TREASURE HUNT. written by Allan Ahlberg and illustrated by Gillian Tyler. (Walker Books, 9.99)
This is a tightly-focused story about hiding treasure. The treasure ranges from the little girl Tilly's banana at breakfast time, to her white cat, which hides itself in the winter snow. The small illustrations slot in neatly as each hide-and-seek scenario unfolds, and there's a nice variety of pace when Tilly is hunting for the gold-wrapped coins her grandma has hidden.
The final hide-and-seek game is one where Tilly hides behind the curtains, and her parents are looking everywhere for her, until they are standing in front of the curtains wondering where on earth she can be. The story ends with a nice big hug from mum and dad for their own special treasure, Tilly.
This is a nicely paced book where the text and pictures work very well together -and it's great for reading aloud.
GUS AND BUTTON. written by Saxton Freymann and illustrated by Joost Elffers. (Levine/Scholastic 9.99)
When you open this book the first thing you see is a photographic landscape of mushroom houses in-terspersed with trees made from artichoke heads - and that's a pretty accurate representation of the whole thing. Gus is a young mushroom and when he sees a green apple fly past his window, he decides to investigate. He goes with his dog through a forest where he meets lots of characters made from food, including a pepper and orange. They take Gus to a colourful land called - wait for it - Cornucopia, where they meet Ms Green, the apple's mum. She has been looking for him, so making for a happy ending.
Adults may find the story and pictures a little off-the-wall, but most children won't have any problem accepting the weird world where the characters live.
TO MUM WITH LOVE. written by Vivian French and illustrated by Dana Kubick. (Walker Books, 8.99)
This book is a nice size to hold, and one four-year-old I know kept asking for it at bedtime. It's mummy cat's birthday, and her three kittens are trying to decide what to make or buy for her. The littlest kitten, Stanley, copies his siblings' ideas, but his efforts go awry. For example, finding a piece of jigsaw in his money box, and nothing else, makes buying a tin of toffees for her impossible and when he bakes a cake like his sister, his own gorgeous mud version goes splat when he trips on his shoelace. But an empty cardboard box turns out to be the perfect present when he fills it with kisses. The final picture showing the puzzled faces of the older kittens is great - one of them is peering really closely into the box to find those kisses.
The front endpapers of this book feature a display of black and white photographs where favourite moments have been captured. These include a picture of Stanley as a young kitten, when he took his first step and so on.
A HARVEST OF COLOUR. by Melanie Eclare. (Ragged Bears, 8.99)
Here's a large format photographic book about a group of friends who grow a vegetable garden. The different children's perspectives and unique voices are shown, with text written in the first person. Siobhan thinks carrots are the tas-tiest vegetables, 'all sweet and crunchy', and she shows how to grow carrots from seed. James wants to grow radishes since 'they are hot and spicy, and friends pull faces when they try to eat them.' Taffa likes potatoes because they are so versatile, and he offers tips on the best way to grow them.
The last pages of the book feature a recipe that uses all the vegetables, though you might want to test out the dressing first, as it contains vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard - not most children's favourite ingredients.
MONKEY ABOUT WITH CHIMP AND ZEE
written and illustrated by Catherine and Laurence Anholt. (Frances Lincoln, 3.99)
Here's a square board book format with simple rhythmical text that invites children to engage with the pictures and activities. The reader is first prompted to put their hand over Zee's - 'We are friends, rain or shine. Put your hand on top of mine.'
You might want to have a wiping cloth at the ready for the next page, which encourages children to lick the bright purple lolly dripping its fruity juice. When it comes to the last picture, children are encouraged to give Chimp and Zee a kiss. Seeing the two likeable characters sitting there in bed with their pouting lips, it's hard to resist.
CHIMP AND ZEE'S NOISY BOOK. written and illustrated by Catherine and Laurence Anholt. (Frances Lincoln, 3.99)
This companion title is slightly simpler, and concerned with making a noise from beginning to end. Children are encouraged to do the same, to roar with the lion and snap with the crocodile. Last of all, they might like to race around playing at fire-fighters, with a riotous 'Nee naw! Nee naw! Clang clang CLANG!'
