The Whopper

The Whopper

By Rebecca Ashdown 
Published by Templar Publishing

From this eye catching cover comes a very amusing story about when a little white lie becomes a WHOPPER! 

Percy loves getting presents but when his Grandma comes to visit her present of a knitted jumper doesn't go down well. So instead of wearing it he puts it on the family dog and takes him out for a walk. It isn't long until the jumper is ruined and has to be binned. When his mother inquires into what happened to the jumper, Percy tells a lie and to his surprise his lie turns into a small monster called 'The Whopper'. The little hairy monster follows Percy everywhere, but luckily only children can see it so his parents are unaware of this new inhabitant to their home.

But things only get worst for Percy when the Whopper starts to grow and get hungry. So hungry in fact that he eats Percy whole! The Whopper then takes over Percy's life, wearing his school uniform, eating his breakfast and going to school in his place. There's only one thing for it, if Percy wants to get his life back and get rid of the Whopper, he needs to tell the truth. When he finally finds the courage to tell his mum, the whopper shrinks and fades away, leaving Percy back to normal and with a weight off his shoulders. And to ease his guilt even more, he writes a letter to his Grandma explaining what happened to the jumper she gave him - although in doing so he ends up with another one!

This is a great way to tackle the subject of telling those little white lies and instead telling the truth, especially when those lies can get out of hand. The visual representation of a monster is genius and the fact it takes over Percy's life explains how much it's taking over everything he does. Rebecca's illustrations are energetic and colourful and Grandma's knitted jumpers are hideous, so I don't really blame Percy for putting it on the dog! Overall a lovely humorous story with real heart that's great for the summer holidays.

The Whopper is available to buy in all good bookshops and online from the usual websites.

Max

Max

By Marc Martin 
Published by Templar Publishing

Max is the new brilliant picture book from Melbourne based illustrator, Marc Martin. If you like the seaside, like cute seagulls and enjoy the odd chip or two you're in for a treat! 

As you might have guessed, Max is a seagull. And like most seagulls he's a little bit cheeky and a little bit mischievous. And you won't be surprised to hear that his two favourite things in the world are fish and chips. And being the cheeky seagull Max is, he befriends a Fish & Chip shop owner called Bob.

Bob and Max are the best of friends, Max visits Bob in his shop and keeps him company and in the evenings they fish together. But one day it all changes, the seaside is quieter than usual and Bob is nowhere to be found. So Max waits for him, but Bob doesn't come back, so Max decides its time to leave.

Max flies high in the sky and below him he sees many things, but no Bob. He catches a familiar smell on the breeze and follows it, taking him over trees, around the city and over tall buildings. Until he comes to a shop. A chip shop. Bob's shop!  

Marc captures the seaside perfectly, with the piers and Fun Fairs that usually exist in a seaside town (I had childhood memories of Blackpool going through my mind as I read this) covering each seaside spread. Marc's illustrations are beautifully rendered using watercolour textures and help give the book a Summer feel.

Max is perfect summertime reading (especially if you're going to visit the seaside this summer!). With the story having a strong emphasis on long lasting friendships, it will also teach children about how things can change over time and could help explain when a relative or friend has to move away.

If you'd like to know more about Marc Martin and his work, watch the author video below. Max is available to buy now from all good bookshops and online. 

Poppy and Skip's Jigsaw Playday

Poppy and Skip's Jigsaw Playday

By David Wojtowycz 
Published by Campbell Books

Poppy and Skip’s Jigsaw Playday is a fun little puzzle board book, that offers so much for little fingers. There’s the added bonus of a puzzle on each spread, allowing children to play with as well as read.




We follow Poppy and Skip throughout their busy day, starting with breakfast and then helping to sweep the floor, having fun in the garden before some quiet time and enjoying some books. There’s simple rhyming text and a question to ask on each spread, with the answer hidden behind the jigsaw pieces. The illustrations are bright and colourful, and Poppy and Skip are super cute!

I have had this book for a while but wanted to wait and see how Aoife would like it. At 13 months old, Aoife loves pulling out the jigsaw pieces and trying to put them together however she’s a little too young yet to answer the questions. This book will offer a lot of entertainment throughout the next year and a half as you could also muddle up all the jigsaw pieces and ask littles ones to match them up. The back of each pair of puzzle pieces has a colour that relates to the spread, which helps adults and children put them back in the right place.

My only little niggle about this book is that I wish that each board/page was slightly thicker so that the puzzle pieces sat more within it, as they sometimes fall out when turning pages but this wouldn’t put me off buying this as a gift as it offers so much fun for little ones! There is one other book in this series - Poppy and Skip’s Jigsaw Nursery which looks just as cute.




Poppy and Skip’s Jigsaw Playday is available in all good bookshops or can be found online here.

Hedgehugs

Hedgehugs

By Lucy Tapper & Steve Wilson 
Published by Maverick Publishing

Hedgehugs is by husband and wife team, Steve Wilson and Lucy Tapper. This is their first published book and what an adorable little story it is. Ever wondered what happens to your missing socks, well this could be why!

Horace and Hattie are the best of friends and there are so many things they like to do together; making daisy chains, splashing in puddles, and having tea parties by the river. However there is one thing that they cannot do together, they cannot hug as they are just too spiky. Horace and Hattie try lots of ways to hug; rolling in snow but the hug is too cold, or squeezing in to a hollow log but the hug is too bumpy. 

Then one day they come across something very interesting, a washing basket. Horace comes across a very soft sock and after some investigation, he wriggles and jiggles himself into it, squeezing his head out of the heel. Hattie finds it very funny but then has an idea, and it isn’t long before Hattie is squeezed into a sock as well. Moving closer and closer together they finally hug! And it was the perfect hedgehug.

This is a charming tale and little ones will definitely love these two adorable hedgehogs. Hedgehugs is all about caring and friendships and the distance these two little friends will go to for a hug. The illustrations are simple but cute and I love all the different textures used throughout. 

You can learn more about the origins of Hedgehugs in the video below. It’s a short video of Steve and Lucy talking about how Hedgehogs came to be… I love how it all started with Lucy finding a use for her baby daughter’s clothes, scanning in all the lovely patterns, and creating these sweet little hedgehogs.

Hedgehugs can be purchased in all good bookshop or online at Maverick Publishing. And remember, next time if one of your socks goes missing, a hedgehug has happened!

I Want My Daddy!

I Want My Daddy!

Written by Tracey Corderoy and Illustrated by Alison Edgson  
Published by Little Tiger Press

Some days we just need our daddies, and that’s especially the case for Arthur in I Want My Daddy!. If you liked Tracey Corderoy’s I Want My Mummy, then you will enjoy this sweet tale of Arthur and his special Daddy.

Arthur is having a very bad day, his castle keeps falling down, and he can’t be a knight without a castle. He needs his daddy! His Daddy believes it’s a job for more than one knight, and together they cement (with glue) and paint, making the turrets nice and straight. Arthur can finally enjoy playing knights, marching and swishing his sword but it isn’t long, when charging after baddies, he crashes into a broom, “Ouch!” Daddy is there with a hug and offers to take Arthur to visit his favourite castle at the park, where there are turrets, ladders and a great big slide. 

While fishing for monsters in the moat, something soon tugs on Arthurs line… Arthur starts to worry; what if its big and hairy and scary! It’s Daddy to the rescue, and after lots of pulling, a huge boot is pulled from the water. Daddy calls it a Boot-a-saurus which they find very funny. Later in the day Arthur decides to make a crown, as every castle needs a king, a special someone and that’s Arthur’s Daddy. The story is very sweet and children will be able to relate to when things don’t go to plan. This sweet picture book will cheer up any little knights having a bad day.

As always, illustrator Alison Edgson creates warm and reassuring illustrations alongside Tracey's playful text. Alison was also the illustrator of Mummy’s Little Sunflowers which I reviewed back in March. I Want My Daddy! is the perfect picture book for Father's Day and for those times when only Daddy will do! Available to buy at all good bookshops and on the Little Tiger Press website.  

My Daddy Says

My Daddy Says

Written by Justine Smith and Illustrated by Angie Stevens  
Published by Campbell Books

My Daddy Says is a sweet, little chunky board book, perfect for little hands to hold. And with it being Father’s Day on Sunday, what a great book for little ones to read with their daddies. This second title follows My Mummy Says, and was published last year. A simple story that follows two friends throughout the day and what they get up to with their daddies.

Each page alternates between the two daddies and the little girl and boy. Covering the different activities that may happen in the day, from playing, breakfast, putting the washing out before both children are taken to the park where they regularly meet up to play. They stay until it’s almost dark and then its home time, where it’s time for a bath and a bed time story. 

My Daddy Says captures the impulsive nature of family life and has a lovely warm and humorous tone capturing the special relationship that exists between children and their daddies. 

The illustrations are simple but they capture the emotions and actions of the children well and come from illustrator Angie Stevens, who is also known for her real life family doodles on her Doodle Mum website. And due to Angie's observational daily doodles, children will easily recognise the settings and actions of the children and their daddies as they feel like they've been inspired by actual events.

The rhyming text is simple but I like the repetition of ‘This Daddy says…’ on each page, great for little ones to enjoy and join in. My Daddy Says is recommended for under-threes, and daddies of course. Available in all good bookshops and on the Pan Macmillan website.

Who's Hiding?

Who's Hiding?

By Agnese Baruzzi  
Published by Templar Publishing

Who’s Hiding? Is the lovely illustrated book by Agnese Baruzzi. Children and adults will love guessing what creatures are hiding by simple descriptive clues in the fun rhyming couplets before children can fold out the pages to reveal the creature.

This stunning book starts off in the garden patch, and with clues such as these: ‘With cotton tail and furry ears, Which creature’s found its dinner here?’ I believe children will have no trouble guessing the hidden creature. The illustrations on the folded page are cleverly done so that the page looks as if it’s just a garden patch and a very tall carrot sticking out but once you fold out the page, a bunny is revealed munching on a very large carrot.

The book covers the following scenes; woodland, pond, garden, sand and palm trees before ending up on a large landscaped picture which includes all of the creatures and asks for you to spot them. 

Every page spread is beautifully illustrated and I love how certain aspects will turn into something else once you fold out the page, for example, how a toadstool becomes a ladybird or the heads of two birds which once made up a palm tree. There is a limited colour palette used, using muted colours which creates a lovely calming feel. And even the shape of the book makes it easier to handle for small hands. Recommended age is from 3-5 year olds. 

I love the fun clues and the stunning graphic artwork. Children and adults alike will no doubt enjoy this interactive journey of discovery again and again.