Children's Books > H Children's Books > A

Advantages: fascinating, nice and easy, not too long, developed
Disadvantages: excessive use of clauses and commas

A five-hour car journey can be quite a bore without a good book, so I decided I had to buy something to read in time for Easter weekend, and went into the bookshop, fortunately with a voucher left from World Book Day, to browse the latest titles. Now, I can be quite awkward when it comes to books; I'll read almost anything, but I have to be in the right mood. It didn't take me long to find a book that seemed quite appealing. One of my favourite ...
...titles recently which I had yet to read, so I decided to give one of them a go, and opted for 'Hidden Child', by Anne Cassidy. The cover didn't give too much away; an image of a teenage girl half-hiding herself with her sleeve. The blurb simply asked a question or two, not going into too much detail, yet somehow managing to lure me in. After purchasing and reading the first two pages, I was itching to continue, but thought it was best to wait until ... Read review

Advantages: well-written, hilarious, thoughtful, and handy hints on tidying!
Disadvantages: none

...enjoyed Flour Babies - but How To Write Really Badly blew us away. The hero, Chester, is a smart-alec American kid, horified by the twee world of his new school. We liked the themes of individualty and self-worth, but the best bit is the way that Fine has captured his voice perfectly, with its blend of cynicism and naivety. During the book, kindness becomes part of the mix. Many sections of the book are laugh-out-loud funny, even on an umpteenth ...
...I read it to my 5 year-old son, and we fell about laughing. They loved Anne Fine's irrreverent take on teachers. I should also say that we owe to Anne Fine the invaluable skill of Trash or Treasuring: something that Chester teaches his dyslexic classmate as a simple way of reducing the undtidiest desk to order. My kids have been using this to keep their bedrooms in order for years now - there should really be some sort of statue to Anne Fine somewhere ... Read review

Advantages: Lovely way to start to count
Disadvantages: None

Count On Goz by Steve Weatherill A great way for very young children to be introduced to counting up to 5 and to learn about number formation. Children do tend to enjoy lift the flap books, so it's almost certainly going to be a winner. Many children will already be familiar with Goz, the appealing yellow gosling. This time, we meet Goz in the early morning, near the river when everything is quiet. A little yellow goose is bottoms up... "Who's ...
...as developing an ability to count and recognise numbers to 5. The simple text means that it is suitable for National Curriculum Reading, because children can easily see and be encouraged to point out capital letters, full stops and question marks. Because the animals are easily distinguishable, even if they can't read the words, they can be encouraged to use picture clues. A useful book for very young children who are beginning to count. Thanks ... Read review

Advantages: Talking Rats!
Disadvantages: A Trombone with keys

...from lack of food. The rats are great characters and their gradual discovery that the book they thought was factual is a childrens story. A mayors curious daughter who spends her time searching for stories that she is sure must exist. This book has a great outcome, a brilliant match of who is the greatest Rat Piper with Keith managing to win using a trombone (which has keys if you own a 1st edition but has been corrected to not having keys in later ... Read review

Advantages: Delightful story and illustrations
Disadvantages: Only available in hardback at time of writing - expensive

...talent to fulfil her ambition. Noko's Surprise Party is her latest picture book and is a follow-up to Noko and the Night Monster. As Takadu the aardvark and Noko the porcupine have been friends for so long, it is only natural that Takadu wants to plan a party for Noko's birthday, but it is to be a surprise. Takadu goes to considerable trouble to write and hand out invitations to Mrs. Warthog, Bat-eared Fox, Pangolin (a scaly anteater), Velvet Monkey ...
...it is a story that provides a great deal of enjoyment, complemented by delightful illustrations. A whole-hearted recommendation. Noko's Surprise Party by Fiona Moodie Hardback, 32 Pages Frances Lincoln Publishers, 2007 ISBN 1845075870 Price £11.99 (£7.91 on Amazon) This is a printed book, not an audio book. ... Read review