Children's Fiction

I had to giggle at Oh No, George!! Chris Haughton has written a book for the little ankle biters, that adults can get their silly voices on, with. It's 4 parts cute, 2 parts daft and 5 parts lovable. The story is simple. Can George the dog, listen to his owner and do what was asked? It's been written in a plain and unfussy way that allows YOU the adult to interact with your child, asking them about what he's seeing, what she thinks might happen next, what they might do etc. So simple. I love it. Now, here comes the tough part... dissin' those illustrations.... ..read more

I am a fan of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings films, I know.. I know.. how very lazy and uncultured of me, hey? Philistine!!! I hear some of you shouting at your laptops.. he he... This is purely because I find the books very difficult to read, despite loving the stories within. And here I am reviewing one of Tolkien' little pieces, Bilbo's Last Song. It's a poem, full of sorrow and longing and wistfulness and just plain emotive. This poem is sweet and short and not at all childlike, not that Tolkien' writings are such, at all. Bilbo's Last Song is a companion piece, I guess. ..read more

Cinderella's Bum, as the title suggests, is about... Bottoms!! Not just JUST Cinderella's. The weeny ones will love this, it's about BUMS, what's not to love? They'll be giggling and hopefully wiggling their own little bottoms around too. The book is actually quite inspiring. It's quite an affirmation for little girls that may already be worrying about their little figures... everyone is shaped differently and excepting/loving yourself is what is important. How utterly refreshing and lovely, that this has also been written by a bloke too! Well done, Nicholas Allan!

This review need not be long! The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas is hilariously funny and really kind of gross too. Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter (from McFly) are little (or big) geniuses! Boys, young and old, will love this. Girls will squeal with horror, ha ha, and Mums will pretend that they don't find this funny at all, when secretly you know they do! It's a brilliant Christmas time story... and I would HIGHLY recommend it!

Ideally this would be aimed at children (boys) aged 2-6yrs but I'm sure it'll appeal to many many more!!

The Battle for Gullywith by Susan Hill, is one of those books meant for the younger reader (10-14 ish) but is actually a rather tasty little morsel for the "grown ups" among us that love creepy-things-that-go-bump-in-the-night kind of stories. This is one of those. It's well written. It's a little bit of a classic as far as plot goes, a young boy forced to move from London to the middle of nowhere, Gullywith Farm (Lake District) and he obviously (duh) hates it. Boy meets girl... ..read more

This is an excellent book in describing what happens when you fly by aeroplane and what happens in the airport. Its description both in words and pictures mean that even the younger children from 3 upwards will have some idea of what is going on.

I would have this for all nervous children let alone just autistic ones because it is so clear and accurate and will take out a lot of the fear that goes with going through security and giving your baggage in to be put on the plane.

I highly recommend this for the 3-12 year old age group.

Oooh, where to start with this book, Florentine and Pig Have a Very Lovely Picnic. Well, as a Nanny, I've had the pleasure of reading very many children's books and have learned which ones kids love and have you read 5 times in a row (aaarrgh!!), and which ones they'll listen to once, then walk away from. This falls into the latter! Oh dear!! The story, written by Eva Katzler, is pretentious and clunky. There are lovely moments when the story flows sweetly, but for the most part, it has no rhythm... BUT on the other hand, Jess Mikhail.. Oh wow... ..read more

I thought this was going to be an airy fairy book - was I ever wrong! Yes you do have the heroine, the hero, the knight and most importantly - the dragon, but these are no airy fairy characters - they are well rounded and grounded.

Jessica Day George swept me of my feet with her excellent story telling and although officially it is a childrens book - I do feel that teenagers and adults will enjoy it as well because it also gives you quite a roller coaster of a ride that's quite thrilling. I loved it and highly recommend it.

Having been abandoned to the dragons in book one Dragonskin Slippers we now find Creel looking forward to a new adventure not just any adventure but a full blooded no holds bar action thriller that has an excellent female lead, who's full of get up and go. I loved book two as much as book one and was swept away with her as she flew with Shardas the King of the Dragons. This really is very exciting story telling with heart in mouth type adventure with a full cast of characters that feel like real people fighting for their lives and country - wonderful writing that is very satisfying.

Wow! This is a real roller coaster of a ride with both humans and dragons trying to find dragon queen Velika and save her from her kidnappers - but Creel also has her wedding to prepare for and make her wedding dress!
I have very much enjoyed all three books in this dragon trilogy - Jessica Day George is an excellent visual writer that keeps you turning the page as fast as you can. It is also a very satisfying read with and equally satisfying end tying up any loose ends for both humans and dragons.

I highly recommend this book for all age groups.