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Reviews

Officer George by Adam Smart & Matthew Boobyer

When little Lils loses her favourite Teddy Bear she is inconsolable. What will she do without him? Fortunately her mum spots a local policeman, Officer George, and asks for his help. Lils is a little bit scared of the big policeman in his shiny uniform but Officer George springs in to action and immediately heads off in search of the lost toy. Will he be able to locate Lils’ friend and bring him back home?

Written by a serving police officer, this lovely book helps children understand that police officers are there to help the public. It’s an unfortunate fact that some parents still use the “You’d better behave yourself or that policeman will take you away” line with their kids. This can cause a negative association in children’s minds and potentially cause problems if they are in a situation where they need help. This story reinforces the fact that police officers are friendly, approachable and not to be feared. It even suggests that children give them a smile and a wave next time they see them to see how they react!

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Where Happiness Lives by Barry Timms & Greg Abbott

Since receiving this book earlier this summer I have recommended it countless times and purchased it as a gift twice so I figured I should probably write a review!

Grey Mouse has a beautiful little cottage which is filled with love. He doesn’t have a lot of space or material wealth but he is warm, safe and happy. That is until the day he spots a big, spacious house with a grand balcony, and a tiny little bit of jealousy sets in. He presumes that the mouse who lives in this lovely property must be happier than him because he has a bigger house.

However, when he chats to White Mouse – the owner –  he learns of an even larger house which makes both of their homes seems tiny. Together they travel to this veritable mansion and a bejewelled Brown Mouse offers to give them a tour. There’s a games room, a parlour, a music room and even an observatory. All of these riches make Grey Mouse and White Mouse extremely sad so they are shocked to discover that Brown Mouse is in fact very lonely.

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The Little Frog With The Bottle Top Hat: A New Home by Dean Vivarelli & Curtis Walker

If you want to teach your children about the environmental and wildlife issues we face today then this is definitely one to add to your list.

When a little boy called Beau spots a frog wearing a blue plastic bottle top as a hat he has no idea that both of their lives are about to change. They strike up a conversation and Beau learns that the frog’s home has been destroyed by pollution. The pond water is littered with plastic bags and bottles, and all of the plants have died.

Beau decides to take his new friend home and together they plant a lovely frangipani in the garden. The frog is so happy with his new home that he invites all of his friends around and soon Beau is surrounded by frogs of all shapes and sizes.

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Autism With Lola: Playing With Bourbon Badger by Jodie Isitt & Lucy Smith

Lola the rabbit loves her art lessons at school. The splashing and sploshing of paint completely consumes her, until the bell rings for playtime and her happiness comes crashing down.

Lola is autistic and has a demand avoidant profile. This means she does not like loud noises or being told to stop an activity without any warning. As the children crash and bang around Lola becomes increasingly distressed.

Outside in the playground her discomfort continues. She doesn’t know how to join in with the other children and is scared of being rejected if she does something wrong.

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My Pet Star by Corrinne Averiss & Rosalind Beardshaw

As parents we naturally want to shield our children from sadness but it’s an important topic to touch on if we want to raise resilient future adults. There are now lots of titles on the market which feature loss or difficult goodbyes, but all too often we only seek them out in times of need. This beautiful book from Corrinne Averiss is an excellent addition to a child’s bookshelf as it gently weaves the subject in to a wonderful bedtime story.

A little girl finds a fallen star and gently nurses him back to health. She cleans him, feeds him and takes the time to learn all about her new friend. When he starts to get better she wants him to play but understands that he is a little different to her. He sleeps in the day and isn’t interested in toys but they soon find ways to just enjoy each others company.

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A Twist In The Tail by Sandie Anderson

I am quite excited that we seem to have reached a point with Ivy where she’s ready for slightly longer books. We’re definitely nowhere near chapter book territory yet, but she is starting to show an interest in stories with more complicated plots than standard picture books. However, if i’m honest, I’ve struggled to find books which bridge this gap.

We have recently been reading this series of tales about a worm-like creature called Reggie Wriggle and I’ve found them really useful for this stage of reading. They are quite wordy (in a good way!) but also toddler-friendly as you can colour them in.

In this first Reggie Wriggle adventure, Reggie finds himself a little under the weather. He wakes up one morning and can’t stretch his tail and then he starts to develop some uncomfortable lumps and bumps. His best friend Bert soon arrives with a diagnosis. Reggie isn’t getting enough vitamins so he needs to eat more fruit! Together they set off in search of an apple tree, but before long they find themselves slap bang in the middle of an adventure. Can they rescue local farmer Mr Glossop from sinking in to a giant muddy puddle, and will poor Reggie ever get his fruit?

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Old Man Of The Sea by Stella Elia & Weberson Santiago

This evening we are extremely excited to be sharing our thoughts on a brand new book from Lantana Publishing as part of the official #oldmanofthesea bookstagram tour.

This beautifully illustrated story looks at the quiet relationship between a boy and his ailing grandfather. Every Sunday they sit together and talk or share a comfortable silence, until one day the Grandfather decides the time has come to share tales of his life with the boy. And what a life!

Grandpa was a sailor who circumnavigated the world and fell in love with each continent he discovered. He picnicked in olive groves with Europe, climbed sand dunes with Africa, explored temples with Asia and went diving with Oceania. The love he felt for these lands was strong, but not as strong as the lure of the sea. Eventually he always found himself back in his boat in search of a new adventure.

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What Do You Do If Your House Is A Zoo? by John Kelly & Steph Laberis

Picking the right pet can be hard. There are so many different animals out there so how are you supposed to choose? The little boy in this story thinks he has the perfect solution. When his mum and dad finally agree to let him have one he places an advert in the local paper asking for possible pets to get in touch.

He receives some promising replies from a pampered pussy cat, a forgetful goldfish and an extremely nibbly goat, but none of them seem quite right. But then the next day he is inundated with post. Gorillas, wolves, horses, emus, bulls and even ants have all written to him in the hope of finding a new home. Now he has so many options that he doesn’t know where to begin!

Things go from bad to worse when animals start turning up at his house. A mob of meerkats set up a security post and won’t let the family leave the house for their own safety and then some beavers arrive and start building a water feature in the garden!

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Morris The Stealing Magpie by Nicola Parkhouse & Joseph Hopkins

Morris is a magpie with a penchant for all things shiny. Whenever he spots something made of silver, brass or gold he can’t resist picking it up and taking it to his nest. The problem is that all these beautiful items belong to other people!

He steals jewels from the Queen’s crown, wind chimes from a garden, a bell from a cow and even a musical instrument from a small child. It doesn’t matter to him that he made the little girl cry, he believes that all the shiny things should belong to him and therefore he should be allowed to just take what he pleases.

However, when Morris steals a silver alarm clock he gets a lot more than he bargained for. Sleep is extremely important to him, so he’s horrified when this shiny new object starts to ring loudly at 4.30 in the morning. Then 5.30. Then 6.30. Then 7.30….

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Star In Your Own Story: (Add Your Name) Drives a Digger by Danielle McLean & Kathryn Selbert

When I was a kid it really bugged me that I could never, ever find anything with my name on. For years I secretly coveted a tacky china mug or a fake leather key chain with ‘Shelley’ proudly emblazoned on it, but unfortunately it was never meant to be. The idea of an actual book featuring my name would have totally blown my mind, so I was delighted to discover this new series from Little Tiger. Each title comes with a set of alphabet stickers which allow you to personalise the story and become the star of your own story!

There are a number of books in this new series but this one is Ivy’s favourite. It places you front and centre at a busy building site where you are in charge of a shiny yellow digger. You need to gouge out the earth and dig a deep hole, but your progress is hampered when you hit a mysterious object with a loud clang! Can you recover it and find out exactly what it is?

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