Scholastic New Zealand have released this very special (and totally awesome) Little Yellow Digger box set, which includes a mini edition of the book and a toy digger. This is no ordinary digger though. Check out the video to see this cool Little Yellow Digger in action.
The Little Yellow Digger by Betty & Alan Gilderdale is celebrating 20 years in print this year, so what better way to celebrate than grabbing a copy of this wonderful book.
Mouse has a sword. She wears a suit of armour. She is a knight. She is bold Sir Mouse.
Dragon does not have a sword. She does not wear a suit of armour. She is just Dragon.
Knights fight dragons. But Mouse and Dragon never fight each other. Mouse and Dragon are best friends.
Join Mouse and Dragon as they rescue Prince, outwit Cat, have a fancy dress party and find out all about friendship, knighthood and the true meaning of happy every after.
Sir Mouse to the Rescue is my favourite of new local publisher Book Island’s launch titles. It’s a collection of five funny tales about an unusual friendship between a mouse (who is also a knight) and a dragon. The wit and humour of Dirk Nielandt’s stories will appeal just as much (if not more) to adults as children. The conversations between these two wonderful characters will have you and your children laughing out loud.
“Maybe I can rescue Prince,” says Dragon.
Mouse bursts out laughing. “Don’t be so silly,” she says.
“You are Dragon, not a knight. You you ever read books?”
“No,” Dragon admits.
“Exactly,” says Mouse. “Who rescues the prince in books?”
“Um…” Dragon says.
“It’s always the knight, never the dragon,” says Mouse.
Apart from the conversations between Mouse and Dragon, the thing I like the most about this book is that roles are reversed. Sir Mouse is a girl, it’s the prince stuck in the tower not the princess, and a knight and a dragon are friends not enemies. I especially like the last story in which Prince asks Sir Mouse to marry him. Sir Mouse puts on a dress and considers living happily ever after, but she decides,
“I want to live happily ever after.
But I don’t want to be a Princess.
I wear a suit of armour. I have a sword.
I am a knight. I am bold Sir Mouse.”
Marjolein Pottie’s illustrations, which were created by a combination of collage and paper-cutting technique, are absolutely stunning. I love the different patterns that Marjolein has used for Dragon’s scales and the paper-cut illustrations are a very effective way of telling the story. This beautifully produced book is finished off nicely with the patterned end-papers.
Sir Mouse to the Rescue is perfect for reading aloud or for newly independent readers to read by themselves. The stories are short and funny, and the text is broken up into blocks to make it easier for children to read. This is the first of a series of stories about Mouse and Dragon so I hope we’ll get to read more soon. Get a copy of Sir Mouse to the Rescue from www.bookisland.co.nz from 11 November.
Bernie the bear and Flora the duck have been best friends for a long, long time. They enjoy the same things and love to work together in Bernie’s garden, where he grows the most beautiful flowers.
But one day, Flora arrives at Bernie’s house to find that his flowers have all disappeared! And there’s no sign of Bernie either.
Who has taken the flowers? And why? Flora turns detective and questions Bernie’s friends. What she eventually discovers is even more beautiful than Bernie’s garden …
Bernie and Flora, always and forever.
Bernie and Flora is a sweet story about love and friendship. It’s a story that makes you smile from ear to ear, not only because it’s a very happy story, but because of the feelings that Annemie captures so perfectly. Her text is wonderful and she uses some beautiful language, like when Bear breathes in the scent of the flowers and ‘feels the joys of spring tickling inside his tummy.’ I love the way that Annemie describes their relationship,
‘They share their little secrets, and their big ones, too.
They love to talk, but being quiet together can be fun as well.’
Annemie’s illustrations are quite simple but she makes good use of the white space and the flowers in Bearnie and Flora’s gardens add splashes of colour. I like the way that she has given each of the animals a personality, no matter how small a part they may have in the story. I love Annabel the sheep in her colourful dressing gown and Mo the crow in his paper hat.
There are some quirky wee details at the end of the story too, that make the book extra special. There is an explanation of Bernie and Flora’s names and a list of different flowers explaining what each of them means. The book also comes with a colouring page so you can create your own Bernie and Flora masterpiece.
Bernie and Flora is one of those picture books (similar to the wonderful Donkeys from Gecko Press) that I can see adults buying as presents for loved ones. Although children will enjoy the story, adults will appreciate the message of the story more.
You can get your copy from www.bookisland.co.nz from 11 November.
4 out of 5 stars
Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich is one of the first three titles from new local publisher, Book Island. The books will be launched on Sunday 11 November at Raumati South Memorial Hall on the Kapiti Coast.
Sammy is a little boy with a huge appetite. The enterprising toddler feels like eating the biggest, tallest sandwich in the world, so he pulls out all the stops. The sandwich soon grows taller than he is, but fortunately there’s a ladder. Sammy saws holes through the ceilings and carries on stacking his sandwich. He can make it even higher by going through the skylight, and with the help of a crane he’s able to top off this creation with an olive and a sprig of parsley. And then … Sammy feels like having a banana.
Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich is a picture book bursting with imagination (and sandwich ingredients). Lorraine Francis’ story is simple and one that kids can relate to, but it also fires their imagination. It gets you thinking about what ingredients you would use if you were making the world’s biggest sandwich and how tall you would be able to make it without it falling down. You could have a great discussion about whether or not the different ingredients in Sammy’s sandwich would go together well.
Pieter Gaudesaboos’ illustrations are a visual delight. There is so much to look at on each page, from different types of food to the weird and wonderful objects in Sammy’s attic. The page where Sammy lays out all the ingredients for his sandwich makes my mouth water so you probably shouldn’t read this book when you’re hungry. I really like all the contraptions that Pieter has created for Sammy to help him build his monstrous sandwich, like his remote control aeroplane for spreading the bread, the fishing line for adding sprinkles to the top, and his crane to help him finish it all off. My favourite illustration is right at the end when we see the sandwich from bottom to top, and I’m sure children will gaze at it in wonder. I love the design of the book too, because it’s big and has sturdy cardboard pages. It isn’t really a board book though (in the traditional sense) because the story is aimed at preschoolers.
Both parents and children will love the ending and will want to go and help Sammy build another skyscraper sandwich. Grab a copy of Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich from your library or bookshop.
Scholastic New Zealand have released some wonderful new Christmas books this year, for children young and old. Grab a copy of these books to share with your children this Christmas.
Grandma McGarvey’s Christmas by Jenny Hessell, illustrated by Trevor Pye
It’s Christmas Eve, and Grandma McGarvey is excited to get her favourite spot in the camping ground, where she sets about putting up Christmas lights and making her festive preparations. But – oh no! Santa is sick! Will Grandma McGarvey save the day?
Grandma McGarvey’s Christmas is a wonderfully Kiwi Christmas story. Instead of an open fire there’s a camp fire, the kids are eating ice blocks, it’s warm and sunny, the pohutukawa tree is in bloom, and there’s a flying fox. Jenny Hessell’s rhyming text flows nicely and Trevor Pye’s wonderful illustrations portray a classic Kiwi Christmas.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Star by P. Crumble, illustrated by Louis Shea
It is time for Christmas and the old lady’s festive appetite is enormous! Hold on to your chimneys as even Santa isn’t safe from the old lady’s chompers this year! Surely she’ll POP!
This festive take on There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spider is full of silliness. This gummy, wrinkly old lady is quite scary and you would definitely want to run if she looked your way. Kids who know the traditional rhyme will think they know what is coming but it’s a surprise each time you turn the page to find out what she eats next. Kids will be laughing with each new thing she eats and the ending is especially fun. Look out for the cool holographic cover too.
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas and The Twelve Cats of Christmas by Kevin Whitlark
Whether you’re a dog or a cat person you’ll love these two different version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. In these two books you’ll find 3 Fluffy Persians, 6 Pooches Playing, 9 Pussycats Playing and 12 Dogs a’ Digging. They’re sure to appeal to kids, more than the original song, and everyone can join in the singing. The illustrations are hilarious and the pages get more and more crowded the more you go through the song.
The Gift by Penny Matthews, illustrated by Martin McKenna
A rather plain bear sits next to a gorgeous plush crocodile in the toy shop among the special Christmas toys. As each waits to be chosen, Brown Bear makes his own gift to his friend.
This is my favourite Christmas book so far this year. It’s a lovely story with gorgeous, soft illustrations, and it has the cutest teddy bear on the front cover. It’s a story about friendship and hope, and it’s one of those stories that are perfect for snuggling up and reading at bedtime. You’ll want to Brown Bear home and give him a big cuddle. I love the illustrations, especially the one right near the end where Brown Bear sitting on the counter, gazing up with hope in his eyes.
The Mysterious Magical Shop by Elizabeth Pulford, illustrated by Rachel Driscoll
Even on ordinary days Hannah thought Mr McPherson’s second hand shop was somehow mysterious. But today, being Christmas Eve, it seemed even more so. And as she grasped the wooden doorknob and pushed open the door, she thought she heard the faint jingling of sleigh bells …What is the mystery behind the wee dancer trapped in the crystal ball? Could it be connected to her hunt for a Christmas tree fairy?
This is a Christmas story for older children, especially 7-9 year old girls who love stories about princesses, fairies and magic. It’s a short wee story told wonderfully by Elizabeth Pulford, with magical illustrations by Rachel Driscoll. I really like the mysterious character of Mr McPherson and his wonderful shop full of all sorts of curious objects.
The Mysterious Magical Shop is the perfect book to get you feeling all Christmasy.
As a kid I loved Anthony Browne’s Willy the Wimp books and The Piggy Book is one of my Mum’s favourites (and probably mother’s everywhere). It wasn’t until I was older that I really appreciated his books for the illustrations, but once I did I was blown away by the magic that he could create in his pictures. Anthony Browne has just released a new picture book that’s quite different from anything else he’s done before – a counting book. But One Gorilla is a counting book like no other.
In One Gorilla children count from one to ten, while exploring the family of primates. They’ll meet Chimpanzees, Baboons, Gibbons and Colobus Monkeys. As well as teaching children about numbers, Anthony conveys the message that we’re all alike and members of the same big family, so we have to protect these wonderful animals.
One Gorilla is an eye-catching book, with a big gorilla face smiling at you on the front cover. The most wonderful thing about this book is that Anthony has given each of the primates a different personality. Even on the page with 10 Lemurs, no one Lemur is alike. Each Lemur has a different expression, slightly different colouring, and different shaped heads. So even though, like humans, they’re the same species, every one is different. I love the page with the Chimpanzees because you can see every wrinkle of their skin and every hair on their chin, and the adult is looking right at you. The very last page is fascinating, because you can stare at all the human faces and match them up with a primate from the previous pages. I can imagine that children will have great fun doing this too. I also love Anthony Browne’s self-portrait because it’s incredibly life-like.
One Gorilla is a counting book that children young and old can enjoy, and it’s a book that fans of Anthony Browne should absolutely have in their collection.
5 out of 5 stars
Robert Ingpen has been one of my favourite illustrators since I first set eyes on his illustrated edition of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Wendy. Each year, since this first illustrated classic back in 2004, Walker Books Australia have published a classic children’s book illustrated by Robert Ingpen. My favourite one of these is Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, because I love the way that he illustrates animals. Robert Ingpen and Walker Books Australia have just released his latest illustrated classic, Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.
Set out on a thrilling voyage with the quintessential English gentleman, Phileas Fogg. To fulfil a wager made at the Reform Club in London, Fogg and his newly appointed manservant, Passepartout, embark on the race of a lifetime to circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days! Travelling by steamboat, train, and even elephant, and with adventure around every bend, the intrepid duo find themselves rescuing a young Indian woman from sacrifice, escaping kidnap, and battling hurricane winds and all the while, tenacious Detective Fix of Scotland Yard is in hot pursuit, believing Fogg to be the criminal mastermind behind a Bank of England robbery. Rich in humour and excitement, Around the World in Eighty Days deservedly remains one of Jules Verne’s most popular books.
Robert Ingpen’s Around the World in Eighty Days is an absolutely gorgeous book, and this edition is the perfect way to enjoy this classic adventure tale. It’s a book that you want to share with a child, sitting in a comfy chair, so that everyone can enjoy Robert Ingpen’s beautiful, atmospheric illustrations. This edition is a book to treasure because you feel like you’re holding something special in your hands. Not only has Robert produced illustrations both big and small throughout the book, he has also included sketches of the characters in the front and back, and the end papers are the map of Phileas Fogg’s journey around the world. The book is also beautifully produced, with lovely thick pages with an aged look, that make you feel like each page is a work of art.
Robert Ingpen has a real skill for illustrating vehicles and there are lots in this story. Robert also perfectly captures the different countries and cultures in his illustrations. You can look at the illustrations and tell that he is in India, Japan or America.
Robert Ingpen’s illustrated classics are a wonderful Christmas present for children and adults alike. Get Around the World in Eighty Days and start your Robert Ingpen collection.
Joseph Delaney is the author of one of my favourite series, The Spook’s Apprentice. It’s seriously creepy and full of all sorts of horrible creatures. As the Spook’s Apprentice, Thomas has to keep the County safe from the evil that lurks in the dark. The latest book in the series, Spook’s: Slither’s Tale, has just been released, and to celebrate Joseph has joined me today to talk about his Top 5 scariest creatures in the Spook’s stories.
The Haggenbrood
This creature is used in ritual combat to determine the outcome of disputes between citizens of Valkarky (See ‘Slither’). It has three selves which share a common mind and they are, for all intents and purposes, one creature. It is fast and ferocious with fearsome teeth and claws.
Grimalkin
This is the witch assassin of the Malkin Clan (See ‘The Spook’s Battle’ and also ‘I am Grimalkin’). She is deadly with blades and stores powerful dark magic in the thumb-bones that she cuts from her dead enemies with her snippy scissors in order to wear around her neck.
The Bane
This creature from ‘The Spook’s Curse’ is trapped behind a silver gate in a labyrinth of dark tunnels under Priestown Cathedral. It is a shape-shifter with a terrible power; the Bane is able to press a victim so hard that his blood and bones are smeared into the cobbles.
Golgoth
This ‘Lord of Winter’ from ‘The Spook’s Secret’ has the power to plunge the world into another Ice Age. If summoned from the dark he can freeze you solid and shatter you into pieces like an ice stalactite falling on to a slab of rock.
Morwena
She is the most powerful of the water witches (See The Spook’s Mistake). Fathered by the Fiend, she has a blood-filled eye which is usually closed, the lids fixed together with a sharp thin bone. But anyone she gazes upon with that eye is immediately paralyzed and she is able to drink that victim’s blood at her leisure.
Best wishes,
Joseph Delaney
Get a copy of the latest book in the Spook’s Apprentice series, Slither’s Tale, from your library or bookshop now.
Some of my favourite stories are ones that creep me out and send a chill down my spine. When I was a kid there weren’t many authors who wrote horror stories or ghost stories. R.L. Stine’s books were about the creepiest I could find and he’s still writing them today.
If you like horror stories, ghost stories or stories about the supernatural there are now lots of authors who write these stories. My favourite seriously spooky authors are:
Will Hill – Department 19 and Department 19: The RisingI also have to add Michelle Harrison, even though she writes all sorts of books. Her recent book, Unrest is one of the creepiest books for kids or teens that I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it!
Who are your favourite spooky authors or spooky books?
Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named (respectively) John and Abigail Templeton.
Let’s say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn’t it be fun to read about that? Oh, please. It would so.
Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and who enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn’t?!).
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and anyone who likes a story with lots of mystery, adventure, and tight spots to get out of. It’s clever, witty and funny, but also a little bit crazy. The story is told by the Narrator, a rather strange fellow, who is always trying to convince us (the Reader) how wonderful he is. It takes the Narrator quite a few tries to actually get the story started, but when he does he keeps you on your toes. The Narrator helps to point things out to the Reader, but also throws you off track by asking bizarre and random questions, like ‘Can you spell moustache?’ At the end of each chapter the Narrator has some Questions for Review, to test what you can remember about the story or just help to boost his ego.
You meet some curious characters in the story. The twins themselves are quite unique – Abigail is very clever with words and John is extremely clever when it comes to devising plans and putting them into action. These skills, as you can imagine, come in very handy throughout the story. The villain of the story is Dean D. Dean, who accuses the twins’ father of stealing his idea for an invention. Dean D. Dean is good at hatching plans, which involves kidnapping the Twins to hold for ransom. If you think his name is silly, it only gets worse when he tells the children he wants to be a university dean.
Abigail said, “But that would make you Dean Dean D. Dean.”
“Exactly!” the man said with a wild, crazed smile.
“Dean Dean D. Dean?” Abigail said. “It sounds silly.”
“It sounds like ‘Here Comes the Bride,'” John said.
The book is illustrated throughout by Jeremy Holmes, with diagrams of inventions by the twins or their father, explanations of schemes that they have cooked up, and pictures of the characters. There is some little illustration on each page, whether it’s Cassie the Ridiculous Dog or just the cog around the page number. I think the illustrations will really appeal to boys and hook them in, especially if they’re not big readers.
Visit the very cool Templeton Twins website, where you can learn more about the book, the author and the illustrator, and watch the book trailer.
4 out of 5 stars
My Best Friends Are Books 