Tag Archives: picture book

May13

Great-Grandma’s Gifts by Marianne Jones

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ggrandmasgiftscoverGreat-Grandma’s Gifts by Marianne Jones and illustrated by Karen Reinikka, picture e-book, 25 pages, published by Split Tree Publishing in 2013.

A quaint book about a little girl that grows up to be a grandmother and shares her love for her children an grandchildren through sewing. Arlene learns to sew from her mother, sewing clothes for her doll. When she grows up, she continues to sew things for her own children, and then for her grandchildren.

I was a little confused about the title, as Arlene doesn’t sew anything for great-grandchildren in the story. On reflection, I suppose the real gift is from Arlene’s mother, who would be a great-grandma, as she is the one who taught Arlene to sew. I also wondered why Arlene would be cutting up shirts, coats and dresses if she had such a large supply of cloth to use? Or was the pile of cloth just old clothes that could be re-purposed?

The text is clear and simple. I liked that some of the words were coloured for emphasis, for example, the phrase “as red as a valentine” was done in red, and the colour words were in their own colours. Each page has a coloured background with simple illustrations, which looked to be done in watercolours.

This picture book didn’t really tickle my fancy. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t capture me.

Great-Grandma’s Gifts is most suitable for lower to middle primary school children.

 

*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.

May12

Kitty Conquers the Big Bully by KayeC Jones

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Kitty'scoverKitty Conquers the Big Bully by KayeC Jones, picture e-book, 32 pages, published in 2016.

Kitty is having fun playing on her own as a knight when a big bully called Ronnie comes along. He tells her girls can’t be knights and pushes her in the mud. Kitty has an excellent way of overcoming the bully. She picks herself up and imagines all the things that she can become if she wants to, no matter if other people say negative things to her.

This is a delightful and unique book. It screams ‘girl power’ but the main message is good for both girls and boys. Believe in yourself and don’t let the bullies win! Kitty doesn’t retaliate with violence, nor does she stoop to the same level as Ronnie. She is better than that, and stronger. She conquers him in the best way possible, by ignoring his rude and ignorant comments and being herself and knowing that she can achieve whatever she wants.

The story was mostly rhyming, and was good to read aloud, though there were a few words that I had to explain to the kids. I’m not actually sure what a ‘flim-flam’ is myself, or why ladies would need saving from them! The text itself was large, clear and easy to read. Each letter ‘i’ was capped with a little heart where the dot goes. My six year old thought that was pretty neat!

Every page has clear, bright illustrations. I liked that Kitty’s friends, the teddy and bunny, accompany her through each of her ideas of what she could do. Kitty has pretty awesome hair, I especially like it when she is composing music. Ronnie is suitably scary and sour looking!

Kitty Conquers the Big Bully is suitable for preschool and primary school children.

 

*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.

May2

Waneta Walrus and her Blue Tutu by Jean Ingellis

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wanetacoverWaneta Walrus and her Blue Tutu by Jean Ingellis, e-book, 27 pages, published by Jean and Vic Publishing in 2015.

Waneta is a Walrus with only one tusk. She is very self conscious about this, and the other walruses tease her. When a small walrus pup finds himself in trouble with a shark in the water, Waneta doesn’t hesitate to go to his aid. Can she beat the shark and save the pup?

The text was bold and clear, and the story was easy to follow. Overall I liked the book. The story itself was told through rhyming language, which  is great to read aloud. Waneta was very brave to take on a shark. I’ve never really thought of walruses as being graceful creatures, so the idea of them moving like a ballerina was a little funny too.

Each page had a simple and bold illustration, which reminded me of making drawings with the paint program on my computer when I was a child. Made me a bit nostalgic actually. These simple illustrations are good for young children. I liked the picture of the walruses sleeping on the beach best.

While the story states that teasing others is wrong, this still had a ring of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to it. The other walruses only liked Waneta after she did something that helped them. It’s good that they stopped bullying her, but it shouldn’t take an act of bravery for the others to be nice to her. I don’t want my kids to learn that they have to do something extraordinary or prove themselves to have others treat them nicely.

We also learn that Waneta has two goals that she is trying to achieve, and it’s great to have goals in life. However, one of her goals is to have two tusks. I didn’t like this goal as it suggested that Waneta wasn’t fine just the way she was. This idea of poor body image was compounded by her embarrassment of the missing tusk, where she covered the gap with her flipper to prevent others seeing it. Also, having a missing tusk is something that Waneta can’t change, so she was always going to fail in her goal. It would have been better to make the goal something that was actually achievable, even if in the end she didn’t manage to do it.

Waneta Walrus and her Blue Tutu is most suitable for lower primary school children. Older reluctant readers may also find this a good read. There are more books coming in this series 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.

Apr29

Tongue Twisters for Girls by Honeysuckle Hale

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tonguetwisterscoverTongue Twisters for Girls by Honeysuckle Hale and illustrated by Aline Jorge, 59 pages, published in 2016.

Try out this collection of original tongue twisters. How fast can you say them?

These tongue twisters rely on alliteration and rhyme to trip you up, but it is lots of fun to try! Some of the short ones were deceptively difficult to say aloud, but those were the ones I liked the best. My favourite was about Betsy and her biscuits. These must be read aloud, and repeated! I got rather tangled in most of them after about the second repeat, but some of them I didn’t even get right the first time, much to the amusement of my kids. Much laughter was to be had trying these.

There is one tongue twister presented per page in large, solid text. Simple yet bold illustrations accompany each tongue twister on the opposing page. These pictures are quite lovely and suit the text well. My favourite picture was of Karen and her cartwheeling kitten.

Tongue Twisters for Girls is really suitable for all age groups, though primary school children will probably get the most joy from it! Who can say each one fast three times without stumbling in your house?

 

*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.

Apr6

Tyranno-sort-of Rex by Christopher Llewelyn and Scott Tulloch

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tyrannosortofrexcoverTyranno-sort-of Rex by Christopher Llewelyn and illustrated by Scott Tulloch, paperback picture book, published by Scholastic New Zealand Limited.

At the end of a dinosaur dig, the bones are carefully packed and labelled to be shipped back to the museum. Unfortunately, during a rough sea journey, the bones become one big jumbly mess. The museum’s curator tries to put them together again, ready for the big exhibition, but things go a little awry.

Dinosaur books are always a hit in our house, but this book is our new favourite! We’ve only had it for a couple of weeks, and it has been read multiple times every day so far. One of my boys even woke in the night crying because he wanted his new dino book to cuddle! He already knows some of the words, and joins in when the curator gets out his drill.

Tyranno-sort-of Rex is very funny with lovely colour illustrations throughout. It will make your child laugh when they see what the curator comes up with. I especially like when the skeleton ends up with two heads! The lyrical text makes it excellent to read aloud, and the repetition of the curator’s actions will have the kids joining in in no time! I love reading this book to my kids.

Suitable for preschoolers and primary age children, adults will also enjoy the curator’s dino designs in Tyranno-sort-of Rex. Every young dinosaur fan should have this humourous book in their collection.

 

Apr5

The Pirate Train by Nicole Plyler Fisk

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piratetraincoverThe Pirate Train by Nicole Plyler Fisk, with Jack Fisk and illustrated by Chad Vivas, picture book, published by Grog Blossom Press in 2015.

The Yo-Ho-Matey family are seafaring pirates, until one day Pirate Bro develops a nasty case of sea-sickness. The whole family looks for a new method of transportation off the oceans, settling on a train, in which they can travel around looking for treasure.

Overall I liked this fun tale of sticking together as a family no matter what happens. My kids liked it too. It was a good reminder that family is important, and that as long as we have our family around for support we can adapt to any situation we find ourselves in.

Whilst the text does rhyme, it didn’t flow as nicely as I would have liked. It just lacked the rhythm I was expecting, so it didn’t sound as nice read aloud. Having said that, my younger kids didn’t complain, and still asked for a second reading! They did have a giggle over pirates on a train!

The illustrations are colourful and clear, capturing the story well. Boy does Pirate Bro have some seriously thick eyebrows! That feature seemed to jump out from every page. I didn’t like the pirates’ black eyes either. I did like how they are dressed and the way that Parrot Tom is depicted with his little pirate vest and eye-patch.

This book is suitable for preschoolers and lower primary school children. The Pirate Train is the first in a proposed series following the Yo-Ho-Matey family on their adventures. It will be interesting to see where they travel to next and if they find any treasure to add to their hoard.

 

*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.

Apr3

Weeds in Nana’s Garden by Kathryn Harrison

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weedsinnanasgardencoverWeeds in Nana’s Garden by Kathryn Harrison, picture book, published by Flipturn Publishing in 2016.

Nana’s garden is a special place, full of blooms, lush greenery and fairies. A young girl enjoys time with her Nana in the garden throughout the year, until one summer she discovers weeds choking the garden beds. She has never seen weeds like that in Nana’s garden, and she doesn’t know how or why her Nana would let the garden get like that. Her mother explains that Nana has Alzheimer’s Disease, and her brain is developing more and more tangles that make it hard for her to think and remember, a bit like how the weeds in the garden were making it hard for the plants to grow properly.

Weeds in Nana’s Garden is a lovely picture book designed to help explain Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias to young children through a garden analogy. The weeds in the garden are like the tangles growing in Nana’s mind, causing her confusion, frustration and forgetfulness. It is sad to experience a loved one being claimed by dementia, and it can be very difficult to explain the process to children. This book will make it much easier for children to understand what is happening.

Each page is executed with colourful illustrations. Can you find the cat and fairies in each picture? The text is simple and easy to read, and the story is not too long. It is well written for the intended audience.

I think this book would be an excellent resource for families dealing with the onset of dementia in their loved ones. There is a question and answer section at the back that answers some of the common questions that children might ask. This will help parents to explain this disease in simple terms to their children.

Weeds in Nana’s Garden is suitable for preschoolers to primary school children. Sales of this book will also help the Alzheimer Society of Canada, with $1.00 from each book sold being donated to them.

 

*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.

 

Mar18

Tabby, Tabby, Burning Bright by Emily Martha Sorensen

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TabbyTabbyBurningBrightCoverTabby, Tabby, Burning Bright by Emily Martha Sorensen, e-book picture book, 27 pages, published in 2016.

The tabby cat has swallowed a flashlight, and everywhere he goes, he emits a yellow glow from his mouth. He uses his newfound ability to his advantage, as a distraction and for fun. How did he get the flashlight to start with?

Tabby, Tabby, Burning Bright is a silly rhyming story that made me chuckle. Each page has just one line of text with a cute illustration. I liked the way the cat was drawn, and the picture of Mum chasing him with a broom was funny. Whilst the story is reasonably short, some of the words were difficult for young children, such as ‘ire’ and ‘conceit’, but it didn’t reduce the enjoyment we got from this book. I just prepared for my first grader to ask for their meaning. My sons loved this story, asking me to read it again and again!

Suitable for lower primary school students and preschoolers, it is a good one to read aloud, and listen to the rhythmic flow of the text.

 

*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.

Mar11

If You Have a Hat by Gerald Hawksley

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ifyouhaveahatcoverIf You Have a Hat by Gerald Hawksley, picture e-book, published in 2011.

A whimsical rhyming picture book, If You Have a Hat, is perfect for preschoolers. The language is simple and fun, so early readers can also enjoy reading it themselves. The illustrations are clear and bright, and sometimes a little silly. The man eating peas was a favourite of my boys. I liked the hippo in the bath myself. I enjoyed reading this book with my boys, and watching them giggle.

 

Mar11

The Perfect Shade of Green by Brian Barlics

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perfectgreencover copyThe Perfect Shade of Green by Brian Barlics and illustrated by Gregory Burgess Jones, e-book, published by Black Rose Writing in 2014.

Cami is a chameleon who likes to stay green. Even when her friends change colour, she just wants to be herself, her green self. No need to change, because Cami is perfect just the way she is!

This is a delightful rhyming tale about being yourself, and making no excuses for it. Cami is a strong character that likes the way she is and wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m always encouraging my kids to be themselves, and this book was a good starting point for a conservation about being ourselves and being proud of ourselves.

Each page is filled with gorgeous illustrations. My children loved pointing out the ‘hidden’ chameleons, and they liked that Cami was wearing a pink, frilly skirt. I love the rainbow chameleon!

The Perfect Shade of Green is a beautiful picture book suitable for preschoolers and lower primary school children. The lyrical text definitely lends itself to being read aloud, so it is also a great book to share with youngsters.