Category

Adventure

Don’t Wake Up Tiger! By Britta Teckentrup

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Don't Wake Up Tiger!A small band of woodland animals are on their way to a party but they’re in a hurry because they’re running late. They’re almost there when they come across a big sleeping tiger who is blocking their path. They need to get across him without waking him up – but how? With a cunning plan of course!

Fortunately they have lots of balloons for the party so they agree to take it in turns to float across the tiger holding on to a balloon. Your child is encouraged to help by doing things like blowing on the balloon to make it go faster and stroking the tiger’s nose to keep him nice and sleepy.

Will their plan work and will they all make it to the party on time?

Britta Teckentrup‘s gorgeous illustrations are on point as always, and the simple story and gentle interactions make this a must for any toddler library. This is one of our favourites.

 

Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent bookshops: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/155/9780857638601

Buy from Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2HlhzsL

Note these are affiliate links and Ivy’s Library will receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through them.

Unplugged By Steve Antony

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UnpluggedThis fantastic book will be a useful tool for any parent whose child loves screen time a little bit too much.

Blip is a little robot who loves to play on her computer all day long. She uses it to learn new things, to see faraway lands, to listen to music and to challenge herself with puzzles and games. But then one day there’s a power cut and she trips over her wire, tumbles out of her house and down a hill and ends up drifting down a river in to a forest.

This is unknown territory for Blip – she is outside and unplugged! What will happen to her and what will she learn in the great outdoors?

The imagery in this book is beautiful and I love the way the pictures move from monochrome and ‘blocky’ when Blip is on her computer to bright colours and soft lines when she is outside. Blip herself is adorable and Ivy thinks she’s super cute!

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The Race That Stops The Outback By Doug Bray & Hammans Chan

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The Race That Stops The OutbackThis lovely book was a Christmas present from an old friend and made its way to us here in the UK all the way from Australia!

Rusty is a small kangaroo who loves to race and his ultimate goal is to take part in the biggest competition of all – The Race That Stops The Outback. However when he tells the other kangaroos his plan they all laugh and tell him he”s not tough enough to do it because he’s too small.

Determined to prove them wrong, he turns to his friends for help and they suggest that he try something a little different. All of the kangaroos will be hopping but if he could learn to run then maybe he could move twice as fast! It’ll be tough but Rusty is up for the challenge.

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Augustus And His Smile By Catherine Rayner

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Augustus And His SmilePoor Augustus the tiger is sad. He’s lost his smile and he can’t find it anywhere!

Determined to find it, he sets off on a quest which takes him to the top of the tallest trees, the bottom of the deepest oceans and the peaks of the highest mountains. Will he find his smile at the end of his journey, or is it just possible that it has been with him all along?

Ivy loves tigers and the beautiful illustrations (by the author, Catherine Rayner) in this book mean she pulls it down from our shelf to be read again and again. The pictures are simple but you can really feel every emotion that the tiger feels.

The story is  a lovely exploration of the wonder of nature which ultimately shows that it’s the simple things in life which makes us happy.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2GgYWlm

Juniper Jupiter By Lizzy Stewart

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Juniper JupiterJuniper Jupiter is a superhero. She’s kind, brave, smart, sneaky and speedy – she can even fly! She doesn’t think it’s a big deal though – it’s just who she is. She’s just an ordinary little superhero who lives with her family and her dog, Peanut.

Being a superhero can be fun but it can also be lonely so she decides to advertise for a sidekick so she will have someone to share her adventures with. She sets up some auditions but no one is quite right for the role.

Then just as she’s about to give up she spots the perfect candidate. Is it possible that her sidekick has been by her side all along?

We love this beautifully illustrated story about every day superheroes and the power of friendship.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2pE3OL7

Glitter The Unicorn Goes To The Moon By Callie Chapman & Bronwyne Chapman

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Callie ChapmanWe’re really excited about reviewing this book as it’s a little bit special. Not only does it feature one of our favourite things – unicorns – but the author is only 7 years old!

When she was just 6, Callie Chapman won a contest with her story about a magical unicorn called Glitter and her best friend Ellie. This was published as a book (Glitter The Unicorn) and since then Callie has added two more to the series (Glitter The Unicorn Goes To The Beach and Glitter The Unicorn Goes To The Moon). We have all three and Ivy loves them!

Glitter The Unicorn Goes To The Moon is the newest title (and our favourite) so we’re reviewing that one here.

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The Way Back Home By Oliver Jeffers

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The Way Back HomeThe Way Back Home is one of our favourite books by Oliver Jeffers. It’s a beautifully illustrated story but it’s also so much more. It covers off lots of important themes – like friendship, courage and helping other people – but still delivers an exciting story filled with space travel, aliens and even landing on the moon!

One day a little boy finds an aeroplane at the back of his cupboard so he decides to try it out. He flies so high that he ends up in space but then suddenly he runs out of petrol. He finds himself alone and scared on the moon. How on earth will he get home?

Unbeknown to him, a little martian is also having engine trouble and soon there are two of them on the moon. The boy and the martian are two very different creatures but they both have the same problem. Can they work together so that they can each get back home?

Highly recommended (and if you’re a fan of Lost and Found then there’s a little treat as the tiny penguin features in the illustrations too!)

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2HDXWIq

George Saves The World By Lunchtime By Jo Readman & Ley Honor Roberts

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George Saves The World By LunchtimeOne morning, George gets out of bed and declares that today he is going to be a super hero and he’s going to save the world. His Grandpa thinks this is a fantastic idea and promises to help him to not only save the world but to do it by lunchtime!

He’s keen to get started but Grandpa has some things for him to do around the house first. Together they recycle the packaging from breakfast rather than throw it straight in the bin. Then they hang out the washing rather than putting it in the tumble dryer. This is followed by a bedroom-tidying session where Grandpa encourages him to bag up all of the toys he doesn’t use any more so they can donate them to charity.

This isn’t what George had planned at all and he starts to get grumpy. He wants to go out and be a hero, not stay at home and do chores! But Grandpa carefully explains to him how each of these little actions affect the world, and how much better the world would be if everyone followed their lead. George discovers he’s actually been saving the world all morning and he didn’t even realise it!

This is a fantastic little book to introduce a small child to all the little things they can do to reduce their footprint on the planet. As well as the engaging story and the fantastic illustrations the books is packed with simple tasks your toddler can do to help save the the world themselves!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2tJ8vrf

Princess Scallywag And The Brave, Brave Knight By Mark Sperring & Claire Powell

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I naturally gravitate towards stories with strong female characters and this quirky book turns the usual princess/knight dynamic upside down.

The kingdom is plagued by dragons and appears to be in need of a brave knight to solve the problem.

An enterprising young knight appears and the queen tells him that if he can get rid of the dragons then he may have her daughter’s hand in marriage.

The knight is horrified saying he’s heard disgusting things about how stinky and mean the princess is and he wouldn’t marry her in a million years.

The queen is angered and tells the nearest dragon that he will just have to marry her instead. Terrified at the prospect of marrying this horrible-sounding princess the dragon quickly flies far away.

The dragon problem is solved but what about a husband for the princess? Hmm. Hang on. Let’s take another look at that knight. Is it possible he’s a she? And is it possible she’s not a knight at all?

A fab, funny story about a very smart mother/daughter duo. Recommended!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2I8H11I

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book By Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

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Charlie Cook's Favourite BookOur choice for World Book Day is Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson. Why? Because it’s not just a book – it’s a book in a book in a book in a book!

This really clever story takes you on a little adventure through a whole host of different stories and styles in just a few short pages.

Charlie Cook is sitting in an armchair reading his favourite book, which is about a pirate. In the story he’s reading, the pirate finds a copy of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and reads it. In the Goldilocks book one of the bears talks about his favourite story which is about a knight. And the knight is reading a book about a frog … And so on and so forth until we come right round to a headless ghost who is reading a book about Charlie Cook!

It may sound a little confusing but it’s a simple story and the rhyme is really catchy.

We also love the way that each page looks completely different as technically they’re each from a different book!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2F4oq4Q