Funny!

Age range: 3 - 5 years

The children loved this book. They identified with the characters as animals. When each animal does their "funny" things many of the children copied the actions described in the book. The pictures are fun, vibrant and colourful. This is a tip-top funny book

Claire Bozward - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

I Wish

Age range: 3 - 5 years

A beautifully illustrated story about two red squirrels Cubby & Clementine and their many wishes. A lovely bed time read.

Mandy Ackland - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

I'm Special

Age range: 3 - 5 years

This book was very big with lovely big clear pictures. This book really kept the children interested and encouraged them to talk about lots of things such as the way they felt and things they do at home and when out and about. They began to understand that everybody is different and that they are all different in many ways and in what they can do. A brilliant book for a pre-school or group environment.

Sharon - Pollyanna Pre-School - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Just Like Sisters

Age range: 3 - 5 years

What a surprise when Nancy's pen friend turned out to be Ally the Alligator! This book made me laugh especially when Ally tells about her brother Snap who will look so handsome when his brace comes off! A colourful book full of fun but a bit sad at the end.

Tracey Thomas - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

The Knight that took all Day

Age range: 3 - 5 years

The story is about a Knight vying for the attention of the beutifal princess who isn't interested in his shows of his prowess through jousting and fighting. So he goes of in search of a dragon to defeat, after an unsuccesful search ( he wasn't looking very well as my son saw 3 hidden in the pictures). when he returns to his tower a dragon attacks the kingdom. eventually, after the knight has the squire running up and down the 101 steps loads of times to find the best looking armour, the knight goes out to fight the dragon only to find that the princess has already tamed the dragon and all the kids are going for dragon rides. the knight goes back to the tower and the princess marries the squire and the both fly in to the distance on the dragon.

My 4 year old son really enjoyed this book, part of his enjoyment was the illustrations, he could see parts of the story unfolding that the knight was missing, for instance while the knight is fussing about the princess is getting dressed in her own armour to prepare to meet the dragon. The pictures are very colourful and have loads going on, so much so, that my son asks to look through the book again to look at the pictures and tell the story from the princess's side.

Although it is a hardback £10.99 seems very expensive it is a good story and has great pictures, I feel that if they bring out a soft back out that is quite a lot cheaper it would be a great book to buy.

Kevin Brook - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Laura's Star

Age range: 3 - 5 years

This is a lovely story about a little girl who found a star which became her special friend. It is well written and beautifully illustrated. Laura's own star shines and sparkles from the pages of the book as you read through the story.

Sarah Edwards - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Molly's Fairies

Age range: 3 - 5 years

My daughter Jodie who is 4 thoroughly enjoyed this book. She really loves anything to do with fairies so this really appealed to her. The story was well written and easy to understand, she loved the little fairies on each page and the fact that as you turned the pages one by one they disappeared. She especially loved the pop up section at the back, even to the point that she would leave the book open on that page and pretend play with her little dolls as if they lived in the castle! This is a magical book for little girls around the age of 4 and 5.

Louise Bennett - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Monster

Age range: 3 - 5 years

Jackson wants a pet and Angela McAllister's gentle humour takes us through his adventures with 'Monster' at the same time teaching the importance and responsibility of caring for a pet. You'll have to read the book to find out how Jackson's escapade with 'Monster' ends!

Tracey Thomas - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Once Upon a Tide

Age range: 3 - 5 years

The words are easy to read. The children enjoyed the fact that it rhymed all the way through. The pictures are detailed but not overwhelming. They enjoyed pointing out other objkects that they could see in the pcitures. Overall the book is ideal for the age range of pre-school chilren.

Claire Bozward - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Riggledy Piggledy

Age range: 3 - 5 years

A paperback book of the best loved Nursery Rhymes with riddles before each Rhyme so you can guess which one is coming next.

Mandy Ackland - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Sweet as a Strawberry and Cool as a Cucumber

Age range: 2 - 5 years

Wow! What fantastic photos!

These two books, out of a series of 4, are a credit to the photography studios. Beautiful pictures of children interacting with fruit and veg in an interesting and colourful way, for example there's a photo of a really cheeky looking girl holding two strawberries up to her face as if they are eyes, another of a little boy balancing an apple on his head.

The concept of the books is 'lift the flap' - you get to see a child with an piece of fruit. Once you lift the flap you then have the fruit displayed in a variety of ways - sliced, halved, squeezed etc. - and another photo of the same child looking thoughtful, with words like: "coconut ... dry and tasty like popcorn or lentils".

These books are most definitely discussion books. The words are very limited on the page - you have your foody phrase, like the one above, and the other words are descriptive words of the food arrangement, like skin, seeds, half, slice which describe what the child is seeing. The other two books from the series are apparently recommended National Literacy Strategy books for reception. I can see that there could be lots of learning to have if one took the books as part of a project on food, learning about how fruit and vegetables grow, experimenting with taste and what the different foods look like. As books to have at home on the book shelf, personally I find them not that useful as a tool. It requires a lot of effort to mount a discussion with a 3 year old about the seeds in a kiwi fruit!

The final thought is that for 'educating' your child, these books are fine but IF you want to enjoy a book for the sake of it ... choose 'Guess how much I love you'. BUT, if you are into photography and want to see some really good examples of children's photography have a look ... you might enjoy it more than the kids!

Abigail Farndon - August 2005

for Sweet as a strawberry www.amazon.co.uk

for Cool as a cucumber www.amazon.co.uk

The Teeny Weeny Tadpole

Age range: 2 - 5 years

This a great book and I would highly recommend it. It follows the journey of a tadpole as he transforms into a frog. The tadpole is desperate to be able to jump like his mum. As he explores his new world he meets a number of animals that encourage him whilst demonstrating their own jumping ability. The book is very colourful with vibrant characters and lots of eye-catching action. Parts of the story are written in a rhythmic style making it great fun to read. I was hooked on this straight away and enjoy it every time I re-read it.

Linda Mosaic - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Wanda's First Day

Age range: 2 - 5 years

This is a great book for all those who are starting school. It’s all about a little witch trying to fit in with the fairies at her new school and wondering whether she should be at a different school. Both of my daughters aged 4 and 5 loved it. The illustrations were fun and the story showed that everyone feels a bit nervous about starting school – even witches! It emphasized that not everyone is the same and that you can fit in even if you are different from the others. A joy to read.

Louise Bennett - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Well Done

Age range: 0 - 5 yrs

This is a lovely book for toddlers. I read this on my own and thought it would be too young for my daughter who is 3 on 19th May. However, when I read it to her she loved it. I think she associated with all the things the child was doing, as my daughter has already achieved all the goals in the book. It is a really nice book, great for parents who are trying to get their children to dress themselves, or use the potty or feed themselves etc. I can understand why it is classed as a confidence building book.

Not much else to say about it really. Just "well done"

Cath Ball - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Why Must I

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

Why must I exercise?

Attractive colourful book, nice pictures to be read by wide age range – from 3 – 10 by reading in more or less detail. Interesting topic broken into small easily accessible sections. Informative and educational. Ideal for primary school children who can read it themselves. The contents and index are easy to use this would make a good school library book. A little repetitive at times.

Why must I eat healthy food?

Attractive format – very interesting for children, can be dipped into for smaller children.Less repetitive than ‘Exercise’ book. Very informative.

Why must I wash my hands?

Attractive format – I found this one a bit preachy. Good for children. Well written and informative. Nice to have a different text in different fonts.

Why must I brush my teeth?

Useful book – nice pictures, attractive pages. Not too repetitive, not preachy. A book which offers good advice.

Sharon Webb (Pre-school teacher) - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Funniest Story Book Ever

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

I read this book with Isabel my five year old daughter and we enjoyed it. The book contains 12 stories each of 3/4 pages long - each story just the right length for a bedtime story. The stories are enjoyable and Isabel was able to ' read along' recognising a lot of the words. We thought the best thing about this book were the illustrations - each story has lots of bright, colourful and quite detailed pictures which describe the stories perfectly and we spent as much time looking at & talking about the pictures as we did reading the words. This is a book we will definately come back to and re-read.

Julie and Isabell Nield - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Cushie Butterfield - What Now

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

I enjoyed the book we were sent, however Jack got bored of it very quickly. There was no real story line and would suit a much younger child, however Jack did like the bright and bold pictures

Jodie Baker - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

How to Catch a Star

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

We loved this book right from the start. The cover was very inviting, promising to reveal the secret of catching your very own star. The blurb on the back of the cover simply introducing the first line but every child in my class immediately identified with the main character. A boy, wanting to catch his very own star, to take long walks on the beach with. They were sad at his failed attempts, but how they smiled when his spaceship ran out of petrol. You can only imagine their delight as the boy eventually catches a star of his very own. This is a wonderful picture book to share with children.

Heather Barfoot - Dinton Pre-School - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Keeper's Ball

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This is a book for young readers or to read to young children.

The story is a very good length and each page has a cartoon like illustration which makes it perfect for a child to read themselves, as they can be 'put off'by a whole page of text. The illustrations are in black and white and fit into the story very well. The story itself is fairly simple and although older children may be able to work out the ending, 'new readers' would enjoy the tale so this would not be a problem. It is amusing and the characters are believable. I don't think too many girls would show an interest in reading it but a boy who supports a 'blue' team would be attracted to the colourful cover. Maybe the book could be marketed with 2 covers.......one in blue and one in red.....????

Sue Whittle - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory - Camping

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

My daughter Kate (18 months) loves watching Balamory and became quite excited when she recognised the books. In particular 'The Clown' was very popular as the pictures in the book are actual photographs of the Balamory characters. She sat still and pointed to the pictures as we read the book. The other book 'camping' did not go down as well as the pictures are drawn rather than photos. I thought that the drawings were an acurate reflection of the characters, but felt that the ones with photographs were better for a younger child. My 6 year old son liked the books too (although he considers himself too old to watch Balamory!) as the language in the book was fairly simple and he could easily read to his little sister.

Sarah Hussey - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory - THe Clown

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

Sarah comments can be read above.

Sarah Hussey - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

My Best Dad

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

My Best Dad is a heart-warming, comic book that would be perfect for a Father's Day gift. However, as a well-loved book to be read again and again, I feel it is limited. Each double page introduces a new 'Dad' and the good and bad things about him, like he's the best at playing football but then sleeps for hours after ... true yes, but as kids book material ... not so sure!!! My daughter is 3 and adores books. She was very excited when the parcel arrived with a new book to look at. She read it enthusiastically the first night but after that lost interest, mainly because, I think that there is little of interest in it - no story-line as such - just "my Dad's best at ... but he never ..." "My Dad's great at ... but he doesn't ..." etc. etc. To it's favour, lovely illustrations and a heart that is really in the right place. It's the sort of book you buy for a 'one-off': birthdays, father's days or just to say 'I love you Dad'.

I'd give My Best Dad 2* for its content but 5* for the thought!

Abigail Farndon - May 2005

This book is one of the competition prizes in May, so look out if you are a winner!

www.amazon.co.uk

Pirates, Plants and Plunders

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This has got to be one of the most original books I have read for a long time. I really enjoyed it. A series of short stories providing an insight into the brave explorers who discovered many of the plants we now take for granted. It is like the other history and science books that have been written to encourage children to take an interest in a subject which can seem dull when read in a text book. While the illustrations, in black and white and are quite comical, the stories themselves are very good indeed. They have just enough gore and danger to, hopefully, leave the reader wanting more. These varied and exiting stories are a perfect length and with 12 to read, they should keep a child interested for quite a while. This is a book that should appeal to all. Maybe if a teacher used this type of story, children would want to discover more of the history of these great and brave explorers.I suggest Mum and Dad read it too.

Sue Whittle - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

No Place Like Home

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

A charming, and beautifully illustrated book.

Mole thinks he’d like a bigger, brighter, more beautiful new home. We go with him on his search for a new home. On his journey we are introduced to his friends, who try to help him find his perfect home.

His journey ends as he discovers there is No Place Like Home…especially your own!

www.amazon.co.uk

A Kick in the Head

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

I'm not sure what age group this collection of poetry is aimed at.

The design and size of the book would suggest a younger age bracket but the content is aimed at the serious poet and too advanced for young children. There is useful information about poem structure such as tercet, haiku and sonnet and use of rhyme which may help a child who is starting to study poetry at school.

Although many of the poems are short my children failed to understand the meaning to most of them, it therefore appears to be a book for deeper consideration that that of a child.

Suzanne Heath - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

Pigeon finds a hot dog, and all he wants to do is savour eating it.

However, the clever little Duckling has other ideas. The real story is disguised behind simple cartoon like illustrations.

The books illustrations and language manage to masterfully express, the two characters who have real attitude! It is a great fun book to read out loud. All works out well for a classic ending. I was surprised that the children enjoyed the humour of this book as much as I did.

Heather Barfoot - Dinton School - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Little Rabbit Runaway

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

Attractive illustrations both on the outside cover and inside the book.

The story is simple and easily accessible to children from 2.5 to 5 years.

The children related well to the story and listened with interest. There wasn't too much text on the page so the children were able to turn the pages quite quickly, it's written using words that young children would use. A good story with a clear beginning, middle and end.

Sharon Webb, Pollyanna Pre-School - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

In a Little While

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

In a Little While is a story about a wolf whose Mummy goes to hospital.

My 2 and a half year old Jack, liked this book.

The pictures were very detailed which held his attention, he got a bit sad as he understood the story line, so maybe a book for children who know someone in hospital. Overall though, Jack did enjoy it and keeps picking it up to look at the pictures and to tell me what he can see.

Jodie Baker and son Jack - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

In a Little While

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

"In a little while" by Charlotte Hudson and illustrated by Mary McQuillan is a beautiful book aimed at 2-4 year olds. It tells the story of Wobbly Fang and how he deals with his mummy being in hospital. My eldest son is almost three and was captivated by the illustrations of the various wolves, racoons, bears and birds of the forest. The pages are so full of lovely little touches that he discovered new things each time we read together. The story is reassuring for little ones and my son never tires of hearing it. At £10-99 it may seem a little expensive but I believe the price is well worth paying for the hours of enjoyment toddlers will have discovering new things with ever read.

I heartily recommend this book to all parents of under 5's.

Karen McIntosh - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory - Colouring Book

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This book is more suited to children who have a good attention span and have managed to grasp the ability of colouring to a reasonable standard - rather than a semi-scribble, because of the small areas needed to be coloured.

The pictures resemble the characters in the programme, but they are illustrations, and my children said they didn't really look like the proper people!

Jackie, Megan, Freya and Cerys - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory - Sticker Book

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

The girls least liked this book which surprised me as generally they love stickers books.

They enjoyed the activity of actually placing the stickers into the book but didn't find the images or content of the book very stimulating at all.

Jackie, Megan, Freya and Cerys - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory Fun and Games

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

My girls loved the books and recognised the characters and places with delight. My 4 year old enjoyed them the most.

They preferred the look of the books with actual photos of the characters from the BBC programme, rather than the illustrated books.

The books reflect the programme with the stories unravelling in the same format to the programme. As the children felt they 'knew' the characters it made the books more of a discussion tool, because the children wanted to share similar stories that they had seen on the TV programme.

Jackie, Megan, Freya and Cerys - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

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