Darkness Slipped In

By Ella Burfoot 

Year: 2008

Publisher: Kingfisher Books, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 30

ISBN: 978 0 75341 845 1

This book ought to cure most kids of their fear of darkness. :-)

Meet Daisy, a brave little girl who sees Darkness slip in through her bedroom window at the end of the day. She is not scared and grabs him by the arm to dance the funky twist.  Soon, they’re good friends and they ‘dance and laugh and play’ every night.

Besides, the creative representation of darkness, the book depicts darkness quite creatively too. He comes with a glossy touch! :-)

Excerpt

And pretty soon, around the room, they danced the FUNKY TWIST!

And after all that dancing round they had a little break.

They sipped a cup of lemonade and nibbled on some cake. 

Freckleface Strawberry

Author: Julianne Moore

Illustrator: LeUyen Pham

Year: 2007

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 38

ISBN: 978-0-74759-362-1

This humorous story about freckles offers an important lesson in self-acceptance that every child ought to learn.

Freckleface Strawberry is just like any other little girl who tries hard to get rid of her freckles and finally, resorts to wearing a ski mask. It works. Well, almost. Until, accidentally, she discovers that “feeling different” and “being different” are not always the same thing.

Oh, and, by the way, the story is penned by Julianne Moore. Yes. Yes.

The illustrations paired with speech bubbles make the story engaging for little ones.

Excerpt

Freckleface Strawberry felt really bad. She needed to get rid of her freckles fast.

She tried scrubbing them off.

She tried lemon juice.

She even tried marker pens, but her mum got mad.

Nothing worked.

Harvey the Baker

By Lars Klinting

Year: 1996

Publisher: Kingfisher Publications, London   

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 40

ISBN: 978 0 75341 176 6

Kids tend to, naturally, chip in with baking at home. However, just in case, they haven’t yet, this book will provide the impetus. It makes baking look easy. Well, why not? Harvey uses an electric mixer!

It’s Harvey’s birthday and he has a visitor. He, then, realizes that there’s nothing to offer his friend. So, the two of them bake a birthday cake and finish just in time for a quiet dinner party with other friends.  The author wraps up the book with Harvey's cake recipe.

Excerpt

The oven has a glass window, so Harvey and Chip can watch their cake rise as it bakes. It’s almost as much fun as watching TV! Harvey sets the timer, so they will know when the cake is ready. 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears - First Readers

Retold by Sue Graves

Illustrator: Priscilla Lamont

For Ages: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 30

Publisher: Parragon Books, UK

Year: 2006

ISBN: 978 1 44541 211 5

My kids enjoy these First Readers Series and like I've said earlier- get the whole series! :-) This book presents the timeless fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with expressive illustrations in watercolors. The three bears are adorable and seem to have jumped right out of a child’s toy cupboard. :-)

Excerpt

“Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” said Daddy Bear.

“Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” said Mummy Bear.

“Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” said Baby Bear. “She’s still there!”

The Strong Little Tree

Text: Helen Peacock

Illustrator: Neil Reed

Year: 2001

Publisher: Little Tiger Press, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 1 85430 739 8

This is a beautiful tale of the circle of life captured in poignant text and vibrant colors. The book depicts the life of a strong little oak tree from an acorn seed into a tree that withstands harsh autumn winds.

I loved the book for its portrayal of difficulties as an opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient. 

When sheep nibble on its growing tip, ‘two new shoots grew out from the damaged tip.’ I found that extraordinarily impressive. There are several gems like this tucked away in the, dare I say it, leaves of the book.  :-)

Excerpt

All around the little shoot the grass grew long and tall. Sheep grazed in the field and nibbled at the grass, then moved on.

Cows pulled at the grass with their thick tongues and their heavy feet trampled the ground, then they, too, moved on. 

Spider’s Lunch – All About Garden Spiders – Puffin Young Readers – Level 2

Author: Joanna Cole

Illustrator: Ron Broda

Year: 1995

Publisher: Puffin Young Readers, USA

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-44845-797-0

Here’s a delightful nature book for early readers.

Garden spiders are familiar representatives of the animal world but their life-cycle is quite intriguing. This nature book offers interesting insights with friendly illustrations and easy words to appeal to little ones. 

Excerpt

The spider is not that hungry now.

She does not want to eat the wasp.

She walks out on the web.

She cuts the web around the wasp.

It flies away.

Wild West Willy

By Daniel Postgate 

Year: 1999

Publisher: Picture Lions, Great Britain

Age: 5 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 0 00664 671 9

Book Type: Picture Book

It’s a hilarious Wild West tale all right! :-)

The simple townsfolk of a brand new town, with errr… no name yet, has been overtaken by Big Bad Bob Bear and his cronies. From then on, it’s a classic tale of David vs. Goliath with a happy, contented ending.

If your children are into cowboys and the Wild West, or not, this book makes for good reading. 

Excerpt

Next morning, Mexican Chicken rode into town.

“Okay, Big Bad Bob, it’s time to go,” ordered the Chicken.

“Mexican Chicken!” barked Big Bad Bob’s fox. “My favorite!”

And he chased that Chicken right out of town. 

Shape Spotters – Puffin Young Readers – Level 2

Author: Megan E Bryant

Illustrator: Sami Sweeten

Year: 2002

Publisher: Puffin Young Readers, USA

Age: 2 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-44846-125-0

This book from the Puffin Young Readers series is a creative puzzle book rolled into a wisp of a story and packaged just right for 2 to 4-year-olds. Our toddler loved spotting shapes and (by default!) colors on every page. 

Excerpt

The shape has no beginning.

The shape has no end.

It goes around and around.

It curves and it bends. 

Other titles in this series

• Level - 1: A new friend
• Level - 1: At the beach 
• Level - 1: Ice Cream Soup
• Level - 1: Nicky Upstairs and Down 
• Level - 1: Play with Blue
• Level - 1: Tiny goes camping 
• Level - 1: Tiny the Birthday Dog 
• Level - 1: Tiny the Snow Dog 

• Level - 2: Cowboy Roy
• Level - 2: Red, White and Blue
• Level - 2: The very lonely firefly
• Level - 2: The Garden that we grew  

• Level - 3: Agapanthus Hum and the Eyeglasses
• Level - 3: Amanda Pig on her own
• Level - 3: Why do birds sing?

Ballet Kitty

Text: Bernette Ford

Illustrator: Sam Williams

Year: 2007

Publisher: Boxer Books, Great Britain 

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages:  32

ISBN: 978 1 90541 771 1

This book ought to satisfy any little girl with its ballet and ballerina themed tale. :-)

Meet Kitty, a happy little, well, kitten, whose best friend Pussycat is coming to play. She puts on her ballet outfit except for her ballet slippers. They’re nowhere to be found! Kitty begins to feel a little grumpy. A tear drop rolls down her face too. She does pull on her trainers, though and has a fantastic day with her friend.

At the end of the day, when she’s beaming with happiness, she finds her ballet slippers, just where she’d put them away, the night before. Ooops!

I read this book more than a couple of times for my kids so they’d get the message. Hint! Hint! :-)

Excerpt

Then Ballet Kitty kicked off her trainers. She showed Princess Pussycat her best pirouettes, her perfect plies and her cutest curtsies.

Princess Pussycat tried a pirouette too. It wasn’t as pretty as Ballet Kitty’s. But that didn’t matter.