Children's Books on Review - Dinosaur Beach, None the Number and Love Monster

New to Freddy's bookshelf this week are three lovely picture books courtesy of Harper Collins and Pavilion Children's Books.  Freddy is getting so interested in books now the 'reading penny' has finally dropped and we've been delighted to share these gorgeous books with him.

Dinosaur Beach

Frann Preston-Gannon is the author and illustrator who wrote the lovely How To Lose a Lemur, which is one of our favourite books. Her latest book, Dinosaur Beach, is the simple story of Farmer Jack's trip to the coast.  He's packed a picnic and buckets and spades for a lovely day beside the seaside. The text may be simple, but the pictures accompanying it show that the trip is anything but that, because travelling with him are his four huge dinosaurs and his Dino Dog!  The funny, chaotic illustrations contrast beautifully with the deadpan style of the writing.  The dinosaurs are completely oblivious to the destruction that they cause, but when disaster threatens, they work together to save the day and make new friends.  It's a lovely book to talk about as you read, looking at what is going on in each of the pictures.

Pavilion Children's Books PB RRP: £5.99

Love Monster and the Last Chocolate

Monsters LOVE chocolates, so when Love Monster returns home from holiday to discover a box of chocolates on his doorstep he finds himself in a conundrum.  Should he eat them all himself or share with his friends?  As he ponders this problem he worries that someone might eat his favourite one or that he might be left with the coffee one (heavens forbid!!  Although coffee is my favourite so I'd happily eat it for him!!)  He thinks he knows what to do, but when it comes to the crunch he follows his heart and finds out that some things are better than chocolate!  This is a delightful story that reminds us that following our hearts and doing the right thing can bring us the biggest treats of all.  The chocolatey illustrations are lush and Love Monster is an adorable character that little ones will love! This title joins the other Love Monster books from the very talented Rachel Bright.

Harper Collins PB RRP: £6.99

The Hueys in None the Number

The Hueys love numbers and counting, but they are puzzling over whether 'none' is a number.  To demonstrate the concept of zero, they count things from 1 to 10 then take all those things away to get back to 'none'!  They take readers on a counting adventure with quirky illustrations and humorous suggestions for each number, such as four being the amount of tantrums Kevin throws each day.  The four little pictures of Kevin having tantrums over different things are wonderful!  This book is by the brilliant Oliver Jeffers who has such a fantastic style and such an unconventional way at looking at things, which never patronises his young readers.  At the end of the book is a small passage for the grown-ups so they can learn the history and significance of 'none' as a number and ponder the conundrum of whether nothing can be considered as  a something for themselves!  It's a great, thought provoking, counting book with a difference,  that I enjoyed just as much as Freddy did! 

Harper Collins HB RRP £12.99

Win a lovely 10th Anniversary Edition of How To Catch a Star

There once was a boy and the boy loved stars very much...

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of  Oliver Jeffers’ debut picture book, the much-loved How to Catch a Star. Published in 2004, this gorgeous picture book is loved by children all over the world, and has achieved huge critical and commercial success. Oliver and HarperCollins are proud to mark the anniversary in style with an exquisite gift edition,featuring a letter from the author and previously unpublished drawings.

10^th Anniversary of Oliver Jeffers’ How to Catch a Star

Oliver Jeffers has won the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Award, Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, Irish Book of the Year and The Blue Peter Book of the Year.

Ten years on, How to Catch a Star’s beautiful illustrations and enchanting story continues to win the hearts of children aged 2-7, and is a humorous celebration of joyful ingenuity and the belief that anything is possible.

We were sent a copy and it is absolutely lovely.  Freddy loved it and we read it over and over again, talking about the stars and whether we could really catch one!  The simple style of the illustrations is so effective and the storytelling is full of warmth and gentle humour. How to Catch a Star is a lovely edition to any child's bookshelf.  We also received some glow in the dark stars which Freddy absolutely adored.  After reading the book we stuck them on his bedroom ceiling so he could watch them as he fell asleep.  Some gorgeous activity sheets extended the How to Catch a Star experience.  We also watched a video of Oliver Jeffers, who looks like a really cool guy!  Overall, I think that How to Catch a Star has been elevated to the title of Freddy's new favourite book!

Open and print this colouring sheet!

Out on the 27 March, How to Catch a Star is available from Amazon for £12.99

We have a copy of the How to Catch a Star 10th Anniversary Edition to give away. To enter simply answer the following question, leave your answer as a comment along with a way for me to contact you if you are the lucky winner!

Which Oliver Jeffers book is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year?

a)      The Day the Crayons Quit

b)      The Incredible Book Eating Boy
c)       How to Catch a Star

Ends at midnight 26/3 when a winner will be drawn at random.  UK only. One entry per person.  Good luck.

World Book Day with Harper Collins

One of the greatest gifts you can give a young child is a love of reading.  Books open up a whole world of imagination where anything is possible.  They can transport you to magical destinations where you can embark on amazing adventures.  Books can also provide a source of comfort with familiar settings that help make sense of your own experiences.  World Book Day allows us to celebrate the literary world. Schools encourage children to dress up, take part in activities and every child is given a £1 book token to spend on a book of their choice.

Harper Collins has been a publisher of  quality books for over 200 years.   With titles spanning all genres, Harper Collins publish a brilliant range of children's picture books.  We have been lucky enough to receive a bumper bundle of books which my kids have enjoyed pouring through together.  This is what we thought of the titles we received.

Nick Butterworth's gorgeous board books for tiny tots, When We Play Together and When There's Work To Do depict familiar situations to little ones with beautiful illustrations and simple text.  The life of a toddler is brought to life, as Sam plays with his toys and helps out with the chores.  The six toy characters are really appealing and they love joining in with Sam's activities.

They are due for release later in the year and will be priced at £4.99 each.  They are perfect for little hands and are strong and sturdy.

My Henry is a a magical and moving book by Judith Kerr that actually made me sob.  The poignant tale is a celebration of the love between an old lady and her husband Henry who died and is now in Heaven.  Everyday the old lady sits in her chair, but in her mind she is having amazing adventures with Henry such as going on dinosaur rides, climbing Mount Everest or having a tea party in the jungle.

Rhyming text describes the magical adventures and lively illustrations depict the charming imaginings of the widow.  In the end, however, her most exotic daydreams can never quite compare to the real life they shared together before he died.  I adore this book...I'm welling up now as it write this!  It's one to treasure.  It is available now for £6.99.

Up and Down sees the return of Boy and Penguin, characters from Oliver Jeffers hugely successful book Lost and Found.

Penguin decides he wants to fly and goes in search of a way to take to the skies and runs away.  He eventually finds a way to achieve his dream but soon realises that without the boy with him, flying suddenly isn't as important as he had thought.  In fact he is terrified and just wants the boy to help him.

This is a tale of friendship and reaching for your dreams.  It is a heart warming story with great illustrations.

It comes with a CD read by Richard E.Grant and costs £7.99.

The Lorax is another classic from Dr Suess and is about to become a major motion picture at the cinemas, following in the footsteps of The Grinch and Horton Hears a Hoo.  The Lorax is the ultimate eco-warrier and his message is as relevant today as ever. The Lorax tries to save the brightly coloured Truffala trees from the axe of the greedy Once-ler who is getting rich selling Truffula-tuft knitted Thneeds.  His factory is polluting the air, water and land, and he is destroying the forests.

The story is narrated by the greedy Once-ler who gets overcome with greed as his business grows and grows.  He destroys the forest and causes all the creatures to leave.  But by the end he realises the error of his  ways and knows that unless someone cares, things will never get better.  The Lorax was right all along.

The fun, rhyming verse, nonsense words and illustrations are all typically Suess and I am a big fan.  This book is part of a new "Essential Suess" range bringing the wonderful stories to a whole new generation.  The film is due for release in Summer and I'm sure we'll all be going Lorax mad!  The book comes with a CD read by the brilliant Rik Mayall...and is worth every penny of the £7.99 price tag.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon is bringing comic book heroes to young children.  The big glossy picture book is packed with cool illustrations of this awesome superhero.

His adventures include battling his arch-nemesis The Flaming Eyeball.  When he gets cross he worries about destroying cities.  Awesome Man has a very secret identity and when he retreats back to his Fortress of Awesome, we find out exactly who he is and what it is that makes him feel awesome.

This lovely book would make a great gift for your little superhero and costs £6.99.

These books are all lovely and would make excellent alternatives to Easter Eggs for little ones this year.   My top recommendations would have to be The Lorax and My Henry.  Both very different, but both set to be family favourites, each with their own poignant message.  Remember you can use your child's book token against any children's book and bring home a classic to delight, inspire or entertain your family!