BfK Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant continued


Squirrel however is not the only animal having a rotten day. Snake has tied itself in knots, Tortoise is flat on its back, Fox has a dreadful stomach ache and as for Mouse, the little creature is in a very dark hole that’s scary and smelly. When the other animals realise that Mouse’s plight is the worst of all they decide that teamwork of a very clever kind will be required to save their little pal. In so doing they might just succeed in pulling off a tricky rescue and in so doing turn this bad day around. The author has woven a thoroughly rhyming


enjoyable fable-like tale


that spring will soon be with them. But, there’s one window where the curtains are always closed. There Hugo knocks politely certain there is someone hiding within, until one day the curtains part and he spies a little girl. Hugo greets her shy smile with a welcome spring dance and continues his daily visits, welcomed by the child. One day however, Hugo is late and


the concerned little girl comes right out on the balcony looking for her feathered friend. Hugo arrives and his dance performed with rather gay abandon sets off a chain of events that almost cost his life but end up completely changing for the better, the shy little girl’s lonely life. Atinuke’s is a thoroughly


heartwarming story that highlights and celebrates the power of


friendship,


beautifully illustrated with gentle humour and lots of gorgeously quirky detail by Birgitta Sif. JB


The Bad Day HHHH


Frann Preston-Gannon, Templar Books, 978 1 7874 1660 4, £6.99 pbk


Squirrel is convinced he’s going to have a wonderful day, for there up in the tree in front of him hanging from a branch, is a large acorn ripe and ready for the taking. That sense of well being quickly dissipates however as the bushy-tailed narrator realises that he’s stuck with the desired object tantalisingly just out of his reach.


that entertains and gently delivers a lesson in the power of cooperation. Her richly coloured, textured scenes – large and small – enhance the telling. Particularly effective is the four-panel sequence showing Squirrel’s rescue after


which children Everyone’s Awake will eagerly


anticipate the outcome of the fluffy tail flicking on the narrator’s part. JB


HHHH


Colin Meloy, ill. Shawn Harris, Chronicle Books, 48pp, 978-1- 4521- 7805-9, £12.99, hbk


Here’s a book for anyone who’s ever wondered how they’re going to get to sleep – or how they’re going to get other people to sleep – and it’s a riot.


In a rambling old lighthouse lives a family – parents, teenagers, cat, dog, our narrator and Grandma. They’re an


eccentric bunch with diverse


tastes, and they don’t always get on. Especially at midnight, when they ought to be sleeping but they can’t. Tactics employed to while away


the time start small – needlework, online


escalate


shopping – but quickly to plate-juggling, prank-


calling and chainsaw topiary. As for Grandma, she’s playing whist with Grandpa’s ghost, and even the pets are discovering their inner anarchist. Acid yellows, bright blues and shocking pinks leap across the pages, adding bursts of eye-popping colour


to the mayhem unfolding


indoors, and Shawn Harris’s retro- modern styling adds a contemporary vibe. Written in rhyming verse, the text


rattles through an increasingly wild array of nocturnal activities in an exuberant and


celebration of diversity individuality. Colin Meloy is


lead singer and songwriter with The Decemberists (as well as author of the


bestselling Wildwood series)


and there’s a strongly performative element to his text. ‘You won’t be able to stop yourself


from singing


this aloud,’ says Jon Scieszka, in one of the many tributes from creatives who’ve enjoyed the book. Readers will meet unusual words


and new ideas - from ‘ten-yard bolts of chintz’ and Baudelaire, to Pulitzers and a Coup d’Etat – but it’s all part of the rollercoaster fun staying awake all


22 Books for Keeps No.242 May 2020


night, and Shawn Harris’s exuberant artwork keeps everyone on board with plenty of extra details adding depth and humour to the text. Look out for the frogs, which he ‘stayed up late’ to hide on every spread! Younger


children subversive confrontations will enjoy the


‘what’s next?’ flood of images, while older readers will appreciate the


jokes and they provoke.


Recommended for reluctant readers (and jaded parents who’ve spent all night trying to settle rowdy kids….). CFH


Follow Me, Flo! HHH


Jarvis, Walker, 32pp, 978 1 4063 7643 2, £12.99 hbk


This bright, vibrant picturebook by Jarvis tells the story of Flo who is not like most other little ducks. Unlike her


siblings she does not follow


the rules and gets up to all kinds of mischief. On a journey to visit Flo’s aunt Daddy Duck tried to instil upon Flo the importance of following him carefully but Flo is easily distracted and the prospect of visiting a fun fair is too great to resist. To keep her on the right track Daddy Duck teaches her a song but Flo decides to change the words and go off on her own adventure. Unbeknownst to Flo a fox has been following her and she realises she is in great danger. Thankfully Daddy Duck’s song helps her find the way and her escapade teaches her a valuable lesson. A big appeal for young readers is


the interactive nature of the book. Readers are aware of the danger getting closer long before Flo and children will delight in watching the illustrations of the fox grow larger with each turn of the page enhancing the nervous excitement of the chase. Indeed there are lots of additional creatures for children to notice and track


throughout the book who’s


facial expression seem to indicate they too are more aware of the danger than Flo. The ‘Follow Me’ song being central to the story also increases the interaction, encouraging children to join in and making this a great story read aloud. KF


My Mama HHHH


Annemarie van Haeringen, Gecko press, 32pp, 978 1 776572 67 0, £11-99 hbk


We are introduced to this charming mother and offspring by the drawing of a happy - and pregnant - elephant ! She is dressed in a delightful frock covered in multi-coloured scribbles, and she pats the orange star on her extended ‘tum’


contentedly. Then,


offspring, dressed in orange starry trousers, shares all sorts of activities with mother, some


quite crazy,


such as when youngster decides to improve Mum’s frock by cutting a deep fringe into it. Little one is the storyteller, and he announces that he is always the one in charge. Watering the plants will amuse young readers;


the


Mum has the watering can, whilst in the picture we see little one peeing…. Mama is never angry with him, but when she is, she’s really angry, and her explanation takes a very long time, he says. The ending is poignant; ‘At bedtime, my mama shakes the stars off my pants. I give her a big hug and say; “Goodnight, stars, see you tomorrow!”’ A wonderful picture illustrates this happening. The book is bound to generate lots of discussion between reader and listener as they share the story and talk about the relationship between the elephants, and about all their various activities. There are intriguing details to find in the bold pictures, including spotting the


starry endpapers… orange of course. GB


Bunnies on the Bus HHHHH


Philip Ardagh, ill. Ben Mantle, Walker, 32pp, 978 1 4063 9401 6, £6.99 pbk


On the front cover, a full dozen crazy, colourful bunnies


crowd each other


on the bus, as it zooms along the street, scattering all before it. As the story begins, readers should linger over each double spread of illustration as there are sub plots and sub-sub plots to spot! Start with the washing hanging on the line on the first page… there is something UNUSUAL there! And there is a stonking great diamond on the penultimate page! Again, the text mentions no such wonder, but search the illustrations to find that legend. The bus whizzes past


bus stops, swerves round


corners and knocks shopping bags flying on its non-stop roller coaster adventure.


‘There are bunnies on


the roof! Bunnies in the aisle! DO sit down, bunnies or you’ll end up in a pile!’ The chaos they create produces horror from all the other inhabitants of Sunny Town. The rhyming text bounces


along, and readers will


soon join in with the refrain, ‘Bunnies on the bus! Bunnies on the bus! No wonder there’s a fuss about the bunnies on the bus!’ The illustrator has


added many dimensions to


Ardagh’s hilarious text, and this book is a real treat to read aloud as well as for children to read for themselves. How does it end? Why, off jump all the bunnies from the bus… and they pile onto a train! Ardagh’s dedication reads:


‘A message to naughty


bunnies everywhere: BEHAVE!’ Enjoy; it’s brilliant! GB


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