Category Archives: Book review

Book Review – Rabbit and Bear: This Lake is Fake

Title: Rabbit and Bear: The Lake is Fake

Written by: Julian Gough

Illustrated by: Jim Field

Published by: Hodder Children’s Books

This hysterically funny story for early readers is the sixth book in the Rabbit and Bear series. The format of Rabbit and Bear: The Lake is Fake with its hard back cover and its unusual size gave the book an old-fashioned classic feel. I had not come across the Rabbit and Bear series before and plan to search pout the other books.

Rabbit and Bear wake up after a long winter and are surprised to find their cave full of poo. It is early spring and the snow is beginning to melt so they venture outside only to find more frozen poo around the edge of the lake. Rabbit does not want to clean up the mess as claims the poo does not all belong to them, the other animals were responsible for the mess too. So Rabbit decides that they will look for the perfect place to live somewhere else.

Rabbit and Bear search for their perfect vision with hilarious consequences.

The limited palette of red, black and white for the illustrations is put to good use. I liked the way that when things were at their worse the pages were black and rabbit was feeling more positive, having dreams of a better world, the pages were different shades of red depending on how positive rabbit was feeling.

Eventually they decide to go back home to find all the poo has been cleared up and an abundance of flowers around the lake. Then Rabbit has another vision that is more realistic than the first. The animals work together to make their vision a reality.

I like the way the story went full circle before rabbit discovers his nearly perfect world. It is great Julian Gough does not say everything is completely perfect as we are all aware everyone has their problems but it is as close to perfect as possible. This provides young readers with a realistic view of the world, which is an excellent point for discussion.

Rabbit and Bear: The Lake is Fake, is ideal for children making the transition from picture books to early readers. It is a great book for stimulating discussion on caring for our environment and what would make their world a better place to live.

Book Review: Where do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night

Title: Where do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night?

Written by: Steven J. Simmons and Clifford R. Simmons

Illustrated by: Ruth E. Harper

Published by: Charlesbridge Publishing

To celebrate the release of Where do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night by Steven J. Simmons, Clifford R. Simmons and Ruth E. Harper in the UK yesterday 16^th April 2024, I will be posting a book review of this gorgeous picture book.

Written in rhyming couplets, Where do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night, talks to us about the different characteristics of ocean creatures, such as what they eat and any predators that influences where they will sleep at night from the sting ray hidden on the seabed floor to the parrotfish and its mucus cocoon and the great white shark that need to swim whilst it sleeps.

The illustrations are striking they make the book a joy to turn each page. I particularly liked the incredible detail and blended colours which gave it a mystical feel. I really loved the otters.

This fun and informative book covers subjects of camouflage and safety and is full of fascinating facts. Other books in the Where do Creatures Sleep at Night series include Where do Big Creatures Sleep at Night.

Would be a useful classroom resource for a topic on Habitats and Humans and Other Animals.

This series highlights the importance of sleep and are great for reading to youngsters who are reluctant to go to bed, as they show all animals have to get some sleep… even an octopus.

Blog Tour – We are the Wibbly by Sarah Tagholm and Jane McGuiness

It is with great pleasure I join the blog tour for author Sarah Tagholm and illustrator Jane McGuiness and their latest book We are the Wibbly. My stop on the tour will be a book review.

********

Title: We are the Wibbly

Written by: Sarah Tagholm

Illustrated by: Jane McGuiness

Published by: Bloomsbury

Blurb

OH MY CRIKEYS!

Doesn’t life move fast? One moment you’re in the Wibbly, relaxing with your Wibbly friends. The next, they’ve all grown tails and turned into tadpoles! And what’s more, they are bursting OUT of the Wibbly … AND you’ve got to keep up!

Some tadpoles don’t feel ready to become frogs.

And some never wanted to become tadpoles in the first place.
Blurb for We are the Wibbly by Sarah Tagholm and Jane McGuiness

Review

We are the Wibbly is the ideal book to stimulate discussion on lifecycles and growing up. This book outlines the lifecycle of the frog with the unique voice of one of the tadpoles who is not as advanced as its brothers and sisters. I liked the way we are totally in first person in the point of view of the tadpole throughout the story. There is no omniscient, third person narrator as there is in many picture books. This made this book stand out for me.

The illustrations and tadpole expressions are adorable. The pastel shades are perfect for the lake environment and I liked the use of orange to symbolise danger.

There is also scope provided by reading this book to young infants for discussing sibling rivalry and wanting to be the same as everyone else. Although, it was lovely that at the end of the book the tadpole / frog was able to teach his brothers and sisters something, showing everything has its strengths.

This is a great picture book highlighting the difficulties of growing up and the problems we face that shape our lives in a way young children can relate to. After all, we all had to face our own ‘spiked hunger monster’ and ‘furry danger monster’ throughout our lives.

The perfect book for pre-school and nurseries and if you are doing a topic on minibeasts and lifecycles.

********

Author Information

Sarah Tagholm is a children’s author who loves writing about confused animals, mischievous children and all things funny and strange. Her first book, Wolves in Helicopters, was published by Andersen Press and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarah.tagholm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrstwit

Illustrator Information

Jane McGuinness is a Scottish illustrator and author who specialises in picture books. She loves animals, trees and the natural world, and completed the prestigious MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She was awarded the Sebastian Walker Prize and her debut picture book, Say Hi to Hedgehogs! (Walker Books, 2018) was longlisted for the Klaus Flugge Award.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bookshelfjane

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janelikesyou

To follow the rest of the tour check out the schedule below:

I would like to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me on this tour.

Book Review: Billy’s Bravery

Title: Billy’s Bravery

Written and Illustrated by: Tom Percival

Published by: Bloomsbury

Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series published by Bloomsbury has always been one of my favourites. They are all fun picture books that contain big messages to help young children process their feelings.

This free World Book Day book for 2023 is no different. Billy wants to dress up as his favourite superhero, Nature Girl for World Book Day but is worried everyone will laugh at him. After a pep talk from Nature Girl, Billy bravely steps out of his comfort zone and dresses up as her. He discovers he had nothing to fear as everyone loves his Nature Girl costume.

The illustrations were a perfect blend of green and yellow giving the book a caring for the environment feel. I particularly like the way Billy’s Bravery challenges society imposed stereo types. For me it was a Bill’s New Frock for younger readers.

This is the perfect book for initiating a discussion on bravery and confidence.

I have previously reviewed The Invisible by Tom Percival. See: Book Review: The Invisible.

Blog Tour: Captain Vlad and the Mary Rose

It is my turn on the blog tour for Blog Tour: Captain Vlad and the Mary Rose by Kate and Sam Cunningham, published by Reading Riddle.

Kate Cunningham was a primary school teacher for nine years, before writing and publishing the first Vlad flea book in 2016. Reading Riddle grew out of her passion for books and a belief that children learn best when they are enjoying themselves. She is married to historian, Sean Cunningham, and Sam is the eldest of her three sons. In between writing books Kate does school and library visits.

Sam Cunningham graduated from Gloucestershire University. He produced the murals for the Family Corner in the Florence Nightingale Museum and images for The Carpenter’s Tale and The Scaffolder’s Tale in the National Archives graphic arts project e-book.

My spot on this tour takes the form of a book review.

********

Title: Captain Vlad and the Mary Rose

Written by: Kate Cunningham

Illustrated by: Sam Cunningham

Published by: Reading Riddle

Captain Vlad and the Mary Rose is a glorious picture book outlining the exploits of Vlad the Flea onboard the Mary Rose in 1544, during the third French War, a year before this iconic ship sunk. This book is written and illustrated by a mother and son team and is part of a series that follows Vlad the Flea throughout history. Other books in the series include Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and Tutankhamun’s Tomb and Vlad and the Roman Triumph, which all have accompanying activity books.

The detail in the illustrations are just stunning. The bright bold colours will appeal to young children and the readers will love to explore the inner workings of the Mary Rose and its crew, whilst hunting for dangers onboard, such as the addition of a dog and the threat of a hawk hovering above. The plot is fast paced, which will grip the reader’s attention. The ship’s rats all have humorous names to help identify them.

At the back of the book there is a brief history of the Mary Rose outlining when it sank, which helps to place the story on the timeline. It was evident that a lot of historical research had gone into writing this book.

Captain Vlad and the Mary Rose would be ideal for the classroom to support a topic on the Tudors and will provide the class with a great overview of what life was like on board a Tudor war ship.

A fun book that will spark young children’s imaginations and foster a love of history.

********

You can find out more about Kate Cunningham and her books on her website:

www.readingriddle.co.uk, on Twitter @reading_riddle, on Instagram @reading_riddle, on Facebook: www.facebook.com/readingriddle and on TikTok: @readingriddle.

Find more of Sam’s work and how to contact him on his website www.samcunninghamart.com

To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule:

I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Through My Letterbox for inviting me to take part in this blog tour.

I have also had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Mary : Adrift in the Sea of Sorrow by Kate Cunningham, also published by Reading Riddle. To read this review of her multi-viewpoint, plot driven, YA novel set in a dystopian post-pandemic world, take a look at: Book Review: Mary: Adrift in the Sea of Sorrow.

To read my interview with Kate Cunningham about her writing process for Mary : Adrift in the Sea of Sorrow take a look at: Blog Tour – Mary : Adrift in the Sea of Sorrow by Kate Cunningham.

Book Review: Tangled Tales: Undercover Overlord and Meddling Underlings

Title: Tangled Tales: Undercover Overlord and Meddling Underlings

Written by: Lou Treleaven

Illustrated by: Mario Gushiken

Published by: Maverick Publishing

I love this concept of the Tangled Tales series, which has two book in one from Maverick Publishing. They are perfect for the emergent reader who has just started to read more independently but is unable to sustain a full novel. Each has a spooky theme to capture children’s imaginations split into eight easy to digest chapters. The stories are: Undercover Overlord and Meddling Underling. Both are creatively written by Lou Treleaven and beautifully illustrated by Mario Gushiken.

Tangled Tales is a new range of fiction aimed for 7-9 year olds. As mentioned each book is composed of two stories but one follows the ‘hero’ and the other follows the ‘monster’ or ‘villain’. The reader can flip the book to choose which story to start with, but they can be read in either order.

In Undercover Overlord, Otis Vile is set to take over his dastardly grandmother’s even more dastardly galactic corporation, E.V.I.L. (Extremely Vile Industries Limited). Only first he must go undercover in their factories to root out anyone ‘nice’ once and for all. Along the way Otis discovers the mysterious Number 2 has dastardly plans of their own.

In Meddling Underling, Plib and her family have spent years battling E.V.I.L. (Extremely Vile Industries Limited) but now their home is threatened. To save them, Plib will have to work for the enemy. I enjoyed following Plib’s hilarious escapades as she tries to change E.V.I.L. from the inside.

These stories are a great addition to the Tangled Tales series. Perfect for reading at Halloween and if you want to laugh out loud.

You can buy copies of Undercover Overlord and Meddling Underlings by Lou Treleaven and Mario Gushiken from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.

You can read my interview with Lou Treleaven about the nitty gritty of being a children’s book writer here: An Interview with… Lou Treleaven.

Blog Tour: The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain

Today I am taking part in the book tour for The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain by Rosie Cooper and Harriet Russell published by Thames & Hudson.

Rosie Cooper is a London-based researcher, originally from New Zealand, with an MA in Geography. She is a podcast maven with a love of the great outdoors, extreme weather and true-crime stories.

Harriet Russell is a London-based illustrator with an MA in Illustration. She has written and illustrated five books for children and is the illustrator of the activity series This Book Thinks You’re a…, also published by Thames & Hudson.

Blurb

What makes your body work? Is it all in your mind? Sort of! Take a tour of the human body from head to toes and everything in between.

Aimed at curious children who want to know how their body works and how their brain keeps it running, The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain answers need-to-know and quirky questions about the bodies we live in.

This fun-filled introduction to the often complex, sometimes gross, and completely fascinating functions of the human body explores what happens to the food we eat, how medicines can fool us into making us feel better, as well as how and why we dream. Showcasing and celebrating the differences that make every person unique, this inclusive book features easy and fun practical activities and experiments, including keeping a poo diary and optical illusions.

Written with a zany sense of humour and packed with facts and hands-on activities, this latest instalment in the Brainiac’s series is the perfect creative and accessible introduction to biology.
The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain by Rosie Cooper and Harriet Russell

For my slot on the tour I am going to do a book review.

********

Title: The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain

Written by: Rosie Cooper

Illustrated by: Harriet Russell

Published by: Thames & Hudson

In this fun and informative non-fiction book, Skully Bonapart, takes the reader on a wild and wacky tour of the inside of our bodies. The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain is split into seven chapters full of entertaining facts organised into easy to digest double page spreads to help young readers gain a vast general knowledge of how our brain and body work together to ensure we can get on with our busy lives.

The illustrations are bright and colourful and I particularly liked the bold text and the handwriting style font. My only criticism is I felt that more could be made of Skully as a narrator as he fades into the background a little too much.

The Brainiac’s Book of the Body and Brain certainly covers a wide range of subjects including memory, fear, dreams, senses, excretions, our senses, our diversity, emotions, medicines, evolution, placebos and perception.

Each area includes easy activities and experiments to try so children can consolidate their knowledge in exciting practical ways that will encourage their curiosity. There is also a useful glossary and list of websites for further research at the back of the book.

This book is bound to be a class favourite and a useful key Stage Two resource for the classroom to support a topic on Ourselves and Our Bodies.

********

I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.

To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule below:

Other Thames & Hudson Books I have reviewed on my blog include:

Blog Tour: A Swift Return by Fiona Barker

Today it is my turn on the A Swift Return book tour. My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.

********

Title: A Swift Return

Written by: Fiona Barker

Illustrated by: Howard Gray

Published by: Tiny Tree

Blurb

Aria has her head in the clouds. Yusuf keeps his feet on the ground. But when they work together to save a bird who has lost her way, something magical happens. When Swift loses her way on her epic migration. Aria and Yusuf come to her rescue and are inspired to think big about looking after the sky above their city. Inspired by Fiona and Howard’s love for wildlife of all kinds, A Swift Return is the follow-up to Setsuko and the Song of the Sea. Howard’s beautiful illustrations evoke a strong sense of place, strengthened by the beautiful Arabic text distilled by Maysoon AbuBlan.
Blurb for A Swift Return

My Review

A Swift Return is a sweet and educational picture book written from the points of view of two children – Aria and Yusuf. They are both very different from each other. Yesuf is practical and good at making things. Aria is a dreamer with some great ideas. Together they help a swift who fell out of the sky due to the pollution it encounters on its migration route over the city back from the South.

Aria and Yusef become good friends. They care for the swift until it is strong enough to fly and set up cleaning their city together in small ways. For example by making flower boxes and walking to school every day. The book demonstrates how everyone can help to prevent pollution as even small changes can make a difference.

A Swift Return was published in February 2024. The Arabic text is unique and I remember back in the 1990’s desperately looking for duel text books like this for the bilingual children and refugees in my class and there were not enough of them. Hopefully, this book will be the start of a new trend. However, in some places I felt the Arabic text blended too much into the background which may make it difficult for early readers to read and they will be dependant on an adult reading it to them.

The text worked well in unison with the beautiful illustrations. They were full of movement and emotion. I enjoyed the way the illustrations provided subtext and became important to telling the story themselves.

Great book for young children who are starting to read independently, with an important environmental message we can all relate to.

********

About the Author

Fiona is a middle-aged, married mum of one. She is positively potty about picturebooks; reading them and writing them. When writing, she longs for alliterative loveliness but is reluctant to rhyme. When reading, she looks for a marriage of words and artwork and loves anything that is fun to read aloud.

Fiona loves doing school author visits and speaking to adults about picture books and children’s publishing.

I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to take part in this book tour. Thank you.

To read my interview with Fiona Barker about her road to publication take a look at: An interview with… Fiona Barker

To find out more about Fiona Barker and her books you can follow her @Fi_BGB on twitter, @FionaWritesBooks on Facebook and Instagram and her author website is: www.fionabarker.co.uk where you can find details of forthcoming events.

You can read more reviews of A Swift Return by Fiona Barker and Howard Gray on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205033932-a-swift-return and Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swift-Return-Fiona-Barker-ebook/dp/B0CTKQJ1WQ/

You can buy copies of A Swift Return by Fiona Barker and Howard Gray from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.

Book Review: Live Like A Goddess

Title: Live Like A Goddess: Life Lessons from Legends and Lore

Written by: Jean Menzies

Illustrated by: Taylor Dolan

Published by: Hachette Children’s Books

Live Like A Goddess: Life Lessons from Legends and Lore is a compilation of inspiring stories of twenty-one deities from around the world. This book is a joy to behold. I particularly liked the bright pink end pages that catch your eye from the moment you open the book.

The book is split into three parts:

Looking Around You
Looking Inwards
Looking to Others.

At the beginning of each story Jean Menzies provides a bit of background information on the goddess, the story itself is told respectfully without judgement and at the end of the story she gives her perspective of the story and the message it brings. In this way each story highlights sonder – how everybody has their own lives with their own problems. For some the realisation that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own may come as a revelation, which is great for encouraging empathy and discussing diversity.

Live Like A Goddess: Life Lessons from Legends and Lore provides a truly multi-cultural perspective of females throughout the myths and legends. Even the black and white illustrations by Taylor Dolan to accompany each story are drawn in a way that matches each cultures heritage, from the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire to the Bantu goddess creator of the world. This book highlights how every culture celebrates tales of myths of daring and brave goddesses. These legendary ladies were tenacious, smart and strong. For example:

Osun, the Yoruba goddess of love who refuses to be dismissed because of her gender and stands up to those who believe women are less important than men.
Rhiannon, the Welsh Queen of fairies who wont let anyone makes decisions for her and follows her own heart.
Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and death who doesn’t give into pressure, sets boundaries and is comfortable being a single independent woman.

I predominantly liked the way Jean Menzies invites the readers to look deeper for their own interpretations of the stories to give meaning to their own lives. This requires readers to read for comprehension and interrogate the text meeting the requirements of both key stage two and key stage three programmes of study. Consequently, each story can be understood in the readers own unique way and each carries a message of wisdom that will inspire event the most reluctant reader to look at their life with hope and empowerment.

From demanding respect and standing your ground to helping others, these mythological tales of bold and daring women will teach young adults how to live confidently, courageously and fearlessly.

I have previously reviewed another of Jean Menzies books, Goddesses and Heroines – Meet More than 80 Legendary Women from Around the World. This book was illustrated by Katie Ponder and published by DK Books. to read the review go to: Book Review: Goddesses and Heroines – Meet More than 80 Legendary Women from Around the World

Book Review: Zinc by Sue Klauber

Title: Zinc

Written by: Sue Klauber

Cover design and Illustration by: Anna Morrison

Published by: Troika Books

Sue Klauber’s debut middle-grade historical novel is children’s historical fiction at its best. Based on the heroic actions and experiences of Sue’s father, uncle and aunt we follow three siblings, George, John and Eva through some of WWII’s most significant events that helped to turn the tide of the war. It is full of excellently executed dramatic scenes that will keep young readers turning the pages.

Written from the points of view of the two brothers George and John, Sue skilfully portrays the effects the Nazi invasion of Hungary had on the Jewish population during the 1940’s and how they were called to arms. We learn how George was selected to parachute into Slovakia for Operation Zinc and how John became a code breaker at Bletchley park. I was drawn in by the logistics of their missions and the consequent contributions both brothers made to the war effort.

Throughout the book there are a series of flashbacks to their childhood. These flashbacks are quite poignant in displaying how the brothers’ relationship has grown and changed. They highlight how the brothers are very different but family is important to them both. There are no chapters from Eva’s point of view. Everything we learn about her, we discover from her brothers’ flashbacks and information they have gleaned.

Zinc would be ideal as a class text to support a KS2 project on WWII. It provides an insightful reflection of what life was like for the Jews during WWII, which could be used to trigger discussions on the events and inspire empathy.

I look forward to discovering more about George, John and Eva in the sequel, Cobalt, which is due for release later this year.

***

To read my interview with Sue Klauber about the writing of Zinc take a look at: Special Guest Q & A with Sue Klauber

You can follow Sue on Instagram @Sueklauber and X @sue_klauber

Sue is available for author events in a variety of contexts, such as schools, libraries and community groups. Find out more, including contact details to discuss an event, in this flyer: Zinc by Sue Klauber: author events.

You can buy copies of Zinc by Sue Klauber from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.