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

That's Mine

That's Mine
by Michel Van Zeveren
Gecko Press 2013

What fun! If you're looking for a short book to read with children ages 18 months to 3 years old, then this is one to read. Full of humour and a great sense of fun that every child (and adult) will enjoy the narrative arc, figuring out who's egg it actually is.

About the author: Michel Van Zeveren was born in Belgium in 1970. He studied animation before discovering the joy of children's book illustration. He lives in Brussels, Belgium with his wife and daughter.

Gracie and Josh

Gracie and Josh

Susanne Gervay Illustrator Serena Geddes

Ford Street Publishing

Gracie and Josh is one of those rare books, which takes a hard and gut wrenching topic and approaches it in such a delightful way, both adult and child reader, will thoroughly enjoy and learn from it. A story about a brother and sister relationship, and the effect of battling cancer. 

So brilliantly created, with story and illustrations intricately blended, this book does not even mention the word cancer, but delicately assumes some knowledge of child illnesses. This illness does not become the focus of the book, but the means by which Gracie and Josh take every moment of life as a precious gift. 

A sweet telling of siblings loving each other, enjoying each others, and rising above what life throws at them.

Socks by Nick Sharratt and Elizabeth Lindsay

Socks 

By Nick Sharratt and Elizabeth Lindsay
Pub. 2012

My kids love anything by Nick Sharratt (and so do I). Here is a follow on from Pants and More Pants.
Sharratt has teamed up with Lindsay this time, instead of Giles Andreae, and this book doesn't disappoint.

With lots of colour and variation in language it can be read man times over. Although these aren't books with a trajectory of narrative (ie story line), Sharratt has done well to create a fun adventure on each page to easily enjoy as he takes us through the imagination of how many different ways you can use sock and create characters.

By using the colours of the socks in each page, and contrasting the the main protagonists in black and white, it's a very different way to get the child reader involved the text, as they are watching and engaging with the imagination and sock placement, rather than focussing in on the alignment of the boy and girl narrators.

A fun and enjoyable book. Great for reading aloud in one-on-one, small group and big group setting. Double thumbs up.

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.

Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

Where Is the Green Sheep? - Mem Fox and Judy Horacek (Pub: 2004)

Another brilliant book by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek.

It's a fun whimsical book all about finding the green sheep. As we search though the book, we read a sentence a page, of different kinds of sheep: the clown sheep, the up sheep, the down sheep etc.

Fox uses the rhyme and rhythm, and the idea of opposites to help children understand differences within each picture, whilst still keeping the premise by returning to the refrain question: But where's the green sheep?

"This is another most beautiful book for little people by Mem Fox. It also has wonderful simple illustrations which are a delight to look at. The rhythmical prose is so simple but so enjoyable to read. "

It has become so popular that it has joined that rare group of books printed both in paperback, hardback, and board book, as well as, now being published with plush toy included.

A great book for children 4months and up to 5 years old.

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

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.