Friday, 26 November 2010
The Wim Wom from the Mustard Mill
The Wim Wom from the Mustard Mill
Written by Polly Peters
Illustrated by Roberta Angeletti
Amazon Link: £5.99
Published by Child's Play
We all had strange monsters we were warned about when we were kids. For some reason, my parents chose to scare the living daylights out of me by talking about "The Scary Scarecrow" (some years before Worzel Gummidge hit TV screens) and I've never quite got over it.
In "The Wim Wom from the Mustard Mill", two children find out that seemingly everyone knows about the mysterious Wim Wom - except for them. The more they try to understand what a Wim Wom is, the more fantastical tales they're spun by the adults in the book - until the tables are deliciously overturned at the end.
Great storytelling and Roberta Angeletti's artwork is just the right side of "not too menacing" for your little ones, but adds to the fantastic atmosphere the book generates. Might be a bit scary for younger kids but great for inquiring minds.
Charlotte's best bit: The children trying to draw a Wim Wom
Daddy's favourite bit: The rather mean grandma in the book (who is entirely unlike Charlotte's Grandmas!)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Daft Bat
Labels:
Andersen Press,
Daft Bat,
Jeanne Willis,
Tony Ross
Daft Bat
Written by Jeanne Willis
Illustrated by Tony Ross
Amazon Link: £4.49
Published by Andersen Press
A topsy-turvy view of the world from the perspective of a bat is the subject of "Daft Bat", an entertaining children's book by Jeanne Wills and Tony "Little Princess" Ross.
All the other animals can't understand Bat's rather bonkers approach to her surroundings but is she crazy or just seeing things differently?
Wise owl helps sort out the confusion and mess and soon everyone understands exactly what "Daft Bat" is on about.
Charlotte's best bit: Elephant almost drowning upside down.
Daddy's favourite bit: Saying "Daft Bat" in a broad Yorkshire accent.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Mog the Forgetful Cat
Mog the Forgetful Cat
Written and Illustrated by Judith Kerr
Amazon Link: £3.49
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books
Very few authors seem to be able to get inside a cat's head to any degree of success. Akif Pirinici managed it with his grown-up "Felidae" books, and Judith Kerr has also managed it with this timeless children's classic, "Mog the Forgetful Cat".
Telling the story of a simple ordinary family house cat, the way the story is told immediately 'clicks' with anyone who's ever owned a cat. From forgetting they've been fed (a frequent occurrence when we owned cats) to basically being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Mog is a typical moggy but she's lovable and brave. If you've never encountered the Mog books (those of you of a certain age probably remember them from school as they were first published in 1975) they're absolutely brilliant and definitely up there with the likes of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "We're going on a Bear Hunt". Thoroughly recommended.
Charlotte's best bit: "Bother that cat, bother bother that cat!"
Daddy's favourite bit: The fact that even the burglar gets a cup of tea (while being arrested).
Rating: 5 out of 5
Friday, 19 November 2010
Hello, says Olly Bear
Hello! Says Olly Bear
Written and Illustrated by Tony Kenyon
Published by Orion Children's Books
Olly Bear has a new baby sister, and like all children suddenly faced with a younger sibling, Olly's not too sure what to make of the new arrival. Olly pretends to take no notice of his adorable baby sister at first, but soon Olly learns that she's lovable, playful and loves her big brother very much.
A very cute little story that will definitely have plenty of familiarity for parents who've just had a second child, and toddlers who have someone else in the house that suddenly becomes the centre of attention.
Charlotte's best bit: Olly's baby sister cries, and cries, and cries.
Daddy's favourite bit: Definitely identifying with Olly's parents who are spark out by 8 o clock at night.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
Written by Eugene Trivizas
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Published by Egmont Books
A novel twist on the well known and well loved children's classic, turning the tables and setting three cuddly fluffy little wolves against a big, bad and extremely destructive pig.
Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are beautifully drawn and the story may feel familiar but the novel little changes and twists are excellent fun, particularly if your child already knows the original story of the three little pigs and their houses of straw, sticks and bricks.
Who knew that wolves could be such excellent builders and that pigs had access to dynamite!
Charlotte's best bit: The wolves getting their tails singed.
Daddy's favourite bit: The armour plated house with its own entry phone and CCTV.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Let's take over the Nursery!
Let's take over the Nursery!
Written by Richard Hamilton
Illustrated by Sue Heap
Published by Bloomsbury Press
This must be every pre-schooler's ultimate fantasy, surely? What would they do if the teacher got stuck in a climbing frame for the day? Not quite Lord of the Flies but certainly chaos ensues when just such an occurrence happens, and the children decide to do exactly what they want all day.
Great rhyming text lays out the story of the gradual descent into toddler chaos, with the poor Nursery teacher powerless to step in. Naturally the children soon realise that taking over the nursery for the day isn't quite as great as it sounds but there's a great conclusion to the story and with Sue Heap's child-like but detailed illustrations underpinning the rhyming couplets here, this is a super little story.
Charlotte's best bit: Millie sitting on Lily, and Tilly sitting on Millie.
Daddy's favourite bit: The kids going crazy with paints.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Thursday, 18 November 2010
The Robot and the Bluebird
The Robot and the Bluebird
Written and Illustrated by David Lucas
Published by Andersen Press
A superb and touching book, The Robot and the Bluebird mixes simple but extremely effective illustrations with a heartfelt story of a robot with a broken heart, feeling that his place in the world is on a scrap heap until he finds he is needed by a lost and lonely bluebird, struggling to migrate for the winter.
If you're a hard-hearted type, you might not find it as emotionally engaging as a big old softy like me, but the end is beautiful and Charlotte loved the main characters. A lovely little parable beautifully told and wonderfully illustrated.
Charlotte's best bit: The robot in winter
Daddy's favourite bit: The excellent illustration style. Quite unique but really well drawn.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Egg Drop
Labels:
Egg Drop,
Mini Grey,
Red Fox Children's Books
Egg Drop
Written and Illustrated by Mini Grey
Published by Red Fox Children's Books
Once again, a Red Fox-published book has ended up being a bit of a cracker - literally in this case. The story of an impatient egg that wants to fly is quirky and touching at the same time, and the egg's plight is underpinned by great illustrations from Mini Grey.
The egg's tale reaches a rather inevitable conclusion, though for a fairly short book it's engaging and interesting enough to become a bedtime favourite
Charlotte's best bit: The egg did not go to waste
Daddy's favourite bit: The faux Newspaper back cover
Rating: 3 out of 5
Varmints: Part One
Labels:
Helen Ward,
Templar Publishing,
Varmints Part One
Varmints: Part One
Written and Illustrated by Helen Ward
Published by Templar Publishing
High concept children's books are something of a rarity, mostly because what parents don't want to see in a children's book is a lot of semi-political symbolism telling them how bleak the world is and how little hope there is that it'll all be alright in the end. The very last thing children want to see in a children's book is a lot of dark imagery that is hard to describe or relate to.
So Varmints: Part One is an oddity. On one hand, it has some delicious little moments of cuteness but on the other hand it's wrapped up in such dark colours and with such a sombre thread running through it that even the glimmer of hope at the end of this first episode (with no sign of Episode 2 or 3 seen yet), this book borders on the unapproachable.
It's not helped by extremely dark text that merges with the dark painted illustrations, and is extremely difficult to pick out if, like me, you read books to your child at night with nothing but a night light on hand to light up the pages.
Varmints: Part One is definitely for an older audience (though it was in the young children's book section of our library, probably by mistake) and if you've ever played the PS3 game "Flower" you might think it all feels extremely familiar too.
Charlotte's best bit: None
Daddy's favourite bit: The fact that it reminded me of Flower.
Rating: 1 out of 5
The Story of Peppa Pig
The Story of Peppa Pig
Created by Mark Baker and Neville Astley
Published by Ladybird Books
Peppa Pig seems to have been around in one form or another for absolutely ages (and in fact this book was first published in 2003). We're relative latecomers to the Peppa Pig phenomenon. Charlotte loves the TV series because it's completely insane, surreal and...well...piggy. I love it because it features a lot of alumni from the "Absolutely" team, a bunch of talented comedians featuring the likes of Morwenna Banks, John Sparkes and Pete Baikie.
The Story of Peppa Pig contains all the essential ingredients kids would require from a Peppa Pig book. Instructions on how to jump in muddy puddles, George's complete love of Dine-Saws (Grr), Daddy Pig's ineptitude at everything, and Mummy Pig's wisdom as well as Peppa's muddy puddle obsession.
Certainly better than most books licensed from TV series and an absolute must if your child is a fan of "The Hair Dryers" as one of my friends calls Peppa and her family.
Charlotte's best bit: Peppa's Muddy Puddle jumping instructions
Daddy's favourite bit: George crying at the loss of his beloved Dine-Saw
Rating: 4 out of 5
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