Learning & Development: Book choice
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
BUBBLE TROUBLE
by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar
Frances Lincoln, hardback, £11.99
Little Mabel blows a bubble so big that it 'bobbles' over baby and wafts him away. Family and townsfolk are drawn in one by one as baby floats overhead. Among them are 'crippled Mr Copple and his wife (a crabby couple)', and Tybal and his mum Sybil, joining the rush after 'they both began to babble and to scrobble with the Scrabble, as the baby in the bubble bibble-bobbled by the board.' In the end, rascal, rebel Abel bursts the bubble with his catapult, and the crowd catches the baby in a quilt as he tumbles out of the sky.
This book is a delight. Rapid, tumbling rhythms and great use of alliteration mirror beautifully the chaos that unfolds in this hilarious and original storyline.
TED, BO AND DIZ
by Jason Chapman
Little Tiger Press, paperback, £5.99
Two bears and a zebra take to the sea in their dinghy and encounter a family of polar bears on an ever-shrinking iceberg. Ted summons whales to rescue them and carry them off to a new home. The eco theme can be developed through the 'green' tips at the back.
SPLAT THE CAT
by Rob Scotton
HarperCollins Children's Books, paperback, £5.99
Children apprehensive about starting school will be reassured by Splat the Cat, who brings along his pet mouse on his first day at school. Cat and mouse survive the experience and Splat realises school is going to be OK after all. The computer-generated illustrations have strong dense colours with a fluffiness to the cats that you just want to stroke.
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE - A Split page book with ninety naughty mix-ups!
By Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt
Red Fox, paperback, £6.99
Is Daisy popping her peas on her jacket potato? Or on her mum's ice-cream? Or in the paddling pool? Turn the pages to find the 'right' answer and other hilarious options to this and plenty of other cheeky choices that children will love.
THE BEST JUMPER
by Lynne Garner and Sarah Gill
Piccadilly Press, paperback, £5.99
Spindle's grandmother knits him the best jumper ever for his birthday. It's a perfect fit and he wears it rain or shine. As the little mouse grows, his jumper seems to shrink, but he doesn't want to stop wearing it. So Grandma knits him a big jumper he can grow into, but what happens to the old one?
