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< Back Leah Ingledew Meowl! Max is a dog and Mia is a cat, and they are very good friends. They like each other a lot. But in the city of Up, dogs and cats are not allowed to be friends. They are not allowed to meet, or talk or play. Dogs and cats are just too different to get on, or so they say in the city of Up. So Max and Mia decide to meet in secret, and every day at sunrise and sunset they play and have lots of fun. Until one day, they are caught, and a big wall is built to keep them apart. But Max and Mia are not happy to be separated and they run far away from their families and the city of Up. How will the two young friends cope away from the parents? And who will protect them now, when they are all alone and in the wilderness? This is a sweet and charming picture book, superbly written and illustrated by Ingeldew. It is a story about forbidden love and friendship, and the destructiveness of forced separation. The book is reminiscent of the story of Romeo and Juliet, but for younger children (and with a happier ending!). The more society pushes Max and Mia apart, the more they are driven to stay together. This is a deep and complex story, but told through dog and cat characters it will easily resonate with younger children. It will help children to learn that despite our physical differences, we are all the same, with the same desires to be happy, have fun, and seek friendships and love. It is a timely reminder for us all. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘A story about forbidden love and friendship between two feline and canine friends. Superbly written and illustrated by Ingeldew. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Margaret Grote I Like Mud A fun collection of poetry for young readers, and the young at heart. I Like Mud and other poems for the young and young-at-heart is a collection of fourteen poems by author Margaret Grote, Illustrated by Marcia Wheelan Coles. The poems cover a wide range of fun topics, such as ‘I Like the Beach’, ‘The Ice Cream Man’, ‘My Dog’, ‘My Friends’, and ‘I Like Mud’. Each poem is short and succinct (one to two pages), and easy to read. Perfect for younger readers. My favourite is ‘My Friends’, ‘In my room I have many friends, You’ll find them hiding everywhere…. I bet you know who my friends are, They all live here, they are my books.’ The poems have a beautiful lyrical quality and young readers will enjoy reading them out loud with parents or carers. They describe simple childhood pleasures, playing, having fun, and spending time with family, and will spark children’s imagination and creativity. The poems were written by Margaret Grote (1922—2005) and published by her son, David. This is a beautiful collection of poems, and a loving tribute to a talented poet. The collection offers a wonderful variety of poems. There is something for everyone, boys and girls, young and old. The poems are sweet, simple and delightful. Each one was a joy to read. The pastel, whimsical illustrations by Marcia Wheelan Coles are simply stunning. This is an excellent introduction to poetry for children, and I hope it will inspire a love of reading and a love of poetry. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A fun collection of poems, by a much loved and talented poet. Purchase here

< Back Gail Kuhnlein How Happy Is a Lark A joyful exploration of similes, by Gail Kuhnlein How Happy Is a Lark? by Gail Kuhnlein is an imaginative and interactive collection of similes, brought to life through funny stories and vivid illustrations. Each page introduces a new simile and poses a question, which will engage, entertain, and educate younger readers. How silly is a goose? How quiet is a mouse? How angry is a hornet? The book cleverly combines wordplay with captivating visuals. Each simile is accompanied by a silly tale, and funny illustrations that bring the simile to life. ‘ How cool is a cucumber? A cucumber is so cool he always has a date on Friday night.’ The illustration depicts a dashing cucumber arm-in-arm with a date (fruit). How Happy Is a Lark? by Gail Kuhnlein is a simple, effective, and memorable way to introduce similes to younger children. The book demonstrates the fun and playful aspect of language and will help develop children’s vocabulary. With further ideas for parents, caregivers and teachers, the book will spark curiosity and creativity, and will encourage a love of reading and language among young readers. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A sweet and silly collection of similes, beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. A delight to read. Purchase here

< Back Joanne Russo Insull Sarah and the Crows Clean Up Sarah has a rather unusual and rather special friendship with a murder of crows. Sounds scary doesn’t it, but actually crows are beautiful, friendly birds with an incredible talent. Every day, Sarah feeds the crows peanuts and provides fresh water for them to drink. The crows recognise Sarah, and they show their appreciation by offering her all types of weird and wonderful gifts. A feather, a tiny piece of tin foil, bottle caps and even a chicken bone! Sarah has an idea. If a tiny crow can pick up small pieces of trash, then collectively, humans and crows could make an enormous difference to the environment. So Sarah brings her friends together to help the crows clean up the park and recycle the trash. Sarah is given a Good Citizenship Award from the Mayor and the crows are rewarded with a big box of peanuts. The book provides extraordinary insights into the behaviours of crows, and how humans can learn from their ingenious ways of collecting trash. Inspired by real life stories of crows that have been trained to pick up trash, the author presents a novel way to clean up the environment. The book will inspire children to take care of wildlife and the environment. With supporting notes and additional resources for teachers and parents, the book will prompt further discussions about wildlife, the environmental impacts of waste and the importance of recycling. Beautiful, soft pastel illustrations by Kelly Artieri. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘This book will change your perspective on crows forever. A superb, entertaining, and educational read for adults and children alike.’ A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Once Upon a Dance Franie's Wish: A Wander in the Wonder Another fabulous adventure in the Once Upon a Dance series Frankie’s Wish: A Wander in the Wonder, tells the story of Frankie, who lives on the magical island of Anorac. There is a legend on the island, that a magic blue feather would grant a birthday wish to the lucky person who finds it. On the day of Frankie’s special birthday, Frankie sets out on a quest to find the magic feather. Frankie’s wish is to become a famous dancer, and hopes to find the feather to make the wish come true. Frankie catches a ferry and arrives at a mysterious forest. With a little help from a number of forest friends, an eagle, a T-Rex, and a gorilla, Frankie must solve the clues hidden throughout the forest to find the magic blue feather. The final task is to ‘dance your journey’ and Frankie decides to dance the day from the beginning, from entering the forest, to meeting the forest creatures. Frankie reflects on the forest journey and realises that what is most important in life is friendship, family, and adventure. Will Frankie find the magic blue feather? And what will he wish for? Frankie's Wish: A Wander in the Wonder is a children’s picture book in the Once Upon a Dance series. Once Upon a Dance, is a unique and creative concept with Ballerina Konora narrating the story through movement and dance. Frankie is a gender neutral and relatable character, who will appeal to young children who love adventure and fantasy stories. Frankie learns important life lessons throughout the journey, which will encourage self-belief and confidence in young children. The digital illustrations are bold, bright, and engaging. Konora provides prompts and ideas for readers to act out the story, and encourages readers to use their own imagination and experiment with new movements. With photographs to accompany each movement, the book encourages active participation in the story through movement and creativity. This book is a great resource for children, parents and carers, and teachers, and will encourage readers to experiment with movement and dance. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A fabulous interactive picture book, which will inspire movement and creativity in young children. Purchase here

< Back Marta Almansa Esteva Nurse Bear Does First Aid Nurse Bear Does First Aid is a sweet story of a cute little bear who cares for, and helps others when they are unwell. Nurse Bear and colleagues, such as Duck the Doctor, Tiger the Radiographer, Monkey the Dietician and Bunny the Physiotherapist care for and treat patients in different situations and healthcare settings. The book describes a range of ailments and medical treatments, tests, and tools, supporting the development of basic first aid language, knowledge, and skills. Children will learn how to recognise some of the signs and symptoms of illness, and how to respond calmly and with empathy (and of course with the help of a grown-up!). There is also space for parents to add the ambulance service number and home contact details, which will help children learn how to contact the emergency services should they ever need to. This book is a great resource for parents, carers, and teachers to start conversations with younger children about healthcare and first aid, whether in preparation for a hospital visit, or when caring for minor ailments at home. The cute, gender-neutral, animal characters are beautifully handmade by Esteva using modelling clay. The characters will appeal to younger aged children and could inspire them to get involved in nursing and healthcare. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘A sweet picture book, with a set of adorable clay animal characters, helping children learn important and potentially lifesaving first aid skills. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Kim C Lee The Night Owl Goes to Space A dreamy adventure in space. The Night Owl Goes to Space is an illustrated picture book about a little boy who drifts off to sleep and has a dreamy adventure in space. He dreams of climbing a floating stack of stairs into the sky and far out to space. From beyond the earth’s atmosphere, the boy has a magnificent view of the earth and the other planets within our solar system. He sees the rocky planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. He sees the gas planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. He sees Pluto, a dwarf planet, planetary moons, shooting stars and far distant galaxies. He watches space rockets zoom across the cosmos, and satellites floating through space. As night turns into day, the little boy’s dream is interrupted by an alarm clock, and he must return back down the wooden stairs to earth. While this dreamy adventure in space ends, he hopes there will be another space adventure tomorrow night. The Night Owl Goes to Space is a fun and imaginative picture book by author Kim C. Lee. The book is a great introduction to space and the solar system for very young readers. The book will help build vocabulary and language skills, and will help young children learn the names of the planets in the milky way. With lots of space facts and figures, and a handy glossary, this book is a great resource for budding space explorers, and anyone interested in the universe and our solar system. The illustrations by Vera Sysolina are bright and vibrant, and will captivate younger readers. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: Overall, a fun and imaginative picture book, with a sweet character and a dreamy adventure in space. Purchase here

< Back Ashley Wall The Day I Had a Bulldozer Luke and Bobo’s amazing construction adventure. One day, a bulldozer turns up at Luke’s house, with his name on it. Luke and his dog, Bobo, hop into the bulldozer and drive to his friends, Noah’s house. When he arrives, Noah is driving a dump trunk. With their new machines, Luke and Noah build a gigantic hill of dirt and Bobo plays in the muck pile. When their friend Mikey drives by in a steamroller, he flattens everything in his path. Before Mikey can do anymore damage, the boys cruise to the park in their vehicles and meet their friend Emma, who is driving an excavator. The four friends dig a new path to the ice cream shop. Luke cleared the path, Emma filled the dumper, Noah made a huge pile of rubble, and Mikey (after lots of practice) flattened the road to the ice cream shop. When they have finished, the friends enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream from Mr Popsicle’s shop. After a full day of construction adventures, will Luke make it home in time for dinner? The Day I Had a Bulldozer is a fun, illustrated children’s picture book by author Ashley Wall about a young boy who had a fun-filled day with his friends, building a new road in his new bulldozer. The book will help young children learn more about construction, the types of vehicles used in construction, and the types of jobs involved in the construction industry. Many youngsters love to play with toy construction vehicles, and this book will help them understand what they are used for in the real world. The book will help develop knowledge and vocabulary of the construction industry and might inspire younger children to get involved in construction, science, and engineering. I liked the diverse representation of characters in this book, and the charming, colourful illustrations by Vaughan Duck. Luke is a sweet character, and young children will love to follow his adventures with his friends. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A fun picture book about Luke and his dog Bobo, and their fun-filled day of construction adventures. Purchase here

< Back Ariel and Brandon Blackwell The Beat In My Head Brandon finds belonging through beats, by authors Ariel and Brandon Blackwell Brandon loves to hum and tap along to sounds and beats in his head. Wherever he is, whatever he is doing, he can make music out of sound. But when he starts to hum and tap along to the sounds in the classroom, his teacher thinks he is not listening and is distracting the other students. The teacher calls his mom, and his mom worries something might be wrong, as Brandon doesn’t have many friends or talk very much. But Brandon is happy, music makes him feel happy and safe. Brandon’s mom takes him to see a therapist and the therapist thinks he is just a little shy. The therapist encourages Brandon to try sports and get involved in new activities. So, Brandon tries a number of different sports, soccer, karate and golf, but he isn’t a natural athlete and discovers sport isn’t for him. Everything Brandon hears, the thwack of the ball and the smack of a kick, distracts him from the game and creates music in his head. Brandon’s mom doesn’t know what else to do to help, but takes him to a music concert, to let loose and have some fun. While dancing and singing along to the music, Brandon notices a guy with headphones, focused on a console and bobbing along to the music. He learns the guy is a sound engineer, who blends and balances music to make it sound good. Later, Brandon meets the sound engineer, Mr Davis, at his church and becomes fascinated by his work. Mr Davis teaches Brandon how to work the audio console, and Brandon discovers a passion for audio engineering. The Beat in My Head by authors Ariel and Brandon Blackwell is an inspiring picture book about a young boy who struggles to find his place in the world. He is only happy when he is listening to music, and making beats in his head, but his behaviour is seen by others as unusual. Through audio engineering, Brandon is able to express himself through music, and he finally finds a sense of purpose and belonging. The book is based on the true story of how the author, Brandon Blackwell, found his vocation and became a successful audio engineer. It will inspire other young readers to be creative, and to express themselves in any way that makes them feel happy. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A wonderful and inspiring picture book, about a young boy who finds a sense of purpose and belonging through music. Purchase here

< Back Jeffrey Morgan Bungo the Funky Monkey Adventures in Kindness A lesson in kindness from a jungle monkey. Bungo is a funky monkey, who lives in the jungle. He loves to dance, play, and swing in the trees, but his favourite thing is to spread kindness amongst the other animals. He helps a little bird who has hurt her wing, and he cheers up a tiger who his feeling down. He plays his flute to entertain his jungle friends, and he spreads joy and happiness to everyone around him. Through his small acts of kindness, Bungo makes his friends feel happy. But through showing kindness, Bungo also feels happy. Bungo the Funky Monkey, Adventures in Kindness, is a sweet and charming illustrated picture book for young children by author Jeffrey Morgan. The book has an important message for young readers about the importance of showing kindness, empathy, and compassion. Written in rhyme, with bright, colourful, and delightful animal characters, this is a great way of engaging young readers in such an important topic. Young readers will love the colourful illustrations and the cute cartoon-like characters. With additional resources at the end of the book, this is a great book for parents, carers, and teachers to start conversations about kindness with younger children. Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A sweet and charming illustrated picture book, with cute animal characters, and an important message about kindness and compassion. Purchase here

< Back Carina Ho & Jesse Byrd Mighty Mara Everyone is the same in Sametown. Everyone except Mara. Mara is different. She is colour in a world of grey. She is unique in a world of ordinary. But, because of her uniqueness, Mara struggles to find her place in Sametown. What she wants more than anything in the world, is for people to love her just for who she is. Inspired by a TV show, Mara decides to sign up for the school talent show. She wants to show off her dance skills, but no one dances in Sametown, certainly not like Mara anyway. No-one believes she can do it. No-one thinks she has a chance. Will Mara have the courage to dance in the talent show? And will she prove her critics wrong? This is an inspirational story of a unique young girl who struggles to fit in. The odds are stacked against her - no-one believes in her and the environment doesn’t make things easy for her – but, through sheer determination, self-belief, and extraordinary talent, she realises her dream. It will encourage young children not only to accept their differences, but to embrace and celebrate their differences, and to follow their dreams. We liked that there were no words on some of the pages, which will encourage parents and children to discuss the pictures and interpret the events in their own words. The book is beautifully presented and illustrated by Monica Paola Rodriguez. We loved the colours, and the images of Mara standing out and shining in a world of dull grey. We did notice some grammatical errors, and therefore recommend the authors consider a full editorial review. Star Rating: 5 Stars Summary ‘A beautifully presented picture book about an inspirational young girl with a unique talent. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Purchase here

< Back Christine Tussing Detective Stan the Crayon Man and the Missing Birthday Cake Can Detective Stan solve the mystery of the missing birthday cake? Detective Stan’s pink crayon glows brightly, which means there is an emergency in Colorful County. He races over to Pretty Pink’s bakery and finds Pretty Pink in distress. Someone has stolen the cake for Mellow Yellow’s birthday party. Detective Stan begins his investigation by interviewing all the crayons, but there are no signs of the cake, or the thief, anywhere. He searches the bakery and looks for clues. He finds messy sprinkles and purple drippy drops on the floor. He heads to Polite Purple’s home, but it can’t be her, as she was at the hair salon all morning. Detective Stan looks at all the different color combinations that make purple and considers whether two crayons worked together to steal the cake. Will Detective Stan find the culprit and solve the case? Will Mellow Yellow get a cake for his birthday party? And will Detective Stan get home before his mom notices? Detective Stan the Crayon Man and the Missing Birthday Cake by author Christine Tussing is a charming illustrated picture book. The book, written by the author when she was just eight years old, is a unique, creative, and playful story about a little boy who loves his crayons and loves to solve mysteries. When his crayons glow, he knows they need help, and he goes on an amazing adventure to Colorful County to help the crayons. Each crayon has a name and character based on their color, and the mystery clues are based on color-combinations. Young readers will enjoy following the clues and solving the mystery. The book will spark young children’s imagination, and will also help them to learn colour combinations. The illustrations by Izzy Bean are delightful. I particularly like how the two different worlds are represented – the real world where Stan lives; and the fantasy world of the crayons. I would love to see more adventures of Detective Stan! Star rating: 5 Stars Summary: A charming and fun illustrated picture book that will spark young children’s imagination and creativity Purchase here