Goodnight Spaceman

Goodnight Spaceman

Written by Michelle Robinson
Illustrated by Nick East

Published by Puffin

After following Tim Peake's time in space, which has flown by, Goodnight Spaceman was produced in collaboration with the European Space Agency and Tim himself. The book is inspired by his mission and his own two young sons, who dream of joining their dad on his adventures in space. 

It's nighttime, and two little boys are getting ready for bed. With the curtains open, they say goodnight shuttle, base, deepest, darkest space. 'Goodnight spaceman, far away.' And counting down, it's lift off....the two brothers are transported to a rocket that is about to take off. With the boys on board, they leave the world behind and make their way to the space station where their dad is waiting to welcome them aboard. Then it's time to explore outside the space station and say goodnight to all the stars and planets before it's time to return to Earth and their beds.

Goodnight Spaceman is a lovely book that will encourage an interest in science and space. Even though the story is about the boys' imagination, and dreaming of seeing their dad, the book is a nice simple introduction for young children into space, planets and what else may be found out there in the dark.

The letter at the beginning from Tim Peake, makes a lovely touch, especially for children who have been following Tim, these last 6 months. The illustrations are colourful and work well with the rhyming story which I enjoyed. I'm sure it will be a hit with your little space explorers.

This is the sixth book for Michelle Robinson and Nick East in the Goodnight series. A delightful book that will get young children excited about space. Available in all good book shops or online here.

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty

By Beatrice Alemagna

Published by Thames & Hudson

This is the latest from illustrator/author extraordinaire, Beatrice Alemagna. Meet Eddie, an eight year old girl who thinks she isn't particularly good at anything.

Eddie knows her mum would love a Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty for her birthday. The only problem is that she doesn’t know what a Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is, or where to find one! This book follows Eddie as she tours the whole town, trying to track down the perfect present.

Beatrice's books are a family favourite in our house, her illustrations are works of art, with so many things to spot throughout the use of paint, pencil and collage. The detail that goes into her illustrations is just mind blowing, and The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is full of them! I love the use of colour in this book, especially Eddie's fluorescent pink coat which helps you spot her on each page.

The story is a sweet one, with the meaning being open to many interpretations, but I found that Eddie's lack of confidence in herself was a reflection of a lot of children her age. She ignores the fact that she is good at many things, with the main one being a very resourceful young lady with a very big imagination! 

The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty is available to buy from all good bookshops and online from Thames & Hudson here. 

There's also some great videos to watch over on Vimeo, with a trailer for the book and a tutorial from Beatrice on how to draw Eddie!

I Love My Daddy - My Little World

I Love My Daddy
My Little World

Text by Jonathan Litton
Illustrations by Fiona Galloway

Published by Little Tiger Press

I may have mentioned this a few times but I am a big fan of the My Little World series. Having already reviewed Boo!, EGG and I Love My Mummy, these books are usually the first ones pulled down from the book shelf by my daughter. Little Tiger Press' latest release, I Love My Daddy, is another heartfelt book about giving and it's just in time for Father's Day.

In I Love My Daddy, we find out why each dad deserves his shiny star, from Daddy Lion fixing a red toy car, Daddy Cheetah winning a race to Daddy Dog playing catch. Their little ones are grateful to their daddies and want to show their thanks.

Each page features little cut out stars to help little fingers turn the pages and explore the book by themselves. This little board book is filled with bright colours, cute animals and a sweet rhyming story. A great book for dads to read with their little ones.

The My Little World series, features a range of board, paper and novelty books, they're a great range of books that make learning come alive. I Love My Daddy is a lovely addition to the collection, recommended for ages 0+, you can find more titles within the series here. Available in all good book shops and online here.

Wishing all Daddies and Grand-dads a Happy Father's Day for Sunday!

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet

By Isabel Minhos Martins & Yara Kono

Published by Thames & Hudson

This is no ordinary Alphabet book, it's a Bedtime based one which is a great idea - especially with the all important snoozing letter Z! 

The book starts with a short introduction, explaining to the reader that they should be prepared to fall fast asleep as most readers fall asleep before reaching the letter P. I felt this was a nice touch as it almost sets the child a challenge to get to sleep before the book ends.

Yara Kono's illustrations are beautifully rendered, full of cute child characters and adorable animals. The choice of subject for each letter is refreshing, with each one being linked to helping the child drop off. There's also explanations to what sleep helps us with, which again will help a child that finds it difficult to shut those eyes.

This is the perfect wind down book for any younger child that finds it hard to drift off to sleep. The colours are consistent and not too loud, using simple shapes and screen-printed textures on mostly solid colour backgrounds.

There's also lots of funny moments that made me chuckle, I especially loved P, with Pee being the subject. The yellow puddle summed it up nicely. With lots of interactive elements and activities to help parents make that bedtime routine that little bit easier.

ABZZz... A Bedtime Alphabet is available to buy now from all good bookshops and from the Thames & Hudson website here.

The Bumble Bear

The Bumble Bear

By Nadia Shireen

Published by Penguin Random House

Have you ever been really, really hungry and would literally do anything for your favourite snack? Even dress up as a bee and pretend to be one just to get your paws on some delicious honey? 

Norman is a cheeky little bear that really, really loves honey. But when his honey stash runs out he has to hatch a genius plan to get himself some more. So he disguises himself as a bee and enrols himself in Bee School.

Unfortunately Norman's love of honey gets the better of him and he ends up gobbling up all the honey in the Bee's Secret Honey Store. The Bees realise he is really a bear and is booted out of Bee school. But when the Bees end up facing a bigger threat to their honey than Norman, its left up to Norman to save the day. 

Nadia's signature style is here again, with cute quirky characters adorning each page. As with her other books, the story is full of humour that younger readers will love. 

Another lovely story from Nadia Shireen, and who doesn't like cheeky bears with a love for honey? The Bumble Bear is available to buy at all good bookshops and online at the Ladybird website.

Augustus And His Smile

Augustus And His Smile

By Catherine Rayner

Published by Little Tiger Press

Where does the time go? I remember this modern classic the first time it was published and I love it as much now as I did then, especially now I have a 2 year old to share it with. Little Tiger have reissued the classic story from Catherine Rayner as a stunning 10th anniversary edition.

Augustus the tiger is sad. He has lost his smile and cannot find it anywhere. So after a BIG tigery stretch, Augustus ventures off to find it. Along his journey he spots a beetle under a cluster of bushes, he finds birds that chirp & call and swims with shoals of tiny, shiny fish at the bottom of the deepest oceans. He parades through the largest desert and feels the pitter patter of rain on his face, until there in a puddle he sees his smile.

Filled with Catherine's signature style, this book was her debut and remarkably the illustrations come across of that of a veteran to the craft. And because this Catherine was nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award and won the 2006 Booktrust Early Years Award. 

This stunning hardback gift edition with a gold foil jacket is sure to be treasured. Augustus and His SMILE *10th Anniversary Edition* is available to buy now at all good bookshops, more information can be found on the Little Tiger Website here. 

There's A Bison Bouncing On The Bed!

There's A Bison Bouncing On The Bed!

By Paul Bright & Chris Chatterton

Published by Little Tiger 

There's nothing quite like bouncing on the bed, it's not quite as bouncy as a trampoline but its still just as fun. But too much bouncing can lead to a broken bed, as we discover from this new book from Paul Bright and Chris Chatterton.

Bison is bouncing on the bed, and before long he is joined by Aardvark, Beetle and Chipmunk. But too much bouncing can only mean one thing - the bed bends, shakes and finally breaks. And before Beetle gets the blame for joining in, the bed seems to have one other inhabitant - Grizzly Bear! And he isn't too happy about his now broken bed.

Chris Chatterton is no stranger to this blog, with a whole host of new books bouncing to bookshelves near you he's one to watch. His colourful characters are adorable - my favourite being the cheeky chipmunk. Paul's bonkers rhyming text is funny and full of surprise, especially the ending which I wasn't expecting at all. The perfect book for fun bedtime reading!

This is a fun filled and colourful story which all small bed bouncers will throughly enjoy. There's A Bison Bouncing On The Bed! is available to buy from all good bookshops and from the Little Tiger Press website here.