Newest For Sharing Reviews
For sharing
The Chicken and the Egg by Allan Plenderleith
Flo the chicken lived on a farm where every chicken laid one egg every day, except for Flo, that is. She tried everything - you'll see from the pictures that she really did try everything, but nothing worked. Then one day it rained and all the other chickens went into the coop but there was no room for Flo - so there was nothing left for her to do but hide under a tree. As the rain came down, so did something else and a really BIG egg landed right next to Flo. The other chickens were just a bit sceptical (the egg was bigger than Flo), but Flo was the maternal type and she loved that egg and cared for it all through the year. Then came the night when a predator came calling at the farm and Flo wouldn't leave her egg... Full review...
Harold Finds A Voice by Courtney Dicmas
Harold is a parrot, quite a talented parrot in fact. He is able to mimic almost anything with great accuracy. From the washing machine to the toaster, the vacuum cleaner to the phone Harold delights in imitating every single sound he hears in the apartment in which he lives. One day Harold decides that he has tired of all these familiar sounds and ventures out into the big city where is he delighted to discover a whole range of exciting new sounds for him to copy. However something is worrying Harold; despite all the many sounds he makes he is worried that he does not have a sound of his own. Surely he must have a voice and if he does what does it sound like? Full review...
Christopher's Bicycle by Charlotte Middleton
Something is going on in the shed! Christopher Nibble (the guinea pig) wonders what his dad is doing in there, banging and crashing about. And his mum too has some secret sewing project going on. What on earth could they be up to? Worry not, for all is revealed when Christopher is presented with his very own brand new recycled bicycle! Full review...
Never Ever by Jo Empson
The little girl in this story is firmly convinced of the fact that nothing ever, EVER happens to her. Nothing interesting anyway. We meet her walking through the countryside with her stuffed rabbit, moaning about the lack of excitement in her life. Yet whilst she's complaining, what's that we can see? In the field of pigs behind her there's one with wings, flying in the sky! Has she noticed? No, she hasn't! She continues to walk on, telling us how there is never, ever any excitement and of course there are more and more things happening around her that she's just not noticing. Will she ever discover that her life is perhaps one of the most exciting in the world?! Full review...
Prince Charmless by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
Prince Charmless was probably born complaining and every day there is something new to complain about. Amongst his complaints are that he wants to be a panda rather than a prince; he wants to live in a big, gold palace instead of a silly, silver, little one; and he wants to get up in the middle of the night rather than in the morning. If he can find something to complain about, he will, and Prince Charmless does not worry about upsetting people when he does complain. Unsurprisingly, the palace staff has had enough and all decide to leave. Full review...
Snug as a Bug by Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot
When George looked out the window at the rain, he was a bit reluctant to go out. That was until his mum told him that they would be taking lots of extra cuddles that would keep him lovely and warm. In fact, he would be as 'snug as a bug rolled up in a rug'. Added to that he would be 'like two cosy bats in thick woolly hats' and even 'as hot as three pigs in big purple wigs'. This list of how snug he will be keeps being added to all the way up to ten when Mum tells George that he will be 'tucked up like... Ten toasty geese all sharing one fleece'. Full review...
The Wind in the Wallows by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
I'm always ready for a fun story when I see that Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross have come together to do another picture book. This is a particularly fun one to share, especially with kids who enjoy anything to do with farts and stinkyness and, most importantly, the tussle over who is responsible for the terrible smell! Full review...
Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
The Black Bloomer and her crew of scurvy pirates are off in search of treasure, but this is no ordinary booty. These underwear-loving scoundrels are searching for the fabled Pants of Gold, which can be found in Big Knickers Bay. Following the route on their trusty treasure map, they lift anchor and set sail for the island. Unfortunately, when they arrive, it seems that another crew have beaten them to it! Armed with a sharp cutlass and a wicked glint in his eye, the Captain has a plan to reclaim the Golden Underpants for himself... Don’t worry, this is a children’s book; you will have to read it to find out exactly what the Captain does with the cutlass... Full review...
Come On Daisy! by Jane Simmons
Daisy the duckling is having too much fun exploring the riverbank to listen to Mamma Duck. Mamma has told her to stay close, but where is the fun in that? After all, there are lots of interesting creatures living in the river and Daisy wants to make friends with them. Then, of course, there are the giant lily pads. Daisy loves to bounce on the lily pads. Bouncy, bouncy bouncy. Bong bong! But when Daisy stops playing, she notices something. She is all alone. Full review...
Flip-A-Shape: Go! by SAMI
Packed into this sturdy sixteen-page board book you'll find a fun way for toddlers to develop colour and shape recognition. In Go! the theme is transport and you'll see the yellow blade of the digger becomes the sail on a boat as the book is opened. Similarly a circle of a bicycle wheel becomes a balloon as the page is turned over. The blue square of a train cab becomes the purple body of a lorry. The yellow rectangle of a bus becomes the red body of a pull-truck. I'm sure that you get the picture! Full review...
Let's Find Mimi In the City by Katherine Lodge
Mimi the Mouse and her family are going on an adventure in the big city, visiting shops, cafes and parks along the way. Mimi wears a bright red bow on top of her head and a pair of pretty pink fairy wings on her back, so you would think she would stand out in a crowd. But does she? Full review...
Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty
Two curious little spiders find a monkey nut lying on the ground. They don’t know what it is, but they do know that they both want it and that they don’t want to share. But what is this strange, knobbly object? Is it a chair? A musical instrument? Maybe a boat? Whatever it is, the two little spiders are not the only ones interested. A much bigger, hairier spider is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to grab the monkey nut for himself, but will he succeed? Full review...
Elmer and Aunt Zelda by David McKee
Elmer the patchwork elephant was reminded by his cousin Wilbur that they had promised to visit Aunt Zelda, who is getting old and a little bit deaf. Their visit is peppered with misheard words and misunderstandings but there’s an obvious affection between the two generations. Aunt Zelda is very proud of the two youngsters, and Elmer and Wilbur just love Zelda for what she is. There’s never hint of impatience or frustration, no matter how wrong Zelda hears what the two young elephants have to say. But - just in case Elmer was feeling at all superior - he finds when he gets home that he’s been rather forgetful too. Full review...
Anton and the Battle by Ole Konnecke
Anyone who has spent any amount of time with small children will know of the 'well I'm taller than you!' arguments which seem to appear, all of a sudden, and carry on for years! Everything becomes a competition, and it's all about who is stronger or bigger or can eat more beans or can run the fastest or jump the highest or has the noisiest baby brother...This story captures the way these arguments begin, and escalate, as we meet Anton and his friend Luke and see them imagining bigger and bigger ways of being 'better' than each other! Full review...
That's Mine! by Michel Van Zeveren
I've come to look forward to picture books published by Gecko Press. They always seem to come up with something a bit different, and this book is no exception. This is the story of an egg, found by a small green frog who claims it for his own. But then snake says it's his egg, and eagle says it's his egg. Just whose egg is it?! Full review...
More and More Ant and Bee by Angela Banner
Right at the beginning, when you're just starting to read books which have more words than pictures, you need a book that's structured to help you. You need a book which is comfy to hold in small hands and which has a firm cover so that everything keeps straight. You need to share the reading and to know which words you're going to read and you might perhaps appreciate a hint in the form of a picture which will help you to get the word all on your own. Most of all though, you need to have a proper story and a feeling that you've achieved something when you get to the end. You need Ant and Bee. Full review...
Arthur and the Earthworms by Johanne Mercier
Arthur has got himself a new job. He might be only seven but a boy can never start too soon. He's going to be selling earthworms from a table at the side of the road and the idea came when his pet duck started pulling up the worms. They were his favourite food, you see and on a rainy day you could find a lot of them just near the surface. He and Grandad managed to get quite a few worms together, but trade wasn't very brisk on the first and the woman who was determined to buy his pet duck did rather scare him. But the next day, trade picked up (although some of the customers did look suspiciously family) and then the big order came in... Full review...
I Love You by Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd
This is the fourth I love … publication from the prolific Giles Andreae, this time partnered by illustrator Emma Dodd. Judging by the little trike the child rides, this book is aimed at one and two year old children. It would be a good choice for a child not yet up for a simple story, since here, the language is the emotional narrative. Repetitive rhyming couplets explore familiar aspects of a young child’s world. The best books for pre-language children at bedtime secure and settle, and the appeal of this book is in its predictable rhythmn and happy emotion, rather than a challenging vocabulary or exciting story line. Full review...
Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra by Hallfridur Olafsdottir and Porarinn Mar Baldursson
One day Maxi wanders into a rehearsal of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, where he is entranced to hear Ravel’s Bolero. He encounters most of the orchestral instruments and there’s a lot of whimsical humour as Maxi moves from instrument to instrument. Eventually he falls asleep on the stage, tired out by the excitement of his adventures. He wakes to a loud booming noise as the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is played, and he finds that the orchestra is in concert. He scuttles down into a packed auditorium. At the end of the concert, Maximus joins in the standing ovation which precedes the stirring home-grown encore. Full review...
Whizz Pop, Granny Stop! by Tracey Corderoy and Joe Berger
Grannies come in for a lot of negative press. Absent-minded geriatric, witch with a black cat, spoiling the kids, always getting it wrong ... you know the stereotypes. Well I’m fighting back. I latched onto this book, of course, as a granny. And in this neatly rhyming story, Granny, as seen through the practical eyes of her small grand-daughter, is all these things as well as being notably peculiar. Tracey Corderoy has pretty much got us metaphorically taped! Full review...
Flight of the Last Dragon by Robert Burleigh and Mary Grandpre
Told in rhyme, this is the tale of the very last dragon on earth. He hides away, deep underground, remembering the times when the dragons ruled the earth until one day a voice from the heavens calls him, summons him, up and away, to fly far, far into the sky and leave this world behind. I rather like the idea of dragons. They're one of those mythical creatures that I still sort of hope might actually be real! My daughter likes dragons too, although when she saw the title of this book she was prepared for a sad story, sensing that we weren't heading towards a happy ending. Full review...
The Princess and the Peas and Carrots by Harriet Ziefert and Travis Foster
Rosebud is a good girl, for the most part, neat and tidy and a happy little girl, at which times her daddy calls her Good Princess Rosebud. But then sometimes things go a little bit wrong, or they aren't quite as Rosebud likes them, so perhaps there's a hole in her tights or snow in her boots or, heavens above, her peas are touching her carrots on the plate at dinner time! When this happens Rosebud becomes Princess Fussy and my, doesn't everyone know about it! Full review...
The Silly Satsuma by Allan Plenderleith
Once there was a boy called Eric Greenbogle. I'd like to be able to tell you that he was a good boy, but that would be wrong. Eric was a bad boy and we all know what happens to bad boys on Christmas morning, don't we? Good boys (and girls) find lots of presents under the tree, but Father Christmas knows who has been good and who has been bad and Eric was about to be taught a lesson. There was just one present under the tree for Eric: a satsuma. Oh, there was something else - there was a note from Father Christmas explaining why there were no presents. Eric was furious. Eric cried, but then... Full review...
Ant and Bee by Angela Banner
When you learn to read it has to be fun. You have to master the skill but it mustn't be too daunting or you're not going to enjoy it and - worst of all - you might be put off reading for life. It's best if you can share the reading until you get to grips with decoding what's on the page, so if an adult could read most of the words but you read others to which you've already been introduced and which are in a different colour then that is going to be a help. If the words are introduced with a nice big picture and if they appear in alphabetical order, then that's going to be fun, isn't it? Full review...
Jumblebum by Chae Strathie and Ben Cort
Johnny McNess is a young boy whose bedroom is a decided mess! He has clothes lying everywhere, and toys scattered around, food discarded in the strangest of places and it all stinks! Disgusting! But his mum has come in and just warned Johnny about the Jumblebum monster who she feels is sure to be attracted by all this rubbish. Can anything really get Johnny to tidy his room? Full review...
Fluff the Farting Fish by Michael Rosen and Tony Ross
Elvie wanted a puppy but she was still rather surprised when her mother agreed. Unfortunately what her mother brought home wasn’t a puppy but a goldfish. Now it wasn’t just a pet to cuddle and play with that Elvie had been after - she’d wanted to train the dog. Being a resourceful young lady she decided to train the goldfish instead. Sit was always going to be rather more than a challenge, but Elvie discovered that much could be achieved with Fluff’s bubbles. Go on - you know exactly what I mean! Soon Fluff was doing mental arithmetic and finally singing. Before long he was in demand at pop concerts and for television appearances. Full review...
No-Bot, The Robot With No Bottom by Sue Hendra
The prospects look good for a story when you're already laughing at the front cover, never mind what's inside. There we have him, our little red robot, holding onto his bottom and giving a coy-looking smile to us as readers. Already we're wondering how he ends up with no bottom, and whether the inside of the story will be as funny as the outside. No-Bot, happily, doesn't disappoint. You can't go wrong, really, with a funny red robot who has lost his bottom can you? Just saying the word 'bottom' to small children usually reduces them to giggles! Full review...
Jack's Mega Machines: The Dinosaur Digger by Alison Ritchie and Mike Byrne
Jack the mechanic loves to repair broken vehicles in his workshop. But the magical Rally Road Workshop is no ordinary garage. Whenever Jack takes one of his vehicles on a test drive, he is wondrously transported to incredible locations or different time periods. Full review...
The Phlunk by Lou Rhodes and Tori Elliott
What is a Phlunk? I know that you're wondering. Well, wonder no more for this book will tell you all about the Phlunk, who lives on a planet shaped like a spoon, looks a bit like a cat but who has very, very large ears. Why, you're now asking, does he have such very large ears? Well, it's all the better to hear you with, of course! And the Phlunk hears everything, from everybody, all over the world! Full review...
Flying to Neverland with Peter Pan by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Carolyn Leigh and Amy June Bates
There's something perennially magical about the story of Peter Pan. It's timeless, this story of a little boy who doesn't want to grow up, and who lives in a land full of pirates and fairies and mermaids and crocodiles. It's one of those stories that stays with you, which is why it's a classic, I suppose! In this version part of the story is told through the lyrics of two songs from the musical Peter Pan. The songs I'm Flying and Never Never Land are combined together to tell the story as far as the children flying to Neverland. Full review...
Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show by Michael Buckley and Dan Santat
Kel Gilligan is a daredevil. He... wait for it... eats BROCCOLI! He even does his poos on the potty. What a brave soul! What a hero! Kel faces all the traumas of childhood, with aplomb. Full review...
