Reviewed by Jennifer and Bebe, aged 1 This is such a fantastic treat of a book! My baby loves it. It contains 12 works by leading contemporary and modern artists and introduces faces to babies in a different and completely new way, than the usual picture books. It's such a tactile book, the baby had no problems turning the pages all thick cut and large, and she poured over each picture. Obviously her favourite page was the mirror page which is now covered in snot and slobber from where she has mushed her face against it to give the baby in the mirror a kiss. There is another book in the series and I will be buying that now. It would make a wonderful gift and it's for charity as well! All in all, a clear winner. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Mariana, Hafsa, aged 5 and Fatema, aged 2 The story is all about Little Princess (who is a real princess), who is totally spoilt and has to win at EVERYTHING! In her palace she is able to win at everything, but when she is faced with the big bad world that is her school, she finds that winning means you actually have to be the best at something. Little Princess finds she loses at all the contests including science, maths, art etc. We follow her trying really hard and find that she does win at the end. My 5 year old really enjoyed it. She loved that she lost and then won and she laughed at all little princesses' antics. I loved it for all the lessons it taught, and we had a great discussion about winning for the right reasons. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Emily and Maisie, aged 6 This story follows one night’s exploits in the life of Maud, a human who goes to Rotwood, a school for monsters. A rash decision to ask some of her classmates (a vampire, witch and invisible girl) over for a sleepover results in chaos. We enjoyed the fast pace of Maud’s monstrous evening, and there were plenty of laughs for a six year old. The star of the book was Violet, the vampster (a vampiric hamster) who goes from cuddly pet to a red eyed flying thing when over excited or exposed to direct sunlight. Complicating the evening further is Maud’s sister Milly. Siblings will identify with the gentle sniping between Maud and the oh-so-perfect Milly. A great bedtime read, and we’ll definitely be looking for the others in this series. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Poppy and JJ This book is lovely. Very simple and very effective. I had to explain to JJ what the concept of “green” was, and once he understood he was eager to learn more. He loved the plain and clear pictures and simple text. Sometimes he asked why the actions were green and why we were supposed to do them (for example, composting) and the extra notes on each page made it easy to elaborate in a way he understood. JJ loved all the extra flaps and holes between the pages, which gave the book an extra dimension and more to enjoy. The book felt very rustic and honest and was a lovely read. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Reba and Amatullah, aged 2 This book starts off with a mini envelope containing a sweet note for the child. However, then it turns into your average birthday story where the child thinks everyone has forgotten their birthday when in fact they are all busy preparing to surprise them. Amatullah enjoyed this story because a) she heard the word 'Princess' in the title b) the lovely colours in it and c) it was about a pretty dress, party and a cake! The pictures in their soft colours add a nice touch. At the end Grandpa has some wise words which I agree with - 'Every girl is a princess, especially on her birthday.' However, my daughter has taken this to mean she's going to get her own sparkly tiara on her birthday - I'd better start looking! Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Jennifer and Minnie, aged 2 and Bebe, aged 1 What an absolutely fantastic book! We loved it. It rhymes and it's bright and colourful!! Also it's a learning your numbers from one to ten and back again...but you wouldn't even know it, all jazzed up as fun! I loved the beginning with the grumpy child not wanting to go out and the mum making it all fun for him! The drawings where really engaging and Minnie loved pointing out the animals that she knew! I am hoping that the counting aspect went into her brain and she learnt something. It was an all round winner as it can be a great story and a good learning tool! Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Damyanti and Bryn, aged 5 Bryn said it was so funny his head fell off. The story tells the funny, and at times surreal, steps Floyd takes to rescue that kite. We giggled and laughed throughout reading this book especially at the moments where we were wrong footed. When Floyd gets a ladder to resolve the situation, Bryn was expecting him to use it to catapult everything out of the tree, but Floyd continues on his single-minded path to rescuing his kite. I found the book a visual treat with surrealism and sophistication making it a quality picture book. The pictures of Floyd holding up ridiculously large things like ships and houses remind me of conversations I've had with Bryn about whether he can put a house on his head. An epic story packed with humour. This is a big hit in our household. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Teri and Mya, aged 2 This is a beautifully illustrated book. It's soft and yet the story has a bite to it! A lovely story about a Duck who finds an egg of his own to hatch. All the other birds have eggs too, and the pages as they hatch, are brilliantly done. The characters are full of charm. Mya already knows this book so well she sits and pretends to read it. She enjoys making all the bird noises (loudly)! It really is a lovely book to read together and it makes Mya laugh at the end when the egg hatches and we find out what's inside. I've lost count of the times we have read this book, and neither of us tire of it, which as a parent is a huge relief! Altogether a great book. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Corrinne and Millie, aged 5 In this hilarious book, two children trying to retrieve their teddy gatecrash their parent's ball. The joke, which went rather over the head of my five year old granddaughter, is that they think no one has noticed as they swing from chandeliers, crawl under the table and finally drag the cloth from the dining table along with all the food! Millie loved the slapstick element, especially the swinging on the chandelier, and we would recommend it for 4-6year olds and their parents as this is a book which works on two levels. Photograph: PR
Reviewed by Poppy and JJ This book is beautiful. The illustrations are lovely and soft, with warm and comforting colours. The images flow effortlessly, making them almost animated. Initially I thought the story odd, however it has a lovely plot, and a satisfying ending with strong morals of kindness and the magic of friendship. JJ enjoyed the book as it is like nothing he has read. He was intrigued by the prospect of a magic rabbit, and was relieved by the ending, as he had become quite anxious about the apparently omnipotent lion commanding the capture of Wazzyjump. Friendship, kindness and inclusion, of a diverse collection of creatures leave a lasting feeling of reassurance, and are morals I am happy for JJ to learn. I expect a request for future readings soon. Photograph: PR
