[my image, Marriot's Way, Norwich, March 2021 ]
So, compiling it all here, I actually read quite a lot in April...
Let’s make some great art - COLOURS by Marion Deuchars. This is more than a colouring book for young children, it’s an introduction to the whole process of exploring colours, while along the way allowing creativity to flow. We are encouraged to experiment with mixing colours, add colours with our fingers or with brushes to some of Deuchars’ pencil drawings, and express our feeling through colours. Definitely a book to inspire creative young artists, so definitely a book for everyone.Thanks to @laurenceking @lkpchildrens @HachetteKids Publication date | 25th March 2021
What's the plan, Stan? by Stuart Simmonds and Bill Greenhead. Another hilarious story from the author and illustartor of Harry the karate monkey.
"I'll tell you the reason Dad's wearing a frown,
The worst thing had happened, the wifi went down!"
Dad gets stuck in chat with a computer voice "You might feel like throwing your phone at the door, it'll do you no good, so please press option 4"
The children don't know what to do without wifi, and Dad's still stuck in a computer chat "We're ever so sorry you must start again, you ran out of time so please press option 10!"
Anyway, Dad's still trying to sort out the Wifi so Stan and his gang have to make their own amusement, and set off to visit Gran on the other side of town. So adventure ensues, with cowboys, aliens, an elephant, a flying motorbike, and a TV crew. Funny rhyming text and illustartions that capture all the fun. I laughed out loud at the phone chat options. Brilliant. Thanks to Stuhead Ltd
Parker and Rudi's most amazing adventure! by Stuart Simmonds and Bill Greenhead. Another adventure into the world of Sevenhills, from the creator of Harry the karate monkey. Two of the greediest dogs in the world, and a door left open on a dull autumn day....what could go wrong? So it turns out these greedy pups really like gravy and roast dinner, and escape from the house and the angry owner, only to find the garden gate open...what could go wrong? A catering van, a plane, a rock band, a massive yacht, a wedding, jet skis(!), a posh dinner, and 2 disco dancing dogs all appear in the rest of this hilarious story about Parker and Rudi who discover that being home with a bone and a hug is much better than a wild crazy adventure. Thanks to Stuhead Ltd
Big red bath by Julia Jarman and Adrian Reynolds. More hilarity in this lovely bedtime story about Ben and Bella's bath, which they end up sharing with all the animals, slooshing down the stairs, and flying round the world twice. We spotted England and Finland and the North Pole on the illustration of the earth. And we laughed at the dog, the hippopotamus and all the other animals splashing and slishing and sploshing in the bath with Ben and Bella, until Mum comes in the bathroom, when they tell her all about tbheir big red bath adventure.
Grandpa's Gift by Fiona Lumbers. A beautiful tale about moving to the city, which at first looks drab, dull, grey and boring. That is, until the little girl has lived in the city for 3 weeks and 4 days, and her Grandpa takes her out to explore. He takes her to a junk shop filled with curiosities and wonders, and shows her a dull, grey stone, whcih he opens to reveal a beautiful amethyst inside. And so, from then on the city is revealed in all its hidden beauty to the little girl. This is a wonderful tale which will resonate with city dwellers especially in this time of lockdown and having to spend more time close to home. The city can seem dull and grey sometimes (I've lived in the city for more than 30 years), but if we remember to look up abve some of the gaudy shop fronts, and down on the ground, we see carvings, gargoyles, emerging crocuses, the skeletons of trees without their leaves, and different views and skylines. Wherever you are, remember to look up, down and into the distance, take a slow breath and take it in. Thanks to Simon & Schuster.
Marion Deuchar’s Let’s look at SHAPES. British author and illustrator Marion Deuchars graduated with a Distinction from the Royal College of Art. Her distinctive style of lettering has been globally recognised, and it is beautifully incorporated into this simple children’s board book. Each shape is brought to life simply yet effectively. Perfect for littlest hands, this is part of a series from Laurence King publishers that includes Numbers, Animals and Colours too. Thanks to Laurence King Publishing Ltd and www.mariondeuchars.com
Marion Deuchar’s Let’s look at NUMBERS. Another offering from Laurence King and award-winning British author / illustrator Marion Deuchars. This little board book is perfect - each number is illustrated with a little bird, formed from a colourful fingerprint. Her distinctive lettering style is used to describe the birds on each page - 1 bird sitting, 2 birds balancing, through to 10 birds sleeping. Thanks to Laurence King Publishing Ltd and www.mariondeuchars.com
Don’t look in this book by Samuel Langley-Swain. A brilliantly inventive and original idea from Samuel Langley-Swain, the founder of publisher Owlet Press. This book is a collaboration between the author and eight illustrators with the purpose of inspiring even the most reluctant readers. “Don’t look in this book, I was talking to you, yes, you right there, you’d better not look inside, don’t read on...don’t you dare!” Well now you really want to know what’s inside don’t you? Each spread has some rhyming text and a colourful illustration to inspire children to write, draw and talk about how the characters came to be and what might happen to them, as children build a narrative for themselves from the inspiration in the pages. Thanks to Owlet Press
The King who banned the dark by Emily Haworth-Booth. The debut picture book from author / illustrator Emily Haworth-Booth, this title came before her “thought-provoking fable” The Last Tree. This story is about a young prince who was afraid of the dark, so afraid that when he becomes King, he bans the dark - installing an artificial sun and enforcing anti-dark laws. But at what cost to the people? They become tired of constant light, begin to protest, begin to realise the lies they were told about the dark, and eventually the King himself realises we need balance in life; the darkness in which to rest, balances the light we then enjoy. A powerful modern fable, The King who banned the dark is sure to become a classic, which, with its political undertones, will be read, shared and loved on many levels. Thanks to @pavilionbooks
Bartholomew and the morning monsters by Sophie Berger and Ruan van Vliet. A fresh author / illustrator pairing here from Cicada Books. Bartholomew is struggling to get ready for school because of all the monsters from last night’s dream...they just won’t leave him alone. They try to help him with dressing, teeth cleaning, breakfast eating, going for a wee and tying his shoes - all with hilarious consequences, vividly laid out in colourful illustrations. I was left wondering about he very subtle hints taking us back to Maurice Sendak’s “Where the wild things are”, as the story begins with a “wild rumpus”, one of the monsters looking decidedly like Max in Sendak’s classic. This is a great story, perfectly concluded by Bartholomew’s Dad calmly helping him to get properly ready for school. Thanks to @cicadabooks
Swim, Shark, Swim by Dom Conlon and illustrated by Anastasia Izlesou. The followup to the award-winning Leap, Hare, Leap, and the same author and illustrator team tackle another endangered animal on its journey to show us the wonders of the natural world, this time, under the sea. This lyrical poem, which flows through the pages and the illustrations like the sea it is conjuring up, was conceived as a result of the announcement last year that the Reef Shark is in danger of extinction. The blacktip reef shark is our protagonist here, as he scours all the world’s oceans and reefs for a home, meeting other marine animals on his way. We discover the tiger shark, cape fur seal, bottlenose dolphin, great white shark among others, with pages at the back of the book devoted to telling us a few facts about each of the creatures we meet, as well as a map of the world’s oceans showing us the shark’s journey. Swim, shark, swim. And little story lovers and their grownups, spread the word about endangered species and the necessity of looking after the ocean. Thanks to Graffeg
Handa's surprise by Eileen Browne. A classic story of friendship and fruit. We love this one.
Seas - a lift the flap Ladybird eco book - teaching children all about the importance of the planet’s seas and oceans. We learn about why the sea is so important to the planet - the wildlife that it supports and the weather systems that it affects. We discover the big oceans and under the flaps find out who lives in them, different kinds of marine life and how the oceans are home to many different animals from corals to polar bears. We also learn how we have put our planet’s oceans in danger, by throwing away plastic and overfishing, and what we can do to help, including using less plastic, recycling it if we do use it, and choosing sustainable fish to eat (or no fish at all, but that’s just me)
Bees - a lift the flap Ladybird eco book - teaching children all about the importance of bees, and how we can help to save them. We learn about pollination and how bees keep our planet healthy - “without bees we would eventually run out of many foods…”, a necessary message. We take a look inside a beehive and learn that a queen bee can lay about 2000 eggs a day! And we take a serious look at why bees are in danger - from increasing temperatures, mites, habitat destruction and toxic pesticides. But we can help by planting bee friendly gardens, and making a bee hotel.
Trees - a lift the flap Ladybird eco book - teaching children about the importance of trees to our planet, this book explains why we need trees (for oxygen, for homes for animals and birds, for wood to make things. It also shows us the parts of a tree, how they change through the seasons, some of the different types of trees. And we learn about deforestation and how bad it is for planet earth, and some things we can do to help.
No comments:
Post a Comment