Time to Get Dressed
Penny Tassoni and Mel Four (illustrator)
Featherstone
£5.99
Part of a series of Time to.... titles; these little picture books use simple words and colourful illustrations to help explain the reasons we do everyday things, while encouraging children to have a go themselves.
There’s a lot packed into these little books, with Time to Get dressed, in keeping with the series, having interactive pages asking questions such as which of the clothes pictured would you put on first, and last, and can you match up the pairs of socks and shoes? As well as instructions for putting on your own clothes. Other titles in the series include Time to Go to Bed, Time to Go to Nursery, and Time to Care.
These are great books to incorporate into PSE activities with illustrations depicting a wide diversity of children including wheelchair users, and all books include notes for parents and carers on their specific topic.
The Worst Sleepover in the World
Sophie Dahl and Luciano Lozano (illustrator)
Walker Books
£9.78
I’m well qualified to say that sleepovers rarely go to plan, and the tone of this genuinely funny book from award winning author Sophie Dahl is pitched just right for the slightly older pre-schooler (four-years-plus). This is a slightly longer-form picture book and the humour will be better appreciated by this age group, but well-worth acquiring as it’s a great read. 
The story tells us how Ramona is getting ready for the best sleepover ever with her friend Gracie and has big plans, including lots of wild dancing, making dens, and staying up all night, but when things go wrong and it all turns into a disaster, Ramona isn’t sure she wants to be Gracie’s friend anymore. Can mum save the day?
This is Sophie Dahl’s second children’s title, and has everything young children want in a book – naughty children, and illustrations that are both funny and include all the little real-life details of family life, such as dogs in the bed and crumbs on the floor. A book that could be used to introduce themes of friendship and making-up after arguments. I read it to a couple of four-year-olds and I had to immediately read it again as they liked it so much.
The Last Seaweed Pie
Wenda Shurety and Paddy Donnelly (illustrator)
Storyhouse £6.99
‘The tree-ple lived up high in the trees. They liked to build houses of sticks, climb with the lemurs and bake papaya pies. But most of all, the Tree-ple loved to make things.
The sea-ple lived deep down in the ocean. They liked to build houses of shells, swim with the fishes and bake seaweed pie. But most of all, the Sea-ple loved to watch nature.’ 
This heart-warming eco-message picture book shows the importance of friendship and collaboration when caring for our planet, The tree dwelling creatures make so many objects they soon run out space, so resort to throwing what they don’t want any more into the sea. The poor sea-dwellers soon find themselves overwhelmed with all the old objects landing in their home and so make their way to the world above – where they meet the tree-ple.
There’s plenty to talk about here, and also lots to point out and spot with Paddy Donnelly’s imaginative, child-friendly illustrations – the characters are really lovable.
The back of the book contains reminders for ways to become your own ocean hero and there’s also a three per cent donation of the cover price from titles sold in the UK going to the Marine Conversation Society. A lovely book to use as part of a ‘looking after our planet’ topic, taking an imaginative look at ocean conservation.
The Same but Different
Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings (illustrator)
Bloomsbury Education
£10.99 (hardcover)
From the bestselling author of How Are You Feeling Today? Comes a picture book celebrating the joy of being both the same and unique. There’s a lot of ground covered, from different personalities and being good at different things, to the languages we speak and the places we live. The book also introduces themes of sexual diversity and physical disability, taking a broad approach to the subject but always balancing differences in some areas with similarities in others. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, with lots to make pre-schoolers laugh, and are pitched just right for this age group. 
A book best suited to one-to-one or small group book sharing, as pages have lots of little interesting details that might get a bit lost during a whole group reading session, plus the comic-style speech bubble illustrations really need pointing to individually, to make it clear whose speaking. A really good book for exploring and sharing ideas of how both differences and shared experiences make up the human race.
The book includes a quick reference glossary at the back, with simple explanations for a range of diversity related words, plus information on talking about diversity and individual differences with children.
This is a book capable of providing plenty of milage through the Understanding the World or PSE curriculum – respect for others, and feeling good about yourself.
George The Wombat – a potty companion
Eva Papoušková and Galina Miklínová (illustrator)
Graffeg £7.99
Potty stories – the perennial favourite of young children – rarely fail to raise a smile, and George and his trepidation at being faced with a potty, hits just the right note. George really does want to use his potty as mum has asked him to do, but it gets ever so boring just sitting and waiting. George’s friends try to help with words of wisdom, but in the end it’s papa wombat that helps him get the job done! 
The illustrations are lovely in this gently humorous book, with the wombat family looking extra cuddly. There’s even a bit of information on what makes wombats unique. A good circle time book, that could prove helpful in introducing the subject of potty training.
The Bear and her Book
Frances Tosdevin and Sophia O’Connor
UCLAN Publishing
£6.55
The world is big and there's much to see,
And a bear must go where she wants to be.
And a bear as curious as me – longs to gaze at the starlit sea!
In this story a book loving bear sets out to see the world, taking just one special thing with her – her Bear’s Big Book of Being Wise. Along the way bear makes new friends and learns that not only can books help us to help others, but can also take us anywhere our imaginations lead us.
The rhyming text, complete with a repeating refrain is very reminiscent of Julia Donaldson and makes a great read aloud story – I read it to a four-year-old and she loved it. The illustrations, taking you from lush jungles to golden desserts and moonlit forests, are lovely too. A good book for National Storytelling Week - 30 January - 6 February 2022 or World Book Day – 3 March 2022
