BookBairn

We are inundated with wonderful space stories at the moment as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landings! Space offers us the opportunity to wonder so it's a fantastic premise for many great stories of adventure, exploration, science, creativity and ingenuity. And that's what we have gathered here for you in this post - six spectacular space adventures!

Suzy Orbit, Astronaut by Ruth Quayle & Jez Tuya

Suzy Orbit is a mighty girl astronaut, inventor and engineer! You know we love a Mighty Girl book and Suzy is a wonderful example of quietly but steadily saving the day. Suzy lives with her boss, Captain Gizmo in a space station on a dusty corner of the moon. Captain Gizmo is constantly receiving SOS messages from Earth about impending aliens and as the situation changes he keeps ordering new equipment to sort things out. But Suzy, quietly says she can build it, make it, create it. And with every order Captain Gizmo makes something isn't quite right. When the Aliens reach the Moon Space Station, it turns out they aren't invading but actually trying to warn Earth about a meteoroid storm. But do they have a top-of-the-range meteoroid blaster and can they get one in time? Suzy to the rescue! She's built the perfect ship with everything they could need! A wonderful story about aliens, Space and mighty girls but also about over-consumption, about creativity and ingenuity! This is such a fun-filled book too! The illustrations are bright and cheerful and I love the alien characters. But best of all through the changing illustrations you can see Suzy's ship taking shape. Lots of fun and perfect for Space fans!

Molly's Moon Mission by Duncan Beedie

Molly the moth (have you ever heard of a book with a moth as the main character - just one of the many reasons to love it!) has always been told that someone as small as her can never make it to the moon. Yearning for adventure, she helps her mother look after her siblings (larvae) during the day and trains hard for her space mission by night. And soon she is ready to blast off. But perhaps the moon is further than even Molly believed. First she gets as far as a lightbulb, but that's not the moon. Then she makes it as high as a street lamp, but that's not the moon. Then she gets confused but a lighthouse, that's not the moon either. Along the way she is belittled and made to feel too small for such a feat. Will she ever make it? And show everyone that size doesn't matter when you have a big dream? I think you can probably guess! With adorable illustrations and the underlying message of reaching for your dreams, this is a wonderfully heart-warming and gently encouraging story.

The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield & The Fan Brothers

Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut, Chris Hadfield, this new picture book is a beautiful depiction of a little boy fascinated by Space and longing to become an astronaut. As many children do! Young Chris in the story is a 'very important and very busy astronaut' so when his Dad says it's time for bed he says "sorry no can do!". An astronaut's work is never done. But when he does finally turn out the lights, Chris finds himself afraid of the scary aliens that lurk in the dark. And he sneaks into his parents bed. But he can't keep sleeping there - he needs to conquer his fear. When he watches in awe the Apollo 11 Moon Landing he realises that if he is to achieve his dream of visiting Space he must come to terms with the darkest dark. A wonderful depiction of childhood fears and dreams, with some truly spectacular illustrations, this picture book is a lovely one to read with young readers to commemorate the Moon Landings.

Field Trip to the Moon by John Hare & Jeanne Willis

A true Space adventure story, this fun and witty picture book is the story of a field trip to the Moon. A whole class of children on a yellow school bus inspired spaceship to the Moon (what kind of crazy teacher got that trip through risk assessment?!). For one student, her curiosity gets her separated from the rest of the class and she takes the opportunity to get her crayons out and look back to Earth and create a beautiful picture. But she falls asleep and finds that her whole class have returned to Earth. She's all alone on the Moon! Or is she? Find out what happens whne you reach out to those that are different from us and greet them with an open pack of crayons! And also does she get back to Earth or is she stranded on the Moon forever? A Very fun story with fabulous illustrations and a clever perspective and use of colour! (But seriously, what kind of teacher doesn't do approx 45,813,901 headcounts on a trip to the Moon?!)

Look Up by Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola

Rocket is a science-mad stargazing, astro-aspiring little chatterbox and she's determined to be the greatest astronaut space-traveller that ever lived. And she is always looking up. Unlike her brother, Jamal, who is always looking down into his phone. 'Did you know? Did you know? Did you know?', she's always trying to engage her older brother in her space chatter. So when her mum makes Jamal take Rocket to the park to spot the Phoenix Meteor Shower, she hopes he will look up at the stars with her. Such a fantastic celebration of curiosity and reminding us to look up, you can't help but be infected with Rocket's energy and passion! We certainly love her!

Goodnight Spaceman by Michelle Robinson & Nick East

This is one of the cutest bedtime story books (and makes me feel like we need to read the others in this 'Goodnight' series):

"It's time for bed, come on inside.

We'll keep the curtains opened wide

and watch the starlight sparkling bright.

Let's make a wish and say goodnight."

Two little boys say goodnight to a whole series of space things until their dreams blur reality and they climb aboard a rocket and head for the Space Station where their dad is working. And together they explore Space. It's so sweet and the illustrations are adorable! This is a perfect first Space story and wonderful for very little one's bedtimes.

I hope that has you wanting to blast off into a space adventure! And if it's got your little one excite about Space why not check out our blog post of the most fascinating Non-Fiction Space books that we've read?!

I've also added a new 'Books about Space' section to my Amazon shop!

Happy exploring!

Kim and the bairns x

Disclaimer: We were sent all these books free for review purposes by the publishers (except Goodnight Spaceman which we borrowed from the library). 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.

Get ready to Blast Off because we are going crazy for Space books at the moment and so are publishers! This year (on 20th July!) marks fifty years since the Moon Landings so there have been lots and lots of great releases of books about our galaxy and the Moon. Because there are so many I've divided them up over three separate posts: this first one of non-fiction books about Space and our Solar System, and then there will be two further posts - one with books about The Moon and another with great fiction titles about Space travel and aspiring astronauts.

In this post I collated six of the best non-fiction books we have about Space and our Solar System - some new and some older ones that we have had for a while. Hope you find the all useful!

First Facts and Flaps: Super Space by Lon Lee

Fun Facts and Flaps: Super Space is pitched just perfectly for BookBairn, aged four, as it's the perfect blend between simple facts, lift-the-flaps, turn-and-learn wheels and colourful scenes! Perfect for preschoolers and older toddlers who will discover the wonders of the stars, planets, the Moon and space travel in a fun, interactive and engaging way. The colourful, bright illustrations are sweet and charming too. With a giant fold-out ending, this book is a spectacular blend between plan and learning!

First Explorers: Astronauts by Christiane Engel

This First Explorers series (from a variety of authors and illustrators) are truly fascinating first information books. The illustrations in this series are absolutely brilliant! So colourful! But the part that really gets little ones engaged is the interactive paper mechanisms that they have to push, pull, slide and turn to reveal more facts or make, for example, the astronauts move or the rocket blast into Space. BookBairn can't get enough of these mechanisms! She loved them in the First Stories books too. And similarly they are super sturdy and pretty indestructible (four years and two bookworms later and they are all still in one piece). This Astronauts book is done in collaboration with the Science Museum so they are perfect for budding astronauts and little scientists.

Hello World: Solar System by Jill McDonald

Babies and toddlers will love this bright and vibrant book all about the wonders of the world around them and this one from the Hello World series will have them gazing upon the sky with wonder. It shares the very basic concepts of our solar system: the moon, the planets, the sun and the stars in a simple way that very young readers can enjoy, understand and learn from. And Solar System is such a colourful and joyful book your little readers will be so mesmerised they probably won't even notice that they are learning as you read!

Scratch & Learn: Space by Lucy Brownridge & Victoria Fernandez

Definitely one of the coolest non-fiction series we’ve seen! Through Scratch and Learn: Space you can travel into Space, discover the constellations and explore the Planets as well as take apart a rocket by using the clever scratch and discover patches. Each page explorers a different element of Space from the life cycle of a Star, the make-up of our Solar System and see inside Spacecraft through the 10 different scratch on each page. This is a great book for all ages - BookBairn loves it as she likes to find things, older kids would be fascinated by the different facts, and grown ups will find scratching the pages immensely satisfying! The illustrations are wonderful too and the facts are so interesting that I think it will stand the test of time even after it’s all scratched. After you've scratched them it's got a list so that you can use the book as a seek and find. Definitely a fun interactive one!

Life on Earth: Space by Heather Alexander & Andres Lozano

Can we first just talk about how cute these illustrations are? From the two children who explore and investigate throughout the book to the style of boxes of information arranged in a geometric grid that is a visual delight. And if you want to look a little further into that telescope and learn more about Space then this book answers over 100 questions about the topic. But what makes this book so wonderful? It is lift-the-flap. Over 70 flaps. Want to know the answer to the questions, you have to lift the flap. Such a fun and interactive way to engage little ones in non-fiction. I would say the information and style of these books are still a little complex for BookBairn in places, though she does like to lift the flaps anyway and is beginning to understand a bit more of this one now that she is four. Definitely better for 4+ but they are absolutely superb!

Little Explorers: Outer Space by Ruth Martin & Allan Sanders

There are lots of great books in this series and we've had a few for a while but I think BookBairn has now grown into them! This Outer Space book also has lift-the-flaps and cool illustrations so she can explore the facts as she reads. I love the mix of interesting and realistic illustrations alongside more cartoon-y representations of the planets which will make them more appealing to little ones to learn their names and facts about them. The whole series really are great 'little explorer' books with lots of facts, life-the-flaps and fun illustrations and with so many titles there's a perfect book for everyone.

I hope you have found some great new Space books to add to your collection! And don't forget to keep an eye out for my two other Space blog posts coming soon!

I've also added a new 'Books about Space' section to my Amazon shop!

Happy exploring!

Kim and the bairns x

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.

I get approached by lots of authors and publishers for reviews on a regular basis and I have recently had some messages that are... well politely put, sub-par. I am not often keen to criticise but quite frankly, they are down-right rude.

To put in context, I like many other book bloggers, do this as a hobby (in fact I don't know anyone who professionally blogs for a living by reviewing books) and it takes up a lot of time. An awful lot of time. And we do it for free because we are passionate about picture books and children's books and grown-up reads too. Basically we are bookworms with an outlet. But I spend over an hour a week just answering messages and emails. And I answer every single one.

So when you get a message from a writer which simply says "book review?" - literally that's all it said - it's quite frankly guaranteeing a straight-out "no". In fact it's the only message that I didn't reply to. For one - it doesn't say much about their writing skills that they managed a punctuation-stunted two-word sentence and nor does it say that they appreciate my time or anything that I do. So I asked a few other book bloggers to share what they like/and don't like to put together a guide for writers, illustrators, publishers for some Do's and Don'ts for how to approach a book blogger.

My current book review stack. You'll see why we have to be selective about what we review.

1. Check their review policy. Most bloggers will have one on their website and whilst they vary in content they will often say what their submission process is.

2. Personally I prefer an email rather than a social media message. And from my research this is generally the case - direct messages on social media are ok but I find that I get so many in a day that yours could easily slip down the list and off my radar. This doesn't happen with email. If a blogger shares their email on their website or on their social media profile it's a good indication that they would prefer email.

3. Don't send a generic email if you can avoid it. Bare in mind that you are asking a blogger to spend time reading your book (which for novels is a considerable length of time) and then spend time writing a review and sharing on social media, which takes a lot longer than you might think. So take the time to find out the name of the blogger - it's usually right there on their profile.

4. Tell us why you think your book is a good fit for our blog. Link to something we've said in our review policy. Discuss something we've shared in a recent post. Show that you follow our blog. This always makes me smile and therefore way more likely to accept your book for review.

5. It's essential to me, as I review picture books, that you send an image (or a link to an image) of the cover of the book. I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover but when illustrations are as important to storytelling as the words, which they are in picture books then it's essential I see a sample of the illustrations before deciding whether to review or not.

6. Do not send a follow-up email. I know that not everyone replies - I'm not one of those people, I will always reply to emails that land in my inbox- but if you don't receive a reply from me, it's just because I haven't replied to anyone's emails. I try to respond to my inbox once a week but sometimes life gets in the way. I do always reply though so don't flood my inbox - that doesn't help your case.

7. Don't tag a blogger in photos, or Tweets on social media unless you have shared a conversation. I find myself de-tagging my name from lots of Instagram photos - if you've never taken the time to speak to me, then yes tagging me in your photo will get me too look at your view but it will also make me more likely to say "no thank you".

8. But do build up a relationship with bloggers on social media by engaging in conversation about books - you can drop your book in that way too! We are a very friendly bunch!

A special note to self-published authors and illustrators: whilst I personally accept books by published writers and illustrators, not all bloggers do. Check their review policy and if they say they don't accept self-published, don't waste your time or theirs. Also for people like myself who don't want to miss out on a gem of a book by excluding all self-published titles, do be aware that, in my experience the acceptance rate is far lower for self-published books.

So there you have it! A few tips. Each blogger is individual and will want and accept different things but having asked around for tips and ideas from my colleagues these were common factors in the process of accepting a book for review.

If you are interested in organising a blog tour, my lovely friend Emma has written an Author's Guide to Blog Tours which is very insightful on that topic.

And most of all good luck with your book(s)! We all love books and want to see them do well and get into the hands of readers who love them. Hope yours find their way into those hands!

Best of book luck,

Kim

This week is Refugee Week, a week celebrating the contribution of refugees and promoting understanding of why people seek sanctuary. And one of the simple acts that they are encouraging you to do is to share a story.

“The experiences of refugees can feel very far away. But they are all around us, if we know where to look.” And for children a great place to look is a book!

So I wanted to share some wonderful stories about the experiences of refugees and about creating a welcoming nature in your children.

Welcome by Barroux

I have mentioned this one several times before as it's such a perfect way to introduce what can be a difficult topic for young children to understand. This one is so good for very small children as it revolves around a trio of polar bears whose ice cap has broken off and floated out to sea. They are in search of a new home, a refuge to make them safe. They are greeted by unwelcoming shouts of "you are too furry, too tall, too bear-ish", they are told there is no room, they are ignored until they find an empty island to make their own. And when some lost monkeys turn up looking for refuge - the bears welcome them with open arms and friendly generosity. A very simple way to share the plight of migrants. And with bright illustrations it really is wonderful for little kids.

The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

The Suitcase is a story about what it’s like to fit all your belongings into one suitcase and then travel to a place unknown. Looking different and having a mysterious past, the stranger tries to explain what is inside his suitcase - a teacup, a chair, a whole home and hillside with trees. Of course, the animals believe he must be fibbing. And become so suspicious they break into your precious suitcase but what they find their floods them with empathy and compassion and an understanding of what the weary stranger has been through and they realise the importance of making them feel at home. The illustrations are heart-warming and vital to the storytelling of the stranger. Overall this books is about overcoming our fears and distrust, reaching out a hand to a stranger in need and realising that that stranger might just enlighten and enrich our own world. Beautiful and powerful.

The Day the War Came by Nicola Davies & Rebecca Cobb

War can be a difficult concept for our children to understand as so often our teaching of it is confined to the past. But for many children it is a day to day reality. When the little girl starts her normal day, and goes to school to learn about tadpoles turning into frogs, no one was expecting that war would come. As the little girl grapples in confusion with what has happened, what is happening, and separated from her family, she finds a safe place. But whilst she is safe, she is alone. Until the children make her welcome by finding her a chair in their classroom. The Day the War Came is a magnificent work of art, full of story and symbolism showing readers that war is not only in the events of a country far away which cause destruction and devastation but war is also doors shut, people turning away, not having enough chairs. This is such a poignant story I cannot express its importance and beauty.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman

This is certainly a book to experience as well as read. It's a celebration as much as it is a story! Following a group of children in their school and throughout their day in school, this book shows a school where diversity it's at it's heart. Everyone is welcome no matter their race, religion or background. this story shares an uplifting celebration of cultural diversity and belonging where all children are welcome in the classroom. With children wearing hijabs, patkas, baseball caps and yarmulkes playing and learning side-by-side the illustrations in the book create a world where all the children belong. With scenes of the children pointing to their family's countries of origin, and the children gathered on the floor in a circle drawing illustrations of families of all sizes and colours and a playground full of happy children having fun together this is a really welcoming book! You will want to jump into the illustrations. The accompanying poem (it's definitely more a poem than a story) lets readers know that what they see in the illustrations is reinforced by the language of the school and community: everyone is welcome, they all have a place, they all have a space, no matter what. The school also has children of a variety of abilities including a blind child who carries a whitestick and a child in a wheelchair, reinforcing the lovely message of inclusion. That, for me, sums up what I want a school, and a wider community, to be and to cherish. This book is so wonderfully executed and really lives up to it's important message!

Everybody's Welcome by Patricia Hegarty & Greg Abbott

This story promotes the ideals of refuge, inclusivity and friendship at a level even the littlest readers will understand. Mouse is building a house in the middle of the wood. When Frog's pond dries up and he has no where to live, Mouse suggests that they build a home together:

"Everybody's welcome,

no matter who they are,

Wherever they may come from,

whether near or far."

Accompanied by beautiful illustrations that BookBairn loves to pore over, spotting all her favourite creatures, this magical book really teaches little ones about acceptance, generosity and to empathise with others.

And lastly I want to mention two books which I no longer have as I gave them to the school I worked in and the other to a friend's school, wanting as many children to read it as possible.

The Journey by Francesca Sanna is a beautiful and powerful depiction of a family’s flight to safety. In some places quite dark, this picture book is aimed at older children showing them the fear and terror of fleeing one's country in search of safety.

Me and My Fear also by Francesca Sanna is the story a young girl who has traveled to a new country and started a new school and her Fear tells her to be alone and afraid. She doesn't understand the language of the other children in her class, she feels isolated. And her Fear grows bigger and bigger. But one day she realises that she isn't alone in carrying around her Fear - the other children have them too! And when the children all play together the Fears become less intimidating and shrink to a manageable size.

And finally a book that I want to read is My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner which having read about over on Acorn Books blog I am really interested to read and add to our bookshelves.

Some mighty powerful picture books on a subject that is so important to share with or children so they can empathise and see beyond themselves and their own experiences to teach them to reach out their hands and open their hearts to others.

Kim and the bairns x

Disclaimer: We were sent all these books free for review purposes by the publishers (except Welcome by Barroux which I bought myself). 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.

I have a bookshelf in my house that I'm a little ashamed to have. It's a shelf full of picture books that I adore so much that I have hidden them away from sticky fingers. So I thought it was time to share some more of these special picture books that tell stories which are not only wonderful for children but also have an added appeal for adults.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

Have you ever seen the award-winning short movie based on this book? It's beautiful!

I think most bookworms will appreciate the beauty of this story. It's about a man called Morris Lessmore who loves words, stories and books. His life story is very neat and orderly until one day a storm blows in and scatters his life and words all over. He doesn't know what to do, so lost, he wanders on and on until he happens to look up. In the sky he spots a lady being transported by a squadron of flying books and he follows her to an extraordinary building full of wonderful books. And there Morris finds his home. A magical story that will touch your heart and with illustrations that will enchant you further it's a lovely gift for all book-lovers big and small!

Because by Mo Willems & Amber Ren

This is such a powerful book about how we end up choosing the lives we choose. It's the story of a little girl who becomes a conductor of an orchestra but why does she take this path? Because an experience she had as a child changed her. Because an orchestra of people played a concert that she watched. Because they were passionate about music. Because people loved to here the music or composers. Because a man named Ludwig wrote beautiful music. In simplifying the story to explain it to you I have taken away much of the poetry of the book but let me assure you that it is poetic, and moving and inspiring. The illustrations also do a spectacular job at bringing colour and life to the magic of music! And it is a gentle reminder about inspiration, about choices, about destiny to us older readers.

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev & Taeeun Yoo

Sometimes one of the wonderful things about reading picture books as a grown up is that they remind us about the joyous, and difficult, parts of childhood. This story is a beautiful reminder about friendship and about feeling left out. The little boy in the story has a pet elephant. And today is Pet Club Day - but the Pet Club insists on Strictly No Elephants! So the boy decides to show his tiny pet elephant that friends come in all shapes and sizes and what it means to be a true friend! This is a very simple story but the imaginative and lyrical text, with the accompanying sweet illustrations, is a wonderful reminder to grown ups to make sure that are all welcome and to help us remember that our children want to include and be included so we should follow in their (and their elephants') footsteps.

Words and Your Heart by Kate Jane Neal

This book is a very simple but powerful narrative about how your words (and others' words) can affect your heart. The book then tells you all the wonderful things that words can do such as: describing things, explaining stuff, make you happy, make you cry (even pierce someone's heart). Because your words have power!

"Your words can actually change the way someone's heart feels."

The illustrations are very simple with only a black and red colour palette against a white page. Again this plays to the fact that this book is about the words being important. This book is perfect for helping us all see how their words affect others.

Footpath Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson & Sydney Smith

This is a wordless picture book, which solely through the illustrations tells the story of a little girl who goes out for a walk with her daddy and picks up flowers she sees growing along the footpath as they walk by. It starts predominantly in black and white with only the little girl's red coat being a vibrant red and as they pass collect flowers they stand out agains the monochrome backdrop with their vibrant colours. But the little girl doesn't just collect the flowers - she gives them to people along the way: placing them on the body of a dead bird, leaving them by a man asleep on a bench, giving them to her mummy as she returns home, placing them in her siblings hair - and as she does so more and more colour appears across the page. It's about find the joy in the little things. It's about spreading joy. It's about kindness. And it made me stop and give pause. After all sometimes a bunch of dandelions is far more beautiful than a dozen red roses because of the little hands that picked them and gave them with love.

If you like picture books as much as me, and not just for reading with your children but enjoying reading them for their own sake then check out my collection of awesome picture books for grown ups blog posts. And I have just added a Picture Books for Grown Ups section to my Amazon Shop.

Happy reading,

Kim - self-confessed picture book fanatic and proud of it.

After all picture books are for grown ups too! x

Disclaimer: these are all my choices. None of these were sent by the publishers (they are all books I bought except for Footpath Flowers which was borrowed from or library) but I have worked with them before. Please read our review policy if you want to know more. 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 20-90p 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.