Tag Archives: children’s book

Nov29

Little Jakey’s House by Richard Edgley

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IMG_6039Little Jakey’s House by Richard Edgley and illustrated by Kalpart, paperback picture book, 28 pages, published by Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co. in 2014.

Little Jakey’s House is the first book in the Little Jakey series, which follows a small black panther called Jacob. In this book Jakey has started out on an adventure and is looking for a home of his own. He looks in bushes and trees until he finds just the right place for him, with protection from the rain and wind, and a place for a cosy bed.

This is a simple and engaging story with beautiful full-page illustrations. There is a lot of detail in the illustrations; they really capture what is happening in the tale. Little Jakey is very cute! Quite a lovable character actually, and perfect for kids.

The layout of Little Jakey’s House was good for my kindergartner, as there was plain black text on one page, while the opposite page was filled with an illustration. She found this made the book very easy to read because it was so clear. It was also at a good level for her to read herself, just a few words she wasn’t sure of. She really enjoyed reading about Jakey finding his house, and is keen for more Little Jakey stories.

I also sat down and read this to my toddlers. Throughout the story they kept pointing to Jakey and saying “meow”! They seemed to enjoy it quite a lot, but got a bit fidgety towards the end. I think it was maybe a little long for them at the moment. T1 still asked me to read it to him again later though.

Most suitable for preschoolers and lower primary school students, Little Jakey’s House is a promising start to a new series. Myself and my kids are looking forward to the next title, Little Jakey Goes Swimming, which is coming out soon.

 

*I received this book from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

 

Nov24

Horrible Histories: The Big Fat Christmas Book by Terry Deary

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IMG_5904Horrible Histories: The Big Fat Christmas Book by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown, hardback, 159 pages, published by Scholastic Ltd. in 2014.

Come on a journey through the twelve days of Christmas Horrible Histories style!

This book is divided into sections for each of the twelve days of Christmas from the 25th of December through to the 5th of January. Each part is dedicated to a different aspect of Christmas, such as food, animals, royals, games and weather. It covers many eras in history, from the Stone Age through to more recent history. Each section also contains some information on something that happened in history on that particular day.

There is a lot to learn in this interesting and entertaining non-fiction book for primary school students. The Horrible Histories series makes learning history fun, and this Christmas book is particularly good. I had no idea that Christmas was such a popular time for bad things to happen in the past! There are be-headings, ghosts, wars, storms and other amazing historical events to read about. It is made more fun through the use of anecdotes, comics, plays and illustrations.

With Christmas coming up, now’s a great time to sit down and read a good Christmas book, and this one really is fun. It’s a must for any Horrible Histories fan!

Nov23

Agent Darcy and Ninja Steve in Tiger Trouble by Grant Goodman

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IMG_5897Agent Darcy and Ninja Steve in Tiger Trouble by Grant Goodman, paperback novel, 188 pages, published in 2015.

Ninja Steve lives in Ninjastoria, where everyone wears masks and ghosts are real. He is an average student that keeps getting compared to his genius older sister. Apart from his swordsmanship, he really isn’t living up to her standards! In another land, Agent Darcy is a student at the Bureau of Sneakery, where she is one of the top students. When Agent Darcy and her rival, Agent Serena, are sent on a student exchange to Ninjastoria, they have to work together to complete their mission. They pull Ninja Steve and his best friend, Samurai Sam, into their game, getting them all into serious trouble. Will they be able to make things right?

A book that combines ninjas and spies, of course my expectations were high, and I have not been disappointed! Agent Darcy and Ninja Steve in Tiger Trouble is funny, action packed and engaging. The story was easy to read, flowing nicely between the two perspectives of Agent Darcy and Ninja Steve. I read the whole book in one day, as I couldn’t sleep without knowing what happened, so I got up and finished reading it! The action sequences were exciting, and I enjoyed learning about the world that has been created for the story. The Maze of Mirrors sounds horrible, but I wouldn’t mind a Field of Tall Purple Grass (as long as there are no snakes of course). I also enjoyed the puns throughout the story, gave me plenty of giggles.

I really liked Ninja Steve and Agent Darcy. Even though they are still young, Darcy and Steve are able to show maturity and dedication in their professions when required. They are kind, loyal and willing to help others. At first, I didn’t like Ninja Nora or Agent Serena much, but they grew on me through the story. Serena and Nora are quite similar, both are very clever and good at their jobs, but with that comes a lot of arrogance. Serena taunts Darcy and Nora is rather mean to Steve at times, but when trouble arrives, both girls show fierce loyalty towards their companions.

This book is suitable for middle primary school to lower high school students. I believe it is only the first in an upcoming series following Ninja Steve’s and Agent Darcy’s adventures. I am looking forward to another trip to Ninjastoria soon!

 

*I received this book from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Nov13

Aussie Christmas Books for Children

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With Christmas only six weeks away, it was time to pull out some of our Christmas books. We have a pretty good selection of Christmas themed books and I wanted to share some of the Australian ones here.

IMG_3000Our absolute favourite Christmas book, What Does Santa do When it’s not Christmas? is by Australian author and illustrator Heath McKenzie. It is a perfect picture book for sharing aloud and is sure to make you laugh!

IMG_5824Other humourous rhyming books for an Aussie Christmas include There Was an Old Bloke who Swallowed a Present and There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Star, both by P. Crumble and Louis Shea. With hilarious illustrations and a familiar cadence, these are great for young children.

IMG_5827For some Christmas carols with an Aussie twist Colin Buchanan has it covered with Santa Koala (to the tune of Waltzing Matilda), Aussie Jingle Bells and The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas. The latter also has a list of things to spot in the pictures throughout the book. Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas is a collection of songs by Bucko & Champs which can be sung to the tunes of some traditional carols. Possibly the most popular Australian Christmas song is Six White Boomers by Rolf Harris and Bruce Whatley; it is certainly our favourite! We also like The Twelve Cats of Christmas by Kevin Whitlark. If you’re more of a dog lover, you may prefer The Twelve Dogs of Christmas!

IMG_5829IMG_5833It wouldn’t be Christmas without reading An Aussie Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve! I love the idea of Santa arriving in an old ute.

Fans of Diary of a Wombat won’t be able to pass Christmas Wombat by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. That wombat sure does like carrots!

IMG_5830We have a picture book called Santa is Coming to Sydney. Santa takes the whole night to make his special deliveries to Sydney children before flying home… it’s probably nice for kids in Sydney to read about Santa coming to their city, but my kids weren’t really impressed, as it made it seem like Santa would only be visiting Sydney. I do like that Santa uses Santa-Nav to get around though.

IMG_5836If you’re looking for something to keep the kids entertained, you might like to try Where’s Santa? In Australia by Louis Shea. There are literally hundreds of things to spot in this Where’s Wally?-esque book. The humourous illustrations will keep the kids busy for hours!

We also enjoyed The Australian Twelve Days of Christmas by Michael Salmon (my favourite version), Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly and Robert Ingpen, and Christmas in Australia by John Williamson and Mitch Vane. We borrowed these ones from the library.

What Aussie Christmas books do you like to read with your kids?

 

 

Nov4

The Hippity Dippity Witch by Lorraine O’Byrne

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hippitydippitycoverThe Hippity Dippity Witch: Trouble in Willow Grove by Lorraine O’Byrne, e-book, 138 pages, published by Updrift in 2015.

To avoid a spelling test Jenny ditches school and goes to visit Willow Grove, a wood where her animal friends live. Since her last visit to Willow Grove, a young witch called Marigold has been wreaking havoc with her poor spell work. Marigold is the niece of Willow Grove’s resident witch, Griselda, who will not be impressed by Marigold’s interactions in the wood.

This was a quick and entertaining read. It contained short chapters, which are great for younger kids, and some black and white illustrations scattered through the book. I enjoyed reading about Marigold’s mishaps, which often made me laugh. I think this would be an excellent book to share with my kindergartner.

I enjoyed reading The Hippity Dippity Witch; it was well written, and the plot flowed nicely. The story finished with hints towards a sequel, so hopefully there will be more books to come. I was surprised by the twist for Jenny towards the end of the story, but thought that it fit nicely.

The characters were interesting. Marigold was a bratty, dislikeable girl with a temper, though her mistakes were rather funny! I liked her rhyming spells, it’s just a shame that they never quite worked. Jenny on the other hand was a caring, polite and gentle child who talks to animals. I liked Griselda too, she was a talented witch, who was also strong and kind.The little woodland creatures were funny, especially after their encounters with Marigold!

The Hippity Dippity Witch is a wonderful story for lower to middle primary school students. I hope there will be more stories about Jenny, Griselda and Marigold soon!

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Nov3

Annalise’s Up and Down Day by Denise L Jenne and Julie Iannone

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AnnalisecoverAnnalise’s Up and Down Day by Denise L Jenne and illustrated by Julie Iannone, picture e-book, published by Gill Publishing in 2015.

Annalise is a little girl exploring the meaning of up and down throughout her day. She gets up in the morning and starts a wonderful summer day, experiencing nature, play and family.

Each page of Annalise’s Up and Down Day shows something that is up and something that is down. It’s repetitive nature will assist in reinforcing the concept of the opposites, down and up. It is a fun way to cover basic ideas, and I can easily see a series of Annalise books covering other opposites.

The language and text are very simple and easy to read, suitable for toddlers and preschoolers. My toddlers liked this book, and engaged by telling me which item was up or down on the pages.

There was something about the illustrations that didn’t quite appeal to me. The pictures are detailed watercolour paintings, but I think Annalise’s face or hair isn’t consistent throughout the book, and this threw me. I guess it’s not really that important, my kids didn’t seem bothered at all. Some of the pages were split to show “up” on one side and “down” on the other. I preferred the pages that weren’t split.

Annalise’s Up and Down Day is a nice and simple book to share with a child.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Oct11

Horrible Histories: Horribly Hilarious Joke Book by Terry Deary

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IMG_5394Horrible Histories: Horribly Hilarious Joke Book by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown and Philip Reeve, paperback, 86 pages, published by Scholastic Ltd in 2009.

This is a collection of historical jokes, just right for middle to upper primary school students. The book is divided into sections based on the popular Horrible Histories books, such as jokes from the Groovy Greeks or the Incredible Incas. Many of the jokes were rather cringe-worthy and perfect for “Dad Jokes”, so I laughed a lot, and so did my kids. There are plenty of black and white illustrations to make you laugh too! It is a rather short book with only a few jokes on each page, so it was a quick read, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. We quite like this sort of humour in our house!

Oct11

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland

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IMG_5266Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland, paperback picture book, first published by Ragged Bear Publishing Ltd. in 1997, this edition published by Picture Corgi in 2014.

This is a cute count-down book perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. It uses simple language and large text, making it easy for young children to follow the words. The illustrations are bright and colourful. The story is funny, it rhymes, and most importantly there are dinosaurs!

My toddlers have been asking me to read Ten Terrible Dinosaurs a lot lately. They like to make roaring sounds throughout as they pretend to be the dinosaurs in the story. The repetition of the numbers has been helping them to learn the numbers, and we like to count the dinosaurs together. Knowing that the number will rhyme with the previous line has encouraged them to try to predict the next number. They also laugh every time we get to the dinosaur whose silly trick goes wrong, and when one of the dinosaurs gets stuck in a tree!

 

Oct7

Dino Shapes by Suse MacDonald

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IMG_5268Dino Shapes by Suse MacDonald, board book, published by First Little Simon in 2014, previously published as Shape by Shape in 2009.

My toddlers are obsessed with dinosaurs at the moment. As soon as they saw this cute little board book, they wanted it. It has been read over and over and over… They love it. I also like it, it has been helpful in teaching them some shapes.

Each page is a bold colour, the text is easy to read and simple. It starts with two black circles for eyes, and each page uses a new shape in the story, adding detail to the dinosaur. There are cut-outs on the pages for each shape the story uses. These accumulate to provide the final picture. It is quite clever really, though as far as I know, Brachiosaurus didn’t have big pointy triangular teeth!

Inside the front cover there are also different shapes printed in bright colours with the name of the shape beneath each one. I often ask my toddlers to point out certain shapes before we read the story. They like to repeat the names of the shapes after I read them out too.

Dino Shapes comes in a sturdy board book format and is perfect for babies and toddlers.

 

Sep24

The Secret of Sinbad’s Cave by Brydie Walker Bain

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The Secret of Sinbads Cave CoverThe Secret of Sinbad’s Cave by Brydie Walker Bain, e-book, 128 pages, published in 2015.

Nat, Jack and Kathleen Sheppard arrive at their Dad’s farm for the holidays only to be told that the farm in not profitable and must be sold. They are devastated, the farm has been in the family for generations and they love it. While they are still digesting this news, young Kathleen discovers a hidden room alongside the attic. Inside is a set of extraordinary items that will lead the Sheppards on an exciting treasure hunt. This might just be what they need to save the farm, but all adventures have obstacles. They are not the only ones searching for this particular treasure, and their rivals won’t let a few kids stand in the way of success.

The Secret of Sinbad’s Cave is a wonderful fantasy adventure set on the North Island of New Zealand  amidst stunning landscapes and caves carved into the mountains and valleys thousands of years before. The story is fast paced and engaging. I read it fairly quickly and enjoyed every moment of it. It combines mystery and fantasy with drama and adventure to create the perfect hunt for an ancient treasure. It made me think of books such as King Solomon’s Mines, Treasure Island, and The Famous Five books, that I read as a child, and still love today.

The characters are well developed and written. I feel that I got to know the kids rather well through the story, especially Nat. Though I like all the kids, my favourite character is Abraham. He is an amazing leader and protector with a few tricks up his sleeve. As I read about him, my mind conjured an older, yet fairly spry Maori man with the whole wisdom of New Zealand’s history, spirits, legends and myths, as well as an extraordinary insight into human nature. What a beautiful character to guide the young heroes of the story safely through their adventure. The villains were equally well written, and quite dislikable in all respects!

The cover of this book is beautiful. It caught my attention, though it took me a little while to realise what the lights on the roof of the cave are! It would be such an amazing experience to see a cave formation like that, and it is the perfect setting for such a wonderful treasure hunting expedition.

While The Secret of Sinbad’s Cave is suitable for middle to upper primary school children, it is also an exciting read for adults. I look forward to reading Nat’s next adventure in The Ship of Sight and the Hand of Shadow, the second book in The Natnat Adventures series.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.