That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt

That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A touchy-feely board book with simple, repetitive text, tactile patches and bold illustrations suitable for babies and toddlers. A little white mouse appears on every page, for children to spot.


My four month old absolutely loves this book. He loves the bright colours on each page and he is beginning to touch all the different textures.

As a parent I love the fact it introduces different adjectives to him and we can feel the texture to match the adjective.

The board book is nice and thick, it won't be long before he is helping me to turn the pages. He loves this book so much that after we have finished we read it again and he is just as interested in it as he was the first time.

WHEE TO THE MOON BY ARRON CHARMAN

Neil is a young boy who likes to scream “whee!” with excitement when he’s at the playground. Neil develops a love of flying. As he gets older, he learns how to fly aircraft that will take him on many different adventures. Even though he is now a grown up, Neil still excitedly screams “whee!” as he gets to fly all the way to the Moon!

Monty and the Ocean Rescue - A plastic disaster

Monty, Cookie and the spangles are back at the beach for the fifth book in this series of childrens books.

When Cookie sees a splash in the water her newfoundland instinct to rescue takes over and she immediately heads out to help. When she returns the dogs get a huge surprise as they hear a desperate plea.

What follows is an adventure that could turn out to be their biggest and most difficult so far.

This is a gentle introduction for children about the issues of plastic pollution in our oceans and even features Sir David Attenborough.

Links to purchase

Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913071138/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_3KeXCbN7NYT1S

Signed and pawtagraphed copies are available worldwide via the website https://www.montydogge.com/bookstore

The book is also available via most online bookstores.


Review:

This is a wonderful picture book for children to learn the importance of looking after the environment. 

There is good rhythm in the text, it flows well and rhymes, which keeps the childs interest.

The story is about Monty a dog and his friends, who go on a mission to help save the animals in the sea, along the way, they meet many other animals who needs their help. When they save them they join the journey to help the others. 

Looking after the seas is such an important topic at the moment and this book really helps to educate children into putting their rubbish in the bin and using less plastic as it shows the effects it has on the animals in the sea. 

I really enjoyed reading this picture book and when my little one arrives very very soon, this will be a book I will like to share with him. 

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Author Bio

MT Sanders

MT Sanders is a writer, blogger and author of the children's book Monty and the Ocean Rescue.

An accidental career began after he took early retirement and began writing stories on social media about his five dogs. Life according to Monty Dogge soon attracted a huge following and led to invites to blog live from Crufts and other high-profile events.

In 2017 and 2018 Vuelio placed it in the top ten UK pet blogs and the still growing readership encouraged MT to write a book. I’m not a Pandacow was the debut children’s book released in 2017 and this has been quickly followed by four more to date.

MT and Monty spend the major part of their time touring schools across the country bringing the tales to life as children get to meet the star of the books.

The latest book is a real passion project for the author who is a huge supporter of conservation projects and a champion for animal welfare. It goes without saying that MT was delighted to receive a handwritten message of good luck from no other than Sir David Attenborough who features in the book.

Social media links

Life according to Monty Dogge and the Books of Monty Dogge on Facebook @montydogge on Twitter @monty_dogge on Instagram

We Won an Island by Charlotte Lo

We Won an Island by Charlotte Lo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Luna's family win an island, Luna thinks it will solve everything AND she can finally get a donkey! But things don't go entirely to plan - no one expects Luna's younger brother to win a Sheep Pageant, for example - and the secret festival they hold soon spirals out of control. But the island is beautiful, and the family are happy, and maybe Luna will get her donkey after all...


Luna and her family are facing eviction, they have not had an easy life and her dad is rather depressed. They decide to enter a competition on the radio to win an island, run by a billionaire who owns it, this would mean they would be able to relocate and have a home.

This story takes us through the ups and downs of moving to a new place, knowing no one and having to deal with the hand they have been given.

You can't help but fall in love with Luna, she is optimistic about everything and tries to always see the good in all situations.

This is a fun quick story, one that children will enjoy, it was engaging and fun throughout. I would recommend this to any child who loves an adventure and is on the lookout for something new.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Wren by Katrina Lehman (illus. Sophie Beer)

Wren by Katrina Lehman (illus. Sophie Beer)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Sometimes we find what we’re looking for in the most unexpected places.

Wren just wants a bit of peace and quiet. What he gets is the noisiest baby sister you could ever imagine! But when Wren runs away to the country, he discovers that maybe peace and quiet isn’t all he needs …

To begin with I thought this was a book about autism and to help children understand what they are going through, however the further I got into the book I changed my mind on this.

This is about a little boy called Wren, he is part of a big family and likes peace and quiet. One day when he thinks the noise level can't get any worse, his mum and dad have a new baby girl and he gets to the point where he just can't stand it.

I think this is a good book for children with large families or new siblings. It may also be good for children who struggle with noise.

There are nice illustrations in the book, which you can get lost in for a while between pages. 

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.



#wren #scribblekidsbooks

Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell

Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Whatever you fear, come close my dear
You’re tucked in safe for always here
                           And I will never not be near
                          Because of our love umbrella

Under the Love Umbrella is a really brightly coloured book, which the children in my class loved. The story is told through rhyme, which the children picked up on an enjoyed.

I found that it could be a little deep for 5 and 6 year olds, but they surprised me and were able to discuss the book after.

This is all about support and who you would have under your love umbrella, we discussed this as a class and we decided anyone you care for could be under it. It was a really lovely story to share with the children, perfect for those PSHE lessons or just to discuss emotional matters that could have come up.

The illustrations are lovely, the children enjoyed searching the pages to find the umbrellas and were excited when they found them.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Beware the Mighty Bitey by Heather Pindar

Beware the Mighty Bitey by Heather Pindar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Deep in the jungle, in the still waters of the Nippy Pool, listening, lurking, waiting, live the Mighty Bitey Piranhas!

Mouse, Goat and Bear play some music for them but the Mighty Bitey have other, more scrumptious things on their mind!

This is a great picture book for children, I read it to a class of 30 5 and 6 year olds and they all really enjoyed it. Originally it has a similarity to the Three Billy Goats Gruff and I thought it was going to be an adaptation of the story, however I was wrong.

The children really enjoyed the story, it linked to our topic of the sea also, which allowed us to discuss what piranhas are.

The children were really not expecting the ending at all. The illustrations are beautiful and the book is really colourful.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Bears Don't Eat Egg Sandwiches by Julie Fulton

Bears Don't Eat Egg Sandwiches by Julie Fulton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack has a rather grizzly visitor arrive for lunch but it doesn't want to eat any of Jack's egg sandwiches.

So what do bears eat for lunch?

Absolutely loved this book, the illustrations are great and it is really funny. It was just before lunch when I read this to my class, which was the perfect time to read it to them.

This was a really fun story about a boy who is having egg sandwiches for lunch, suddenly there is a knock on his door and a bear has come to visit. He tries to get the bear to eat a sandwich, however he insists that bears don't eat egg sandwiches.

When I had finished the story the children were rolling around the carpet laughing, when I asked them what they liked the most, they said at the end when the bear had realised what he had done.

If you want a fun, picture book to share with children and one that they will be able to read independently this is the book for you. There is lots of repetition in the story, which makes this suitable for the young reader.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Daddy and I by Lou Treleaven

  

Daddy and I by Lou Treleaven


Blurb:

Saturday’s Daddy day, just for us two. Making and baking – so much we can do. But I see fields and a big blue sky. We’re off for a walk now, my Daddy and I.

My Review:

This book was sent to me from the lovely Maverick books, thank you! I took this one into school, excited to read it with the children. I thought this maybe quite familiar for some children, perhaps those who spend their Saturdays or another day of the week with their daddy. Single parents are quite common now and for children to spend some time with one parent without the other being present, so I thought some children maybe able to draw similarities towards it. 

The children loved the story, it is of a child who spends her Saturdays with her daddy, he goes out for walks with her but they aren't walks at all for the girl, she goes on adventures. The illustrations were lovely with pastel type colours used throughout. 

It is a book that the children engaged with and interacted with. They liked the rhyme and noticed this early on. We also used the book for discussion on the illustrations, we had a discussion on what imagination was and what this meant. 

I would recommend this story for single parent families especially so the child realises that other children see their parents of separate days too. It helps them to realise this is normal and it is also O.K. It also can bring lots of discussion in the classroom both socially but also picking the text apart as we did. 

I will read this book again to them as they enjoyed it so much, but I have a feeling this will be one that they also go to, to read independently. 

I personally wasn't sure about this book before I took it into the classroom, I wasn't sure what reception it would get. However when I realised that the children loved it and how much we got out of it, this book has to get 5*. 

I would like to thank the publisher again for sending this in exchange for an honest review. 

Bonkers About Beetroot by Cath Jones

Bonkers About Beetroot by Cath Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sunset Safari Park could be in danger of closing down!
Zebra and his friends try to think about how to save their home, but they might have to go a little bonkers!

This is an utterly bonkers book.

I took this into the classroom to read to 30 5 year olds and to be honest I had no idea what to expect from them. I thought it was a bit of a nutty story but it turns out they absolutely loved it.

The illustrations are beautiful and the colours really draw you in, this attracted me to the book before the title or the story as it really stood out.

The zoo animals are all in despair, they are getting no visitors and they decide they need to do something to save the safari. The Zebra comes up with some wacky ideas, which leaves the penguin telling him he is bonkers. After some thought they decide to grow a beetroot, which gets so large they think it will attract visitors from miles around, but it gets too large and the story takes on an unexpected twist at the end.

The children thought that this was funny and they now choose to read it independently during reading time.

Overall although I thought it was a little strange initially the kids loved it and as a kids book, that is all that counts. :)

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Little Mouse's Christmas by Riikka Jäntti

Little Mouse's Christmas by Riikka Jäntti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Little Mouse has a long time to wait for Christmas! Luckily he has lots of things to do to get ready!

It’s almost Christmas and Little Mouse is looking forward to celebrating with Mummy Mouse and Grandpa and Grandma Mouse. But Christmas Eve feels very far away and Little Mouse is very impatient!

Fortunately there are all kinds of things for Little Mouse to do, like cooking gingerbread and choosing just the right Christmas tree.

The curious and lively toddler Little Mouse is back in this beautifully Scandinavian Christmas story by Finnish author/illustrator Riikka Jäntti.


This is the third in the series, I have not read any other but this didn't matter, it can certainly be read as a stand alone.

This is a story about Little Mouse, he is getting rather excited for Christmas, the book is set over the month of November and up until before Christmas day.

This is really cute and explores all the fun elements leading up to Christmas and what things you can do. Little Mouse had little time to fit everything in!

If you have children, they are going to love this book this Christmas, I recommend it for smaller children from around 3 - 6.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals by DK Publishing

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals by DK Publishing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For little animal lovers who want to know everything. From birds and frogs to sharks and dogs, this book is perfect for the curious little animal lover in your life.

Mixing photography and charming illustration, kids will discover important facts about the wonderful world of animals - from what they eat and where they live, to why people are animals too.

My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals is a friendly book that gets children learning, reading, and laughing!

This is a very beautiful book, it is slightly padded front and back, it is A4 in size and has high quality paper and ink.

This is very easy to follow and understand, perfect for when children want to research on their own. I was impressed with the variety of animals in this book, not all you would think of straight away.

Each page has many interesting facts on it, it is perfect for children to read alone but also a book you could share. This is a brilliant book for helping children understand non - fiction as the features are very clear for them to be able to use independently. This is also the type of book children would enjoy reading just before bed.

Taking this into school, my class got a lot of use and enjoyment out of it, it also helped to enhance their learning and made them realise that non fiction books can also be fun.

This is a book that I would recommend to children as there is so much they can learn from it, it would also keep them entertained for hours.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Clumpety Bump by Phil Allcock

Clumpety Bump by Phil Allcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clumpety Bump is a lazy horse, a VERY lazy horse.
His owner, Wally Wobblebottom, needs him to trot, jump and gallop, but Clumpety can't be bothered!

I read this book to my class today during story time and they absolutely loved it.

This is a story about a lazy horse, who can't be bothered to take his owner - Wally, where he wants to go, he ends up causing trouble and Wally leaves him behind one day.

This is a silly book that the children loved, it had repetition in it, which the children loved to join in with. This book also has some of the days of the week in, which helps them to know the order of the days, it would have been nice if the author had extended this and we could have read about all 7 days.

Overall though the book is beautifully presented and one that children will want to visit time and time again.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Hamster Sitter Wanted by Tracy Gunaratnam

Hamster Sitter Wanted by Tracy Gunaratnam
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marco and Polo simply love adventures but disaster hits when they are left in charge of Marco's many cousins!



This is such a fun book, I read this to a class of 30 5 year old's and they loved it. This is a story about Marco and Polo, who are meant to be looking after their cousins but they want to go out and play. They decide to hire a hamster sitter but everyone who arrives cannot cope with the cousins, they get up to naughty and mischievous things that they can't cope with. Finally there seems to be one hamster sitter who can put up with the hamsters.

The children really enjoyed this picture book, it was silly which was perfect for them. The illustrations are beautiful and it has become a firm favourite with the children.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Dark to Light by Isabella Murphy blog tour

From Dark to Light by Isabella Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pumpker, a little boy pumpkin, desires nothing more than to be adopted by a family to make them happy. Planted as a slim white seed along with his sisters, Plumpalicious and Plumpilina, he finds his wish come true as he grows into a pumpkin.
This is a very sweet story about a pumpkin seed, who wishes he could be out in the light. Being planted alongside his two sisters, he is the outcast of the family, they think he is weird and tend to not include him. Pumpker is bought to life with his personality and you can feel the excitement he has for growing and wanting to belong to a family.

I thought it was a very interesting book and the personification of the pumpkins worked well, you also felt empathy with Pumpker as you read the book. I also loved that no matter how his sisters treated him, he was so glad that they were going to the same family, so he would still be with them, this really shows sibling love.

It was an enjoyable book with great illustrations, younger children may struggle to read this independently but it would be a great book to share around halloween time. I also couldn't believe it was written by a child, she is very talented!

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

The Back to Front World of Azze Artbuckle by Beth Montogmery blog tour

The Back to Front World of Azzie Artbuckle written and illustrated by Beth Montgomery —who herself wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until she was thirty-seven years old— explores the muddled life of the charming Azzie Arbuckle who loves painting but struggles with reading letters and numbers which makes her feel stupid. If only she could tell someone…

You can follow Azzie on Twitter @Back2FrontWorld and Her web page Azzie Artbuckle Purchase on Amazon UK | Amazon.com

My Review:


This is a fantastic book to share with a class, it really helps children who has dyslexia or dyslexic traits to understand that they are not alone and that others can feel the same as them when it comes to reading and writing. I also think it will help others who don't struggle in this area understand that not all children find things as easy as them.

This is a lovely story and has great illustrations that children will enjoy. I would recommend this being read to all children around 6-9. I really loved that the book doesn't just focus on what Azzie can't do but also celebrates her creative skill and how good she is at it. This highlights the fact that dyslexic children have a strength and that they can be good at things in other areas.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

About Your Stories Matter: Based in Kendal, Cumbria Paul Johnson is the founder of Your Stories Matter and the parent publishing company Explainer HQ —which provides creative video, audio, animation and print to the business and education sector. 

All Your Stories Matters titles are published in paperback and are available to order from online retailers including amazon.co.uk. 

For more information please visit: https://www.yourstoriesmatter.org and follow on Twitter @ysm_books

Sky Private Eye and the Case of the Missing Grandma: A Fairytale Mystery Starring Little Red Riding Hood by Jane Clarke

Sky Private Eye and the Case of the Missing Grandma: A Fairytale Mystery Starring Little Red Riding Hood by Jane Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A Fairytale Mystery starring Little Red Riding Hood, Grandma, the Wolf and Sky Private Eye.

Little Red Riding Hood is bereft - Grandma has gone missing! The Big Bad Wolf has left telltale hairs at Granny's house... Has the Big Bad Wolf gobbled her up, or did he follow her on her beach side holiday, waiting to fatten her up?

Sky Private Eye with her bag of detective tricks and Just-in-time cupcake recipes is sure to solve the mystery in no time at all.


This is a completely different take on Little Red Riding hood. Those who know the story well will enjoy this version of the story. It would be key that children have some knowledge of the story before they read this one as this is loosely based on the story but is almost more of a follow on.

I read this story to the whole of Key Stage 1 and Early Years during an assembly. All 300 ish children were engaged and were eager to see what was going to happen next. Although they knew the characters from the original tale, they were completely surprised with this 'adaptation'.

In this story we have a more modern twist to it, Little Red Riding Hood is worried about Grandma, she isn't in her house and she has a feeling the Big Bad Wolf would have got her, she decides to call Skye Private Eye and allow her to investigate where grandma has gone. When she turns up to quickly discovers that Grandma hasn't been eaten but has gone on holiday! Suspecting the worse as they discover clues they go in search for grandma.

Although miles away from the original story, this was enjoyable and the children were intrigued and wanted to find out what was going to happen. A lovely touch at the end of the story was the recipe in case you want to make the cupcakes which are mentioned in the story.

Although this is not going to take over from the original story of Little Red Riding Hood, this is a nice alternative that children enjoy. The illustrations are great and very colourful. I would be interested in reading others in the series to children.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

You're so clumsy Charley by Jane Binion blog tour

You're So Clumsy Charley written by Jane Binion & illustrated by Colin Shelbourn throws us into the wonderful world of Charley —who is dyspraxic— and always seeming to get into trouble by accident. Fed up of school because he feels different from the rest of the children it isn’t until he meets his Auntie Bella that everything changes…

Purchase on Amazon UK | Amazon.com

My review:

As a teacher I thought it was very helpful to have the definitions of different special educational needs at the beginning of the book. I also think this would be useful to parents to identify different difficulties some children have as it helps for understanding.

The story is really easy to follow and understand, the sentences are short but tell Charley's story. I also really liked how the illustrations began black and white and as we went through the story and Charley became more comfortable the colours came out.

This is about one little boy who begins to accept his flaws and others around him also understanding him. It also highlights that no matter whatever your needs are or however 'different' you feel, you can be successful.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.



About Your Stories Matter: Based in Kendal, Cumbria Paul Johnson is the founder of Your Stories Matter and the parent publishing company Explainer HQ —which provides creative video, audio, animation and print to the business and education sector. All Your Stories Matters titles are published in paperback and are available to order from online retailers including amazon.co.uk. 

For more information please visit: https://www.yourstoriesmatter.org and follow on Twitter @ysm_books

The adventures of the owl and the pussycat by Carol Rumble

Summary:
The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a box on the living room floor. They sailed away for a year and a day and these are the things that they saw... Join two curious children on a quirky adventure, loosely based on the classic Edward Lear poem, The Owl and the Pussycat

​.​

Review:

This is a great book for younger children, we go on a journey with the owl and the pussycat. This is explored through verse accompanied with beautiful illustrations. This is a story that has been adapted from the original version but should be one everyone shares with their child.

This is a book I would recommend to others to share with their children as they will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Information about the Book


Title: The Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat

Author: Coral Rumble

Illustrator: Charlotte Cooke

Release Date: 4th April 2017

Genre: Picture Book

Publisher: Wacky Bee Books

Format: Paperback 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35051621-the-adventures-of-the-owl-and-the-pussycat
 Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Pussycat-Picture-Story-Book/dp/1472319885



Author Information

I have worked as a poet and performer for many years and I’m proud to have my work featured in Favourite Poets (Hodder). I have three published poetry collections of my own and have contributed to more than 150 anthologies. I am also one of the writers of the popular Cbeebies programmes ‘Poetry Pie’ and ‘The Rhyme Rocket’. I have given workshops in some fairly unusual venues as well…the grandest of which being Buckingham Palace!

Website: http://www.coralrumble.co.uk/

Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown

Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bison are banned and tigers are taboo! Say goodbye to the gnu, cheerio to the cheetah and poo poo to the panda. The world of Lesser Spotted Animals starts HERE! Discover the brilliant beasts you never knew you needed to know anything about - from the numbat to the zorilla and everything in between. Martin Brown's wonderfully funny and fact-tastic writing, teamed with his fabulous illustrations and tummy-tickling jokes is a winning combination.


This is a brilliant book full of animals that you rarely see in other children's books. It is non - fiction so children are learning about these more unusual animals, these facts are told in interesting and fun ways to engage the reader and want them to learn more about them.

I really enjoyed reading this book as an adult, however children equally enjoyed it, this is one that hooked in the boys too. They can be reluctant readers at time but this really did engage them and they were interested in finding new facts and information about them.

The illustrations are great, they are fun but also can bring discussions when sharing it with a group. I would highly recommend this book, it is really interesting and enjoyable.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.