reviews 8 – 10 Junior/Middle continued Meet at the Ark at Eight HHHH


Ulrich Hub, ill. Jörg Möhle, trans. Helena Ragg-Kirkby, Pushkin, 66pp, 978-1-7826-9087-0, £6.99 pbk


This short, wry tale, likely to be enjoyed as much by adults as children, takes a fresh look at the story of Noah and the Ark. As you know, only two of each creature was allowed in the Ark, but what if there were three penguins who didn’t want to be separated, even if the smaller one with the bobble hat was a bit of a pain? What might happen then? Hub makes the most of this slight, but admittedly intriguing possibility, introducing us to only one other main character in the story, a rather harassed bossy dove. He is responsible for recruiting couples for the Ark and for keeping order on board.


most part, offstage, although he is responsible for the whole thing in the first place. And it just might be his voice addressing the dove from a suitcase that the two bigger penguins have hauled with some difficulty up the Ark’s gangplank. Ably supported by illustrator and translator, Hub has a deft comic touch which charts an amusing way past the rocks of whimsy, and avoids the dead calm of


sanctioned such a liaison. The Bolds


are this reviewer’s figures of speech and, thankfully, do not appear in the story. The tale comes to rest finally on the marriage of the dove (of which, of course, there is only one) and the surplus penguin, even if the other rescued animals are inclined to think that God could not


possibly have CB


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Julian Clary, ill. David Roberts, Andersen Press, 272pp, 978-1-7834-4270-6, £7.99 pbk


Julian Clary has brought joy to audiences as a comedian and entertainer and his debut children’s novel The Bolds – which is illustrated in style by David Roberts – will only increase the sum of happiness in the world.


The story starts in Africa where a pair portentousness, both of which God is, for the


of jolly hyenas, Sue and Spot, come across the remains of a honeymoon couple who foolishly chose to go for a dip in a pond with a resident crocodile. All that’s left of the tourists is clothes, passports, plane tickets home, and the keys to their house. Sue has always dreamed of living in England and the opportunity is too good to miss! Soon the two hyenas are settled in Teddington as Fred and Amelia Bold, concealing their animal appearance by walking upright, their tails hidden in natty human clothes. All goes well and their house is full of hyena laughter. They find jobs – Amelia sells hats, Fred writes the jokes for a Christmas cracker company – and become parents of twins, Betty and Bobby.


There’s a dodgy moment when their reclusive, decidedly unfriendly neighbour, Mr McNumpty, spots Fred marking his territory in the garden with his bare bottom, and the incident makes Fred realise how much he’s missing his old home. A trip back to Africa is out of the question, so instead they decide to visit the local safari park. Everything makes this family happy – they have a whale of a time and are very excited to meet the


Tony, is old and frail and the other hyenas overheard the vet saying it’s time he was put to sleep. The Bolds are determined to help and launch a daring rescue plan. They start digging a tunnel by night – in this section text and illustrations are white against inky black pages, which looks wonderful and adds to the tension of the scenes – which is difficult and dangerous, and nearly ends in disaster, but they get Tony out. Back home Mr McNumpty is still spying on his unusual neighbours, but everything changes when Tony chases off a gang of local youths who are tormenting the old man and from then on Mr McNumpty is a real friend. Over Christmas lunch he lets slip that he always knew his neighbours were animals, and reveals a secret of his own too. The story finishes with everyone sharing jokes, and laughing.


park’s hyenas. One of these,


The jokes are many, and very good indeed, but this is much more than just a series of funny incidents linked together: there’s a proper story, with action and excitement. Inventive and lively, The Bolds also does a great deal, in a gentle, understated way, to promote the benefits of kindness and tolerance, as well as the importance of being true to


Roberts’s illustrations are a joy too. LS yourself. David


Future Ratboy and the Attack of the Killer Grannies


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Jim Smith, 253pp, 978-1-4052-6913-1, £6.99 pbk


Delores is a talking cow who lives on the moon and has had her ears stolen by a killer robot granny … and she is not the most unusual character in this story! After enjoying great success with his outrageous Barry Loser books, Jim Smith has delved even deeper into the depths of silliness for his new series.


Colin Lampost lives happily enough


with his parents in Shnozville until a bolt of lightning fuses his DNA with that of his television and a local rat and sends him careering millions of years into the future. He emerges from a wheelie bin as Future Ratboy and is somewhat surprised by his surroundings.


The future in which Ratboy finds himself is outlandish and chaotic and


(called Mavis and Doreen). Smith revels in the setting’s description. His characteristically bold and big-nosed cartoons


every page, animating the space-age landscape, donuts


Somehow Ratboy must find a way to return home, so he drags his wheelie bin around the ultramodern Shnozville until he encounters some friendly faces (most of which are adorned with several eyes and noses).


Though the


sinister plan to steal body parts, the narrative journey is simple and easy to forget amongst the colourful carnival of curious characters. Many young readers will adore the very random nature of Future Ratboy’s comedy and it is likely


robot grannies will not be the last supervillains he encounters. SD


Cities Unfolded: London Through Time


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Angela McAllister, ill. by Nick Maland, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, concertina format, 978-1-8478-0689-5, £7.99, concertina fold-out in a slipcase


as a concertina fold-out with eight double-sided panels rather than in the traditional book format. On the first panel, readers are introduced to Maisie and Max who then guide them through the various eras described in the subsequent panels. Each panel contains a specific period from history. The first side starts from Roman times, and ends with the Victorian period while the other side starts with the Edwardian period and goes up to the present time. The final panel contains more information about London and a quiz in which the reader has to find various elements in the illustrations.


There are one or two sentences per panel, and the illustrations provide a visual cornucopia of the changes to London life and architecture through the ages. As the reader unfolds the panels there are various London street scenes from the The panels


informative timeline and are laid out cleverly, so that they are continuous but differentiated enough from each other to be interesting rather than confusing. A number of notable places appear in the illustrations, including St Paul’s, Big Ben, the Thames, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye and the Shard. Key events include the Black Death, the printing press, the Great Fire


World War I and World War II. London is visually depicted at key times and key events are indicated by the text below. London Through Time is an


of London, the suffragettes, form an enjoyable and periods covered.


London Through Time is educational and


interactive. It is constructed that killer story also features a and ‘cheesebleurghers’. talking occupied by robot grannies


leap haphazardly about which includes


extremely accessible and informative educational


beautifully produced with a plethora of detail, and is fun to use.


Finally, it is ARa


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Hilary Robinson, ill. Martin Impey, Strauss House Productions, 40pp, 978-0-9571-2456-1, £7.99 pbk


Following on from their lyrical picture books Where the Poppies Now Grow and The Christmas Truce, the same team now give us Flo of the Somme, which tells of the service and courage of animals during the First World War. The book is timely as the centenary of the Battle of the Somme will be marked in 2016. Once again the author and illustrator show skill and sensitivity in presenting to children true stories set in the difficult context of conflict. The rhyming verse echoes the structure and rhythm of the traditional nursery song This is the House that Jack Built – a sympathetic way of helping young readers connect with the story without detracting from the serious message.


Flo of the Somme foldout.


It is made clear that the animals helped to save many lives and they had no choice about risking their own safety. Flo, a mercy dog, who carried medical kit over the battlefields to the wounded, worked tirelessly with soldiers in the Medical Corps. Some of the horror and suffering war involves is communicated in the


example many show the difficult conditions on the battlegrounds made worse


appalling mud. They bring home also that there is something moving about people and animals working together to bring help to the casualties of war. With great tenderness a soldier holds a carrier pigeon, shot in the wing as it flew through danger to bring a message, while one of the later spreads shows soldiers and nurses saluting the animals who had given so much.


This book would be a welcome addition to resources to support a project for older primary children studying the First World War. Would younger children cope? A true story about animals nearly always has appeal and I think children aged six or seven perhaps would be able to appreciate listening to it read aloud. The book is in large enough format for the sharing adult to show the detailed and involving illustrations which reveal our debt to the effort of animals in the First World War.


MM Books for Keeps No.214 September 2015 25 by inclement weather and affecting illustrations. For


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