Children's Books > a Children's Books > J > M

Advantages: Good story and illustrations
Disadvantages: none

All in One Piece' by Jill Murphy is a really fun read for little children and parents alike. Jill Murphy is quite a prolific children's writer and is well known for her 'Worst Witch' series of books. She has also written a number of books about a family of elephants, called the Large family,and this book is part of that series. This particular one was written in 1987 and has certainly stood the test of time! Although they are elephants, the Large ...
...are ready for bed - all Granny needs to do is entertain them! But of course, things don't run as smoothly as Mum would like! Within minutes the young elephants are upstairs trying to help Dad shave, putting on Mum's make up and trying on the clothes she has put out ready to wear! Mrs Large shouts at the children to go down stairs and wonders whether it is possible to have just one night to herself in the year when she is not covered in mucky fingerprints ... Read review

Advantages: funny, great illustrations, simple language
Disadvantages: none!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Piece of Cake ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ This is another children’s book by Jill Murphy which I love because it demonstrates a rather true portrayal of family life using the Large family (a family of elephants). The book was first published in 1989 by Walker Books London. The book is a hardback book, which cost £6.99 although it is possible to find varying prices on the Internet. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The story ...
...funny. The story is about a family of elephants; Mrs Large, Mr Large, Lester and Luke (the sons), Laura (the daughter) and the baby. The story begins with Mrs Large deciding that she is too fat, her children disagree apart from the baby who says “Mummy’s got wobbly bits” (I love that sentence although when I was little my mum wasn’t impressed when I repeated it and directed it at her!!) and so she puts the whole family on a healthy living diet, the ... Read review

Advantages: Focuses on friendships
Disadvantages: Concepts may be difficult for very young children to understand

All for one. Another book by Jill Murphy, who over the years has been quite a prolific children's story book writer This one focuses on friendships, and is a great book to read to children who might be going through problems with friends, and who may feel they are being left out of things. THE STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS. The story begins with Marlon, who is a dragon, and also the main character in the story, running out of things to do. He had done ...
...to his friends, they are all dressed up as pirates, so once again, Marlon isn't allowed to join in. Poor Marlon, he rushes back home and dresses as a piate (I think we are seeing extreme peer group pressure here), but by the time he finds his so called friends, they are doing gymnastics, and a this point, Marlon gives up and goes home. Marlon begs his mum to fill the paddling pool, which of course she does, with warm water. Granny brings him some ... Read review

Advantages: complex characters; interesting city; interesting ideas
Disadvantages: events slightly too signposted in advance

The second book in the 'Wind on Fire' series starts from a less familiar perspective and situation than its predecessor, 'The Wind Singer', which may be why I didn't feel as immediately engaged in the plot. Five years have passed since Kestrel and Bowman Hath rescued the city of Aramanth from the power of the Morah and although life has become more equal, the city is weaker and its citizens less focused. This leaves them ripe for plunder by Ortiz ...
...is only equaled by his pride in his skills. His brisk and merciless attack on the city means the Manth people are enslaved once more and begin the long trek to reach the Mastery, a strange world that revolves around the Master, who, like many despots, believes that he enslaves people for their own good. In the haste, Kestrel is left behind in the dying city, but soon embarks upon a quest to find her people and avenge them by destroying their captor. ... Read review

Advantages: A gripping tale
Disadvantages: it's literally gripping, you'll hate being disturbed

...and down comes the word GOLEM and they are tossed into a game. They go separate ways, Mr. Mullins tries the left doors when Majid chooses the right, now they both are in the adventure but before they get too far the game uninstalls and then they resume their chat and lives. But Majid's class mate, Aisha, has recently seen blue smoke filling out of the cracks in Majid's front door, and when Majid is forced down to the basement, there is this massive ...
...Mr. Mullins get his dream golem (Natasha) to come through the computer and will Majid notice that Mr. Mullins is staring at Natasha weirdly? And what is this mysterious blue smoke? These are the questions that are still in my head and I'll never find these things out until I've finished the second book. As soon as you start reading this book you can't loosen your grip on the book, you can't stand up as you are literally glued to the seat, if dinner's ... Read review