Deservedly a classic, this is a joy to share with a child or for her to explore by herself. Allan Ahlberg’s jolly rhymes lead us cunningly round a circle, meeting familiar characters of nursery and legend. As we travel there are so many things to find, such enjoyable mischief and muddle along the way, delightfully…
Like No! by Marta Altes, this is built round a joke: the elephant who is good at hiding – sort of. Certainly the boy and his folks don’t find him. But boy’s dog spots him, not fooled by the curtains, the telly or the tree. So lots of fun for the child who has, maybe…
A simple joke, the dog who thinks his name is No, because it’s what everyone in the house calls him. Any child who has misunderstood how to help and in turn been misunderstood may feel for our well-meaning hero and draw comfort. They are not alone in the world: there are other misguided enthusiasts out…
Who would think little bits of torn paper could be so expressive! And what a great title: not ‘Lost’, but ‘A Bit Lost’, just like a child owning to a fear and being brave at the same time. Little Owl falls out of the nest, but finds friends and friends help him find his mummy….
Today Croc is in a mood. Big-time sulks. But Melrose is not put off. She bombards Croc out his mood and down to the beach. Now Croc’s exuberance may take charge, till the wet sea – and an ice cream – bring all into balance. Gentle and fun, Emma Chichester Clark’s luminous pictures lift the…
What a combination – Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake! Playsmiths together. A tale full of subtlety. Parents worried about bills, Rosie picking up lolly sticks to keep in her old cigar box. Things are tight. But imagination is not; it’s very free. Words and pictures riot across the pages. Lollysticks turn into Stickerino the magnificent…
A nice sideways take on the arrival of a sibling. ‘I always,’ it starts, ‘ wanted a brother or a sister, but instead I got a crocodile. It was quite a surprise!’ Sure was! Crocodiles turn out to be quite a handful. But they have feelings too, and with practice they turn out to be…
It may be about cats, but it covers the whole of new arrivals and sibling rivalry beautifully. The little girl may think the kitten will be a nice new friend for Ginger, but Ginger’s look of horror says otherwise. Nevertheless, of course, peace comes – most of the time – not least through a shared…
This is a book about that big change: baby bed to big bed. But in John Burningham’s hands you hardly notice. It’s adventure with Burningham’s typical insouciance; anything might happen and does. It’s full of fun and flights of fancy, but it also empathises with the gulf of misunderstanding between adults and children. And in…
A favourite of my daughters when they were small. Or perhaps a favourite of mine, as I have a fondness for puns. I think this is David McKee’s first book. It’s the hero’s tale, the journey of self-discovery. A colourless, nameless bird leaves the jungle where all the animals laugh at him and finds useful…
Published in the USA in 1949 and then out of print for many years, some wise person at Enchanted Lions Books decide to reissue it in 2013. Son of Mr and Mrs Brown, Little Boy Brown is four and a half. He tells his own story of a day out, and how cleverly and with…
Nice colours. Jemima Sharpe uses a constrained palette to suggest moonlight beautifully. And Mr Moon is mysterious. He may be a cat, and he may not be. It doesn’t matter. He is an excellent night-time companion. Then he’s wide-awake and adventurous, just the right kind of person to climb through the creepers on the wallpaper…
