Are you ready for a little children’s book update with book ideas for upcoming events? Well look no further, I’ve got you covered! Spring has certainly sprung here in the UK and I’m looking forward to a little alfresco book reading.
As always do head over to Anne’s weekly news for lots more book news updates especially book award updates – link here.
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New Releases and Reviews
I still can’t quite get over how many books are released each month. I’ve added inside photos to Penelope Snoop, Ace Detective that I recommended, you can find the full review here. Here are some of the books catching my eye this week…
The Story Shop: Blast Off! by Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal
First up this week is an early chapter book that completely delighted us. The Story Shop: Blast Off! by Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal is a jam packed adventure story for everyone, but will be especially loved by book lovers. Whisk yourself away on your very own personalised adventure.
A sequel is coming this Summer. Early chapter books are ideal for newly independent readers who are making that jump from picture books to chapter books but need the scaffolding of shorter texts with illustrations to hold interest and develop understanding. The Story Shop: Blast Off! is black and white illustrated and a pacey read that will keep your children turning the pages. Find my full review here.
Cat’s First Baby by Natalie Nelson
Cat’s First Baby by Natalie Nelson is a gem of a book. Bold vivid images that are warm and tender alongside simple, humorous sentences from the perspective of the cat. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I’d recommend from birth to five years. There’s also a Dog’s First Baby too. Full review and inside images here.
My Garden by Little Yak
A delightful little board book introducing vocabulary from the garden as well as adjectives that support emotional literacy and verbs. It’s gorgeously illustrated and I love the incidental representation. My Garden is not a book about diversity it’s just as books should be, representative of the world we live in. Full review here.
My First Book of Microbes by Sheddad Kaid-Sala Ferrón and Eduard Altarriba
I do have a real weakness for science books and My First Book of Microbes is just the kind of science book I love. Clear explanations of scientific concepts where the understanding is enhanced by skilled diagrams.
This book starts right back at the basics of microbes yet brings you right up to present day. Explanations of R numbers, vaccinations and Covid-19 are explored in a way that help elucidate the pandemic. Full review and inside images can be found here.
Tonie Box New Releases
Kidly have got a 5 for the price of 4 offer on selected Tonie at the moment. You can check out which ones are available here. There also continues to be more bundles added to the Tonies site that you can see here.
Yoto Play New Releases
New to Yoto cards can be discovered here. I was happy to read that Yoto are working hard to increase the diversity of their range. I will be watching closely. You can get 10% off all Yoto purchases over £79 by using my referral link here.
If you’re interested in audio players you might like to check out my blog post on Tonie Boxes vs. Yoto Player here. We have been making lots of Make You Own Cards for our Yoto Mini. Is it wrong that I really want a Yoto Mini for myself!
Books for the Diary
It’s certainly time in the UK to package off our Winter books and bring out our seasonal Spring collection. We love Spring books and you can find a blog post on Spring books we love here. Last week’s Bookworm Buzz and information on World Poetry day, World Water Day and National Day of Reflection – click here to head to the post.
Have you downloaded my free Spring flower ID cards yet? You can find the download in the resources section here or you can access them from the files in the Facebook Group here.
28th World Autism Acceptance Week
If you are needing to support your little readers through grief then you may find this blog post helpful. The post gets updated regularly with new release books on the topic of loss. A recent addition is the new release from Tom Percival – The River.
Golden Oldies and Favourites
If I had a Unicorn by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow
If I had a Unicorn was published in Summer 2020 and it’s a book that we return to time and time again. It’s a perfect bedtime story to fill your head with magical dreams. Gorgeously illustrated, fun and full of fantasy.
My Pet Goldfish by Catherine Rayner
If you have a child who, like my daughter, prefers fiction books it can be quite tricky to get them interested in non-fiction. My Pet Goldfish is a brilliant hybrid book that has facts in the subtext throughout the book. My full review and activities can be found here.
Thought Provoking Reading
This month has seen the sad passing of a literary legend, Shirley Hughes. Check out this post of author and illustrators sharing their favourite images from Shirley.
Not an article but more of a rambling of my thoughts that stemmed from an interview I watched with Aisha Bushby and Elle McNicoll. Elle talked about being a neurodiverse author and how when interviewed she is always asked a question about neurodiversity rather than any more ‘typical’ author question and you very much sense the frustration from her.
It’s great to have Own Voice works but surely this shouldn’t be all an author is known for. Books by Own Voice authors shouldn’t have to be a teaching point for us, but first and foremost entertain and enthrall? What are your thoughts?
What I’m Reading
I’ve read some superb books this week. The image above shows you the books that are on my radar that have been reviewed, ready to read or awaiting reviews. If you’d like to find out more about any of the titles head to my Instagram post here.
Needle by Patrice Lawrence
Needle by Patrice Lawrence will release on 5th May 2022 in the UK with renowned publishers Barrington Stoke. Barrington Stoke produce books designed to make reading accessible to all through their specially designed, dyslexia friendly font and coloured pages. Needle had me totally gripped. It was incredible read – find my full review, further discussion/ writing opportunities and craft ideas here.
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I can’t believe how long it took me to finish this book. Not because it was hard going or I didn’t love it; it was just other books kept getting in the way! Aurora Burning is the second book in the Aurora Cycle series. I love how the characters are developing through the series and thank goodness I was late to the party with this series as I NEED to read the next Aurora End straight away – it was a cliff hanger like no other!
Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found by Aisha Bushby and illustrated by Rachael Dean
Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found is taking me a little longer to read. The publishers have an age guide of 9-12 years yet my daughter is fascinated by the story – she’s 5. As often happens my daughter asked me about this book when she saw me reading it. I gave her a synopsis of my reading so far and she was captivated by the story.
Hence, I’m reading it a couple of chapters at a time and updating her daily as I go. This is quite a good way of being able to share a brilliant adventure story but being able to temper the story if needed. It’s so hard not to romp ahead though!
I’m heading off to read in the garden. What are you planning on reading this week? I’ll be back next week with more children’s book news.
Lisa x
Buying Books
Buying books and more importantly where to buy books is often a topic of contention. For me it’s about books being accessible to all. Growing up we didn’t have ‘online’ shopping. I would use any money that I was given on special occasions to shop in my local bookshop. Mainly, books that I had came from libraries both community and school.
Now I gather books from a range of sources. I still love libraries and before the pandemic used to frequent charity shops to find treasures. If I’m purchasing books new then I tend to purchase from a range of places including Indies and other High Street names – often when they have offers on. You can click on the links below to take you to that bookseller.
I rarely purchase books on Amazon, but when I was a student and cost was a very important factor for me then it was my go to. I also know that Amazon is a very important place for authors and illustrators when it comes to reviews of their books and I use Amazon to find out what others thought about a book and get an inside peep. You can leave reviews on Amazon even when you have purchased from elsewhere.