‘In blossom’ is a gentle and dreamy book with gorgeous minimalist pictures. It has this uncanny ability to take you from the whirlwind of emotions you have been experiencing and transport you into a spring garden on a ’breeze-blowing’, ‘sun-twinkling day’. There are two characters in the book. Cat has just found a perfect spot for her picnic. She moves her lunch on the bench to make space for Dog who is there to read his book. A falling petal lands on, first, Cat’s nose, then, Dog’s one. Cat offers her lunch, which is gratefully accepted by Dog. This might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship or it might be just one of those lovely shared experiences that stay in our memory even if we do not see the person again. You need to read books like these to your child if you want to develop their range of emotions. Sometimes you need something pacey with bright vibrant colours. Other times you need something sweet, soft, and tender if you want them to learn to appreciate the beauty of a spring day. Thank you to NetGalley and Lincoln Children’s Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Title: In Blossom Authors: Cheon Yooju Published by: Quarto Publishing Group, Lincoln Children's books Published: January 15th 2019 ISBN 1786037289 (ISBN13: 9781786037282) If you were even a moderately curious child, you probably did ask your parents and teachers at least some of these questions: why does the Moon change its shape? Where does all the rainwater go? Why do the winds blow? How does a river move?
Some of the processes explained in this book are quite complex, but the text is broken into 6-8 short paragraphs which are both informative and easy to assimilate. There are also cute drawings of little green men who seem awfully busy making our world go round. Highly recommended for a school library or as a present for a little why-how-what-er at home. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Title: Stuff you should know about Planet Earth Authors: John Farndon, Tim Hutchinson Published by: Quarto Publishing Group Published: 18 Oct 2018 ISBN 0760363374 (ISBN13: 9780760363379) With its stunning watercolour illustrations, Ida and the whale will take you on a journey into a dreamy world of a child’s imagination.
Ida is a quiet and curious child. She often sits outside her birch tree house and wonders if there is anything beyond the sun, the moon and the stars. One night she dreams of a giant flying whale that invites her to go on a special adventure. Ida and the whale talk about many things, some ordinary, some special, and quickly become very good friends who are so comfortable with each other that they are not afraid ‘to share a silence’. After a violent storm, they get separated for a brief moment and Ida is engulfed in her loneliness (the illustrations render her emotions so beautifully, to the point of making the reader feel her despair). The whale comes back with a reassuring message of always being there for her. Some readers might find the story a bit on the short side and not entirely logical, but, if you bear in mind that this is a dream, Ida’s journey becomes easier to understand. ’ Sometimes you can only understand others if you stand on your head yourself’. I think this is not a read aloud but more of a read-along-with-me book, as the child needs to see the pictures which make the book so special. Thank you NetGalley and North South Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Title: Ida and the Whale Authors: Rebecca Gugger(story), Simon Roethlisberger (illustrations) Published by: North South Books Published on: 2nd of April 2019 ISBN: 0735843414 (ISBN13: 9780735843417) A sweet story about a boy who finds an egg and takes care of it until the egg hatches. The pictures are adorable. You can tell straightaway that the boy is curious, imaginative and a great nature-lover. I love the way his first thoughts are about how to protect the egg. He does not know anything about eggs, so he heads to the library and reads up on the subject. Then he rushes home to keep it warm and safe. The boy is obviously very excited about his new future friend. He keeps imagining wild animals and all the great things they are going to do together. When a little gosling comes out, at first, the boy is a bit disappointed- he had such huge expectations, but, gradually, he realizes it may be the best thing ever that happened to him. The wild animals he had imagined would want to run away or might even bite his schoolmates, while the gosling will be his friend forever. At this point, I must add that it would be great to read something about how the gosling would benefit from their friendship. Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Title: The Boy and the egg Authors: Ellen Delange, Martina Heiduczec Published by: Clavis Published: 1st February 2019
Posy and Percy are best friends, but it does not mean they are the same. In fact, Percy is brave, while Posy is afraid of snowstorms, heights, loud noises and, above all, the dark. When Percy does not come back home after playing on an iceberg slippery slide, Posy knows something went wrong. She jumps into the sea, follows Percy’s footprints on the iceberg and enters a very scary cave just to find her friend. Percy, who is grateful for her help, tells her that she is the bravest penguin of all not only for rescuing him but also for acting in spite of her fear. A heart-warming story with cute pictures and a great moral, this book will definitely appeal to young readers. There is a support page with presentation suggestions and follow-up activities. Children will really enjoy painting the iceberg and snowflakes, as well as making paper penguins to role-play the story. Thank you to NetGalley and QEB Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Title: The Not-so-brave penguin Author: Steve Smallman Published: 15thNovemeber 2018 Published by: QEB Publishing ISBN: ISBN 9781912413904 Little White fish is a cute and super-friendly creature who would love to know what the most beautiful thing in the ocean is. Little Octopus, Little Turtle, Little Goldfish, Little Seahorse, Little Starfish and Little Snail have different opinions, all of which are valid and true. I loved the layout, pictures and the font of this sweet and tender book. There is a lot of repetition, which is very important for toddlers who can ‘read along’ with their parent or teacher. Simply enchanting. Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Title: Little White Fish and the sea
Author: Guido Van Genechten Published by: Clavis Publishing Publishing Date: 11 Oct 2018 ![]() A gorgeous bedtime book with a sweet and heart-warming story and amazing illustrations. A cute baby owl goes on a little night adventure with his Mum. On their way, he keeps asking his Mum lots of questions starting with 'Hoo'll...' 'Hoo'll catch me when I flutter and fall? Owl catch you, tail feathers and all'... 'Hoo'll show me how to be curious and clever Owl show you ropes, kid, now and forever' I loved the soothing rhythm of rhyming couplets full of reassurance and parental love. Title: Owl love you Authors: Matthew Heroux and Wednesday Kirwan Publisher: Cameron Published: October 9th 2018 Thank you NetGalley and Cameron Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
I've just discovered this woderful series My favorite machines/My favorite sport/My favorite animal from Xist Publishing. All the books I have seen so far have gorgeous pictures. This is a great introduction to the world of airplanes and air travel. The images are beautiful and I love the way the book tries to engage the child by asking questions to review the presented facts. Thank you NetGalley and Xist publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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