Sugarlump and the Unicorn

When Sugarlump the rocking horse wishes to see the world, a magical unicorn with a silver horn and sparkling blue eyes turns him into a real horse. But after trotting around the farm, galloping around a racetrack and even dancing at the circus, Sugarlump learns to be careful what he wishes for and realises how much he misses the children he left behind. Luckily the unicorn has one more wish to grant ...

The latest release by Julia Donaldson, popular author of, among others, The Gruffalo, What the Ladybird Heard, Sharing the Shell.

This book would make a beautiful gift this Christmas or as a birthday present. It is a special book with the addition of glitter to every page, making every illustration by the fantastic Lydia Monks sparkle and shine. The illustrations are a combination of hand drawn illustrations  which are combined with photographic images of 'textures' (e.g. the sheep's fleece, the hedge's leaves).

The story is written in rhyme, which children adore and includes Donaldson's famous 'choruses' which children quickly learn and can recite throughout the story.

I will admit that when I first saw the book I immediately thought it was a book that would appeal to only girls - with its feminine colours and girly theme of unicorns, however as soon as I started to read it I found that the book was definitely one which boys and girls will enjoy and will soon become a story-time favourite. Perfect for a bedtime tale or a story-time read both at home or at school or nursery.

The glitter is encapsulated on the page, meaning that readers are not left sparkling all day long (although that wouldn't be a bad thing) and that the book can be enjoyed for years to come.

The story is one full of fantasy and childhood dreams, and will be enjoyed by both girls and boys. It is another of Donaldson's fantastic children's books which is a must have addition to any child's library or book shelf.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.

The Very Snowy Christmas

It's the night before Christmas and Big Mouse and Little Mouse are putting up decorations. Little Mouse scampers out to search for holly but finds big white flakes falling from the sky. As Little Mouse's world is covered in snow he discovers strange things all around him.

This is a beautiful book which would make a lovely gift this Christmas time. A board book, which would be perfect for little hands to enjoy turning the pages, however the story is suitable for 2-3 years as it is a 'wordy' story.

The pages are brightly coloured, the illustrations will attract a child's attention and enable young children to tell other's the story before they are able to read the words. 

The story has only a small reference to Father Christmas and would therefore make a great gift for children who's family do not celebrate at this time. It is a story about snow and fun in the snow.

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

Doug the Bug that went Boing! by Sue Hendra

Doug and Trevor are best friends who love playing in the garden. But one day Doug gets dug up! Stuck at the top of a tower block can Doug find his way back to his friend or will he be trapped forever?

Doug and Trevor, best friends who love playing together, however they always argue over who's turn it is to fetch the Berry Ball when the ball gets stuck in a flower. Doug always ends up going to fetch the ball, but on this occasion he ends up being scooped up by a shovel and put in a flowerpot at the top of block of flats. Doug has quite the adventure finding his way back down to the garden and Trevor.

This is a fun book which children of all ages will enjoy. There are lots of funny events which children will enjoy - Doug has quite an adventure on his way home, nearly ending up in someone's breakfast, the toilet and the bin. 

The illustrations accompany the story perfectly and tell the story well, allowing young children the opportunity to tell their family and/or peers the story without reading the words. The pictures are bright and colourful, while simplistic and eye-catching. 

This is a fantastic book which children will enjoy picking up and looking at. The author, Sue Hendra, has also written No-Bot which I have reviewed on this blog.

Thank you to the publishers, Simon and Schuster Children's Books, for sending me the book to review.

Dear Snowman by Kathryn White and Alison Edgson

Little Rabbit and Snowman are the very best of friends. But when winter fades, Snowman is nowhere to be found. Wherever can he be? Soon a postcard arrives for Little Rabbit. It's from Snowman - and he's travelling the world! This brilliant book about an adventurous snowman has a gorgeous shiny cover and comes with six postcards and masses of stickers, so little readers can send messages to their family and friends just like Snowman. Children will love the excitement of reading Snowman's postcards and letters and finding out where in the world he has been. This lovely book would make a fantastic Christmas present but is sure to be enjoyed throughout the year.

In today's digital world writing letters are becoming a dying art, add to that the rising prices of postage stamps, and the excitement of waiting for the postman to arrive and a letter coming through the letterbox addressed to a child is becoming a thing of the past.  However in this book children are introduced to the excitement of receiving a letter.

Little Rabbit was very upset, when the snowman he had played with all through the Winter disappeared when Spring arrived However when a postcard arrived from Snowman Little Rabbit was excited to read all about his adventures and eagerly waited for the next installment to arrive.

This is a great book, the story is well written and has lots of things to discuss - Snowman's adventures give lots of inspiration for circle time discussions or role play ideas, as well as adding to the story.  The book also includes six blank postcards which children can write and send to friends or family, each featuring Snowman in a holiday destination and a sheet of stickers, which all children will love. 

I really enjoyed this book and the added postcards and stickers make this a fantastic gift idea - either for Christmas or Winter birthdays but also could be given to a child who is going on holiday.

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

One Starry Night by M Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton

Little Hedgehog and his friends are on an exciting adventure to see a shower of sparkly shooting stars. But soon they find themselves in a spot of bother ...

Sequel to best-selling books, One Snowy Night, One Winter's Day, One Rainy Day, One Special Day and One Christmas Night.

I love Winter and Christmas time for many things, but one of the best things are the books published at this time of year. Children's books are especially gorgeous, a little bit of glitter here, a flittering there and lots of snow and sparkly stars are just a few of things that publishers and authors can add at this time of year to add to the magic of Christmas and Winter time.

One Starry Night is about Little Hedgehog, who one night spotted many shooting stars in the sky. He goes out and visits his friends, who all enjoy watching the stars and they all decide to try and catch one. However, they end up down an old badger sett and must find their way back out.

The story is a great story, there is an alternative version to the traditional rhyme, 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' which children will enjoy learning. The story is a simple one - friends going up a hill to watch, and try to catch, shooting stars - However, I am sure it will quickly become a popular one to share at story or bedtime.

The illustrations within the story are equally as good. Many children's books depict animals as cute and cuddly, almost cartoon like. However, within this book, the animals are lifelike and look more natural and realistic. The shooting stars within the book are all foiled and add a touch of luxury to the book.

I would recommend this as a beautiful gift for story-time now the nights are drawing in.

Thank you to the publishers, Little Tiger Press, for sending me the book to revoew.

Book Giveaway -

Alma Books are celebrating after being named 'Bookseller's Independent Publisher of the Year 2013' and are offering a set of their classic 'Evergreens; series to one reader of my blog. 

Their classics 'Evergreens' series is all about making great literature available to every reader at an affordable price of £4.99 each without compromising on production and design. The first four books that have been published in this series are Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli and Praise of Folly by Erasmus.

With the new Alma Classics series of Evergreen Classics, book lovers are able to own stylish and beautifully crafted editions of the greatest classics of all time, both English and in translation, for under five pounds.

Lavishly produced, with a wealth of extra material, new translations and a fresh editorial approach, the Alma Classics Evergreens will become the new standard editions for all students and lovers of good books

Alma Books will be adding more books to this new series following the series launch in September 2013.

For more information about Alma Books and Alma Classics, check out their websites: www.almabooks.com and www.almaclassics.com, or the Alma Books Twitter feed 

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Hook, Line and Singer - A Sing-A-Long Book by Cerys Matthews

From Cerys Matthews, radio 6 DJ, ex-singer of Brit Pop band Catatonia and one of Britain's best known music devotees, comes Hook, Line and Singer, a sing-a-long book for all the family, for any occasion. After more than thirty years of singing, travelling and collecting songs, Cerys Matthews still finds there's no better way to spend time than singing along in good company. In Hook, Line and Singer she invites you to join her in a grand old singalong. From songs for young families through tunes for vintage-lovers, trips away, American favourites and songs for times of optimism, ending with celebration songs for Christmas and New Year, this is a book filled with Cerys' own memories and musical arrangements. A mix of the traditional and contemporary, Hook, Line and Singer presents music and lyrics clearly so the book can be sung as well as read, offering you the stories behind the songs, their ages and origins, and the reason for their inclusion. This is a life-affirming book of the most memorable, melancholy, silliest and easiest-to-sing songs that Cerys knows, designed to keep handy at home for those moments when only a song will do. Cerys Matthews is a singer, songwriter, author and broadcaster, hosting a popular weekly radio show on BBC6 Music and appearing on The Voice with Tom Jones. A collector of songs for over thirty years, she has also written and presented documentaries on subjects such as Blue Horizon (the iconic British blues label), Sacred Harp singing and Dylan Thomas. A columnist for the number one world music magazine Songlines, she is the author of children's stories Tales from the Deep and Gelert, A Man's Best Friend. She was lead singer and songwriter for the multi-million-selling band Catatonia, and duets with Sir Tom Jones on the perennial winter favourite, 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'. She lives in West London with her children.

My job is that of an Activity Worker, in a city council run Children's Centre. I work with families who have children aged 0 - 5 years. In every session that I am a part of, songs and rhymes play a part. They are important as they attract a child's attention, teaches them about words and rhyme, encourages interaction, expectation and enjoyment. The use of actions encourages movement and co-ordination and as the children get older it aids language development and can include numbers, counting and turn taking. They are just as important for parents and other carers who gain confidence in groups and in also helping their children with their language and development.

When  I saw this book I knew it would be perfect for my job. I know the traditional rhymes and some of the alternative versions but am always on the look out for new rhymes and songs to teach the groups.

The book is all about song and rhyme. The author, Cerys Matthews, female lead of pop group Catatonia, has collected together lots of songs and rhymes which  together make for a fantastic sing-a-long. There are traditional tunes along with modern day songs which children and adults of all ages with enjoy, recognising many but I am sure all will learn a few new songs to add to their repertoire.

The songs are split into eleven chapters: Action Songs; If You're Happy and You Know It; Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be?; Nan's Tune Emporium; Let's Go Fly A Kite; Monoglots to Polygots; La, La, La, La, La, L'America; Sea Dogs and Blue Water; Creature Songs; Sweet Dreams; and Christmas and New Year. Each chapter has 10-12 songs in each. All songs have brief introduction to the song, a little of its history and include those little gems of facts which could be a winning answer in a pub quiz! There is also the music included in the book - the basic tune and chords, suitable for guitar or piano players, along with the song words. If there are actions associated with the song, they are also included along with an alternative song words.

As I have previously said I work with children and therefore know lots of songs, however I think that nearly half of the tunes were new to me - I will definitely be learning some to take with me for the new term. I really like that there was the music too as it helps with the tunes for the songs I don't know - it would of been great if a CD could have been included with the book featuring all the songs in the book - this would have made a perfect songbook, however I am sure entering the song title into a well known search engine would soon throw up the tune! There is the perfect mix of old and new tunes within the book and it is one which the older generation will see as a walk down memory lane - it would make a perfect gift. I really like this book and I can see me dipping into it alot over the coming months as I plan sessions and sing-a-longs.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.