Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty
This is a fun picture book about sharing – a theme which young children will be very familiar with! The monkey’s are very cheeky, colourful characters which the twins really warmed to. They loved the bright colours and the antics of the naughty monkey. There is a twist at the end which really made them laugh. This is a great book for children who are just started to move away from board books and onto something a bit longer. The illustrations are so eye catching they keep the children’s attention and it’s a fun way to enforce the lesson that it’s good to share!
Jack’s Mega Machines: The Dinosaur Digger by Alison Ritchie and Mike Byrne
This is the second of the jack’s Mega Machines books we have reviewed. Just like The Rocket Racer this is an exciting adventure story where Jack drives off through the magic doors of his garage and is transported somewhere exciting. this time he visits the land of dangerous dinosaurs and has to escape the terrible T-Rex in his dinosaur digger. Although this is aimed at young boys the girls enjoyed the story and found it exciting. They loved Jack’s little dog. This big draw of this set of books is the pop up vehicle which comes with them. This is a great way to bring the story to life.
Snug as a Bug by Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot
This is a lovely book with really adorable artwork. It is great for practicing counting and the funny rhyming text is lovely to read aloud. The animal characters throughout the book are really endearing – the girls particularly loved the three pigs in big purple wigs. This is a great book for bedtime with all the characters ending up as snug as a bug.
Ping and Pong Are Best Friends (mostly) by Tim Hopgood
I can see this is a book we will come back to. It looks deceptively simple but is actually a tale about being true to yourself and not being jealous of other’s achievements. Pong is much better at everything than his friend Ping. Ping has to learn that they can still be friends and to understand what he is good at. It is also good for not showing off. Pong never brags that he is better and is kind to his friend. This is a lovely tale for young children – the bold illustrations are very appealing and it’s lots of fun.
Princess Evie’s Ponies: Confetti the Magic Wedding Pony by Sarah KilBride
This is the first of the series of Princess Evie books we have read. It is easy to see why the books are so popular – selling over 400,000 copies to date. This is a book guaranteed to delight young children who love ponies and princesses and magic – so all of my three then! The book is very sparkly and pretty and incredibly girly. Rose loved looking at all the pretty dresses. Personally I prefer books where the characters learn something about themselves or the world but there is a place for books which are solely entertaining. The book comes with a free pony – a great selling point – as it’s lovely to be able to act out the story when you’ve read it.
I Got A Crocodile by Nicola Killen
This is a fun, heart-warming story which would be great for children who are longing for a little brother or sister. Instead of getting a sibling the child gets a crocodile who causes lots of disasters. I think it would be a good one to discuss what it’s like having younger siblings and how although they can be fun like the crocodile they be annoying too. The illustrations are lovely and it is so much fun to imagine what it would be like having a crocodile as a pet. The girls all loved it.
No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom by Sue Hendra
Sue Hendra books are big favourites in our house. We have already reviewed Barry The Fish With Fingers and Keith the Cat With the Magic Hat. Like them this combines a funny story with delightful illustrations in Sue Hendra’s distinctive style. Bernard the Robot loses his bottom on the park swing, and sets off to find it. My eldest is at the age where she finds the word bottom hilarious. So she was, literally, rolling around on the floor when we read this book and I can see why – it is great fun for all the family.
Disclaimer: I was sent these books for the purposes of this review.