Children's Books > M Children's Books > Julia Donaldson

Advantages: Funny story
Disadvantages: none

...is a story about a monkey who has lost his mum. He's crying and is found by a butterfly who is determined to help. She gets small clues from the distressed monkey and jumps to conclusions often suggesting the most hilarious creatures as the monkey's mother. A very funny story with a text that trips of the tongue just like many of her other books. The question is... will Butterfly ever find monkey's mum? This story is a clever story with a punch line ...
...My children love the silliness of the suggestions from the butterfly and they love spotting all the creatures on each page which are beautifully illustrated. I love the clever ending and it makes me smile every time I read it. Its certainly one of those classic books that can be read again and again. This book also comes in audio form read by Imelda Staunton. Its a firm favourite by both my children and keeps them quiet in the car for ages. ... Read review

Advantages: fun read for children of all ages
Disadvantages: small writing

Mr Forgetful is number 14 in the Mr Men collection. He is a round shaped man and is a dark blue colour. He wears a little red hat. The cover of the book is white and has a picture of Mr Forgetful and the title in black lettering above this. The back cover of the book is also white and has small pictures showing the other characters in the collection. THE STORY The book starts by telling us that it is a beautiful summer morning and Mr Forgetful ...
...through the window and wakes Mr Forgetful, he then tries to remember what he was dreaming about. Mr Forgetful could not remember what his dream was as he always forgets and never ever remembers anything. Mr Forgetful gets up and goes to have a wash but he has forgotten where the bathroom is and ends up going into the wardrobe. He eventually has a wash and brushes his teeth and then goes downstairs to have his breakfast. He ends up burning his toast ... Read review

Advantages: fun book for little children
Disadvantages: none

'Marvin's Funny Dance' is a wonderful picture book which tells the story of a rather cheeky and mischievous meerkat. It is set in Africa where Marvin lives with his rather large family and he is always expected to conform. However, Marvin is unable to do that especially as he loves to dance and play jokes which always seem to get him into trouble. One day though, his antics actually help to save the day when he helps the family to deal with two bully ...
...'meerkatapault' to pelt them with dung balls to send them on their way. After the plan works, Marvin is a hero and all of the other meerkats want to be like him! My four year old daughter really enjoyed me reading this book with her. She absolutely loved Marvin and found his antics very funny. Early on in the story, we see Marvin dancing and the accompanying description tells us that he 'began wiggling his hips, waggling his toes, rubbing his tummy ... Read review

Advantages: interesting, educational, fun
Disadvantages: Not for all!

Currently ploughing my way through the Sabrina The Teenage Witch book collection, I cane to a stump when I was still awaiting the arrival of the titles I had purchased online, and found myself with nothing to read. I didn't fancy getting into anything too heavy as I knew it wouldn't be a great length of time until they arrived, so I ventured down to the local library to browse their selection. When I stumbled across one particular book, I knew straight ...
...to give a go! It was a title in the Salem's Tails collection - a book collection written about the adventures of the teenage witch's cat, Salem. Salem Saberhagen is now a black American Shorthair cat living with Sabrina and her two Aunts in Westbridge, but once he was a warlock with one dream: to succeed with world domination! Unfortunately for him, the Witches' Council caught him with his mischievous plans and sentenced him to 100 years as a common ... Read review

Advantages: Poetic, teaches rhyming.
Disadvantages: Adults may find illustrations disturbing.

...of the story. For example: I can read in red. I can read in blue. I can read in pickle color too. I can read in bed, and in purple, and in brown. I can read in a circle and upside down. It is based entirely on reading, and when being read, the actions within the poems can be repeated by the reader, making the book more entertaining and interactive. *Other* I find that this book is rather useful for younger readers who struggle to read, as well ...
...most certainly an interesting read for the younger audience who will be sure to appreciate the book better than most. And let's not forget the appearance of Dr Seuss' traditional characters, as shown on the cover, the Cat in the Hat - a trade mark feature to children everywhere as a sign of Dr Seuss' magical world. ... Read review