Rose Lagercrantz, with artwork by Eva Eriksson “Mitt lyckliga liv”, translated from Swedish by Julia Marshall (Gecko Press) Dani is a happy little girl. She is about to start school, and she has been waiting to do that for a long, long time, even though she doesn’t really know anybody there. When she gets to …
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My Funny Family
Chris Higgins, with artwork by Lee Wildish(Hodder Children’s Books) Mattie is nine years old and is a little bit of a worrier. Life can be chaotic in the Butterfields’ household so it is little wonder that Mattie feels anguish: her best friend is a bit bossy, her little sister V is always cross, her grandmother sometimes …
Shrinking Violet
Lou Kuenzlerwith artwork by Kirsten Collier(Scholastic Children’s Books) Violet is so excited as she has finally reached the height required to ride Plunger, the biggest and scariest rollercoaster around. But just as she is about to get on the ride, disaster strikes: Violet literally shrinks to the size of a fish finger. Her chances of riding Plunger are …
Magical Mix-Ups: Birthdays and Bridesmaids
Marnie Edwards (text) & Leigh Hodgkinson (illustrations)(Nosy Crow) Princess Sapphire and Emerald the Witch, who live in Mixtopia, a land where everything is a little bit topsy–turvy. In this first adventure, the two friends are invited to a wedding party in Fairyland. After deciding upon their gladrags, the girls are on their way, it looks …
Amazing Esme
Tamara Macfarlane (text) & Michael Fowkes (illustrations)(Hodder Children’s Books) When Esme arrives at Mackinley Castle, ready to spend the summer with her uncle while her parents travel through Russia looking for new circus acts, she is met not only by her boisterous cousins but a whole menagerie of animals too. It is all very exciting, but also a …
The Comic Strip Big Fat Book of Knowledge
Tracey Turner (text) & Sally Kindberg (illustrations)(Bloomsbury Children’s Books) This big (and indeed fat!) book combines The Comic Strip History of The World, The Comic History of Space and The Comic Strip Greek Myths in one volume. If you have not come across this series before, The Comic Strip offers a great overview of its …
The Tales of Olga da Polga
Michael Bond with illustrations by Catherine Rayner(Oxford University Press) Olga da Polga is no ordinary guinea-pig. Opinionated, self-observed and rather greedy, she is , as the narrator describers her at the beginning of the tale, “the sort of guinea-pig who would go places”. When she finally leaves the pet shop for her new home and life, she finds herself …
Books that encourage boys’ creativity
My boy is quite creative. He loves drawing, likes writing stories. But he also needs a lot of encouragement, as he can be a bit reluctant too. With the summer holidays just starting, I hunted down a few titles which I knew he would really enjoy. Mega Mash-up: Aliens vs Mad Scientists under the OceanNikalas …
Food is Fun!
Cathy Olmedillas (text) & Rob Lowe (illustrations and design)(The Anorak Press) Created by the duo behind the fabulous Anorak Magazine, this hip and stylish non-fiction book all about food is a feast for the eyes as well as for the brain. Packed full of recipes, games, jokes, vegetable information sheets and historical facts, this beautifully designed book …
One Dog and His Boy
Eva Ibbotsonwith illustrations by Sharon Rentta(Marion Lloyd Books) All Hal has ever wanted is a dog. Not the latest gadgets, the endless toy parcels from the big department stores. Not even a pure-bred, expensive dog. Just a dog he can call his own. But his parents are not keen: his dad spends all his time …