humourous

Beware – Danger is Everywhere!

/ zackids / Leave a comment

I discovered the hilarious Danger is Everywhere a couple of weeks ago while browsing through new books at my library.  Danger is Everywhere is written by David O’Doherty and illustrated by Chris Judge.  It is a ‘Handbook for Avoiding Danger’ that has two aims:

  1. To remind you that Danger is Everywhere
  2. To make you into a qualified Dangerologist (Level 1)

It is chock full of tips to avoid danger in every day situations, including what to do with a page 9 scorpion, removing a bee in your house, how to find out if your teacher is a vampire, and how to dress for danger.  These handy tips are presented to you by Doctor Noel Zone, the world’s only Dangerologist.

The sequel to Danger is Everywhere, Danger is Still Everywhere, has recently been released and it contains even more tips for avoiding danger.  Both of these books are perfect for kids who like their books full of silly drawings, funny and crazy advice and lots of laughs.  I especially like Doctor Noel’s Relaxing Fairy Tales, crazy alternative fairy tales which involve things like the three little pigs being cooked by lava from a volcano.

Check out these videos featuring advice and tips from Danger is Everywhere and the book trailer for Danger is Still Everywhere:

The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing by Barry Hutchison

/ zackids / 1 Comment

I’ve been a huge fan of Barry Hutchison for ages.  He is one of those incredibly talented authors who can write for all ages and in a range of different genres.  His Invisible Fiends series is one of my favourite series and is delightfully creepy.  I was sucked in to the series with Mr Mumbles and eagerly awaited the next books in the series.  Barry’s next few books, The 13th Horseman and The Book of Doom were hilariously funny books for older readers and I loved these just as much.  Earlier this year Barry released the first book in his brilliant new series for younger readers all about Benjamin Blank, The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing.

In an alternate 15th century, where dragons roam, sailing ships transform into submarines, and blacksmiths build steampunk robots, ten-year-old orphan Benjamin Blank battles monsters, rescues maidens and discovers fantastic new lands, but never quite manages to get his homework handed in on time. Each adventure sees Ben and his friends, Paradise Little and Wesley Chant, face a new monstrous menace.

The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing is a hilarious, rollicking adventure that will have you laughing out loud as you follow Ben and his friends on their quest.  Ben desperately wants to be a hero and when a girl called Paradise turns up in his village looking for a warrior, Ben sees his chance.  A monster is terrorising Paradise’s village and she needs a warrior to save them and vanquish the monster.  Ben hasn’t had much practice but he’s the only warrior around that can help.  Armed with a magic gauntlet, Ben sets off with Paradise to save her village from the Shark-Headed Bear-Thing.

The thing I love the most about Barry’s books is the dialogue.  The conversations and interactions between his characters always makes me laugh and I certainly laughed my way through The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing.  This is a perfect book to read aloud as it really keeps kids’ attention.  There is one particular part of the book, involving a troll and his game of ‘Burp-or-Death’ that I love reading out to kids.  I can hardly get through this part with out cracking up laughing and kids absolutely love it, especially boys.  If you’re looking for the perfect read aloud for ages 8 and up you really can’t go past The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing.  I guarantee it will be a winner!

I love Chris Mould’s illustrations and they perfectly match Barry’s story!  They are quirky and add an extra layer of humour to the story.  I especially love Chris’ cover illustration, with the Shark-Headed Bear-Thing creeping up on Ben, and his illustrations of my favourite troll in his y-front undies.

There are more books coming in the series, including The Swivel-Eyed Ogre-Thing (which has just been released) and The Moon-Faced Ghoul-Thing (coming in October).  I can’t wait to read more adventures of Benjamin Blank and see how he defeats new monsters.  Grab a copy of The Shark-Headed Bear-Thing from your library or bookshop now.

The Bad Guys: Episode One by Aaron Blabey

/ zackids / Leave a comment

Aaron Blabey writes very funny picture books.  His picture books about Pig the Pug and Thelma the Unicorn are hilarious and are some of my favourite picture books.  I was excited when I heard that Aaron Blabey was going to be publishing a series of books for older children, called The Bad Guys.  The first book in the series, Episode One, is out now and it is absolutely brilliant!

They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the Bad Guys . . . and they even smell like the Bad Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that! Mr Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys’ first good mission. The gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr Snake please spit out Mr Piranha?

The Bad Guys: Episode One is a short, witty and incredibly funny book that will have you laughing out loud.  It’s the sort of book that makes you laugh all the way through.  The humour works on different levels so – there is lots to make younger kids laugh but adults will get some jokes that kids might not.

The story focuses on a group of animals who are always thought of as bad guys – Mr Wolf, Mr Snake, Mr Piranha and Mr Shark.  They get a pretty bad rap, from attempting to eat old women to eating anything and anybody.  Mr Wolf is sick of being misunderstood so he calls his friends together and they set out to prove they can be good guys.  Their plans never quite seem to go as planned and have hilarious consequences.

There are so many things I love about The Bad Guys!  The way that Aaron tells the story draws the reader in, with Mr Wolf speaking directly to the reader at the start of the book.  It’s a cross between a graphic novel and a chapter book, with sparse text and funny illustrations, so will appeal to beginner readers right through to older children.  I love Aaron Blabey’s illustrations because his characters are so expressive and it’s the combination of these illustrations and the text that make this book so funny.

The Bad Guys begs to be read aloud so grab a copy of Episode 1 and laugh along with your children as you introduce them to the bad guys who just want to be good.