For sharing
My Granny is a Pirate by Val McDermid and Arthur Robins
It seems the pirate phase is something all small children go through at some point. My daughter spent several months dressed as a pirate, completing her outfit with a knitted eye patch, which she asked my mum to knit for her, swiftly followed by a knitted parrot! It is rather fun to run around shouting 'Arrrrrrrrrr me hearties!' actually, so I can see the appeal. Anyway, this story caters beautifully for all the little wannabe pirates out there and tells of one little boy's granny and her secret life story. Full review...
There's a House Inside My Mummy by Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban
The arrival of a new sibling can be a tricky time in any child's life, but this lovely book helps ease the way for a new baby and explains about pregnancy in a very easy, funny way that is perfect for sharing with toddlers. The idea of there being a house inside mummy's tummy is a clever one, and instantly understandable by small children, and the loving family relationship that is depicted in the story is wonderful to see. Full review...
Tattybogle by Sandra Horn and Ken Brown
At the start of this story, Tattybogle stands in the middle of the field in which he has stood for a long time. He is made of sticks and sacks, wears the farmer's old clothes and his head is full of straw and cheerful thoughts. It would seem that this scarecrow's life is a very good one especially when the wind blows because he likes a bit of a dance. He also likes the rain and when the stars twinkle at night. Full review...
Pushka by Stephen Mackey
The circus train is coming to town and little Pushka is asleep in the last wagon. Unfortunately, he topples out and wakes up in fright amongst the enchanted trees of the forest. He is scared by enormous thuds on the ground but then he spies a beautiful dancing girl and instantly falls in love. Little does he know that the lovely girl, Lulu, is a puppet and there is an evil giant controlling her strings and using her to lure Pushka to danger. He finds himself in a lot of trouble when he is enticed into the giant's oven with its fierce burning flames. Luckily, the giant does not reckon on the strength of the love that Lulu feels for her new friend, at it is the power of this that helps her to save him. Full review...
The Totally Terrifying Three by Hiawyn Oram and David Melling
This story sees the gathering together of three unlikely friends: a dragon, a witch and a giant. They all consider themselves to be TOTALLY TERRIFYING, yet when they meet each other, they're not scared. As they wander around together they come across a toddler. She isn't phased by any of them and the totally terrifying three soon find themselves entertaining her with a shoulder ride, a trip on the broomstick and a sweetly crooned dragon lullaby. It seems the three friends are not so terrifying after all! Full review...
Slobcat by Paul Geraghty
Slobcat is our cat.
He does nothing but lie
about and sleep.
Well that is what the little girl who tells this wonderful story about a most endearing cat thinks. Actually, she is quite wrong, as the reader discovers, as the story progresses. Because she and the rest of the family only see him lazing around and sleeping, they have named him Slobcat. It is a term of affection though as they do really love their cat, even though they have got him quite wrong. She tells the reader that Slobcat is too lazy to eat his dinner; often comes home soaking wet because he can't be bothered to shelter from the rain and he would be totally useless if there were any rats or mice that might need catching. Full review...
Leave Me Alone by Kes Gray and Lee Wildish
A young boy sits in a field, and to every advance by the animal friends around him he declares 'Leave me alone.' He finally explains that his problems are too big for anyone to help him with because his problem is a giant who bullies and teases him. When the bully appears the animals gather together and tell him to leave the boy alone. Full review...
Pedro The Penguin (Get Well Friends) by Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan
It is a beautiful Polar morning. The sun is shining, the icebergs are glistening, and Pedro decides to start the day with an early morning swim! He gets ready to dive in, tucks in his tummy, point his beak to the sky, and dives high, high, high into the air. But oh dear. He forgot to break the ice before diving in! CRUNCH! But don't worry, with a little help from Nurse Nibbles and his Get Well Friends, he'll soon be feeling better. Full review...
Zoe the Zebra (Get Well Friends) by Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan
It was a beautiful day in Africa. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all the zebras were peacefully eating their lunch. All except for Zoe who is so busy looking out for big, scary animals that she isn't looking where she is going and trips up over a teeny-tiny tortoise! However, Nurse Nibbles is on hand and with the Get Well Friends it seems that Zoe will soon be on the mend. Full review...
Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Tale of the Terrible Secret by Kristina Stephenson
The brave and bold Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and his companions - who are, as I am sure you already know by now, his good grey mare and his pet cat, Envelope - are led to a castle that teeters on top of a hill from which strange cries are heard. Sir Charlie knows that even though he is a bit scared, he must be brave and put right the terrible thing that has happened in the tall, tall tower (with the pointy roof). And so our hero's tale begins… Full review...
Magic Beans by Adele Geras, Anne Fine, Henrietta Branford, Jacqueline Wilson, Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman, Tony Mitton, Alan Garner, Berlie Doherty, Gillian Cross, Kit Wright, Michael Morpurgo, Susan Gates and Linda Newbery
I was attracted to this book because it features stories from Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo, Alan Garner and many other prominent children's writers. I thought it might make a great Christmas or birthday present (and it would). There's a selection of stories from traditional sources such as Hans Christian Andersen, and Aesop, and I imagine that the authors were inveigled into writing for publisher David Fickling with a free choice of original stories. So don't expect a collection or compendium, but rather an anthology of tales that have entranced and inspired these writers in their own childhoods – magic beans indeed. Full review...
Predators by Steve Backshall
Many readers would probably know that on the simple count of humans they helped to dispatch, mosquitoes may be the most deadly animals ever. But did you know that if you take into account the success rate of hunts, diversity and spread, ladybirds are more successful predators than tigers? Full review...
Dear Zoo (Noisy Book) by Rod Campbell
There is something slightly unsettling about the notion of a noisy book; the very idea that you can make a racket with something intended as a quiet pastime is a tiny bit of an oxymoron for me. But not, of course, for your average toddler (let's assume that we are disregarding the din they are able to make just by banging a fair sized hardback such as this, on the table!) And I've never met a child who did not like a book with interactive buttons and flaps – never. Full review...
Cat on the Hill by Michael Foreman
The story is told through the eyes of the nameless cat. It starts in Summer when he tells how he loves living at the top of the hill with its tremendous views of the sea and the constant visitors who are only too happy to share their sandwiches and the drips from their ice creams. Life is good even with horrible squawky gulls trying to steal his food. He explains how he used to be a ship's cat until both the skipper and the ship became too old to sail the seas. Full review...
The Day The Gogglynipper Escaped by James McKnight and Mark Chambers
One day, when rounding up the rather dangerous and often very smelly Gogglynippers, Diggle discovers that there are only nine of the purple monsters, instead of ten. Full review...
Don't Invite Dinosaurs To Dinner by Neil Griffiths and Peggy Collins
Don't invite dinosaurs to dinner, or take them to the shops… don't take them to a football match, or to sports day, or to the zoo …. In fact, DON'T take a dinosaur anywhere because, as you will find out, it's a really, really bad idea! I've got to tell you now, that I really love this book – firstly, the stanzas are the well-paced rhyming variety and not your moon, June, spoon assortment of verse, either, which was a pleasant surprise and went down very well in our house and secondly there are fold out flaps which are huge and beautifully illustrated, often with hilarious punch lines lurking inside. Full review...
Only Nooglebooglers Glow in the Dark by James McKnight and Mark Chambers
Farmer and Mrs McDoogle are throwing a party for all their friends and for the people who visit the farm throughout the year. The barn has been decorated, Mrs McDoogle has prepared plenty of food and one of the monsters, Diggle, is acting as DJ and playing all of their favourite music. Soon the guests and some of the better behaved monsters start arriving. However, just as the party is getting into full swing, calamity strikes with the music stopping and all the lights going out. The machine that turns poo from the gogglynippers into electricity has broken down. Full review...
Hats Off! by Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
'Hats Off!' is a wonderfully entertaining book that is written entirely in rhyme. It starts by asking if the reader has ever thought about how many hats they might have been bought and whether a hat actually looks good on their head or not. The author, Neil Griffiths, then goes on to suggest that there are:
Hats too big, too tight
and too small,
Hats that just shouldn't
be worn at all!
Full review...
Scaredy Squirrel has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel is planning a birthday party - his own - but he's not a very brave squirrel and thinks that the safest thing to do for his party will be to celebrate, by himself, in his tree. Very safe. Very far away from any possible danger, like ants or Bigfoot or confetti. Very far away indeed from unfunny clownfish, ponies and porcupines. But then Scaredy's friend Buddy sends him a lovely birthday card and all of the plans for the party have to change. Full review...
The Tangle Fairy by Seema Barker
Jaya, just like every little girl in the land, brushes her hair before bed but wakes up with all sorts of knots and tangles. When Jaya asks her mummy how this can be, the simple explanation is 'The Tangle Fairy'. Full review...
Time For Dinner by June Morley
I was beginning to wonder when I would see a book that addressed the sticky (pardon the pun) issue of the food chain. I mean, the reception and pre-schooler set seem pretty au fait with being cooked and eaten by giants whose sleep is disturbed, or by nasty, warty, smelly old witches who live in the woods waiting for a hapless brother and sister to wander past the door, so I was very keen to see how Morley got into the detail of this particular stumbling block. Full review...
Sixes and Sevens by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
'Sixes and Sevens' was originally published in 1971 but the fact it’s still doing the rounds is a testament to the longevity of the rhyming writing style and the simply fabulous illustrations by Quentin Blake. I grew up on a diet of books illustrated by Blake and it was a joy to revisit his style in the pages of this book with the next generation of my family; my 4 year old, Sadie. Full review...
The Silent Owl by Clemency Pearce and Sam McPhillips
Owl is silent. Not a hoot. Not a twit or a twoo. Nothing. The other forest animals are worried about him, and try to provoke him into saying something, but Owl remains silent. Full review...
Little Penguin Learns to Swim by Dubravka Kolanovic and Eilidh Rose
Little Penguin has an important day ahead of him, for today he is going to go swimming for the first time. He's a little bit scared, but as he sets off to the water he meets several friends along the way, all of whom are also trying out something new. As he sees each of them succeed in their endeavours, will he also find the courage to try and swim himself? Full review...
The Misadventures of Winnie the Witch by Laura Owen and Korky Paul
Have you met Winnie the Witch yet? I do hope so. She's really quite bonkers, often rather disgusting, and she has a fat, long-suffering cat called Wilbur. She's a bit of a favourite in our house, so we were eager to sit down and read her newest stories together! Full review...
Mr Bliss by J R R Tolkien
If you wanted to produce a classic of children's literature, it would probably look a lot like this. It would be written by a famous name as a private exercise for their children, with the author's own illustrations. It would feature a title character, with a typical Edwardian headstrong attitude, yet with an ability to create slapstick. It may well have fairytale characters as you've never seen them before. And it would be presented in a deluxe, pristine heritage edition such as this. Full review...
Babar's Celesteville Games by Laurent de Brunhoff
Babar the elephant is the king of Celesteville, and this year his country is hosting the Worldwide Games. Athletes come from all over the world to compete. There is a fairytale romance for one of Babar's children, now grown up, too. Full review...
Rapunzel by Jutta Ash
Rapunzel is the story of a young man and his wife who long for a child of their own. Unfortunately, the wife also yearns to eat the lush rapunzel that grows in the garden next door. She pleads with her husband to fetch her some which he does. However he is spotted by the witch who lives there who tells him that in return for the rapunzel they must give her their first born child. This is a baby girl who is given the name Rapunzel. The witch imprisons her at the top of a tall tower and she can only be reached by the witch climbing up her long golden tresses. Full review...
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
Eric Carle's latest story consists of just 50 words, 10 animal paintings and two pictures of the young artist at work. Simply, a child creates a series of vibrant paintings of animals in unusual, striking colours, including a blue horse, a green lion and a multi-coloured, polka-dotted donkey. My own favourite is the purple fox. The child says, I am a good artist. Full review...
Frederick by Leo Lionni
The story of Frederick starts by introducing a chatty family of field mice who live in a stone wall alongside a meadow not far from a barn and a granary. Unfortunately, the farmers have moved away meaning that there are not such rich pickings to collect for the winter. However, by working hard night and day the little family look like they could collect enough to see them through the long hard winter. Frederick is the only mouse who seems to see things slightly differently though. Instead of working as hard as his brothers and sisters, he spends his days staring at the meadow seemingly half asleep. Not surprisingly, the other hard working mice are none too pleased so they challenge Frederick. His answer amazes them when he claims that he is collecting supplies of a different sort – sun rays for the cold dark days ahead, colours for the grey winter and words for the long days when they might run out of things to say. Full review...
My Look and Point Bible by Christina Goodings and Annabel Hudson
This version of the bible for toddlers has been cleverly retold to engage little ones, with lots of illustrations, pictures to point at and words to learn. It includes stories from both the old and new testaments, from the creation and Noah through to the birth of Jesus as well as some of his parables and the crucifixion. Full review...
The Shepherd Girl of Bethlehem by Carey Morning and Alan Marks
The little shepherd girl is the daughter of a shepherd. She helps her father in the hills, tending the sheep, but only during the day for at night she's told it's too dark and is sent to bed in their house to sleep whilst he watches over the sheep in the hills. But one night she finds it isn't dark at all, and the light from a star is shining so brightly it seems like the whole world is lit up. So she sneaks out of her house and goes into the hills to find her father. Full review...
Best-loved Classics: Rapunzel by Sarah Gibb
Educators are, apparently, concerned at the moment at the number of children starting school who don't know any of the old traditional fairy tales, so it's nice to see a new version of Rapunzel that is based on the original story by The Brothers Grimm. This is a lovely book to share and stays closer to the original story than Disney's 'Tangled' film. Full review...
The Animals' Christmas by Elena Pasquali and Giuliano Ferri
Seeing the title of The Animals' Christmas I had expected this story to provide perhaps an alternate perspective of the Christmas story. However, although the illustrations have lots of animals throughout, the story itself sticks to the traditional telling, with a couple of animal references seemingly thrown in. Full review...
Penny Dreadful is a Complete Catastrophe by Joanna Nadin
Penny is not really Penny Dreadful. She is Penny Jones. But when her encounters with a rat called Rooney, a cat called Barry and her cousin Georgia May, and her testing of a patent burglar trap and digging for buried treasure all end in catastrophes, is it surprising that she is known as a Disaster Magnet? Full review...
The Big Snuggle-up by Brian Patten and Nicola Bayley
The story of The BIG Snuggle-up takes place on a very cold snowy day. The storyteller, a small child, tells the reader that because it was so cold he invited a scarecrow in to be a guest in his house. However, living in the scarecrow's sleeve is a little mouse, so the scarecrow asks whether the mouse can come in too. Full review...
The Zoo Crew Play Ball by Judy Bee and Little Pink Pebble
On the second weekend of every month the zoo keepers plan special activities for the animals and this time the San Carlos Beavers are going to show them how to play ball. Helga the Hippo hopes that she won't have to run because all she wants to do is wallow in the mud – which would make a bit of a mess of the lovely red-and-white outfit which she's wearing. Eddie the Elephant is keen to get all the animals together to make plans and discuss strategy. Lenny the Lion organises training sessions – but Helga really isn't that enthusiastic. Full review...
We're Going to a Party! by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
The animals are going to a fancy dress party! But what is everyone going to dress up as? Can you guess who's inside each costume? This lift the flap book allows you to take a peek beneath the costume to see exactly who's inside! Full review...
Noo-Noos! by Carol Thompson
Almost everyone has had a noo-noo at some point in their lives; an object that brings comfort and solace like a dummy or a blanket or a favourite bear. Amongst friends and family I've seen a variety of such objects ranging from your typical teddy through to a mummy's satin bra (it has that lovely silky feel to it) and even, in one case, a bathroom sponge! This book depicts a variety of noo-noos and looks at their attributes (big, small, shiny, knitted...) and also what one does with them. Full review...
Orla Kiely Numbers by Orla Kiely
This counting book (from one to ten) makes a nice partner to Orla Kiely's book about colours if you're looking for a pretty gift to give to a new yummy mummy. The fabric cover is rather lovely to touch and feel, and the board book feels well constructed and able to withstand a bit of a chew from a teething baby. Full review...
Orla Kiely Colours by Orla Kiely
Orla Kiely is one of the UK's most popular designers at the moment. I seem to see her designs everywhere on everything from stationery to kitchen jugs, and now her graphics are available as a baby's book of colours. Full review...