The Garden We Share by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Julianna Swaney

The Garden We Share by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Julianna Swaney

Published March 2022 North South Books 

Blurb:

This inspiring picture book written by Zoë Tucker and illustrated by Julianna Swaney—the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines—celebrates the friendship between a young girl and an elderly woman as they plant seeds in a community garden alongside friends and neighbors, waiting for the seeds to flower. By mid-summer, the friends welcome a rainbow of color in the garden and picnics in the sun. At harvest, the young girl’s elderly friend is bed-ridden, but jubilant as they share baskets with red tomatoes and snap peas amid the sweet smell of lavender. When the last leaves fall, everything is different. But in the spring, hope arises anew.

So much to love about this book, it is beautiful.  

A story about family, that special bond between a grandparent and a child, and precious time spent in the garden, and in the kitchen, cooking up the spoils of the garden.  I love the community garden and those that spend time there. Yes there's gardening, but there's also time just spent there enjoying the garden, sharing food and stories.  Without being explicit, this story covers a lot... patience, the change of seasons, community, sustainability and loss.  The little girl in this book has a concrete 'thing' to help her remember her grandmother, the garden, as well as her grandmother's friends, reminding us that those that are still here help keep the memories of those gone alive. 

The last illustration is so very clever, showing us that those we love are with us always.

Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books for the opportunity to review this title.

Do You Speak Fish? by DJ Corchin and illustrated by Dan Dougherty

Do You Speak Fish? by DJ Corchin and illustrated by Dan Dougherty

Published December 2021 Sourcebooks eXplore

Blurb: 

When a child meets a fish and says hello, the fish does not respond. The child is shocked. What a rude fish! But soon the child learns that it's not up to the fish to speak the child's language. And if the child wants to communicate, he'll have to take the time to learn how to speak Fish.

This book reminds me of a novel Fish In a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt, and the quote in it about how we treat/judge people: "Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid."

As an English speaker, I must admit that no matter where we go in the world, we’re pretty fortunate in that so many other nations speak English as their second language, so in that regard we are quite spoilt.  What if that wasn’t the case, and what must it be like for people who come to English speaking countries, and find it difficult to understand and be understood.

That’s a big thing to think about, so a book like Do You Speak Fish is great because it tells the story from a completely different perspective, one where animals can talk, but one in which we can think about our own actions, values and behaviours. 

The boy on the story gets quite frustrated when the animals don’t understand him, because he doesn’t speak, fish/lion/bee etc.  Shouldn’t all creatures speak ‘kid’?  It’s not until the wise tree makes him think about it, does he realise that maybe he should make the effort to learn fish/lion/bee and then in turn they might learn yours, and even just learning a little bit and being that bit more thoughtful can make a massive difference and make others feel more welcome and included.

A great book to start a conversation in the classroom.

Thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to review this title.

Peace by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul Illustrated by Estelí Meza

Peace by Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul Illustrated by Estelí Meza

Published March 2021 North South Books

Blurb:

Peace is on purpose. Peace is a choice. Peace lets the smallest of us have a voice.

From a hello and pronouncing your friend’s name correctly to giving more than you take and saying I’m sorry, this simple concept book explores definitions of peace and actions small and big that foster it.

Award-winning authors, Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul, have teamed up with illustrator Estelí Meza—winner of the ‘A la Orilla del Viento’ the premier Picture Book Contest Award in Mexico—to create an inspiring look at things we can all do to bring peace into our lives and world.

I like when a book can make me reconsider what something means.  

If I think of ‘Peace’, my basic thought is, calm, and not fighting.  But this book looks at Peace as a much bigger concept.  It looks at all of the little things we can do every day, to create that sense of peace, in our everyday lives and in the wider community. 

The rhyme is great, and this rhyming text makes it an engaging read, that will appeal to even the youngest of readers (or listeners, as the case may be). 

It is simple, with one statement on each double page.  In a classroom setting I can imagine that it would work well to focus on different pages, and different ideas,  and then talk about ways we can implement them every day. 

The one page that struck a note with me, was the page ‘Peace is pronouncing your friend’s name correctly’.  I recently saw an interview where the person who was interviewed spent his whole life having people mispronounce his name, and how grateful he was when someone got it right or asked how to say it correctly.  I think that will resonate more with adults than with children, as young children will more often than not hear a name, not have to read it and then try to pronounce it.

There is a great authors’ note at the back of the book, that gives an insight into another aspect of peace, and how it has an impact on not only people, but animals and nature.  After reading the authors note, you will want to go back and look at each page more closely. 

The tree, with what I assume are the children’s names on it, is a nice touch also. 

Thank you to NetGalley and North South books for the opportunity to review this title.

No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever by Raj Haldar & Chris Carpenter illustrated by Bryce Gladfelter

No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever by Raj Haldar & Chris Carpenter illustrated by Bryce Gladfelter

Published November 2020  Sourcebooks eXplore

Blurb:

In the vein of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, this delightful new book places pairs of similar-sounding sentences together and illustrates them in two hilariously different ways. These illustrations gone awry highlight how absurd the English language can be. But, have no fear! The illustrations will give you all the clues you need to decipher the true meanings behind these wily words. You won't be tricked by phrases like 'C Major, it's a beautiful key! / See Major, it's a beautiful quay!' Context clues, bright illustrations, and rhyming words will help readers navigate the ridiculous text with ease.

I love a book that shows us how absurd the English language can be.  

This is a book of homophones. Homophones being pairs of words that sound the same, but have very different meanings and different spellings.  

This book relies heavily on the illustrations for the humour, because the nature of a homophone is that each sentence will sound the same, it’s the spelling of the word that will change the meaning.  So reading this book out loud, without showing the illustrations might actually make it the ‘worst read-aloud’ book ever, as it states on the cover.  

It does however, make a great book for sharing and discussion, and an excellent choice to liven up an English lesson in the classroom.

This book is American, so for readers in Australia there may be some additional explanation of the words to ‘get’ the humour, as we pronounce some words differently, or we don’t use some of the words featured in the book. 

For example:

We saw the queen’s burrow thanks to our ant hill.

We saw the Queensboro, thanks to our Aunt Hill   

We don’t pronounce Aunt as Ant in Australia, so the sentences won’t sound the same.

Similarly, 

The pitcher held the batter –We don’t use the word pitcher, here we call it a jug, and baseball is not a commonly played sport.

That’s nothing against the book.  I don’t think those ‘Americanisms’ will take away from the enjoyment of the book at all, and it gives parents/educators additional discussion points in regard to the English language.  Even though Americans and Australians speak English, there are still plenty of differences.

There is also a glossary at the back of the book, so if the reader is in any doubt as to the meaning of a word, they will find the answer there (although ‘pitcher’ is not on that list)

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the review copy  #netgalley

One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail

One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail
August 2015 Simon & Schuster

Blurb:

Sophia tries varied techniques to get the giraffe she wants more than anything in this playfully illustrated story about the nuances of negotiation. 

Sophia has one true desire for her birthday. But she has Four Big Problems in the way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad...and Grand-mama. 

Will her presentations, proposals, and pie charts convince them otherwise? Turns out, all it takes is one word.

When this book came in last year, I thought it was new. It isn't,  it came out on 2015.  Once again, proving that I don't know everything, and I don't know every book on our shelves.

Anyway, I loved the cover, and that's what drew me to read it...a girl in a tutu standing on a giraffe's head.  It becomes clear in the first two pages why there's a giraffe on the cover.  You see, Sophia has One True Desire, and that is to get a pet giraffe for her birthday.

In order to achieve this one true desire, Sophia has to convince four people:

Mother, who was a judge,
Father , who was a businessman,
Uncle Conrad, who was a politician, 
and Grand-mama who was very strict.

And so begins Sophia's quest to convince the four.  There are long-winded reasons, diagrams, charts slideshows and graphs, and after each presentation she's given the brush off, being told her presentation was verbose, effusive and loquacious...

I love the language used in this book, so many words that mean 'using too many words'!...and then there's Activist, Quadruped, Respondents, Revise and Warehousing...all of which are explained in the glossary at the back of the book.  

All of this rich language wrapped up in a book that will appeal to every child who has wished for something big....and the power of one little word...

Greta and the Giants: Inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Zoe Persico

Greta and the Giants: Inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world by Zoe Tucker illustrated by Zoe Persico

Published December 2019 Quarto UK

Blurb:

This inspiring picture book retells the story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg - the Swedish teenager who has led a global movement to raise awareness about the world's climate crisis - using allegory to make this important topic accessible to young children.

Greta is a little girl who lives in a beautiful forest threatened by Giants. When the Giants first came to the forest, they chopped down trees to make houses. Then they chopped down more trees and made even bigger homes. The houses grew into towns and the towns grew into cities, until now there is hardly any forest left. Greta knows she has to help the animals who live in the forest, but how? Luckily, Greta has an idea... A section at the back explains that, in reality, the fight against the 'giants' isn't over and explains how you can help Greta in her fight.

When I started reading this I was surprised, as I expected it to be a picture book depicting the life of Greta Thunberg.  I have read a number of books about Greta recently for middle grade and older readers, so I thought a picture book would be a great addition to this collection.

That is not what this picture book is though.  As the blurb states (which I obviously didn't read properly), this is an allegory (a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.).  Once I got my head around the fact that this wasn't a narrative non fiction title about Greta, I was most impressed.  It's the perfect starting point to talk about this amazing young activist with young readers.

Greta and the Giants is a story about a girl standing up to the giants that come into her forest and start chopping down the trees, and destroying the habitats of all who live there.  This is a young children's picture book, and as such it has a positive and happy ending...not necessary a reflection on what is happening in the real world, but for this age group, a satisfying conclusion.  It emphasises the importance of speaking up, and how one voice can become many.

There are notes in the back of the book about the real life Greta, as well as notes on what we can do to help battle climate change.

I think Greta's words, "No one is too small to make a difference" will inspire a younger generation to use their voice and start to make a difference.

~ Thanks to NetGalley for the reading copy

Three by Stephen Michael King

Three by Stephen Michael King
Published November 2019 Scholastic

Blurb:

One, two, three . . . Every day was a hop and a skip for Three. He was happy to walk from here to there, wherever his nose led, or wherever his legs took him . . . all the way to new friends.

I really don't have to write anything do I?  It's a new Stephen Michael King picture book. All I need to do is post the picture and I'm done...because we know that this is going to be a book that touches your heart.

This is the kind of book that makes me want to try and be a better person. Well maybe not a better person, but to be more thankful for all of the good things. As humans, living in the world, it is easy to focus on the things that aren’t going our way instead of being grateful for the things that are good. 

Three, so named, due to the fact that he only has three legs, is thankful for everything. In every illustration in this book Three is smiling. He has no home, he doesn’t always have food, but he is thankful for everything, even happy for others. He’s happy that the six legs had homes underground, far away from busy feet, and the eight legs have a home high above the traffic where they are safe. 

Three may only have three legs, but he’s Thankful he doesn’t have four legs, because if he had four legs he might be a chair, and people sit on chairs…Three’s legs take him wherever he wants to go…and he is thankful for that. 

Three’s three legs take him from the city, to the country... to Fern, and she had a home to share and room in her heart. Fern is thankful for Three.  Three is thankful for everything.

Good Night, Little Bear - Little Golden Book Classic by Richard Scarry

Good Night, Little Bear - Little Golden Book Classic by Richard Scarry
Originally Published in 1961

Blurb:
It’s time for Little Bear to go to bed. But where can he be? Father Bear searches all over the house.

Has he forgotten that Little Bear’s been riding his shoulders the whole time? 

Little ones will enjoy being in on the joke as they look at Richard Scarry’s colorful pictures. 

Last week , for 'Throw Back Thursday', I had My Folks Grew up In the 80s'  This week is an actual trip back in time for me, this time back to the 1970s.

For someone whose adult life is all about kids books, I have very few memories of books as a young child.  The one vivid memory I do have, is going to the supermarket with my Nan, when I stayed with her in the holidays.  When we went to the supermarket, there was a wire spinner filled with books, Little Golden Books, and I got to choose one every week.

The one book Little Golden Book that has stayed with me is this one.  I even bought a copy a few years ago, simply for nostalgia's sake.  I still love books where the reader is fully aware of what's going on in the story, but one of the characters is oblivious...like Father Bear in this one....well he pretends to be oblivious anyway.

And...if I am completely honest, I think the one particular illustration that has stayed with me...for all of these years, is the chocolate cake...in fact every time I see a big piece of chocolate cake, it's this image that flashes in my mind.  Head over to my Instagram account to see the aforementioned page.

Next Thursday, another blast from my past.  One of my all time favourite novels...published in 1984.

The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic illustrated by Geroge Ermos

The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic illustrated by Geroge Ermos
November 2019 Sterling Children's Books

Blurb

Children love their pets very much — and when the animals die, that loss can be hard to process.

The End of Something Wonderful helps kids handle their feelings when they’re hurting and can’t find all the right words. In a warm, understanding, sometimes funny way, it guides children as they plan a backyard funeral to say goodbye, from choosing a box and a burial spot to giving a eulogy and wiping away tears. Most of all, it reassures them that it’s not the end of everything...and that Something Wonderful can always happen again.

This might not be quite what you're expecting with a book about dealing with the death of a beloved pet.  The subtitle is, 'A Practical Guide to a Backyard Funeral' after all...and that is what this book is.

It is quite matter of fact in it's tone, the first page starts with:

'First you need something dead, meaning something that was once alive but isn't any longer.'

Even though this book is maybe not quite as 'warm and fuzzy' as you would expect,  that doesn't mean that it takes the death of your pet lightly.  It talks about no matter what kind of funeral you have for your pet, your pet knows how much you miss them.  There's a great page with a boy and a pin up board, and on it are notes on everything from 'How Do You Feel? Confused Sad Lost' to 'Bury in fish bowl ? Maybe a bag?'.

The book looks at all of the practicalities of a pet burial, from what to put the pet in, where to dig the hole (or is it OK to flush a fish?) and what might happen at a funeral. There might be songs, there could be tears, and sometimes there might even be laughter...no matter how you feel or react, that's OK.

It explains that you can talk about how much fun you had together, that you loved them, and that you miss them and being dead won't change that. That's it's OK to cry, that it's OK to not be ready to say goodbye.

I especially like the text on the last page, it's spot on about what a funeral is, whether it be a beloved pet or a human loved one.

Maybe you want to sit with your Something Dead and be quiet for a while.

Whatever you want to do is just fine.

Funerals come at the end of something wonderful.

Just remember: it's not the end of everything.

You can always have SOMETHING WONDERFUL again.

In short, if you're looking for a book that deals with the loss of a pet, I would recommend this one.  I would also recommend reading it first, making sure that the tone and style fit your child and your child's experiences.

Meerkat Christmas by Emily Gravett

Meerkat Christmas by Emily Gravett
Published October 2019 Pan MacMillan

Blurb:

A young meerkat travels the world looking for Christmas in this festive card-packed picture book, perfect for fans of The Jolly Christmas Postman and the modern classic, Meerkat Mail. 
Sunny isn't quite sure if Christmas in the desert with his meerkat family is the right sort of Christmas – there's no snow, no fir trees and no figgy pudding! So he heads off on a journey round the world looking for the picture perfect Christmas . . . before realizing he might have left it at home after all.

The Christmas Pageant is on today in Adelaide, so that means the countdown to Christmas is on.

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with our favourite meerkat, Sunny. Who you may remember from the earlier picture book Meerkat Mail.

Christmas is coming, and Sunny has found a checklist in a magazine, Perfect Magazine Xmas Extra outlining what it takes to make a perfect Christmas:

• The Perfect Weather
• The Perfect Tree
• The Perfect Presents
• The Perfect Dinner
• The Perfect Music

Thinking that he can't possible have a perfect Christmas in his Kalahari home he sets off around the globe, hoping to find a place that ticks all of the boxes.

We get to travel the world with Sunny, and he sends Christmas cards back to his family from each destination.  The text never states exactly where Sunny is, but there are clues in the cards, or in the illustrations, and young readers will love to guess where Sunny might be.  You might even want to get out the atlas or a globe to track Sunny's trip.

The first one is pretty easy, (well I can say that being from Australia)...at the beach, hot, prawns on the barbie AND there's a koala!

All of the cards open up (as you can see below), kids will love it, and unlike the every popular Jolly Postman, these cards are stuck down, so they can be opened, but won't get lost.  There's even a Christmas Cracker joke in every card.

My Folks Grew Up In the 80s by Beck and Robin Feiner

My Folks Grew Up In the 80s by Beck and Robin Feiner
September 2019 Harper Collins

Blurb:
Travel back in time to the era no one has ever forgotten - the '80s - because those outfits were so rad you had to wear shades.

Welcome to the 1980s - a time when crimped hair and perms were cool, kids listened to cassette tapes, thought dancing on your head was the ultimate, and synth-pop ruled the school. 

My Folks Grew Up in the '80s is a stroll down memory lane for the kids who grew up then, and a hilarious chance to share the decade's outright weirdness with a whole new generation.

My folks may not have grown up in the 80s, but I certainly did. Well I was a teenager in the 80s. I am a self confessed 80s tragic.  To be honest as far as music and movies go, all of my favourites pretty much all came out in the 80s.

This book is a real walk down memory lane...complete with fluro colour palette.  

So many memories...

• Old school 'jaffle' toasted sandwich maker, I remember the tomato used to get so hot in those things, that you would get third degree burns when it dripped on your chin. (I actually bought one again quite recemtly!)
• Plenty of posters on my wall..although I was more Bon Jovi  and Bananarama than Kylie and Devo.
• Leg warmers and aerobics with Jane Fonda
• Trips to the video shop to borrow VHS movies, that had been watched so many time the quality was less than perfect.
• Having my finger on the record button on Sunday nights listening to the Top 40 radio show, ready to record my favourite songs...onto a cassette tape
• ...and hairspray...so much hairspray...I get flashbacks to New Wave Discos, every time I smell TAFT hairspray.

For 24 hours only, you can head over to my Instagram page and see the slightly blurry 80s photo version of the real What's Rebecca Reading in my stories!

Adults will smile fondly when reading this one, and kids will ask 'what's that?' and 'really?', and the answer will be 'Yes, really"

On a more serious note, it fits in really well with the Australian Curriculum,

HASS Year 1 - 

How has family life changed or remained the same over time
How can we show that the present is different from or similar to the past?

HASS Year 2

How have changes in technology shaped our daily life?

Little People, Big Dreams - Zaha Hadid by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara illustrated by Asun Amar

Little People, Big Dreams - Zaha Hadid by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara illustrated by Asun Amar
Published October 2019 Quarto UK


Blurb:
When Zaha Hadid was a little girl, she grew up in Baghdad, Iraq surrounded by music. She was a curious and confident child, who designed her own modernist bedroom at nine years old. As a young woman studying at University in Beirut, she was described as the most outstanding pupil the teacher had ever met. With her spectacular vision and belief in the power of architecture, she founded her own firm and designed some of the most outstanding buildings in the world - including the London 2012 Olympic Aquatic Centre.

This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the architects life.

This is a series that has grown and grown in our store, and it's always exciting to see who turns up on the covers. I was happy to see Zaha Hadid, as I am familiar with her, thanks to another picture book called, The World Is Not a Rectangle by Jeanette Winter.

ISBN: 9781481446693

Any book that opens our eyes to talented and interesting people, is a good book, and this is no exception. Zaha Hadid had a vision and a passion, and she didn't let the convention of straight lines stop her from creating ground breaking architecture. It's the sort of book that makes you want to go out and learn more, and that's what I did. I encourage all readers of this book to research the buildings Zaha created...prepare to be amazed.

I think it's easy to dismiss these titles as simplistic, but I think they are a great introduction to influential and interesting people in our world, and in our history. They're a starting point, encouraging readers to find out more.

Here We Are: Notes For Living On Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

Here We Are: Note for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
Published November 2017 by Harper Collins

Blurb:

The exquisite and thought-provoking new book from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture book creator of Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers. 

Well, hello.And welcome to this Planet.We call it Earth.Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you've only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let's explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you'll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else… Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you've just got to be kind.Here We Are is the utterly heartfelt new book from Oliver Jeffers. We're glad you found it.

So here's one from last year, that I am sure everybody knows about...but I love it so much I thought I would write this post anyway, because I want to make sure everyone knows about this book.

I have no words for this book really, I simply loved it.  It feels like Oliver Jeffers has let us into his lounge room where he is talking to his new son about the world...and that's pretty much what it is.  Oliver Jeffers wrote this for his son, and we are so fortunate that he turned it into a book and shared it with the world because it is beautiful.

I have already given it as a Christening gift, it's must for new parents, and I think it could (should) be a valuable resource in the classroom too.

It is a look at the world we live in, but more than that, it's about the kind of person we should strive to be in this world...  

There are quotes in the back of the book, one of which is from Oliver Jeffers' Dad:
"There are only three words you need to live by, son: respect, consideration and tolerance'"   - Truer words have never been spoken.

Piranha's Don't Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey

This is hands down my favourite picture book at the moment.

In the last few weeks I have read it to large groups of students from Year 2 to Year 6 and even the older kids can't help but laugh out loud...it may have something to do with the bums in the book!

I also love this photo (modest), I took it for my Instagram account but had to use it here, and I think I will use my own photos from now on. Who doesn't love a random pineapple in book photos.  But I am sure piranha's don't eat pineapples either...it's just that pineapple doesn't rhyme with piranha.

There's a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins

There's a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Published June 2015 Nosy Crow
 
Poor Mouse! A bear has decided to settle in his favourite chair, and that chair just isn’t big enough for them to share. Mouse tried all kinds of tactics to move Bear, from glaring at him and scaring him, to luring him with a pear, but nothing works. Eventually, Mouse gives up. Once Mouse has gone, Bear gets up from the chair and walks home. But what’s that? Is that a Mouse in Bear’s house?!

With echoes of Dr Seuss, this joyously illustrated picture book by a multi-award-winning talent is perfect for sharing.

My favourite type of picture books, are those with stories told in rhyme, and this one is a stand out.

The cover of this book sets the scene beautifully…there is the title There’s a Bear on My Chair… and an angry looking mouse, pointing to the very happy bear sitting in a chair, leaving no question as to whose chair that might be! 

The book is full of lovely language and glorious rhyme, and the way illustrations depict the increasingly frustrated and angry mouse are comic gold, especially as nothing seems to affect the bears calm and happy demeanour.

More reasons to like this book…end papers, different front and back (I love endpapers that start the story!)  and an ending with a satisfactory twist.

If you want to have a 'look inside' this book CLICK HERE

 

Newspaper Hats by Phil Cummings and Owen Swan

Newspaper Hats by Phil Cummings and Owen Swan
Published July 2015 Scholastic Australia

Grandpa remembers many things from long ago, but he has trouble remembering his granddaughter, Georgia.

In this moving story, a little girl helps her grandfather reach his memories through the simple act of making hats from folded newspaper.

A gentle yet powerful story about the love and memories that bind families together.

I had heard Phil tell this story before it was a book, more than once, and it made me cry…more than once.  I even told the story to other people and it made them cry, so consider yourself forewarned.  In saying that, I know many people who have read this books and didn’t cry, and like it is with many picture books,  we often see our own stories within the pages, and different stories mean different things to different people.  That there is the beauty and magic of a picture book.

Mr Huff by Anna Walker

 

Mr Huff by Anna Walker

Published July 2015 Penguin Books
 

Award-winning and much-loved author and illustrator Anna Walker gives us a gentle, poignant, affirming and wise picture book sure to delight all ages.  Mr. Huff is a story about the clouds and the sunshine in each of our lives.
 

Bill is having a bad day.

Mr Huff is following him around and making everything seem difficult.
 

Bill tries to get rid of him, but Mr Huff just gets bigger and bigger!
 

Then they both stop, and a surprising thing happens . . .

 

Jonathan by Peter Carnavas illustrated by Amanda Francey

I love a book that starts at the end papers, and this one does. Jonathan, stuffed rabbit abandoned, hands in pockets, head down and kicking a stone...he is not happy…he wants something fun to do. 

Jonathan’s idea of fun is to scare members of his family, so he dresses as a lion and hides behind the curtains, and jumps out at Dad, Dad’s response is 

‘Not scary, Jonathan.’ 

No matter what scary animal he tries to be, no one gets scared. When Jonathan finds himself climbing a bumpy green hill, he just might have found the scary thing he was looking for.

This is a simple story that would be great to read aloud with all of the scary animal sounds, and it had a little twist at the end that I didn’t see coming and it made me smile.

Little Red Hood by Marjolaine Leray

Every now and then a book comes along where I think…’I’m not sure who will buy this?’ This is one of those books.

What I was expecting was a version of Little Red Riding Hood, and technically that is what this is….if Little Red Riding Hood was a psychopath.

There are few words in this book, and the illustrations and font are very simple and child like. I will give you my brief synopsis…stop reading if you don’t want me to spoil the ending.

Big Bad Wolf meets Little Red Riding Hood.

They go through the ‘What Big ears/eyes/teeth’ bit

And just when he is going to eat her up, Red Riding Hood says…no

No?

Little Red tells the wolf he has stinky breath and offers him a sweet, which he takes.

Then there is a clutching of throat and collapsing on the ground…the wolf is dead…

Little Red’s response to this….fool!

So…did the wolf get what he deserved? Yes. But is it normal for Little Red Riding Hood to be so smug?  I'll leave that for you to decide.

The Times says ‘It’s totally brilliant.’, and I have sold copies, more retail customers than schools I might say, but if you have a fondness for slightly wicked picture books, then you should try ro get your hands on one of these.