Hey Duggee: Follow That Egg!

Hey Duggee:
Follow That Egg!

By Jenny Landreth
Illustrations by Studio AKA Ltd.

Published by Ladybird Books

This is the latest Hey Duggee board book from Ladybird Books. This Spring/Easter edition based on the popular CBeebies series is packed full of eggy fun, with the squirrels in hot pursuit of a runaway egg!

This is another Hey Duggee title based on one of the episodes. The illustrations mirror the ones the children (and adult fans) will see on TV, with bold striking characters, lots of colour and the additional fun text. 

The squirrels on an egg hunt, to return a runaway chick to its mother. The egg is a curious little thing and is interested in everything as it runs away. 

Unfortunately it turns in to an egg mishap, with the squirrels returning with a massive bird's egg instead of mummy chicken's! But it all ends with Duggee hugs all round.

This title is a little different from the past Hey Duggee books. For a start this story comes in the form of a small board book, which is beautifully put together. I felt this version worked much better as a board book, especially the spreads with the things egg finds interesting. Great for young children to point and name - perfect for visual recognition. 

To celebrate the release of Hey Duggee: Follow That Egg! Ladybird gave me the challenge to make my very own Hey Duggee character as an egg. I crafted three eggs in total; using 3 boiled eggs, poster paint, coloured foam and goggly stick on eyes. I had great fun making these and its worth keeping eggs in mind for craft activities! Thank you to Ladybird Books for the art materials in crafting my very own chick, Roly and Croc. 

Hey Duggee: Follow That Egg! is available now in all good book shops or online here.

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep

By Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin

Illustrated by Irina Maununen


Published by Ladybird Books

Have you heard about this book? No? Where have you been? This is the book that is meant to help encourage your child to fall asleep rather quickly making bedtimes a breeze! The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep is being raved about as the new favourite night time book that is becoming part of the nightly routine. 

Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin has created a simple story that uses a unique and distinct language pattern that helps your child relax and fall asleep at bedtime or naptime.  Instructions are given at the beginning advising the best way to read out loud the story, either emphasising certain words or reading a word or sentence slow and with a calming voice. There are also places within the story where you can insert your child's name. When reading the story there were some unusual placed words but this is on purpose and is meant to have a psychological purpose. There is a gentle hypnotic feel to this story and with the countless sleep associated words and exaggerated yawns, I found myself almost falling asleep reading this out loud! If you follow the clear instructions, then this book will definitely work but if you feel you may struggle then there is an audiobook available.

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep features Roger, a rabbit who can't fall asleep. Mummy Rabbit takes him to Uncle Yawn who knows just what to do and it isn't long before Roger is tucked up in bed, fast asleep.

If you struggle with the bedtime battle, then this is the book for you, with it's innovative technique, it will bring a calm end to any child's day and hopefully yours to. Available in all good bookshops or online here.

Clangers: The Brilliant Surprise

Clangers:
The Brilliant Surprise

Written by Daniel Postgate
Published by Ladybird Books

Slide whistles at the ready, as the Clangers are back for a nostalgic space trip! Unfortunately I can't remember the original Clangers (their first appearance was over 45 years ago!), but luckily for a new generation, a new revamped version of the Clangers has appeared on our TV screens. And The Brilliant Surprise is their first ever picture book, written by Oliver Postgate's son, Daniel Postgate. If your noggin needs a refresher here's a trailer for the new series.

In The Brilliant Surprise we find the Iron Chicken looking out to space for interesting things. Then she spots something, something very INTERESTING. Tiny Clanger receives the news on her special radio hat that 'It's coming'. She tells her brother, Small and he rushes around telling everyone of the great news and they all get excited by what's on its way. But Tiny is confused at what they're all getting excited about, and her brother Small won't tell her. 

The Clangers, soup dragons, Froglets and other creatures all gather to sing, hoot and moo 'It's coming! It's coming' but poor little Tiny is none the wiser until a huge comet whizzles over the Clangers planet. Tiny is told to make a wish as her brother Small had done when the last comet had visited. But what had he wished for? A lovely little sister just like Tiny.

I was pleased to find that this first picture book was hand drawn rather than being stills of the puppets. The illustrations here are by illustrator Irina Golina who does a great job of capturing all the familiar characters an scenes. With a useful spread introducing all the characters (helpful for a new fan like me!) and a note at the beginning of the book from Peter Firmin, co-creator of the show. There's plenty for young and old alike to love here, with a warming story that is reminiscent of what the TV show is known for. 

Their picture book debut shows the Clangers do work brilliantly in a picture book format, being a joy to read (slide whistle optional) and stunning to look at - a lovely gift for any Clangers fan. Clangers: The Brilliant Surprise is out now at all good bookshops and available to buy on the Ladybird website.

Hey Duggee: The Best Scarecrow Ever

Hey Duggee:
The Best Scarecrow Ever

Published by BBC Children's Books/Ladybird Books

If you're not familiar with this pooch, Hey Duggee is a pre-school animated series on CBeebies, featuring the voice talent of comedian and presenter Alexander Armstrong. The show follows a big friendly dog called Duggee, who runs 'The Squirrel Club' a place where kids take part in all kinds of activities, have adventures & earn activity badges all along the way. Duggee teaches the kids about being responsible, working as a team, taking acceptable risks and most importantly ... having fun! The show has a rather catchy theme tune so if you don't want this in your head for the rest of the day don't watch the trailer below!

This debut Hey Duggee picture book follows the same format of the show, with an emphasis on completing a task to earn a badge. In this story the squirrels want to grow some corn, but some sneaky birds keep stealing all the seeds! So they devise a plan to create THE BEST SCARECROW EVER! 

Much like the show, the squirrels figure out how to solve a problem with lots of laughs along the way. The book is brightly coloured and younger children and fans of the show will love the bold illustrations and eye popping text. And of course the book concludes with the squirrels earning their badge and getting the all important DUGGEE HUG! 

And if that wasn't enough Duggee fun for you, there's also a fab Squirrel Club Sticker Activity Book to get your hands on. The book is full of fun games and activities to allow your little squirrels to earn their own badges! The centre of the book is crammed with lots of fun stickers - a must for any Hey Duggee fan!

If you want to know more about the show check out the Cbeebies website and follow Duggee on twitter. Hey Duggee: The Best Scarecrow Ever and the Squirrel Club Sticker Activity Book are out now and can be bought in all good bookshops and the Ladybird website.

Peppa Pig - Let's Go Shopping Peppa

Let's Go Shopping Peppa

Published by Ladybird Books

Based on the hugely popular TV series, Let's go Shopping Peppa, is the perfect picture book for any Peppa Pig fan. 

The Pig family are in need of a trip to the local supermarket for food for their lunch. They all jump in the car after breakfast and arrive at the supermarket. They get a trolley which George is placed in and allow Peppa to help with the shopping. Peppa suggests they get one of everything, but Daddy Pig hands her a list with exactly what they need to get. With the list in hand, Peppa finds each item and places it in the trolley. And not leaving George out, he gets to pick the fruit of his choice - a watermelon!  

The illustrations and text are what you'd expect from anything related to Peppa Pig, so anyone familiar with the show will love this. The story is educational as well as entertaining, helping children understand the shopping experience and how having a list can help you plan ahead and make things easier. I also had a giggle when Daddy Pig admitted to adding the chocolate cake to the trolley even though it wasn't on the list - something we're all guilty of now and again.

Peppa Pig - Let's go Shopping Peppa is available to buy now from all good bookshops and online.

Baby Touch: Busy Baby

Baby Touch: Busy Baby

Published by Ladybird Books

Busy Baby is part of the Baby Touch series by Ladybird. This is the first board book I have had that is accompanied with an audio CD.

My 12 month old has been crawling for the last month, so I can relate to the title of this beautifully presented interactive board book. We follow the busy baby in the bright red car as he journeys across busy streets, through the jungle, past a farm and finally up a hill to return back home. The text is simple and rhymes throughout, with sound effects for the cars and animals that appear. The accompanying audio CD has ten tracks consisting of instrumental baby music, perfect to play on car journeys or at home.

Like the rest of the Baby Touch series, there are lots of textures for baby to touch, like the squishy red car, a furry lion and a woolly sheep. You'll also spot a clever die-cut window which reveals baby on one side and when you turn the page it reveals a butterfly.  

With bright bold colours and simple shapes, this will keep any busy baby entertained, and the audio CD is a lovely addition to baby's CD collection. Other titles in the Baby Touch series are; Tickle Me!, Tummy Time and Night, Night. Busy Baby is available to buy in all good bookshops and online.