2 to 3 years

All Aboard - Balamory

Age range: 1 - 5 years

A big board book, with lovely bold, bright illustrations and plenty of detail. Katie (9 months) loves turning the pages herself on this one and chewing the corners.

Mandy Ackland and Katie - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

All Change

Age range: 1 - 5 years

A really clever little board book with a cut out figure, (boy on one side, girl on the other) which you can slot in to each 'Job'. Katie loves the cardboard cut out and turning the pages.

Mandy Ackland and Katie - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Beep Beep Let's Go

Age range: 1 - 5 years

First impressions: Mmm, this looks a 'nice' book. Great illustrations, quality publisher, interesting concept - "an interactive, noise-filled ... book ..." Simple story of a family of dogs taking a trip to the seaside and what happens along the way.

In Depth: When flicking through and noticing the large writing and lack of story, I was however disappointed. I kept trying to turn the last page, thinking "is that it?" as the storyline really was very minimal (for a reason I find out later) and I was left wanting something more ... a bit like the new Harry Potter!!! Yet, when left to discuss the pictures and what is happening in them with my pre-schooler, I could tell WHY the story was so scant. It left piles for the imagination and Aimee and I have had many an interesting discussion about why the characters say "hurry up" - because they are waiting for the red traffic light to turn to green and who makes the "big splash" - the hippo because she is the biggest animal at the seaside. In fact this book really serves TWO purposes. For my 18 month-er, it has just the right amount of words per page to keep her interested (i.e. very little) and for my 3 1/2 yr old, we can talk about what is happening on the pages. My advice would be not have it as a bed-time book - too much mental stimulation before bedtime maybe not such a good idea. Also, you need plenty of imagination ... I'm a teacher so questioning children is what I do!!! I can see that if that isn't 'your thing' you would find the book a bit limiting.

Overall: On face value, I'd only give this book a 2/5 - for what it actually is, it's quite expensive. However, for the potential it has ... 4 1/2 out of 5 ... just get talking to your kids!!!

Abigail Farndon - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Boo Boo

Age range: 1 - 5 years

BooBoo is a charming character in a beautifully illustrated book. The story, however, is a bit of a disappointment. BooBoo is a gosling. I think its a bit of an obscure animal to choose for children, especially as the book doesn't explain what a gosling is and I think even a few parents may struggle when asked! The gosling likes to eat and its catchphrase is 'Good food' whenever it eats anything. This doesn't quite work. If it said 'Yum yum', or something more child-like, it would seem more appropriate.

I reread the book a couple of times to see if it would grow on me but it still left me feeling that something wasn't quite right with it. I have considered whether this book was originally written in French (the author being called Olivier) and the problem is that it hasn't worked in translation. The story is rather dry and lacking in humour, which is a shame as the character does have potential to be lots of fun.

Linda Addy - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

The boy on the Beach

Age range: 1 - 5 years

The boy on the beach tells the story of an excited little boy and his adventures on a day out to the beach. He has a fantastic time jumping in the sea, running around on the sand and finding a deserted boat in the dunes…… but his excitement turns to worry as he gets himself lost and has to call for help.

We really liked this book. My five year old daughter has asked to read it more then a few times and loves the beautiful illustrations that really make you feel that it’s summer. She also likes the fact that there were so many different and interesting people in the illustrations and new things to spot every time we read it. It is a very uplifting and positive book that would remind many of us of happy times at the sea side.

A lovely book that I would recommend to anyone.

Annabel Ashwell - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Millie Moo

Age range: 6mths - 3 years

Millie Moo is a lively, colourful book which fasinated my 7 month old daughter! She loved touching the different textures and looking at the pictures. The story is a funny rhyme and that makes you smile as you read it!There is plenty to look at and talk about on each page. We enjoyed this book!

Sarah Edwards - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Make Believe

Age range: 18th months - 4 years

My daughter's reaction should have been filmed! These books are beautiful and every little girls dream. She did not want to put them down. The books are superb quality, the pictures extremely pretty and the interactive lift flaps with little messages in are lovely.

The pop-up fairy on the first page is wonderful. You can't wait to turn the next page to see what will be there. I loved both books, and I know that my daughter did to.

These books are interactive, tactile, beautiful and superb quality. They also are set at a fantastic price and brilliant for birthday presents for little girls.

Every little girl should have at least one of these books, my preference would be both of them!

Deborah - May 2005

These books are available to be won in the June Competition, so don't forget to enter

www.amazon.co.uk

Chloe

Age range: 18th months - 3 years

My first impression of these books was how beautiful. They are most certainly the loveliest books I have seen for a long time.

The hard back format is ideal for younger children, and their size is good for travelling with. They are stimulating and tactile and as every little girl likes to dress up they meet their criteria of being "sparkly" and full of all of the prettiness that girls just love

I was so thrilled to review these books and and I know that my daughter will get days of enjoyment from them.

The books give the reader enough text to stimulate the child and guide them through the lovely sparkly pages. Highly recommended for every parent with a little girl

Sara Edwards and Abigail - May 2005

These books are available to be won in the June Competition, so don't forget to enter

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

' I Like Black and White' and ' I Like Colours'

Age range: 0 - 5 yrs

Jack thoroughly enjoyed both of these books although some of the pictures were a bit ambiguous.

He was able to recognise most of the animals and all of the colours. I think this book never really pushed Jack's learning ability but perfect to get a child to learn her colours and animals.

We made it fun and educational by thinking of other animals that shared the same colours and learning all the animal noises too! Most books are what you make of them with kids.

Jack will continue to pick this book so long as we make it interesting for him!"

Jodie Baker

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

Poppy Cat's Jigsaw Book

Age range: 1 - 4yrs

"I sat and read this book with my 2 year old daughter and it was a lovely little book to read with her.

She is perhaps a bit advanced for it as she can already count up to 13, but she still enjoyed it though especially the idea of the jigsaws.

My son is too old for it at 5 but for younger ones I think it is a lovely book, would be a great gift to give as it combines the jigsaw with the book.

My only fault with it is, as soon as my daughter had finished with it, she picked it up and all the pieces fell out of the jigsaw. So in all, a very good learning book brilliant jigsaw idea but not very practical for little people to pick up."

Cath

www.amazon.co.uk

Zoo Poo

Age range: 2 - 4yrs

"My son has been potty trained for about 8 months now, but he still enjoyed reading about how different animals at the zoo go to the toilet.

The book is very colourful, and the character of a little boy appears on each page as he tours around the zoo, giving continuity and added interest.

At the end of the book, the boy sits on the toilet himself to demonstrate how boys and girls poo. There are some useful guidelines for parents about to attempt potty training.

We enjoyed reading this book together, and it is highly recommended for families about to start potty training their child."

Charlotte

www.amazon.co.uk

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

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

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

Get Busy This Summer

Age range: 0 - 5yrs

"My son Jordon and I really enjoyed reading this book. As well as the story there's lots of lovely bright pictures.

It's about a family of Penguins going on a holiday to have lots of fun in the sun, like they do every year. They go sailing, fruit picking, fishing and more. They get time to relax on the beach and get some sun, they go for a swim and have lots of fun.

Jordon loved the pictures Lovely bright colours, good size writing for children to read. He took the book to bed and was really happy looking at the pictures till he feel asleep."

Jayne

www.amazon.co.uk

A Chick Called Saturday

Age range: 0 - 5yrs

"Initial impressions are that this is just another run of the mill children’s book. Don’t let the cover fool you. When I opened the book and started to read it to my children, not only were we treated to a good, and at times amusing story culminating in a great lesson, but the bold and colourful watercolours really helped to fire the imagination.

From start to finish it kept both my two and four year olds quiet, (worth the money just for that!), but after the story had ended, there were pleas to read it again form the younger one, whilst the older started with a barrage of questions. Definitely worth spending some hard earned pennies on."

Andrew

www.amazon.co.uk

Yuk!

Age range: 0 - 5yrs

"A colourful hard back book about Daisy, who is about to be a bridesmaid. The problem is Daisy 'doesn't do dresses' and she 'doesn't do lovely'. The book takes you through the hunt for a dress and everything is 'Yuk!' until the eventual compromise between Daisy and the grown-ups, when she is allowed to design her own dress.

Enjoyable to read with great illustrations, Daisy's antics are fun for children to follow, although if you have a budding tomboy bridesmaid yourself it may give her ideas!"

Jacky

www.amazon.co.uk

Yellow Bird, Black Spider

Age range: 2 - 4yrs

This book is aimed at toddlers and as such is very colourful and engaging for that age group.

It is a bit different from the other books I have read my 20 month old in that it has a wicked twist in the tail which I hope won't give him nightmares! My husband thought the twist was hilarious though!

The book is all about a yellow bird that refuses to conform and is as contrary as any toddler I know. Maybe that is why it works. The artwork is very interesting - not cute and cuddly but sharp and witty. My son now loves the book and I have had to read it at least 20 times to him. It is great for learning colours and the names of everyday items but does it in a funny quirky way.

I liked this book but I'm not sure I would shell out £9.99 for it, as it is very short."

Karen

www.amazon.co.uk

Thomas & Friends - New for 2004!

February and March 2004 saw the publication of 4 new Thomas & Friends story books including 'James and the Queen of Sodor' and 'Gordon and the Competition', all of which tie in with the current TV series.

There are also 5 new titles to add to the My Thomas Story Library, 'Percy', 'Bill and Ben', 'Sir Handel', 'Oliver' and 'Bulstrode'.

Percy

Age range: 2 - 5yrs

"Percy loves to play tricks, but realises in the end that it is just as important to be a 'really useful engine'.

Lovely illustrations, especially the expressions on the faces of the trains and a nice size for small hands.

A book for sharing. Some of the language is rather lengthy and stilted. Good for pre-reading skills - telling the story from the pictures, predicting what might happen next and how the characters are feeling."

Tina

James and the Queen of Sodor

Age range: 2 - 5yrs

"This is a tale along the lines of 'pride goes before a fall'. James thinks he is very important and volunteers to collect the Queen of Sodor, which turns out to be a dirty old barge. Of course, he ends up covered in dust in the end.

The hardback format makes the book difficult for small fingers to cope with easily.

Less complicated language than many other adaptations of Rev. W Awdry.

A book for sharing - looking at the pictures, talking about feelings and predicting what will happen next, as well as just reading aloud."

Tina

www.amazon.co.uk

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

www.amazon.co.uk

Pants

Age range: 0 - 5yrs

Small children love pants. They love talking about pants. They giggle whenever pants are mentioned. Let's face it - Pants are very funny!

"Pants is a fun book with bright colours and excellent wording, I had great pleasure in reading it and our son Peter loved it too."

Emma

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)

www.amazon.co.uk

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

The Alphabet Room

Age range: 2yrs plus

"This book is a good introduction of the Alphabet.

It's a thin board book with a clever lift the flap on every page. Some of the words I found were difficult for example G = Guitar, J = Jester, M = Moustache. These words could be difficult for some children to say and understand.

My 4 year old son however did not seem to interested in this book as it was not very brightly coloured. I feel it would have been better with simple words for example M = Mouse, G = Goat, I = Ink not Ivy.

This book is priced at £9.99."

Jayne

www.amazon.co.uk

Harry and the Dinosaurs Make a Christmas Wish

Age range: 3yrs plus

"My own 2 children are 6 and 5. The 6yr old was fairly uninterested as she said it was a "boys book". She did listen but she has not asked for it again and she said it was OK.

Jack, however, said it was brill and has repeatedly asked for it again. He loved the first pages when you are told how to pronounce the Dinosaurs names.

He enjoyed the story and realised that Harry may not get the duck just because he had asked for it. This has been a good learning example. He has now asked for the other Harry and the Dinosaur books and I would be happy to buy them for him. Overall it was a fun enjoyable book."

Debbie

www.puffin.co.uk

Two Frogs

Age range: 3yrs plus

"This is a delightful book and James thoroughly enjoyed it!. The story is about two frogs one of which has a very vivid imagination about a javelin throwing owner and his dog who swims out after his ball and eats the frogs, the other frog dismisses everything that he says as totally impossible and improbable.

The two frogs are then in a near miss with a hungry pike and a hungry stork, and in their haste to get away they miss the hungry dog and his javelin throwing owner.....

The book is very well illustrated and the pictures are very large and clear, they are also humorous and will appeal to children, there are not too many words on each page either, so younger children will not get bored waiting for the pages to be turned."

Sarah

www.amazon.co.uk

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

Lettermen Books

Age range: 2 - 7yrs

"The Lettermen books are a series of colourful and humourous stories designed to be fun whilst showing children how letters form words and how words have meanings.

There are 24 titles in the range depicting the Lettermen in a wide range of everyday situations including 'going on a picnic', 'going to school', 'going swimming', 'in the garden' and 'going to a party'.

My son's not a great fan of letters and spelling so I wasn't sure quite what he'd make of them. In fact they were an immediate hit and it was great to see him not only enjoying the stories but also recognising and spelling out the words made by the Lettermen.

I think they'd be very good for children just learning their alphabet right through to children who are starting to read for themselves."

Janet

The Lettermen books are available to buy online exclusively through www.thelettermen.co.uk.

What On Earth Can It Be?

Age range: 3yrs+

"This book is very cleverly produced with brightly and brilliantly illustrated pictures which capture a child's imagination and lots of repition and rhyme to encourage early language skills.

I love the way this book it has cut outs within its pages that mean you see a section of the following page. My 4 year old daughter loves guessing what the picture may be and is keen to peek over the page to see what it was before I see it!

Although there is a lot of repetition and rhyme used within the language structure of this book, there is also an unexpected element of language used. For instance, words such as 'crocogiant' and 'pen-legged pirates' , which helps to keep the book from being boring and too similar to other children's books. It also means that the child has to think carefully about what the picture may be, also encouraging their memory skills, after reading it through a few times.

My daughter particularly liked the last page of the book that includes a picture of all of the characters that have been visited throughout the story, all happy and smiling!"

Adele

www.puffin.co.uk

Hold Tight

Age range: 0 - 5yrs

"This book is the ninth in the popular Baby Bear series and is a follow up to "Again!" which was extremely popular with the youngsters in my family.

It tells of Grandbear and Baby Bear's adventures with a cardboard box! Sounds silly, but it is a joy to read as it moves smoothly from one flight of imaginative play to another.

Grandbear is very busy as it is washing day, but makes time to play imaginative games with Baby Bear. The box becomes a 'plane, then it changes and becomes a train. The train becomes a boat and then, best of all Grandbear gives Baby Bear a piggy back ride.

The relationship between Grandbear and Baby Bear is once again portrayed beautifully, with Grandbear affectionately pausing in his daily chores to play with Baby Bear, yet not totally jettisoning his plans for the day, teaching Baby Bear that there is a time for work and a time for play. Most adults will remember games in their youth where boxes became castles, houses, shops, whatever. Maybe nowadays, plastic carrier bags have usurped the sturdy carton from the grocers, but after reading this book to your child it is guaranteed that either the child or you yourself will be scrounging a box next time you shop!

The book itself is not long, a mere twenty pages, most of which are filled with delightful illustratons, but it is a lovely addition to a "Read to Me" library for 0 - 5 year olds."

Norah

www.amazon.co.uk

Get Busy This Christmas

Age range: 2 - 4yrs

"A feel good story that involves cute penguin characters getting ready for Christmas. It contains many of the fun traditions that children may be familiar with and is a wonderful opportunity to talk to them about their own experiences and expectations of Christmas.

The story is short and simple with only one or two lines on each page, which will suit toddlers who may have short attention spans. The beautiful illustrations both support and extend on the story line, which make this equally appealing to older children who may discuss the many activities going on in the background.

We enjoyed this book, my nine month old son was attracted to the colourful and fun illustrations but I would say this book is more suited for children aged 2-4 years."

Michelle

www.amazon.co.uk

Some Dogs Do

Age range: 3 - 6yrs

"All dogs walk and jump and run, but dogs don't fly - it can't be done or can it?"

"Jez Alborough tells this endearing story of a little puppy called Sid whose self-belief takes a bit of a knocking at school, but who learns that miracles really can happen.

When I first received this book I was immediately taken with the beautiful shiny and slightly raised illustration on the front cover. When I opened the book I wasn't disappointed, as the vibrant and endearing illustrations continued throughout, in soft predominantly primary colours.

The main character of the book, Sid, is a loveable, cuddly looking puppy dog with a little brown patch over one eye and cute pink paw pads. The other characters are just as appealing.

The story begins with Sid's journey to school one morning, when a strange thing happens. Because Sid feels so happy, he begins to float off the ground and "without a how, without a why, Sid fell up towards the sky".

The rhyming text continues throughout the story which makes it a joy to read aloud, and my 5 year old daughter could almost predict the end word of each sentence as she has been "doing rhyming" at school recently!

The story has a lovely moral at the end of it and as the author says 'the whole point of my story is that miracles do happen'."

Emma

www.amazon.co.uk

We're Going Bear Hunt

Age Range: 2yrs plus

"I’m absolutely shattered - I’ve yomped through a vast grassy meadow, waded through a wide, fast-flowing river, squelched my way through a massive swathe of mud, fought my way through a dark, tangly forest and battled through a heavy snow storm. FIVE TIMES.

No, I’m not some crazy, outdoors obsessed rambler. No no. I hate the outdoors. I’d much rather curl up on the sofa with a jolly good book. And that’s exactly what we did, my daughter Daisy and I.

The book in question is 'We’re Going on a Bear Hunt' and it happens to be five-year-old Daisy’s second favourite book in the whole world (at the moment - hence the five readings one after the other).

It is hard to know where to start listing all the wonderful things about this book. It is one of those very rare things – a completely perfect children’s book. Yes. It is perfect in every way. I can’t fault it.

The first gorgeous thing about this book is the sing-songy, repetitive quality of the first half of the book. Oh, how children love it. The second half of the story is equally entertaining, as the adventurers find the bear they are hunting for and turn tail and run back, very quickly, through all the obstacles they’ve met on the way.

The illustrations are very animated and full of life and the characters have really brilliant facial expressions rendered with just a few strokes of a pencil. It’s really nice to point these little touches out to your children to help them understand the relationship between the illustrations and the story.

My favourite illustration of all is a double page spread at the end, with a sad, dejected looking bear tramping home with his head and shoulders all slumped after his unsuccessful “people hunt”. Daisy and I often have a spirited debate after reading, as to whether the bear is upset because he intended to eat, or make friends with the family!

I can’t recommend this book highly enough if you have small children. Go and order one now!"

Allie

www.amazon.co.uk