author: Kevin Brooks

I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of two brothers from London, Cole and Ruben, who travel down to Devon to find out who had murdered their sister Rachel, found dead on the moor a few days earlier, so that her body can be released for burial. Ruben is the narrator and has a gift which allows him to see in other people’s hearts, and this allows us to know what is happening to Cole even when he is not Ruben.

As they arrive in the village, they are met with an unusual amount of unfriendliness and resistance, with the exception of Jess, who is from the nearby gypsy camps (the brothers are themselves half-gypsy). Everybody seems to be hiding something, even Vince and Abbie who welcome them into their home (Abbie was Rachel’s friend). As the story unravels we start to understand why. And I am not going to say anymore, I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, would I?

This is a really absorbing teen thriller, which keeps you going to the very end with a heart-thumping climax. There is some graphic violence, but it is never gratuitous violence. However, this aspect of the story definitely makes it a book for 14 year-olds and above (and this icludes adults!)

author: Giles Andreae
illustrator: Nick Sharratt

Sorry I have been AWOL lately. I have also started a blog in French which is taking a lot of time. I am enjoying writing in French again but it takes more time to put my brain in gear. Anyway, I am back with a fantastic book!

More Pants is the sequel to the very funny and very successful Pants, by the same duo. This is real silly humour, but a great book to read out-loud. It all rhymes so once you get the right rhythm, you are on your way. Mr O. and Miss R. are in stitches every time we read ... what else would you want from a book?
Sharratt's illustrations are fantastic and colourful as usual. You just can't fault a book like this!

The “Books for Children” bookclub has just published the top 50 children’s books. They asked members (I never got round to doing it) and are now publishing the results. So there they are with some comments from me (aren’t you glad!). The * means I have read it, most of them I own too.

0-3 years
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle *
A great classic and a fantastic concept. All these little holes, and pictures of food, I mean, what else does a toddler want? I would always recommend buying the board book version though.
Guess How Much I Love You – Sam McBratney & Anita Jeram*
This is a lovely book, but my two have never been really taken by it. They like listening to the audio version though.
Thomas the Tank Engine – Rev W. Awdry*
Well, fine, ok, Thomas is a legend. But the books are so boring!!!!!
The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter*
The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler*
This is fab – what else can I say?
Kipper – Mick Inkpen*
The Hutchinson Treasury of Fairy Tales
Where’s Spot – Eric Hill*
Meg and Mog – Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski*
See my two monsters above enjoying Meg and  Mog in French!
Each Peach Pear Plum – Allan & Janet Ahlberg*
The Snowman – Raymond Briggs
It’s funny, but I have never really warmed to this book.
Hairy Mclary from Donaldson’s Dairy – Lynley Dodd*
Dear Zoo – Rod Campbell*
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury*
We saw a great stage adaptation of this. Isn’t it great when you can recite whole chunks of books off by heart with your kids?
The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Judith Kerr*

4-6 years
Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne & E.H. Shepard*
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak*
The Cat in the Hat – Dr Seuss*
Tales from Percy’s Park: Owly Night – Nick Butterworth*
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame & Inga Moore*
We have the version with the original illustrations  (E.H. Shepard’s). I have never understood why people see it as a children’s book. It is very complex.
The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me - Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake
The jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling & Nicola Bayley
A Bear called Paddington – Michael Bond
The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams & William Nicholson
I have always wanted to have this book, ever since it featured in an episode of Friends (“The One with the Dirty Girl” series 4 … I know we are the saddos who still watch friends on E4)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll & Helen Oxenbury*
Have both original version and Helen Oxenbury’s. I must admit I much prefer the latter.
The Jolly Postman – Janet & Allan Ahlberg*
Love it, but requires an awful lot of prior knowledge on fairy tales, just like Lauren Child’s Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?
Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie*
who on earth would read the original Peter Pan to a 4 year-old? I read it as an (young) adult and I struggled!

7-12 years
His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman.
Ok here I have to put my hands up, in shame: I am a school librarian and I have never read his Dark Materials. I know, I hear you gasp in utter disbelief. I did start Northern Lights but I found it so boring. It is on my list of “give this one another try”.
The Complete Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis.
Ditto the above. Why are Brits so obsessed with fantasy? Interestingly, Pullman is appaerntly no big fan of Lewis. There is a lot of Christian symbolism in Narnia, whereas His Dark Materials has been banned in many places for being anti-Christ.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling*
well, who exactly does not own this book? The woman has sold trillions of them! I loved this one, not sure about the rest of the series, but this one really stood out from other kids’ books when it first came out.
The Worst Witch – Jill Murphy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Road Dahl & Quentin Blake*
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
Charlotte's Webb – E.B. White*
Five Children and It – E. Nesbit
The Little Grey Men – B.B.
Should I be ashamed to say that until now I had never heard of the book? Nah ....
The BFG - Road Dahl & Quentin Blake
The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
Stig of the Dump – Clive King
Goodnight Mr Tom – Michelle Magarian
Matilda - Road Dahl & Quentin Blake*
How can a librarian not like Matilda, the little girl who says “I am wondering what to read next (…) I’ve finished all the children’s books.” Bless.
Carrie’s War – Nina Bawden
The Sheep-pig – Dick King-Smith*
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott*
Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories – Joyce Lankester Brisley.
When I went to see Shirley Hughes speak, she said those were a favourite of hers and had been a real inspiration so it HAS to be good!
The Secret Garden - Frances Hogson Burnett*
The Railway Children – E. Nesbit*
I love this book, and I love the film too!
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Mmmmm … so there you go. Loads are missing (Shirley Hughes, Lauren Child, John Burningham for a start) but then I suppose nobody is ever going to be totally happy, are they? I very look forward to Junior Magazine’s. In fact I’d better start thinking of my top 5 right now, the closing date is in August and I’ll need at least that to make up my mind!

(Le Loup Conteur - Mijade)
author: Becky Bloom
illustrator: Pascal Biet

As a hungry wolf descends on a farm, he finds a duck, a cow and a pig immersed in their reading and not one bit impressed by his attempt at looking fierce. Intrigued, Wolf first goes to school to learn how to read and then goes from library to bookshop on his search for the perfect book which will impress the others and let him into the farm.

This is a superb book, and would have to be on my Top 10 picture books. Not only does it carry a great message about the power of learning how to read and the magic of stories but it also says a lot about friendship and respecting others. The text is witty and funny, and the illustrations enchanting. A real, real gem.

author: Marie Birkinshaw
illustrator: Kate Merritt

This books is definitely Rosalie’s favourite at the moment – we have to read it every night, even me, who usually only reads French books. I had to cave in otherwise it was a screaming fit every night. It is quite a sweet book actually, and brilliant for her as she is making really efforts to speak now and the text is easy enough for her to repeat.  It is a board book and the flaps are quite sturdy. At the moment our copy is from our local library and it is still in pristine condition, which is a plus when you have over-zealous toddlers!

It was on the shortlist for the Baby Book Award section of the Booktrust Early Years Awards, but to be honest I think it is a toddler book as much as baby book. The Ladybird website, which publishes the book, recommends it as suitable for 0-3 year olds. I am sure we will have many more happy bedtime reads of this one, until my little mouse finds herself a new book to obsess about! Knowing her, I predict "The Devil Wears Prada" - she will think it is an autobiography :0)

Today we went to see Nick Sharratt and Sue Heap, and what great fun that was!
It is particularly great to see illustrators because they always perform some "live drawing" which I think children find amazing.  I know Oisín really enjoys it. But I must say most of the time I only use my children as an excuse because I really want to go myself (next week I am going to see Shirley Hughes, but this time on my own)!
We are really lucky as there are plenty of such events around, with Cheltenham Festival, Hay-on-Wye Festival and this September a brand new children's books festival in Bath. 

Definitely worth taking your little mice to (but then this is coming from the girl who dragged her husband and kids all the way to London just to have a books signed by Dick Bruna, creator of Miffy!)

Happy World Book Day!

Today every child in education should receive a £1 token to be either exchanged for one of the specially published World Book Day Books, or redeemed against the cost of any book worth £2.99 or more.
Tokens are valid from 26th February to 25th March. 
It is a great opportunity to get a little book for free, or get money off a book you have had your eye on.

Go on, treat your little mice!

... or a yummy-mummy, whatever you want to call it!
I mean I must be cool, because something I own is in Junior Magazine, the “Vogue” of little bambinos. I have had a subscription to Junior ever since Oisín was born .. why, I am not sure! I mean who can afford (or who is stupid enough?) to spend £60 on a top for a two year-old who is going to smear it with chocolate/juice/marmite/snot within the next couple of hours? Still it does have great articles, and they have great book recommendations.

Anyway, this month one of the shopping features is on bookends and my lovely, lovely Miffy bookends are in there, so I just thought I’d show you mine, as I now “officially” have good taste.

Ta dah:

And mine were a bargain, £5 in TK Maxx! ... ok maybe admitting to that isn't so yummy-mummy after all!

My husband thinks I am mad - why would anyone need so many books? I have a wall in my living-room covered with bookshelves, which are full of children's books. But can I ever find the perfect bedtime story or the perfect rainy day story? NOPE! I am just greedy for books, there is just no other excuse!
So every couple of books or so, I order books and every time I get a parcel, it is like Christmas all over again (except that I didn't get any presents for Christmas this year!).

So every so often, if you don't mind, I shall share with you what is in those little boxes full of pleasure.

Oisín & Rosalie in the Jolly Postman's Post Office
Seven Stories museum
December 2006

This  is what I found:

Rosalie joue à la maison  Linne Bie
A little young maybe but I couldn't resist, due to its title!

Pipi tranquille Edouard Manceau
We love Capucine the mouse and we are about to start potty-training so a perfect combination for us!

Arthur et le chien anglais Gudule, Claude-K Dubois
I love the idea of a French little boy struggling with communicating with an English-speaking dog!

Le loup vert René Gouichoux, Eric Gasté
I wanted to try this series from Bayard and this title was recommended on the Fnac - Eveil et Jeux website.

Drôles de pirates! Paul Thiès , Louis Alloing
This is the first installment of Plume the pirate's adventures. This was recommended by my sister.

I really wanted to introduce Oisín to little chapter books and these look like they are going ot do the job just fine! I will report back!