It’s been a while since we posted a Picture Book Stack, and there are loads and loads of lovely new books to look at. These books are for the younger set and the wonderful folk that read to them and to help them start their of stories and their own reading journey.
Penelope Snoop Super Sleuth
We all know children like Penelope Snoop, who is the best Finder-Outer-in-the-Whole-Wide-World. Together with her dog Carlos, she sets out to find out what happened to her super-special shiny seashell. The illustrations are fantastic, bright neon beach colours and this somewhat curious team, who have all the beach gear you could ever imagine.
Together they set out to follow the clues… even underwater in a wondeful submersible… the two of them hunt high and low, and eventually discover that nobody took her super-special shiny seashell, but it might have moved itself!!! This is a delightful beach adventure, perfect bedtime reading. Loads to look at, a vibey story, good fun for a young book lover and the person who reads to them.
The Bridges
If you believe that books can take you anywhere and light up a life, then this is the book for you. It is a breathtakingly beautiful story of a little girl, called Mia, who is sad, her parents don’t have a lot of time for her and she feels very isolated. So isolated that she has a pretend island that she goes to in her head, a place where she is all alone and very sad. One day an elderly lady leaves a package for her and it is a book…
And with this book her barren little island becomes a beautiful garden and the more she reads the more beautiful the island becomes and bridges lead off to the local library, where there are more books to read… and friends to enjoy her bookish adventures with… a while later she sees a small boy on his own barren island and she is able to give him a gift… the very same book that she received to get off her own lonely island. This is a remarkable book, so much is said through the wonderful illustrations, this is a story full of hope, and a beautiful dreamy story to open up conversations about lonely feelings.
Van Gogh’s Dog
I have to say I love any book that brings a famous artist to life for young readers… and this is one is great. This is the story of man called, Vincent Van Gogh, who wants to be a great artist but he has nothing exciting to paint. While he is trying to think of ideas he is distracted by a little dog that runs by and in an effort to find the dog he runs all over town and has a wonderful adventure…
He and the dog become good friends and Van Gogh is so inspired that he paints a number of masterpieces… the pages are of the book are spreads of Van Gogh paintings, in and out of his town and home, sunflower fields and starry skies… it is delightful in every way. On the last spread of the book the famous paintings are popped on easels, as if in a gallery, for the young great artist reading the story.
Who Ate Steve
This is a book about size. Marcel is a large crow and Steve is a small worm. Unfortunately, since Marcel is one of the heroes of the story, Steve cannot eat him… and the entire book is a delightful romp, with Steve continuously being told to leave Marcel alone, until Spoiler Alert: on the very last page, Steve vanishes and there is a very smug cat called Felicity, filling the entire double spread.
Glorious illustrations, a triumph of a story… and with the added benefit in so many Nosy Crow books, there is a QR code and your little book lover can have the whole story read out loud to them. I love this feature, for so many many reasons… making books accessible to children everywhere is key.
Finding Filbert Frog and friends The First Big Adventure
This is a local book, published by Imaginary House, about Filbert Frog and his friends who find a map of town and head off on an exciting adventure. This book is more than a story, it is an activity book too, absolutely packed with things to find on every single page.
I would say it is aimed at beginner sleuths, not quite at the “Where’s Wally level, but definitely a good training ground for young adventurers to who would love to get into the spirit of hide-and-seek.
The Jelly Fish Jiggle
A lovely seaside read, written in rhyme for young adventurers… packed with an invitation to wriggle and move on every page. As our young beach goer wanders through the book, he is invited to scuttle like a crab, dive like a penguin, swim like a dolfin and more, and all the while doing the jellyfish jiggle.
This is a beachside romp, and bright and fun illustrations, anybody who is young at heart and loves a day out at the beach will absolutely love The Jellyfish Jiggle.
Flip Flap Forest
A wonderful collection of forest animals…This book is written in witty rhythm and rhyme, with glorious Axel Scheffler illustrations. The pages are hard and chunky, perfect for excited little hands.
Each page is split in two, so the animals can be mixed and matched throughout… your BEAR can become a BEIRREL, when mixed with a SQUIRREL. So you could literally have a different bedtime story every single time you read it.
No Matter What
I just love a classic children’s book that has been turned into a board book. This is the story of a little fox, called Small, who was feeling more than a little grumpy, and extremely unloved. And the very reassuring, Large, promises to love Small, no matter what. Of course, Small has to come up with all sorts o terrible situations… “What if I was a grizzly near?” “What if I was a bug?”
No matter what, Large will love Small… even in the deep dark night. This is a lovely bedtime poem, for all the “Smalls” in our lives, that have big feelings and big fears. This is really a gentle celebration, that no matter what, you will always be loved.
Hippobottomus
An amusing tale about a little hippopotamus, who is worried that his bottom is too big… and so begins a big argument. Some animals say it is way too big, others say that it is way too small… after a lot of debate, and a glorious fight, and some pondering, the little hippopotamus decides that his bottom is actually just right…
Lovely illustrations, just enough drama, a sweet story for self-conscious friends, and kindness, of course.
These books were given to us for review purposes by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely our own.