Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Hsukung Liu and Xinlin Wang (translator)
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|author=Adam Stower
|title=The Only Pupil in the School
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|title=Murray and Bun
|rating=4
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|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=On the first day of the school term only one pupil appeared and the teachers began to worry about losing their jobs.  So they made their minds up that they would make their only pupil the best in the school, which - when you think about it - wasn't going to be ''all'' that difficult.  They began by trying to persuade her to come to ''their'' classes and when that didn't persuade her they began fighting amongst themselves and didn't notice our heroine creeping away.  She went to the forest and met an old man who taught her lots about the flowers and the insects.  A chef showed her how to make soup - it was delicious and warming - and then she had lots of fun (and exercise) with a dog she met in the parkThe further she looked, the more she learned and at the library she drew a book about what she had seen - and it was there that the teachers found her.
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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 twoBut 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>0993215416</amazonuk>
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|isbn=0008561249
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jessica Souhami
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|isbn=1732898766
|title=Rama and the Demon King
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|title=The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus: Book One: The Sour Milk Dragon
 +
|author=Wynn Everett-Albanese, Michael Albanese and Indre Ta (Illustrator)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Rama was a brave and good prince, the king's favourite son.  He loved his wife, Sita and his best friend was his brother Lakshman.  Everyone loved him, except for one personHis stepmother was jealous and she was determined to get rid of RamaLong ago she had saved the king's life and he had promised to grant her any wishShe asked that he send Rama into the forest for fourteen years and although the king was horrified he had to keep his promiseRama was sent into the forest, but he did not go alone, as Sita and Lakshman went with him and for a while all was well.  They fought off the demons who first appeared and then built a house and led a simple life among the forest animals.
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|summary=When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine ReputeTheir greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing themHe'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>1847806600</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title=When I Am Happiest
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
 +
|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=If Dani leaves her school for the summer holidays with one souvenir, it will either be the memories of the fabulous friendship she formed with Ella, who struck a chord in [[My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson|book one]] then moved away, or it will be a book she has written and compiled to remind her of all the happiness she has encountered along the way.  That is not quite finished, for the following day is to be the great end of year party, and her classroom decorations are complete and her dress has been bought new specially.  But not all of life is happiness and jollity – and Dani is removed from the classroom to face very bad news.  What ending is in store, for her book and for ours?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1927271894</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Christopher Franceschelli
 
|title= Dinoblock
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= As befits a book about dinosaurs, 'Dinoblock' is suitably chunky. Not monstrously large but enticingly substantial in a 'pick me up and read me' kind of way. Inside this board book, twenty plus beasts are on parade. If you don't know your Triassic from your Jurassic step this way…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1419716743</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Benji Davies
 
|title=Grandad's Island
 
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Syd and his Grandad are going on an adventure – through the door in Grandad's attic to a ship that will sail across an ocean of rooftops to a magical tropical island. They are going to find new wonders at every turn as they explore the island and make lots of new friends in the form of the animals and birds. In fact, it's such an amazing place that Grandad decides to stay.
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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>1471119955</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jules Nilsson
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|isbn=1913839656
|title=The Hounds of Falsterbo
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
|rating=4
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|author=Lainey Dee
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''In between the beach huts''<br>
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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.
''Where the white sands meet the seas,''<br>
 
''The heather meets the sand dunes''<br>
 
''And long grasses dance the breeze.''
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0992708419</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Steve Smallman and Ada Grey
 
|title= The Hippobottymus
 
|rating= 4.5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary=The Hippobotymus is a great romp through the jungle using language to create sound and rhythm which is really fun to engage with and read aloud. All the animals are having a great time, singing their song and each adding their own sounds, but just what is it that Hippo did? You’ll just have to read it to find out.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848690517</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Jeanne Willis and Jenni Desmond
 
|title= The First Slodge
 
|rating= 5
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary=The First Slodge thinks everything is his, until he finds out he might be the first Slodge, but that doesn’t make him the only Slodge. Will they learn to share? They might just have to. I found The First Slodge to be a fascinating book. I loved the ideas, and I think it’s great that a picture book is managing to tackle a number of issues all at once like this without losing its own sense of story and purpose.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848690398</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Alex T Smith
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|isbn=1529504775
|title=Claude: Lights!  Camera!  Action!
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|title=The Toy Bus (The Repair Shop Stories)
 +
|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Ah, Claude! How I do enjoy reading these funny little stories about this sweet doggy! This time Claude finds himself embroiled in shenanigans on a film set, helping with wigs and make up and a film star gorilla! Claude is as endearing as ever, and Mr Bobblysock continues to enchant us with his hot flushes and requirements for a little lie down.
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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>1444926470</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= W Awdry
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|isbn=1529504767
|title= Three Cheers for Thomas the Tank Engine
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|rating= 4
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=5
|summary= I don't like Thomas the Tank Engine. He may be a 'really useful' engine but he is also over exposed and (Surely? Please?) at commercial saturation point. Why then do I have a copy of 'Three Cheers for Thomas the Tank Engine' at my side? Well, for the same reason that a pack of Thomas, Percy and James socks, infant size 3-5, ended up in my shopping basket at the weekend. Yes, the owner of those titchy feet is my toddler boy and boy, does he love Thomas.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405276053</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=David Ellwand
 
|title=Wake Up, Alfred!
 
|rating=4
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It's Alfred's birthday! We don't know how old he is, because once dogs have reached full size they tend to look much the same for quite a few years.  And talking of looks, Alfred does look rather splendid – he's a Great Dane in gorgeous conditionBut – back to the book! We see – in a series of black and white photographs – Alfred being woken up (he wears a nightcap), looking outside his kennel to see what the postman has brought him, opening his presents, laying the table before his friends arrive (and being just a little bit naughty by balancing a tea cup and saucer on his head...), putting the bunting up for the party, making the cake, having a much-needed bath (after making a bit of a mess with the cake), choosing which hat he's going to wear and then having great fun with his friends – there are seven dogs, two mice and a cat.
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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 herShe 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>1910646016</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Sean Taylor and Chris Garbutt
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|isbn=1916459943
|title=It's a Groovy World, Alfredo!
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|title=Squeakily Baby
 +
|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Cool boogie-styleSpeedy Heebie-Jeebies. Silky-smooth moving and grooving. These are the three dances that Marty tries to teach his friend, Alfredo. But Alfredo can't dance. Every time he tries the same thing happens – he goes Jump, Jump, Jump and looks like a duck on a trampoline. Alfredo is worried that everyone will laugh at him. But he doesn't need to worry because he's about to introduce his own form of groovy dancing – the Jump-Jump-Jumping Jive!
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|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>1406324132</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica and Lorenzo Clerici
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|isbn=140639131X
|title=The White Book
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|rating=5
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|author=Briony May Smith
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary= A little boy stands in front of a white wall, paint brush in hand. He looks concerned where he should start. We turn the page and he smiles because he now has a column of pink paint down the side of the page. We turn the page and his smile widens as his paint expands across the page to reveal the white outline of a bird. There are six birds on the next page and he is smiling broadly. But, when we turn the page again, his smile has gone – the birds have left the pink wall and are flying off across the page. And so the story continues with a new colour and a new animal on the next page of this unique wordless picture book.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406363170</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreviewplain
 
|title= Baby Touch: Busy Baby
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Children grow up fast enough without encouraging your baby to drive a car, but this has not stopped ‘‘Busy Baby’’ as he is behind the wheel of a roadster that has a lovely feel to itTry and keep up with Baby as he takes you on a trip across the rolling hills to a land full of animals of all texturesBaby Racers and lions?  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, thankfully this is all part of a ‘‘Baby Touch’’ range of books.
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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 herselfHer uniform and lollipop stick were both a little amateur to start with but the benefits were obviousAll the animals used the crossing and Hedgehog was even trained up to provide a safe path overnight.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0723299072</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Britta Teckentrup
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|isbn=1776574338
|title=Take a Square
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
 +
|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Sometimes it is hard to determine who is enjoying reading a sharing book the most; the adult or the childA book can look great, or have an interesting art style that draws the mature reader in, but does the baby careUnless it is colourful with plenty going on, toddlers are not really bothered that their mum or dad are getting a fun nostalgia blast from the bookIf you are going to design a book for youngsters, first make sure that it appeals to them and then think about the parent later.
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|summary=Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes.  Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neckIt's perfect, isn't it?  What could be a more fun way of going to schoolThere is a problem, thoughLeilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up.  The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>191027707X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= David McKee
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|isbn=1776574028
|title= Elmer
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
|rating= 5
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|author=David Elliott
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=4
|summary= Everyone knows the story of Elmer , the elephant who is ‘’not’’ elephant colour, and this board book allows him to be introduced to an even younger audience.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783442689</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Kim Hyun
 
|title=Best Friends
 
|rating=3.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Teaching your young child new words is one of the wonders of parenthood, but once you have grown tired of teaching them mildly rude words, what is next? Thankfully, like with most thing in modern living, there is a book to help you that is full of popular and useful phrases to use in everyday situationsI mean who else is going to teach you to say Pardon Me, if you have an accident?
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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>1447277309</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
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|isbn=1838226834
|title=Bear Counts
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|rating=5
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|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=If a bear approaches you in the woods and asks you for help counting, the only numbers you will need to be aware of are the steps you take pegging it in the opposite direction.  Thankfully, the bear of this story is a friendly creature and he hangs out mostly with his woodland pals and not terrified humansCan he help us count to five before the terror grips us?
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|summary=It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much funA young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1471125459</amazonuk>
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 +
''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Joan Aiken and Quentin Blake
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|title=Arabel’s Raven
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
|rating=4.5
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|author=Cordellya Smith
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=It’s been many, many years since I first met Arabel and her pet raven, Mortimer, whilst watching Jackanory on children’s television.  Bernard Cribbins used to read the stories, and they became firm favourites of mine.  Here I am returning to the first book in the series, well, just a handful of years later, and the story has lost none of its charm.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847806910</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Kim Kane and Sara Acton
 
|title=Unexpected Crocodile
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It’s always a worry when a large animal comes to teaHere we find our characters inviting in a crocodile, who just happens to have dropped by to join Peggy and her family as they entertain the Dawson’s for a barbecueWhy has the crocodile come?  And more importantly, will he ever leave?
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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 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 seemI'll tell you how it came about.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1760111732</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Lucy Tapper and Steve Wilson
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title=Horace and Hattiepillar (Hedgehugs)
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|rating=4.5
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|rating= 4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Horace and Hattie are best friends. They like to do everything that they can together, from playing hide and seek, to looking for the first star of the night. One day when they’re out together, they find something small and round and smooth handing on the bottom of a leaf. Whatever could it be?
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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>184886163X</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Timothy Knapman and Patrick Benson
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=Soon
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
|rating=4.5
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|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Raju is a baby elephant who set out on a jungle adventure with his mother.  He was excited and just a little bit frightened: you could see that by the way that he held on to her tail very tightly.  On their way they met crocodiles, who snapped at the pair until mother stamped her feet to frighten them away, hissing snakes and ferocious, frightening tigers.  Mother frightened them off too. At each encounter Raju asks:
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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.''
  
''When can we go home again?''
+
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406351350</amazonuk>
+
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!
}}
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}}  
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Georgie Birkett
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title= Teddy Picnic
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|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
|rating= 4.5
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|rating=4
|genre= For Sharing
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary= Picnics are fun, whether they’re at the beach, at the bottom of the garden or even on a rug in the living room. And no one knows how to picnic like teddy bears.
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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>1783441607</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
}}
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}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Sarah McIntyre
+
|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
|title= Dinosaur Police
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|rating= 4
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Help! There’s trouble in Dinoville! A T-Rex is causing havoc in the pizza parlour!  So starts the silliest of dinosaur books that had me giggling until the very last page. Trevor is a naughty little thing, ruining all the pizzas for a special order, and then running away from the Police before they can catch him. It’s one kerfuffle after another here, but somehow, some way, the show must go on, and the town rallies together to make it happen.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140714328X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Carolina Rabei
 
|title=Crunch!
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Crunch is a guinea pig who likes his comfy bed, but most of all he likes eating - which is probably why he's called Crunch.  He's gorgeously round and well-fed but he couldn't help but think that there was something missing from his life. One day he was approached by Cheddar, the mouse, who chatted to him about the abundance of food which was available to Crunch. Cheddar couldn't believe it and thought that Crunch probably had enough food to share, but Crunch was having none of thisHis food was HIS food and he wasn't sharing it with ''anyone'', even when Cheddar offered him a big friendly hug in return.
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|summary= ''Who Needs Nappies? Not Me!'' is the latest release in the ''Everybody Potties!'' series from Justine Avery. This series of fun picture books aims to take the pain out of potty training children and replace it with some fun. It's a worthy aim, as any frustrated parent will tell you.  .
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846437326</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreviewplain
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{{Frontpage
|title=Busy Alice in Wonderland
+
|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
 +
|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=
+
|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 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 walkAnd that was where the problem startedFred didn't have any road senseOr brakes.
''Busy Alice in Wonderland'' is a board book, with paper (or should it be 'board'?) engineeringIt would seem to too crass to describe what can be done with the book as 'pull the tab'.  A pulled tab moves the hedgehog forward, paints the blooms red and puts stripes onto the cat's teeth (and all that is on the cover!)  A finger in a ring moving through a curve drops Alice down the rabbit holeThe potion which Alice drinks quickly reduces her size and a turning wheel pours tea out of the potIt's all brilliantly done and despite trying my best I couldn't find a single sharp edge or one of the pieces of engineering that I thought would soon need repairIt's a book which you could leave with a child rather than feeling that it needed to be kept on 'Mummy's shelf'.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447277694</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Kim Geyer
+
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Go to Sleep, Monty!
+
|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=For some children, it does not take them long to decide that they want a pet.  This means that the next few months and years consist of them slowly breaking down their parents’ resistance until finally a pet enters the home. For some lucky adults this may take the form of a goldfish or a hamster, but for many it will be a dog.  You may feel like you have only just managed to get your own child potty trained, but now you have to start all over again with a puppy.
+
|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>1783441100</amazonuk>
+
|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Lydia Monks
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Mungo Monkey goes on a Train
+
|title=No, No, No!
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I have spent quite a lot of time on public transport and, believe you me, I have seen a few odd things in my time, but I have yet to see a family of monkeys catch the train. However, Mungo is no ordinary monkey as he lives in a curious world where you can lift flaps and see what is going on. What can be behind the next one?  Perhaps a photo of me looking puzzled as I see a monkey on the train!
+
|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>1405269103</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
{{newreview
+
 
|author= Pat Hutchins
+
''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
|title= Where, Oh Where, is Rosie's Chick?
+
 
|rating= 4
+
That's it! But, like all the best picture books, this tiny snippet of text is a veritable tardis - so much bigger on the inside that it appears on the outside.
|genre= For Sharing
+
|isbn=1638820457
|summary= Rosie's not the sharpest chuck in the hen house. She made her debut over forty years ago in the 1968 publication, 'Rosie's Walk' when she stepped out alone blithely unaware of always being a hairs breadth away from calamity. Well, she's back, and this time she has a chick. Uh-oh as my toddler would say…let's have a look at 'Where, Oh Where, is Rosie's Chick?'
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444918281</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Michael Bond and R W Alley
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title=Paddington Goes for Gold
+
|title=The Farm Shop
 +
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Rather like a young child, Paddington is a wide-eyed innocent who leaves devastation wherever he goes, yet somehow always manages to land on his feet. I am very fond of literary bears, and he is one of my favourites. I love his enthusiasm, in everything he does, and that he always has a snack to hand.  In this particular adventure, Paddington manages to entice the entire Brown family, and Mrs Bird, to come to a local sports day. There’s everything from the shotput to a three-legged race and even a knitting race. You can probably imagine the trouble he gets into…
+
|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>0007427735</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
What will they buy?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Quentin Blake and John Yeoman
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title=The Fabulous Foskett Family Circus
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|rating=3
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
 +
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There are names to conjure with and Quentin Blake is certainly one of thoseHis tell-tale illustrations have been part of many a child’s upbringings, not at least for his work in the superb Roald Dahl booksHowever, can nostalgia and reverence cloud a person’s mind? Are the drawings of Blake strong enough to cope on their own when put alongside words that are not at a Dahl level?
+
|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doingShe lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178344035X</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
 +
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
 +
''To the Maritime Museum''.  
 +
   
 +
Her imagination was fired.  She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly.  One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning 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.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Jack Tickle
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=Silly Dizzy Dinosaur
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
|rating= 4.5
+
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Reading to children does not have to be a passive experience. Some of the best books have you interacting with the characters found between the pagesDizzy Dinosaur is not the most sensible of chaps at the best of time, but his errors are only compounded when the reader gets involved. Can we help this clumsy Camarasaurus from falling over too much?
+
|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>1848690452</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Mick Inkpen
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title=Kipper’s Little Friends
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
|rating=4.5
+
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Mick Inkpen has an enormous amount of talent, and he manages to somehow make the simplest of stories endearing and interesting. Here, on his 25th anniversary, Kipper is back with a new story in which he’s thinking about baby animals. He finds out what various different animal babies are called, and then he begins to wonder what he was when he was a baby.
+
|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>1444918192</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Alice Hemming and Kimberley Scott
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title= A Gold Star for George
+
|title=The Invisible
|rating= 4.5
+
|author=Tom Percival
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=5
|summary= George the Giraffe is a lovable chappie, that much is evident from the start. He’s smart too, both in brains and attire (spotted bow tie being every day wear if you’re George) and right now he’s very excited because the Wildlife Park are having some awards. Gold stars for things like ‘’Most Popular Animal’’, ‘’Best Trick’’ and so on. George ‘’really’’ wants to win one.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848861710</amazonuk>
+
|genre=For Sharing
}}
+
|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:
{{newreview
+
 
|author= Cedric Ramadier and Vincent Bourgeau
+
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
|title= Help! The Wolf is Coming!
+
 
|rating= 5
+
The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happy. Then the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the cityThis part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= With every turn of the thick, cardboard pages, the Wolf is getting closer. Eek. Can you escape in time? Maybe if you’re clever and make him trip up on himself by tilting the pages? Might he then slide off?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1927271843</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt
 
|title= What the Jackdaw Saw
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= The jackdaw is flying over the countryside, the sea, towns and forests inviting all the creatures he meets to his party. He is excited and so busy trying to tell everyone about his party that he does not understand that the other animals are all trying to warn him that he is flying into danger. Will he work out what they are telling him before it is too late?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447280849</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Anita Pouroulis
 
|title= Jules and Nina Dine Out
 
|rating= 4
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Nina and George are Jules’ dogs.  Eating out at restaurants used to be a family affair until George blew it. A misunderstanding about a steak apparentlyWith the exception of her slightly unreliable digestive system, Nina has slightly more refined manners. She continues to dine out until one restaurant manager refuses her admission. Then it’s a long, but dramatic, spell out on the pavement for her…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1909428345</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 +
{{Frontpage
 +
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
 +
|title=One Night in Beartown
 +
|rating=4
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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!
 +
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
 +
}} 
 +
 +
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

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Review of

Murray and Bun by Adam Stower

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Let's Celebrate Being Different by Lainey Dee

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

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

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Review of

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

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant by Briony May Smith

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

Every morning Leilong, the brontosaurus school bus, makes his way through the city, picking up children as he goes. Children who live at the top of tower blocks don't even need to go downstairs – they simply climb out of the window and slide down his neck. It's perfect, isn't it? What could be a more fun way of going to school? There is a problem, though. Leilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled up. The school decides that he can't be the bus anymore. Full Review

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Review of

Bumblebee Grumblebee by David Elliott

4star.jpg For Sharing

I love a good board book! Bumblebee Grumblebee is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can play with words and make something quite different from each one. We have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a balletphant. The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a fluffalo. The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a crynoceros (think about it!) The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a sm....... OK, let's not go there Some people are eating! Full Review

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Review of

Carried Away With the Carnival by Ed Boxall

4star.jpg For Sharing

It was one of those memories we treasure from our childhoods: an outing with our grandparents. They're there to undo all the good that parents do, so the trips out were always so much fun. A young boy was going to the carnival with his Grandad, who told him:

It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand. Full Review

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Review of

Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare by Cordellya Smith

4star.jpg For Sharing

When the world was made, the animals were given gifts. Bear was given strength so that he could become a protector. Water Spider received a strong web that even fire could not burn. Owl had excellent sight so that he could see the present and the future. Rabbit developed intelligence - but, unfortunately, not the ability to use it well. He liked to trick other animals. He was also jealous which was how he came to be in a race with Turtle. You might think that's not a fair contest but wait and see. Things are not always as they seem. I'll tell you how it came about. Full Review

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Review of

Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! by Rob Keeley

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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


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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended by Peter Cotton

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

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

194812467X.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

What will they buy? Full Review

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

1782227741.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

B08R7LXQ9S.jpg

Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

1471191303.jpg

Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

B08NFH7H9X.jpg

Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

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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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