Ben and the Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick

Ben and the Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick

By Sally Sutton Illustrated by Gary Venn

Walker Books, 2013

Ben likes bugs. He likes all kinds of bug, but his favourite one is his pet bug, Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick, with whom he happily shares his popcorn. Ben’s family aren’t really fans of Ben’s bug. They think it’s ugly, weird and disgusting. But, oh no! Guess what? Ben’s favourite bug goes missing. Mum gets a shock when she finds one; his sister screams when one flies across the room; his dad spies a bug in the shed. It isn’t until Grandpa comes to visit that Ben has an idea on how to find his special bug. Will Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick come back? And how will they know it is Ben’s Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick?

 

I thought this was a great book. Full of fun and the frivolity of made up words to engage the imagination. The illustrations were delightful. And this book was a perfectly blended mix of language and illustrations.

Somebody’s House

Somebody’s House

By Katrina Germein, Illustrated by Anthea Stead

Walker Books March 2013

At the bottom of the town lies a long looping street.

I wonder who lives here. Who will we meet?

This whimsical rhyming story picture book is all about exploring the neighbourhood, and specifically the street at the end of town. Using the outer exterior of each house, the girl imagines what happens inside each place and who might live there. It has a sweet ending which will warm everyone’s heart who reads it. With brightly coloured illustrations created with mixed media including acrylic paint, oil pastels and sgraffito (which is produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface).

Recommended for ages 3 – 5 years old

The Lost Tail

The Lost Tail

By Patricia Bernard, Illustrations by Tricia Oktober

This beautifully illustrated book, uses simple but powerful pictures to blend perfectly with the written tale all about a young boy called Nura. Awoken one morning by Alfred, Nura is slow in getting moving ready for  their five day journey to Goroka.  

The dance troupe are lining up to carry the snake to the dance festival.:Alfred, the tallest is at the head, and little Nura us the smallest, so is carrying the tale. As they are travelling Naru recalls his mother’s words about the trip and all he will encounter on his journey. 

Is he scared? Should he be? What kind of people will he meet on his journey? And what will happen when he sleeps a little too long?

Wonderful book with great in roads to studying  colourful cultural activity in a celebration of Papua New Guinea’s diverse tribal rituals, talents, music and dances.

Mister Whistler

Mister Whistler

By Margaret Mahy and Gavin Bishop

Gecko Press

Mister Whistler is a man full of music, which helps him get through the day, full of happiness and light. Mister Whistle wakes to a telephone call from his Aunty asking him to come and clean her windows, but he’s all bound up in his bed sheets as he’s been obviously dancing in his sleep. 

As he races for the train to get to his aunt’s house he put on his clothes and gets to the station, with his ticket in hand, but hilarity ensues as he looks for his hanky, his misplaces his ticket and has to get undressed in front of everyone and find his ticket. 

Will he find it in time to catch the train? And what will happen if he can’t?

A playful story which will bring a smile to everyone’s face, and a little twist in the end with is sure to amuse all readers.

My Happy Life

My Happy Life

 By Rose Lagercrantz and Eva Eriksson, 

Gecko Press

What a fun and sweet book about a little girl called Dani and her happy life. Even though some sad things have happened to her along the way, this is a whimsical book about how Dani is able to look for and find happiness along the way. She starts school a little nervously, but is able to make a best friend called Ella. She loves having sleep overs with Ella and their Night Club, which includes midnight feasts, but sad times come upon her when Ella has to move away. How will she find happiness again? Read and find out.

This is a great book for emerging readers with lovely illustrations and bite sized chapters.

When Giants Come to Play - A Beaty, illu. K Hawkes

When Giants Come to Play (pub. 2006) Andrea Beaty; Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

A whimsical story of imagination and friendship, illustrated by one of the most respected illustrators of our time. In this beautifully written, lyrical text, a little girl named Anna enjoys a day with some unusual playmates, a pair of giants who visit only "when the sun shines just so and the wind blows like this and that on its way to somewhere else." The giants adapt familiar childhood games to suit their size, giving acclaimed illustrator Kevin Hawkes opportunities to play with scale, and the premise is the perfect platform for his quintessential, "larger-than-life" characters... Humorous and a little wistful, "When Giants Come to Play" is a celebration of the power of imagination and friendship that could become a classic.


I love the language and the musicality in which this book is written. With its' dream-like feel, it encourages a child-like play with imagination and lots of colourful pictures to go along with the brilliantly scripted text. The author certainly had aloud reading in mind which crafting the narrative. And the unique blend of pictures to not simply accompany, but also add layers to the text is superb. This isn't a 'borrow form the library' kind of book - well worth buying in to own.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus, by Mo Willems (2004)

This is a different kind of

book. It is new wave, like a lot of children's theatre at the moment, where it gets rid of the forth wall, and interacts with the reader, not just in terms of

being comical, but truly requires 'action' and answers from the reader in order to continue with the story. It does this from the outset of the book, and so engages the child from before the 'first page', remember to read the title page when you're starting the book.

Storyline: The bus driver has to leave for a while, and he asks the reader: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus." It's the height of common sense, but the driver clearly knows this determined pigeon and readers do not-yet. "Hey, can I drive the bus?" asks the bird, at first all sweet reason, and then, having clearly been to

ld no by readers, he begins his ever-escalating, increasingly silly bargaining. "I tell you what: I'll just steer," and "I never get to do anything," then "No fair! I bet your mom would let me." In a wonderfully expressive spread, the pigeon finally loses it, and, feathers flying and eyeballs popping, screams "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!" in huge, scratchy, black-and-yellow

capital letters. The driver returns, and the pigeon leaves in a funk-until he spies a huge tractor trailer, and dares to dream again.

I also like how well the writer, who has also written for Sesame Street, constructs this book.The device of addressing the audience, as well as, the illustrations in movie-like motif's - it's very post-modern, and good.

When I read this book to groups of children I always find it an interesting study on which children adhere to the driver's request; and which don't. Some children love the fact they can 'give permission' for the pigeon to be naughty. A very interesting character study of children.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus is an 'unflinching and hilarious look at a child's potential for mischief. In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of unreasonableness in the very young.'

Like Willem's Knuffle Bunny Series; the Pigeon series (there's four them) is also well worth the investment into buying them all. The Pigeon series can be read at playgroup level also. I wouldn't recommend Knuffle Bunny series in a group setting.

The Growing Story

The Growing Story By Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Reprint 2007)

This wonderfully timeless story is suitable for children from 2 - 12 years old, and each will find a part of it they can relate to. It is about the universal experience of growing up and discover the rhythms of the seasons. A little boy, some chicks and a puppy live on a farm. They see the first signs of spring growing in the fields and the little boy asks his mother if he and the puppy will grow too. She assures him that he will. And we watch him and the puppy and chicks grow during the changing season of the book. For instance, as spring turns to summer he sees his dog growing taller and the chicks become chickens. But as the seasons change he feels that everything is grows around him, but he is staying the same. With a great ending to it all, this very predictable book will by enjoyed by children, as it answers that age old question about growing.

This charming story will enchant younger readers and is perfect for sharing aloud. Beautifully presented as an illustrated in usual Helen Oxenbury style.

PS The cover that appears in the photo is the cover of the reprint, re-illustrated version. The original can be found on the web.

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day by Stephanie Carmichael and Jess Green (2011)

I just got sent some new books by the publisher yesterday and I love them. Matthias Media sent me their hot off the press, not yet released kids books. These are number 3 and 4 in the Stephanie Carmichael series. They are a great read, for all ages...

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day... I can't even get an image of them from the net - I've gone and photographed the covers.

The Birthday Party is about Ben's birthday and his sister Emily wanting to throw a pretend birthday tea party for him, and then all the family getting in on the act, leading into God's love for everyone. It's a sweet tale, which is beautifully written to be read aloud, and the illustrations reflect the simplicity of it brilliantly. It has a very, very cute ending.

The Grumpy Day is about the three kids

of the same family as above each being grumpy because they are unable to do what they want. A cute story which leads to praying for our wants to God, but knowing that He's ultimately in control, so to trust in Him. Very well written and not heavy handed in the 'God' stuff. This one will appeal to all the kids in your family as they will have a character to identify with.

Love, love, love, love, love.

Grab them for god-children, your children, nephews, nieces, next door's kids, kids at church, for Christmas, for birthdays ... they're great.

Farmer Duck - Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury

Farmer Duck - Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury (1996)

There once was a duck

who had the bad luck to live with a lazy farmer. While the duck worked, the farmer lay in bed - until one day the other animals decided to take action! Martin Waddell and Helen

Oxenbury work their storytelling magic in Farmer Duck. A duck does all the work for a lazy farmer until a rebellion by the other barnyard animals sets

them all free. It has been said, that by book's end, young

readers will flap for joy right along with the endearing web-footed hero.

I love this book because of it's fun nature. All children will be on the side of the animals getting rid of the farmer. It's interesting that

we're never told the animals' plans to get rid of the farmer, and yet we don't need to the finer

details of the plans, the story is unfolded in the illustrations. I love that this book as has sweet and delicate interdependence of words and text. It brilliantly

showcases these two masters of children's literature: Helen Oxenbury and Martin Waddell.

Firstly, Helen Oxenbury is in my top 5 favourite illustrators.

The simplistic look of her illustrations, are actually belied by the complexity in which they are drawn. Helen Gillian Oxenbury is an award-winning illustrator of children's picture books. She lives with her husband, the illustrator John Burningham, in north London. (We'll come back to the outstanding John Burningham in a few weeks time.) I love the way she draws faces with such simplicity, and yet, they easily convey to a child how the character is feeling.

Martin Waddell is widely regarded as one of the finest contemporary writers of books for young people and he won the prestigious Hand Christian Anderson Award in 2004. He is also a twice winner of the Smarties Book Prize - for "Farmer Duck" and "Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?" - and he also won the Kurt Maschler Award for "The Park in the Dark" and the Best Books for Babies Award for "Rosie's Babies". Martin Waddell (born 1941 is a prolific, award winning children's author. He has lived most of his life in Newcastle. As a child, Waddell was often told stories in a lively manner. This inspired him and "the love of story" stuck with Waddell ever since. In 1972 he went into a church to stop some vandals and got caught up in an explosion in Donaghadee, Co Down - an experience that took him some years to ovecome. As an author, nearly all of Waddell's stories are inspired by events and/or places in his life at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. As he humorously claimed, "I’ve been blown up, buried alive and had cancer as an adult, and survived all these experiences, so I’m a very lucky man."

Farmer Duck is well worth a borrow from the local library to read to your children aloud.

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit by Beatrix potter, 1902

I had bought some CDs of the Peter Rabbit tales being red aloud and my child liked them

so much, I went and bought a couple of the books. A family favourite is The Tale of Tom Kitten and I like The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I love the simplicity of these stories. The little tidbits that draw the

pictures with the language as you go through. For instance, we're told Peter's father is caught by Mr McGregor and put in a pie by Mrs McGregor ... no need to say he was killed, but

we're told of his fate. Interestingly, my child learnt the stories without the pictures to go with them, just the CD. Potter was exquisite with both l

anguage and illustrations.

Potter was an interesting woman, I think. Here's some info

on her:

She developed a love of the natural world which she closely observed and painted

from an early age. Her parents were artistic and interested in nature and the out of doors. W

hile Beatrix was happily never sent off to boarding school, her education in languages,

literature, science and history was broad and she was an eager student. Although she was provided with private art lessons, Beatrix preferred to develop her own style, particularly favoring watercolor. In her twenties, she concentrated on the study of fungi mycology, of ancient artifacts archeology, and of geology, and achieved a measure of respect from the scientific establishment for her reproduction of fungi spores and her scientific illustrations. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit publishing it privately, and then in 1902 as a small, three-color illustrated book with Frederick Warne & Co. Between 1902 and 1918 she published over twenty popular children’s books.

With the proceeds from the books and a small legacy from an aunt, Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a tiny village in the English Lake District near Ambleside. Over the next several decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. In 1913 at the age of 47 she married William Heelis, a respected local solicitor from Hawkshead. Potter became a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. She continued to write and illustrate children's’ books for Warne after her marriage until the duties of land management and diminishing eyesight made it difficult to continue. Beatrix Potter published over twenty-three books; the best are those written between 1902 and 1918. Potter died on 22 December 1943 at Castle Cottage, Near Sawrey, leaving almost all of her property to National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now comprises the Lake District National Park.

Beware of the Frog by William Bee

Beware of the Frog - William Bee (pub: 2008)

What a fun book, which turns the idea of knight (frog) in shining armour 'hero', to be bested by another hero in the book.

'Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, so it’s a good thing that she has a pet frog to protect her. Too bad for the Greedy Goblin, the Smelly Troll, and the Giant Hungry Ogre, who don’t take this little amphibian seriously (GOBBLE)!'

There are fun little ditties which the 'baddies' say, but mixed with humour and grotesquely represented, they don't seems so scary at all.

At first reading, children of age 3 and 4 years old, might be a little worried, but once the first reading is over, this book will be asked for time and time again.

With rhymes, funny names, humour, great and colourful illustrations, with a fun twist at the end, I thoroughly recommend this book as an addition to any home library. Addictive reading for children mainly aged 3 - 5 years.

Who Sank the Boat - Pamela Allen

Who Sank the Boat - Pamela Allen (1996)

Story line: Beside the sea, there

once lived a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig, and a tiny little mouse. One warm, sunny morning--for no particular reason--they decided to go for a row in the bay. Do you know who sank the boat?

A good staple for any child's book collection, this very

simple, yet supremely effective book has been read, and reread in many households.

I read somewhere: This book is good because it talks about several cross curriculum topics. It can be used for science or math. It discusses the different concepts that can be used for lessons on weight, balance, density, force. Though this is true and I can see it being used as a teaching tool, I just like the book because it is fun. There is a great sense of musicality in the text and an even better unity with the illustrations.

Last year I saw it performed at the baby proms and they did it justice. The one disadvantage of this book is that it's so well constructed that most children know and remember who sank the boat after it's first reading. To an adult, knowing who sank the boat then defeats the purpose of rereading it as the answer is remembered; but not to children, they like knowing the answer and going through the questions in the book, enjoying their second and third plus readings having been let in on the secret.

I would suffice to say this is Allen's best book followed closely by Waddle Giggle Gargle! (1996), in her hit-and-miss collection of published stories.

Billy's Beetle by Mick Inkpen

Billy's Beetle - Mick Inkpen (Pub: 2007)

Billy's Beetle is about a little boy, Billy, who looses his pet beetle and is searching for it. As the search for his beloved beetle continues, he enlists the help of many a colourful characters, who are drawn in and captivated into his world of searching for the beetle. The fun is made even greater by the appearance of the beetle in all of the pages, to which children will enjoy spotting the awol beetle. As the reader becomes entranced with looking for the beetle too, Inkpen skillfully involves the reader into the very world he has created in Billy's Beetle.

The language is expressive and fun with lots of sounding words, great for expanding a young child's vocabulary. Inkpen is a master illustrator, as well as author, who uses the vastness of the white canvas/page to concentrate the readers viewing solely on the characters in the book.

A book for children aged 3 - 5. This book is very English, but this adds a charm to it.

Lots of fun is to be had, by reading it, finding the beetle and giggling about the silly people, who miss the beetle in the most obvious places.

The Blue Balloon by Mick Inkpen

The Blue Balloon - Mick Inkpen (Pub: 1990)

Mick Inkpen (yes, that's his real name) has written lots of book. He has two main characters:

Kipper and Wibbly Pig. Today I will focus on two books, I've found, which are of neither of his main character.

The Blue Balloon is for children from ages 3 - 6 and they will love it. (Hey, so do I). The Blue Balloon, is all about a special unbreakable balloon that a little boy (Kipper's owner) finds after his birthday party. There are all kinds of pages that flip out, flip up and flip over, but it's not overdone. Filled with Mick Inkpen’s glowing artwork, this celebrated classic tells a timeless tale of imagination. It's chock full of fanciful wonderment, where Inkpen has really used all the pages and flip outs to create a very special book.

I'd rate it in the top ten great books for this age group.

This one is easy to find at your local library. I love the fact that our local library has good child friend librarians, who get in good books to borrow. Although, I liked the balloon one so much, I found it in a shop and bought it. If you are looking for a great book to read in play group - this one is a certain winner

Mr Pusskins- A Love Story; Mr Pusskins - Best In Show by Sam Llyod

Mr Pusskins - A Love Story by Sam Lloyd

Mr Pusskins - Best In Show by Sam Lloyd

This week, I've bought a couple of new picture books (no surprise there) and I bought two in the same series: Mr Pusskins - a love story; and, Mr Pusskins - Best in Show.

What a sense fun these two stories bring to the reader. They are about a bad tempered pussy cat owned by Emily who simply adores him.

Each book has a little lessons learned by Pusskins, which, as an outcome, the young read may also take note.

It was fascinating how much young children get caught up in the stories, especially the second one, where Pusskins was purposely told the wrong directions and lost the trophy he wanted to win. And with excitement, a young children may be overjoyed by the positive outcome at the end of the book.

They are well written, with descriptive words and vocabulary which will expand a child's phraseology and vocab.

The illustrations are fun, and very reminiscent of H. A. Rey's, Curious George.

For children from kindy til year two. Overall, an enjoyable read.

and the train goes ... by william bee

and the train goes ... by william bee (Pub: 2007)

"Here is the school class off on a trip, and the children yell, Please, sir, please, ma'am...are we there yet?

and the train goes, Clickerty-click, clickerty-clack…"

This book is about all the different sounds that you will hear on a train. Not only from the train itself but also from the many passengers traveling:

"The bright retro illustrations look like a 1960s record-album cover. The train and the characters' clothing are depicted in glossy colors and covered with flat floral patterns and other graphic designs. The people's stylized faces are adorned with eyeglasses, freckles, and/or beards and mustaches; surrounded by hair of different shades; and topped with hats of all shapes and sizes."

Based on repetition of sound and the refrain of the train's clickerty click, clickerty clack. With a pushing rhythm and lyrical expressions; as you read, you will feel both the locomotion of the train but also the movement of the story. The story culminates as the reader arrives at the final page, which is the train platform that the reader started at, where the station parrot recites all the fun sayings in one breath for the reader.

This is a wonderfully fun book to read aloud to your preschooler up to kindy age group. And would work in playgroup story time also.