600 and a Bit

006 and a Bit
by Nick Sharratt


my name is paige i have read 006 and a Bit and by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt. I like the story and the picture and in the story i like when 600 and a Bit was talking spy language and when 600 and a Bit was talking to another spy called 0021 and a Bit and when the food was talking and the ice cream said pleased to meet you and the flake said how do you do and the cookie said hello and the drink said so glad you could come.

review by Paige

Hallowe'en Picture Books

A selection of spooky titles for Hallowe'en.

Go Away Big Green Monster
by Ed Emberley

Go Away Big Green Monster is a bit of a classic spooky tale. As you go through the story a big green monster appears bit by bit. Big yellow eyes, big red mouth, sharp pointy teeth.......

The strong colours on a black background are very effective and once the monster appears in full, children then have a chance to shout "Go away big green face and so on until the monster disappears. Which is great for the more nervous child.





What's in the Witch's Kitchen
by Nick Sharratt

Another corker of a book by Nick Sharratt. This man can do no wrong! This time we enter the Witch's Kitchen and depending on which way the flaps are opened, there is either a very naughty or very nice surprise. Very cleverly done. A great talking point as you go through the book again and again.






Frank Was A Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves.

My last pick is an older title that stands up to being brought out every year. Frank is a monster who loves to dance. He dresses up for the occassion with his top hat, he put ants in his pants and climbs on stage to thrill a frankly appalled audience, who are horrified to see poor Frank fall apart as he dances. All done in quirky rhyme.

Picture Book Picks - The Boy Who Cried Ninja

The Boy Who Cried Ninja
by Alex Latimer

As soon as I saw the title and the ilustrations on the cover of this picture book, I wanted to delve between the pages.

I wasn't disappointed.

It's a far-fetched tale, but I love it.

Tim has a strange cast of characters visiting his house and they are rather naughty too. The ninja ate the last slice of cake, the astronaut took his dad's hammer and the giant squid ate his school bag.

Tim tells his parents the truth, but as you can imagine his parents don't believe him. In this case truth really is stranger than fiction, so Tim decides to lie. When the pirate drinks all the tea, Tim tells his parents he did it and yet he still gets in to trouble. Tim needs to take some drastic action.

This is a fabulously original story with crisp, beguiling illustrations. A great read for any child (and adult).

Picture Book Picks - You're a Hero Daley B!

You're a Hero Daley B
written by Jon Blake
illustrated by Axel Scheffler

This is an old favourite of mine and I do mean an old favourite. It was written nearly 17 years ago. It hasn't aged a bit as a story or for it's illustrations. It is illustrated by the artist who illustrated The Gruffalo. So you can imagine just how good the illustrations are.

I must have come across it about 15 years ago when I started working in the children's library and it was one of the first books I started to collect myself for my future children. In fact I haven't read it to my wee boy yet, so I must have stored it somewhere extra safe. I must have a hunt for it.

You're a Hero Daley B is the story of a rabbit called Daley B who is rather confused about who he is, where he should live, what he should eat and why he has such big feet. There is a rather hilarious illustration of him lying on the ground with his feet in the air wondering if they are for keeping him dry when it rains and a wee mouse sheltering under them. Of course, his guesses are all bizarre and very funny. It's not until an evil weasel appears that he learns the truth.

This is one for the parents as much as the children.

Oh, and it is also available in Chinese.

Picture Book Picks - The Rattletrap Car

Rattletrap Car
written by Phyllis Root
illustrated by Jill Barton


"Dad turned the key,
brum brum, brum brum,
clinkety clankety
bing bang pop!

They were off to the lake
in their rattletrap car.
They didn't go fast and
they didn't go far when....

boomssssssssssssss.....

The tyre went flat."

And that was only the start of their problems!

Junie, Jakie, Dad and the baby are going for a trip to the lake in their old falling-to-bits car. It is hot and sticky and they can't wait to get to the lake to cool off. But will they make it in their rattletrap car?

It really doesn't seem like they will. The tyre goes flat, the floor falls out, the petrol tank falls off and the engine falls out! Not to be deterred, this ingenious family come up with some pretty creative ideas to solve each problem. For instance, they use a "thermos full of razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz" instead of petrol and they attach it to the car with "chocolate marshmallow fudge delight". How fabulous is that?

I adore this book. The repeating rhyme which continually increases as the book goes on is just loved by children (and me). The idea of attaching things on to the car with "chocolate marshmallow fudge delight" really tickles my foodie fancy.

Oh and the illustrations are pretty fab too!

I urge you to borrow this book from the library or buy a copy to cherish.

Picture Book Picks - Something Beginning with Blue

Something Beginning with Blue
written by Sally Symes
illustrated by Nick Sharratt

I picked up this book for the first time yesterday. It's a Nick Sharratt, so I knew it would be good. It's a spin on the travelling game eye spy, except instead of a letter, it is a colour. For instance "I spy with my little eye something beginning with green".

You can see the next colour through a pair of cut out eyes and there is a little description to give you a clue before you turn the page. As usual with a Nick Sharratt book, the illustrations are very bold and colourful. The story was greatly enjoyed by the nursery children I was reading to. This is going to be a firm favourite at storytime.

Here are a few other Nick Sharratt titles that I love:

Shark in the Park is one of my all time favourites. It is about a boy, Timothy Pope who is in the park with his telescope (see, already you can see the rhyme!) and is sure he keeps seeing a shark, but the shark turns out to be something quite different each time. Fabulous! Especially if you and the children make a telescope with your hand and look all around while you are reading the story.



I love this one too! The Foggy Foggy Forest. Peer through the fog, courtesy of some opague paper and try to identify the fairytale creatures.







Accidentally on Purpose is a split book featuring that little scamp Daisy. In this picture book, you have the choice of making Daisy do something good or something naughty, much to the delight of any children reading this book. This one is written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Nick. To find out more about Daisy and her antics you can visit the website - Daisy Club.

I could go on and on recommending books Nick Sharratt has written or illustrated, but I will stop here and let you explore for more yourself.

Picture Book Picks - Doodle Bites

I'm back with a selection of my favourite picture books. The ones I read to the children who visit the library. They are targeted at the under fives, but when school is out, the older children do tend to drift over to listen, so let's just say for all ages.

My first choice is a picture book that has been around for a couple of years now, but I just discovered it recently and I absolutely love it. It is Doodle Bites by Polly Dunbar.

Polly's book can always be picked out by her beautiful illustrations. Her pastel coloured backgrounds and simply drawn characters are a joy. Nothing fussy and each page is quite sparse, but the characters have wonderful expressions on their faces that carry you through the story.

This story is one in a series about a group of animals who live in a little yellow house with a girl called Tilly. This story focuses on the crocodile called Doodle. One morning Doodle wakes up feeling 'bitey, bitey' and gets into all sorts of trouble. She even bites poor Tumpty (yes, an elephant) on the bum!

This book will make you laugh out loud. So sweet, but very funny! I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

Christmas Picture Book Selection

Well, I am back from maternity leave and it is time to get this blog back up and running again. I had great plans to post while I was off, but that was before I realised that free time would become a thing of the past.

Christmas is approaching very, very fast, but there is still time to visit your local library or bookshop to pick up a book or two. Here is my top picks in picture books.

Aliens Love Panta Claus
written by Claire Freedman
illustrated by Ben Cort

Another fabulous book in the alien series by Claire Freedman. You would have to live in outer space to have missed out on these cheeky little creatures, but wait a minute, if you live in outer space you will probably know who they are already! In which case, I hope they left you with at least one pair!

In this Christmas special the Aliens are helping out in santa's workshop and giving away underpants instead of stealing them.


I'm Not Santa
written and illustrated by Jonathan Allen

My second pick is I'm Not Santa starring Baby Owl. My baby loves the Baby Owl books and I have to admit to a fondness for them too. They are very amusing with beautifully simple illustrations that convey so much. The expressions on the creatures faces are just fabulous.

In this story we have a case of mistaken identity as Baby Owl sets out for the day with his santa hat on. As you can imagine, he loses his patience very quickly. Very funny!


Christmas Is Coming
written by A.J. Wood
illustrated by Stephen Lambert
paper engineered by Jonathan Lambert

If you are looking for something rather special, look no further than Christmas Is Coming. It is filled with the most beautifully illustrated and crafted pop-ups.
For the full effect it is best to lay the open book on a table. Oh yes and I nearly forgot to say, it is a Christmas story about a mouse.

Picture Book Picks - Penguin & Dogs On The Bed

Penguin
by Polly Dunbar

I can't say enough about this book! I just love it. It is a lovely, gentle tale of a boy called Ben who opens a gift and finds a penguin inside. A real penguin, not a toy. The whole story revolves around the boy trying to persuade the penguin to speak to him. He moves from gentle persuasion to more rather aggressive techniques.

It is a really charming book, which is beautifully illustrated by the author and very humourous! I think it is the facial expressions that just crack me up. They make me laugh every time.




Dogs on the Bed
by Elizabeth Bluemle


This is the first book I have come across by this author, but I am mightily impressed. Dogs on the Bed is a story many of you may be familiar with if you have either a dog or a cat and the night-time campaigns they mount to take over your bed, be they allowed there or not. The shoving and gradual take over of the bed until you are pushed out.

This story has a lovely rhythmic flow to it and amusing illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf. I found I was telling the story to the voice and rhythm of the last Children's Laureate Michael Rosen. I don't know, it just felt like one of his poems and I hear his voice as I read it, which probably influences my storytelling of this book.

Here's a little taster of Michael Rosen, a very funny man and a great poet.



Just in case you missed the news, Anthony Browne is the new Children's Laureate and will hold the post until 2010. He took over the post from Michael Rosen who held it from 2007 to 2009.

You can find out more about the new Children's Laureate and previous Laureates here.

Picture Book Picks - The Foggy, Foggy Forest & Mrs Muffly's Monster

These two picture books are going down a storm at story times. If you are looking for a book to borrow from your local library or one to buy as a gift, then you wouldn't go wrong with one of these.














The Foggy Foggy Forest
by Nick Sharratt

Nick Sharratt writes a mean story! They are always great. Be it a novelty pop-up book or a story in rhyme, he always pitches it just right and children love his books.

The Foggy Foggy Forest is a real treat. The reader is invited to step into the forest and to guess which characters they can see as silhouettes in the fog.

The black illustrations are printed on something similar to a thick opaque tracing paper, but once you turn the page you see the characters in full, glorious colour. Cinderella and Snow White are having a water pistol fight, there is a unicorn playing the horn and an ogre doing yoga.












Mrs Muffly's Monster
by Sarah Dyer

Mrs Muffly is being very secretive!

Mrs Muffly is a strange little lady who lives alone in her house at the top of a hill. But is she living alone? Rumour is, she is living with a monster! On Monday, Mrs Muffly goes out on her motorcycle and buys a huge pile of sugar. Is this to keep the monster sweet? On Tuesday she buys 27 dozen eggs. Are they for the monster to style it's hair?

This hilarious book, with it's zany illustrations travels with Mrs Muffly through the rest of her week until a big surprise on Sunday.

Vesuvius Poovius

Versuvius Poovius
written by Kes Gray
illustrated by Chris Mould


There is a problem in Ancient Rome, a very whiffy problem.

IT WAS ANOTHER PONGY DAY IN ANCIENT ROME...

Soldiers gasped on their way to war. Children fainted on their way to school. Everyone hurried on, as fast as they could, trying to get away from the whiff. The whiff of the unmentionable.

The unmentionable is pooh. The Emperor has declared this word a FORBIDDENUS WORDUS!

The good people of Rome still have the problem, they just can't mention it. Instead they have to be creative, using phrases such as "sugar lumps" and "chocolate custard".

Something has to be done about the situation and along comes our hero and inventor Vesuvius Poovius. He is just the man for the job! Vesuvius has a eureka moment and starts work on an,ahem, let's say a Jam Tart Disposal System.

This is a picture book for older readers, many an adult has laughed out loud whilst reading it! Lots of amusing illustrations from the talented Chris Mould and a very funny story.