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Walker Books

Jabari Jumps
by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari has just learned to swim, and he is desperate to try jumping from the high diving board. However, when he gets there he isn’t quite so sure.

He doesn’t want to look weak, so he lets the other children go in front of him and spends a little time stretching and thinking about what kind of jump he might do.

Jabari’s fear is stopping him from doing the thing he wants to do the most.

But all this time, his father is alongside him. He helps his son explore how he is feeling and quietly encourages without pushing. The father shares times when he has felt scared too so that his son understands that he is not alone in his fears. And eventually, in his own time, Jabari takes a deep breath and jumps.

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What’s Next? by Timothy Knapman & Jane McGuiness

Baby Badger is extremely curious about the world. He explores every detail and corner of his underground home and then asks his Dad “What’s Next?”. His Dad explains that there’s a whole forest up above them so together they head out in to the dark.

Baby Badger sniffs and snuffles, learning everything he can about this new environment. He discovers soft moss and bluebell bulbs and his dad takes him to a spot where he can look at the stars and the perfect full moon. But inevitably, impatience sets in and Baby Badger asks “What’s Next?”. There are more things to learn and more things to see and he wants to do it all right now.

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Beast Feast
by Emma Yarlett

When a bright pink Beast catches a little boy he is very excited about the prospect of eating him all up. He names the boy ‘Dinner’ and sets about inviting all of his friends to a very special feast.

Naturally Dinner is a little worried, but when the RSVPs start to arrive he proves himself to be very smart indeed.

The Beasts friends turn out to be very picky and they have lots of dietary requirements which they want Beast to consider. Sir Gutguzzler can’t eat anything scrawny so he suggests that Beast fatten Dinner up a little bit. Madam Gargoyle requests that Dinner is served extra salty and Giant Grumbo needs Dinner to be slimy!

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The Pawed Piper by Michelle Robinson & Chinlun Lee

The Pawed PiperThe little girl in this story really, really likes cats. She has lots of books about them but what she wants is a little fluffy cat of her very own – so she decides to lay a trail!

She gathers together an arsenal of cat toys, including balls of wool, skeins of ribbon and little jingly jangly balls. Then she visits her Grandmother and learns that they also enjoy playing with catnip, cardboard boxes and newspapers.

Soon her bedroom is full of exciting things designed to entice cats and she sits and waits for them to arrive. She waits all day but she has no luck so she heads to bed and sadly snuggles her cat book instead.

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Dragon Post by Emma Yarlett

Dragon PostWhat would you do if you found a dragon living in your basement?

When little Alex finds himself in this situation he is beside himself with excitement but he knows that he’s going to have to get some expert advice so that the dragon doesn’t burn down his house.

First he writes to the Fire Brigade, who send him back some excellent advice on keeping the dragon cool and moist. Next he contacts a local butcher to find out what the dragon might like to eat. The reply is a little concerning (the butcher is quite keen to find out what dragon meat tastes like!) but offers up some useful suggestions re dragon diets. Soon Alex and his dragon are having lots of fun!

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Doctor Molly’s Medicine Case By Miriam Moss & Deborah Allwright

Doctor Molly's Medicine CaseLittle Molly loves to dress up and today she has decided to be a doctor. She pops on a white coat and grabs her magical medicine case, which is guaranteed to contain everything she needs to make her patients feel better.

Very soon her little surgery becomes busy. She treats a polar bear with a cold, a crocodile with a broken tail and a pelican who has a sore throat from eating too many bony fish. Each time she opens her bag, the items she needs magically appear – a thermometer and hot water bottle for the bear, some soothing cream and plasters for the croc and some honey and a spoon for the greedy bird.

Soon they all feel better and are off on their way – but Molly is confused when they all come back complaining of rumbling tummies. Can her magical medicine case deliver the goods and help them feel better this time?

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Hoot Owl By Sean Taylor & Jean Jullien

Hoot OwlHoot Owl isn’t just any old owl – he is the master of the disguise. Or at least he thinks he is! Every night he goes out in search of a meal and uses his disguise ‘skills’ to try and capture his prey.

He tries to catch a rabbit by dressing up as a carrot. He tries to fool a lamb in to coming near him by dressing as a mummy sheep. He disguises himself as an ornamental bird bath in order to catch a pigeon. He thinks he’s extremely clever but the fact is his disguises are rubbish! None of the animals are fooled and Hoot ends up with a very rumbly tummy indeed.

His opinion of himself is so high that he cannot understand why his tactics aren’t working. It looks as though poor, delusional Hoot may have to go hungry. But then he spots a steaming hot pizza. Can he put together a disguise which will fool this yummy prey?

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Mrs Mole, I’m Home! By Jarvis

Mrs Mole, I'm Home!Morris the Mole has had a tough day at work and all he wants to do is get home to his family – the problem is he can’t find his glasses anywhere! He burrows in what he believes to be the direction of home but he keeps getting it wrong, again and again and again.

Each time he pops up into a house he shouts ‘Mrs. Mole, I’m Home!’ but it’s never the right house. He visits a burrow full of rabbits, a tree full of owls and a swamp full of crocodiles. He even ends up in Antarctica!

Finally he smells a familiar smell – worm noodles! Surely this must be his house, and where on earth are those glasses?

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The Dot
by Peter H. Reynolds

The DotWe love this book by Peter H. Reynolds and i’m not ashamed to say it made me cry the first time we read it!

Vashti is a little girl who thinks she can’t draw. Whilst all of her friends paint and create in art class, she just sits and stares at the plain white paper, defeated. Her teacher challenges her to draw a dot in the middle of the page and then asks her to sign it. She jabs a dot with her pen, signs her name and then skulks out of the classroom.

The next week when she walks in to the art room she sees her dot (and signature!) on the wall, displayed in a lovely shiny frame. Inspired, she sets out to draw a better dot and then a better dot and then an even better dot than that. Soon she’s so good at drawing imaginative, colourful dots that the schools puts them on display at an art show.

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Maisy Goes To London By Lucy Cousins

Maisy Goes To LondonIvy has lived in London her whole life (and I have been here for almost 18 years) but we still love to take a tourist day and explore the city as if it’s all brand new. This Maisy book from Lucy Cousins is perfect for tiny tourists who are planning a trip to the city and it’s guaranteed to get them excited about all the sights they will see.

Maisy and her friends visit London for the day and they tour all of the major attractions including Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Nelson’s Column and Big Ben. The book provides small facts about each so that little ones know what to expect and it also addresses things which they may find difficult about the city at first – including the noise, the bright  lights and the fact the underground can get pretty crowded.

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