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.

Hansel and Gretel - M Morpurgo and E Chichester Clark

Hansel and Gretel - M Morpurgo and E Chichester Clark (pub. 2008)


A gripping retelling of a children's classic story for the new generation. No child ever forgets the story of the witch, the breadcrumb trail and the gingerbread house in the forest. Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo takes the Brothers Grimm classic to a new level, weaving from these themes a rich fairytale tapestry of hunger and hope, cruelty and courage. With breath-taking illustrations by the celebrated Emma Chichester Clark, this edition of Hansel and Gretel will grip the imagination of a whole new generation of children.

Loved it! A great read for Children 5 - 10yo. A long book, but a new take on the tale of Hansel and Gretel. Very enjyable. Loved the alliteration, and repetition, and way there was flow in the language. Illustrations very suitable and made a great blend with the text. Great to read to your child; great for your child to read it to themselves. Certainly not a classroom of group book; definitely a one-on-one or solo adventure to take.

Nick Sharrat

I am a MASSIVE Nick Sharrat fan. He is an author and illustrator, who brings a complete sense of fun to any text he touches with his colourful brush. I love the cheekiness with which he illustrates; the simplicity; and the care he takes with constructing a holistic low modality illustration. English, as most of the good 'ens are, he is prolific in what he illustrates, and is easy to spot a book he has illustrated in any book shop.
Here are some details of him taken from his website.

Personal faves at the moment: What's in the Witches Kitchen; Dear Mother Goose; Dear Fairy Godmother; Tiger Ways; Pants; Don't Put Your Finger in the Jelly - Oh who am I kidding... with over 30 of his books, I like them all!!!!

The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

I have started to read The Faraway Tree series to my young son. So far it's been lots of fun as the children (Joe, Beth and Frannie) has explored the woods near their new house, and found it full of fun and adventure, with new worlds to explore and magical creatures with which to become friends. I love how the main protagonists are an older brother, and two younger sisters, and how Joe, the big brother, knows he's the one who needs to look out for his sisters whilst they are on these adventures. He is a good big brother - level headed, and true to his word.

It's a book that both girls and boys will like. There is no feminization in these texts. It's not about a brother and two sisters who are visiting a mystical world of rainbows, unicorns and barbies call Wanda-Tulip the third, who only do ballet, and talk about how to set people up ready to date. And it's certainly not a book that is too old for his understanding. There's an old saying that boys read boys book and girls read books... this series is the perfect combo where boys and girls have characters they can relate to and vicariously live through as the adventure unfolds.

(Some parents may not enjoy the old world-ness of letting your kids go off into the wood by themselves and play; having a story talk about young children sneaking out of the house at night by themselves, or even letting them go with a stranger - which the parents do in the book with Saucepan Man. I agree with the sentiment, but whilst reading I've encouraged my young audience to remember it's a story, and not be done in real life.)

Having never read an Enid Blyton book before, there is enjoyment in her turn of phrase, and her English quaintness. The chapters are about 4 - 7 [ages long - bites sized enough not to be laborous, but long enough to be a proper chapter book. Happily there are six books in the series - they may last us until the end of the year. (Hopefully.)

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.