SO MUCH!

Text: Trish Cooke

Illustrations: Helen Oxenbury, Wikipedia

Year: 1994

Publisher: Walker Books, London

Age: 3 – 6 years

No. of Pages: 48

Book Type: Picture book

ISBN: 978 1 40630 665 1

This was our first experience of African-Caribbean life.

The book is centered around an adorable baby who's pampered and cuddled by a string of visiting relatives. One of them wants to squeeze him, another wants to kiss him. His doting grand-mammas want to eat him while a cousin wants to fight him. All because they love the baby SO MUCH!

The illustrations are striking in their attention to detail and each person is brought alive through the lyrical prose and paintings.

This book ought to be a collector’s item.:-)

Excerpt

Nannie and Gran-Gran came inside with their handbags cock up to one side and their brolly hook up on their sleeve.

“Yoooooo Hoooooo! Yoooooo Hoooooo!” they said. 

Harry and the Dinosaurs have a Happy Birthday

Text: Ian Whybrow, Wikipedia

Illustrations: Adrian Reynolds

Year: 2008

Publisher: Puffin Books, London

Age: 3 – 6 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture book

ISBN:  978 0 141 50051 5

Meet the delightful team of Harry and his adorable dinosaurs.

It’s birthday time.

When Nan bakes Mr. Oakley a cherry pie for is birthday, Harry decides to celebrate his dinosaurs’ birthday too as they turn a 100 million years old!

The vibrant colors and the lively text make for a memorable reading session. 

Excerpt

“Raaaah! We like eating cakes,” said Scelidosaurus.

“And we like ferns and gingko leaves!” said Tyrannosaurus. “Raaaah! They’re pre-historic!”

“I like being a decoration,” said Pterodactyl. 

Oscar's Half Birthday

Author and Illustrator: Bob Graham

For Ages: 5 and above

No. of Pages: 32

Publisher: Walker Books, London

Year: 2005

ISBN: 978-0-76362-699-0

Here’s a story of sweet, little Oscar who’s just turned 6 months old. Millie, his 4-year-old sister  and his parents are excited as they look forward to celebrating his ‘half-birthday’.

The sensitive narrative could easily be a slice of life from any of our lives. The author obviously has closely observed a baby with all the tenderness that can well up only in a parental heart. Or maybe I’m wrong. It is Bob Graham, after all, an award-winning children’s author.

Check out this passage:

In the lift, Millie (Oscar’s sister) the dinosaur presses all the buttons. Bright as a Christmas tree they shine, bright as candles on a cake, glinting in Oscar’s dark eyes …

And, this sentence:

Oscar frowns up against the light – six different expressions on his face in the time it takes a leaf to fall.

Or this one:

His (Oscar’s) shoulders are hunched, his head nods and the sun shines through his ears, lighting them up like little lanterns.

The book is a treasure, not just for its heart-warming text and gentle humor but also for its breathtakingly detailed illustrations. 

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. 

Baby Bear’s Birthday Hiccups

Author: Penny Little

Illustrator: Lara Jones

Year: 2008

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, London

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-230-53176-5

Little Baby Bear’s birthday party is almost over when he’s suddenly hit with a bad case of hiccups.

There follows a series of well-intended remedies. Mummy Bear rubs his tummy, Little Leopard tickles him, Little Hippo gets him to hold his breath and more.

Finally, it’s time for bed and that's when the perfect hiccup cure arrives.

Excerpt

“What you need is to calm down,: said Nanny Giraffe softly.

“And Nanny Giraffe’s kisses are the cure for hiccups.”

She bent down low and gave Baby Bear …

One

Two

Three big kisses!

“All gone?” soothed Nanny Giraffe.

“Hic!” went Baby Bear.