reviews Under 5s Pre - School/Nursery/Infant contd. Tree 


Patricia Hegarty, ill. Britta Teckentrup, Little Tiger Kids, 32pp, 978-1-8486-9128 5, £10.99 hbk


A single apple tree standing in a forest is the focus of this beautiful book that documents the seasonal changes through a whole year and the fauna   is in the grip of midwinter’s icy chill; a lone owl sits watchful in its hole in the tree trunk as snow falls, blanketing the ground. From this viewpoint, readers and the owl can see the surrounding landscape and the subtle changes it undergoes as the snow starts to melt, small shoots peep through, new leaves unfurl, and blossom opens while bear cubs scramble up the trunk. (These, like the owl, can be seen through the strategically placed die-cuts that increase in number on the trunk and branches as the year moves towards the height of summer, and decrease in number to the owl’s lone lookout as midwinter once more comes around; they disappear completely in the penultimate spread.) Gradually more creatures show themselves: squirrels frolic in the branches and birds build        Summer brings a high sun, the hum        the gradual ripening of fruit. This is followed by autumn’s richly glowing palette, dewy grass and fallen fruit. Animals begin to gather food in preparation for the even colder nights and winter days that are once more coming around. Then for the animals, it’s time to take shelter again and in the depth of midwinter, all is silent; the forest sleeps. Not only have we followed the seasonal changes but also watched day turning to night in this wonderfully crafted book. Patricia Hegarty’s lyrical rhyming couplets accompanying the scenes are equally well crafted and a pleasure to read aloud; they too merit attention and savouring.


JB Max at Night 


Ed Vere, Puffin, 32pp, 978-0-7232-9915-8, £6.99 pbk


 the Brave returns in this charming bedtime adventure. Sleepily getting ready for bed, a familiar night-time routine unfolds with milk followed       is a very polite kitten, he starts to        Spider. However when he wants to              for him, but no matter how high he climbs he still cannot see Moon. Just  helps out by blowing the clouds away,  can say goodnight to each other. Any parents worried their young children        adventures will be pleased that Moon  his bedroom so there is no need to go


out searching. The story ends with a  This is a delightful story perfect


for repeated bedtime readings and a great way for young children to start to think about the wonder of the moon and the night sky. It is a pleasure to turn the pages of this beautiful picture book. Each double page spread is vibrant and varied with a different background colour. The translucency of the world at night  the enormous luminous moon is a milky delight.


SMcG The Zoomers’ Handbook 


Ana & Thiago de Moraes, Andersen Press, 32pp, 978-1-7834-4214-0, £11.99 pbk


Not a book for zookeepers and not a book for farmers; this is a handbook for the ones who look after a very particular kind of animal. The Zoomers’ Handbook has all sorts of sage advice about how to deal with beasts like the Goatrilla who loves bananas; and the polarcow who, if you feed him strawberries, produces ice cream. The shicken may lay delicious eggs, but it isn’t wise to try and hand-feed them – nor should you let a dogephant play too roughly with you – as they have a very heavy landing. A sumptuous feel to the pages and


The Snow Beast 


Chris Judge, Andersen Press, 32pp, 978-1-7834-4114-3, £11.99 hbk


The Beast lives at the top of a mountain, and every year he helps   out that all the tools in the village   the abominable Snow Beast. He has many adventures on the way, but eventually he tracks down the thief – who looks just like a snowy version of himself! The ending is a lovely colourful celebration, as the Beast      people is the best way to happiness. This is the third picture book about the Beast, and once again children will enjoy poring over the vibrant illustrations and tracking the Beast’s journey. The way that Judge conveys the communication of ideas between the two beasts just through images is superb. There’s lots of visual detail and humour for children to enjoy, including an amazing house inside an iceberg. All in all, a great book to share on a cold winter’s day.


LT


Round and Round and Square 


Fredun Shapur, Tate Publishing, 48pp, 978-1-8497-6363-9, £12.99 hbk


a smart design makes this a really attractive book. Playful illustrations  doesn’t really stretch beyond the idea       will delight children, who then might enjoy making up their own creatures for the Zoomers to take care of. KC


Rain 


Manya Stojic, Pavilion Books, 32pp, 978-1-8436-5305-9, £6.99 pbk


The rain is coming; the porcupine can smell it, the zebras can see it, the rhino can feel it. The message is passed between the animals. When the rain arrives the lion can taste it, and it rains and rains until the rivers and water       stops the land is rejuvenated; the mud is soft and the grass is lush and fresh fruit grows on the trees. The animals enjoy the effect the rain has had, and as the plain becomes hot and dry again, they know the rain will return.      the majestic nature of the animals in the African savannah with bright colours and broad painterly illustrations. The clever story also gives a nod to the hierarchy of the animals and highlights the way they rely on the weather to make their home comfortable and habitable. Useful for classrooms and gentle enough to make a soothing bedtime read at home.


KC


Round and Round and Square, written by graphic and toy designer      in 1965 and it quickly became a classic bedtime story. It takes the form of a simple, clean graphic narrative with appeal to pre-readers and adults alike. It tells the story of a circle and a square that play together, encompassing a child’s world with the use of just four colours and two simple shapes. Through the use of rotation, translation and transformation, the two basic shapes become houses and high buildings; churches with beautiful windows; train coaches travelling up and down hill, over bridges and to far off places. They become toys and create new friends, before the hot sun sets and the cool moon brings their day to an        of shapes and patterns representing starbursts.


tractors, rocking horses and toy boats are dated and their cultural references      century pluralistic society, the book nonetheless presents a beautiful, imaginative narrative. Grandparents who want to take a nostalgic look back to their own childhoods could set       and wider appeal of the book is in the way it reaches beyond narrative to become an early introduction to design, geometry and the properties of shape. As such, it would spark the imagination of any child, prompting       images from their own contemporary culture. For this reason alone, I would recommend it for any pre-readers, with the caution that the relevance of cultural references to audience does need to be considered.


GR Books for Keeps No.215 November 2015 21 While the images of churches, Faces, Faces, Faces! 


Jeremy and Jacqueline Sinclair, Doubleday, 32pp, 978-0-8575-3466-8, £12.99 hbk


Step inside this book and join the hunt for faces! There they are in the garden – on the tree trunks, the apples, the plops in the pond, the deck chair,       everywhere we look we see a face – on the slices of toast, the teapot, and the door handle; even the holes in the colander form face features. Every inanimate object has come to life, all with such happy features! Unless that is, we are horrid to them. Someone has left the bathroom in a terrible mess, and here the faces look upset, or just plain cross. Why?      Balls love to be kicked [big smiley face] but teddies hate it [upset face]. Pencils like to draw, but don’t like being chewed. ‘Things are happy just doing their own thing,’ say the hoover, broom, hairdryer, radio. The duvet loves keeping us warm, the moon loves shining, the stars love twinkling and the world loves whispering … Night night, sleep tight. Every spread is packed with so


much to discover, and the large,      the pictures speak their own story. Small readers will love hunting for ever more and more faces in this intriguing picture book for those just discovering the fun to be found in sharing a book with others.


GB The Lion Inside 


Rachel Bright, illus Jim Field, Orchard Books, 32pp, 978-1-4083-3159-0, £11.99 hbk


Told in child friendly rhyme, laced with evocative words and originality, this story of a mouse who wants to be heard is captivating. Feeling small and overlooked, the mouse gathers his courage to face the enormous lion who slumbers on the rock above his house. No mean feat. But the irony is the big roaring cat is afraid of tiny scampering mice with their long tails and squeaky voices. In a supreme act of courage on both sides, the two discover they have much to offer one another and in becoming friends they learn that we all have a mouse and a lion’s voice inside us. A pleasing story about overcoming


your worst fears, depicted in a limited palette of earthy browns and yellows. There is humour and irony in the  close ups and dynamic compositions  classroom and at home.


JNH


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32