Quick Reviews: Five New Favourites

Friday, September 21, 2018 BookBairn 10 Comments

We get so many wonderful books to share with you all and I struggle to blog about all the ones I want to share in full detail so I thought I would share 'Five Fast Favourites' in a mini-review format.

Mind Your Manners by Nicola Edwards & Feronia Parker Thomas

This is a perfect early in the school year book. It's full of misbehaving animals who need to learn some manners. With quirky and memorable rhymes alongside adorable animal illustrations, children will enjoy this fun introduction to manners and the importance of being polite! The illustrations are packed full of humour which makes the lesson light-hearted and enjoyable for readers. One of the best things to establish in your class is how to treat one and other with respect, kindness and good manners and this book is just perfect for that!

Hello World: Animals by Nicola Edwards & L'Atelier Cartographik

"An Amazing Atlas of Wildlife", this book will have little readers discovering some of the most incredible creatures on Earth! This book is aimed at older readers but BookBairn enjoys lifting the flaps scattered across each page and have me read about the animals they feature, so it's great for younger readers too. Discover the animals of each continent through the beautifully crafted pages, bitesize facts and stunning illustrations. With over 180 animals to learn about this one will keep kids busy, and fascinated, for hours!

Tree by Britta Teckentrup

*now in board book* As the seasons begin to change and children can see the leaves on the trees change colour and then start to fall, it's wonderful to pair what they can see in their world around them with magical and beautiful storytelling. Following the life cycle of a tree through all the seasons has never been so beautiful in a book as brought to life by the incredibly talented (and a favourite of ours) Britta Teckentrup. The clever die-cuts on each page are wonderful to add depth to the illustrations, and now in a board book edition, it's perfect for little fingers to explore as you read the lyrical rhyming couplets. Part poem, part work of art, part non-fiction, this book is a beautiful journey for little ones learning about the changing seasons. And it might also make us grown ups stop and appreciate the wonder and beauty of nature around us.

Where Happiness Lives by Barry Timms & Greg Abbott

What does a happy home mean to you? This is the story of three little mice, all of whom have very different homes: one small and humble but busy with family and friends, one large and the final one palatial. When Grey Mouse discovers two other houses in his area that are far larger and grander than his own he begins to envy his neighbours. Until he visits the astronomy tower of the mansion and sees that the telescope is pointing down at his humble little home. The wealthy brown mouse (who owns the palace) tells him it's lovely up here on the mountain and she gets the most joy out of using her telescope to look down on his family home. For the happiest mouse is not necessarily the mouse who has more. In our consumer driven society, this book is a lovely antidote, a reminder, to appreciate what we have. To realise what truly makes us happy. I think this is something we will want to be talking to our kids about more and more. I've been thinking a lot about social media and how it can influence people (it's users, myself included, aren't called influencers for no reason), how a snapshot of someone else's life, or someone else's book collection shouldn't make us appreciate our own any less and I keep coming back to the old adage: comparison is the thief of joy (Theodore Roosevelt). And that's exactly what this book is trying to share:

"Whatever your home,

it is happy indeed...

If you love what you have

and you have what you need."

Mini Rabbit: Not Lost by John Bond

How far would you go for cake? Mini Rabbit really really wants his mother's berry cake, but when they run out of berries, he sets off before his mother has a chance to stop him. He passes people along the way, all of whom try to warn him not to stray too far from home in search of berries (especially as in each scene there are berries hidden) but Mini Rabbit is single-mindedly hunting for berries on his own. Until he finally finds one, of course, but then he realises that he really is lost. How can he find his way home again? But wait, he can smell something... cake! He follows the scent all the way home. But with a hilarious twist (in typical toddler fashion) at the end, this one will have you laughing out loud. BookBairn just giggles and giggles at the ending! I adore the colour palette in this and I love the deceptive simplicity with which Mini Rabbit is brought to life. A wonderful story, and now I want some cake!

Hope you like this 'quick review' format!

Kim

Disclaimer: We were sent all these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

10 comments:

Bellis Does Books23 September 2018 at 08:33
Tree is lovely isn't it, its definitely on our board book list. Not Lost & Hello World: Animals look good too.
Like the idea of the mini reviews. I've got a bit of a review backlog (thanks to our own new arrival) so might borrow (and credit!) the idea too!
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Rebecca24 September 2018 at 14:14
Oh wow, you get some really lovely looking books! I like this format, I often do a similar format grouping books around a theme, but actually this post shows they don't need to be thematically similar to be included in the same post. #ReadWithMe
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Brewtiful Fiction24 September 2018 at 14:51
Loving these quick reviews, nice to see a selection of books all together. I feel I need to make a trip to the library to find some of these #readwithme
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Catherine @ Story Snug24 September 2018 at 15:01
We absolutely love Where Happiness Lives and the illustrations are absolutely adorable. Tree is a great book to read, particularly at this time of the year when we're watching leaves fall, it's great to see it in board book format.

#ReadWithMe
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Along Came Poppy27 September 2018 at 10:31
Great quick reviews Kim. I am so tempted by the Tree Board Book :) #readwithme
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