Picture Book - I'm Not Cute! - Jonathan Allen (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - I'm Not Cute! - Jonathan Allen (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for - Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

Oh, how I do love a story about a grumpy animal!

Poor Baby Owl - no matter where he goes, everyone tells him how cute he is. He tries to tell them about how fierce he really is, but secretly, does he want to be cute after all?

Everytime I think of this book I can't help but smile - the thought of a baby owl throwing a mini-strop and stamping his feet when he's told he's cute is hilarious! Having a young son who gets grumpy when he's tired (as I'm sure most of you reading this will have experienced!) I can feel a certain empathy with Baby Owl's mother. It'll make you all giggle and smile, that's for sure.

The illustrations add to the laughter, with Baby Owl grumpily jumping up and down everytime he's called cute, like some deranged little ball of fur. 

Guaranteed to make you and your children laugh.

9/10

Picture Book - Bear Wants More - Karma Wilson (Author) & Jane Chapman (Illustrator)

Picture Book - Bear Wants More - Karma Wilson (Author) & Jane Chapman (Illustrator)

Recommended for - Babies/Toddlers/Younger Children

And so, for now, I bid farewell to Bear, as I come to the end of the eight books in the series published so far...

Bear wakes up following a long period of hibernation, and he's rather hungry. But what will he do if he eats so much that he can't fit through the entrance to his cave anymore?

For once, FINALLY, Bear doesn't seem to suffer too much! Sure, he can't fit into his home for a while, but that just means he takes the party to the forest outside. That's more fun, surely? I'm not sure if this is actually the latest book in the series, but it's a nice way to finish it, compared to the last two stories I've reviewed where he gets stuck in a storm, and then feels ill!

Throughout the series, the stories have had a heart-warming centre, about a Bear and his friends who help each other out when the need arises. The words flow together brilliantly, the illustrations are wonderful to look at, and there's always a delightful feel-good ending (not that you'd expect anything different in a book for children!). The quality is consistently great throughout, never dipping, making all the books in the series a must-read.

Well done Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman - in my opinion, I think the Bear series is the best long children's picture book series availble. Please write some more!

9/10

Picture Book - Bear Feels Scared - Karma Wilson (Author) & Jane Chapman (Illustrator)

Picture Book - Bear Feels Scared - Karma Wilson (Author) & Jane Chapman (Illustrator)

Recommended for Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

And so we return to Karma Wilson's Bear series. Always a pleasure to do so!

In Bear Feels Scared, our furry friend gets lost outside when a huge storm hits the Strawberry Vale. Luckily, his friends are around to help him find his way home, and look after him until he feels safe again. 

Poor Bear - Karma Wilson really does put him through some peril at times! If children haven't been feeling sorry for Bear in the past, they certainly will do now. Anyone familiar with the series knows that it'll all turn out OK in the end, but your heart really does go out to him until then.

As ever, the illustrations are lovely, and the words flow together delightfully. At the time of writing, there's only two books left in the series. What shall I do without my regular fix of Bear?!

9/10

Picture Book - This Is Not My Hat - Jon Klassen (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - This Is Not My Hat - Jon Klassen (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for - Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

Oh Mr Klassen, you do know how to write bleak humour.

And I love you all the more for it.

Jon Klassen's first book, I Want My Hat Back, is my all-time favourite children's picture book, mainly because of the surprisingly dark humour that he manages to use that had me in stitches, despite it being a book written for people at least 20 years younger than myself. This sequel contains the same type of humour, and whilst it's not quite in the same league, it's still very, very funny, and well worth checking out.

A small fish decides to steal a hat from a much bigger fish, and then escape to where the underwater plants and big and tall, so that he can't be found. However, as you'd expect having read the first book, things don't exactly go to plan...

While children will love the fun of watching the big fish slowly catching up to the small fish, grown ups will again love the wordless manner of how we learn the small fish's fate, and how Klassen manages to put such a dark twist into a story for children. His unique drawing style is as lovely as ever, and the expressions that the characters wear adds to the humour. Who doesn't love a grumpy looking fish, after all?

If you haven't already read I Want My Hat Back, go and get that first. Once that's been read, make sure you pick up a copy of This Is Not My Hat. It's an absolute delight.

I can't help but feel positive that Jon Klassen is going to be a becomes very well known over the next few years. I certainly can't think of a more worthy winner of the Kate Greenaway Award, to be announced soon.

9/10

Picture Book - Stuck- Oliver Jeffers (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - Stuck- Oliver Jeffers (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

Oh, Oliver Jeffers. You make my life so good.

This is the third book by the author that I've read, and I'm yet to find anything that isnt utterly hilarious and compelling in any of them.

Floyd has got his kite stuck in a tree. No matter what he throws at it, he can't get it to come down. A ladder, the post-man, a house, an ocean-liner...that kite is well and truly stuck.

What skill it must take to make something as ordinary as getting a kite stuck in a tree to be so utterly captivating. The absurdity of the objects thrown, and the capacity of this tree to hold them, will have parent and child in stitches throughout. It's as wonderfully illustrated as ever, and ending will bring a smile that you can't easily remove, especially for those of us blessed with less than perfect memories.

If there's any children's author fast becoming a 'must-read-before-all-else', it's Oliver Jeffers. This man is a genius.

10/10

Picture Book - I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

Oh, this is good. This is so, so good.

A short while ago, I declared that The Princess and The Pig by Jonathan Emmett was my favourite picture book of all time. Now, I still love that book, but I'm afraid it's been usurped. I Want My Hat Back is my favourite present that my son received this Christmas, so many many thanks to my Uncle for spotting it. This book had me in stitches, and it's rare that you'll find a picture book that will genuinely be making you laugh.

There's a delightful quirkiness to the illustrations, and it's these illustrations that make the humour so complete. The way a shifty look is portrayed as one character lies about knowing nothing of bear's hat is brilliant, as is the pay off at the end when bear has had his revenge. It revisits dialogue from earlier in the book to maximum comedy effect, and even if your child enjoys it just for being a story where bear gets his hat back in the end, it's guaranteed to make you smile at the conclusion.

I almost feel like this book was written just for me, it fits my sense of humour so well. I have a feeling that this is going to become one of my son's favourites very, very quickly. As if he has a choice in the matter...

10/10

Picture Book - Yucky Mucky Manners - Sam Lloyd (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - Yucky Mucky Manners - Sam Lloyd (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

Immature as it may sound, it's hard not to be taken by a book that features a giraffe pooping on a mouse's head.

And if that's not a sentence that'll entice you to read a book, then I don't know what will. If you want a book to make young children giggle, then look no further. Featuring an array of animals misbehaving (a gorilla picking its nose, an elephant trumping), it's classic silly humour that is guaranteed to have your little ones laughing out loud, and asking to have it read again and again.

It's also lovely to see some extra love and detail put into each double page, as you can see a little of what the animal from the previous page did next - the giraffe, for instance, gets a telling off from his mouse friend. It's an extra little chance for you to talk to your child about the book, and have fun with the tiny details.

It's written in rhyme, so great for helping kids to get into the rhythm of reading. Highly recommended for when you and your child are in a giggly mood, and you want to make storytime fun.

9/10

Picture Book - A House in the Woods - Inga Moore (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - A House in the Woods - Inga Moore (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

A House in the Woods tells the story of two (that's right, TWO, not three!) little pigs, who decide to build a den and a hut in the woods to live in. Sadly, their friends Moose and Bear destroy both luxury properties accidentally. The four friends decide that should all live together in a house in the woods, so they enlist the help of the local beavers to make their dream a reality.

This is a really fun story. It's more wordy than a lot of picture books, so possibly for slightly older toddlers with slightly longer attention spans, but it's a great tale of friendship for them to hear, and it's bound to make children giggle in places. It made me smile particularly when you learn that the beavers want to be paid in peanut butter sandwiches - I wish the banks would start offering such a deal.

The illustrations reminded me of the styles I've seen in illustrations for Winnie the Pooh and Brer Rabbit, which brought a nostalgic tear to my eye. When you see the house in the woods, you'll be hard pressed not to want to go out and find the local beavers to build you one for yourself.

Well worth reading with your children.

9/10

Picture Book - Josh and the Woo Woo - David Bedford (Author) & Daniel Howarth (Illustrator)

Picture Book - Josh and the Woo Woo - David Bedford (Author) & Daniel Howarth (Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

As with any parent, as soon as I spot a book that has my child's name in it, I'm immediately drawn to it. So it was the case that, when shelving one day, I spotted Josh and the Woo Woo. Naturally, I didn't care what it was about - the fact it had my son's name in it was enough to warrant a reading.

Josh and the Woo Woo is about a rabbit who has five brothers and six sisters, and hates noise. Naturally, his siblings love to be noisy, and the story is about how Josh never wants to join in with any of their noisy games, until one day he finds something that has noises they all hate and he loves.

While Josh is admittedly a bit of a wimp (unlike my son, of course - his fearlessness makes me hope he'll be a champion snowboarder by the time he's 11), there's something irresistibly cute about the poor rabbit who likes the quiet. Sure, it's a bit of an illogical leap at the end to suggest that a his siblings would be scared of the noise a train makes after they embraced the sound of a helicopter, and that Josh would have the reverse effect, but it's a book for young children so I'll let that slide. Overall, it's a pleasant little story about a little boy who has learnt that he can have fun with other children, which is really what we're all hoping for with our own kids.

7/10

Picture Book - Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book - Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

I'm sure Dear Zoo needs no introduction, but what children's book blog would be complete without it?

For the three of you in the country who aren't familiar with it, Dear Zoo is all about a child writing to the zoo, asking to be sent a pet. Each pet that is sent isn't quite right (He was too scary/tall/grumpy etc.), so the zoo keeps trying until finally one is found that is just right.

It's so simple, but there are hundreds of ways you can make the story all the more fun. You can make noises for each animal as you go along, sing songs about each animal or have them all included in 'Old MacDonald (had a zoo...)', get children to draw each animal as they go along, give them all names with the same letter etc. The repeated 'So i sent him back!' line that goes with each animal is an easy one for children to do, and everytime we read this at Storytime in the library the children know what to do. I think the 'lift the flap' edition comes as standard, but you can also get editions with noises to play for each animal, with a CD of the story, and my favourite oversized editions, which come in at well over a metre high so all the children can see them easily.

It really isn't a collection of children's books unless you have this included.

10/10

Picture Book: The Hueys in The New Jumper – Oliver Jeffers (Author & Illustrator)

Picture Book: The Hueys in The New Jumper – Oliver Jeffers (Author & Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

It’s such a wonderful feeling when new books come into the library: that new book smell, the excitement of what might be inside, new ideas for displays and what to recommend to readers. It’s especially great when, having spotted a cover that catches your eye, you discover upon reading it that it’s everything you hoped it would be.

The Hueys in The New Jumper stuck out immediately with its orange and white design, and its intriguing depiction of ‘The Hueys’, who appear to be a distant cousin of the humble egg. They are all virtually identical, which is where the story gets its humour from. One Huey decides to knit himself an orange jumper, so that he can be different. Soon, all the other Hueys decide they want to be different by having a jumper, until all of them have one. It’s an excellent and humorous take on people trying to be individual but instead setting a trend, brought to life in a children’s story. The illustrations look like little sketches rather than the grand pictures you’ll be used to in most picture books, but I think it works really well, making the Hueys’ similarities all the more obvious.

If Oliver Jeffers has plans for more stories involving The Hueys, I can’t wait to read them.

10/10

Picture Book: The Princess and the Pig – Jonathan Emmett (Author) & Poly Bernatene (Illustrator)

Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers

It seems that every time you pick up a children’s picture book, your six month old boy tries to eat it. Sometimes you raise your eyebrows and ask him to let you finish it. Sometimes you let him carry on because it’s boring. But sometimes it’s so good you want to eat it too.

In The Princess and the Pig, a baby princess and piglet accidentally swap places, with the princess being raise by a lowly farmer and his wife, and the piglet growing up with the King and Queen as a princess. It’s a wonderful tale, full of humour that will make both children and adults smile, and has some great repeating lines. The illustrations are lovely, and do a great job of adding to the humour. You’ll laugh particularly at the sight of the pig dressed up as a princess, thrust into positions that the princess should be holding, and the reactions of others around it. For once, I was happy to immediately read it again to my son. As he’s six months old, this was at my own request, rather than his.

Without doubt, this is one of my favourite picture books that I have ever read, and a perfect way to start off this blog. I can't recommend it highly enough.

10/10