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reviews Under 5s Pre – School/Nursery/Infant Pairs!


In the Garden 978-1-84780-883-7


Underwater 978-1-84780-882-0


HHHH


Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie (ill.), Frances Lincoln, 12 pp.£6.99 each hbk.


Young children love spotting things in the natural world and will enjoy the first two books in this ‘lift the flap’ series. The die –cut flaps on each spread are, like the pages, made of strong cardboard robust enough to stand up to a lot of use. Each spread provides a task- to spot the odd one out.


colour: Lorna Scobie uses ink pens, watercolours and coloured pencils to achieve her distinctive style.


each book creatures are shown in their environment, so In the Garden which covers snails, grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles and butterflies shows flowers, plants and small animals


In The pages are alive with


by a Gruffalo or a giant; this is the real world where toys do get lost - but could have amazing adventures. The illustrations by Rebecca Cobb perfectly capture the mood through her skilful pen and soft palette . Her bear has a satisfying bulk, her children are lively and diverse - a recognisable class. Here is a partnership that really works and once again has resulted in that treasure - a perfect read aloud, whether to the child at bedtime or to the whole class. FH


A Treasury of 8 Books HHH


Tomi Ungerer, Phaidon Press, 320pp slipcase, 978-0-7148-7285-8, £35


I’m not sure it was a good idea to bind up these eight folio picture books in so hefty a volume as this. There have been precedents such as the varying compendia of Caldecott’s


seahorses, turtles, starfish, squid and fish, shows a watery habitat with seaweed, sand and barnacles. Children will develop their observation abilities in an enjoyable way and they will soon start to join in when the sharing adult recites the jolly rhymes which introduce each spread. . MM


The Everywhere Bear HHHHH


Julia Donaldson, illus. Rebecca Cobb, Macmillan , 32pp, 9781447280736, £11.99 hbk


The Everywhere Bear is the beloved class mascot, passed around Class One each weekend to have a different experience. But, oh dear, what happens when he falls out of a school bag into a puddles then down a drain? This is the start of a big adventure. Will he ever see his friends again?


while Underwater, about


in 2011, on his eightieth birthday, the ‘fun’ is, if one may say, fundamental and there are many examples among his 140-book oeuvre which could do with reviving alongside these, in some cases,


books. Phaidon Press who have been so hospitable to his work in recent years might perhaps take us on to some of the lesser-known books – but not, please, so weightily. BA


The Elephant’s Umbrella HHHH


Laleh Jaffari, ill. Ali Khodai, Tiny Owl, 32pp, 978-1-9103-2817-0, £12.99, hbk


toy or hat that travels from hand to hand and on, until it finds its way home. However, here through the deft handling of Julia Donaldson whose rhyming text never falters, the story acquires a freshness that cannot but engage. This is no fantasy inhabited


The plot may be familiar; the lost


Elephant is very proud of his umbrella but he is always happy to share it when it rains. One day a gust of wind blows the umbrella away from him and into the hands of a leopard who is delighted to have it. The umbrella is quite particular about her owners however and decides to check what the leopard plans to do with her. The leopard’s reply involves hunting and eating anybody he sees under it. The umbrella doesn’t approve of this and asks the wind to take her with him again. This time the wind takes her to a bear who wants to sit under the umbrella while eating all the bees’ honey himself. Again the umbrella isn’t


frequently revived picture


themselves are welcome: The Three Robbers, Zeralda’s Ogre, Moon Man, Fog Island, The Hat, Emile, Flix, and Otto, and Phaidon Press have topped and tailed them with an introduction by Tomi and 24 pages at the end where he discusses with his Phaidon editor how each of the eight books came about, with some illustrative sketches to boot. There are some gems of information jumbled in here such as his developing command of colour separation and the drift of his authorial motives from uninhibited fun to the social messaging of the late books like Flix and Otto. As I implied in my BfK article on Tomi


but what the stories


or the horrid bumper book of Beatrix Potter’s little stories, but those could be read on your lap. This hefty tome calls for a stout table to rest it on. Not


toybooks


happy with this idea and chases after the wind once more until she is blown back to the elephant who is very happy to be reunited with her. Generously, he immediately invites other creatures to share the umbrella with him. The Elephant’s


a beautiful


enjoyable read. The story is simple but has a clear message about the difference between sharing what you have and being selfish. It would have been fun to hear a little more of the umbrella’s adventures with perhaps one more unsatisfactory owner, but perhaps children may have their own suggestions. The repetition and pattern to the story would make it fun for children to join in with once familiar with the story. The illustrations are stunning, a vibrant colour scheme is interrupted only by the menacing black rain cloud. The hardback cover includes a pleasingly shiny umbrella and raindrops you can feel. This story by an Iranian team is


another picture book from Tiny Owl; a publishing company which aims to


cultures by introducing exciting new picturebooks from talented authors and illustrators across the world. SMc


Blackbird, Blackbird, What Do You Do?


promote diversity and bridge picturebook


Umbrella is and


an


read aloud well to young children with a theme of self-discovery that will be useful to share and discuss. The book should appeal especially to bird-loving children and families as the information about bird behaviour is presented within the story with further details on the final endpaper. All in all, this is a satisfying simple book to share with young children. SR


Dave’s Rock HHHH


Frann Preston-Gannon, Nosy Crow, 32pp, 978-0-8576-3824-3, £6.99pbk


Dave of Dave’s Cave fame is back for another Stone Age lesson in making the most of what you have. Dave and Jon are getting competitive about their rocks, Dave’s rock is bigger but Jon’s is faster. They get new rocks, but Dave is not happy, until Jon has a brilliant idea. They each make their rocks the same and then put them together to make a game. Not quite as ingenious as the animals who are inventing the future behind their backs,


Dave are friends and that’s all that matters! A fabulously funny concept with attractive illustrations that are bright and young. Publisher Nosy Crow also include a QR code to activate the free Stories Aloud audio book. Dave’s Rock will thrill fans of the first book and charm new audiences too. Proper picture book fun. KC


When Grandad Was a Penguin HHH


Morag Hood, Two Hoots, 32pp, 978-1-5098-1401-5, £11.99 hbk


HHHH


Kate McLelland, Hodder Children’s Books, 32pp, 978-1-4449-2122-9, £6.99 pbk


This appealing picture book follows Pip the young blackbird’s search to find out what it is that blackbirds do. Should he fish like Heron, hunt mice like Owl, dig a nest like Puffin or peck at seeds like Pigeon? Pip asks his question to many birds until at last he discovers that what blackbirds do best, of course, is to sing, and so sweetly that all the other birds flock to listen to him. This is a warm and gentle story told


in simple and pleasingly repetitive language with a bold clear font that curves around the illustrations. The Edinburgh-based


is a keen printmaker and this skill is evident in the texture, patterns and shapes of her illustrations of various natural environments and the creatures that live in them. The birds are expressively depicted and there are all sorts of tiny hidden creatures for children to discover.


attractive picture book and it will This is an author illustrator


A small girl goes to stay with her Grandad but he seems to be behaving in rather an odd manner; he looks strangely different, he insists on going on about fishing, his clothes appear weirdly unsuitable and he keeps being found in the most peculiar places – the loo or the fridge for instance. Morag Hood has already formed


but nevertheless, Jon and


a bond with her young readers who will of course, see a penguin, not Grandad thus far; but they’ll happily go along with the phone call and subsequent trip to the zoo, where Grandad looks perfectly happy with his penguin pals; after which things can get back to normal … err? Look out for the twisting finale. This shared joke of a deceptively


simple story is witty and slightly surreal. Look carefully at the bold, minimalist lino-cut scenes and see the similarities between Grandad and those penguins. Laughs aplenty guaranteed when you share this, especially if a grandad is part of the audience, or better, the reader aloud. JB


My Pictures after the Storm HHHH


Eric Veille, translated by Daniel Hahn, Gecko Press, 978-1-7765-7104-8, 32 pp, £10.99 hbk


This hugely amusing concept book brings a fresh perspective to ‘before and after’ and helps the very young appreciate the dynamic nature of


Books for Keeps No.223 March 2017 21


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