Picturebook Reviews
Breezy’s Beach Day
Caroline Crowe, illus. Nia Gould, pub. Oxford Children’s Books
There are five Weather Tots, each of them is going to have their own story, this is Breezy’s and he is at the beach. It should be a fun day for the friends but unfortunately he seems to be accidentally messing up the weather. What is a weather tot to do to make things right again?
The Weather School Bus is taking the Tots to the beach for their class trip. Everyone, except Breezy is excited, he doesn’t have much fun when he’s at the beach and we soon discover why. Whilst his friends are setting up Breezy tries to help but everything is being blown away. He finds a rock, away from everyone else, to sit on instead. Poor Breezy. When Sunny has finally created a wonderful sandcastle Breezy flies over with a flag only he also knocks her castle down, he also accidentally blows sand into the sandwiches. Professor Cloud is kind to Breezy and, to help him feel better, suggests they take a boat and sail over the bay but there isn’t much wind. Is this going to be Breezy’s chance to show how helpful he can be?
Breezy has discovered, with the help of his friends, how to use his incredibly skills to help others and they have learnt how to be more patient. This story, this series, helps young readers to understand the role of the different parts of the weather system and the important of being an understanding and patient friend. With a simple story and vibrant illustrations, the stories of Breezy and his friends are ones that children will love.
Amy Cosso
Come Back, Gosling
Anne Booth, illus. David Litchfield, pub. Templar Books
Come Back, Gosling is a charming picture-story book for young readers and listeners centring on separation-anticipation anxiety.
A bookish little girl shares her love of reading and imaginative play with her best (and as far as we can tell only) friend, a gosling. One day she borrows a book from the library, and before the gosling can see inside it she learns it’s the gosling’s destiny to become a goose, and fly away, leaving her behind. There follows a sequence of triggering markers of the gosling’s growing-up that drive the girl to despair, which perplexes the gosling until it discovers the book for itself, and suddenly understands what’s going on. Inevitably it’s time for the gosling to leave with the other geese, and the girl accepts it must be so. Before going, however, the gosling reassures the girl it loves her and urges her to finish the book, which she does and finds out that though the gosling will fly away, next year it will return, which we see it do.
The story parallels lots of scenarios and themes that little readers may be experiencing in their own lives and provides comfort and builds understanding. The story itself is engaging, interesting, and emotionally resonant and authentic. It’s a satisfying read. The art is colourful, textured, restful, with interesting composition and good communication of the girl and gosling’s interior lives. Though not as exaggerated as Lauren Child’s work, it reminds me of it, and I adored the depiction of foliage, whether trees, grass or flowers, it was as refreshing as a walk in a properly shaggy park.
Overall, it’s lovely to look at, emotionally touching and meaningful, and a calming and optimistic read. Very re-readable and a bit of a triumph.
Dmytro Bojaniwskyj
Duck Delivers
Tom Tinn-Disbury, pub. Hodder Children’s Books
Duck is a home bird, but he cannot stay at home forever. When Great-Granduck encourages Duck to spread his wings one morning, Duck begrudgingly agrees to find an adventure to go on. He ends up signing up to deliver parcels for Feather Force and gets his first assignment – delivering a parcel to Squirrel at Oak Beach. Duck then sets off on his journey but it all starts to go wrong when he doesn’t manage to follow Great-Granduck’s golden rules: pay attention, don’t panic and stay positive! A chaotic adventure is the result, and things don’t look too promising when Duck finds himself in the very tall, very cold and very far-from-Oak-Beach snowy mountains. Will he manage to turn his fortunes around and get the parcel to Squirrel in time, or will his first attempt at spreading his wings end in disaster?
This story was thoroughly enjoyable. Duck is a likeable character; he has great intentions but seems to lose focus when it matters the most which results in finding himself in some tricky situations. The chaos and tension within Duck’s journey keep the reader engaged and on their toes, hoping that his fortunes will change and that he manages to succeed with his mission.
Throughout the book, the illustrations tell the journey as well as the words. Some pages even contain illustrations which show Duck’s route in a particular part of the story which brings the catastrophe to life for the reader. The images on the pages capture the fun of the story and you won’t be able to stop yourself feeling sorry for Duck as he continues to make errors which lead him further away from his destination.
What a wonderful book Duck Delivers is! Going on a journey with Duck as he delivers his parcel is certainly a rollercoaster and it is certainly one that all young readers will enjoy!
Tom Joy
George & Lenny Are Always Together
Jon Agee, pub. Scallywag Press
I am a picturebook lover, there is something very special about them, the stories they share are intended for young children but since they are so often read by adults, to those young children they are written, in part, with adults in mind. That sometimes means there are puns and jokes for the adults to appreciate, perhaps explain too. There are additional details in the illustrations for adults to help children spot, different characters to role play and voices to do. I am now thinking maybe they are really for adults after all! But there is something else they do; they help children begin to learn more about social and emotional topics.
Jon Agee is a master when it comes to creating picturebooks that appear to be stories filled with simple fun, his illustration style is bold but clear, childlike but still complex, his books have an immediate appeal. Then there are the stories themselves, as I say, on one level simple, fun, loving. On another they are delivering complex messages in a style children will love and understand at their own level. George & Lenny are characters brimming with cheekiness, open the book to see Lenny standing on the end of what looks like a stick, turn the page to see George supressing a giggle, sitting on the other end of a see-saw! George and Lenny are mismatched, a bear and a mouse yet, as the title tells us they Are Always Together. Well, they are until Lenny wonders if being alone would be as much fun as being together. His attempt is a valiant effort. George’s attempt to let Lenny try to be alone is generous and well meaning, the reader will soon discover just what happens when George and Lenny try to be apart…
A book which had me grinning from ear to ear from the moment I opened it to share. Once again Jon Agee demonstrates his storytelling prowess.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Go Go Dodo!
Huw Lewis Jones, illus. Fred Blunt, pub. Little Tiger Press
If, as an adult, you are looking for a picturebook that will have you suppressing, unsuccessfully, the giggles as you read, this is the one you need to have at the ready. Once you have managed to supress those giggles you can share the humour with your young children, after all that is part of the magic. What this book encourages is the reader to pay close attention to the illustrations. They are genius.
With that established I should share more about this fabulous book. A story about a charming bright pink Dodo who, quite simply, decides to take a walk one evening. He lives in the jungle, one that is gentle and friendly, peaceful and even possibly quite soothing. But there is a catch. For each comment about his walk there is a reassuring ‘yes’ phrase on the next page, repeating the phrase. But whilst the words are there, clear as day, take a look at the illustrations, they tell a completely opposite story and will have children highly entertained at the antics they are watching unfold. Will the poor innocent Dodo come to a sticky end or will everything work out well? Will the crocodile snap up the tiger, the snake slither quietly enough to catch its prey? Keep going and you’ll love the ending!
There is nothing to worry about apart from fits of giggle and plenty of ‘it’s behind you’ shouts with this picturebook, a creation of two very talented storytellers.
Amy Cosso
Good Golden Sun
Brendan Wenzel, pub. Scallywag Press
The sun at the start of Good Golden Sun is reminiscent of the sun at the beginning of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a roughly coloured orb and rays of different shapes and sizes. In this story however the insects and the animals, and finally some children are full of questions about what it’s like being the sun - Do you get lonely? How do you stay up there without wings? Some of the questions on each double page spread are rhyming, but they are all just the kind of thing children might wonder, although asking the sun to help pull the plough is perhaps not so likely!
The children ask if the sun will miss them, but enjoy the colours of the sunset, and sing a little song as the last light leaves the room, then ask if the sun would pass on all their questions to the moon…
According to his website, Brendan Wenzel is “a NY Times bestselling author and illustrator, with great affection for all things furred, feathered and scaly.” When not creating books for children, he is a proud collaborator with many groups working to protect and conserve wild places and creatures. Brendan’s book They All Saw a Cat received a Caldecott honour in 2017. Reading this book, it is easy to see why he won an award and continues to be popular. This is a very beautiful picture book, created in collage, from a very experienced author and illustrator, suitable for reading aloud to one child, or a class, and may lead to other questions that children would like to ask…
Diana Barnes
The Good Night Airport
Tori Koara, illus. Natalia Rojas Castro, pub. Flying Eye Books
When the rest of Motor Isle is sleeping and most travellers and pilots have settled down for the night, the Airport is still buzzing with activity. From the belt loader to the cargo truck and even the lavatory truck (this one will definitely raise a giggle or two!), a whole host of animals are busy working as maintenance and support crew, working hard to prepare the airport for the next day. Whilst many of the vehicles and crews mentioned in the book aren’t specifically night-time operating, and in fact would be working all day round, the night-time element does add a rather lovely element to the book, driving home the fact that while many of us are tucked up in bed others are working hard to keep things running.
The illustrations in this book are absolutely wonderful and there is so much to notice on every single page that a true vehicle enthusiast will want to spend a great deal of time simply exploring the pictures. For me the rhyme in this book felt a little stilted at times and I found myself tripping over odd words as I read but I think this is in part due to the specific pronunciation and placing of certain words such as ‘asphalt’ and the fact that Tori herself is American. (Accents are not my thing – though I’ll be honest and say I did try!)
However, this book is a wonderful exploration of the night-time happenings at the airport and a real must for nursery classrooms where vehicle enthusiasts are often in abundance! It also has a lovely gentle rhythm making it a perfect bedtime read.
Tracey Corner
The Good Night Garage
Tori Koara, illus. Meg Hunt, pub. Flying Eye Books
Following The Good Night Airport, comes The Good Night Garage. As night falls on Motor Isle some of the vehicles at the garage are just waking up. In The Good Night Garage, we follow the emergency vehicles who work tirelessly all night to keep us safe and others such as the line marking truck who are busy making our roads and towns safe and ready for the day ahead.
With its Richard Scary style illustrations, coloured in gorgeously subdued colours using purple and blue tones, and its soft lilting rhythm, it is almost lullaby-ish making it a wonderful bedtime read. On each and every page the pictures are brimming with a wealth of details to explore also making this book perfect for those early discussions and interactions which are so incredibly important in early reading. Author Tori Korara has cleverly highlighted so much of what takes place whilst our little ones are tucked up in bed, and for any parents who work the night shift this book is an absolute must!
A beautiful celebration of our service crews and the important jobs that so many do, this book is a real treasure and despite the fact that on my first read I found I tripped a little on some of the rhyme, I cannot recommend it highly enough. A wonderful blend of information, rhyme and the most gorgeous illustrations – what’s not to like!
Tracey Corner
Is It Asleep?
Olivier Tallec, pub. Gecko Press
One look at the cover and it is impossible not to be curious, open up the book and begin reading and it is impossible not to be curious and hooked. The pictures dominate the pages, in a way that doesn’t fill it completely but certainly draws the eye and encourages readers to pay close attention to the forest setting. The forest is home to many creatures and we are first introduced to Squirrel and his friend Pock, a mushroom. They love to spend time together and they really love to listen to the Blackbird sing, it is one of their favourite things. But today there is no singing so the pair go for a walk to look for the bird.
What happens next is dealt with incredibly sensitively and with a subtle humour too allowing children to follow the story, understand what is happening but not be upset by the developments. Blackbird is lying on the ground. Not moving. Not making a sound. Being respectful and wondering if he is asleep Squirrel and Pock wait. And wait. And wait some more but Blackbird isn’t moving. Noise doesn’t make a difference so they fetch their friend Gunther to come and help. He has an idea but not one they can manage and still the bird doesn’t move. It is then they realise it may have died, it is here they gently explain how this may have happened and what usually happens. It is incredibly beautiful, gentle and touching. When the friends believe they have done all they can they take a walk and have an idea for a way to remember the blackbird whose song they loved so much. It is touching and the next morning… Well, you’ll soon discover what happens.
A moving, gentle, child-friendly exploration of life, death and remembering. A story that deserves a moment of reflection upon finishing, one that will stay with you. A modern classic in the making.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Kerfuffle Bird
Helen Docherty, illus. Gwen Millward, pub. Oxford Children’s Books
Maeve is not like the other Hushlings of Hushville. They keep their feelings shut in, speak in soft voices and know exactly how to behave. So, when a mysterious blue egg appears, they agree to leave it alone rather than do anything about it. When a strange bird emerges from the cracked egg, however, everything changes as the Kerfuffle Bird is rather different to the Hushlings; he is loud, adventurous and loves to party. With Maeve as his only companion, the Kerfuffle Bird starts to frustrate the rest of Hushville who can’t take much more of his antics! Will they grow to understand his ways, or will the Hushlings drive the Kerfuffle Bird out of town?
Kerfuffle Bird is a lovely story which has a great underlying message – let your big feelings out rather than storing them up! The Kerfuffle Bird’s gorgeous friendship with Maeve develops throughout the story and it is wonderful to see how she stands up for him even though she will be isolated from the Hushlings as a result.
The illustrations in this book are terrific. The vibrant front cover lights up the book with the Kerfuffle Bird and Maeve up in the sky with the text in the clouds – the Kerfuffle Bird’s yellows and pinks contrast brilliantly with the blue sky. On each double-page, the Kerfuffle Bird’s brightness stands out alongside the striped Hushlings. Colour is used brilliantly well with yellows, blues and greens against whites so that the characters show up clearly. The contrast of the night-time pages with blacks and purples show the calmness of the town during the late hours against the noise and the liveliness during the day.
This is a fun story with wonderful illustrations and a lovely message.
Tom Joy
The Laughing Book
Kael Tudor, illus. Daniel Wiseman, pub. Happy Yak
Laughter brings people together. Hearing someone else laugh can make you smile, or even better, you may find yourself joining in with them as it can also be contagious. People laugh at different things, and they also laugh in different ways: chuckles, guffaws, giggles or roars. This lovely book explores the ins and outs of laughter.
The short statement, ‘Everybody laughs’ which starts off the book summarises the idea behind it – no matter who you are, laughing is part of your life. This book explores when people laugh, how they laugh, different names for a laugh, and different reasons we have for trying to make other people laugh. Whilst it is clear that we all share laughter, this book also highlights the point that laughter is quite a personal thing and something that makes us rather unique as no two people laugh in the same way about the same things.
Daniel Wiseman is able to capture laughter brilliantly through his illustrations. A simple but effective front cover shows a boy laughing against a yellow background whereas the illustrations on the pages of the book are lively and shows people of all ages laughing in the different situations being described on the pages. The block colours used throughout the book contrast against the people laughing on the pages and sometimes separate the pages into sections depicting different things.
The Laughing Book explores laughter at all levels – you may even have a giggle of your own as you read it!
Tom Joy
Liliana the Strong
Quentin Blake, illus. Emma Chichester Clark, pub. Two Hoots
When a book brings together two of the most famous names in children’s picture books, you know that you are in for a treat. When Liliana has to stay in bed with a very bad cold, she feels extremely weak, something she is not used to. In order to cheer her up, her parents remind her of all the occasions where she has been strong; this has ranged from bending iron bars, to carrying a piano and even moving large statues, so she really is something of a superhero. But can her parents really help her to feel better and regain her strength?
We can all feel Liliana’s frustration when she can’t do what she normally does, as it is something that affects all of us at some time. Luckily the story has a very positive attitude, showing that we all have ups and downs and that situations usually improve and get back to our ‘normal.’ As you would expect the illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark are in her own unique style; the vivid colours and humorous characters are wonderful and allow the reader to explore the story in more depth and although the text is short and tells the story, but the illustrations really add to the experience. What a great addition to the nursery and KS1 classrooms and it is going to make the young audience chuckle with laughter.
Margaret Pemberton
Perla and the Pirate
Isabel Allende, illus. Sandy Rodríguez, pub. Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Such a happy, fizzy little book that fairly burst from the envelope in a dancing swirl of colour and smiles like a goofy, exuberant puppy. A swift and simple read, that nevertheless feels like very much more from the density of the lightly-given life-lessons in the story, and depth of detail and energy of the illustration.
Told from the perspective of Perla, a small, scruffy, sociable dog, the story relates how Perla’s person, the boy Nico, goes missing after school. Perla is convinced she can track Nico but is able to communicate this only to Nico’s new neighbour, the Pirate, a young musician distrusted by Nico’s parents. Clearly, Perla (mostly and heroically – Perla is telling the story after all) and the Pirate successfully track Nico down and all ends better than before.
As the story is streamlined to Perla’s viewpoint, much of the wider tale has to be and is easily inferred for a more substantial read (Nico’s sister crushes on the Pirate for instance). Tonally, quite magical-realist, not unlike the Paddington films, likely appealing to the same audience. An effect amplified by the finely-judged letter to the reader from the author that opens the book and relates how it is a true tale that she saw happen first-hand.
Warm, joyful, sentimental and very re-readable, do give it a go.
Dmytro Bojaniwskyj
Piet Cools Off
Carina and Peter Wohlleben, illus. Rachel Qiuqi, trans. Jane Billinghurst, pub. Greystone Kids
Peter Wohlleben, a German former forester who now runs a forest academy, is the author of the best-selling book for adults The Hidden Life of Trees, in which he develops the idea that trees are inter-connected via their roots, exchanging nutrients and signals, supporting one another and forming familial bonds, and other books about the wonder of trees.
With his well-qualified daughter, Carina, he has written this delightful book in which Piet the squirrel discovers how other animals keep cool in hot weather before setting out to find his own solution for staying cool. Squirrel tails can keep some of the sun’s rays off, (and a footnote explains how) but on that day it isn’t enough. From Peter the forester and his ice cream to wasps, rabbits, insects and frogs, Piet discovers various ways of keeping cool, and then finds his own cool place under the tree cover. Footnotes, which are not necessarily at the foot of pages, give the reader more information, and, at the end of the story, Peter and Carina give more fascinating facts about creatures sweating, or not, in the heat, but of course, trees are very important, lowering the temperature by more than 10 degrees Celsius.
Jane Billinghurst has translated all Peter Wohlleben’s books on the importance of trees, especially ancient forests, so she is ideally placed to translate this book, too. Recommended, especially for anyone involved with a forest school.
Diana Barnes
Robin and Pip
Margaret Anne Suggs, pub. Graffeg
This is a totally charming story about a conversation between a young Robin and the apple tree, Pip, that he spends his time in. Robin is a character who is always worried, not only about things that have happened, but about the possibility of almost anything; as we know, that is not the best for our mental health. As he asks a lot of questions, Pip gives him replies which are full of hope and which show that he has an understanding of his role, as a tree and a giver of life, in the world around him.
Whilst this book is a story written about creatures in the natural world, we can also see its relevance to humans and their fears and concerns. Young children very often have worries about the unknown events and people in their lives. This story gives them help in a very gentle and easy way, without going into a lot of depth about the worries themselves.
The author has also produced the lovely, delicate illustrations that work so well with the storyline and which really bring the two characters to life. Whilst this is mainly a story about feelings, it also shows things such as the growth of the tree and the life cycle of the apple. There is so much discussion to be found in this book and it will work beautifully in a nursery or reception environment.
Margaret Pemberton
Robin Hood
Bethan Woolvin, pub. Two Hoots
In this version of the well-known story, Robin Hood is a girl, “nifty with a sword and quick with an arrow.” She knows that the Sheriff is ‘greedy, rotten, rich” because he steals from the farmers, and the people, and hunts the deer into hiding. She takes things from him when he isn’t looking and restores them to their owners (a child is delighted to get Teddy back), but then he catches up with her and steals her bow and arrows. Infuriated, she sneaks into his castle and steals everything in it, and a showdown with the Sheriff ends with him running away with an arrow in his bottom.
Everyone is invited into the now empty castle, and Robin stays “in the heart of the woods, by the oldest oak tree,… keeping a watchful eye over her home.” ‘Greedy, rotten, rich’ is a recurring description, and children may well like to join in. There are no Merry Men, and no cohort of baddies around the Sheriff - it’s a simple one-on-one conflict. In a limited colour palette of 2 shades of green, red, black and grey, the illustrations are cartoon style, and both characters have big eyes.
Those who remember Little Red, Bethan’s award-winning retelling of Red Riding Hood in 2014, followed by Rebel Fairytale versions of Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel, will recognise the style, and the audacity of the heroine! There are red squirrels and other animals to spot, and this will be fun to share.
Diana Barnes
The Rock Family Band
Robert Tregoning, illus. Laura Brenlla, pub. Oxford Children’s Books
This is a fantastic story about what it feels like to different from everyone else in your family.
Sam is the odd one out in his family, with everyone else being into Glam Rock and taking a part in the family band. However, Sam plays the flute and much prefers to listen to and play classical music, so he is worried about how the family will behave at his school concert one evening. Despite sitting them down and asking them to tone down their behaviour, he still has concerns, but when the big moment comes, Sam finds that he freezes and can’t play his music; it is only when the family join in that he is able to play.
Whilst this is a funny story about different tastes in music, it is also a multi-layered look at families and how support between members is of such importance. The family is multi-generational with siblings, parents and grandma all sharing the same interest and being part of this unit. However, Sam feels that he is outside of this and he finally loses his temper and explains how he feels. It is a scene that shows how the band had not realised that he felt left out and that they need to start considering that there might be other views.
The lessons that we learn through this story are relevant to many aspects of our life and this would be a great introduction to discussion in classes. A superb read for KS1.
Margaret Pemberton
That’s Not Stella
Donna Fredin, pub. Flying Eye Books
If that isn’t Stella then who is it and what have they done with Stella are the important questions to be asked when reading this hilarious picturebook. First of all though it might be fun to try and decide what kind of creature is peeking over the cover of the book…
Milo loves his cat Stella, the end pages are filled with illustrated photos of them both dressed for Halloween, doing magic tricks, handstands, dancing, going out in the Sun and even Stella when she was stuck up a tree! So, it is clear Milo loves Stella. But something has happened, for the last few days Stella has not been herself, in fact he doesn’t think the cat in his house is actually Stella. She’s sleeping in the green cat bed she doesn’t like, walking on top of the fence she is usually scared of and even eating the dry food she hates. Mum proves to Milo the cat really is Stella but then… There is a meeting that night…
A very intelligent picturebook allowing readers of differing ages to make their own interpretations of the story, the unfolding of events and the message that we shouldn’t always assume we know everything about our loved ones, not just Stella, but also perhaps Milo’s dog Rufus too…
Amy Cosso
Torla & Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole
Kes Gray, illus. Chris Jevons, pub. Happy Yak
Torla & Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole is a charming and amusing picture book that plays cleverly with ideas of scale and problem-solving. The story begins when Torla is not looking where they are going and falls down a deeper than average hole and becoming stuck. Smorla tries to pull them out but can’t so goes off to find help. However, despite the best efforts of stronger than average elephants and hairier than average gorillas, no one can pull Torla out.
Fortunately, Smorla has an idea involving a larger than average balloon. The reader possibly assumes this is going to be used to lift Torla out of the hole but no, Smorla has a much more inventive and heartwarming solution.
The book’s unusual and unique physical format adds to its appeal: it’s long and thin, with pull-out and folded sections that surprise and engage young readers. This design choice mirrors the story’s focus on size and depth making the reading experience interactive as well as entertaining. The narrative gently explores themes of friendship, creative thinking and working together to help others in need alongside opportunities to introduce simple mathematical constructs such as height, depth and averages that get children thinking about the world around them.
Overall, Torla & Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole is a delightful read that combines humour, visual interest and a thoughtful message.
Barbara Band