Bug Hotel
3+ readers 5+ readersA Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 Take a new look at some of the most common insects and mini-beasts around us in this fun to use information book about the habitats of beetles, bees, spiders, butterflies and more. Lift the flaps to find the out more about these insects’ homes and how they live. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for March 2018 The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue King Coo by Adam Stower Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins We Are Not Frogs! (Little Gems) by Michael Morpurgo The Sorry Tale of Fox and Bear by Margrete Lamond Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird What Do People Do All Day? (50th anniversary edition) by Richard Scarry Bird House by Libby Walden Bug Hotel by Libby Walden Alone Together by Clayton Junior The Lost Penguin by Claire Freedman
Splish, Splash, Ducky!
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersMarch 2018 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 A watery celebration for a little duckling who loves the rain! Lucy Cousins’ bold and brightly coloured illustrations bring out all the fun that a duckling has with his friends including a frog, a swan, a wriggly worm and a couple of slugs. The noisy Quack! quack! quack! of his refrain will delighted all young listeners. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for March 2018 The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue King Coo by Adam Stower Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins We Are Not Frogs! (Little Gems) by Michael Morpurgo The Sorry Tale of Fox and Bear by Margrete Lamond Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird What Do People Do All Day? (50th anniversary edition) by Richard Scarry Bird House by Libby Walden Bug Hotel by Libby Walden Alone Together by Clayton Junior The Lost Penguin by Claire Freedman
The Tale of Johnny Town Mouse Gold Centenary Edition
5+ readers 7+ readersA special centenary edition of Beatrix Potter's charming tale of Johnny Town-mouse.
The Sorry Tale of Fox and Bear
7+ readers 9+ readersA Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 | A book to treasure for itself – it’s hardback and printed on high quality paper and has an orange ribbon book mark to hold your place in the story – and for the strongly beating heart of the story which captures the unmistakable value of friendship. Pleasingly adapted from a traditional trickster tale it tells of the deep friendship between the kindly but slow-thinking bear and the mercurial and tricky fox. When the fox plays one trick too many on the old bear the friendship is undone. Bear realises that he has been a fool to trust his friend. And yet… While Rooster and Hare try to persuade him that they will make better friends, Bear recalls all the bad things about his old partner and, in doing so, realises just how much he wants Fox back by his side. Divided into 5 short stories it is perfect for reading aloud as the story unfolds beautifully but also for reading alone paying particular attention to the charming illustrations. Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for March 2018 The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue King Coo by Adam Stower Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins We Are Not Frogs! (Little Gems) by Michael Morpurgo The Sorry Tale of Fox and Bear by Margrete Lamond Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird What Do People Do All Day? (50th anniversary edition) by Richard Scarry Bird House by Libby Walden Bug Hotel by Libby Walden Alone Together by Clayton Junior The Lost Penguin by Claire Freedman
We're Going on a Bear Hunt: Let's Discover Birds
5+ readers 7+ readersColourful, appealing and packed with information, this lovely book will make any family trip to the park, countryside or seaside even more enjoyable. It’s full of facts about the birds you could see, from robins and blackbirds, to skylarks and kingfishers, as well as tips on how to spot them, what to look for, and general bird-watching behaviour. There are stickers to add to record birds spotted, and lots of extra activities to do when you are back at home, from craft projects and board games, to recipes, and you can even learn to play a simple bird-song on the recorder. ~ Andrea Reece
Almost Anything
5+ readersAn empowering book about the power of self-belief from rising picture-book star, Sophy Henn.
Catch That Egg!
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersFloppit the boingy bunny will win the hearts of young readers, who will identify completely with his boundless energy; they’ll laugh too at the exasperation and weariness shown by the various grown up animals he disturbs with his bouncing. Poor Cow is teaching her babies to walk for example, and Chicken is guarding her eggs. But when one of the eggs rolls away, only Floppit is speedy enough to catch it. It’s a lively, thoroughly enjoyable story made extra special by Anna Chernyshova’s illustrations which are full of detail, texture and humour – the expression on the little calf’s face alone is worth the cover price, while Floppit is a fluffy rabbit whirlwind. Exellent farmyard fun. ~ Andrea Reece
The Girl Who Thought She Was a Dog: World Book Day 2018
7+ readersFennel and Twiglet are best friends. They do everything together, from curling up in their basket to playing fetch in the park. Twiglet understands Fennel like no one else, especially her life-long dream of winning Crufts. There's just one problem: Fennel isn't a dog. And a girl can't win a competition for dogs, no matter how much she acts like one. Can she?
The Unicorn Quest
9+ readers 11+ readersIn a nutshell: magical lands and a dangerous quest make for a classic fantasy adventure Claire wasn’t pleased to inherit the huge old house and its myriad contents owned by her great-aunt Diana, who mysteriously disappeared on a treasure-hunting trip. It’s a strange old place full of hidden rooms. Far from their friends, Claire and her big sister Sophie explore the house, until something magical happens: Sophie finds a ladder in a chimney and climbs up and into another world. When she disappears, Claire must find and rescue her sister. Arden, the world at the top of the chimney, is a strange and sometimes frightening place and Claire must find real reserves of courage. It’s a classic and well-constructed quest story, and readers can watch their hero grow as the story unfolds. ~ Andrea Reece Skilful world-building and plotting make this a good book to recommend to fans of Holly Black.
The First Egg Hunt
3+ readers 5+ readersA cheeky chick, the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, plus an emotional roller-coaster of a story involving celebrity, jealousy, trickery, penitence and a chocolatey happy ending – this story has it all! Authors Adam and Charlotte Guillain have come up with a wonderfully original story to explain why the Easter Bunny hides eggs for us to find, and recount it in fluent, lively rhyme: jealous of the attention he’s getting, Easter Bunny’s partner Chick hatches a plan to steal the limelight. It doesn’t go well, but happily creates a whole new tradition. Pippa Curnick’s illustrations are quite delicious, whether of Chick running through the moonlight, or a massive Easter egg-splosion, and this is particularly tasty reading. ~ Andrea Reece
Meet the Twitches
5+ readers 7+ readersFebruary 2018 Debut of the Month Plenty of twitchy nosed, fluffy fun and adventures are in store as we are introduced to Stevie and the residents of Teacup House. Stevie has been living at the top of a tall, thin tower of flats for as long as she can remember. It's her home and she loves it; so when it’s time to move miles away to a cottage in the countryside she’s not very happy about it. Nanny Blue brings her a special going away present. It’s a beautiful teacup house complete with four toy rabbits who just happen to be the Twitch family. Gabriel, Bo, Silver and Fig Twitch. Disaster strikes just as they arrive at the new cottage when Daddy Twitch falls out of the bag unnoticed and is lost in the garden. Whilst Stevie searches for the missing rabbit the rest of the twitches come alive and it’s soon down to little Silver Twitch to find her missing daddy. Both Silver and Stevie must overcome their anxiety and fears of a new, strange place as they search for Gabriel and it's not long before magic begins to fill the air. This is a wonderfully colourful and beautifully illustrated chapter book that shows how even the scariest changes can soon bring wonderful adventures and exciting new beginnings. A gentle, delightful story to start what promises to be an exciting new series of adventures for these friendly bunnies. ~ Shelley Fallows - You can also find Shelley here.
Begone the Raggedy Witches
9+ readers 11+ readersFebruary 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: well-written, enthralling magical adventure The age-old theme of good versus evil is given a lively reworking in Celine Kiernan’s new series. When her father is kidnapped by witches, her mother sets out with Mup, her brother and dog, plus the ghost of Aunty Boo to fetch him back. The world they enter is a dangerous one, ruled by a tyrannical queen using spies and informers – the raggedy witches – to enforce her cruel, arbitrary rules. There’s a shock for Mup who discovers the queen is actually her grandmother, and that she too has magic powers. The story bristles with excitement and adventure while allowing space for friendships to form, and for humour too (Mup’s baby brother is transformed into a puppy, much to his delight). Well-written, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying story. Firmly in the tradition of classic tales of magic such as Narnia, and with hints of Tolkien and Susan Cooper too, readers would also enjoy Peter F. Hamilton’s The Queen of Dreams series. ~ Andrea Reece
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