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Our reviewers and their children this month are:
Louise Dewsbury – Dylan (6) and Robyn (4)
Jane Frodsham – Cherry (7)
Emily Aldridge – Cassia (4), Elowyn (2)
and Arbor (10 months)
Helen Hewitt – Evie (8) and Hattie (5)
A Poem for Every Question
Brian Bilston, Joe Berger, £16.99 Red Shed
Bright, fun and endearing illustrations. Funny and factual answers to the many questions presented throughout the book. We loved ‘How does a honeybee build a hive?’ and ‘Do elephants really hold each others tails?’ Gave lots of opportunity for laughing, further discussion and own questions. Good to read together with your child. My daughter loved this book. Recommend from age 7 to adult. Additional information is provided under each of the poems providing a non-fiction element to the book. Jane
Everything Under The Sun: All Around the World
Molly Oldfield £25 Penguin
Molly Oldfield is presenter of the award-winning podcast, Everything Under The Sun, where she answers questions from children about life on earth. She also writes the weekly Kids' Quiz in the Guardian. This is her second book in the Everything Under The Sun series and it offers answers to another 366 questions submitted by children from around the world. Covering a vast array of topics, this is a treasure trove of trivia for children aged between 7-11, although we all learned something new from it! Why do pigs have snouts? Why are snails slimy? Who invented the milkshake? Molly answers all of these things and more, with a diverse list of guest contributors that includes Sir Stephen Fry, forensic anthropologist Prof Sue Black, and footballer Tony Adams. The book is bright and colourful, with a different artist illustrating each of the 12 months. Our only issue was that the book is quite large and pretty heavy, which made it rather unwieldy for small hands. Nevertheless, it would make a great gift for a curious kids. Helen
How to catch an idea
Forest Xiao £12.99 Hachette Childrens
Where do ideas come from? This story follows a girl who wants to catch an idea, but isn’t sure how to go about it. We follow her as she explores whether ideas grow from the ground like a seed, need to be baked like bread or caught like a fish in the sea. The book is colourfully illustrated by the author and we enjoyed spotting what the girl’s squirrel companion was up to in each spread. It also sparked a conversation about how our ideas don’t have to be big to be valuable. However, being completely honest, the premise - trying to physically catch an idea - was a bit abstract for us. Hattie (5) was underwhelmed with the lack of a proper story. Not a lot happens and, whilst the pictures are nice and the concept original, it didn’t make for the most exciting bedtime read. Helen
Thank You, Old Oak
Britt Crow-Miller and Amy Schimler-Safford £12.99
Colourful and collaged information telling the story of a 400 year old oak tree in a simple and captivating read. The story mourns the death of the oak tree and provides a learning opportunity about life cycles and the contribution of trees to our environment/eco-system from the factual information at the end of the book. Within the tale, there is mention of many of the birds and animals who benefit from the tree providing them with homes and shelter and the gratification they have towards her. Some of the animals are not native to the UK so this provoked discussion about other countries. Would say it’s an engaging book for slightly younger readers around 6 years. Jane
Seeds: Nature’s Intrepid Miracles
Cruschiform £22.50 Prestel
Beautiful and simple art work throughout the book. Lovely little stories with each illustration filled with detail and facts. The index at the back makes it easy to find specifics. A shortcuts section provides interesting figures and short summaries making it easier to find what you are looking for. Encouraged lots of reflection on our own experiences in nature which was a real positive. We both loved reading the book together. Suitable for children 7 years plus to adult. Jane
Piet Cools Off
Peter Wohlleben, Carina Wohlleben and Rachel Qiuqi, £12.99 Greystone Kids
Peter Wohlleben is the German forester and author, whose book, The Hidden Life of Trees, introduced readers to the concept of the Wood-Wide Web, the network of mycorrhizal fungi joining with plant roots, through which nutrition and signals are exchanged among trees. In this book, he has collaborated with his daughter to introduce young children to the importance of forests in hot weather. On a very warm day, Piet the squirrel is trying to cool down. In the forest, he encounters a range of other animals and discovers the ways that they cool off, including frogs hopping into water and a family of wild pigs rolling in mud. With bright and colourful illustrations, this really captured Hattie’s (5) attention. She loves animals and nature, and this is a really good introduction to an increasingly important topic. This would be great for young nature lovers, aged 3-6, although there are a number of side bars alongside the main text, which are relevant for older readers. We both learned lots and the story and pictures are both really engaging. We hope there may be more books about Piet and his friends to come. I will also be adding this to my list of great books to read to forest school groups. Helen
The Ocean at Night (Nature at Night)
Isabelle Simler, £12.99
A lovely simple book that is almost in between a fiction and nonfiction book. It has beautiful, intricate images of various parts of the ocean around the world at night. These are paired with a sentence or two clearly and concisely explaining what is happening. The descriptions are beautifully written and capture the imaginations of the children - we had lots of lovely conversations about the nature, animals and plants discussed. A perfect book for two year olds and up, I think even much older children would enjoy looking through this book and learning from it. We would definitely buy this as a present for our friends! Emily
Super Great Kids’ Stories: From storytellers around the world
Kim Normanton, £14.99 Bloomsbury
This book would make a lovely gift. My daughter was drawn to the front cover of the book with its cut out design representing a tree with colourful illustrations. She was keen to read the stories herself, but was put off by the very small text so lost interest quickly which was very disappointing. Therefore, it was one to read to her. The group of expert storytellers, including podcast favourites British-Guyanese storyteller Tuup, Kenyan storyteller Wangari Grace and Irish Katie Corkery, represent tales from countries from five continents around the world including: England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, India, China, Japan, Nigeria, Ghana, Mexico, Australia and the USA. The stories are very engaging and some funny some that will make you cry. The book is correct in summarising that it is filled with magic, mischief and merriment providing children with learning opportunities regarding culture and also sparking their own imagination. Would recommend this book from the very young to the very old. Jane
Letters to a Monster
Patricia Forde, Sarah Warburton, £7.99 Bloomsbury
Letters to a Monster has become a real favourite in our bedtime story pile. It’s such a sweet and clever book — the story is told through letters between a little child and a monster, which my four-year-old absolutely loves. The idea of writing to a monster instead of being scared of it is so creative and helps children think differently about their fears.
I really appreciate how the book gently teaches about facing fears and understanding that sometimes the things we’re scared of aren’t so frightening after all. It’s both comforting and fun, and it’s sparked lots of little chats about bravery at bedtime. Louise
Head to Toe: An Introduction to the Human Body
Pui Lee, £16.99 Post Wave
We loved exploring this book together. Engaging, clear and bright pictures paired with interesting and informative text. Cassia was able to ‘read’ the book just by looking at the pictures and diagrams and then when I read parts to her, we had some really interesting discussions. This will definitely be a favourite we will come back to time and time again. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good quality engaging nonfiction text to add to their bookshelves. Older children would also benefit from this as the explanations are clear and easy to understand and it will provide a springboard for further exploration of the human body. Emily
