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


with so many brilliant, eye-catching tiny details on every spread that children will love poring over this delightful book and discovering something new every time. SR


The Forgettery A magical story about HHHH


Rachel Ip, ill. Laura Hughes, Egmont, 302p, 978 1 4052 9476 8, £6.99 pbk


memory


and forgetfulness and the special relationship of a little girl and her Granny.


area very close and do everything together, but


Amelia and her Granny sometimes


joli, le petit lion!’ exclaim the children. But for the first time in his life, the Happy Lion is worried – what job will his son do that will keep him happy when he grows up.


they It’s a worry all


parents will understand. The Lioness is more relaxed, he can be a pet, or work in a circus. François tries both with limited success, returning home to the friendly zoo where he shares his real career ambition with his parents. He wants to be a gardener. Sure enough, he’s soon helping his namesake, the other François, who is now working in the zoo gardens and the two make the park more beautiful than it had ever been. As a story about family love, job satisfaction and being true to yourself,


it can’t be beaten.


The bold colours of Duvoisin’s mid- century artwork are as striking and as engaging as they were on their first publication, and his sense of movement and composition is second to none. Louise Fatio’s text too is full of warmth and humour and its sprinkling of French phrases charming – a lovely opportunity for the very young to experience another language (there are teacher notes around this on the publisher website). LS


How Can You Lose An Elephant?


HHHH


Jan Fearnley, Simon & Schuster, 9781471191688, 32pp, £6.99 pbk


Oscar is a brave and funny boy, but he is also a boy who manages to lose everything, his boots, his scooter, his flippers, even clothes. But one day at the park he finds an elephant, Hugo, who never forgets anything. The pair become inseparable friends and Hugo even helps Oscar to start remembering things. But one day Oscar


important…his temper.


loses something especially Oscar has a


tantrum when playing with Hugo and nearly loses his best friend until he remembers all the happy times they have shared and makes amends. Jan Fearnley has created another


appealing, funny, and lively picture book with quirky characters, a satisfying plot, and an important,


reassuring


message about friendship, falling out and making up. The illustrations are full of character, movement, and humour


forget things, Amelia because she daydreams and likes to explore and Granny because she has lost many of her old memories. On a walk in a beautiful wood, they come across the ‘Forgettery’ and decide to find out what it is. Inside, the magic begins! This is a place where everyone’s memories are stored; each person has his own special room, and soon the Memory Keeper is taking them up in a balloon to find Granny’s room, where Granny finds ‘moments of delight…fluttering in the room like butterflies.’ After choosing the special ones to take away in a jar, they go to see Amelia’s room, much smaller and with different


kinds


of memories – pleases and thank yous she has forgotten, and a box of ‘ouches, bumps and grazes’. The


Forgettery is a wonderful


place, full of busyness and people retrieving all sorts of special things they have forgotten. And when Granny and Amelia leave, they slide down a long slide to go home. The pictures are


highly imaginative and purely


magical. At home, Amelia begins to take pictures of all the things they do together, and she and Granny make a book of all these memories which they can use to remember. There is an indication that Granny may be close to death in the last picture when she and Amelia tell each other that they will always love each other, and we feel the happy memories will continue for both. This is a sunny and lovable approach to a difficult subject and will provide a good way of helping young children accept the fact that a grandparent is no longer quite the same. ES


Ten Little Dogs HHHH


Ruth Brown, Scallywag Press, 32pp, 9781912650538 £12.99 hbk


Join ten little dogs as they bounce, race, tumble and play across the pages. They certainly start with the full number but one by one they meet obstacles and are left behind, until, yes there is only one - but you cannot keep such a group of irrepressible characters out of the action – and where will they be? Why in the park. This is an attractive take on a


familiar trope – the count down from 10 to 1. It has been used innumerable


reviews


times and here it is as fresh as ever. This is very much due to Ruth Brown’s expertise as a picture book creator. Her jaunty rhyme carries the reader across the double spreads to turn the page while her puppies are recognisable in their actions and behaviours; they are indeed mischievous puppies. Her artwork is as accessible and as joyous as ever. Whatever their antics these are no cartoon characters but very real little animals - those in the know would be able to identify breeds – and the inevitable mutt. The colour saturated spreads are a feast for the eyes while her energetic lines imbue her doggy characters with an exuberance that is infectious. Ruth Brown’s realistic style ensures that her young audience will relate to the images with ease, making this an extremely enjoyable and satisfying reading experience for both adult and child. FH


The Roller-Coaster Ride HHHH


David Broadbent, Child’s Play, 32pp, 9781786285607, £6.99 pbk


Vincent and his Grandma are travelling on a purple bus to visit the amusement park at the beach. They spend the journey talking about all the amazing rides they will go on and Vincent is especially looking forward to the big roller-coaster. But they arrive to discover that Funland is closed for repairs and plans and expectations must be changed. At first Vincent is disappointed but with Gran’s


encouragement,


deluxe ice cream and the discovery of a playground Vincent can see the bright side and enjoy his day out. This simple story will take young


readers on a journey of anticipation and excitement with Vincent and will help them to understand that things do not always go to plan and that expectations can be changed, and disappointment


can be overcome


with positivity and adaptability. The illustrations are vivid and lively and, from the endpapers to the purple bus and the imagined rides, will take young readers on a journey of their own. The book is particularly notable for its inclusive depiction of a character with an upper limb difference who thoroughly enjoys all the activities on his day out. This is a positive picture book in many ways. SR


Dig! Dig! Dig! HHHHH


Wenda Shurety, ill. Andrea Stegmaier, Storyhouse, 32pp, 978 1916281813, £6.99, pbk


This story builds on the idea, which all young children have at some stage, that if you dig a hole as deep as you can, you might eventually reach the other side of the world! Jake is bored with his life indoors


– wonderfully depicted in the gloomy palette of the first few spreads – and dreams of a life far away where people could be living upside down. In a bid to reach this place, he starts to dig a hole in his garden and is steadily joined by a host of friends


Books for Keeps No.248 May 2021 21 REVIEWERS IN THIS ISSUE a super


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. Diana Barnes was a librarian for 20 years, mostly as a children’s specialist, working in Kent, Herts, Portsmouth and Hampshire, and Lusaka (Zambia) with the British Council. 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. Elaine Chant is a former Director of Learning at a Birmingham Sixth Form College and editor of Carousel The Guide to Children’s Books. She jointly founded a North Birmingham branch of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. Jane Churchill is a children’s book consultant. Stuart Dyer is headteacher of a primary school in East Devon. 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. Sarah Gallagher is a headteacher and director of Storyshack.org www.storyshack.org Ferelith Hordon is a former children’s librarian and editor of Books for Keeps Carey Fluker Hunt is a writer and children’s book consultant. Matthew Martin is a primary school teacher.


Sue McGonigle is a Lecturer in Primary Education and Co-Creator of www.lovemybooks.co.uk Neil Philip is a writer and folklorist. 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 Reece is Managing Editor of Books for Keeps. Sue Roe is a children’s librarian. Elizabeth Schlenther is the compiler of www.healthybooks.org.uk Lucy Staines is a primary school teacher Nicholas Tucker is honorary senior lecturer in Cultural and Community Studies at Sussex University.


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