Cheesed Off!
Jake Hope and Genevieve Aspinall
UCLan Publishing
Paperback £7.99
A Mexican proverb states that, ‘It is not the fault of the mouse, but of the one who offers it cheese’, but sometimes meanings get lost in translation. The little mouse family in Jake Hope’s fun, interactive picture book keep their ears pricked for the mention of cheese, and with a family party in full swing, the mice are hopeful, but confused. They’re sure they heard cheese mentioned but it never seems to appear, until the birthday cake arrives!
The illustrations here are lovely, they really jump off the page and are beautifully coloured with deep, cosy hues, and provide multiple opportunities for pointing out amusing little observations, such as the birthday cake candles used to light the mouse house, or the washing peg used as a shelf.
This little mouse family are full of fun and lots of mischief which will be sure to win over young book lovers, although they do have nice manners – they remember to write a thank you letter to show their appreciation for a great party – even though they weren’t actually invited. I can see this book becoming a firm favourite.
Happy Birthday, Dog! And cat
Annabel Pitcher and Fabi Santiago
Hodder Children’s Books
Hardback £12.99
This big-hearted story of best friends, birthdays, rivalries and learning to share will strike a note with any parent.
Cat and Dog are best friends (most of the time) although they are very different. Dog is quiet and Cat is loud. Cat is bouncy, while Dog is calm. Dog is shy, and Cat loves to be the centre of attention. When Dog’s birthday arrives, Cat has trouble understanding that this is Dog’s special day and not her birthday too, and although there’s a bit of falling out along the way, ultimately, Dog realises that the one thing that will make his birthday special, is Cat.
This is a great book for reading aloud with plenty of repetition so young children can have fun predicting what’s coming next. The illustrations are genuinely funny, especially the expressions on the faces of Cat and Dog, and there are plenty of little extras to spot, so you can spend time pointing out the funny bits children might miss at first look. I read this book to a couple of four year olds and they loved it, laughing out loud at Cat’s naughtiness. The message here, that you can be very different to others but still best friends, shines through.
Commenting on her book, author, Annabel Pitcher says: ‘As a mum of four, I know that birthdays can be tricky with little ones. I wanted to capture some of that rivalry in Happy Birthday, Dog! As well as the joy of the special day. Cat and Dog love each other. Then they annoy each other. Then they love each other all over again. They’re exasperating one minute; endearing the next. I’m sure many parents will relate!’
I’m (almost) Always Kind
Anna Milbourne and Åsa Gilland
Usborne
Hardback £12.99
Kindness is probably the most important thing we can teach our children, but what does being kind really mean? And how should we go about it? These are the problems one little boy faces in ‘I’m (almost) Always Kind’. He works out that it includes things like helping his little sister reach things from a high shelf, and tidying away the breakfast things, but sometimes, although he’s doing his best, things don’t work out the way he expects them to. It turns out that being kind means you really need to see things from someone else’s point of view.
The illustrations in this book are busy and chaotic – so just the way children like them, with lots of extra characters involved in their own mini-stories shown throughout, and a keen eye for diversity – women in male-typical roles, wheelchair user etc. The addition of delicate laser cut holes amidst the illustrations demonstrate how love is passed along from one to another – and they are lots of fun to peep through too. I read this book with a four-year-old who completely loved it, especially the bits where the boy keeps getting things wrong.
This is a great book for sharing – engaging story, very child friendly illustrations, and a valuable message. Could make a good edition to PSED development when looking at building relationships.
Mrs Noah’s Song
Jackie Morris and James Mayhew
Otter-Barry Books
Hardback £12.99
‘Mrs Noah sang to the children when they woke in the morning.
She sang as she worked in the garden, growing flowers and growing food.
She sang lullabies at night to help the children sail into sleep.’
This enchanting book is third in the bestselling Mrs Noah series, and is every bit as beautiful as those that went before. The story of birdsong and nature inspiring music and song is told in poetic, magical language, and James Mayhew’s collage style illustrations are gorgeous, giving children plenty to think about, for example, a four-year-old asked me what the shapes were, coming out of people’s mouths. When I explained these were musical notes because the people were singing and the notes were their songs, they were confused as they’d never seen written music before. I showed the child some piano music and they were amazed!
The story here tells of Mrs Noah who loves to sing, telling her children that in order to sing you must begin by learning to listen. At first the children hear only silence, but as they listen intently, they start to hear birds calling and bees humming – they hear the song of the garden. That night Mr Noah makes the whole family a surprise hammock so they can sleep under the stars and wake to hear the most magical sound of all – the dawn chorus. On a joyful new day, Mrs Noah’s birthday, there is birdsong in the garden and a future full of shared song for Mr and Mrs Noah and the children.
This is a book that could be used to inspire many creative art projects, as the collage illustrations here, including fabric, wallpaper and sheet music prints, all work together in a naïve style that children can readily relate to. I went on to make some collage pictures with children after feeling the inspiration.
‘Mrs Noah’s Song’ is ultimately a celebration of nature and music and family love, and is a really lovely book to share with pre-school children.
Turtle Bay
Saviour Pirotta and Nilesh Mistry
Otter-Barry Books
Paperback £7.99
Taro and Jiro-San are friends who love to feed crabs, dive for sponges and watch sea-horses swim around the seaweed in the deep rock pools of Japan. Taro’s sister doesn’t like Jiro-San very much. She thinks he’s weird because her friends have seen him sweeping the beach with a broom. But Taro knows that someone as old and wise as Jiro-San is full of wonderful secrets.
This new edition of a classic story tells of both conservation and cross-generational friendship, and highlights the mistake of making decisions about people before we really know them, with the value of patience also finely woven throughout the whole story.
Nilesh Mistry’s realistic illustrations are captivating and beautifully hued in summer shades of gold, lavender and sea green, which truly bring the book alive, including a lovely picture of a Japanese family meal time sitting on floor cushions at a traditional low table, making this much more than a wildlife picture book alone.
At the back of the book there’s an information section with lots of child friendly facts about loggerhead turtles and their importance to the ecology of the sea. When I read this book to a group of four year olds many were shocked to find out that it’s not only birds that lay eggs, which led to conversations about lots of other egg laying animals. A really good book to spark interest in the ecology of the sea, or as an introduction to a sea-life conservation topic.
Lord of the Forest
Caroline Pitcher and Jackie Morris
Graffeg Limited
Hardback £20
‘Everything little Tiger hears is new and exciting. When he tells his mother of the sounds all around him, she reminds him “When you don’t hear them, my son, be ready. The Lord of the Forest is here!” But who is the Lord of the Forest, and when will Tiger find out?’
The front cover illustration alone tells you this is an unusually beautiful book, bringing the story to life before you even turn a page, and the quality of artwork continues throughout to compliment this timeless fable of a tiger continually searching for the elusive Lord of the Forest. Along the way Tiger meets an assortment of animals who believe they could be the one he searches for, but Tiger knows they are too noisy and the Lord of the Forest will come quietly.
The story is simple, so makes a good read-aloud book for younger children, who will love to guess who the Lord of the Forest might be as they listen to this lyrical tale evoking all the magic of an untamed land. I read this book to a child one-to-one, very quietly, which suits the atmosphere of the book and its regal tone.
The message, that we all have an important place on Earth, that we are strong, and should know our worth, comes through well as the story unfolds.
This is a book that would make a great addition to any bookshelf for the illustrations alone, with the really big close up of the tiger face on the front cover being a great inspiration for art projects – we tried to copy it which was a lot of fun.
Reviews by Karen Hart
