Hoppy Ever After!

Text: Alan Durant

Illustrations: Sue Mason

Year: 2007

Publisher: Zero to Ten Ltd., London

Age: 2 to 6 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Books, Paperback

ISBN:  978 1 84089 579 7

This happy tale of a happy frog was first published as Froggy went a Hopping.

Meet Froggy, a deliriously happy frog who wants to share his happiness with someone. He gets shooed away by the busy bees, funny bunnies and the beautiful birds. He comes back home and finds a surprise companion to be “Hoppy ever after” with.

The little ones loved this book because of all the “tweet, tweet” and “croak, ribbit” that they got to do while reading this book.

Excerpt

The sky darkened and the stars came out.

Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle.

Froggy’s fingers itched and his webby toes twitched.

He wanted to twinkle too. 

Disney – Winnie the Pooh – Pooh’s Honey Tree

Adapted by Isabel Gaines

Illustrator: Nancy Stevenson

Year: 1998

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books,  New York

Website: Step into Reading

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN:  978-0-73641-352-9

Website: Winnie the pooh

This book belongs to the Step into reading series – Step 2 which introduces basic vocabulary, short sentences and simple stories. 

Here’s another charming story from Disney's Winnie the Pooh based on A. A. Milne's beloved bear.

Winnie the Pooh bear is hungry and sets out on an adventure to fill his tummy with honey. He follows a bee into the Hundred-Acre Wood and finds that the honeycomb is too high. He gets Christopher Robin to help him on his quest.

Excerpt

Soon he came to a tall tree.

Pooh climbed up the tree.

CRACK!

A branch broke.

Down Pooh fell.

THUMP!

Pooh rubbed his head.

Maybe Christopher Robin could help Pooh get some honey.

Pooh set off to find his friend. 

Miss Spider’s New Car

By David Kirk

Year: 1997

Publisher: Calloway and Kirk Company and Scholastic Press, New York

Age: 7 and above

No. of Pages: 36

ISBN: 978 0 59030 713 4

Mrs. and Mr. Spider are shopping for a car. With lyrical flamboyance and unbridled creativity, the book spins a web of fantasy and fun with a dash of adventure.

Their adventures are portrayed in the brightest hues of red, green, blue and more on glossiest paper. All of this is packaged in a hardback edition that’s bound to be a winner with many children even those who despise spiders and other creepy-crawlies.

In most books that have lyrical prose, big words tend to creep in. And they certainly have, here too.

Excerpt

“The wheel is out of date,” whooped Hop.

“Just like a dinosaur.

Our flexo-flea spring loaded legs

Are what you’re looking for.

Just pull the round brown throttle down

And hear the engine roar. 

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.