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.

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.

Moo, Baa, La la la by Sandra Boynton

Moo Baa La La La - Sandra Boynton (Pub: 1982)

This raucous story about the sounds animals make -- including three pigs who say la la la! - is just right for reading aloud.

"These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages."

Great for little kids to sit on adult laps and share the fun and joy and sense of humour this book brings.

Specifically a good one to start reading to your kids from ages four month and up. They will memorise it and read it to themselves in no time at all.

Great for very young children, all the way up 'til they're 3 years old, from there you will find, they whave memorised the book and will be able to recite it to you, whilst turning the pages.

A great book for play group story time, which will include even the youngest in that group.

A must have for every children's book collection.

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