The heady joy of a pile of picture books and almost all of them have a glorious and watery theme.
I loved all the books in this week’s book stack and hope that you do too.
Beneath the Waves
This book is a nature study dream – perfect for any fish, pond or river study. For young fact finders, this book is just incredible…
Firstly it comes with twenty of the most glorious hard card fish models, to pop out and hang on a string. The fish are bright, colourful and realistic, brightening up any young naturalists workspace. (You can also put the fish back into the book and keep them safely there for future “fish observing” days).
Secondly, the book is packed with wonderful fishy facts. Each double page spread is all about one of the cardboard cutout fish models, you can actually hold the fish and read about it at the same time…There are so many fascinating facts, I spent ages reading about fish that can recognise themselves in a mirror, and fish that can almost swim at 70km an hour… Loads of absolutely fascinating facts.This is for nature lovers of all ages and stages.
Ode to the River
This is a delightful and beautifully illustrated picture book about the journey of a river, from the source to the sea. It is a glorious celebration of nature and and the wildlife that one finds in and alongside a river.
A little mouse follows the river downstream, on a poetic adventure, collecting little friends along the way.
No-one in the friend group knows where the river is going, it is an interesting mystery. This story is quite an adventurous adventure for the very young, with interesting facts, hidden under flaps and every couple of pages there is something to peek the curiosity of a young person and their grown-up reader. The spirit of the book is gentle and poetic, the rhythm of the words matches the flow of the river. This book is a delight and every young water lover will absolutely love it.
The Girl and the Mermaid
Possibly the most gloriously magical picture book EVER!!! This is the story of Alina, who lives in a lighthouse with her grandmother. Her grandmother is forgetting her wonderful stories and Alina is afraid the stories will be lost forever… but a mermaid takes her on an underwater adventure, down into the deepest of seas, where together they retrieve the lost stories and protect them.
This is pure magic, and between the rhyming story and the wonderful illustrations, you can’t help but wish that you could climb inside this beautiful and gentle book.
I absolutely loved the undersea, magical world created in this book. This beautiful picture book will be loved by ocean dreamers and mermaids of all ages.
The Comet
The Comet is a story about a little girl called Nyla, and her wonderful relationship with her dad… this is definitely a very positive and vibey book for dad’s and daughters, everywhere. Together, Nyla and her dad make incredible feasts, read loads of stories, create beautiful art and basically live their best lives, until her dad has to move to the city for work and life immediately changes for the worse. They are no longer living life in colour… it is a grey and horrible place to stay.
It is only when she sees a comet that Nyla realises what she has lost and that things could change. It turns out her dad has to see a comet too and together they work hard to create their wonderful life again. A beautiful bed time story for loving and creative kids of all ages.
Never Dance with a Dinosaur
This book is pure and high-spirited joy. Peri is a bouncer, a mover and a shaker, and she is dying to join her big sister’s dancing class and become a dancer. But Peri very quickly discovers that dancing classes are not quite what she expected.
Try as she might, Peri is unable to contain her natural exuberance, and her teacher Miss Tippytoes eventually finds a wonderful solution. This is the perfect bedtime bounce, a lovely story for all sorts of dancers to enjoy.
How to be a Viking
In true and magnificent Cressida Cowell style we meet a very young Hiccup, who is deeply concerned that he is the only viking ever to be sea sick and afraid, afraid of so many things. In fact, maybe he isn’t a viking at all? But his feisty dad, Stoick the Vast, is convinced that that is impossible, vikings are never afraid and absolutely never get sea-sick.
Off they go to sea, only to be caught in a wild and crazy storm – and it turns out that Vikings definitely do become afraid. With the entire crew shivering in their boots, and not a little green on account of the rough seas, it is up to Hiccup to save the day. A true story of an unsung hero, and Hiccup definitely qualifies for Viking status after this wild adventure.
A great bedtime read for youngsters who aren’t quite ready for chapter books, or who just love all things “How to Train Your Dragon.” And I especially love this story about Hiccup, and the special tribute to Cressida Cowell’s father, the personal glimpse at her childhood is delightful.
Follow that Shark
This is a delightful board book, with a little shark and finger trails to follow… through all sorts of wonderful underwater spreads. So many wonderful little creatures to learn about from puffins and pufferfish, narwhals to squids, loads to delight upon.
There is lots of lovely texture on the pages, and all sorts of adorable sea creatures. This book would be perfect for little beach loving adventurers and a great addition to any beach trip or a holiday adventure.
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.
