Patrick Paints a Picture

Text: Saviour Pirotta, Wikipedia

Illustrations: Linzi West

Year: 2007

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, London

Age: 3 – 6 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Educational, Picture Book

ISBN:  978 1 84507 719 8

Little Patrick and his aunt are painting a golden yellow cornfield when a red squirrel brightens the landscape. The squirrel is soon accompanied by a bluebird, a butterfly, a green frog, a lamb and more.

This exciting book on colors engages the imagination of little children to make for a wholesome reading and learning experience.

A big thumbs up! :-)

Excerpt

Patrick and Aunt Emily were sitting in the shade of a tree.

“Let’s paint a picture of that cornfield,” said Aunt Emily.

Four Friends in the Garden

By Sue Heap

Year: 2005

Publisher: Walker Books, London

Age: 4 – 8 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN:  978 1 84428 554 5

Four friends - Florentina the bear, Rachel the rabbit, Seymour the sheep and Mary Clare are in the garden. They are ecstatic when a butterfly joins them.

This picture book celebrates the simple joys of life and childhood innocence with its unique story on friendship and camaraderie.

Excerpt

“Ooof!” says Florentina. “I am hot.”

She kicks off her slippers. A butterfly lands on her foot.

Caterpillar Butterfly

Text: Vivian French, Wikipedia

Illustrations: Charlotte Voake

Year: 1993

Publisher: Walker Books, London

Age: 4 - 8

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book, Educational

ISBN:  978 0 74456 282 1

Here’s an engaging way to teach children about metamorphosis – that magical, beautiful process of nature where an ordinary caterpillar turns into a radiant butterfly.

The text introduces the discovery through the eyes of a little girl and her grandfather who patiently watch over a batch of butterfly eggs as they hatch, crawl, pupate and finally, emerge as butterflies.

Excerpt

The next day there were lots and lots of little tiny caterpillars crawling on the nettle leaves. The eggs were papery and empty.

Busy Bugs: A book about Patterns (Puffin Young Readers – Level 1)

Text: Jayne Harvey

Illustrations: Bernard Adnet

Year: 2003

Publisher: Puffin Young Readers, New York

Age: 3 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN:  978 0 44845 816 8

The book cover calls it a ‘book about patterns’ and it is. The text showcases all the pretty patterns in nature – butterfly wings, the dots on a ladybird, spider webs, fireflies and more.

All of these facts are woven into a lyrical text that intertwines numbers and colors to spin a tale of fantasy and sheer natural beauty.

Excerpt

Here are eight bugs who like to sing.

They all line up from wing to wing.

One moth, one flea, one fly, one bee.




Other titles in this series

• Level - 1: A new friend
• Level - 1: At the beach 
• Level - 1: Ice Cream Soup
• Level - 1: Max has a Fish, Review here
• 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, Review here
• Level - 2: Madeline and her dog, Review here
• Level - 2: Princess Buttercup, Review here
• Level - 2: Red, White and Blue
• Level - 2: Shape Spotters, Review here 
• Level - 2: Snug Bug, Review here
• Level - 2: Spider's Lunch, Review here
• Level - 2: The Cow in the House, Review here
• Level - 2: The Garden that we grew  
• Level - 2: Who stole the cookies?, Review here

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

Very Special Friends: Down by the River

By Jane Chapman 

Year: 2012

Publisher: Little Tiger Press, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 1 84895 305 5

Here’s another magical book from Jane Chapman on friendship, happiness and the sheer joy of contentment.

Mouse awaits her Special Friends by the riverside. As she waits, Rabbit decides to wait with her. They are joined by Frog and eventually, Turtle. The four of them have a lovely day by the riverside and realize at the end that Mouse’s Special Friends never did come by.

But they did, didn't they? :-)

The book captures the passing of a beautiful day with elegant prose. And, the paintings make this book a collector’s item. Simply beautiful!

Excerpt

“Just the weather for waiting,” smiled Frog. “Can I join you?”

Sunshine speckled the trees.

Caterpillars munched lazily in the leaves.

A single cloud drifted in the blue, blue sky. 

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.

Tilly’s Holiday

Author: Nadine Walter

Illustrator: Marjolein Pottie, Wikipedia

Year: 2005

Publisher: Myriad Books Ltd., London

Age: 5 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978 1 84746 113 1

Tilly the fly is bored and decides to go on a holiday against the advice of her friends. She seems to have an answer for every obstacle on the way to the holiday.

After some misadventures, including landing in a cowpat and later into a dog’s soup bowl, Tilly finds friends and a place to be.

Excerpt

The ball of wool suddenly bounces up and spits at her.

“Hisss! Hisss!” It’s a cat!

A big ginger cat with twitching whiskers.

“Oh no!” Tilly says as she is knocked on to the sitting room carpet. 

Life Cycles – From Caterpillar to Butterfly

Author: Sally Hewitt

Year: 2004

Publisher: QED Publishing, UK

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 24

ISBN: 978 1 84538 083 5

This book belongs to the QED Start Talking Series designed to “stimulate the imagination and encourage children to interact with the books while developing their own vocabulary.”*

This book on butterflies has incredibly detailed photographs that explain the life cycle in full-color and vivid imagery.

Excerpt

The hungry caterpillar grows and grows.

It looks too hairy for these baby birds to eat!

*Quoted from the book’s cover

Princess Buttercup: A Flower Princess Story – Puffin Young Readers Level - 2

Author: Wendy Cheyette Lewison

Illustrator: Jerry Smath

Year: 2001

Publisher: Puffin Young Readers, New York

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-0-448-46123-6

Princess Buttercup is a classic fairy tale of frolicking innocence and fantasy from the Puffin Young Readers series.

It is the first day of spring and six Flower Princesses wake up to a beautiful morning. It is also the perfect day to host a party. Princess Buttercup is asked to pick flowers for the party. She follows a butterfly into the woods and soon she is lost. She then hits upon an ingenious idea to find her way back to the magic garden.

Excerpt

Soon the butterfly sees the buttercup,

Down, down it flies.

Now the butterfly is just over her head.

She grabs hold of it and …

Whee! Off they go!

Other titles in this series

• Level - 1: A new friend
• Level - 1: At the beach 
• Level - 1: Ice Cream Soup
• Level - 1: Max has a Fish
• 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: Shape Spotters
• Level - 2: Snug Bug
• Level - 2: The Garden that we grew  
• Level - 2: The very lonely firefly
• Level - 2: Who stole the cookies?

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

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.