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Friday 27 February 2015

Zip It - a fancy book of fastenings (My Little World) by Patricia Hegarty and Fhiona Galloway (Illustrator)


Zip Froggy's mouth from side to side. See it shut, then open wide! Let little hands loose on this first book of fastenings, featuring a zip, button, laces and more!

Children love fastenings, opening and closing this, pulling zips  up and down, lifting velcro fastenings up and down and the concentration on a little one's face while trying to work out buttons is magical. There are also poppers and shoe laces to tie. This book allows them to practice all these skills and also to follow pictorial instructions. It is a very clever book which children will love looking at but also allowing them to gain skills to enable them to help getting themselves dressed and undressed. 

It would make a great present for children who will soon be starting nursery or reception when they need to be able to get themselves changed or just to gain some independence. The book is a great a great addition to any library which promotes language development and improves a child's motor skills while encouraging hand eye coordination. 

This is another fantastic book by Little Tiger Press who sent me the book in return for an honest review.

Train!by Judi Abbot


Little Elephant LOVES trains! But Cat wants to play with his plane. Penguin wants to play with his car. And Rabbit would rather play with his digger. How will they learn to play together? Train! Is the perfect book for any child obsessed with things that go, and it helps little ones learn about playing together and sharing too. A joy to read aloud, preschoolers will love chanting along with the inventive rhythmic section in the middle of the story. With fresh and funny illustrations from Judi Abbot (The Biggest Kiss and The Perfect Hug), Train! is a book that you won't mind reading again and again...and again!

A great book for toddlers who like trains, planes and cars. It is also a fantastic book about sharing and playing together - perfect for story time and circle time. The language used is very easy for preschool children to understand and they will be able to join in with 'Train' and 'Plane'. I love the characters - the cute blue elephant is the main character and is joined by a rabbit, penguin and a cat which children will easily identify throughout the story.

It really is a lovely little book and I recommend to all transport loving children or to use as a resource for sharing.

Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending me the book to review.

Cheep Cheep Pop-Up Fun (Little Snappers) by Jonathan Litton

Cheep Cheep Pop-Up Fun - Little Snappers (Novelty book)

Lift the flaps to discover which cheepy, chirpy animals are popping out of the pages.

Another fantastic book to share with toddler this spring time. Bright, bold illustrations of a walk around a farm yard, meeting cows, pigs, horses, sheep and chicks with simply text which toddlers will love.

This is a lift the flap book which uncovers fantastic paper engineering as the hidden animals pop out to meet you. It is a fun book that I am sure will be chosen again and again as toddlers love to unveil each surprise.

Thank you to Caterpillar Books for sending me this book to review.

I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth and Tim Warnes (Illustrator)



When the sun comes up, Big Bear and Little Bear think of new ways to share their love. Big Bear loves Little Bear more and more as each day passes, right up to each new moon - and back. A joyful celebration of the love between parent and child, this lovely chunky board book is perfect for reading with your special little person. With sturdy pages that are easy for little hands to turn and beautiful illustrations by Tim Warnes, I Love You to the Moon and Back will soon become a firm bedtime favourite.

This is a beautiful board book perfect for sharing during the bed time routine. The words are simple but make a lovely story and the illustrations are beautiful, I really believe they would make beautiful pictures to adorn any nursery wall. 

It would be a great gift to give a newborn, a book that will be read again and again as it becomes a bedtime favourite.

Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending me this book to review. 

Egg: An Egg-Citing Easter Eggs-Capade! (My Little World) by Jonathan Litton and Fhiona Galloway (illustrator)




Join bouncy Bunny and her friends in this exciting Easter egg hunt. Bright artwork, finger-holes and a cheerful rhyming story make learning come alive!

This is the perfect present to give a little one this Easter time. With its bright pastel colour scheme and simple illustrations it is perfect for a baby celebrating there first Easter. 

Each page has a useful egg shaped cut out which is perfect for little hands to grasp and to play pee-po through, each descending in size to give continuity throughout the book.

The story is told through rhyming verse and includes a bunny, a lamb, a kitten, a puppy, a pony and a bluebird which are all great animals for a child to learn.

I really love this book and I am hoping to give it to my nephew to share with his new cousin this Easter. 

Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending me another egg-celent (sorry it had to be done!) book to review from their fantastic baby range.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Obsession in Death - J D Robb



A crisp winter morning in New York. In a luxury apartment, the body of a woman lies stretched out on a huge bed. On the wall above, the killer has left a message in bold black ink: FOR LIEUTENANT EVE DALLAS, WITH GREAT ADMIRATION AND UNDERSTANDING. Eve Dallas is used to unwanted attention. Famous for her high-profile cases and her marriage to billionaire businessman Roarke, she has learned to deal with intense public scrutiny and media gossip. But now Eve has become the object of a singular and deadly obsession. She has an 'admirer', who just can't stop thinking about her. Who is convinced they have a special bond. Who is planning to kill for her - again and again...With time against her, Eve is forced to play a delicate - and dangerous - psychological dance. Because the killer is desperate for something Eve can never provide - approval. And once that becomes clear, Eve knows her own life will be at risk - along with those she cares about the most.

I have never picked up or read a J DRobb book before this one and was surprised to find this is the fortieth book in the In Death novel series and also that it is written by Nora Roberts. 

I am a big fan of crime novels and I am really glad that I have found another fantastic crime author who has a huge back catalogue to devour! Obsession in Death was a fantastic read, which offers more than just a basic crime to solve. The novel is a cleverly written story with many individual storylines intertwining to create a great book which will keep the reader's attention from the moment they pick up the book. 

I would recommend this book to crime fans everywhere and I will definitely be looking out the previous thirty nine books to catch up on the series.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a review copy in return for am honest review