No More Cuddles!

No More Cuddles!

By Jane Chapman
Published by Little Tiger Press

I would imagine that everyone likes a hug now and then, but Barry, an adorable soft and fluffy Bigfoot, is constantly smothered in cuddles and would just like to be left alone. From the best-selling and very talented author and illustrator Jane Chapman, No More Cuddles! Is out now.

Barry lived deep in the forest and enjoyed strolling about on his own and listening to the birds, but he was never alone for long. Every morning, Barry would be smothered in cuddles by all of the woodland animals. Barry is fed up being smoothed and stroked all the time. He tries a disguise but the animals see through it straight away and when he puts on an angry face, well the animals think he needs an extra big cuddle. 

Barry has a plan and paints a huge sign - WANTED: comforting creature for cosy cuddles. Could this be you? Lots of animals turn up, but none of them are right for the job, they are either too tiny, too stinky or too spiky - that's until Barry finds Bear. Bear is perfect and when Barry calls the animals to see if they want a hug, he thinks they will run to Bear, but instead they run straight pass Bear and rush to Barry. The animals all throw themselves at Barry, who wibbled and wobbled and then went SPLAT! They had fallen straight into a yucky swamp. Barry is no longer fluffy and snuggly and they soon hop off to get clean…leaving Barry finally all by himself!

Jane Chapman has created a very sweet but funny picture book about a lovable monster who has just had enough of hugs. The illustrations are big and captures Barry as very huggable - I wouldn’t mind a hug from Barry! I especially love the rabbits, poor Barry, he never gets a break from them.

If you didn’t already know, Jane Chapman is married to Tim Warnes, illustrator of the recently reviewed More! These are two very talented people. I definitely recommend checking out their website as there’s lots of fun stuff to do and download.

No More Cuddles! is recommended for ages 3+ and children will love Barry and his attempts to find a little peace and quiet. Available in all good book shops and online here.

More!

More!

By Tracey Corderoy and Illustrated Tim Warnes
Published by Little Tiger Press

There’s some great picture books coming out from Tiger Press this month and next, Tracey Corderoy and Tim Warnes have just brought out another Archie book called MORE! A great sequel to No! and Why? I was lucky enough to meet Tracey and Tim at a recent Tiger Press event and it was great to chat about the book progress as well as letting Aoife dress her own little Archie. This is the perfect tale for families with strong-willed toddlers who just want More!

Meet Archie, a busy little rhino. When Archie is playing, he has to have more rockets, more platforms and more towers until CRASH! It doesn’t stop Archie from wanting more slices of cake, and finishing the whole thing or at bed time, wanting more story time. Whatever Archie liked, he liked it a lot and wanted more, more and more! 

So when Archie is invited to a fancy dress party, he plans to make the best costume ever with more streamers and more glitter than anyone else. Archie’s costume sure wows everyone but having the biggest costume means Archie can’t catch up with everyone running around. He can’t bounce like everyone else and is just too big to join in and get birthday cake. Archie soon becomes stuck and it’s up to his friends to help him out. In this case maybe “more” was too much except when it comes to having more friends!

It’s great to meet Archie again and Tracey Corderoy has sure captured the antics of a strong willed toddler - parents and little ones will be able to relate. Tim Warnes’ illustrations work fantastically with Tracey Corderoy’s text, they are hilariously funny and Archie is adorably cute even when wanting more and more.

More! is a great sequel to No! and Why? I can’t wait to see what is next from Archie! More! is available in all good bookshops and online here.

Whatever Happened to My Sister?

Whatever Happened to My Sister?

By Simona Ciraolo
Published by Flying Eye Books

There's always the odd picture book that comes along that stops and makes you think. Whatever happened to my sister? does just that (along with pulling those heartstrings!) This is Simona Ciraolo's second book for Flying Eye, with her debut being the charming Hug Me.  

Whatever happened to my sister? is just as heart warming as her debut, and with what seems like a slight change in her illustration style, this book is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. It tells the story of a a younger sister convinced that her older sister has been replaced by a lookalike. Her sister no longer wants to play picnics, go trick or treating, or skip and hullahoop in the garden. Instead she just locks herself away in her bedroom and hangs out with her friends - who are mostly boys! Will she ever get back the sister she once had so many fun times with?

Simona Ciraolo's illustrations are delightful, capturing each scene perfectly. She uses a warm colour palette throughout and I get the sense of warm summer days which remind me of those summer holidays when I was growing up. 

I have to confess that I teared up when the younger sister is going through old photographs. Simona captures the love between two sisters so beautifully and it makes you wish that no one should ever have to grow up or get old!

All in all this is a perfect way to introduce young children to growing up and the changes their older siblings may be going through. Whatever happened to my sister? hits bookshops this August. More information can be found on the Flying Eye Books website.

How Many Legs?

How Many Legs?

By Katja Spitzer
Published by Flying Eye Books

I love this beautiful little counting book. It has this gorgeous retro feel and reminds me of the smaller books I used to read when I was a child. As always, Flying Eye Books have presented this new title as a lovely small hardback, and it simply feels like a piece of art.

How Many Legs? is the perfect introduction of numbers to young children. The book is made up of two parts; the first part teaches the reader to count up to ten. This is done graphically, using bold numbers and Katja's retro style illustrations. You'll find 1 Unicorn, 3 ice creams, 6 robots and 8 legs (attached to a stylish looking spider in his web). 

The second part of the book carries on to encourage the reader to flex their new found counting abilities and answer how many cowboys or How many scary Monsters? An inventive choice to help children learn in an entertaining way.

Katja's illustrations are reminiscent of the type of illustrations I grew up with, with a use of a limited colour palette which makes this little book retro chic! Even the pages have a vintage feel to them, and the layout of the text and illustrations just brings old memories flooding back. 

This is surely the perfect addition to any future budding mathematicians out there, and an absolute joy to flick through time and time again. How Many Legs? Is out this August, for more information visit the Flying Eye Books website.