Children's Books > W Children's Books > Ian Whybrow

Advantages: short sections, ideal for reluctant reader, good introduction to short novels.
Disadvantages: may not appeal in the same way to girls but this may be a stereotype.

I am a primary school teacher and regularly hunt for books that boys will both enjoy and be able to access as well as find challenging. this book appears to do that. many of the boys find reading 'boring' and unexciting. this book allows for short attention spans with the letter form. it introduces ideas that support the current pedagogy of children being challenged to think about behavioural issues and the impact we have on others. i had to order ...
...to take them home to read again. for a teacher reading to a class it is a dream. it is possible to simply pick it up and read it without any preparation reading, the plot is straightforward for adults but enthrawling for children. i would recommend this book to children from 7 to 12. for parents whose children are reluctant readers, but who can read this is the book to purchase. ... Read review

Advantages: Very fun book with nice bright pictures
Disadvantages: None

...picture of the school where Tim goes and his teacher, Miss Wait. It is story time at school so the children make a line and go to get ready for the story. Tim and Ted both sit nicely and wonder which story it will be. Miss Wait tells them that today the story is a special as there is a drink and a lovely surprise. Miss wait tells them that the story is called 'Little Bear's Daring deed'. Miss Wait starts to read and the room fills up with water. ...
...has filled with water, will they be in the sea and meet lots of sea creatures and even pirates? MY OPINION I picked this book up for my boys as it is full of wonderful bright pictures. Each page has a detailed picture and a few lines of the story. The words are written in nice big writing so my eldest is encouraged to help me read them and he can also use the pictures to help him with the words. The book is set out in a very simple way and the ... Read review

Advantages: good plot with a moral lesson accessible by children
Disadvantages: dinosaur names not appropriate for under 5s

...the characters, apart from Harry are dinosaurs and as such carry the name of their species. so we find brontosaurus, tyrranosaurus and so on. these are the simple ones but at the end of a long day it is these names that catch you out every time. i found myself reading and looking up the pronunciation of these names so that i didn't look a complete fool. as a man and a teacher my over inflated ego was really at stake. so to conclude the book is good, ... Read review

Advantages: Teaches children about colours
Disadvantages: none

...is the towel, Wobble? And Wobble laughed and said, YELLOW!" All the way through the story Mummy Bear introduces Wobble to different colours but each time she asks him what colour it is, he always replies yellow. Then it is time for him to go to bed and his teddy really is yellow but when his mummy tells him this, he gets very excited and calls everything else in his room yellow too. She tells him to settle down and go to sleep and the story ends ...
...gave a little sigh. And Wobble whispered, 'yellow' and he pointed to the sky. Yes, Wobble whispered, 'yellow' and this time, he was right. The yellow moon said, 'clever bear' and whispered back…'Goodnight.'" ***The Illustrations*** As with other illustrations by Caroline Jayne Church, they are very clear and precise but the backgrounds have a very textured look to them and this gives them a little bit of added charm and old feel to them. ***My ... Read review

Advantages: lovely story and illustrations
Disadvantages: none

'Hey, I Love You!' is a wonderful picture story written for small children and tells the story of two mice and what happens when one forgets to tell the other that he loves him. In fact, this is a very interesting book because in fact there are actually two stories being told at the same time - one through the words written on the page and the other through the beautiful pictures! In the written story, Big is just about to go off and find something ...
...tell him the special words which are: Bolt the door and lock it tight, Close the curtains and turn on the light. If I do, then I will be safe where the Bad Cat can't catch me! Big is reassured by this and after checking that they haven't forgotten anything he goes on his way. Small does as the special words say to make sure he is safe, but just when he has done it all he remembers THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING! Therefore, he decides that he ... Read review