The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers

THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY

by Oliver Jeffers

Henry is a little boy who loves books. He doesn't read them, however; he eats them. He eats all kinds of books, but red ones are his favourite. The more books he eats, the cleverer he becomes. He wants to become the cleverest person in the world, so he eats three or four books at a time. Eventually, of course, Henry starts to feel ill. What's more, he has been eating books so quickly that the things he has been learning get mixed up.

All sorts of experts tell Henry that he must give up eating books. At first he feels sad, but then he picks up a half-eaten book and starts to read it. He enjoys it so much that he realises he could become the cleverest person in the world by reading book after book. So this is what he does, but every so often he can't resist nibbling the corner of a page.

Oliver Jeffers has created a totally original story in “The Incredible Book Eating Boy”. It is highly imaginative and full of humour that both adults and children will appreciate. The illustration on the title page of Henry with a pile of seven books cramming his wide-open jaw gives a taste of what is to come. Further on, Henry juggles with books and catches one in his mouth. He imagines taking part in a quiz show and being adorned with a huge gold medal for being the smartest person on Earth. It's the stuff of dreams.

The text of “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” looks as though it has come from an old typewriter, and occasionally hand-written words are inserted. While this sounds a little strange, it does in fact suit the eccentric style of the book. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, and sometimes the background is a little dark. Most pages have only a small amount of text, so young children who do not have a huge attention span will not get bored. The adult readers and slightly older children, however, will get quite a bit of amusement from the little extras that Jeffers has included. When Henry is eating so many books that information in his brain is getting confused, for example, Jeffers gives the example 2 + 6 = elephant.

Oliver Jeffers' illustrations for “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” are unusual to say the least. Backgrounds are predominantly beige or brown and look as though they have been painted on pages of old notebooks. Sometimes ruled lines and squares are visible. Most of the characters are illustrated in a much more colourful way than the backgrounds, so the overall effect is not too dismal. Apart from the colour, however, the drawings are quirky and amusing. Jeffers shows Henry with letters getting mixed up inside his brain, and then presents a picture of him with a bulging tummy crammed full of books. In two of the illustrations, enormous books with faces, arms and legs confront Henry; one of them chases him and threatens to eat him. The final mention that Henry still nibbles pages from time to time is brought home by the fact that the bottom corner of the last page actually has a piece missing from it.

While “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” may not be the ideal choice for young children who are obsessed with princesses or fairies, its originality and humour will appeal to many listeners and readers. As a read-aloud picture book, three and a half might be a suitable starting age. For independent reading, children up to at least eight years of age are likely to enjoy the story as it is not a childish one. Jeffers has come up with a book that young readers are sure to remember and want to read to their own children when they grow up. It is definitely worth borrowing a copy from the library, but the chances are most families will want a copy of their own to keep.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

by Oliver Jeffers

Paperback, 32 pages

Harper Collins Children's Books, 2009

ISBN 9780007182312

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure, by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto

Flinn, a seemingly ordinary boy who likes pirates and dinosaurs, is on a school trip to see dinosaur skeletons at a museum. He and his friends are in awe of the huge skeleton of the giganotosaurus, which the guide tells them was even mightier than Tyrannosaurus Rex. They are also intrigued when the guide shows them an empty glass case from which Captain Rufus Rumblebelly's treasure was stolen the night before.

Flinn and friends follow a trail of feathers and gold coins, thinking that it might hold a clue to the treasure. It leads them into a dark cupboard and, surprise surprise, the back of the cupboard falls away. The children find themselves in the cabin of a pirate ship where Rumblebelly's grandson, Gordon Gurgleguts, has been tied up and left. He admits to having taken the treasure from the museum, but it was then stolen from him.

Gurgleguts appoints Flinn as captain of the ship, and off they set to Bag o' Bones Island in search of the thieves and treasure. The culprits are of course the pirate dinosaurs, who manage to capture Gurgleguts and threaten to barbecue him. Tyrannosaurus Rex, however, remembers his previous encounter with Captain Flinn and brings on his fearsome cousin, Gigantosaurus. This huge monster is terrified of a tiny spider hanging from Flinn's hat. Flinn seizes the opportunity to grab the treasure, free Gurgleguts and tie up the dinosaurs. It's not long before they are heading back on the ship. At the museum, the guide is delighted to see the treasure returned, but there's no way he's going to believe in pirate dinosaurs.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure” is Giles Andreae's sequel to Flinn's first adventure when he vanquished Tyrannosaurus Rex. The idea of Flinn and his friends falling through the back of the cupboard not only has shades of C.S. Lewis' “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, but is a repetition of the way the children found themselves on a pirate ship in the previous book. The story itself is, however, full of humour and excitement, and the ingredients of pirates, dinosaurs and lost treasure are bound to appeal to many young children.

Giles Andreae has of course invented the giganotosaurus, and has included a friendly note before the story starts on the pronunciation of the name, breaking it down into six syllables. I think a fair few adults will appreciate this. “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure” is a great read-aloud adventure, but with lengthy dinosaur names and insults like “dastardly dunderheads”, it is not an ideal book for a child learning to read. Most of the text is in a large font, in fact some words and phrases are extra large for emphasis, but sometimes the font resembles handwriting. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, and in a few cases the background is a little dark.

Russell Ayto's illustrations are wonderful and definitely bring the story to life. He uses vibrant reds, blues and yellows alongside more muted colours, and really goes to town with the characters. The dinosaurs have huge toothy grins and evil eyes, while Gurgleguts is a round body with stick-like limbs and tiny spotted handkerchief on his head. As in the previous book, there is a colourful cross-section of the pirate ship showing mice in hammocks, a bed with a skull bed-head, and a soppy Gurgleguts hugging one of the children goodbye.

The device of the back of the cupboard falling away to get the children onto a ship was disappointing in the first story and even more so when it was repeated in “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure”. Nevertheless, Giles Andreae has created an adventure story that most children, certainly boys, will love. The group of four-year-olds that I read it aloud to reacted to it with plenty of enthusiasm. One of the boys had the book at home and was able to recite a little song from the book as well as join in with a few other lines here and there. It was obviously a book that he had asked to have read to him again and again. Although not a favourite picture book of mine, the humour and sense of adventure make this a story that three to five-year-olds will not be bored by. Slightly older children may enjoy it too, but a young independent reader will probably find it quite challenging. Recommended for any fans of pirates and dinosaurs.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure
By Giles Andreae (Author) and Russell Ayto (Illustrator)
Paperback, 32 pages
Puffin, 2008
ISBN 9780141500492
Price £6.99 (Amazon £4.18)

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs, by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto

Flinn, like so many other boys his age, loves dinosaurs and pirates. One day at school his teacher sends him to a walk-in cupboard to look for the pens he needs to colour a dinosaur picture. While inside, Flinn hears the sound of a man crying. He is amazed to find Captain Stubble, a pirate, shaking and shuddering on the floor under a curtain. The reason for Captain Stubble's despair is that his ship has been stolen. Flinn offers to help him get it back, and out of nowhere three of his friends appear, all clamouring to join in the adventure.

Suddenly the back of the cupboard falls away and they find themselves on board a pirate ship. Captain Stubble appoints Flinn as the new captain, as he would rather be the cook. Off they sail in search of the lost ship, the 'Acorn'. After a long voyage they spot it through their telescope but are horrified to see that it has been taken over by pirate dinosaurs, with a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex at the helm. They bravely attack, and soon all the dinosaurs except for T Rex jump overboard. Flinn challenges Tyrannosaurus to a duel, and miraculously keeps going until the dinosaur surrenders. Tyrannosaurus promises to be good from then on, and is so impressed by Flinn that he appoints him as the new captain of the dinosaur pirates.

Flinn, however, suddenly realises he should be back at school. They sail home while Stubble cooks shark's fin stew for everyone. Back on shore the children wave goodbye to Stubble and Tyrannosaurus Rex, then clamber back into the school cupboard. As they creep into the classroom, Miss Pie has just finished reading a story to the class. She wonders what Flinn and his pals have been up to, but they just smile at each other and say, “Nothing really at all.”

Giles Andreae has taken two popular groups of characters in the form of pirates and dinosaurs to create a fast-paced adventure that could hardly fail to be a success, especially among young boys. When I asked a group of four-year-olds which stories they would like to repeat in their drama sessions at the end of the school year, “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” was one of their three choices. (The other two were Julia Donaldson's “A Squash and a Squeeze” and “Courtney” by John Burningham.) It is easy to see the appeal. It is, however, hard to overlook the parallel with C.S. Lewis' “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” when Flinn and company fall through the back of the cupboard. Pre-school children of course are unlikely to be aware of this similarity. Even so, whilst there is excitement and a bravely fought duel, the story is neither original nor intriguing. The ending is also somewhat of an anticlimax.

Russell Ayot's illustrations for “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” are bold, humorous and highly colourful. Tyrannosaurus in his pirate rig-out has evil eyes and deadly sharp teeth, confronting puny Flinn who bravely wields his silver cutlass with a determined expression. At one point we see a fascinating cross-section of the 'Acorn' with almost toothless pirate prisoners tied up below deck, and Tyrannosaurus Rex grinning in anticipation as he watches Stubble (who has a great deal of stubble) stirring the stew. There's even a bemused little blue parrot. Smoke puffs out from the kitchen against a scarlet sky.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is definitely a read-aloud story rather than a book for a child learning to read. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light-coloured background but occasionally on red or blue. Some words and phrases appear in a larger font for emphasis, and one or two are in capitals in a font that looks like handwriting. Exclamation marks abound. A lot of young children are familiar with the names of various species of dinosaur that appear here, such as stegosaurus and triceratops, but that does not of course mean that they would find them easy to read. Phrases such as “All hands on deck!” or “Right, me hearties” lend authenticity to the pirate theme, but here again originality is sadly lacking.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is a particularly lively book that is more than likely to hold the attention of children, especially boys, aged from three up to six or perhaps seven. It is not the greatest, most imaginative story, but children of that age may not be so critical. One or two of the illustrations could be frightening for a very young child, but on the whole they are amusing and bring the story to life. This is a picture book that may not be the favourite for the adult reader, but could be very popular with a child that loves action with pirates or dinosaurs or both.


Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs
Giles Andreae (Author) and Russell Ayto (Illustrator)
Puffin, 2006
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780140569216
Price £6.99 (Amazon £4.99)

Courtney, by John Burningham

A boy and girl try to convince their parents to let them get a dog; they say it could guard the house and play with them. Mum and dad protest at first, saying that dogs need to be fed and walked, and they make a lot of mess. The children promise that they will take care of everything, and Mum gives in. The children set off for the Dogs' Home, pushing the baby in the buggy. Their parents stress that they must get a dog with a pedigree.

At the home the boy and girl don't see the right dog at first, so they ask if there is a dog that nobody wants. A man shows them Courtney, an old grey dog, and the children decide at once that they are taking him home. Their parents of course are not impressed by this mongrel; the children are sent off to bed and Courtney settles down to sleep in the kitchen. Next morning there is no sign of him, but he comes back later in the day, dragging a trunk behind him. He appears to be well travelled.

Courtney loses no time in donning a chef's hat and apron, cooking a meal for the family, changing into waiter's clothes and serving the food, playing the violin as they eat and then juggling to amuse the baby. As time goes on, he sometimes meets up with dogs in the park but spends most of his time doing household chores, watching television with the children or dancing with mum. Tragedy strikes one day when the house catches fire with the baby and Courtney inside; Courtney suddenly appears climbing down a ladder with the baby safely under one arm.

Life goes on, but one morning there is no sign of Courtney or his trunk. The parents remind the children that Courtney is a mongrel who cannot be relied on. The boy and girl, once again pushing the baby along, report Courtney as missing at the police station. Needless to say, the officer doesn't expect a dog who can cook and play the violin to be handed in, but he promises to let the children know.

The following summer the family set off to the seaside for a holiday. Every day the children go off in a boat that is tied to a rock by a long rope. On the last day, however, the rope breaks and the boat drifts out to sea. Mum cries for help, and suddenly there is a tug as the boat begins to be pulled back to the shore by something invisible. The family never find out exactly who or what saved the children, but in one illustration near the end of the book the outline of an old dog can be seen on a cliff top, looking down on the family as they hug each other.

In 'Courtney', John Burningham has created a delightful, imaginative story. It's obviously total fantasy, but the children I read it to found the idea of a dog dressing up and doing household chores or dancing extremely funny. Although Courtney is an old and not particularly attractive dog, there is something very lovable about him and you can understand why the children decided they wanted him as soon as they saw him. I have to admit that it was not on first reading that I noticed Courtney's presence on the cliff top in a picture near the end of the book, but when I asked the children how they thought the boy and girl had been saved, they were convinced that Courtney rescued them. Interestingly, Courtney is the only character in the story who is named.

John Burningham illustrates his picture books himself and he is one of my favourite illustrators. He uses a fair amount of colour with line drawings that are usually quite sketchy; the colours bring them to life but are never overdone. Facial features are minimal yet still convey expressions and feelings. Dad obviously hates the idea of his wife leaning against Courtney as he plays the violin, although on the previous page he was delighted at the prospect of dinner cooked by the dog.

Every page has a white background that makes for easy reading. Usually there are just one or two lines of text at the top or bottom of the page, sometimes slightly more. The font is large and clear. 'Courtney' is definitely a book for reading aloud, but it is such a charming story that a confident reader aged around seven might still find it an interesting story.

First published in 1994, 'Courtney' is not the most up-to-date picture book and I'm not aware of a television tie-in, but two groups of children that I have read it aloud to have genuinely loved it. They were aged three and a half to four years old, but I'm sure slightly older children would still appreciate it. It shows us that it's not always the most attractive creature that is the cleverest or most lovable one. It allows children to give full rein to their imaginations, and has an intriguing element of mystery at the end. I wholeheartedly recommend finding a place for Courtney in any home where there are young children.

Courtney
by John Burningham
Red Fox, 1996
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780099666813
Price £5.99 (£4.11)

Watch out! Big Bro's Coming, by Jez Alborough

A little white mouse comes running to a frog to ask for help because Big Bro's coming: “He's rough, he's tough, and he's big.” The mouse stretches his arms out as wide as he can to show just how big, then he runs away to hide. The worried frog conveys the same information to a parrot before hopping off to hide as well. The parrot tells the story to a chimpanzee and stretches out his wings to show just how big Big Bro is, but of course his wing span is far greater than the span of the mouse or the frog's arms. By now it seems as though Big Bro really must be a fair size and a creature capable of striking fear in the heart of any other animal. The parrot flies off to hide in his turn, and the chimpanzee rushes to tell an elephant about Big Bro. The chimp can stretch out his arms even wider than the parrot's wings, so the elephant decides that there is good reason for them both to hide.

The animals are all huddled together and the elephant thinks one of them should creep out and have a look around. They are, however, all terrified, but the little mouse bravely offers to go. He soon rushes back, shrieking that Big Bro is on his way and that they must hide. The animals all cover their eyes in trepidation as they hear footsteps. When they finally discover that Big Bro is in fact a mouse, albeit a largish one, they comment on how tiny he is. Not wishing to be made to look a fool, Big Bro takes a deep breath and shouts “BOO!” which really makes the animals jump. The story ends with Big Bro marching his little brother off home while the others remark that he really is rough and tough.

Jez Alborough's “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” is a simple but effective story that cleverly uses the idea of size and builds the tension up gradually for a young audience. This is a great book for talking about the various animals and how big they are, and how likely they are to be frightened of other creatures. There is plenty of humour and repetition to keep a young child's interest throughout the story.

The text is in a large, clear font that is superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light blue background so there is no difficulty in deciphering it. On average there are about ten lines per double page, occasionally more but sometimes less. A two-year-old child might be impatient to turn over, but a slightly older child will enjoy taking in the illustrations while listening. A child who is gaining confidence in reading would probably not have too much difficulty tackling “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming”. Rough, tough and chimpanzee may not be the easiest words to read, but there is enough repetition of sentences throughout the book to making reading the story not too challenging.

Alborough illustrates his own picture books, and this one is particularly colourful and appealing. There is always a bright blue sky and plenty of greenery; while the mouse, chimpanzee and elephant are rather neutral colours, the parrot is a beautiful yellow, orange and red plumed bird and the frog is rich green and yellow. The animals usually have wide-eyed, open-mouthed, flabbergasted facial expressions that bring each illustration to life.

“Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” has proved to be one of the most popular picture books that I have successfully used as the basis for a drama session with a group of four-year-old children. Almost all children love pretending to be animals, making the appropriate noises and hopping or flapping their arms like wings. It is an ideal length, and the children enjoy hiding and whispering while waiting for Big Bro to arrive. The story obviously captured their imagine, as they were still saying “Big Bro's coming” during an outdoor play session after the drama. I had suggested that before they go off to school in September we might repeat some of their favourite dramas, and they said that this would definitely be one of their choices.

It is hard to go wrong with Jez Alborough, and if you and your young family have not yet become familiar with his picture books, “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” would be an ideal one to start with. It is likely to appeal to both boys and girls from the age of two up to five or six. It's great fun for reading aloud, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Watch out! Big Bro's Coming

Jez Alborough

Paperback, 32 pages

Walker Books, 2005

ISBN 0744598346

Price £5.99 (Amazon £5.39)

Small Knight and George and the Royal Chocolate Cake, by Ronda Armitage

A small knight and his even smaller pet dragon, George, live in an old castle. One day a letter arrives from the king, saying that he and the queen will be visiting and would like a party to be arranged. He particularly requests that Big Cook make her special chocolate cake.

Everyone begins to make preparations, with Small Knight and George distributing the invitations. Soon the chocolate cake is ready, and it is huge. However, the delicious smell wafting from it reaches the wild brigands in the dark woods. Indignant that they have not been invited to the party, they creep into the castle in the middle of the night and steal the cake.

Dad Knight orders Small Knight to go in search of the brigands and bring back the cake. Small Knight doesn't feel in the least bit brave, but his love of chocolate cake spurs him on. With George behind him on his horse, he sets off to the wild woods, singing a song. After a while he encounters the band of brigands who declare themselves to be very wild and very hungry. Small Knight bravely shouts at them to leave the cake alone. He cleverly tells them that if they behave, they can come to the party. His idea miraculously works, so that cake is taken back to the palace and the spruced up brigands are allowed at the party. When they have eaten their fill, everyone plays kick-a-ball.

'Small Knight and George and the Royal Chocolate Cake' starts off seeming rather traditional in many ways, but stands out because Small Knight achieved his aim not by fighting but by being friendly and generous towards the brigands. I was at pains to stress this concept to a group of four-year-old children and suggested that they might learn a thing or two from Small Knight's methods, but I think I was being over-optimistic. Perhaps the story needed to be read a few more times to drum the message home. Ronda Armitage is, nevertheless, to be commended for depicting such friendly, peace-loving characters.

There is slightly more text per page than some picture books, but the font is large and the background is always white for the story itself. The letter from the king appears on a pale yellow scroll in handwriting which is easy to read as it is not cursive. There are a few words and phrases that are set in a large font for emphasis, and coloured speech bubbles are interestingly used when Dad and Mum Knight and Big Cook are watching out for the brigands just before the party. The flavour of a medieval manuscript is suggested by a particularly large first letter decorated by George on many pages. Adults might appreciate this detail more than young children. The vocabulary is fairly straightforward, although understandably there seemed to be just one four-year-old boy in my group who knew what a portcullis was. This is definitely a story to be read aloud rather than a book for a child who is learning to read.

The illustrations for 'Small Knight and George and the Royal Chocolate Cake' are by Arthur Robins.

They are full of humour and in a style that will appeal readily to young children. Apart from the first picture of the wild brigands hiding in the woods, they are all very bright and colourful. The fact that they are not my favourite picture-book illustrations is almost bound to be a good sign; I'm too old to appreciate what today's pre-school children are likely to enjoy most.

I am always on the lookout for picture books that can be used as a basis for a drama session, and 'Small Knight and George and the Royal Chocolate Cake' proved to be ideal. Most young children enjoy pretending to be wild brigands and eating chocolate cake at parties. It would probably work well even with quite a large group that need a lively activity.

This is a book that might appeal more to boys than to girls, but the fun illustrations and imaginative story should make it one worth at least borrowing from the library to read to any young child. I particularly liked Ronda Armitage's idea of inviting the brigands to the party rather than fighting against them, so I would recommend adding it to any children's library on that basis alone.

Small Knight and George and the Royal Chocolate Cake

Ronda Armitage (author), Arthur Robins (illustrator)

Paperback, 32 pages

Orchard Books, 2009

ISBN 9781846169137

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.19)

Oi! Get off our Train - John Burningham

A little boy dressed in his pyjamas is scolded by his mum as he is still playing with the train on the floor at the end of his bed. He is told to go to bed at once, and mum gives him his pyjama-case dog to cuddle. There's no goodnight kiss, however, just an order to “settle down and go to sleep”. The boy obeys.

The next two pages show a double-spread of the toy train chugging off, with smoke billowing out of the engine's chimney. Turn over again, and the boy is seated in the engine, wearing his pyjamas and a cap. The dog, also sporting a cap, is shovelling coal into the furnace. The train speeds along over great bridges, puffing out grey smoke, and the boy thinks they might have time for a picnic. Then he notices that it looks as though it's foggy ahead and says they could play ghosts if it is.

Suddenly, an elephant boards the train, but the boy and the dog say in no uncertain terms, “Oi! Get off our train.” The elephant, however, very politely begs to be allowed to stay on the train as someone wants to cut off his tusks, and soon there will be no elephants left. He stays on and sprays the dog with a huge jet of water when they stop for a swim. It looks like great fun.

After this several other animals try to board the train: a seal, a crane, a tiger and a polar bear. Each one is initially told “Oi! Get off our train.” But each animal has a reason to stay: too many fish are being caught, forests are being cut down, marshes are being drained. Lots of fun is had during the journey, flying kites, throwing snowballs, and messing about with umbrellas.

Suddenly the boy realises that they will have to head home so that he will be in time for school in the morning. We see him tucked up in bed and mum comes to tell him to get up straight away. It must have been a dream, or was it? Mum says there are animals all over the house: an elephant in the hall, a seal in the bath, and so on. She wonders if it has anything to do with the boy.

'Oi! Get off our Train' is a delightful story in which John Burningham cleverly brings in the message that these animals are all endangered species. It is an original way of combining an imaginative tale of a boy and a toy dog speeding off on an adventure with the idea that the animals need help because their numbers are dwindling. Burningham makes sure that there is plenty of play and fun throughout so that the story will have sufficient appeal for a young child.

This is an easy book to read aloud with the text in a clear, large font and just a few lines – sometimes only one – on each double page. Although the vocabulary used is straightforward, I wouldn't recommend it as a book for a very young child who is learning to read by phonics. It could, however, be popular with children up to the age of seven who are independent readers and might enjoy reading the story aloud to a younger sibling.

John Burningham illustrates his picture books himself, and the illustrations contribute enormously to 'Oi! Get off our Train'. They are watercolour/pastel sketches that use a great variety of colours to create different moods, from the sun-filled scene of kite-flying to the black and gold sky of the double page that shows the train steaming home again. The animals take on human qualities as they stand upright, either to tell the latest arrival to get off the train or to hold up umbrellas. At one point we see the dog taking a break from shovelling coal: he has removed his cap and is mopping his brow with spotted red handkerchief. Burningham is one of my favourite illustrators, but I know there are those who prefer the more up-to-date work of, for example, Lauren Child.

I have successfully used 'Oi! Get off our Train' in drama sessions with small groups of four-year-old children. I thought the title might be considered rude and I'm expected to be teaching these little ones how to be polite, so I suggested we say 'Hey! Please get off out train' as an alternative. The story does lend itself well to drama as most children enjoy pretending to be animals as well as chugging round the room making steam train noises. If there are too many children in the group there is no harm in having two elephants, two seals, and so on. To be honest I'm not quite sure how well they understood the idea that the animals were endangered species, but if you are reading the book aloud to just one or two children it might be easier to emphasise this and talk more about it.

'Oi! Get off our Train' may appeal slightly more to boys than girls, as the main character is a boy and boys are perhaps more likely to be interested in trains. It is, however, a delightful story, and the animals and sense of adventure should make it a book that any child will enjoy. For anyone interested in explaining the idea of endangered species to young children, this book is an ideal way of approaching the subject since it weaves the message into a story. I would highly recommend it.

Oi! Get Off our Train

by John Burningham

Paperback, 46 pages

Publisher: Red Fox, 1991

ISBN 009985340X

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.97)

If I were You, by Richard Hamilton and Babette Cole

Dad is tucking Daisy up in bed – well actually, he's in bed too and yawning. He says to her, 'If I were you, I'd snuggle down and go to sleep.' Daisy, who looks wide awake, takes this literally and they begin to talk about what would happen if Dad were Daisy and Daisy were Dad.

Daisy would read Dad a bedtime story, and Dad would wake up first in the morning and go and bounce on Daisy's bed. Daisy would dress Dad in a pink tutu and give him porridge for breakfast while she had chocolate fromage frais. Dad would have a lazy time watching television and playing while Daisy did the housework. This sounds good to Dad, but he's not sure about being taken for a walk in a pushchair wearing that pink tutu – what on earth would the neighbours think?

Dad and Daisy would go to the park, but Daisy realises she wouldn't be strong enough to give Dad a piggyback. Dad could have a great time having tea with his friends and playing games, after which Daisy would have to give him a bath. The whole story comes full circle when Daisy says she would tuck Dad up in bed and give him a big kiss. Dad thinks that a day without household chores would be fantastic, but Daisy of course realises that she is better off being herself. After all this thinking, Daisy finally drifts off to sleep and Dad can creep off and relax.

Richard Hamilton has created a fascinating tale based on the reversal of roles in 'If I were you.' It is an ideal opportunity for plenty of humour, especially when they consider the idea of Dad wearing a ballet tutu. There is no mention of Mum in the story except when Daisy suggests Dad could have tea with his friends. Mum is there with Baby, so it seems that in this family Dad gets to do all the chores and look after Daisy most of the time. Dad and Daisy do seem to have a loving and friendly relationship. Hamilton uses rhyming couplets in each situation that the pair imagine; this is an ideal way to develop a young child's feel for rhyme and love of language.

Babette Cole's illustrations make a huge contribution to this picture book. She knows exactly how to portray the humour in each situation, showing Dad with a few spiky hairs on his legs and a six-o'clock shadow when he wears the pink tutu. There are a couple of pages showing Daisy and Dad at the zoo, running along with monkeys in one of them. Here Dad, still in the tutu, clasps a bunch of colourful balloons while Daisy holds an ice cream out to him. When they are playing musical chairs after tea, we see Daisy's blue kangaroo and a pig joining in. Further down the page Dad (in his tutu, of course) gets down on all fours, Daisy balances on his back and they chase after the three bears. Dad has fun spitting out a jet of water while he's having his bath, but doesn't seem to appreciate Daisy shampooing his hair. One of the bears joins him in the bath whereas the cat dashes off at the sight of all the bubbles.

The text is set in quite a large font, and there aren't usually more than two or three lines per page. It isn't always in straight lines, however; sometimes it curves up and down, or individual words appear to jump around when Dad is bouncing on Daisy's bed. Single words are sometimes set in a larger font for emphasis. The text is always printed on a light-coloured background, so there will not be any problems deciphering it. This is definitely a read-aloud book rather than one for a child learning to read. I can imagine that a child of about seven who is a confident reader might enjoy reading it to a younger brother and sister, especially since there is so much humour throughout the book.

I have read this aloud to a group to children aged three and a half to four, who were about the right age to follow the idea of role reversal and appreciate the humour. I'm not sure that two-year-olds would quite understand the concept of the book, but they might still get some fun out of the illustrations.

Richard Hamilton has come up with an original idea for a picture book here, and I cannot think of anyone who would have provided more appropriate illustrations than Babette Cole. This is a book that can be enjoyed by the adult reading aloud as well as the child being read too. I am sure that it will appeal to many families, and I certainly recommend it.

If I Were You

Richard Hamilton (author)

Babette Cole (illustrator)

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 9780747587576

Doing the Animal Bop - J. Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner

Picture books often have a simple story line with a strong rhythm and plenty rhyming words: Doing the Animal Bop by J. Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner begins 'If you like to dance and you sometimes sing, Why don't you do the animal thing?' It is hard for children to resist the urge when this is read aloud to get up and try to move in the same way as each animal that appears in these pages, jiggling and jiving, waddling like a duck or stomping like a rhino.

This is not really a story at all, more of a poem that introduces a series of animals, one on each double page, concentrating on the way they move and the sounds they make. As well as rhyme, there is onomatopoeia in the 'Craak, craak, craak' of the penguin song, and alliteration in the 'flim-flam flutter of the ostrich flounce' or the monkeys' 'jive and jiggle'. The hissing of the snake is exaggerated in the line 'you can ssssssing this ssssssong'. The chickens peck and cluck whilst the rhinos roar and rage.

On the final pages the line 'so let's end up with a great big mooo!' (because the cow can only chew) becomes so familiar that children love to join in. There is after that one more double-page illustration of the animals in silhouette dancing off into the night under the pink stars in the dark blue sky. It's as though they are off to party all night.

Both rhyme and rhythm come through in no uncertain terms, creating a lively pace. This is an ideal book to encourage children to get up and move, exercising and trying to stomp, waddle, jive or slither like a snake. You can imagine that it's probably not the best bedtime story, unless you want your child to run off a little more energy before slipping under the covers.

I absolutely love the use of colour in Lindsey Gardiner's illustrations. The backgrounds in particular are striking, and all are different colours. A pink elephant trudges along against an orange background, whilst a pale green lizard moves on a salmon pink ground. The ostrich seems to have borrowed Winnie the Witch's stripy tights, bouncing and flouncing on a deep pink background. In each picture there is a tiny mouse with a yellow tummy and tail; we meet it right at the beginning, and children can have fun spotting where it is on each page throughout the book, as it frequently tries to imitate the other animals.

This is a feast of language and colour, and a delightful way of teaching very young children about the sounds and movements of different animals. Recognising rhyming words is said to be a fundamental precursor to reading, so that is one more reason to make this an ideal book to read aloud, perhaps to children as young as two. It may not be the easiest book for a young reader to tackle, unless a particularly confident one is looking for a challenge. If you are looking for a book that will impart a love of the sounds of words to your children and at the same time get them out of their seats, this could be the ideal one.

Doing the Animal Bop

J. Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner

Oxford University Press

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 0192791400

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

But excuse me that is my book - Lauren Child

Charlie and Lola are off to the library, and Lola announces that she must borrow her favourite book, 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies'. When Charlie comments that Dad took it out for her last time and the time before that, Lola explains that it's the best book because 'the bugs are quite buggy and the butterflies are really beautiful and the beetles are... very silly'.

Once they are at the library, big brother Charlie does his utmost to keep Lola quiet and suggests she look for her special book amongst all the books beginning with B. Lola is quite distraught when she can't find it, and she won't accept Charlie's explanation that someone must have borrowed it. She considers it to be her book. Charlie tries to persuade her to have a look at a few other books, but Lola protests that the one about the Romans has too many big words and the pop-up book with cherry blossom rain just isn't funny. Charlie realises that he will have to find an animal book that will make her laugh, and he shows her 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees'.

Just then, Lola is shocked to see a girl walking off with 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies'. She finds it hard to accept that anyone else can take it out. She has no choice but to give 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees' a go, and thankfully she finds it to be wonderful. In fact, she says it has the best pictures ever and thinks the chimps are very funny. Charlie must have breathed a big sigh of relief.

This may not be the best or most popular of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books, but it is the perfect one to introduce a young child to the idea that when you bring a book home from the library it doesn't actually belong to you. It is also ideal for perhaps persuading your son and daughter to be open minded and try different books or toys, particularly when one they are obsessed with is lost or broken. They might discover something even better when they try something new.

Lauren Child illustrates all her stories herself in her distinctive style. She uses vibrant colours throughout, and the page where Lola talks about her favourite book is dotted with patterned butterflies and a row of wide-eyed bugs marching along. When she finally looks at 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees', Child uses photo-montage to show her standing in a jungle setting with the book while a friendly grinning monkey watches her from each side.

The text is usually superimposed on the illustrations, and on one or two pages in appears in mauve or pale blue on a black background. Sometimes lines of text curve around the pictures, and the font can vary in size to emphasize particular words or phrases. In some instances, the individual letters of a word jiggle playfully up and down. Lauren Child has Lola speaking at times in an amusing, ungrammatical way that might be typical of a young child, for example when she says that 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies' is a 'very great and extremely very interesting' book.

While 'But excuse me that is my book' is an ideal book to read aloud, the creative use of the text does not make it an easy one for a child that is just learning to read. An older sibling, however, who is a confident reader, would probably enjoy reading this to a brother or sister. Many of them are likely to identify with Charlie and not find the book too childish.

I often read picture books aloud to groups of children aged three and four, and if I give them a choice I almost always find that a Charlie and Lola book is asked for. This one is unlikely to appeal to two-year-olds, but might still be approved of by children of five or six. Although it may not be the best in the series, I don't think you can go wrong borrowing a Charlie and Lola story from the library and then deciding if it is worth buying. If I have grandchildren one day, I hope I will be able to enjoy reading 'But excuse me that is my book' aloud to them.

But excuse me that is my book

Lauren Child

Paperback, 32 pages

Puffin 2006

ISBN 0141500530

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.99)

Avocado Baby - John Burningham

Mr and Mrs Hargraves, as well as their son and daughter, are not the strongest specimens of the human race so they naturally hope the newest addition to the family will prove to be more robust. After the baby is born, however, Mrs Hargraves has a lot of difficulty feeding it and indeed finding any sort of food that it likes.

Poor Mrs Hargraves is eventually driven to tears, but her son and daughter notice an avocado pear in the fruit bowl and suggest their mother feed it to their baby brother. The mystery is that nobody knows how the avocado got there, as the Hargraves certainly hadn't bought it. In her desperation, however, Mrs Hargraves cuts it in half, mashes it up and feeds it to the baby. Since he eats it all, Mrs Hargraves continues to give him avocado pear every day. The baby soon becomes so strong that he is able to break out of his high chair and pull a cartload of children up a hill.

One night the baby hears a burglar in the house; he gets hold of a broom and chases the terrified burglar away. After that the baby helps with carrying shopping, moving furniture and pushing the family car with everyone in it. The baby is thankfully able to deal with two bullies who attack his brother and sister while they are walking him in the park. The baby simply picks them up and throws them into the pond. The story ends with a picture of the baby having a rest in his carry-cot and the news that he continues to get stronger eating avocado pears.

John Burningham's stories are generally rather unusual, and Avocado Baby does seem a little strange as a young children's book. There is, however, quite a bit a humour in the story, and young children will doubtless be delighted by the idea of a baby moving a piano or picking up a bully in each hand. Parents who have had problems feeding their children will appreciate Mrs Hargraves' desperation as well as her relief when her baby wolfs down that first avocado pear and then starts to become stronger by the day. It is good to see the older siblings playing their part too, and of course being protected by the astonishing baby.

Burningham illustrates his books himself, and all except one of the pictures here are in full colour. The backgrounds are almost all white, so there is no difficulty with reading the text. The colours used are bright and varied which I think is important in a young children's book. One page, where Mrs Hargraves is shown trying to feed the baby, is set out like a comic strip with a series of pictures. We see the baby angrily pushing the plate away, as well as Mrs Hargraves attempting to feed him in the bath and while he is standing up in his cot. She is at her wits' end and will try anything. This is a page with no text that could generate discussions about the various scenarios, considering the feeding problem from both the baby's and the mother's point of view. Favourite illustrations are likely to be the full-page one of the burglar dropping his swag bag when he sees the baby brandishing a broom behind him, or the double-page spread of the two bullies landing in the pond with an almighty splash that disturbs the poor ducks and a fish.

The endpapers at both the front and back of the book show a double-page spread of an avocado plant covered with miniature babies in various colourful outfits. Some are perched on leaves while others appear to be performing gymnastics. This is a delightful illustration and again could be an inspiration for a conversation about what the babies are doing.

The text is in a particularly large and clear font and is always on a white background. There are never more than eight lines on a single page, usually less, and sometimes the text is broken up into smaller sections with illustrations in between. This is of course a book that is intended to be read aloud to very young children, but because of the clarity and the lack of long passages of text, it might also be suitable for young independent readers.

I didn't find 'Avocado Baby' to be such an outstanding book as John Burningham's 'Cloudland', either visually or in terms of the story. The ending of 'Avocado Baby' is perhaps a bit of an anticlimax, as we are simply told that things carried on as they were. I would, however, definitely recommend this as a book to borrow from the library, and Amazon's current price of £3.94 seems a reasonable one. I don't know if any miraculously strong, avocado-eating babies have come about as a result of having this book read aloud, but I would recommend it as an unusual story that has a fair amount of humour that will appeal to most young children.

Avocado Baby

John Burningham

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox, 1994

ISBN 9780099200611

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.94)

The Rattletrap Car - Phyllis Root and Jill Barton

During the National Year of Reading, I thought I should look for some different books to read aloud at the nursery where I work. I found just the book to inspire me at my local library: Rattletrap Car, by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jill Barton.

Why did it take me so long to discover this wonderful book? What if I never had? My experience of the English language would have been so much the poorer. How have I been working with young children for so long and not known of the existence of razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz? Thankfully now I do, and I also understand to what uses chocolate marshmallow fudge delight can be put.

The story of Rattletrap Car revolves around Junie, Jakie, baby and Dad. Mum is not mentioned at all, but they seem to muddle through without her. The story starts as Dad is tending to the chickens on their farm. A pig looks on, and Junie, Jakie and the baby, sitting on the ground and feeling the heat, decide that it would be a good idea to go to the lake. Dad, however, surveys their rattletrap car and is concerned that 'it doesn't go fast and it doesn't go far'. The children aren't taking no for an answer, however, although Junie and Jakie are polite enough to say 'Please, please, please!' Baby just cries out 'Go!'

Dad knows he must give it a try, so he packs the aforementioned fizz and fudge delight. Junie brings her enormous beach-ball, and Jakie a surf-board that's about twice as long as he is tall. Baby naturally has a 'three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat'.

As their journey begins, we are treated to a feast of onomatopoeia: 'Clinkety clankety bing bang pop!' Then disaster number one strikes as a tyre goes flat. Junie is not fazed; she replaces the flat tyre with her beach ball, sticking it in place with chocolate marshmallow fudge delight. It's the obvious thing to do.

Off they go again, 'clinkety clankety', but every so often another part of the car falls off. No problem: they improvise and replace it with one of the other things they have brought along. Each time they get going again, we are treated to another burst of onomatopoeia, be it 'wappity bappity', 'fizzelly sizzelly', 'flippita fluppita', or a combination thereof.

If you want to know whether or not the car survived the journey all the way to the lake and home again, I'm sorry, but you will just have to read the book for yourself.

This is an amazing book to read aloud to young children. The lettering is in red in a large font, but I wouldn't recommend it for emergent readers as they might get a complex struggling with words such as 'bappity', 'rattletrap' or 'bumpety'. It will be as much a delight for most adults as for children, so it is a book to be enjoyed together, savouring the wonderful sounds that Phyllis Root has conjured up here. This is magical language.

Jill Barton's colourful illustrations fill every page and make this book a visual treasure as much as a linguistic one. A little flock of sheep comes along to gaze dumbfounded at one of the problems the family is having, and rabbits look on under a moonlit sky at the end of the story.

This is one book that Dads who take the children out on their own for the day can have a great laugh over. Not being a driver or a mechanic myself, I cannot vouch for the solutions the family finds for their broken car, but I think I can safely say don't try this on your way to the lake when your car breaks down...

For the joy of the language and the drawings, as well as the idea of using your imagination and improvising when things go wrong, this is a book that will provide entertainment again and again. It also demonstrates how family members can work together to overcome obstacles and not give up the minute a problem arises. Although aimed at young children, I think anyone who can read English and has a love of language and books should read this one.

Rattletrap Car

by Phyllis Root

illustrated by Jill Barton

Walker Books, 2002

Paperback, 40 pages

ISBN 0744589320

Peace at Last - Jill Murphy

Jill Murphy's 'Peace at Last' is the story of Mr Bear's quest for a quiet night's sleep. The book appears to feature the three bears of Goldilocks fame: Mr Bear, Mrs Bear and Baby Bear, who are first seen at the end of the day, very sleepy, then making their way up the stairs to bed.

Mrs Bear falls asleep straight away, but she begins to snore heavily and sleep therefore eludes Mr Bear. He decides to go and spend the night in his son's room, but finds Baby Bear still wide awake, playing aeroplanes and making 'NYAAOW' noises. So it's back downstairs for Mr Bear, where he goes from the living-room to the kitchen to the garden, but each place has its annoying noises that foil his attempts to go to sleep. He eventually tries the car, finds it cold and uncomfortable but begins to drift off. Almost immediately, the sound of the birds and the strong sunshine disturb him. He goes back to his own bed where he does find 'Peace at Last' as Mrs Bear has stopped snoring. But how much time is left before the alarm clock rings?

Mrs Bear brings her husband a 'nice cup of tea', unaware of his sleepless night. Baby Bear is of course full of beans first thing in the morning, and jumps on his parents' bed, brandishing the post. Poor Mr Bear is not amused.

Although sleepless nights are perhaps a problem that affects adults more than children, this is a good book to enjoy reading aloud together, and young children find the idea of trying to sleep in the garden or the kitchen amusing enough. I've recently read this story to a small group of four-year-olds and asked them afterwards to try to remember all the different places where Mr Bear tried to go to sleep and what noise disturbed him in each of those places. I was impressed that they remembered the snoring, the aeroplane noises, the cuckoo clock, the drip of a leaky tap, the hum of the fridge, the sound of the animals and birds in the garden, everything in fact except for the alarm clock.

Jill Murphy's illustrations for her picture books are always of the highest standard and have obviously had a great deal of time, thought and care devoted to them. My only comment on the illustrations in 'Peace at Last' is that they are of necessity all in rather gloomy colours because the story takes place during the night. They do not lack in quality in any way, but they may not appeal to young children quite as much as more brightly coloured pictures would.

The full-page illustrations are in each case on the right-hand-side of a double page, with a small amount of text and one or two miniature black-and-white drawings adding information on the facing left-hand page. One or two of the left-hand pages actually feature white text on a black background to emphasise the idea that the story takes place at night.

'Peace at Last' is primarily a story to be read aloud to children aged from around two-and-a-half to five-years-old. As the amount of text on each page is not too daunting and the facing illustrations give obvious clues as to what is happening, this might make a suitable book for a young reader aged five to seven who is gaining in confidence. I have recently said that it is hard to go wrong with David Melling, and I would certainly say the same about Jill Murphy.

Peace at Last

by Jill Murphy

Macmillan Children's Books, 2007

Paperback, 36 pages

ISBN 0230015484

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.59)

Tell me something happy before I go to sleep - Joyce Dunbar

'Tell me something happy before I go to sleep' by Joyce Dunbar tells the story of Willa, a young rabbit (depicted as a soft toy) who cannot get to sleep and seeks comfort from her elder brother Willoughby. Willa is afraid she will have bad dreams, so Willoughby encourages her to think of something happy instead.

Willia crosses her ears over her eyes to concentrate, but she can't think of anything happy, so she askes Willoughby to suggest something. Willoughby, who is sitting up reading in the top bunk, tells Willa to look under her bed. Willa sees her chicken slippers there, which her brother reminds her are waiting for nobody's feet but Willa's. Willa agrees that this is a happy thought, but she is not easily satisfied and asks for another one.

Willoughby draws her attention to a chair, where his sister's jumpsuit is longing for tomorrow when Willa will jump up and put it on. Willa is enjoying this too much, and wants another happy thought. This time Willoughby picks her up and carries her downstairs to the larder to see the food that is waiting to be made into breakfast. Once again, Willa is pleased, but still wants more. Brother and sister go to look at the toys in the sitting room, and then look out of the window at the night, which Willoughby tells Willa is waiting for the morning.

I will leave you to discover the end of the story, although rest assured, Willa does drift off to sleep quite soon after this.

The story is a lovely one for encouraging an older brother to look after and comfort his sister. It is interesting that at no point in the story does Willa want to go to her Mum or Dad; in fact there is no sign of parents anywhere in the house. Willoughby certainly thinks he is quite capable of convincing Willa how to go to sleep.

The illustrations by Debi Gliori add charm to the story. Willa and Willoughby both have incredibly long, floppy ears, and Willa's jumpsuit is intricately patterned with lettuces and carrots. The rabbits' house is inside a huge tree trunk, and the rather dark interior is brightened up by patchwork quilts in the bedroom and floral wallpaper and curtains in the sitting room. The rabbits have loving smiles on their faces in most of the illustrations.

This should be the perfect bedtime story, unless of course your child wants to emulate Willa and be shown all sorts of things around the house and outside the window before settling down to sleep! I hope this won't be the case.

I don't use this as a bedtime story, but as a book for seven to eight-year-olds that need reading practice. My only criticism here is the choice of the name Willoughby, as this is obviously a very difficult spelling to make sense of. I thought eight-year-old boys might find the story too babyish, but in fact they have enjoyed it.

Amazon are selling the Corgi paperback at £5.99, but there are much lower prices on Amazon Marketplace. I personally have the Red Fox Mini Treasures version, 24 pages, at £1.50.

Mister Magnolia - Quentin Blake

Animals often seem to be the main focus of children's poetry, but Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake is the story of a poor man who had only one boot:

'He has green parakeets

who pick holes in his suit -

And some very fat owls

who are learning to hoot -

But Mr Magnolia

has only one boot.'

Mister Magnolia may sound like a sorry character, but lacking a boot doesn't seem to stop him having fun. He dances while his two sisters play the flute, takes children for a ride on his scooter, and juggles with fruit at the market stall.

This is a light-hearted piece of narrative poetry that has a happy ending as a little girl presents Mister Magnolia with a parcel that contains another boot. It doesn't match the one he already has, but never mind, it's a boot, and Mister Magnolia is deliriously happy. It might seem like a strange story, but Quentin Blake is of course the genius behind the illustrations to Roald Dahl's books, and he has provided wonderful coloured drawings to his own story here. We are introduced to Mister Magnolia's purple dinosaur, and we see our hero splashing down a water chute and saluting to a parade of mice. There is plenty here to capture the imagination of young children.

There are never more than five lines of text per page, in fact often just one or two. The text is in a clear font that is always on a white background, so there are no problems in deciphering the words. This makes Mister Magnolia a book that could be suitable for young independent readers as well as one for reading aloud. There are one or two challenging words such as 'parakeets' and 'magnificent', but the use of rhyme often helps a reader along, as do illustrations.

The illustrations appear in colour on every page of the book, making it bright and appealing. Although the colours are vivid, they are certainly not lurid as in some contemporary picture books. Blake's use of watercolour gives them a delightful quality.

This is a book that will not take long to read to a child who has a short attention span. The drawings, however, are worth stopping to take a closer look at. In Mister Magnolia's pond, a frog and a newt are dancing together on a lily pad while a toad looks on; a mouse is tickling Mister Magnolia's bare foot with an ear of wheat as a snail creeps away. For any adult looking to make it a more educational experience, there are opportunities for counting or identifying different types of fruit.

Mister Magnolia is definitely worth borrowing from the library before you decide whether you want to buy a copy. As well as the full size book, there is a Mini Treasure version (also published by Red Fox) that measures 5.5 in. x 4 in. At £1.50, it will hardly break the bank. The book is likely to appeal to children aged from three up to perhaps six.

If only we were all so easily pleased as Mister Magnolia, with two odd boots...

Mister Magnolia

by Quentin Blake

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox; New Edition 1999

ISBN 0099400421

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

Just Like You - Jan Fearnley

Jan Fearnley's 'Just Like You' is the delightful story of Mama Mouse and Little Mouse walking home to bed as the sun is setting. On their way they pass five other families of animals that are settling down for the night. Little Mouse notices in each case that one of the parents is telling the babies what they will do to look after them. Everything sounds so impressive that Little Mouse feels that the babies must be very special. Each time Mama Mouse tells her offspring that they are all indeed very special, 'Just like you'.

First they pass under a tree where a mother bird is telling her chicks in the nest that she will fly as high as the clouds and across the sky to find the best food for them. Then they come to a pond where Daddy Frog is settling the froglets under a lily leaf for the night. He promises to jump sky high and find the juiciest bugs for them. Little Mouse doesn't like the idea of the bugs but is still impressed. Further along the way, a mother rabbit and her kittens are basking in the sun's last rays of the day. The mother claims that she will dig the deepest burrow to keep her babies 'safe as treasure' and warm. Little Mouse thinks this sounds like hard work.

Down by the seashore, Mama Seal is singing a lullaby to her one and only pup. She boasts that she will dive deep to find shells, corals and fish for him. The last family that Mama Mouse and Little Mouse see is the family of foxes. Father Fox says he will run so far and fast that he will be able to protect his babies from any danger.

By the time the mice arrive home, Little Mouse is looking very thoughtful. As he gets ready for bed, he wonders what Mama Mouse will do for him, since she can't fly, jump, dig, dive or run. Maybe he is not special? Mama Mouse, however, assures him that she will tell him stories, play with him, feed him, cuddle him and even be extremely cross when he is naughty. Most of all, she will always love and care for him. Little Mouse goes to bed happy, feeling very special, and whispers that Mama Mouse is also very special, just like him.

Fearnley's story is a particularly sweet one for the very young. It is an ideal bedtime story because we see Little Mouse being tucked in bed right at the end, as well as the other animals settling down for the night earlier in the book. It is also an excellent story for introducing a small but varied group of animals that each have their own special skills that young children can learn about. The adult that has read to the child could ask if they can remember which animal can dive, which can jump, or which can run fast. A child might also learn from this book that a baby rabbit, just like a baby cat, is called a kitten, and that a baby seal is a pup.

I have the Mini Book version in which the font used for the text is rather small, but 'Just Like You' is available in a larger format. Some pages have two or three lines of text, some have only one and a few have five, so there is never a huge amount to read before moving on to the next page. The text is often superimposed on the illustrations but always on a light colour, so there is no difficulty in deciphering it. Although this is essentially a book to read aloud, young independent readers might enjoy it too.

Fearnley's accompanying watercolour illustrations are absolutely charming. We see Little Mouse trying to imitate Daddy Frog laughing and leaping, while Mama Mouse watches, hands on hips. A cross section of a warren depicts a mole banging on his ceiling with a broom as a rabbit in the hole above prances around playing on a pipe. On another page, a baby fox rolls in the grass, another is climbing all over his dad, and a third is offering him a poppy. On several pages there are extra little creatures to spot such as butterflies, ladybirds and a squirrel.

'Just Like You' makes a refreshing change from cartoon characters, dinosaurs and aliens should you or your children be growing tired of those. Unless you find a small font to be a problem, it is definitely worth buying the Mini Book for £1.99. The larger format is £5.99 (slightly discounted on Amazon). I would recommend it as a gentle bedtime story for those with a love of animals and the countryside.

George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl

Any child who has been left to the tender mercies of a difficult elderly relative will immediately identify with Roald Dahl's hero, eight-year-old George. George's family have a farm and there are no friends around to play with at weekends. When his mum goes shopping one Saturday morning, George is left alone with his obnoxious Grandma.

It would be hard to have any feelings of tenderness for George's Grandma. She moans constantly and never has a smile or a kind word for George. Even when he makes her a cup of tea, she grumbles about the sugar and makes a fuss about having a saucer and a teaspoon, even though George has already stirred the tea for her. After criticizing George for growing too fast, she scares the living daylights out of him by suggesting she has magic powers that could make his fingernails drop off and teeth grow there instead.

George rushes off and shuts himself in the kitchen to plan what he might do to 'shake the old woman up a bit'. He has a wonderful idea. He is due to give Grandma a spoonful of her medicine at eleven o'clock, and he decides to concoct a magic medicine to replace her usual one. George bursts into poetry as he hatches his plan. He goes from room to room in the house with a large saucepan, emptying in all the lotions and potions he can lay his hands on, with the exception of those in the forbidden medicine cupboard. George's Marvellous Medicine contains everything from shampoo to floor polish to canary seed. Even the shed and the garage are raided for anything from sheepdip to engine oil. George cooks it all up on the stove and finds himself chanting a magical verse.

The time comes for Grandma to have her spoonful. As soon as she swallows it, she shoots up out of her chair and then comes straight back down again. When she complains that she is on fire, George pours water down her throat. Strange things happen after this, and Grandma ends up several times her normal height with her head sticking up through the roof of the house.

Most boys would be in terrible trouble for causing such commotion but George's dad, being a farmer, wonders if he can use the medicine on his animals to make them super sized too. There might be a problem, however: will George be able to remember exactly what ingredients and in what quantities were in his original Marvellous Medicine? If not, might the medicine have different consequences?

Roald Dahl has created a fantastic tale in 'George's Marvellous Medicine'. Any reader will feel revulsion towards the nasty piece of work that is George's Grandma, and children in particular will sympathize with George's plight at the outset and cheer him on as he concocts his weird and wonderful mixture. Descriptive language and imaginative ideas will delight and entertain readers young and old.

As always, Quentin Blake's illustrations make a distinctive contribution to 'George's Marvellous Medicine'. Grandma certainly resembles a witch, and we see her aghast as she shoots out of her chair, then deformed in various ways as the medicine works its magic. Little George is sketched in the simplest of ways, yet his expression conveys immediately his feelings at different points in the story, whether scared, delighted or amazed.

'George's Marvellous Medicine' is just over a hundred pages long, but the text is set in a large font and there are so many illustrations that the book will not be daunting for a young independent reader. The sentences are on the whole quite short, and there is a fair amount of dialogue to keep a child interested. The longest chapter is about twelve pages, but even then progress is fast because of the number of illustrations.

This is not a story that has to wait until a child is old enough to read it alone, of course. It is a wonderful one to be shared between parents (or grandparents) and their children as a read-aloud book. As it was first published in 1981, some parents may remember it from their own childhood; if not, it will be a hilarious discovery for two generations at a time.

There is, it should be noted, a word of caution at the beginning of the story, warning readers that they should not attempt to concoct George's Marvellous Medicine at home!

George's Marvellous Medicine

Roald Dahl

Puffin Books

Paperback, 128 pages

ISBN 014132273X

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.89)

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The Three Wishes - David Melling

When a king and queen go away for a few days and appoint their knight and his horse as babysitters to the prince and princess, it sounds like an easy task. Soon, however, the knight and his steed find there is too much tidying up to do, and the knight says he would rather fly out into a 'night of surprises' than babysit any longer. The horse is afraid that magic might indeed make them fly out of the window, and it does.

Outside, they land on top of an old lady riding a donkey. Her bag of spells spills, so she offers the knight and his horse three wishes if they can catch the spells for her. This is another task that is not so simple, but they manage it. The grateful old lady and her donkey vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving magic in the air.

Unfortunately, one extremely naughty spell is still on the loose. It teases the poor knight, making plants grow out of his hair. He asks the horse to make a wish, but the horse thinks of himself and asks for a bucket of carrots and some fluffy slippers. The knight says, 'I wish you hadn't done that,' thus squandering the second wish. He and his horse are not pleased with each other, but they agree to make the third wish together. Oh dear, the knight then has carrots growing from the extremely long plants in his hair, along with the fluffy slippers on his feet. The horse ends up wearing the knight's armour but the knight soon gets it back. The horse trims the unruly carrot plants into a neat shape, but they just grow back again. Fortunately, the prince and princess hear all the noise and come out to see what is going on. They simply pull the carrot plants out by the roots and lead the knight and his horse back inside the castle. The next day finds them all busy doing some DIY and happily play acting. Babysitting doesn't seem so bad after all, although the horse secretly wishes he could have those carrots and fluffy slippers again.

'The Three Wishes' is not of course the first story about being granted wishes and wasting them, but David Melling serves up his version with originality and plenty of humour. His illustrations are always a delight. As the story starts, you feel almost as though you are turning the pages of a mediaeval manuscript. At various stages of the book, we see the knight with a banana skin on his head, a carrot tree growing out of his hair, and down on his hands and knees giving the little princess a ride on his back. The colour scheme throughout centres around autumnal greens, oranges and browns, although the old lady wears a blue dress and the princess has a pink nightie. The horse in his various ridiculous situations will be a great source of amusement for any child.

The text is in a large, clear font and usually on a white background. When it is superimposed on an illustration it is always on a light colour to make for easy reading. There are never more than a few lines per page, but occasionally the lines swirl around, following for example the movement of the really naughty spell. This is of course a read-aloud book, but because of the strong element of humour I'm sure that young independent readers would enjoy it too.

'The Three Wishes' is a sequel to Melling's 'The Kiss the Missed' and 'Good Knight, Sleep Tight', both of which are also very popular with three- to four-year-olds. This is a lovely series that most adults will enjoy sharing with young children. I borrowed a copy of 'The Three Wishes' from the library, but I would say that it is worth buying and could make a great Christmas present. If your family hasn't yet enjoyed the magic of David Melling's picture books, I would definitely encourage you to do so.

The Three Wishes

David Melling

Paperback, 32 pages

Hodder Children's Books, 2008

ISBN 9780340931530

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)