Saturday 24 November 2012

'Vegetable Glue' written by Susan Chandler and illustrated by Elena Odriozola

'When my right arm fell off, I knew what to do. I stuck it back on, with vegetable glue.' 

This has been one of my favourite board books to recommend for a while now. When I start to explain that it's about a girl who's body parts fall off one by one, I get mixed reactions to say the least! Some people are horrified and I go on to show them something slightly more 'appropriate' for a small child but others absolutely love it (I'm one of those people!)


I actually first came across the book whilst I was looking after a little lad one evening and he picked this as his bedtime story. I'd seen it before but never actually read it so we settled down and started to read... A little shocked at first as it wasn't what I was expecting but ended up loving it! The boy's reaction was the best - he genuinely couldn't stop laughing, endless giggles and chuckles from the then two and a half year old. 


Obviously many fantastic children's books have caused reaction before but with this one in particular it has now happened to every child I have read this book to (of course this could be my incredible talent as a storyteller, but somehow I think it's more likely to be the story...) It's got a great moral too; if you don't eat your vegetables, you can't make vegetable glue which stops your body parts falling off of you!


Spanish Odriozola's illustrations accompany the story perfectly with her muted colours and gorgeous patterns (such as the girl's dress - pictured left)


Recommended age 1 and a half+

Published by Meadowside Children's Books as a board book and is £3.99

Thursday 18 October 2012

'Charley's First Night' written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury





Whichever books she illustrates, I somehow cannot dislike a one by Helen Oxenbury. Take 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen, 'Farmer Duck' by Martin Waddell and 'Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes' by Mem Fox for example - luckily the talented authors' ensured every book she's illustrated I've loved even more because of their stories!






Amy Hest is a fine example of a writer that works well with different illustrators; I grew up with the 'Baby Duck' stories, illustrated by Jill Barton, which are delightful. And of course the inspiring 'When Jessie Came Across The Sea', illustrated by P.J. Lynch. Her stories just have such charm.





Charley's First Night is certainly no exception. A sweet, sweet story about a young boy named Henry Korn with a gorgeous new puppy (I know they're all cute but this one is especially scrumptious!) whom he's named Charley Korn. 

When Henry is told he must walk Charley every day and feed Charley every day, he can't wait! But when he hears that Charley has to sleep in the kitchen every night, Henry can't stop wondering about Charley downstairs all alone! While Henry is in bed, Charley starts crying and Henry rushes downstairs to comfort him. I don't think I need to tell you where Charley ends up sleeping on his first night...

I'm not a huge dog lover (two cats!) but this heart-warming story portrays the unbreakable bond between a boy and his dog.















Recommended age 3+


Published by Walker Books in hardback and is £11.99


Wednesday 1 August 2012

'The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket' written by John Boyne and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

My first ever John Boyne novel and I absolutely loved it! The scene is set with the ever so 'normal' Brocket family with their normal life in their normal house with their two normal children; until Barnaby is born... 

Barnaby Brocket floats, and his parent's can't stand that he's not 'normal', having been told 'he'll grow out of it' they install mattresses on the ceilings to prevent him banging his head for the moment and try to keep him in the house at all times - with the exception of a peg to the washing line for some Vitamin D in the sun every now and again.


His parents soon grow tired of him, after eight years, sending him to the most horrid school and making him wear a sandbag weighed down rucksack, they do something terrible. One day Barnaby's mother Eleanor takes him and Captain W E Johns (the dog) for a walk to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and with her scissors she cuts Barnaby's rucksack, as the sand spills out Barnaby soon floats upwards, shouting for his mother's help as she stands there and watches. 


He bumps into a hot air balloon (thank goodness!) and is rescued buy two women on their way back to Brazil to their coffee farm. Soon afterwards Barnaby is on his way back to Sydney but falls asleep on his train and misses the stop for the airport! 


I won't tell you any more than I already have but Barnaby has some great adventures including parachuting (or trying to) and meeting some different and fantastic people along the way. This is clearly a story about how being different is most definitely not a bad thing, which I think is one of the most important thing's a child can learn as early on as possible.


A brilliant read. Oliver Jeffer's illustrations are superb, they compliment the story perfectly.


Recommended age 8+


Published 2nd August (tomorrow!) by Doubleday Children's in hardback and is £10.99

Tuesday 19 June 2012

'Out Of Shadows' written by Jason Wallace

Now I really don't read a huge amount of young adult fiction but I thought I'd have a go at this one... Happy I did? Most definitely, hats off to you Jason Wallace - it's brilliant. 

Zimbabwe: 1980's. Written in the first person, set in the early years of the Mugabe government,  a young lad moves to southern Africa with his family and is forced to go to a boarding school that already gives him the shivers. Sharing a dorm with two dozen other boys, all white except one, is daunting for Robert Jacklin, but nothing compares to what he later has to face. Will he choose the right group of friends? One, boisterous and bullies - the other kind but bullied. 


As the story unfolds you realise the huge impact one's decisions can have on other people's lives, it really does come down to life or death in this thrice award winning novel from Jason Wallace. Endearing characters like Weekend, the telephone operator with whom Jacklin speaks to very often - desperately trying to get hold of his parents, really make the book more about life as a Zimbabwean at the time.


A brave debut novel, tackling issues many young adults are almost clueless about (including myself), beautifully written with vivid character portrayals and beautiful landscape descriptions that remind me of my time spent in East Africa when I was the protagonists age.


Recommended age 14+


Published by Andersen Press in paperback and is £6.99

Saturday 21 April 2012

'The King Of Capri' written by Jeanette Winterson and illustrated by Jane Ray

I have to admit that when I first saw Jane Ray's illustrations I wasn't sold, for some reason characters faces didn't quite warm to me. However after reading The King Of Capri I completely understand why people love her. 

Essentially a rags to riches book but set among the most beautiful pages... After a fierce storm one night, the greedy king wakes up to discover that all his belongings have blown over to the bay of Naples, his beautiful silk clothes and valuable treasures.

Over in Naples the town is in chaos, the storm has uprooted everyone's belongings and everything has landed within other people's gardens! A lonely, humble washerwoman and her Italian speaking cat, Wash, have woken up to find countless expensive and useful items in their garden and become very prosperous indeed, of course kindly sharing their new found wealth. 




Some time later, the penniless king visits Naples and bumps into the washerwoman wearing his silk pyjamas! They soon become great companions and share their fortune, the king realising that wealth isn't everything. It just goes to show you should never just flick through a book and judge it by it's illustrations, Ray has managed to perfectly capture Winterson's story and add to the delight of this classic tale. 



Recommended age 4+

Published by Bloomsbury in paperback and is £4.99


Images from the Illustration Cupboard website - www.illustrationcupboard.com

Sunday 29 January 2012

'Slow Loris' written and illustrated by Alexis Deacon



Slow Loris is a slow loris.  All the other animals in the zoo think Slow Loris is boring because he is

                                                                                                         very
                                                                                                                 very
                                                                                                                         slow.
                                                                                                           All the visitors to the zoo think Slow Loris is boring because he is
                                                                                    very
                                                                                                 very                                    
                                                                                                                                                                             slow.
But Loris has a secret...
One night the other animals at zoo lea rn Loris' secret and discover he isn't quite as boring as they thought.This is one of my all-time favourite pictures books!  A short, simple story paired with wonderful illustrations make this book perfect for picture book lovers of all ages.


Recommended age 3+


Published by Red Fox in paperback and is £5.99

Reviewed by Emma Borg