The Wild Swans by Jackie Morris

review  by Maryom 

About eighteen months ago, writer and artist Jackie Morris and publishers Frances Lincoln came together to produce a little gem of a book East of the Sun, West of the Moon 
beautifully written, exquisitely illustrated, bringing new life to an old folk tale in a format designed to appeal to both old and young. All it lacked was a companion or two. Now it has one - a re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Wild Swans.
It's a tale familiar from childhood; eleven princes are turned into swans by their step-mother, and their sister, Eliza,  is the only one who can rescue them. Folk tale curses and enchantments are usually lifted by someone having to undertake a daunting, possibly life-risking, task or journey; here the task is maybe not so dangerous, but certainly very painful - Eliza must gather, thresh and spin nettles (bare-hand and footed) and then knit shirts from the thread, while never speaking a word to anyone! As Eliza goes about her task, more obstacles hinder her; sometimes people believing they're taking care of her, sometimes people wishing her harm. In the author's own words "It is a story about love, endurance, magic, silence and communication, misunderstandings, mistakes, courage". And it proves that the feisty young heroine isn't just an invention of modern fiction.

These books are perfect for those of us who, while still enthralled by folk or fairy tales, feel ourselves a little too old for 'children's books'. At 173 pages the story is longer than the brief version offered to small children, giving time for characters to be developed beyond the stereotypical doting sister, cursed prince or evil step-mother. Jackie Morris' illustrations are, as always, a delight - a fairy-tale world evoked in watercolours, and reproduced in several double-page spreads and smaller gems scattered among the text. This is above all a book that feels special, with attention to the little details so often skimped on - heavy pages, 'proper' binding, the title embossed on the slip-cover; a true gift of a book.



 See Jackie Morris reading from The Wild Swans here on You Tube

 Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - folk tale, age? almost any!

My Life as a Goldfish by Rachel Rooney

Illustrated by Ellie Jenkins

Winner of the CLPE Poetry Prize, this is Rachel Rooney's second collection of children's poetry. There are jokey poems, story poems, some of a single verse and some with 10 or more. Some will make the reader think and some just to make you laugh.

Do you remember those Monday mornings when you tried to convince your mum you were too ill for school. Or the excitement of the museum gift shop? What about that teacher who you could never get away with anything with? They are all captured here in fun filled pages along with many more laughs, thoughts and experiences.

"Magic" is the shape poem that is quoted in the synopsis on the back of the book as well as on several websites although I have to admit that I like the title poem best, which is also 'shape'. It uses essentially just 6 words to convey the life and terrors of being a goldfish.

A really lovely collection of more than 50 poems aimed at the younger reader with added nostalgia for the older reader.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's poetry

Over the Hills and Far Away Collected by Elizabeth Hammill

Review by The Mole

Every small child needs a really good collection of nursery rhymes and here is such an anthology. With many old traditional favourites as well as some from around the world,this collection of 150 is brought together and illustrated by 77 different artists from around the world most of who have become household names as either illustrators or artists in their own right.

Collected together by Elizabeth Hammill the sale of this book supports Seven Stories, National Centre for Children's Books whose aim is to save, celebrate and share Britain's literary heritage for children.

Many of my childhood favourites are featured as well as some that have slipped into current culture from overseas, making this an excellent collection but the illustrations take it one stage further. Because so many artists have added their own illustrations each page turned is a new experience and idea. Sometimes one picture fits two rhymes (Old King Cole/Hector protector) in a clever union and in other cases it's one per poem. My favourite? Am I allowed a Favourite? It has to be Old Mother Hubbard.

If you are looking for a present for a young child then you could do no better than this - and it has a seasonal robin on the front cover!

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's nursery rhymes

Let's Play edited by Debjani Chatterjee and Brian D'Arcy

Poems about Sports and Games from around the world
Illustrated by Shirin Adl

Review by The Mole

This bright book with it's many lovely illustrations is more about poetry than pictures. And, as the title suggests, they have one thing in common - games. Today we are encouraged to do active sports, but that's not for everyone and this collection covers baseball and football but also running and swimming, chess and scrabble, surfing and skateboarding - even computer games get a mention.

Many poems are describing the aspirations of the game or competition but some are just for fun. The poets selected come from around the world with some older poems from the likes of John Masefield and many ones such as Wes Magee and the editors of the anthology. The poems types vary tremendously from simple rhyme to blank verse, a Haiku and a shape poem. In some cases they are just short sections lifted from longer poems.

There really is poetry for everyone in this collection that is packaged for children but fun for everyone.

In the back is a list of all the sports mentioned and a brief resumé of them.   

A really lovely book that will delight.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's poetry book

Bob and Rob by Sue Pickford

Review by The Mole

Rob is a burglar and Bob is his dog. Rob is bad, badly behaved and a bad burglar too. Bob is good but a good dog is loyal to his master and helps Rob to avoid being caught. Bob is not happy though, he doesn't like being bad.

One Christmas when Rob steals a whole pile of children's presents Bob feels he has gone too far so he sets off to return them - that's when their fortunes change totally.

Beautifully illustrated with lots of details to talk about, this book is a lovely story of the triumph of good over bad and is sure to entertain the very young reader. With varied font sizes and shapes, and text placed around the page to follow the story perhaps this is a book best shared for the very young, at least for a time or two.

A really nice book, a really nice message and I'm sure, with it's Christmas theme, sure to delight in stockings this year.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's picture book

One World Together with Catherine and Laurence Anholt

Review by The Mole

I want a friend but who to choose... We travel from one country to another, meeting a child from each and getting a brief glance at their life before finally coming to the conclusion that they would all make excellent friends.

A book advocating peace and harmony with people from across the globe - and we can't have too many such books!

There is also a "big fold-out surprise" for the young reader at the back of the book.

Beautifully illustrated, this book does try to show how different life is for children in different parts of the globe but also how there life can be fun despite those differences.

A lovely and informative book that while it shows a small sample of one child per country and only a small number of countries it underlines that children from all over the world can find common ground and be friends.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's picture book

Max the Champion by Sean Stockdale and Alexandra Strick

Illustrator Ros Asquith
Review by The Mole

Max is a sports mad dreamer. From the moment he wakes to his dreams at night he imagines that everything he does involves sport and that he is winning at it. When they have a fun sports day at school then Max dreams he is winning the world cup.

Very much a picture book for a child to read because the pictures are "inclusive", that is to say his dreams as well as his day to day life include disabled children. While Max is the only winner (well, they are his dreams!) the disabled children are included throughout the book and they often come second to the champion - they are not just spectators but fully integrated as friends.

The only person referred to in the story is Max, not even his toy rabbit and turtle who turn up almost as often as Max in the pictures get a mention.

An extremely lovely book with a message - a subtle message - and a rarity in that the pictures actually have greater importance in the story than the words themselves.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's picture book

Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour and Rebecca Ashdown

review by Maryom

Rapunzel sits in her high rise tower block waiting to be rescued - but not necessarily by a prince.
In her 16th floor flat, surrounded by cats, she sits, lets her hair grow longer and longer ....and waits. Friends try to encourage her to leave but she won't stir .....until one day the postman brings her something very special - a job offer from the library. Discovering books on anything and everything, Rapunzel no longer needs to be rescued by someone; whatever she wants to do, she's found the key to doing it.

 I'm a bit wary of children's books with a message - it's too easy to lose all the fun - but not in this one. The story is told in rhyme - with frequently repeated lines for children to join in with - and illustrated throughout with bright and busy pictures to enthral the younger 'learner' reader.

So girls, and boys, read this book and take its advice - don't just sit there waiting for someone to come to the rescue - go out and make a life for yourself!

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre -children's picture book

Something About a Bear by Jackie Morris

review by Maryom

 Come with the Brown Bear as he introduces eight different bears of the world - Polar bear, Moon bear, Sun bear, Brown bear, Spectacled bear, American Black bear, Sloth bear and Giant Panda - lovingly captured in their habitats by Jackie Morris's paintings. They fish in freezing rivers, doze through the heat of the day in treetops or swim in the ocean..... but which is the best bear of all?

To call this an illustrated children's book doesn't do it justice; Something About A Bear is an absolutely gorgeous book bound to delight children and adult bear-lovers alike.  Each double-paged spread captures the essence of a bear with a combination of words and pictures. Although non-fiction  it reads like an enchanting story book. The lavish paintings bring these beautiful wild animals so vividly to life that I almost felt I could reach out and touch their fur, and each is accompanied by words which describe the bear, its habitat, its food, its life in general.

 There are more 'plain' facts at the end of the book for those who want them, and links to conservation websites. The author is also running an on-line auction of the book's proofs with all money going to the charity Hauser Bears


It makes an excellent companion book to I Am Cat, which introduced the wide variety of wild cats from lions to lynx to Scottish wild cat in a similar way - a great idea if you're looking for complementary but not identical books for two children.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - picture book, non-fiction, bears,

No More Kisses For Bernard by Niki Daly

Review by The Mole

With four Aunts young Bernard was tired of getting messy kisses whenever any of them came to call but come his birthday all four came to see him and it really was too much so he donned his helmet and visor and declared "No More Kisses!". If only all of his aunts would have taken "no" for an answer though.

This is rather an interesting book because while it is, undoubtedly, for children with it's brightly coloured busy pictures, snaking words and simple vocabulary it also has a message for adults - and it's an important message - "children need to be respected". The situation in this book is arguably a minor situation and the "crime" not that serious it still gives food for thought to adults who may be sharing the book with a child or reading it to them for bed time reading.

An extremely nice book for sharing or as an early reader.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Picture Book, early reader

The Very Noisy House by Julie Rhodes and Korky Paul

Review by The Mole

When the old lady starts walking with her stick around her house it upsets the dog in the room above and noises start to cascade through the house. The noises spiral out of control until the lady starts knitting... but can the house become quiet and stay quiet?

This picture book is designed to be read sidewards-on and each page has brightly coloured and very busy illustrations. The style is very cartoon and each page builds on the preceding one in a comical manner that will entertain the young reader.

With lots of detail to find and talk about this is an ideal sharing book but it is difficult to see how any child would want to read this quietly to themselves.

Another very nice touch is that the end papers were drawn by 9-11 year old children and show how they would draw the house.

A lovely picture book/early reader that should prove very popular with any child so may come out for sharing on a regular basis.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Picture Book, early reader

Lenny series by Ken Wilson-Max

 Review by The Mole

In this series of early reader/picture books we meet Lenny doing things that children do. In "Where's Lenny" he plays hide and seek with his dad and we meet his family, his pets and the different rooms in his house so exploring quite a range of vocabulary. The pages of each book are quite robust and feel quite durable against sticky fingers and even feel like they would take a wipe down when necessary. The colours chosen are bright and the drawings are cartoon-like without being too simplistic.

When any child goes to nursery school for the first time they are likely to find it a bit daunting - no matter how well you try to prepare them but in "Lenny Goes to Nursery School" we see, and can show, youngsters that nursery is fun with lots to do and friends to make.

There are also a couple of other books in the series: "Lenny Has Lunch" and "Lenny In The Garden" and all can equally be shared, read aloud or simply be an early reader.

A really nice collection of books.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Picture Book, early reader

Buy The Lenny Series from Amazon

The Beatles by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

Review by The Mole

Beatlemania started in 1963 and lasted just 7 short years but the legacy lives on today. At a recent pantomime there was an audio soundtrack running of just Beatle tracks and our 16 year old was surprised that what she was listening to and enjoying was the Beatles. One wonders how many more generations will go on to enjoy music from that short era.

This picture book, because it's difficult to ignore the fact that that is what it is, tells a very complete - if somewhat abbreviated - story of the origins of the Fab Four and their meteoric rise to fame. There are no photographs in this book - it is all original artwork - and the layout and presentation will appeal greatly to younger readers but the content and concise factual presentation will also appeal to fans of the group from their 1963 origins.

The format makes it a book to either 'dip into' for 20 minutes or just to sit down and read  - getting lost in nostalgia and being drawn down memory lane, forgetting the book a while.

A really beautiful book covering the lives of these seemingly 'normal' youngsters - although I never changed my trousers at the bus stop!

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Picture Story Book, Non-fiction, biography

Buy The Beatles from Amazon

The Buccaneering Book Of Pirates by Saviour Pirotta

Illustrated by M P Robertson

Review by The Mole

Some books just sit on a shelf inviting you to pick them up and then you find you can't part with them - you NEED to own them. This is just such a book. The thing that will hit you first is the bright, bold colours of the wonderfully drawn illustrations. You then find a huge pop-up poster tucked inside with pockets and hidden objects that pirates would have owned. And THEN you find the text!

Saviour specialises in writing good clear stories that are
easily readable by children, that actually make them want to read, and he has done it once again here. In retelling these six stories of pirates he brings alive the imagination of young readers in the stories of Blackbeard and Treasure Island as well as lesser known, but equally enthralling, tales of a Corsair Captain and even a Pirate queen. If I had one TINY criticism of this book it would be that the story section could have done with being able to be removed to protect what may well be become a family heirloom.

A beautiful book and with the holiday season coming up why not treat yourself?

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Picture Story Book, pop-up, pirates

Buy The Buccaneering Book of Pirates (Pop Up Books) from Amazon

Snail Trail by Jo Saxton

Review by The Mole

Written in rhyme this book follows a snail trail as it winds around modern art - encouraging the reader to look and see and to be creative with any media that comes to hand in their own art. Some pieces may not suit the individual's taste while others are classics loved by all. Aimed at the very young, this book will give much to talk about as the snail passes pictures that are not of him before arriving at the final picture.

Putting that to one side, the rhyming is easy and fun and as early reader material it will be popular for lots of reasons.

The artists and works are not credited on the page - so as to keep the story simple - but a complete list is available at the back which also tells where they can be viewed.

All in all a lovely book for youngsters and parents to share.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's poetry, early reader (6+),  poetry, art

Buy Snail Trail: In Search of a Modern Masterpiece from Amazon

World Food Cafe Quick and Easy by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott

review by Maryom

Chris and Carolyn Caldicott took a break from running their World Food Cafe in Covent Garden and went on a trip in search of new recipes - not just the fortnight or month-long trip of the average holiday-maker, though. They travelled by boat through Burma, Laos and Bangladesh, on foot through Chile and Bhuttan, with reindeer herds in Lapland, on quad bikes and by plane in Namibia, by rickshaw in Vietnam,on the bullet train in Japan, a 1950s Oldsmobile in Cuba and went on a road trip through history in Syria - the sort of trip that most of us could only dream of! And then, there's the foodie ideas they came home with, which after all was the reason for the trip.

It's an eye-catching book with a lime green and shocking pink cover as vibrant as the food within. The book is divided into sections for each country visited - with lots of photos of the places, people and food.  Each country's section starts with a description of the Caldicotts' travels and a general introduction to the cuisine of the region, followed by recipes. Most of these use familiar everyday vegetables in totally unexpected ways - a leek and broad bean dish from Bangladesh, a Bhutan recipe for asparagas or a potato and mushroom bake from Namibia. There are recipes for salads, stews, snacks, breads, desserts and drinks - all vegetarian, though how anyone would miss meat with these dishes I don't know. The emphasis, as you may guess from the title, is on quick and easy cookery rather than fiddly and complicated and, as far as I can tell from merely reading, they live up to that description - most seem to involve popping a few ingredients in a pan, simmering or frying for a while, maybe adding a last-minute extra - and that's it!

I've two minor gripes - I'd have liked to see nutritional info for the recipes and the index only gives the names of dishes, not the ingredients, so it isn't easy to find a recipe for, say, chickpeas or broccoli.
 
As well as being a delight to browse through, I can imagine that this will become a well-used, well-thumbed cookbook.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - cookery, travel

Buy World Food Cafe: Quick and Easy: Recipes from a Vegetarian Journey from Amazon

Here Come The Creatures by Wes Magee

Illustrated by Lorna Scobie

Review by The Mole

With more than 100 books of poetry for children and 6 for adults, Wes Magee is clearly an author appreciated by all age groups but adored by children. But what's not to like?

This collection includes 'The Bestest Bear Song' which has become a real classic and one of my all time favourites.

The poems are all just a few verses long with a catchy rhythm and regular rhyme but also a lot have a large injection of humour or nonsense - the way children really love their poetry. Many are observational and mood setting while some tell a story but all having a lot of appeal for younger readers and showing that poetry is totally accessible to them. Aimed at Key Stage One this collection is for the very young reader.

But let's not ignore those  lovely simple illustrations by Lorna Scobie - I know that as a child the illustrations were something that drew me to poetry books and said "read me".

A really fabulous book to be read and shared (with lots of possible actions) or simply read alone (I mean the young ones, but why not you if you can get your hands on it?)

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's poetry, early reader (5+)

Buy Here Come the Creatures! from Amazon

Breaking the Spell: Stories of Mystery and Magic from Scotland by Lari Don

review by Maryom

Breaking the Spell is a collection of ten stories brought together by story-teller Lari Don, all with a special Scottish feel to them. Drawn from all over the country, from the Borders to Skye in the west and Orkney in the north, some are about traditional Scottish creatures such as selkies or kelpies, others have more universal origins such as riddle-guessing or the tales that account for the making of stone circles. Some I found familiar; some I hadn't heard before.

The stories include - School for Heroes, King of the Black Art, The Selkie's Toes, Tam Linn, Loch Fada Kelpie, Whuppity Stoorie, The Ring of Brodgar, The Three Questions, The Monster of Raasay and the Witch of Lochlann - all stories that the author has told many times at story-telling events in schools, libraries and elsewhere around Scotland. There are stories of witches and giants, warriors and fairy queens, and, of course, the human boys and girls who manage to out-wit them.

Accompanied throughout by quirky cartoon-style illustrations by Cate James, this is the sort of book that can be read for the very young, maybe as bedtime stories as like all good fairy stories they all have a happy ending, or older children could read them for themselves.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - picture book, folk tale, Scotland

 Buy Breaking the Spell: Stories of Magic and Mystery from Scotland from Amazon

A London Year compiled by Travis Elborough & Nick Rennison

Review by The Mole

A collection of observations from diaries, letters and journals from over the centuries and presented as 365 daily entries.

These are not 'fuddy duddy' entries but lighter side comments and observations by more than 200 contributors stretching back to the sixteenth century right through to modern times and generally on different subjects. Every day has 2, 3 or more contributions spanning several centuries. These contributors each have a short biography at the back that helps to answer that all important "Who was that chap?" question although many will probably go unread as they are well known. There is also a bibliography explaining the sources used and finally an index where you can look up a person and find what entries they have written.

All in all whether you use this book as an entry a day, try to read it all in one go or choose a contributor and look up all their entries then this is a very enjoyable book that will make you smile, think or just reflect on things of the past. Myself, I am opting for the day by day reading and very enjoyable it is. It would also make a nice Christmas present for that person who's almost impossible to by for - it's not fattening and exercises the mind.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Non Fiction

Buy A London Year from Amazon

The Monster Sale by Brian Moses

Review by The Mole

This illustrated book of poems is aimed at the younger reader.

It's difficult with a poetry book to find a lot to say and with a children's collection even more so. Such a collection should be fun, easily readable in language that youngsters can read and it should be laid out in a style that appeals to them to keep them reading and saying "One more and then I'll put the book down". This book does all of that.

The illustrations appear along side of each poem and highlight the funny side of each poem in a cartoon-like way.

The title of the book is also the title of the first poem and as you start to read them you could be forgiven for thinking that all the poems are about monsters. Read on and you will find the subject matter changes with the poems grouped by subject matter. With over 50 poems in the book there is bound to be something to suit every child.

And the child in me hasn't disappeared yet so I found myself enjoying this collection far more than I expected to.

A really nice collection for children of all ages... well 6-11 and 20-110 at least.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's Poetry

Buy The Monster Sale from Amazon