Snuffle and the flower

Author:  A J Wood

Illustrator: Jonathan Lambert

Year: 2008

Publisher: Templar Publishing, UK

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 26

ISBN: 978-1-84011-142-2

The simply adorable Snuffle is back and in his search for a friend to play with, he comes across something “small and green.” As he watches over this strange thing, he finds a bee to play with and eventually, plenty of butterflies too.

I loved the subtle way in which the author manages to teach children a plant’s life-cycle and the need for sunshine and rain without looking or sounding like a textbook. 

I would, truly, love to see Snuffle in an animated television series. Hint! Hint! :-)

Excerpt

Snuffle is wondering what the seedling might grow into when a bee buzzes by.

The bee does not like the seedling.

Loop the loop!

It flies in circles – is it looking for something. 

Tiger Tom

Author:  Mary Green

Illustrator: Stephen Gulbis

Year: 2004

Publisher: Orchard Books, London

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-1-84362-562-8

I’m a little partial to books that are lyrical especially if they have pages that look like they jumped out of an art gallery.

Tiger Tom is a perfect example as are some others like Said Mouse to Mole, Gruff the Grump and One Winter’s Night.    

A little girl looks out her window and sees a tiger basking in the moonlight. She silently watches him as he dances and sings, arches and leaps across her garden.

The next morning, she sees the tiger for who he truly is. And that’s where I stop. :-)

Excerpt

His mouth was as big as a treasure chest,

His pearly teeth stuck out.

His amber eyes shone like fireflies,

As his tail swished about.

He clambered along the jungle wall,

The light on his slinky back…

Gathering Sparks

Author: Howard Schwartz 

Illustrator: Kristina Swarner

Year: 2010

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, New York

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-1-59643-280-2

This tender story of a grandfather imparting wisdom of the ages to his grandson makes for moving reading. It also doubles up as a dreamy bedtime tale with illustrations that speak volumes.

The grandfather introduces his little one to the Jewish tradition of “tikkun olam, a centuries-old concept which proposes that everyone must do their part in order to improve the world.”  

This is one for the library.

Excerpt

“When you help your baby sister, a spark can be seen in her eyes.

And when you are kind to animals, a spark of kindness enters the world.”

“For every good deed you do, one of those hidden sparks rises up and a little bit of the world is repaired, And one day, when enough of those sparks have been gathered, the broken vessels will be restored, and there will be peace in the world.”

Little Fairy Can’t Sleep

By Daniela Drescher

Year: 2007

Publisher: Floris Books, UK

Age: 6 and above

No. of Pages: 20

ISBN: 978-0-86315-825-4

This bedtime storybook is enchanting. The story, the words, the paintings – all of them weave that perfect magical moment where one feels tender happiness and warm camaraderie.

Faith, the little fairy can’t get to sleep because there’s magic in the air. She wanders through the night in search of the magic which happens to be a midsummer night’s party.

Excerpt

The crickets were chirping loudly, the fireflies were flickering brightly, and the full moon smiled down on Faith’s bed of flowers.

It was impossible to sleep. There was rustling, crackling and crunching all around … and magic was in the air.

What was going on? The little fairy got up and flew off into the night. 

Susie and Sam - Meet New Neighbours

Author: Judy Hamilton

Illustrator: Mimi Everett

Year: 2006

Publisher: Geddes and Grosset, Scotland

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 30

ISBN: 978 1 85534 860 8

Susie and Sam series of books are easy to read with titles relevant to little children. They often focus on new events and experiences that little children encounter like in this book where new neighbors have just begun moving in to the house next door.

Susie and Sam are eager to learn more about their neighbors, especially, if there are children in the family. They watch the movers bring in packages and furniture. They also notice that the movers have brought in three little beds too!

Excerpt

The next Friday, early in the morning, a great big van drew up outside the house next door. All morning, four men trudged back and forth from the van to the house, carrying furniture and boxes.

Susie and Sam watched them out of the window. 

Flying Feet – A mud flat story

By James Stevenson

Year: 2004

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Age: 6 and above

No. of Pages: 48

ISBN: 978-0-06051-976-2

It’s a tough world out there but you don’t give up, ever. That has to be the most poignant message to come from this story. 

The residents of Mud Flats are bowled over when the dazzling team of Ted and Tonya arrive to put on a dance show. There are auditions and rehearsals with money pouring into the dancing team’s pockets.

Sadly, the animals of Mud Flat discover that Ted and Tonya were just out for their money when they sneak off into the night before the show.

The story, happily, doesn’t end there. And that, makes this a story of hope, kindness and neighborliness.

Excerpt

There was a big crowd in front of the post office.

Stan climbed on top of Neddy to get a better view.

“Oh wow!” said Stan.

Two dancers in fancy clothes were tap-dancing on the back of a van. Their feet moved so fast that Stan could hardly see them.

The crowd clapped. 

Little Friend

Author: Katie Cook

Illustrator: Colleen McKeown

Year: 2010

Publisher: Little Tiger Press, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 1 84506 849 3

Quite often, children make the best friends for animals in need. Little Friend captures this fact through the sensitive story of a little girl and her duckling.

One chilly evening, Laura chances upon the hurt, little duckling. She befriends him and takes him home.

Laura gently nurses him to good health and soon, they are the best of friends. However, the call of the wild ducks tugs at the little duckling, who’s not so little anymore.

Laura knows she must prepare herself and her friend for a goodbye.

The book is beautifully illustrated with landscape images of windy grasslands and breezy glades. This is a wonderful book to encourage your child to explore the wonders of the living world.

Excerpt

All evening she hugged him tight, as the wild ducks called.

“You want to be with them, don’t you, Little Friend?” Laura whispered.

“I think I’ll have to teach you how to fly…

Milly, Molly and Betelgeuse

Author: Gill Pittar

Illustrator: Cris Morrell

Year: 2003

Publisher: Milly Molly Books, New Zealand

Age: 5 - 8 years

No. of Pages: 30

Book Type: Early Readers

ISBN: 978-1-87733-679-3

The title of this book sounded quite intriguing and I had to read it right away.The fact that the cover features Milly and Molly admiring a guinea pig only added to the mystery.

Betelgeuse is, in fact, the ninth brightest star (according to Wikipedia) visible to human eyes.

Milly and Molly are friendly with an extended family of guinea pigs that live in the corner of a garden. The young ones have adorable names like Sweet Pea, Chestnut, Snowdrop, Bluebell and yes, Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse does not feel special because Ma Guinea knows the story behind everyone else’s name except his. Until, Milly and Molly inadvertently discover the meaning and finally, Betegeuse feels special.

I truly loved the way how, each night, Ma Guinea made every young one in her family feel special. I read this book and realized that, as parents, we are entrusted with the responsibility to make our children feel special, every day of their lives.

Excerpt

That night, after Ma Guinea had bedded the little guinea pigs, she began…

“Betelgeuse. Among the millions upon millions of stars in the sky, there is only one little star that can wave and twinkle and twinkle and wave and catch your attention every time. Its name is Betelgeuse.”

“Betelgeuse,” she said. “You are special.”

Bedtime, Billy Bear!

Author: Miriam Moss

Illustrator: Anna Currey

Year: 2007

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN:  978 0 23001 464 0

This charming bedtime tale encompasses most concerns of a child – going to bed without mama, having a sitter, fear of the dark, imagining noises. And, it's all packed elegantly into a heart-warming story centered around a family of bears.

Billy Bear’s mom is going out for her pottery class and he can’t quite get himself to sleep.

It’s adorable and so typical of a little one when they transfer their fears on to their favorite toy, in this story, Rabbit. 

Lucy, his sitter, kindly explains that his mom will be back, like always.

The illustrations and the story do reach out to you.

Excerpt

Mum read Billy a story and then kissed him goodnight.

“You’ve forgotten to sing our song,” said Billy.

“I’ve got to go to pottery now,” said Mum. “But here’s Lucy. She’s going to sing with you tonight.”

Mum tucked Billy in.

“Goodnight, Billy. Sleep tight!” she said.