Santa’s Littlest Helper Travels the World

Author: Anu Stohner

Illustrator: Henricke Wilson

Year: 2006

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing, London

Age: 6 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 0 74759 358 4

Santa and his Helpers are hard at work “in a little village far far to the north.”  Like very year, Santa’s Littlest Helper is the first to finish his work and has time to even make a snowman.

However, Christmas Pox plays spoilsport and it just looks like children around the world may not get presents this year. That’s when, the Littlest Helper comes up with a plan. A good one too! :-)

This is a Christmas picture book.

Excerpt

But one of Santa’s Helpers had started preparing long before the others. He had finished packing his sleigh and even had enough time to build a lovely snowman. He was, of course, Santa’s Littlest Helper!

The other Helpers moaned because they still had so much to do. 

The tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

By Beatrix Potter

Year: 1910

Publisher: Frederick Warne (Penguin Group)

Age: 7 and above

No. of Pages: 58

Website: Peterrabbit.com

ISBN: 978-0-72324-780-7

I read this book for my kids and I was reminded of those magical, good old days of reading Enid Blyton and watching Wind in the Willows on the television.

Meet Mrs. Tittlemouse, a very tidy wood mouse who takes pride in her well-kept home. Her tidy home, however, invites a lot of unwelcome attention from untidy and uninvited visitors: beetles, ladybirds, spiders. She gets rid of all of them quite unceremoniously. Until, she meets her match in Mr. Jackson, a toad who enjoys visiting Mrs. Tittlemouse, uninvited, of course. She tries her best to get rid of him without much success. That is, until she hits upon a brilliant solution.

Excerpt

The he squeezed into the larder. Miss Butterfly was tasting the sugar; but she flew away out of the window.

“Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse; you seem to have plenty of visitors!”

“And without any invitation!” said Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse.

They went along the sandy passage – “Tiddly widdly – “Buss! Wizz! Wizz!”

Five-Minute Jungle Tales

Author: Jan Payne

Illustrator: Peter Rutherford

Year: 2002

Publisher: Parragon Books, UK

Age: 5 and above

No. of Pages: 46

ISBN: 978 0 75257 002 1

This fantastic mini-collection of jungle tales has to be among the best animal tales I've read so far. The animals’ roles and habitat are mostly intact and yet each tale is packed with humor, wit and pragmatism that make it relevant to children.

The tales feature a monkey who wants to grow tall, rather quickly, a hippopotamus whose best friend is a hermit crab, a crocodile who can’t stop smiling, a lonely lion, an annoying tiger who copies others and a forgetful elephant.

Now, that ought to pique your curiosity. This is a must-have. :-)

Excerpt

So they built another house, this time of bamboo.

“This won’t blow away ,” said Custard.

But an elephant appeared. And, oh dear! Bamboo is an elephant’s favourite food.

“Yummy!” said the elephant. “Thanks for bringing me my breakfast!” And he stuffed Custard’s house into his mouth!

When Mama Can’t Sleep

Author: Christa Kempter

Illustrator: Natascha Rosenberg

Year: 2011

Publisher: North-South Books Inc., New York

Age: 5 and above

No. of Pages: 20

ISBN: 978-0-73584-015-7

This is a little bedtime book about a household that is woken up one by one because 'mama can't sleep'. Finally, they crawl into bed, all together, dog and teddy included and sleep blissfully.

I did find the mention of a ghost quite odd. Shown as a smiley-face, nevertheless, it seemed more than a little out-of-place, even though I grew up reading Casper comics.

Excerpt

Then Sam can’t sleep because the beds are creaking and feet are padding around, so he gets up.

Now everyone is up.

What are they going to do? 

Baa! Moo! What will we do?

Author: A H Benjamin

Illustrator: Jane Chapman

Year: 1996

Publisher: Little Tiger Press, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN: 978 1 85430 894 7

The animals on the Buttercup Farm are in a tizzy! They’re about to have a new addition from Australia and are worried if they might be replaced.

The Rooster wonders if she can crow and the cow is concerned if she can give milk. The sheepdog, horse and the rest are worried too. 

And then, she appears ‘leaping and bounding.’ :-) Yes, you must have guessed the mystery animal by now. 

Excerpt

“What if she can catch mice?” said Cat.

“What if she catches all the mice in the barn and a few rats too? Maybe even the spiders would be scared to live there. Then the farmer would get rid of me, and I would become a stray, foraging for food in dustbins.

Miaow!

I’d miss my milk and sardines!

The Night Before the Tooth Fairy

Author: Natasha Wing

Illustrator:  Barbara Johansen Newman

Year: 2003

Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap, USA

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-44843-252-6

This is a cool verse book about a little boy whose tooth is ready to come out. He’s eager to meet the tooth fairy and can’t wait for his tooth to break loose. When it finally does fall out, his anticipation is rewarded as he gets to see the fairy.   

Excerpt

I wiggled it and waggled it for such a long while.

While my baby brother flashed me his funny toothless smile.

Mom handed me an apple.

She said, “Here, take a bite.”

“No! ‘Cause if I swallow it,

Guess who won’t come tonight.”

What!

Author: Kate Lum

Illustrator: Adrian Johnson

Year: 1998

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, London

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 0 74759 775 9

This is a bedtime story, I think, but it made the kids laugh a lot!

Meet Patrick who’s visiting his Granny, a hilariously intrepid and industrious woman who does nothing in small measures. In the course of a night, she makes a bed from a tree in her yard, a feathered pillow from her chicken’s feathers, a blanket from her sheep’s wool and more!

By the time, she’s done, though …

Yes, this book does stretch your imagination quite a bit but then, it is a child’s world. Anything goes. :-) I guess it also reminds us of that overwhelming love that only a grand-parent can feel for a child much like Granny in this book.

Adrian Johnson’s illustrations contribute to the humor, immensely.

Excerpt

‘WHAT!!!?’ cried Granny.

She ran to the yard, where some fine trees were growing, and chopped one of them down. She got her hammer and her nails and made Patrick a bed.

Then she painted it a lovely shade of blue, brought it into the house and put a bright, red mattress on it. 

Countdown!

By Kay Woodward and Ofra Amit

Year: 2005

Publisher: Evans Brothers, London

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-237-52927-7

This has to be one of the cleverest bedtime books I've come across. Though it might be easy to be fooled by the dreary colors on the cover page.

It uses a countdown to relate to the activities towards bedtime and ends in zero which is followed by Zzzzzzzz!

If you haven’t got it, you've got to read the book. My kids, though, were not impressed.  

Excerpt

Nine…  a shiny spacesuit.

Eight … moon shoes.

Seven …  a rocket book.

Six … space juice.

Five …  a clever co-pilot.

Horse up a Tree

Author: Martin Waddell

Illustrator: Jonathan Allen

Year: 2006

Publisher: Big Cat Collins, London

Age: 2 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 0 00723 596 4

Now this was a great “sounds” book for our toddler from the Collins Big Cat Phonics Series (Yellow Band 3). The children got to say “Quack-quack! Cluck-cluck! Baa-baa!” with every turn of a page and they wanted to read it over and over again.

A horse has got stuck up a tree. The farmer and his animals try to help the stranded horse down. They use a ladder, then a rope and so on. When all attempts fail, gravity comes to the rescue.

Excerpt

Farmer got some hay.

“Jump on the hay!” Farmer said to Horse.

They all jumped on the hay to show Horse what to do.

Quack-quack! Cluck-cluck! Baa-baa!

Horse looked at the ground far below.

Horse shook his mane and said nay!

Other books in this series include:

• Cat and dog in a mess
• Frog or toad?
• Hansel and Gretel
• How to grow a beanstalk
• Muck it up!
• Puff the pup
• Sam and the nut