REVIEWERS IN THIS ISSUE Brian Alderson is founder of the Children’s Books History Society and a former Children’s Books Editor for The Times. Gwynneth Bailey is a freelance education and children’s book consultant. Clive Barnes, formerly Principal Children’s Librarian, Southampton City is a freelance researcher and writer. Jill Bennett is the author of Learning to Read with Picture Books and heads up a nursery unit. Rebecca Butler writes and lectures on children’s literature. Katie Clapham runs specialist children’s bookshop Storytellers, Inc. in Lancaster. Caroline Downie has been a Children’s Librarian for over 20 years, working in a variety of settings. Stuart Dyer is an Assistant Head Teacher in a Bristol primary school. Anne Faundez is a freelance education and children’s book consultant. Janet Fisher is a children’s literature consultant. Geoff Fox is former Co-Editor (UK) of Children’s Literature in Education, but continues to work on the board and as an occasional teller of traditional tales. Hazel Holmes is a Children’s Book Buyer for a leading library supplier and runs children’s book clubs. Ferelith Hordon is a former children’s librarian and Chair Elect of the Youth Libraries Group, and editor of Books for Keeps.
BfK The White Book HHHHH
Silvia Borando, Lorenzo Clerici, Elisabetta Pica, Walker Books, 48pp, 978-1-4063-6317-3, £9.99 hbk
The little boy is all alone. He stands holding a paint roller surrounded by white; the reader will remember though, that we have just passed a pot of pink paint. So the quest begins, going through the colours to find someone who will stay to play. But nothing works: the pink birds fly off, the blue fish swim away; the grey elephant is too big; the green dinosaur too fierce. What is the last colour? A joyous orange! Maybe …
Hannah Love works in children’s publishing. Margaret Mallett is a team editor for the English Association’s journal English 4-11 and author of What Shall We Do Next?: A Creative Play and Story Guide. Matthew Martin is a primary school teacher.
Sue McGonigle is a Lecturer in Primary Education. Jana Novotny Hunter is an author and editor. Margaret Pemberton is a school library consultant and blogs at
margaretpemberton.edublogs.org. Val Randall is Head of English and Literacy Co-ordinator at a Pupil Referral Unit. Andrea Rayner is an editor and has an MA in children’s literature. Andrea Reece is a marketing consultant and Managing Editor of Books for Keeps. Gill Robins is a Junior School Deputy Head and Editorial Chair of the English Association publication English 4-11. Sue Roe has been working as a Children’s Librarian in various public libraries for a number of years. Imogen Russell Williams is a journalist and editorial consultant, specialising in children’s literature and YA. Caroline Sanderson is a freelance writer, reviewer and editor. Elizabeth Schlenther is the compiler of
www.healthybooks.org.uk Lucy Staines is a primary school teacher. Lynne Taylor works on The Reading Agency’s children’s programmes, the Summer Reading Challenge and Chatterbooks. Nicholas Tucker is honorary senior lecturer in Cultural and Community Studies at Sussex University. Sue Unstead is a writer and publishing consultant. Ruth Williams is a children’s book editor and publishing consultant.
Originally published in Italy, this stylish picture book needs no words to tell its story. The graphics are simple – uncluttered yet masterly lines, a bold simple palette. This is a book about the imagination, about colours and what they might or might not suggest, about animals and their characteristics. Above all it is book that, though it could just as easily be
Give and Take HHHHH
Lucy Felix, Old Barn Books, 16pp, 978-1-9106-4604-5, £12.99 hbk
Books for the under fives about every Here is a delightfully playful and imaginative book for young children. The game begins with an invitation to ‘take’ from the first page what looks like a red ball and to place it, as if were a piece of a jigsaw, in the hand on the next page where there is the word ‘give’. The next task is to ‘break’ a square into two triangles and ‘build’ them into the roofs of a blue and a yellow house. And so the playful breaking and making continues throughout the book. There are some wonderful surprises: a black circle with the caption ‘Now you see me ...’ reveals a mirror. Elsewhere we uncover a mouse and an ant. At the end of the book children and the sharing adult are asked to play their way back to the beginning so that it is ‘ready for the next time’. What do children learn? They are introduced to the vocabulary of opposites in an enjoyable way. They also
instructions, about and
This is a hugely attractive creation – powerfully illustrated with intense primary colours and in transition from toy to book.
MM Lovely Old Lion HHHHH
Julia Jarman, ill. Susan Varley, Andersen Press, 26pp, 978 1 7834-4118-1, £11.99 hbk
It is difficult for adults to explain to young children what is happening when a grandparent begins to lose his or her mental faculties. Lenny is sad
about
learn about following different shapes manipulation.
careful
reviews
Under 5s Pre – School/Nursery/Infant Ed’s Choice
when Woma grows far too big to accommodate in their cave, sheds fur, is smelly and isn’t even house/cave trained. Even teaching Woma clever tricks backfires and it looks as if Orq and Woma will have to part company … until one day Woma proves his worth by saving Orq from becoming lunch for a sabre tooth tiger.
a private exploration, demands to be shared. Without words on its page it, like many other wordless picture books, is a book to inspire language, conversation, questions and answers – and maybe, another story. Sadly we do not see many wordless picture books published in this country. As a result adventures such as this are all the more welcome, not just for the opportunities they offer but for the visual treats they supply. FH
when his lovely King Lion grandfather shows signs of dementia. Why does he throw his crown in the bin? Why does he sometimes forget Lenny’s name? And why does he sleep so much and is sometimes unkind? It is Hippo who explains to Lenny and the other animals why King Lion is behaving so oddly: ‘He’s getting old, and bits of him are wearing out.’ Lenny has an idea of how to help – he will take Granddad’s old marbles and talk to him about when he was a boy. Granddad’s other animal friends also talk with him about their stories from long ago when they were all young, and while Granddad’s mental state continues to get worse, he is cheered by their recollections, and ultimately he tells Lenny that one day he will be King in his stead. We don’t see Granddad come to the end of his life, but we do see Lenny as King with a son, whom he tells of the importance of being kind to one’s grandparents. Varley wrote
wonderful Badger’s Parting Gifts, a classic story about death, and her pictures here, along with Jarman’s moving and sensitive text, will prove another classic, this time dementia.
and illustrated the
about ES
This Orq (he cave boy) HHHH
David Elliott, ill. Lori Nichols, Troika Books, 32pp, 978-1-9099-9120-0, £6.99 pbk
What sort of pet might you have if you were a cave boy or girl? Perhaps a woolly mammoth? Meet Orq the cave boy and Woma an adorable woolly mammoth. They love each other and are inseparable. The trouble is Orq’s mother is much less keen on having a woolly mammoth as a pet, particularly
The text is written in an amusing mock cave man style: ‘This Woma – Woma woolly mammoth – Orq love Woma’. The illustrations are very attractive and the apparent use of crayon to add a graffiti effect with hearts and thought bubbles is very effective.
This amusing and attractive picture book with appealing characters explores themes of friendship and loyalty. It would be great fun for parents and children to share together.
SMc
Let’s Go Outside 978-1-9092-6351-2
How Many Legs? 978-1-9092-6359-8
HHHH
Katja Spitzer, Flying Eye Books, 40pp, £5.99 each hbk
These two concept books in small, robust format will delight young children. The colourful illustrations have a bold line and are accompanied by a spare but clear written text. Let’s Go Outside helps young gardeners classify insects, fruit and vegetables, leaves and garden tools and ends satisfyingly with a spread showing all the objects in a garden scene. The first half of How Many Legs? shows items in numbers from 1 to 10 and then, in the second half of the book, children are asked how many mermaids, turrets, monsters and so on are pictured. Thus there is a lot of potential for interaction and the book not only helps with counting but also introduces children to some interesting vocabulary – ‘How many squawking birds?’ and ‘How many mischievous monkeys’. There are a good many concept books on the market but these compete well with their imaginative and witty approach. MM
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