5 to 7 years

A Big Kiss for Alice

Age range: 3 - 8 years

My children loved this book. Charlotte has an older brother who is starting to find having a little sister embarrasing. Especially when she insists on a hug and kiss in the playground!

Next year Charlotte joins him at his "big" school and I know that he will probably react in the same way as the children in this book. Alice's brother Tom is not happy about her going to school and does not appreciate her nervousness and the need to take her favourite toy. However, despite his grumpy groans and moans he does love his sister and steps in when another child takes her toy.

A lovely story and wonderful for children to read when preparing for school, especially if you have an older child at the school. Although the boy is older, it would still apply to an older sister scenario. I have had to read this story most nights, it is a lovely length for night time and the graphics are very colourful

Debbie, James and Charlotte - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory - 123 GO! and Party Time - Magnetic Books

Age range: 3 - 6 years

More than just a story book, these are actually 'playbooks' which open out and have 9 magnetic pieces with each story. Made of cardboard with a metal interior this means that the magnets can be placed on any and every page, wherever the child wishes. The magnets are pictures of the characters and items from the story. The stories themselves are short and basic and do not seem to be the main point of the publication. The fun is found in helping the little ones place their favorite characters into the story.

This will make them part of the tale and I am sure there are also children who will have as much fun putting the pieces deliberately in the wrong places....like skiing in the living room or the party invitation being eaten by the cat, to make mummy laugh. Or mummy could put them in 'wrong' and let the child find them and put them right. The books are colourful and cheerful and the magnets are good and solid so will not bend or damage easily.

The only slight problems I can see are that the good quality of the books makes them rather heavy and although the magnets fit into shapes at the back of the book so they can be put away and stored by the child, little fingers may need help getting them out again. Despite those very small points, I can see these books being used often and for fans of 'Balamory' I think these would be a very good edition to their 'library'

Sue Whittle - August 2005

for Balamory - 123 www.amazon.co.uk

for Balamory - Party Time www.amazon.co.uk

But Martin!

Age range: 5 - 7 years

It's the first morning back at school for four very different children: Lee, Lloyd, Billy and Angela. The four friends are apprehensive or sad. Then they meet Martin who is a large green Martian. Each of the friends approaches school activities in different ways - but Martin always does it in his own individual style!

This is a welcome update of an old classic. The pictures are now modern style cartoons reminiscent of Lauren Child. It covers so many of young children's experiences - from the way they look (the children are from different racial backgrounds), what they like to play to how much they know at maths! The author cleverly uses repetition building up to what Martin does. It is good to read to your child or for a beginner reader. This is why it is used in so many primary schools and apparently is on the SATS list.

And finally, it's fun - it made my five year old laugh.

Anne Strachan - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

The Princess and the Castle

Age range: 5 - 7 years

This book is wonderfully moving with its beautiful, life-like illustrations, and its poignant story line. The illustrations cleverly portray the real, raw emotions of pain, fear, hope, strength and love that the story carefully and sensitively broaches.

Little Genevieve is scared of the sea ever since her dad went out on his fishing boat and didn’t come home again. Although her friends often call to invite her down to the seaside, little Genevieve prefers to stay safely at home and play with her little brother and mum. She imagines she is a princess and gazes out of her bedroom, across the sea, to an island, which she imagines is her castle.

One day Mum introduces her new friend Cedric to Genevieve and at first Genevieve is very wary of this ‘scary giant’, but as time goes by she becomes accustomed to his presence and even starts to enjoy his visits.

One day Cedric helps Genevieve to face up to her fear of the sea, by gradually coaxing her near the sea and eventually taking her out on his boat over to the island where she imagines her castle to be!

My daughters aged 5 & 6 years enjoyed the book, but I think the plot was a little lost on them, due to the fact they couldn’t relate to the situation. After a couple of reads, we talked about the story and my daughters felt sad that Genevieve’s dad had died and could understand why she was scared of the sea. I think a few more times of reading this book with them would help them to understand better. However, for a child who has faced the devastation of losing a parent or even for a child who has become part of a step family, this moving little tale might help them with their understanding and acceptance. This could possibly be a good talking point in a school environment, in order to help children understand the differences in various family set ups.

Adele Marshall - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Charlie Cook's Favourite Book

Age range: 5 - 8 years

Callum and I used a shared reading approach. The formula of this book was a winner initially for Callum, as the text rhymes, which he particularly enjoys. The illustrations are colourful and bold, with both the text and illustrations being amusing.

In the second reading of this book Callum pointed out something which I had not noticed. The page numbers are not in consecutive order. They jump from pages 20 - 21, pages 6 - 7, followed by pages 52 - 53 and so forth. He questioned why this is? The only explaination I could give was, because there were 10 different books inside Charlie Cook's Favourite Book. Callum did not like this aspect of this book as it made no sense to him and I can see his point. Callum found the laguage used easy to read with very few 'tricky' words.

This is a book you can read a number of times and you can find different things to interest you. At present it is not a 'favourite' of Callum's as the incorrect numbering of the pages bother him and distract him from the story. However another child may actually like the novel method of numbering and find it funny as they look forward to turning the pages to see which number is next.

Helen and Callum (6) - July 2005

This books can be won in the August Competition, so don't forget to enter

You can also obtain this book directly from www.amazon.co.uk.

www.amazon.co.uk

Balamory Annual 2006

Age range: 3 - 5 years

I found this book to be very good especially for children over the age of 5 either boys or girls who like the television series and know of the characters. My daughter who is 5 has just started to learn to read and she enjoyed the features and attempting to do the puzzles. The stories were brightly illustrated and fun. Rather than just having a book to read there were plenty of things to do including drawing, colouring, cookery ideas and things to make and do. It was also informative on a range of subjects. I would recommend this book; it would certainly keep most children occupied for quite a while.

Louise, Kerry, Jodi and Aimee - July 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

The Little Mermaid

Age range: 5 - 7 years

A good version of this classic childrens story - not too scary & not too sad . I read it to my 5 & 7 year old daughters & they both really enjoyed it. The thing that makes this book stand out are the fantastic illustrations - really beautiful detailed drawings. This is a big hard- backed book & it would make a lovely present for a child.

Julie, Rachel & Isabel Nield - July 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Penelope a la ferme and Penelope a l'ecole

Age range: 5 - 7 years

From the cover this looked as if it would be a childrens picture book about a farm introducing simple French. However, inside the French text has been covered with English - very obviously stuck on top. Each page has a pull down flap that interacts with the story. This is very well done and a good talking point with pre-readers. Overall I found it rather confusing with all the printing and text on the cover in French and text in the book in English. To read the blurb on the back was beyond my rusty school days French.

Miss Toohig - Dinton Primary School - July 2005

www.amazon.co.uk for Penelope on the Farm

www.amazon.co.uk for Penelope at School

Ma Maison - My House

Age range: 5 - 7 years

A lovely book for those primary age children just starting out in learning French. A very simple story line with lots of vocabulary reinforcement in both English and French so no one is left in any doubt about the exact meaning of the phrases and words. A good amount of information on each page makes it feel like a real book without daunting someone with the language. A very helpful pronunciation page at the end of the book to help those who are not competent in speaking or reading french.

Miss Toohig - Dinton Primary School - July 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Traction Man is Here

Age range: 5 - 7 years

the cover deffinitely suggests this is a book for 'tough boys'. It is a mixture of the amazing things Traction man ( a toy figure a boy receives for Christmas) is able to do with in the setting of an everyday family home and experiences of the boy to whom he belongs. The lively interpretations of the more mundane every day issues make it enjoyable for both adult and child. The illustrations have a good amount of detail to hold the readers interest without becoming too distracting. The combination of all of these aspects makes it very appealing to the 5 - 7 yr age group.

Miss Toohig - Dinton Primary School - July 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Eric and the Red Planet

Age range: 18th months - 3 years

This delightful book will appeal to most children under the age of 6, and will probably still be taken from the shelf and read by them for a couple of years after that. Babies will enjoy looking at the pictures, whilst the older ones will take pleasure in reading along with Mum, Dad, Auntie, and so on.

The story is about bears named Eric and Erica, and tell of their adventures when Eric wins a day at SpaceBear Space Base. His love of numbers means that he can’t resist pressing the dials on the control panel, and they fly off to Mars. They discover that Mars is made of HONEY, and they return to earth safe and well.

My 7-year old thought the best double page spread was that of the space station, which has ten different actions to find. He also liked putting his fingers on the numbered buttons as we counted down for ‘lift-off’. There are some simple mathematics in working out how many jars of honey they need to fly home from Mars. On the back cover, the book is described as being ‘Ideal for Key Stage 1 Maths’.

Another ‘plus’ is that there is a game to ‘spot the difference’ between the first and last double pages.

The drawings are simple, but will appeal to all who delve into the book.

Priced at £4.99 from publishers ‘Red Fox’, this is definitely a book to add to any child’s collection.

Charmaine Brown - June 2005

www.amazon.com

The Rainbow Book of Nursery Tales

Age range: 5 - 7 yrs

These tales are sure to delight all children. A collection of beautiful and colourful illustrations accompany these 26 magical nursery tales. These tales are long enough to make great read-aloud tales but short enough to be perfect for bedtime. This book is colour coded which makes it easy to use so that children can go straight to there favourite tale types by recognising the colour. I think this book is suitable for ages infant to at least 6 years my 4 year old daughter and 6 year old son thought the tales were great. I would recommend this book as an addition to any youngster's library.

Gail Buckle, with Ella 4 and Ryan 6 - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Pooh! is that you Bertie

Age range: 3 - 7 yrs

This book appealed to my son instantly. Anything to be with "bottom burping" and his eyes light up. He is 5 and was thrilled with the whoopee cushion! Yes I had to sit on quite a few times with both children falling about laughing.

This book is brilliant, and I would say personally especially for boys, who do seem to have a fascination for this subject. The book kept them interested and they laughed all the way through. I think this book is brilliant to capture the children's attention and sit and read and thoroughly enjoy the subject matter.

I would recommend this book for sheer fun and giggles

Debbie, James and Charlotte - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Meggie Moon

Age range: 3 - 7 yrs

We all enjoyed this colourful book. Great characters, in particular Meggie Moon herself - a little girl who teaches boys - that girls can play good games too! This struck a particular chord with my eldest Daughter, who being a tomboy at heart could relate to the character of Meggie Moon. Overall a good book to promote equality for boys and girls.

Jackie Wilson - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Wooden Dragon

Age range: 5 - 7 yrs

A beautifully illustrated book with a touching tale of love, hope, strength and courage, which keeps you guessing right until the end! My daughters (aged 6 and 4) love this book. The illustrations, which are colourful, vivid and magical, truly encapsulate the intensity and emotion of this mystical tale. My eldest daughter, an avid artist, was deeply inspired by these wonderful images and took time to ponder over each page, commenting on detail, colour and the clever way that movement is portrayed in the drawings. My younger daughter, enjoyed relating to the emotions evoked in the text and guessing what was to happen next. This book is a real joy to share and I enjoyed it almost as much as my daughters!

Adele Marshall and daughters - May 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Krong

Age range: 4 - 6 yrs

When an alien (and his dog) land in Carl's garden, Carl tries to communicate with him, whilst attempting to convince his mum and dad of the new arrival. He attempts a succession of languages (English, French, Spanish and even Japanese...) to say hello. To Carl's great excitement, the friendly alien has a present for him that just might help, and it also becomes clear that the alient and Carl have more in common than first thought!

My four year-old enjoyed this book. The illustrations contain lots of detail that young children love, and the accompanying story gives a very light introduction to languages with plenty of eye-catching big text. Also it's an ideal length for the attention span of a child aged between 4 and 6.

Recommended!

Charlotte Forder - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

The Other Ark

Age range: 5 - 8 yrs

'The Other Ark' I believe is based originally on the well known Bible story of Noah's Ark, but with a modern adaptation. An example of this is 'Ark 1' and 'Ark 2', rather like cars that are known as mark1 and mark2.

We used a share reading approach to this book, with Callum (aged 5) reading one page and I the next one in turn. Callum enjoyed reading this as he enjoys rhyming books. The language used in the book is about right for him, with just a few tricky words where he needed a little help. He loves the name 'Sam Jam Balu', and he kept repeating it as is rolled off the tounge. By the way if you are wondering who Sam Jam Balu is, he is Noah's friend who is in charge of Ark 2. The new animals in the book were also enjoyable, Callum's favourites were "Hip Hopping Hippos, Burrowing Flumps and Pom -Pom Palavers. I think he liked the sounds of the words as we read them out loud, as they made us both laugh. The illustrations of these new animals were colourful, different and humourous, with the "Hip Hopping Hippos" appearing to hip hop accross the page. However I have to say that the ending was very abrupt and didn't really match up to the rest of the book, it felt a bit of a let down in comparison.

In conclusion I have to say despite the good points of this book, I personally prefer the original Noah's Ark.

Helen Sahl, with Callum - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Slam!

Age range: 3 - 8 yrs

This large book contains no words, only the most wonderfully busy pages,crammed with the story told in pictures. Each page had so much to see and talk about with your child, developing their imagination and vocabulary.The colours and illustrations are super. It is about a boy who goes out for a walk wearing his personal stereo, whilst walking his pet dog. He is oblivious to the devastation he is leaving in his wake.

Mrs V Sutton (Pre-school teacher) - April 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

“You Can’t Bring that in here” and other funny Stories

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This collection of modern day humorous tales is a delightful read. Packed with short and medium sized stories this book captures the imagination of the child and manages that rare thing….to keep their attention!

This book will appeal to a wide range of children as it includes everything from talking animals, gorillas, fairytale characters, flying postmen and UFOs to name but a few.

The book is printed in a large enough font for a child to easily read on their own, which my children (aged 9 and 7) enjoyed doing. The language used is not overcomplicated and my children were able to read this book mostly independently. As most of the stories are fairly short this book makes an excellent ‘goodnight’ story book.

A highly recommended read.

Karen Loumansky

www.amazon.co.uk

Pass the Parcel

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

Frog is sent a big square parcel wrapped in green paper but when he takes of the paper he finds a ball wrapped in orange and purple and has to 'pass the parcel'.

The passing continues until the ultimate recipient gets more than he bargained for!

This lift the flap book is a great introduction to different shapes and as each layer of wrapping paper looks like the skin of an animal the children had a good time guessing who was going to be the next to get the parcel.

The story is very simple but ideal for little ones who enjoy the repetition and enthusiastically lift the flaps to see underneath.

Hilary Gregson

www.amazon.co.uk

One Yak Called Jack

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This is a counting book. You count with Jack the Yak to the farm and back. He offers his friends a ride but they appear too busy even to notice him.

I thought this had potential but it failed to live up to expectations. It just didn’t quite hit the mark. The children thought they liked Jack the Yak because his name rhymed but they just didn’t like the book.

I think I tend to agree with them on this one. I really didn’t like it because the rhyming wasn’t consistent or helpful to the reader.

Heather Barfoot, who reviewed this book with her class of Year 1 children (Barn Owl Class of Dinton C of E School). They are aged between 5 and 6 years old.

www.amazon.co.uk

Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

It is Christmas Eve and the little mouse is snug in his cosy home all ready for Santa Claus. His tree is decorated and surrounded by lots of beautifully wrapped presents.

He is determined to have all the presents to himself but his conscience is pricked when he thinks of the big hungry bear all alone in his dark cave. The bear never gets a visit from Santa so the little mouse sets out to where no one else would think of going on a dark snowy Christmas Eve.......

This is a gorgeous book! The illustrations are adorable and it really gets to the heart of Christmas that old fashioned Christmas spirit.

All three of my children loved this, the younger ones were entranced by the pictures and my seven year old who now reads 'proper reading books mummy' was able to read it aloud. A great book for teaching children that Christmas is about giving as well as receiving and that it really is good to share.

Hilary Gregson

www.amazon.co.uk

'Glint

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

All Ann Coburn fans will I am sure enjoy this book. It is a gripping story about a girl called Ellie and her? search for her eleven year old brother Danny, who has gone missing.

Ellie is determined to find her brotherand in doing so sets out on an adventure which takes her into a world, of parallel happenings.

In the Parallel world of dragons and were-creatures Argentis on a perilous adventure when a thief snatches a baby dragon just after it has hatched.

In order to find Danny Ellie visits a dragons cave, meets a bag lady and other mysterious people and finally finds Danny but is he alive or dead? And how does Argent fit into Ellies adventure?

I will not spoil the ending for you by telling you, but I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Elaine Bates

www.amazon.co.uk

'Bob's ABC

Age range: 5 - 6 yrs

I thought this was an interesting presentation of a board book for the pre-school child. The book has an American 50’s retro feel to it, which was its appeal to me.

However, the children in my class dismissed poor Bob (the man in the moon and his scary alien friends) it wasn’t that they didn’t like the book; they just thought it was far too young for them and more suited to their younger brothers or sisters.

This book was reviewed with her class of Year 1 children (Barn Owl Class of Dinton C of E School). They are aged between 5 and 6 years old.

Heather Barfoot

www.amazon.co.uk

'Bob's 123

Age range: 5 - 6 yrs

I thought this was an interesting presentation of a board book for the pre-school child. I feel it was designed to help children develop an interest in number. The book has an American 50’s retro feel to it, which was its appeal to me.

However, the children in my class dismissed poor Bob (the man in the moon and his scary alien friends) it wasn’t that they didn’t like the book; they just thought it was far too young for them and more suited to their younger brothers or sisters.

This book was reviewed with her class of Year 1 children (Barn Owl Class of Dinton C of E School). They are aged between 5 and 6 years old.

Heather Barfoot

www.amazon.co.uk

Baa for Beginners

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

What a brilliant idea for a book!

I think that this is a very clever and witty book which will appeal to all ages.

We all loved learning the new language of Baa and we couldn’t wait to try it out.

We had great fun trying to speak Baa and finding excuses to use the language of Baa kept us amused for ages.

The children and I enjoyed the humour of this comically presented book. It has remained a firm favourite for story times.

Heather Barfoot, who reviewed this book with her class of Year 1 children (Barn Owl Class of Dinton C of E School)

www.amazon.co.uk

'Tiger' - from the Proud Parents Range

Age range: 2 - 6 yrs

This book is of a new clever design which incorporates a smaller child-size book within the body of the larger book. The smaller book sits inside a cut-out shape and attaches by velcro to the back cover.

The text tells of Tasmin Tiger and her Mum's encounters in the jungle. Not so much of a story, but short sentences.

The smaller book runs parallel but is told by another Tiger sibling, Tom, who is Tasmins twin brother. It answers in response to what has been said in the larger book, page by page.

This book is bright with simple illustrations and simple wording. The lack of a story didn't engage Thomas' interest, however I feel that it would become a firm favourite with much younger children.
Shared with Thomas age 4. Francine

www.amazon.co.uk

Wake Up Sleepy Head

Age range: 6 months - 5yrs

This book is full of rhymes describing animals waking up in their natural habitats. The animals range from Cows and Koalas to Skunks and Frogs.

On face value the book is beautifully illustrated with soft colourful pictures, however I feel the text itself lets the book down. Thomas found a few of the rhymes funny and entertaining, but mostly he was not amused with the poor rhyming and nonsense verse.

I had great expectations for this book on seeing the cover, but I was very disappointed when reading it aloud. You had a sense of how it was trying to introduce the young to poetry, but in my opinion it fell far short.

Shared with Thomas age 4 & Georgia 6 months. Francine

www.amazon.co.uk

Mole And The Baby Bird

Age range: 2-6 yrs

Mole rescues a bird, nurses it to health and keeps it in a cage. Understandably he wants to keep the bird, but comes to realise that you have to let the things you love go free.

The story is quite complex with many themes and issues, including love and loss. The appearance of the book gives the impression that this is for young children, around two years of age, as the pages are thick cardboard. Unfortunately this age group may not appreciate the depth of story contained.

The artwork is lovely, very warming and illustrates the story superbly. My four year old daughter liked the story and was very engaged by the layout and appearance of the book.
Karen.

www.amazon.co.uk

My Mum

Age range: 0-5 yrs

Personally this came across as the sort of book a grandparent would buy - it wasn't terribly exciting visually - the illustrations, although charming seemed a little flat and the overall feeling was of an era that is no longer here. The mother wasn't a convincing character and my 4 year old was insistent she couldn't be a Mum at all but a 'granny' - with her kitted out in some huge floral monstrosity that really is how the book comes across, which is a shame because the message (which was pretty much, "My Mum can do anything" was really quite sweet.
Suzanne

www.amazon.co.uk

What's the Time, Mr Wolf?

Age range: 3 - 6yrs

"This book follows Mr Wolf and Junior Wolf through their day, from waking up until dinnertime. A finger puppet of Mr Wolf runs through the book and this really brings the book to life. The time is shown on each page in analogue and digital format.

Not only is this book educational, it is great fun and exciting. My 5 and 8 year old thought it was excellent! Highly recommended!"

Clare

www.amazon.co.uk

Ten Little Speckled Frogs

Age range: 3 - 6yrs

"The book starts with 10 colourful frogs sitting on a log, and as you read each page, the dial is turned as each frog jumps off into the pond until there are none. The book is very colourful and educational, with repetitive text.

In my opinion, it is suitable for 3 - 5 year olds - my son took it into school (he’s in Reception) and his classmates (and teacher) loved it and asked him to bring it in again…a definite stamp of approval!"

Clare

www.amazon.co.uk

For more details of the Child's Play programme of books, games and toys or to request a catalogue please visit www.childs-play.com

Mr Happy and the Wizard

Age range: 3 - 6yrs

"My sons both enjoyed this new Mr Men tale. It contained the same bright simple pictures you come to expect of the Mr Men series, plus it has a lovely enticing bold sparkly cover to give a magical feel.

The story tells of Mr Happy, who going about his normal Saturday routine finds a spell book and wizards hat left in his local library.

The magical spell books talks to him and requests he returns him to his rightful owner, a Wizard. Mr Happy kindly agrees and sets out on his adventure, spell book under his arm and Wizard hat upon his head.

Along his way he meets some of his friends whom Mr Happy takes it upon himself to help. With the help of the spell book, he sets about correcting each Mr Men's given dilemma with disastrous results. Returning everyone to their normal selves he finally reaches the Wizards cottage where he is warmly greeted and treated to special Wizards supper."

Francine

www.amazon.co.uk

Harry and the Dinosaurs Play Hide and Seek

Age range: 2 - 6yrs

"I read this book with my three year old son. The book consists of pages with "peep through" cut outs. You then lift the page to find the hidden dinosaur beneath.

My son liked the book but it didn't hold his attention for long.

Some of the dinosaur names e.g. Scelidosaurus I'd not heard of before and I think that the unfamiliar and strange sounding names made the book less appealing to my three year old.

Each page has a colour theme and he did find it fun naming and matching the colours. We've read other Harry books and have both loved them; and although in this book the illustrations were colourful and entertaining it wasn't up to the standard I expected before opening it.

I'd say it's a good book to borrow from the library but for us it's not going to become a well read well loved favourite. I think he would have preferred a more traditional format "lift the flap" book rather than the "fold out" style used in this book."

Kerry

www.amazon.co.uk

Mummy Never Told Me

Age range: 6 - 8yrs

"When I was asked to review this book my first thought was 'oh no'! as I've read some none too complimentary reviews of this book in the press & on other websites.

Not to be deterred I sat and looked at the book with my two eldest girls aged 6 and 8.

This is a book that raises lots of questions (why do Mummies & Daddies lock the bedroom door & have naked hugs, why do some ladies like kissing other ladies etc) but the book doesn't give any answers - that's up to you.

To be honest we had a good giggle about it all and I tried to answer their questions as fully as I thought they needed to know at this age. The cartoon like pictures that accompany each question could be seen as quite 'graphic' but again they made my girls giggle (naked cartoon men & women being in a lot better shape than the real Mummy & Daddy they see every morning!!)

Some of the questions in the book led to other related questions from my girls and hopefully now they know that they can come to me & ask me anything without embarrassment.

This book is not a guide to growing up as it only raises questions and older children could possibly be embarrassed by some of the pictures if sat reading it with an adult but I will certainly leave it on the book-shelf and read it with my youngest child in a few years time."

Julie

www.amazon.co.uk

A Little Bit of Trouble

Age range: 3 - 6yrs

"My 5 year old daughter especially loved this book as she is a big teddy bear fan, so a bear story was bound to be a big hit.

The pictures of Grandfather bear with his two youngsters as they go on a disastrous picnic are delightful.

Each double page has just one small paragraph of text so this book would be ideal for a quick read, but by looking at the pictures and discussing them further it is easy to spend much longer telling the story. There is so much more to each page than what is said in the text by trying to predict what will happen next or by talking about the dangers of any particular activity. The book also brings in aspects of the countryside code and nature so could also be a useful learning tool.

This book would probably appeal to both boys and girls alike from age 2 to 7ish with the older child being able to read the simple text for themselves. It would be the ideal story to accompany a teddy bear's picnic."

Pam

www.amazon.co.uk

Wonder Goal

Age range: 6 - 9 yrs

"This book is about a young boys dream of being a professional footballer and starts off with him playing for his school team, but by the end of the story he's scored a Wonder Goal for England in the World Cup.

Michael Foreman is both the author and illustrator of Wonder Goal; the story is very cleverly put together with full page illustrations showing a boy (we never learn his name) in various poses. The pictures aren't wonderfully detailed but they're nice and basic for a child to enjoy, one of Charlottes favourites being when the school team are running onto the pitch before the game. If you look up the clouds are in the shape of men running with a ball, very clever.

At the beginning and end of the book there are various illustrations showing football being played in different places and times; New York 1997, Berlin Wall 1970, Monastery at Singhik (Tibetan border) 1974 to name but a few. These illustrations show the international language of football and are gorgeous to look through, Alice (who's 5) actually preferred these pictures to those which were there to illustrate the story and the one showing a team of small Chinese boys playing football in front of a traditional Chinese house amused her.

This book has been quite a triumph in our house. At seven, Charlotte is big enough to read the story herself and she loved the clever time warp between the boy playing for school and playing for England. The first time she read the book she commented on how it had surprised her and on subsequent reads she still enjoys the twist. To be honest I'd say this book is more suited to boys than girls but as Charlotte does have an interest in football, she enjoyed it. It also scored points in her eyes because the cover shows an illustration of the team in blue kits, causing her to draw a comparison to 'her' team - Birmingham City, much to her Aston Villa loving fathers disgust!

Wonder Goal is primarily a picture book although there are quite a lot of words for your child to read. It's a proper story, just illustrated with large pictures and Charlotte liked this because even though she's a competent reader she still likes to follow the story through the illustrations.

Alice found the book frustrating because the story isn't told through the pictures and she's not yet reading well enough to catch the longer words. For this reason I'd probably say Wonder Goal is best for children in the 6 - 9 years bracket, younger children will enjoy the story if it's read to them. It's actually marketed as a book suitable from 0 - 5 and that just shows how much to listen to age recommendations! Can you imagine reading a 2 year old a story about playing for England? By page three she'd be confused and bored and that isn't the way you want your children to feel about books.

Christina

www.amazon.co.uk

Fabulous Creatures and Other Magical Beings

Age range: 7yrs+

Where do creatures like the pheonix or giants fit into the natural world? How can a sphinx be classified or a unicorn? What attributes do these creatures have? What do they eat, how do they reproduce and where can they be found?

The answers to these questions and many more can be found in this new book where folklore and the fringes of science overlap!

"This is not your typical children’s book but rather a brilliant encyclopaedia of every mythical creature you can think of. If like me you have a son who’s fascinated by creatures such Dragons, Goblins, Trolls, Griffons, Basilisks, Centaurs, Minotaurs and Fairies then they will love pouring over the pages of this book.

The text is quite complicated in places but the pages are also full of pictures and snippets of information that mean that you can dip into the book for anything from 5 minutes to a full afternoon!"

Janet

www.amazon.co.uk

Biscuit Bear

Age range: 5 - 7yrs

"I wish I could recommend this book to you...but I can't. My first impression was that the cover is very dull and uninteresting. Unfortunately, the pictures inside do not get much better as the colours are muted and the characters are flat and boring, although more colours appear towards the end of the book.

The story itself has not much to inspire you either. A boy makes a biscuit teddy shape that comes to life at night and makes its own 'biscuit' friends. But they are all eaten by the family dog which doesn't seem to worry him, because he manages to find a place to be safe....a shop window display. I am still not sure how he found this or how he got there and I'm sure a child would want to know. Maybe you fill those bits in yourself. Anyway, there you have it. That is it. Not exactly exciting.

The one thing I thought was a good idea was that some of the words are printed differently and even in 'joined-up' writing which I know some children have trouble reading. Maybe a little more could have been made of this.

I feel that even very young childen expect more from a story than this book has to offer."

Sue

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Little Red

Age Range: 2 - 6yrs

"This charming book tells a story about LIttle Red and her friends Little Blue, Roany the Pony and Gino the dog.

When taking a picnic in the picturesque woods where they live, the friends are surprised (and a little frightened) to hear a strange noise: SPLAT SHWOOSH THWACK THUMP SQUEAK SPLOSH. They go to investigate and are able to help a stranded bunny!

Cicely and I enjoyed reading this story together, there were plenty of opportunities for Cicely to practice her new found reading skills. She likes the Little Red character, and thinks that lots of other boys and girls would enjoy this story too.

I felt some of the vocabulary was a little strange (but we were reviewing a US version of the book) but the story is up to being read several times, with Cicely joining in more each time. The illustrations are charming and it is a sweet story about helping people, sympathetically told."

Tracy and Cicely, aged 5

www.amazon.co.uk

Play, Laugh & Learn

Age range: 3 - 10yrs

"What a great activity book for 3 to 10 year olds! It is packed full of activities to help your child to explore spring, summer, autumn and winter it also covers some ethnic festivals throughout the year.

The activities range from glueing, baking, modelling, painting and making fun games to play together with your child. It also provides templates and step by step instruction and each page holds a rating to show how difficult each activity is, although they can easily be adapted to make it harder or simpler to suit your child. Each activity uses equipment that can be found in everyone's household and in the environment.

My two daughters aged 7 and 8 have had hours upon hours enjoyment out of this book. We have had so much fun, laughter just sheer enjoyment and the look on their faces when they have finished making something is magical. We have made quite a few things out of this book e.g. the woodland mirror, carnival mask and seashore wreath.

This book I would highly recommend to any parent with young children and for school holidays ideal entertainment some of the activities you do need to watch the children e.g. glueing and cutting out but going out collecting the leaves and seashells we had a great day out.

The whole family enjoyed this book."

Christine

"When I first picked this book up, I thought "This is going to be interesting, an easy to follow stand-up guide to dozens of fun and stimulating projects'. I opened it with my four year old who wanted to stand it up, and look at all the pages, she was immediately smitten with the ice-cream glasses on the front cover and wanted to find them inside the book, so we could commence our project. I, on the other hand, wanted to read what it was all about.

The age range is great, four to ten year olds, which means I can involve my niece who is nine years and loves to be creative. I turned to the contents page, ahh horror, yes it goes through the seasons, 'spring, summer, fall, winter' - I was horrified at the Americanism, why could it not say 'Autumn'. Anyway I continued to read on.

Fantastic ideas for every season, which help to develop our little ones aesthetic appreciation, artistic abilities, mathematical skills and fine motor skills (as well as mum's)! I also liked the difficulty level, diamonds ranging from 1 - 6 for level of difficulty, and the clearly stated, 'You will need', so we could easily prepare before launching into making our creations, such as carnival mask and shaker, pots, candle holders, games, indoor rock pool, funky summer specs, raksha bandan bracelet...to name but a few.

I also found the introduction very interesting, which details the development milestones for children; this helps to know which project to attempt, or to what level of success we should have!

I would recommend this book if you enjoy being creative with your children, if you have arts and crafts in the house, if you want to spend time with them developing their skills in this way...if not for you, I would recommend it as a present for someone within the 4-10 age range, with an apology for the word 'fall'! Enjoy."

Gail

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Anything for You

Age Range: 2 - 6yrs

"A simple story about a little bear "Charlie" who obviously loves the bigger bear "Ginger" very much and will 'do anything' to please him. Unfortunately his attempts to help out Ginger just create a bigger mess, but at the end of the day Ginger asks Little Charlie to do something for him - to go to bed, snuggle down and sleep tight.

A sweet, touching story about helping others, nicely illustrated and the perfect length to read before bedtime for ages 2-4, slighty older children would enjoy reading it to themselves as the words are simple and in large, clear print. However, at £9.99 I think its very pricey for one realtively short story."

Suzanne

www.puffin.co.uk

A Redwall Winter's Tale

Age range: 7 - 9yrs

"This book is just one in a series of books featuring the animals of Redwall. This book tells the story of the inhabitants of Redwall on autumn's final day. It features a winter feast, mole clowns, juggling otters, flying squirrels and a hedgehog magician.

It is a truly magical story packed with songs and rhymes and spectacular colour illustrations at the turn of every page which help to bring the story alive.

This was my 7 year old daughter's first introduction to the work of Brian Jacques. She was mesmerized by this book and did not put it down until she had read it all.

I would certainly highly recommend this book to others and can safely say that more books by this author will be adorning my daughter's bookcase."

Sharon

www.amazon.co.uk

Mr Good and Little Miss Whoops

Roger Hargreaves - Egmont Books

Age range: 2 - 7yrs

"As an adult I was not overly enthusiastic at the prospect of reading these books - Mr Good is number 46 of the Mr Men series and Little Miss Whoops is number 33 of the Little Miss series. However I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst the stories can seem a little similar to others in the collection, the tried and tested formula of simple storylines and bold, clear pictures works well. My daughter loved them.

Miss Whoops (like her brother Mr Bump) suffered constant mishaps but all the while had a big grin on her face, while Mr Good suffered at the hands of his neighbours in Badland but has a happy ending when at the end of a long walk he finds himself in Goodland.

At £1.99 these are some of the cheapest children's books available and we think they are good value and very readable."

Elizabeth and Lucy (aged 4)

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In the Woods

Age range: 3 - 7yrs

"In the Woods" is across between the song "The teddy bears picnic" and any fairy tale with the "Big Bad Wolf" in it. The story centres on three, very different, teddy bears making their way through the woods to the "great" teddy-bears picnic. The bears names cause great screams of laughter from my two and a half year old, they are Bubba (this is his favourite), Rollo and Pog.

As I said, they are very different; Bubba is a big teddy bear, very stern and the apparent leader of the trio. Next Rollo who is described in the book (taking all responsibility away from myself here) as fat and always hungry, he has also very stupidly been put in charge of the bag with every ones lunch in, this of course slowly disappears during the bears journey. Last of the three is Pog; he is a small nervous teddy bear who doesn't really like the wood and is very nervous. Another character is the wolf and it is intimated that he is the very wolf from the "Three Little Pigs" and "Little Red Riding Hood" (He survived?)

Both my two boys and myself enjoyed this book, the oldest being seven and the youngest two and a half. Although it is the two and a half year old who asks for it to be read every night. The book is suggested for an age range of between five and seven but I feel it is good for all ages, while it could be slightly scary, it moves at a quick pace so the scary bits are quickly changed to humorous bits.

The writing is quite easy for a young child to read but it is above what my seven year old can cope with. However, I do think it's something that an older child could read to a younger child. The illustrations are brilliant; they are full of detail and offer something more to talk about, and add more detail to the story.

So overall, I found this book to be wonderful the link with other, more traditional stories, the fact that the kids love it to be read to them repeatedly and I haven't got bored of reading it myself."

Kevin

www.amazon.co.uk