This year has been a great year for reading… loads of time at home and despite the library being closed, we have managed to read our way through piles of books. Books have been read and are loaded on my desk for more than a few book review posts… Picture Books are always a great way to start a series of Book Reviews!!!
Something Classic…
Green Eggs and Ham
Everybody loves a classic and if I were going to choose a classic to add to a family collection then this one would definitely be on the list. There is everything to love about this book for kids and their adult readers too.
Green Eggs and Ham was published 60 years ago this year, and is an absolute gem of a beginner reader. This book was written with just fifty words, after a challenge from Dr Suess’s editor. This book has inspired chefs all over the world to create Green Eggs and Ham, here is Martha Stewart’s version.
Something Cosy…
The Rabbit Listened
Oh if you are looking for a simply beautiful picture book that embraces all the love, then this is the one. The Rabbit Listened is the story of a little boy whose magnificent castle is destroyed and a series of his little animal friends offer to help: some offer to rebuild, some offer to help him shout with anger, everyone has a solution for him and a way for him to deal with his pain… but sometimes you just need someone to listen, and rabbit was that friend.
A good listener is someone who stands by you through thick and thin… through devastating times, and stays the journey all the way through the rebuilding. This is definitely one of those picture books that applies to everyone, and is so much more than a picture book. We absolutely loved this special book. You can find colouring sheets for this beautiful picture book over here.
Something Funny…
No-Bot, The Robot’s New Bottom!
This team of children’d writers make the most hilarious stories for little people, if you haven’t read Supertato, for instance, then you are missing out. This book is a little bit naught and will appeal immensely to your bathroom humour loving tot. So No-Bot is about a very enthusiastic little robot, called Bernard, who invites all his friends to play in the park. As they have a wonderfully happy play, Bernards bot is making all sorts of clunking noises and smokey smells.
His friend Bear takes his bot away to fix it, and Bernard is a little embarrassed, naturally… he is a robot, not a robot. His friends try to help him find a new bot, something comfy to sit on, something not to heavy, something to to smelly… eventually Bear does save the day, in true picture book “happily forever after” style. Funny, perfect for wriggly readers who love a chuckle in between wild play sessions.
Something Beautifully Dreamy…
What We’ll Build
Oliver Jeffers has to be a highlight of children’s picture books the world over. He write poignant picture books with quite the most magical illustrations to go with them. In this story, What We’ll Build, a dad and daughter team get together to plan and create and build. The book opens up with a peep into their toolbox, which is everything to love…
This is a wonderful poetic rhyme of all their whimsical dreams… illustrations with little details and wide open spaces for the reader’s imagination. It is lovely and magical and the perfect story to add to your bedtime story routine. If you love Oliver Jeffers’ books and you must (!), he had a brilliant lockdown project of reading his way through his stories on you tube and here’s a link to his Stay at Home Stories.
Something Mysterious…
That Dog
This is a lovely crime mystery for little people with a marvellously heroic pup who saves the day. Penny and Pat are dog collectors, “read” thieves, and they have so many, many dogs, but they always want more. They have their eye on a new dog in town, only this dog may be a little brighter, a little bit faster and a lot more on the case than either Penny or Pat were expecting.
Penny sends Pat out to find the masterful pup… he brings home a spotty dog, a pup with long ears (not a pup at all), a pup with a long tail… it’s actually a snake… Eventually the dog that Penny so desperately wants (spoiler alert) arrives at the front door, with the police. And all the pups went back to their homes and lived happily forever after. You can download activity packs for this book here.
Something Hilarious…
Nine Lives Newton
Nine Lives Newton is a the story of a pup who reads a signpost, not quite correctly, and realises, quite incorrectly… that dogs have nine lives. He sets off on the most unbelievable adventure and just escapes incredible danger at every turn. Newton is completely oblivious to all that can go wrong, and of course his constant companion, a kitty cat friend… sees all the dangers that he just, just escapes.
Near misses and endless suspense, somehow Newton manages to escape all life’s curveballs…and finally a very harassed and somewhat damaged cat manages to finally alert him to all the potential dangers and the fact that he does not have nine lives, and Newton is horrified and relieved… he looks up to see a new sign and again misreads a sign…
Dogs can fly!!! His poor kitty cat friend is horrified and there has to be a follow on book to this one… You can read more about Nine Lives Newton over here.
Something Boystrous…
Mini Monsters Can I Play
This is a picture book for very little people. It is the story of four mini monsters: Scout, Sparkle, Arthur and Tiny. The four little friends are preparing for a magic show together…(or not).
Sparkle is organising a magic show… and she wants everything just so, everyone must do as she says, and everyone must do as she tells them… and when her friends want to join in and do their own thing, well things fall apart quite quickly. Of course everything resolves beautifully, this is a story for tots after all. Sparkle discovers that by working together everyone can have a lot more fun… there is of course a little message for young readers, but the underlying theme of preparing for a show is the actual attraction for this book.
Affiliate Links for Books Mentioned in This Post
Thank you to Jonathan Ball Publishers for supplying this fabulous collection of books for review purposes. This is not a sponsored post and all the opinions are as usual my own.