Difference between revisions of "Newest For Sharing Reviews"

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[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
 
[[Category:For Sharing|*]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|For Sharing]]__NOTOC__
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jonny Lambert
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|author=Adam Stower
|title=Little Why
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|title=Murray and Bun
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 +
|genre=Confident Readers
 +
|summary=Murray is supposed to be a humble, tidy and friendly cat, one who is able to sleep and eat and eat and sleep and, well, whatever takes his fancy next of the two.  But he's a bad magician's cat, so his favourite bun has been turned into a hyperactive sticky rabbit called Bun, and the catflap they both use can chuck them out, not into the regular back garden, but into a world of frightening adventure and whiffs.  This time round it drops them into a Viking land, where a troll hunter is expected – well, one much bigger than Murray was, to be honest, but he's turned up and he'll have to do…
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|isbn=0008561249
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}}
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{{Frontpage
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|isbn=1732898766
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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
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Many of us have felt the pain of insistent question asking from the back of the car; are we there yet or why is the sky blue? In 2016 we can attach our children to multimedia devices so that they learn all they need to know from the Matrix whilst we get on with drivingHowever, curious young minds will keep asking questionsSometimes it is better to give them an answer, rather than just telling later.
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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 escapedThey 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>1848691831</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Ben Bailey Smith and Sav Akyuz
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|isbn=B0CC9W7GLR
|title= I Am Bear
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|title=On the Beach: The Winter Visitor
|rating= 5
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|author=Chris Green and Jenny Fionda
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=5
|summary= The first time we meet Bear he is bare! Imagine – a naked animal, in the forest with his bottom on display. Squirrel is so shocked he's dropped his nuts. Ooh matron.  
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|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406359254</amazonuk>
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|summary=Kit and Teal were just beginning to wonder whether it was better to be at home, bored but warm, or frozen cold and building sand sculptures on a snowy beach when a large slab of silvery ice drifted onto the shoreline.  On top of the ice was a polar bear.  As the ice bumped onto the sand, the bear woke and with wobbly legs moved from the ice. Kit was all for making a run for it, but Teal knew that the bear was hungry and gave him one apple and then another. He obviously needed to be taken home on the bus and given a good meal and somewhere to sleep. What else would you do?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jo Weaver
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|isbn=1913839656
|title=Little One
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|title=Let's Celebrate Being Different
 +
|author=Lainey Dee
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There is a subtle balance needed when finding a book to read to a toddler; one that takes into account the needs of the child, but perhaps also the needs of the adultDo you really want to be stuck reading an ugly book about a pair of underpants for several months?  (Oops we seem to have lost that book!) However, a book with striking visuals that strikes a chord with a parent may not always chime with a childIs a children's book always meant to be just for kids?
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|summary=Todd was excited about spending the weekend with his grandmother, not least because she made the best beetle juice.  He packed two pairs of dungarees and his favourite hat and then gathered together his button collection to show his grandmotherShe had promised to take him to the Friday Night Club at the local community centre and Todd was pleased about this as he wanted to make new friends. At home, his only friend was his mum and he wondered why that could beGrandma thought that it might be because he looked different.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444922734</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Nicky Benson and Jonny Lambert
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|isbn=1529504775
|title=I Love You More and More
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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=I'm something of a connoisseur when it comes to books about bearsI suppose it probably started with Winnie the Pooh, and my dad doing all the funny voices, but even these days I find I am irresistibly drawn to stories with bears in, and this one did not disappointIf you're looking for a good old pull-at-the-heartstrings read for cozy afternoons with your momentarily quiet little one, then this is a good place to start.
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|summary=Elsie and her little brother David loved to go to the park and watch the red buses drive pastElsie would race the buses along the side of the park but David couldn't - he'd been born with cerebral palsy and even just standing up was very difficultOne day Elsie spotted a bus in the toy shop window which would help David - and was happy to use the coins from her money box to pay for it as cash was tight at home.  Gradually, David learned to stand up, use the bus for support, and walk behind 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>1848692110</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora
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|isbn=1529504767
|title=Wolfie the Bunny
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|title=The Christmas Doll (The Repair Shop Stories)
|rating=4.5
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|author=Amy Sparkes and Katie Hickey
 +
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=It may be that you are on the lookout for a useful picture book that deals with sibling rivalry in a helpful wayIt may be that you have a wolf or rabbit obsessed toddlerOr it may just be that you like a good story that's fun to readFortunately for you, this book will cover all of those requirements! Wolfie the bunny arrives in the Bunny family's lives in a rather suspicious way, when he is left on their doorstep in a basketMama and Papa Bunny are immediately charmed by their new baby, but big sister Dot remains alarmed, shouting out 'He's going to eat us all up!' but receiving no response from her smitten parents!
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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 destinationShe 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 herselfGradually 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 treeThe best surprise happened the following morning.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783443863</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jean Jullien
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|isbn=1916459943
|title=Ralf
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|title=Squeakily Baby
 +
|author=Beth Webb
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I'm rather partial to sausage dogsI met one in Japan once who I would quite happily have tucked into my suitcase to sneak back homeRalf the sausage dog is just as endearing as these pups usually are, although he is also just as troublesomeFor a little dog, he manages to take up quite a lot of space, make a lot of noise, and generally make a nuisance of himself (as most dogs do really)Yet when suddenly the family find themselves in great danger, it is Ralf who saves the day!
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|summary=Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby.  He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and ''wails''The sea offers to helpIt rocks Baby gently and the waves sing ''hush, hush''Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectlyThe 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>1847808182</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Michelle Robinson and Rebecca Ashdown
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|isbn=140639131X
|title= Odd Socks
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|title=A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant
|rating= 4
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|author=Briony May Smith
|genre= For Sharing
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|rating=4.5
|summary= Socks, eh? They never used to trouble me, and would return from the washing machine in pairs, just as they had entered. I never fully understood the whole Land-of-missing-socks thing. Suki and Sosh are Mr and Mrs Sock, a matching pair who live happily together in the sock drawer. They too have never visited the Land-of-missing-socks. See? It's not just me. But something even worse is about to happen to tear this couple apart. Something quite horrible: Suki has a hole.
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|genre=For Sharing
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1783443375</amazonuk>
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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.
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Steve Antony
 
|title= Please Mr Panda
 
|rating= 3
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Mr Panda has a box of doughnuts and they look great, such bright colours against his black and white monochrome coat.  
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444916653</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Wenhua Wang, Amann Wang and Yu Yan Chen (translator)
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|isbn=1776574338
|title=Mr Horton's Violin
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|title=Leilong's Too Long!
 +
|author=Julia Liu and Bei Lynn
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
+
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Meet Mr HortonHe is one of the world's most famous and rich musical instrument players, and has done it all – except, that is, stumble on a music treeYou have to stumble on them, for not carpenters, not sculptors, not even simple woodsmen would give them a second look and think of them as anything specialBut when Mr Horton does find one he is able to fashion the best, most magical violin imaginable out of its wood. The only problem after that is working out who deserves to play it…
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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, thoughLeilong isn't happy in the city: he's always having to be careful about where he puts his feet and – because he's longer than a tennis court – he often causes damage without intending to and traffic regularly gets snarled upThe school decides that he can't be the bus anymore.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0993215459</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Wenhua Wang, Amann Wang and Yu Yan Chen (translator)
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|isbn=1776574028
|title=The Chief Cellist
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|title=Bumblebee Grumblebee
 +
|author=David Elliott
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Meet the Chief.  A new cellist in a quite horrible orchestra, he has suddenly turned their fortunes – and his – round.  He is now a superstar, and asking for more and more grandeur and help in his life.  But one night, when his chauffeur doesn't turn up for him after yet one more sterling performance, he finds himself alone in a world that doesn't care how good a cellist he is, but one where destiny might just depend on him learning the power of teamwork…
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0993215440</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Bond and R W Alley
 
|title=Paddington and the Disappearing Sandwich
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Paddington has a list - a list of shapes which he has to findThe first one was easy - it was a rectangle and he spotted that the front door was a rectangle as he closed it on his way outThere was another shape ticked off as he walked away - all the paving stones were squares!  At the corner of the road there was a 'Men at Work' sign (or 'roadworks ahead' if you prefer not to be sexist) and this was a triangle and there, round the roadworks were some conesThere are still quite a few shapes on his list though - an oval, a circle, a star, a diamond and a heartIt was the heart which would prove most difficult to track down and I'm not going to tell you how Paddington did it, but there just ''might'' be a clue in the title.
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|summary=I love a good board book!  ''Bumblebee Grumblebee'' is aimed at quite a niche market: it's for the child who still enjoys board books (er, see my first sentence) but has mastered sufficient language skills to have realise that you can ''play'' with words and make something quite different from each oneWe have the elephant who dons a tutu - and becomes a ''balletphant''The buffalo who has had a bath (complete with yellow duck) and then dries off with a hair drier becomes a ''fluffalo''.  The rhinoceros who drops his ice cream cone is a ''crynoceros'' (think about it!) The pelican who sits on his potty changes into a ''sm.......'' OK, let's not go there Some people are eating!
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008159750</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Dr Seuss
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|isbn=1838226834
|title=What Pet Should I Get
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|title=Carried Away With the Carnival
|rating=3.5
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|author=Ed Boxall
 +
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=What would you do, if you found in the shed,<br>
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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:
A brand new book, from an author unfortunately dead?<br>
+
 
Would you leave it alone as a work unfinished,<br>
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''It'll be brilliant, just remember, don't let go of my hand.''
Or release it anyway and make a reputation blemished?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008170789</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author= Suzanne Chiew and Caroline Pedler
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|isbn=B09MYXSRV4
|title=Badger and the Great Rescue
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|title=Otter's Coat: The Real Reason Turtle Raced Rabbit: A Cherolachian Tortoise and Hare
 +
|author=Cordellya Smith
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Upcycling is a great idea, take some old rubbish and make yourself a washing line or new tentBadger and friends have found some odd bits and bobs around the forest and they all have great ideas on how to use them, but where did all this stuff come from? Sometimes it is best to find out the origins of an item before you repurpose it for yourself, you never know who may need it!
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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 burnOwl 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>1848691920</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Eng Gee Fan
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|author=Rob Keeley
|title=Little People, Big Dreams: Frida Kahlo
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|title= Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees!
|rating=4
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|rating= 4
|genre=Emerging Readers
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|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico. When she was a young schoolgirl she contracted polio and was left with a leg which was ''skinny as a rake'', but she bore the problem stoically and in some ways delighted in being different. Then one day Frida was in a bus which crashed into a car. She was badly injured and even when she was over the worst she still had to rest in bed and filled the time by drawing pictures, including a self portrait. Eventually she showed her pictures to a famous artist - Diego Rivera - who liked the pictures, ''and'' Frida.  They married and Rivera encouraged Frida's painting.  She exhibited, eventually in New York, to great acclaim.
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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>1847807704</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B09HHN541V
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Ana Albero
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|isbn=B09FFJF8YS
|title=Little People, Big Dreams: Coco Chanel
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|title=You Can't Wear Panties! (No More Nappies!)
 +
|author=Justine Avery and Kate Zhoidik
 +
|rating=3.5
 +
|genre=For Sharing
 +
|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.''
 +
 
 +
 
 +
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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}}
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{{Frontpage
 +
|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
 +
|title=Everybody Toots! (Everybody Potties!)
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Emerging Readers
 
|summary=Gabrielle Chanel lived in an orphanage in a French town and after the death of her mother she went to a strict convent school.  The fact that she was ''different'' didn't make her life ''easy'', but there were early indications that she was going to be a seamstress.  After she left school she sewed by day and sang by night and it was as she sang that she gained her nickname - ''Coco'' - which came from the soldiers in the audience.  But her dream was designing clothes and the first step was designing and making hats: this led to her opening a hat shop.  One evening, at a party she realised that a lot of the women weren't dancing: their corsets were so tight that they could hardly breathe and it was this that prompted Coco to create a new style.  Her clothes were simple, straight and comfortable to wear.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847807712</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Colleen Jacey and Zed Jacey
 
|title=Odd Job Frog
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=''I'm bored'', said Frog. ''Bored, bored, '''BORED.''' ''
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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''!
 
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|isbn= B09C2RVJ2W
And you can see he is: chin on elbow, elbow on knee and, dare I say, a slightly ''sulky'' expression on his face.  He's not happy.  Mouse has the right of it, with his hammock slung in the cornfield, but Frog has made up his mind.  He's off to the city which is full of exciting things. And it is.  Everywhere he looks there are wonderful things to do, but there's only one snag.  They all cost money.  And as he hasn't got any he's going to have to get a job.
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}}
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1784622729</amazonuk>
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{{Frontpage
}}
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|isbn= B09BG8V3Q6
{{newreview
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|title= Who Needs Nappies? Not Me! (Everybody Potties!)
|author=Julian Gough and Jim Field
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|author= Justine Avery and Seema Amjad
|title=Rabbit and Bear: Rabbit's Bad Habbits
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=When Bear wakes up early from her hibernation, she decides that if she can't sleep then she might as well do something which she's always wanted to do - build a snowman.  It's whilst she's doing this that she meets Rabbit, who tells her that he's an Expert in Gravity.  Whatever he is, it doesn't seem to make him particularly happy as he never smiles and isn't exactly big on fun.  But there are avalanches around as well as hungry wolves and Rabbit soon comes to the conclusion that it's good to have a friend on your side - even if you have just stolen their food.
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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>1444929313</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Chris Packham and Jason Cockroft
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|isbn=B07GZ81J7C
|title=Amazing Animal Journeys
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|title=When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended
|rating=4.5
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|author=Peter Cotton
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
 
|summary=It's only relatively recently that man has actually moved home at certain points of the year to take advantage of the weather or the availability of food, but wild life has been doing it for much longer and every year billions of animals move from one part of the planet to another - that's birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.  This is known as migration - and it's a real pleasure to see it used other than in the context of sensationalist newspaper headlines.  Wildlife expert Chris Packham has written this introduction to the subject and it's been beautifully illustrated by Jason Cockroft.  (He's the man who did the cover artwork for the final three Harry Potter books!)
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405277459</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=T S Eliot and Arthur Robins
 
|title=Skimbleshanks: The Railyway Cat
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I have to say, on opening this book I was tempted to break out into song! This is due to a lot of my teenage years spent listening to, and singing along with Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals (I know...I do apologise!)  You'd think being an English graduate I'd take a T.S. Eliot poem more seriously, wouldn't you? But no, it's the musical of ''Cats'' that leapt instantly to my mindAnyway, if an Eliot poem seems an unlikely source for a children's picture book, think again, because this is a lovely book, both funny to read and listen to, and with lots to see and discuss.
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|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 himHe arrived as a present in a box with holes so that he could breathe and immediately became part of the family, to the extent that they would take Fred out with them when they went out for a walk.  And that was where the problem started.  Fred didn't have any road sense.  Or brakes.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571324835</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Jane Ray
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|author= Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=The Nutcracker
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|title= Everybody Pees! (Everybody Potties!)
|rating=4.5
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|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There's something rather magical about Jane Ray's stories.  [[The Dolls' House Fairy by Jane Ray|The Doll's House Fairy]] continues to be one of my daughter's favourite stories, even though she's now a rather grown up nine year old, so we opened up this new story with a great deal of anticipation. It remains close to the traditional Nutcracker story, and there is a wonderful feel of Christmas throughout.  I'm sure you can read it quite happily all year round (I know we will!) but it's particularly special in the run up to Christmas.
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|summary= Can potty training ever be joyous? It often isn't, as any parent will tell you. But really, why shouldn't it be? We all have to learn about our bodily functions just as we have to learn about everything else when we are small. Why shouldn't potty training be as much fun as, say, learning about why the sun and the moon take turns in the sky?
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408336413</amazonuk>
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|isbn= B098BJZYHH
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview <!-- 15/12 -->
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{{Frontpage
|author=Graham Jones and Neil Parkinson
+
|author=Justine Avery and Naday Meldova
|title=Time Travelling Toby and the Battle of Britain
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|title=No, No, No!
|rating=4.5
+
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Toby lives in an unremarkable village and goes to an unremarkable school - just like ''millions'' of other boys - but he has a secret. We're told it's ''humongous'' and I think that's right.  You see, Toby has (wait for it...) two brother, a Mum and a Dad, a Nanma, two dogs, three fish and two rabbits as well as...
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|summary=They say the best picture books are the simplest ones. And nothing could be truer of this latest from Justine Avery, a Bookbag favourite.
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 +
''No, No, No!'' is based around the simplest text imaginable.
 +
 
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''No, no, no! Okay, okay. Yes, you may.''
  
... a time machine that looks just like a sports car.
+
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.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0992636507</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=1638820457
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Jean-Yves Ferri
+
|isbn=194812467X
|title= Asterix and the Missing Scroll (Album 36)
+
|title=The Farm Shop
|rating= 5
+
|author=Devon Avery, Justine Avery and Ema Tepic
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=4
|summary=Asterix is those rarest of book series; one designed for kids which is actually even funnier when you are an adult. I used to love Asterix as a child, but now that I reread them I can't help but wonder why, because they are so full of hilarious jokes that I definitely wouldn't have understood when I was younger. I laughed loud and hard to myself twice within the first two pages of Asterix and the Missing Scroll, so I'd definitely say that this was a hit.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1510100458</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author= Petr Horacek
 
|title= Blue Penguin
 
|rating= 3
 
|genre= For Sharing
 
|summary= Blue Penguin is about a penguin who is, well, blue. Most penguins are not blue, so he stand out. He's different. They don't think he belongs with them. He's not part of the gang because of the way he looks.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406358282</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Steve Antony
 
|title=Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles
 
|rating=3
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Young children have inquisitive minds and they do not view the world in the same way we do.  Trying to explain abstract concepts to them is almost impossible as they like to know exactly why something does what it does. Why is the Sky blue?  Where do babies come from?  Why do people fight wars?  Many a parent has tried and failed to tackle these troublesome questions, so perhaps a book can help?  Or perhaps, you are best off leaving the answer alone for a few years so that they are more mature?
+
|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>1444920103</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
What will they buy?
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author= Lauren Child
+
|isbn=0995647895
|title= Charlie and Lola: One Thing
+
|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|rating= 5
+
|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
|genre= For Sharing
+
|rating=3.5
|summary= I am yet to meet a child that doesn't like Charlie and Lola, and Lauren Child doesn't disappoint at all in this latest book in the series, which combines numbers with the usual warm humour and fun of this brother and sister double act.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408339005</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Jane Hissey
 
|title=Old Bear's Bedtime Stories
 
|rating=4.5
 
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=I'm not sure you ever grow out of Old Bear storiesI just curled up in a blanket to read this latest collection of stories, and when I'd finished my nine year old daughter sneaked over and took the book upstairs to read it by herself!  Here we have twenty one stories and poems, all fairly short so useful when you need a quick bedtime!  All your old favourites are here - Bramwell Bear and Duck and Little Bear, just waiting for you to snuggle up and read about their latest adventures.
+
|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>1910706159</amazonuk>
+
 
}}
+
''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
{{newreview
+
''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|author=Karen Owen and Evgenia Golubeva
+
''To the Maritime Museum''.
|title=As Quiet as a Mouse
+
|rating=4.5
+
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.
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=There are a whole host of things that Elephants are excellent at; they reportedly never forget and they can hold loads of water in their trunk. One thing they are not known for is being quiet.  However, their erstwhile natural enemy, the mouse is – hence someone is as quiet as a mouse. Can these two great animal tribes put aside their differences so that you can teach a nelly to tread carefully?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848861729</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Daniel Postgate
+
|isbn=1782227741
|title=Clangers: The Brilliant Surprise
+
|title=Little Gold Ted
 +
|author=Vanessa Wiercioch, Poppy Satha and Sasha Satha
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=There is no such thing as nostalgia anymore as all the classic children's TV shows of the past have been pulled out of retirement, dusted off and made anew. ''The Clangers'' are one of the latest IPs to be visited by the resurrectionists and the new show has proved very popular.  It has now spawned spin off toys and books, but how do you write a book about a bunch of creatures that we cannot understand?
+
|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>0241195985</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Ailsa Burrows
+
|isbn=B08R7LXQ9S
|title=The Jar of Happiness
+
|title=Remy: A book about believing in yourself
 +
|author=Mayuri Naidoo and Caroline Siegal
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=What would you do if you knew the recipe for happiness?  I'm sure you could make a fortune, selling it by the jar, though it's questionable of course as to whether such profiteering from the sale of emotions would make you happy! Meg, the little girl in this story, makes up her own special blend of happiness in a jar, and she takes it everywhere, using it to cheer up her friends and family. But what will happen when Meg can't find the jar?
+
|summary=Remy is feeling miserable. He's let himself down ''again''. The school bully Jaydentogether 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>1846437288</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Anne Booth and Sam Usher
+
|isbn=1471191303
|title=Refuge
+
|title=The Invisible
 +
|author=Tom Percival
 
|rating=5
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A donkey tells the story of how he was led by the man whilst he carried the woman, all the way to Bethlehem, where the baby was bornSoon after, the shepherds came and then the kings. But then the man had a dream - a dream of danger - and he knew that it was time for them all to leaveThey left some gold for the innkeeper (they were not staying in the stable because they were ''poor'') and went through the quiet streets ''hoping for the kindness of strangers'', which they foundFinally they came to another land - to Egypt - and found refuge.
+
|summary=This is the story of Isobel, a little girl who made a big differenceIsobel lived with her parents in a house - a very cold house, because her parents couldn't afford to put the heating on:
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>085763741X</amazonuk>
+
 
 +
''Ice curled across the inside of the window and crept up the corner of the bedpost.''
 +
 
 +
The family didn't go to the cinema or on holidays but they had each other and they were happyThen the day came when they couldn't afford the rent for the house and they had to move to the far side of the cityThis part of the city was cold, sad and lonely and Isobel felt invisible.
 
}}
 
}}
{{newreview
+
{{Frontpage
|author=Catherine Barr and Francesca Chessa
+
|author=Nick Jones and Si Clark
|title=Elliot's Arctic Surprise
+
|title=One Night in Beartown
|rating=3
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Ever since I was a child the environment has been at the forefront of teaching.  It is hoped that each generation will finally be the one to tackle the encroaching global warming crisis.  The problem is that books about green impacts can be very earnest and not as fun as a Gruffalo or Aliens in Underpants.  How can you get a child to think about the shrinking icecaps in the Arctic when they could be discovery where Wally is hiding?  Perhaps if you throw in a Christmas surprise or two?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847806686</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Lindsay Mattick and Sophie Blackall
 
|title=Finding Winnie: The Story of the Real Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A little boy called Cole wanted a story.  He particularly wanted a true story and it had to be about a bear.  It was getting late, but Mummy said that she would do her best.  Her story began about a hundred years before Cole was born and it was about a man called Harry Colebourn who lived in Winnipeg.  He was a vet and was on his way to Europe to look after the horses of the soldiers fighting in the Great War when he met a trapper with a baby bear: his head might have said that there was nothing he could do, but his heart told him to get hold of the bear and he gave the trapper $20.  Winnipeg, as he named the bear, went on the train with Captain Coulbourn and his troop, across the ocean and finally arrived in England.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408340232</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
 
|title=Aliens Love Dinopants
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Who would have thought that underpants would have been such lucrative business, but Claire Freedman has proved that this is certainly the case with a series of books that have seen aliens, dinosaurs, pirates and even Santa getting involved in undergarment action.  Where can you go after all these legendary figures?  A mash-up book of course! What would happen if a group of pants loving aliens met a group of pants loving dinosaurs?
+
|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>1471120945</amazonuk>
+
|isbn=B08NFH7H9X
}}
+
}}
 +
 
 +
Move on to [[Newest General Fiction Reviews]]

Latest revision as of 09:24, 2 December 2023

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Review of

Murray and Bun by Adam Stower

4.5star.jpg Confident Readers

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

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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

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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

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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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Carried Away With the Carnival by Ed Boxall

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

Carrots Don’t Grow On Trees! by Rob Keeley

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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


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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

When Fred the Snake Got Squished and Mended by Peter Cotton

4.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

What will they buy? Full Review

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

3.5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

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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

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Review of

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

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

1471191303.jpg

Review of

The Invisible by Tom Percival

5star.jpg For Sharing

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

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

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

B08NFH7H9X.jpg

Review of

One Night in Beartown by Nick Jones and Si Clark

4star.jpg For Sharing

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

Move on to Newest General Fiction Reviews