This Month's Featured Books
Dave the Lonely Monster
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersThis lovely story of friendship and understanding plays out to a soundtrack of monster rock and roll! Dave’s days of romping through the countryside and causing chaos are long over. Banished to Echo Rock, the old monster spends his days alone, with only his guitar for company. At least that is until Percival arrives, six years old, dressed in his knight outfit and ready for a fight. But once Dave points out that monsters have feelings too, they become firm friends, with a shared liking for classic riffs and watching the jousting on TV. When the townspeople turn up looking for a fight, Percy has to teach them a lesson too. Great fun to read and Sara Ogilvie’s delightful illustrations are full of life and energy.
Black Beauty
Baby and Toddler 3+ readers 5+ readersRuth Brown has taken Anna Sewell’s classic Black Beauty, one of the best-loved books of all time and turned it into a handsome picture book. Her painterly style is just right for Beauty’s story and her rich, full-spread illustrations perfectly capture the major incidents in the horse’s life, from the peace and quiet of his carefree days as a foal through the drama of his escape from the stable fire, and the misery of his later years pulling carts through London’s busy streets. The story still has important lessons for readers about the treatment of animals, and Ruth Brown is faithful to that element of Sewell’s book too. This will be enjoyed equally by those new to the original and those who already love Black Beauty’s story.
Last Month's Featured Books
Grumpy Duck
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersA bad mood gives rise to a really joyous picture book. Duck is cross and out of sorts. She can’t paddle in the pond because it’s dry and she’s got no-one to play with. The other animals invite her to play with them but by then she’s really sulking, so deep in her bad mood – represented by an ever-growing black cloud over her head – that she grumps at them all, spreading her tetchiness. Then finally the black cloud bursts and all the animals, led by Duck, come together for a splashy, playful, raucous rendition of Singing in the Rain. Children will understand exactly how Duck feels, while Petr Horacek’s jewel-bright, richly textured artwork is spectacularly beautiful.
Dave the Lonely Monster
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersThis lovely story of friendship and understanding plays out to a soundtrack of monster rock and roll! Dave’s days of romping through the countryside and causing chaos are long over. Banished to Echo Rock, the old monster spends his days alone, with only his guitar for company. At least that is until Percival arrives, six years old, dressed in his knight outfit and ready for a fight. But once Dave points out that monsters have feelings too, they become firm friends, with a shared liking for classic riffs and watching the jousting on TV. When the townspeople turn up looking for a fight, Percy has to teach them a lesson too. Great fun to read and Sara Ogilvie’s delightful illustrations are full of life and energy.
I Was Made For You
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersThis Christmas-set story has the charm and depth to fill a year’s worth of reading. A woman is knitting a toy cat as a Christmas present for her daughter. ‘Why was I made?’ asks the cat – a question it repeats lots of times on an adventure that takes it out of the house and into the snow. Everything questioned – the stars, the wind, the river – has a different answer but it’s the sun’s that satisfies the little cat. David Lucas’s illustrations, predominantly purple, pink and blue, and often framed by patterned borders, conjure up a sense of things hand-made, and the story will set children thinking about life and love.
The Most-Loved Bear
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersA small bear goes on a big adventure when he is left behind on a train one day in the charming tale of The Most-Loved Bear. This story, which spans the lifetime of little Mary Rose, is one of Sam McBratney's personal favourites. Based on a real-life teddy bear which has been owned by Sam’s wife Maralyn since the 1940s, the story of The Most Loved Bear is sure to steal your heart this winter.
The Storm Whale in Winter
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersLonglisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award | In The Storm Whale in Winter Benji Davies creates a story of love and courage that is tender, touching and feels utterly true. As winter draws in Noi misses the little whale he befriended last summer; no matter how often he looks out to sea, there’s never any sign. But the storm whale returns when Noi needs him most, rescuing the little boy when he is stranded on the ice-bound sea. In a book of light and dark the contrast between cosy interiors and the snowstorm that rages outside is breath-taking, and there’s an extraordinary silent beauty to the underwater images of the whale family. The reunions - between boy and whale, and boy and his father - are heart-warming, and a final image joyfully unites them all. A book that deserves a place on every shelf. ~ Andrea Reece
The Month Before's Featured Books
TwirlyBOO!
Baby and ToddlerThe Twirlywoos are having lots of spooky fun, but who is the scariest of them all? Ready . . . Steady . . . BOO! This chunky pumpkin-shaped board book is packed with silly, scary fun. Perfect for every Twirlywoo fan this Halloween!
Big Box Little Box
Baby and ToddlerShortlisted for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize | Colour and detail in Underwood’s book are both very pleasing indeed; graphically it is a stand-out picture book with superb use of colour and composition. There’s a slight sense of Lynley Dodd in the way the layout carries you through the story.
Elmer's Walk
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersOut walking, Elmer the Elephant is in a reflective mood, taking his time to soak up the sounds, smells and sights around him. He spots shapes in the clouds and in the sandstone rocks, he listens to the noise of the river crashing over a waterfall, notices the raindrops in a spider's web that look like sparkling diamonds and smells the scent of wild flowers. The other animals hurry past, far too busy to stop and enjoy these natural wonders. Fortunately Elmer meets his cousin Wilbur and they both stand happily together to watch the night-time draw in. This is a gentle introduction to mindfulness, a celebration of being in the moment and making time to appreciate the world around us.
I Want Snow!
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersIt might be the middle of summer, but the Little Princess demands SNOW. Lots of festive fun with our feisty princess and perfect for toddlers and parents to share together particuarly as children will learn they can't always have everything they want. When the Queen goes on a trip and sends back a photo of her feeding some penguins, Little Princess decides she wants snow too. The whole palace tries all kind of things - from sandmen instead of snowmen to mudballs instead of snowballs. But this little royal won't be satisfied until she gets what she wants... and sometimes not even then!
I Am Bat
Baby and Toddler 3+ readersOne of Our Books of the Year 2017 | This must be one of the brightest and best picture books of the year. With minimalist illustrations – simple shapes against blocks of Day-Glo colour – and short lines of text, Morag Hood tells a story that will dazzle and entertain all readers. Cherries, Bat tells us, ‘are my favourite things’, following this up with a fiercely delivered threat: ‘Do not take my cherries.’ In later pages though we see the cherries being stolen. Bat is inconsolable until one of the thieves leaves a pear in their place. Bat’s emotions – joy, anger, confusion, despair, surprise and joy again – are rendered brilliantly in the tilt of an eyebrow and the angle of the head while the intensity of those emotions will be hilarious yet recognisable to child and parent alike. Superb!
LoveReading4Kids Top 10
