Children's Books

Advantages: Silly, hilarious fun
Disadvantages: None

A few years ago, my son's class of five and six-year-olds was asked to go home and with the help of a parent, write down a few lines from a favourite poem, which would be read out to the rest of the class the following day. Unfortunately, the teacher was none too impressed with my son's choice, nor I suspect, with me for condoning it, but what she hadn't realised was that I'd had the devil of a job talking him out of his original suggestion. Here's ...
...a cloud That floats aloft o'er dale and hills, When all at once I came upon My dog being sick on the daffodils." And this is what he'd wanted to write: "Monkey, monkey, monkey, Sitting in a tree. Pulling funny faces - Please pull one for me. Pull one for my daddy, Pull one for my mum, But when it comes to teacher, Turn round and show her yer bum!" So you see, things might have been far worse had I not put my foot down, not that his teacher ... Read review

Advantages: Great pictures and an atmospheric story.
Disadvantages: Some of the pictures are a little scary for really young children.

...the other day I saw a book that reminded me of Man on the Moon and it came as no surprise to discover that it had also been illustrated by Simon Bartram. This book is written by Marcus Sedgwick and is called A Christmas Wish (strangely enough it can also be purchased under the title of A Winter’s Tale too. I have no idea why, although I presume one may be an American title and one for release in the UK!) ~~~THE PLOT. A Christmas Wish is all about ...
...Christmas time, but it is a mild winter and there is no sign that it will snow in time for Christmas morning. The boy, who incidentally is never named, has a lovely round snow globe on a wooden base. He shakes the globe and wishes that it would snow outside in the same magical way that it does inside the glass. It is then that the magic starts to work and a snow storm, unlike any that has ever been seen before, begins. When morning comes the boy ... Read review

Advantages: kids love it
Disadvantages: ?

A dark, dark tale, Dratt Trisca got her review in first after I requested this category oh well never mind , here we go . Let me tell you about A dark, dark tale Written and illustrated by Ruth brown published first by Random house children’s books in 1981 then by red fox in 1992. This book retails for £8.99 This book is available in English and Somali You could start reading this book to your child at about the age of 2 and a child of ...
.... This book is a paperback 21cmx26cm 29 pages long. On the cover we see a circle a window into the book a black cat is staring out of it at you the scene behind the cat is of a castle surrounded by mist with a full moon behind it. The picture makes you think the book is spooky it entices you in, so open the book The illustrations on the first page are a picture of moorland dark and creepy. In the grass you can spot 6 rabbits hiding you can only ... Read review

Advantages: continues from Eragon
Disadvantages: maybe a little too long

Eldest continues the story following Eragon - a former farm boy who upon discovering a dragon egg is to become a rider, allied with saphira and others to aid the Varden (a rebellion group) against the evil king Galbatorix - I personally loved this story much like i enjoyed the previous book titled Eragon. In Eldest the plot thickens with the introduction of new and exciting characters and the exploration of existing characters. As well as being full ...
...i have discovered Eragon and Eldest to be criticized for apparent similarities to Star wars. Thinking about this i can say that there are similarities. but no one should be put off by this, i counter such criticism with the simple fact, starwars is spaceships, lasers and explosions, where as the inheritence sequence is dragons, swords and magic. more to the point starwars is awesome, so surely a few similarities are not unwelcome. The only criticism ... Read review

Advantages: Funny story with lovely pictures
Disadvantages: None

...the scruffy mutt that is Hairy Maclary. Her clever rhymes and funny illustrations mean that she is a very popular choice with children and adults alike. ***The Story*** The story starts with a picture of a town hall where a cat show is taking place. "In Riverside Hall on Cabbage Tree Row, the Cat Club were having their Annual Show. There were fat cats and thin cats, tabbies and greys, kick-up-a-din cats with boisterous ways." Outside Hairy ...
...prize for the SCRUFFIEST CAT? Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy." ***The Illustrations*** As with all the books in the series, the format is kept simple with a picture on one half of the double pages and the story written on the other. The illustrations are very detailed as well as being bright and colourful, with lots going on in the backgrounds. This is great for keeping children occupied as you read the story. The text is written in clear ... Read review