Picture Book Review: Mummy and Me by Lydia Bright and Jojo Clinch

Picture book Mummy and Me by Lydia Bright and Jojo Clinch features a mummy and baby elephant hugging, surrounded by fairy mice, a parrot, a pirate ship and a pot of colouring pencils. — Cover art by Jojo Clinch, published by Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House, 1 February 2024, ISBN: 9780241605837

This lovely picture book is bursting with imagination, creativity and love, celebrating the ‘magic making days’ shared by mummy elephant and her daughter Etta. They are the ‘Terrific Team of Two’ making their own adventures through crafting, drawing and storytelling, bonded together with love despite their opposing personalities. As they illustrate a picture book adventure at the kitchen table their creative differences take them on an intriguing voyage which balances mum’s desire for peace and relaxation with Etta’s desire for action and excitement. I loved the way that these contrasting desires melded into a story which featured pirates and fairy mice, stormy seas and balloon-powered rescue.

The book has been written by author Lydia Bright as a celebration of single parent families and I liked the way that she sensitively touched on the child’s moment of wishing to be part of a large family but ultimately appreciating the amazing bond that she shares with her mother. I think that this will make a lovely addition to primary school and nursery classroom collections to reinforce the value of all forms of families. The glorious illustrations by Jojo Clinch perfectly complement the concept of a hand drawn story and provide a wealth of talking points to ensure shared enjoyment of this book between adult and child.

I am most grateful to Karen Stretch and Puffin Books for providing me with a review copy of Mummy and Me prior to publication on 1st February 2024.

Picture Book Review: Misty Mole and the Eating Adventure by Dr. Yasmin El-Rouby and Ishy Walters

Front cover of a children's book, Misty Mole and the Eating Adventure by Dr. Yasmin El-Rouby illustrated by Ishy Walters. — Cover art by Ishy Walters, published by Neem Tree Press, 11 January 2024, ISBN: 978-1911107835

When Granny Mole arrives in the woodland to visit little Misty Mole, Mama becomes increasingly concerned about the quantity of sweet treats being consumed. A visit to Dr Ellie Eagle the eye doctor confirms that Granny definitely needs to eat healthy and nutritious food to preserve her health and eyesight. Thus begin a delightful journey in a hot air balloon to discover a rainbow of healthy foods that contain the vitamins and minerals we all require for good health.

I love this book, written in child-friendly but clear scientific language by Canadian eye doctor, Dr. Yasmin El-Rouby and sweetly illustrated by Ishy Walters. The benefits of the different vitamins are explained as Misty and Granny explore the foods which contain them. The importance of zinc and omega oils in keeping eyes, brains and bodies healthy is also covered and there are even recipes at the back for baking healthy snacks from vegetables, nuts and seeds. This is a great example of spreading key health literacy messages to children in an accessible format and I highly recommend Misty Mole and the Eating Adventure to schools, nurseries and public libraries as well as to parents and carers of early years children.

For more information on the important topic of children’s eye health, there is an interview with the author on the Neem Tree Press blog here.

I am most grateful to Neem Tree Press for providing me with a proof copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Children’s Books Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 13 – Spyceratops by Alex Willmore

Children's books Advent calendar with a book in each window up to day 13.

With Christmas fast approaching, I have decided to rerun one of my book reviews each day in the hope that they might provide inspiration for anyone looking to buy a book as a gift for a child this year. It has been incredibly difficult to select only 24 from the 2023 bookshelves, but I hope that you like some of my choices.

December 13th

If you are looking for a gift to provide enjoyment, entertainment and a heap of giggles for a pre-school or early years child, I highly recommend this wonderful picture book written and illustrated by Alex Willmore. It’s one of those perfect picture books that is as enjoyable for an adult to read aloud as it is for the young audience to listen to. I have a copy wrapped for one of my young relatives this Christmas. You can read my full review of Spyceratops here.

I was provided with a review copy of this book by Farshore Books and Liz Scott PR.

My Children’s Books Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 6 – Drawn to Change the World edited by Emma Reynolds

December 6th

Drawn to Change the World is a stunningly ambitious and important graphic novel which presents the biographies of 16 young climate change activists from around the world. It is truly global in reach, presenting the stories of young leaders from many indigenous groups and with each biography illustrated in graphic novel style by an illustrator from a minority group. The entire project was managed and edited by Emma Reynolds and she supplies the artwork for Greta Thunberg’s biography. This book is likely to appeal to all readers of 9 years and above, I could see it being as popular with teens as with children at the top end of primary school.

I have listed all the names of the young activists and the illustrators in my full review, which you can read here.

I was send a review copy of this book by Harper 360.

My Children’s Books Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 3 – How to Make a Story by Naomi Jones, illustrated by Ana Gomez

December 3rd

paperback picture book How to Make a Story by Naomi Jones

Today I want to celebrate a picture book which recognises the creativity of young children and also their occasional frustrations when they meet a challenge in expressing their ideas. This exploration of the multi-generational family support given to a young boy to help him write his story is kind, constructive and fun. The bright, bold artwork by Ana Gomez perfectly complements Naomi Jones’ imaginative text in a picturebook which would make a lovely gift for any child aged 3-6. You can read my full review of How to Make a Story, here.

I am grateful to Oxford Children’s Books and Liz Scott who provided me with a review copy of this book.

Picture Book Review: Hello Winter by Jo Lindley

front cover of children's picture book Hello Winter by Jo Lindley — Cover image by Jo Lindley, published by Farshore Books,
9 November 2023, ISBN 9780755503445

Hello Winter is the fourth book in the Best Friends with Big Feelings series, written and illustrated by the immensely talented Jo Lindley.

In the imaginary land of Season Isle (beautiful map at the start of the book), four friends, Spring Summer, Autumn and Winter take turns to wear the seasonal crown. The chosen one is the leader of fun and games for the duration of their season.

Imagine Winter’s surprise and hurt when Autumn passes the crown directly to Spring and subsequently her three ‘friends’ tell Winter that they don’t enjoy her frosty games! Winter takes herself off to her favourite spot in the Slippy Slopes, but somehow building a snowman and throwing snowballs is not as much fun on her own as it used to be with her companions. Meanwhile, Spring, Summer and Autumn have realised that they were unkind and start searching the snowy landscape for their friend.

With a colourful, cosy compromise, the four friends find that they can all enjoy winter activities and young readers or listeners will discover that joy can be shared when empathy abounds. This is a lovely picture book in which the expressive artwork and clear text convey the inner feelings of the characters perfectly to children of 4 to 6 years of age. It would make a lovely winter time gift and I feel sure would work very well as a read aloud book in a nursery, early years or key stage one classroom.

My thanks to Sarah Sleath at Farshore Books for sending me a review copy ahead of publication on 9 November 2023.

You can read my review of an earlier book in the series Hello Summer here.

Blog Tour: Have You Seen the New Forest Unicorn? by Carole Smith, illustrated by Alexandra Wilson

This delightful picture book story is based on author Carole Smith’s lifelong love of ponies and her long residence in the beautiful New Forest; her love of the natural world shines through the text. The delicate watercolour illustrations by Alexandra Wilson give a gentle sense of the landscape to young readers.

The introductory pages present brief introductions to the animal characters, describing their appearances and their personalities. This serves as an excellent reference, particularly for adults who might read this story across several nights as a bedtime story for their children or grandchildren. The actual story is a journey of discovery for six New Forest pony foals: Peewee, Willow, Juliet, Riley, Drummer and Merlin, an inquisitive group of friends who want to know if the New Forest Unicorn actually exists. As they seek help and advice from a number of animal residents of the forest, young readers are introduced to a variety of animals, both wild and domestic, which are found in this National Park. The gentle guidance of the older animals such as Super Ted the miniature Shetland pony and The Monarch, a huge stag who is king of the forest, gives children a lovely model of asking for advice from adults, and there is an excellent example of the ponies repeating the advice they have been given about crossing roads safely. The locations mentioned in the text are all real and this could lead to an interesting map reading (or Google maps) activity shared between adults and children in their care.

This is a really calm and gentle picture book which would make either an excellent bedtime story, or in schools, a story to quietly wind-down with at the end of the day. It is printed in large font with very short chapters, so children of 6+ who are gaining confidence as readers would probably enjoy shared reading of this book with an adult.

My thanks to LiterallyPR who provided me with a review copy of Have You Seen the New Forest Unicorn? and invited me to join the blog tour. Do check out the other reviews from the schedule in the graphic at the top of this post.

Picture Book Review: Spyceratops, written and illustrated by Alex Willmore

Cover illustration by Alex Willmore, published by Farshore, 03/08/2023

Are you fast, fearless and able to blend into your surroundings? Well, you might just have what it takes to rival Spyceratops, as the greatest spy in all of history! Join the most unlikely secret agent ever as she takes you on a tour of her high-tech spy facility, demonstates an impressive range of gadgets and introduces you to her sidekick, who seems rather more interested in ice cream than espionage. What is Grandad up to in his hidden lair? is he really building a doomsday machine? It’s going to take an exceptionally talented, stealthy and brave agent to uncover the ancient relative’s dastardly plan.

Join Spyceratops in this colourful and highly entertaining romp through the intelligence landscape. Alex Willmore has created a story that adults will enjoy every bit as much as the young children with whom they share it. I actually laughed out loud at Grandad’s response to being confronted by his grand-daughter. I would have loved to have shared this with my own children when they were little and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to share a unique and fun-filled picture book with a 3-6 year old.

I am very grateful to Farshore Books and Liz Scott PR for sending me a review copy of Spyceratops ahead of publication on 3rd August 2023.

Picture Book Review: Pick a Story-A Superhero + Mermaid + Dragon Adventure by Sarah Coyle and Adam Walker-Parker

Cover image by Adam Walker-Parker, published by Farshore, 3 August 2023

What better way to introduce pre-school children to story books than to give them agency in the story-telling process? The third Pick a Story adventure by author Sarah Coyle does just that, providing an immersive experience in which children can interact with the narrative process, choosing which way they would like the story arc to develop. This book provides so many opportunities for children and adults to engage with story structure and ensures that reading time is always an enjoyable experience.

The sparkly, shiny cover is very enticing and the supersaturated colours are continued inside, where every page is bursting with action as readers set Davy on different paths to find his missing painting. There is something for everyone, with options to follow a superhero, a mermaid or a dragon storyline. Additionally, many of the pages and spreads have counting, searching or even maze-following activities. Adam Walker-Parker’s illustrated characters with their appealing, large eyes and expressive faces will be very appealing to children of 3-6, there is so much happening on every page that I’m sure this book will be revisited many times.

I am most grateful to Farshore for providing me with a review copy of Pick a Story – A Superhero + Mermaid + Dragon Adventure, prior to publication on 3rd August 2023.

You can read my review of Book 2 in the series, A Dinosaur + Unicorn + Robot Adventure, here.

Non-fiction Review: The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers by Dr Adam S Smith & Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Stieven Van der Poorten

Cover image by Stieven Van der Poorten, publisher UCLan, 03 August 2023

This engrossing, non-fiction title beautifully demonstrates the dynamic nature of scientific understanding to young readers as it examines the evidence from recently discovered fossils and explains how this has helped scientists to update their theories about Tyrannosaurus rex. Written by palaeontologist, Dr Adam S Smith with children’s author, Jonathan Emmett, it never patronises its audience but provides clear, accessible explanations which are vividly illustrated by Stieven Van der Poorten.

In a clever and engaging twist, we are taken through the evolution of scientists’ understanding of this magnificent dinosaur by a cheeky velociraptor who wishes to give a museum T rex exhibit an evidence-based makeover! From the well-known stance of T rex, which was influenced by the way that the first whole skeleton was displayed in the early 1900s, to the position of the arms and nostrils, a new picture of T rex emerges as you progress through the book. Fossils found in 1988 show that this dinosaur only had two fingers, rather than three and perhaps most startling of all, it is now thought that T rex had at least some of its body covered in feathers.

I have never yet met a nursery or primary school child who is not fascinated by dinosaurs and I think that the blend of humorous dialogue between the T rex and velociraptor, teamed with the factual panels and dramatic illustrations will grab their attention. There is a double page spread at the end of the book which provides some more detail about the way that scientists construct theories from the fossil evidence, as well as a timeline of T rex fossil discoveries. For those who wish to immerse themselves further in palaeontology, Dr Adam S Smith has a fact-filled website plesiosauria.com which you can explore.

The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers is an essential book for introducing science concepts to primary school children. I am most grateful to UCLan Publishing and Antonia Wilkinson PR for sending me a review copy ahead of publication on 3rd August 2023.