Tuesday, 21 August 2012
A closer look at Anorak and Ploc - two happy magazines for kids
Labels:
Alain Gree,
Anorak Magazine,
Anorak Press,
Ploc Magazine
As the long hot (and sometimes extremely wet) summer draws to a close, and the television and shops are bombarded by those depressing "Back to School" ads, there's still plenty of fun to be had in the closing weeks of the holidays.
We were lucky enough to be sent Anorak and Ploc magazine...
Friday, 17 August 2012
The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord and Janet Burroway (Red Fox Picture Books)
Normally you don't see four million wasps all in one place (unless you visit Legoland!) but imagine if your peaceful tranquil little village was invaded by them. What would you do?
The villagers of Itching Down come up with a fantastic plan to rid themselves of the yellow...
Book of the Week - "I Want My Hat Back" by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)
So many times we hear publicists and publishers claiming that such and such a book is "The Next Gruffalo" or "The Next Very Hungry Caterpillar" but seldom few match up to such classics. I'm not going to tell you that "I Want My Hat Back" is the next anything, it's the...
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Do you know where your Anorak is?
Labels:
Anorak Magazine,
Anorak TV,
PLOC
At ReadItDaddy we're passionate about children's books but we're equally passionate about children's periodicals, magazines and comics. Yes they do exist, no they don't always have to have a nasty cheap plastic gift attached to the cover or be based around TV or merchandising opportunities,...
The Dog Detectives - Lost in London by Fin and Zoa, illustrated by Merika Suska (Maverick Books)
Labels:
Fin and Zoa,
Lost in London,
Maverick Arts Publishing,
Maverick Books,
Merika Suska,
The Dog Detectives
London is a huge, vibrant city and a favourite destination of ours. I lived there for many years but it was only when I moved away that I got to do the 'tourist bit' of visiting all the attractions and enjoying the way the city has changed immensely over the last 30 years.
In...
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
When you read books to your child, what voices do you use?
Labels:
bedtime reading,
reading aloud,
Silly voices
Fairly early on in our relationship, I found out that @thestrollingmum really didn't like my terrible talent for daft accents and impressions, so for years those voices lay dormant except for moments when I could sneakily take them out for a stroll when she wasn't within earshot.
As...
I Want My Puppets by Tony Ross (Andersen Children's Books)
She's sassy, she's mischievous and she has her own TV show. Tony Ross's "Little Princess" books are always a favoured pick when we do our library runs, and "I Want My Puppets" follows the tried and tested formula of the other Little Princess books.
The Little Princess...
Coming up - Tamara Small and the Monsters Ball by Giles Paley-Philips and Gabriele Antonini (Maverick Arts Publishing)
Labels:
Gabriele Antonini,
Giles Paley-Phillips,
Maverick Arts Publishing,
Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball
Fresh from reviewing "The Fearsome Beastie" we were extremely lucky enough to get a sneaky peak at Giles Pale-Phillips and Gabriele Antonini's excellent followup, "Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball".
As you know, we like a bit of monstrous stuff here at ReadItDaddy...
Monday, 13 August 2012
Mrs MacReady Was Ever So Greedy by Julie Fulton and Jona Jung (Maverick Arts Publishing)
Not to be confused with the bus-driving ace mechanic from Balamory, this particular Mrs MacCready loves to eat and lives to eat. Scoffing down plate after plate of gorgeous scrumptious food, she pays no heed to her rapidly expanding waistline until one day the only thing...
ReadItDaddy is dropping its rating scores from next week...
Review scores eh? They're always the subject of much controversy and speculation. Why do we feel the need to validate something with a number, a grade?
At ReadItDaddy, coming from a background of videogames 'journalism' (or at least, writing about videogames for magazines and web...
Peely Wally by Kali Stileman (Red Fox Picture Books)
Labels:
Kali Stileman,
Peely Wally,
Red Fox Picture Books
It's easy to see why Kali Stileman's illustrative style is compared to Eric Carle's. Great colours, simple shapes and instantly engaging characters define Peely Wally but rather than just a Carle knock-off, it has charm all of its own.
It's the story of a scatterbrained...
Toca Kitchen Monsters (app) by Bonnier Digital (iPhone / iPad)
Labels:
Bonnier Digital,
iPad,
iTunes,
Toca Kitchen Monsters
Let's kick off this week's app reviews with a look at something fun, that's designed to improve your child's dexterity rather than tax their brain with phonics and number puzzles. Toca Kitchen Monsters is ridiculous fun. Set in a messy kitchen that is visited by hungry...
Friday, 10 August 2012
The Bookstart Pre-School Treasure Bag arrives!
Labels:
Axel Scheffler,
Bookstart,
Bookstart Bear Club,
Booktrust,
Julia Donaldson,
Kali Stileman,
Peely Wally,
The Smartest Giant in Town,
Treasure Bag of Stories
All through Charlotte's time at Nursery / Preschool we've received these fantastic Booktrust Bookstart bundles, and every time a new one arrives it's so exciting to delve in and find out what's inside.
The BookStart "Treasure Bag of Stories" contains a superb set of coloured...
Grandma Bendy by Izy Penguin (Maverick Arts Publishing)
We've been meaning to do one of these for a while so now we've finally got round to it, we thought we'd do our first cross-blog 'hug' with the excellent ChildLedChaos Blog and the Friday Pick{ture Book} slot. Clicking on the lovely shelf of books down there...
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Goodnight Digger by Michelle Robinson and Nick East (Puffin Books)
Labels:
Goodnight Digger,
Michelle Robinson,
Nick East,
Puffin Books
Goodnight Digger arrived in the post looking a bit like a digger had run it over but thankfully though battered and creased we dug straight in!
From Michelle Robinson with illustrations by Nick East, "Goodnight Digger" is a lovely snuggly bedtime book where a sleepy little...
The Adventures of Harold and The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Labels:
Charlotte Photo Review,
Crockett Johnson,
HarperCollins Children's Books,
The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon
Today's mega-review filled me with a bucketload of nostalgia and simultaneously made me a completely gushy proud parent. I took a chance on ordering "The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon" from an Amazon reseller. It's one of those 'lost books' I absolutely adored...
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
The Fearsome Beastie by Giles Paley-Phillips and Gabriele Antonini (Maverick Arts Publishing)
The lovely folk at GPP PR and Marketing tweeted us @readitdaddy recently to ask if we'd like to review some books. Lo and behold, four lovely books arrived in the post yesterday and this was the one Charlotte instantly seized on.
Worry-wort parents might want to look...
Where's My Darling Daughter by Mij Kelly and Katharine McEwen (Oxford University Press)
Poppa Bombola is all in a tizz
Poppa Bombola's brain starts to fizz
You see he's lost his darling daughter
(Well not really, but sorta)
So he's running hither, and thither and here
To find his darling daughter dear.
He runs to the stable, he runs to the pond
But Poppa...
Monday, 6 August 2012
The Treasure Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez (Gecko Press)
Labels:
Beatrice Rodriguez,
Gecko Press,
The Treasure Thief
The opinion on wordless children's books is often divided. Some argue that without a story for children to follow and identify with, the book loses its impact and impetus. It teaches nothing, because children don't have any guidelines to follow. No narrative means nothing...
S.W.A.L.K by Colin McNaughton (Andersen Children's Books)
Colin McNaughton's 'Preston Pig' books are firm favourites back at ReadItDaddy Towers, and we hadn't come across 'S.W.A.L.K' so it was a delight to find it in our local library. Preston receives a mysterious letter with S.W.A.L.K written on the back. His mum knows exactly...
Friday, 3 August 2012
There are no cats in this book by Viviane Schwarz (Walker Books)
The three greatest cats in children's books return! We absolutely love Moonpie, Andre and Tiny and their cat antics so "There are Cats in this Book" was a well deserved Book of the Week when we reviewed it last September.
We've just enjoyed the follow up and Viviane...
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books)
Labels:
Alison Green Books,
Axel Scheffler,
Julia Donaldson,
Stick Man
Right alongside our app of the week is this week's book of the week, and again it's a book I can't believe we haven't reviewed before.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are, of course, the legendary author/illustrator team behind the phenomenally successful Gruffalo...
The Froobles App (Top That! Publishing, iPhone / iPad)
Labels:
iPad,
iPhone,
The Froobles,
Top That Publishing
Our first app of the week award goes to a real doozy. The Froobles from Top That! Publishing, is exactly the sort of app that other publishers and developers need to take a long hard look at before they leap into the foray of producing educational and engaging apps for...
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