in millions of bedrooms across the world. Stories are being read, children are being tucked in, glasses of water are being fetched. Parents (of all animal species) explain what will happen if stormy weather hits, and how they'll keep their children safe, warm and cosy.
+
|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>0747599718</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|author=Mandy Stanley
+
|title=No, No, No!
|title=Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Favourites
+
|rating=4
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Every small child should have book (or a few) containing traditional nursery rhymes, and every so often newly illustrated collections are published.
+
|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.
  
''Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'' is part of such a new series called ''Time for a Rhyme'', published by Harper Collins and illustrated by Mandy Stanley known for her [[The Fairy Ball (Lettice) by Mandy Stanley|Lettice]] stories and other picture books.
+
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007315635</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|author=Liz Martinez and Mark Beech
 
|title=The Everyday Witch
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Jimmy has heard rumours of everyday witches living amongst us, then one day he spots his mother riding a broomstick with Tiddles the cat in tow. Are his eyes deceiving him? Is his mum really a witch?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747597022</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside.
|author=Emily Gravett
+
|isbn=1638820457
|title=Spells
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A frog discovers a book, but he wishes it was a boat, so he tears and folds the pages to turn it into the boat. He soon tires of that game, and wishes it was a castle, so he tears and folds it again, as well as cutting out a model of a beautiful princess. As fun as his new game is, it lacks a certain reality. Spotting that it's actually a book of spells, he sets about putting together the torn bits of paper, so he can turn himself into a prince.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230531369</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=194812467X
|author=Nick Butterworth
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|title=Trixie The Witch's Cat
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Trixie loves being a witch's cat, but from time to time she's upset by her white paw: witch's cats are supposed to be all black. Trixie finally has a brainwave and uses magic to turn her white paw black, but will she really be happy?
+
|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>0141326794</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
What will they buy?
|author=Jez Alborough
 
|title=Captain Duck (Duck in the Truck)
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Duck runs out of petrol in his truck. Luckily, Goat's house is nearby and Goat uses petrol in his boat! Duck 'borrows' the can of petrol and trots off to fill his truck when the appearance of Frog distracts his attention. Frog and Sheep are ready to go on a boat trip with Goat! As Goat pops back to get something from his shed, Duck jumps in, un-moors the boat and off they go, along the river and into the stormy sea: and then the boat runs out of fuel! Will Goat save them? Or will the tide bring them back? And what about the truck that Duck abandoned for his maritime adventure?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007302908</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=0995647895
|author=Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|title=Lulu's Christmas
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
|rating=4
+
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Lulu is getting ready for Christmas and she'd like you to help her to decorate the tree.  After that there are cards to make, streamers to put up and then she helps to ice the cake.  After that it's time to go outside and have a little bit of fun and build a snowman, but it made her hands cold so she came back inside again! At bedtime she hangs up her stocking and leaves a mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for his reindeer. In the morning she has some wonderful presents, but the best one of all is the one you might least expect!
+
|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747599912</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|author=Margaret Mayo
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|title=The Orchard Book of Magical Tales
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.  
|rating=4.5
+
|genre=For Sharing
+
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.
|summary=Is it sensible to build your house in the path of an enormous one-tusked elephant? Or to visit the house of Baba Yaga Bony-Legs the witch if you don't have to? This beautifully produced collection of folk tales featuring magic will give you the answers to these and many other questions.  The collection was first published in 1993, and it had become quite difficult to find, so it's great to see it reissued.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846165296</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1782227741
|author=Lauren Child
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|title=Who Wants To Be A Poodle? I Don't
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Trixie Twinkle Toes Trot-a-lot Delight hates being a pampered pooch. This primped and preened poodle can think of nothing she'd rather do that get messy, splash in a muddy puddle, and tear about the park like all the other dogs. Mademoiselle Verity Brulee may take good care of Trixie Twinkle Toes, but she's just not in tune with her needs as a scruffy mutt in the body of a poodle.
+
|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>0141384905</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|author=Michael Rosen and Adrian Reynolds
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|title=Bear Flies High
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Michael Rosen builds on the success of [[The Bear in the Cave by Michael Rosen and Adrian Reynolds|The Bear in the Cave]] with Bear Flies High. This sequel follows the same poetic formula of the original, with its ask and answer ''I'm a bear on a beach. On a beach? On a beach...'' Everything is as it was first time round, but this time Bear decides he wants to fly like the seagulls, so his friends take him to the amusement park. What follows is a gentle tale of a day out, of being scared and exhilarated by rides, and of imagining oneself soaring higher and higher.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747597979</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Spike Milligan
 
|title=The Magical World of Milligan
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=Some people you just have to love. It's the law. Spike Milligan was always fantastic, and he's much missed. He's got the perfect mix of nonsense, heart, and surreal humour. He speaks to people of all ages, and he's just plain lovely.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905264844</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jill Marshall and Sam Childs
 
|title=Kave-Tina Rox
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Kave-Tina Rox lives with her Mug, Pug and brother Dave-Kave in a cave. Her Mug tries to brush her hair and make her look pretty, but Kave-Tina's having none of it. When the Caveman Games come to town, Dave-Kave doesn't let her join in with any of the games, because she's just a girl, but Kave-Tina's having none of it. She shows she's perfectly capable of joining in, and indeed of doing it better than Dave-Kave and his mates.
+
|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>0340957123</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|isbn=1471191303
|author=Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway
+
|title=The Invisible
|title=Cross Crocodile
+
|author=Tom Percival
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There's no water on the Great African Plains, and Cross Crocodile sits beneath the mango tree, guzzling the sweet fruit and snapping at anoyone who dares to come near her. One day, monkey hits on a great idea for how the other animals can get to the fruit...
+
|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>0340970324</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
|author=Sam Lloyd
 
|title=Inspector Croc Investigates
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=All is peaceful in Whoops-a-Daisy World, until the phone rings at the police station. Someone has knocked over Rory Lion's paint, ridden their bike through Fix-It Fox's concrete and stomped all over Farmer Moo's crops. There's only one thing for it: Inspector Croc is going to have to investigate.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846169453</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
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.
|author=Susannah Corbett and Lynne Chapman
 
|title=Dragon's Dinner
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A hungry dragon heads into the woods to see what he can catch for his lunch. He's soon chasing after a bear, fox, cat and other animals, desperately trying to munch them. When the dragon comes across a mouse, he soon discovers that the most unlikely animal might just fight back.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340944226</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
+
{{Frontpage
{{newreview
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|author=John Lechner
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|title=The Clever Stick
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=The clever stick has all manner of wonderful ideas and things he wants to share with the world, but he has no mouth. He wants to write poetry, help others and tell roses how lovely they look, but he can't. With a heavy heart (I think sticks have hearts even if they don't have mouths) he drags himself home, and discovers that he does have a way of expressing himself after all.
+
|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>1406322237</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Rosen and Bob Graham
 
|title=I'm Number One
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=When the girl leaves for school in the morning, her toys do what all toys do during the day: they hang out with each other as friends do. A-One, the drummer boy, is at pains to point out to the other toys that he rules, that he's number one, and that the others are no good, hopeless and useless. He tricks Maddy into giving him her hat, Sally into giving up her rucksack and Sid into giving up his scarf. He's a bit of a meanie is A-One.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140631465X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]
|author=Colin McNaughton and Emma Chichester-Clark
 
|title=Not Last Night But The Night Before
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Not last night but the night before, a large cast of characters came knocking at the door. The three little pigs, Goldilocks, the man in the moon and many others come rushing in, knocking the young boy over and barely paying him any attention. They each shoot straight upstairs and before he has time to think, there's yet another knock at the door, and another, and another. What are the parcels, balloons and cakes they're carrying with them?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406304263</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

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Review of

Murray and Bun by Adam Stower

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Let's Celebrate Being Different by Lainey Dee

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant by Briony May Smith

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

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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

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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

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

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Review of

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

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


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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended by Peter Cotton

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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

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

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

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Review of

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

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

What will they buy? Full Review

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

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

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

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

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

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

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Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

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

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