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.

Angelina at the Palace

Text: Katherine Holabird

Illustrations: Helen Craig

Year: 2005

Publisher: Puffin Books, London

Age: 6 – 10 years

No. of Pages: 28

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN:  978 0 14138 126 4

Website: Angelina Ballerina

Miss Lilly has been assigned to teach a special dance for the three princesses of Mouseland. Angelina is thrilled when Miss Lilly asks for her help.

Things, however, don’t go as planned when a flu knocks out the tutor and Angelina has to step up to teach instead. And she does.

The princesses dance elegantly and put on a beautiful show.

The Angelina Ballerina series are a wonderful means to teach children significant life values like self-confidence, self-esteem, empathy, creative expression. Our girls love Angelina. :-)

Excerpt

Angelina could hardly believe her furry ears when Miss Lilly invited her on a special visit to the Royal Palace of Mouseland.

Class Pets - Missy’s Super Duper Royal Deluxe

By Susan Nees

Year: 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., New York

Age: 5 – 8 years

No. of Pages: 72

Book Type: Illustrated chapter book for new readers

ISBN: 978 0 54543 852 0

Missy is excited because she’s going to bring home Eenie-Meenie, Miney and Moe, her class pets. The only problem is that bossy Tiffany also wants them.

Missy plans and plots (hilarious!) but fails to deter Tiffany.

She does bring them home, though. :-)

Excerpt

Now everything was ready. Well, not quite everything. There was just one teeny-tiny thing left to do.

Missy had to ask her mother …

Miss Smith Reads Again!

By Michael Garland

Year: 2006

Publisher: Puffin Books, USA

Age: 4 – 8 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN:  978 0 14241 140 7

Here’s a fantasy adventure tale in the land of the dinosaurs.

Miss Smith has a magical Incredible Storybook where the story comes alive every time she reads a book.

This time they read Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and Miss Smith is captured by a pterodactyl .

Excerpt

As Challenger and Summerlee continued their heated debate, a huge Tyrannosaurus rex stole up behind them.

Zack’s eyes stared at the jagged fangs of the T. rex, but before Miss Smith could stop him, Zack screamed, “Look out behind you!!”

Ben’s Book

Text: Nanette Newman

Illustrations: Georgie Birkett

Year: 2005

Publisher: Pavilion Children’s Books, London

Age: 2 - 4 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture Book

ISBN:  978 1 84365 193 2

Ben’s just received a strange gift from his granny. He looks at it for a long time.

He stands on it to reach above him but things topple all over him. He, then, sits on it to watch TV but he prefers the sofa. He tries some more uses for it but they don’t quite work out at all.

His sister Lulu comes to his aid and explains that the gift, a book, is to be read and reads to him. Ben’s thrilled with the story and later tries to follow the story with the pictures. 

Excerpt

“What have you got there?” asked his sister Lulu.

“A book,” said Ben, “but … I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Books are meant to be read,” said Lulu.

Sherman is a Slowpoke

Text: Mitchell Sharmat

Illustrations: David Neuhaus

Year: 1988

Publisher: Scholastic Inc., New York

Age: 6 - 8 years

No. of Pages: 32

Book Type: Picture book

ISBN:  978 0 59040 938 7

This is the first time, I've seen a sloth (that too the pre-historic kind!) as the central figure in a children’s book. Naturally, the slow pace of the animal is used to create some hilarious situations.

Meet Sherman the sloth who has spent all his life eating and sleeping around the family tree. When he meets Alice, another sloth who goes to Mr. Mammoth’s school, Sherman wants to join too. He wants to learn to think, too. :-)

Except that it takes more than a day to get there and his parents aren't too keen on his new idea, either.

Sherman makes it to school and despite jibes from his class-mates, he has a thought too. It’s what he wanted to learn!

Excerpt

“Sloths are always happy,” said his father, “as long as the leaves are green and the water is clean.”

“I want more,” said Sherman.

“I want to do things. I want to think. I want to go to school!”

Milly, Molly and the Elephant

Author: Gill Pittar

Illustrator: Cris Morrell

Year: 2003

Publisher: Milly Molly Books, New Zealand

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 28

ISBN: 978 1 87733 658 0

This is a clever nature mini-book disguised as a Milly and Molly book. :-)

Gill Pittar, the author, uses the story of Milly and Molly’s visit to the zoo to teach little ones a wee bit about the wonderful world of animals and how they react to a specific problem, in this case, an annoying fly.

Milly and Molly are at the zoo to ask the elephant a question. On their way to him, they find themselves offering helpful suggestions to the other animals. Finally, they meet the elephant who answers their query. 

And yes, with a big loud sneeze, he blows the flies right out of the zoo! 

Excerpt

“Hi there, Joey.”

“You must know where to find the elephant.”

The baby kangaroo was too distracted by the fly on his nose to reply.

“Try hiding in your pouch,” suggested Molly.

And that’s just what the Joey did. 

Baby Brains Superstar

Author and Illustrator: Simon James

Year: 2005

Publisher: Walker Books, London

Age: 4 and above

No. of Pages: 30

ISBN: 978-1-4063-0202-8

Baby Brains is a genius, who can sing and play like a maestro. He finishes music school in just two weeks and finds fame through a local talent contest.

He gets to be the opening act at the biggest open air music concert of all time. He writes a special, new song, gets a special rock-and-roll costume and his hair styled.

At the concert, is the twist in the tale!

Excerpt

At nine o’clock Baby Brains was flown by helicopter to the stadium and then lowered down on to the stage.

Two hundred thousand fans cheered for Baby Brains.

Everyone watched as he plugged in his guitar.

Baby Brains looked up at the thousands of people sitting in the stadium.