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.

Troggle the Troll

Troggle the Troll

By Nick Falk and Tony Lowe, Random House

Under a bridge in a hole in the ground lived a troll. A small troll. Called Troggle.

Troggle is an unlikely hero, being a troll and all that! He is a good troll, who is obedient to his parents, as he eats up all the dinner his dad provides - PEOPLE! His mum and dad and little brother seem to like eating people. 

They eat the same thing every night: Who wants to eat people every night? Troggle wants variety. He desperately wants to eat vegetables.

Think this is a tale that all parents want to tell their kids to get them to eat vegies? Think again.

With it’s twists and turns, everyone in the family will love this story, which is superbly partnered with fun and bright illustrations.

Maxx Rumble Cricket Series

Maxx Rumble Cricket Series (Books 1 – 8)

By Michael Wagner, illustrations Terry Denton

Black Dog Books

Whether out on the cricket pitch,  weird things happen during the game.

Just imagine coming in to bowl and everything moving in slow motion, only Maxx can tell and no one else. 

Or what if everyone on the team falls asleep while fielding, like in Whacked, what would Maxx do? 

When facing the Grunting Bullies team, whose best players were Tarkyn and Wedgie? They’re big and tough and ferocious – will Maxx still be determined to win? That’s what happens in Hammered. 

Whatever the outcome Maxx Rumble is always ready to try his hardest, no matter what steps in his way. Cricket is his passion - he eats, breathes, and lives cricket… and the assortment of hazardous events which happen during each game.

Great for boys who are emergent readers, and want something easy and achievable to reach the end of a book quickly when reading to themselves.

A fun set of books, easy to read, enjoyable illustrations. Get the whole set.

Diary of a Taekwondo Master

Diary of a Taekwondo Master

By Shamini Flint , illustrator Sally Heinrich

Allen and Unwin

Oh, dear! Poor Marcus. His Dad wants him to try new sports and excel at them, but Marcus just isn’t the sporty type.  But he’ll try. By golly gosh he will try – even when he doesn’t feel like it – and he knows he won’t do super well. So far he’s tried to be a soccer star and a cricket god, but has failed. And in his latest effort, Marcus is reluctantly willing to take up Taekwondo. He’s not willing to be like Jackie Chan or Kung Fu Panda, and his dad is worried about him not wanting to fight. What happen is he actually gets hurt???? In the meantime he’ll keep a hilarious illustrated diary of his failures for us to read and enjoy. Writer Shamini Flint and illustrator Sally Heinrich have teamed up again to bring us another fun tale, in the vein of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but for children a little younger.

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.

Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

By Jacqueline Harvey

Random House

Clementine Rose is a five year old blonde haired girl who is busting to start school. But her first day doesn’t goes as planned with a different teacher than she expected; a snotty boy sharing her desk; and lunch that tastes awful. A bit of bullying is something Clemmie has never encountered before. The usually bouncy little girl, unhappily heads home after a hard day, and never wants to go to school again. Her mum and honourary uncle take her to the doctor who convinces her to give school another try, because of the big announcement by the school principal, of the Queen coming to visit to judge the pet show. All hilarity ensues as Clemmie’s great Aunt Violet’s cat is a late entrant, who ends up in a very sticky situation.

A wonderful and easy read. Harvey at her usual best. The story flows easily and would be read aloud in a classroom setting

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café by Anna Fienberg and Stephen Michael King Publishers: Allen and Unwin, 2012

This is a whimsical little book which follows the drawn out adventure of best friends Figaro the dog and Rumba the cat. Figaro is desperate to go on the brand new super fast train which rapidly takes travellers all the way to the beach, though Rumba is concerned about the criminals and villains who frequent the journey. 

Before they even get to board the train, each chapter has a mini-problem that arises, for instance, they must clean the house, help out their friend Nat who is lost in the river, find dancing Nancy, and fix Mrs Foozy’s motorbike. 

With all these hurdles out of the way, the train trip is exciting, and Figaro and Rumba end up at their new friend’s café, but what does the crocodile really want from them? And what is the mystery of the humming house?

Enjoy the tale told by the creator of the Tashi series and the awesome illustrations by King.

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon (Pub. Sept 2012)

*Disclaimer - I am a huge Gus Gordon fan, especially after his book Wendy.

Herman is an oboe-playing crocodile by night and an office worker by day. Rosie is an aspiring jazz-singing deer by night and a waitress by day. Both are struggling to make ends meet and slowly giving up on their dreams, until one day their paths cross.

Set in New York, this picture book is an urban tale of music, friendship and following your dreams. It is a story of two music-loving souls who lose their way in a big city that’s too busy to care. Until they find each other.

I thinks this is a lovely books showing parts of New York, as Gordon has interwoven into the story. As you read it to your child, explore the pages and teach them about the various parts of this city. It is interesting in subject matter - eg a children's book about money problems - but it is done in such a gentle way that it opens up this topic for thought and discussion taken whatever pace the child-listened may want.

I love the ideology in this book, the message, of following what you want to do, even when it's hard to do, and maybe, just maybe, it'll work out. A cute tale.

Swords: An Artist’s Devotion By Ben Boos

Swords: An Artist’s Devotion

By Ben Boos - Illustrated Fiction: Pub. 2008

“Every nick, notch, decorative motif, and gleaming highlight is rendered in lovingly realistic detail ... Armchair warriors and budding graphic artists will be riveted.” – Kirkus Reviews Brave men and women have taken up the sword since ages of old and a fascination with this formidable weapon grips dedicated followers to this day. Here is a celebration of swords and swordsmen that spans time and place – from ancient warriors such as Beowulf, medieval knights, stealthy ninja and samurai to legendary maidens of war.

Wonderfully detailed.

Side note: this is a reprint of the original as the author passed away last year. What a great way to honour this true artist. Here is the information from his memoriam facebook page: 

Ben Boos (1971-2011)

It's with sad hearts that we announce that our beloved author/illustrator Ben Boos passed away June 22nd, 2011 in a tragic accident. He leaves behind a loving wife and 4 children. Ben Boos was the creator of Swords: An Artist's Devotion and Fantasy: An Artist's Realm as well as a designer for the Diablo video games. His artwork also appears in the upcoming Spring 2012 title What Color Is Your World? The world has lost a great talent.

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.

Rapunzel's Golden Locks retold by Emily Gale

Rapunzel's Golden Locks retold by Emily Gale, illustrations Barbara Vagnozzi

This recent publication of Ladybird Books, is a new take on an old story of Rapunzel. It is aimed at the age group 4 - 7 years old, I suspect, although the language is younger and the way the story ends abruptly, leads me to think that it is for children younger. Gale retells the story with brevity, leaving out characters, such as the mother, who is the one who was craving radishes whilst pregnant with Rapunzel.

Wiki says:

"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. It is one of the best known fairy tales, and its plot has been used and parodied by many cartoonists and comedians, its best known line ("Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair") having entered popular culture.

Gale leaves in the refrain of 'let down your hair', the witch and the prince, but puts a feminist spin on things as the prince is fooled by the witch, and Rapunzel is able to free herself by finding a secret door, hence not needing a man to rescue her. She does, however, ride off on his motorbike into the sunset as he is commenting on how much he likes her new hair do.

This is a weird take on the fairy tale, Rapunzel, and with so many mixed messages of imposed ideologies, it is nothing short of beguiling when trying to analyze it. However, children do not generally analyze books, especially one as silly as this one, so they may enjoy it. The Ladybird edition comes with a CD reading of the book, which is just as silly with sound effects and such, as the book itself is. Quite hand in glove.