Mr Mustachio

Mr Mustachio

By Yasmin Finch & Abigail Tompkins 

Published by Maverick Publishing

This is the debut book from creative duo Yasmin Finch and Abigail Tompkins and tells the tale of a man with the longest, most wondrous moustache you have ever seen!

Mr Mustachio has the most fantabulous moustache. When he goes out he marches prodly down the street as he moustache flies wildly in the wind. Tall children have to duck beneath it, small children try to snatch it and birds like to nest in it. One day Mr Mustachio goes for a picnic in the local park and gets a little carries away on the roundabout, with his wondrous moustache becoming tangled all over the place. He becomes stuck fast and needs someone to help him untangle. Everyone comes to try and help but it's no good and eventually the only way to free him is to snip his moustache off!

A fun story about lost and change, Mr Mustachio tries his best to hold on to something he loves but eventually needs to call defeat and embrace change. A wonderfully quirky story that is sure to bring a chuckle at bedtime and to encourage children to try new things.

Mr Mustachio is available to buy now at all good bookshops and online from the Maverick books website here.

The New LiBEARian

The New LiBEARian

By Alison Donald & Alex Willmore 

Published by Maverick Publishing

The power of stories are a magical part of a child's life, and reading to a child opens up their imagination and lets them enjoy a world that anyone can visit. The New LiBEARian explores just that... 

It's storytime at the library but Miss Merryweather, the librarian, is missing! The children search for her high and low but they can't find her anywhere. Then Dee stumbles across a set of footprints that doesn't belong to an adult or to a kid - who or what made them? The children run through the bookshelves, through a galaxy, into an ocean and down a runaway, only to find a new librarian in the shape of a big hairy bear. Will this new librarian read them a story? Something they're not usually allowed to read? Will it read them a scary one? 

The New LiBEARian is an exploration into the world of stories and how powerful they can be. The children are transported to a world where anything can happen, where worlds and new exciting characters come to life - in the library! This debut book by Alison Donald and Alex Willmore is a fantastic mix of nostalgic and modern at the same time. With a little bit of magic thrown in, this book is sure to please both book and bear lovers! This is a lovely picturebook to share with your little one or to read aloud to a group of children in a library. It might may well inspire them to go exploring the library themselves and discover new worlds themselves.

The New LiBEARian is available to buy at all good bookshops and online at the Maverick books website here.

Animal Magic

Animal Magic

By Phil Allcock & Gina Maldonado

Published by Maverick Arts Publishing

Is it a hedgehog, or a toad, a worm or dog? Children are encouraged to guess which animal comes next in this magical nonsense rhyme board book.

"I saw a funny hedgehog who walked across a road. Then right before my very eyes, it turned into a..." What comes next? Animal Magic encourages young children to guess the next word, in this case its guess the next animal. A fun and cute book from author Phil Allcock, with bright and colourful illustrations from Gina Maldonado. This is a lovely little board book which will help children put their rhyming hats on and join in on the magical animal fun. 

Animal Magic is available to buy now from all good bookshops. For more information on the book and author check out the Maverick Publishing website here.

Hedgehugs - Horace and Hattiepillar

Hedgehugs
Horace and Hattiepillar

By Lucy Tapper & Steve Wilson 
Published by Maverick Publishing

Horace and Hattie are back, the two adorable little hedgehogs who are the best of friends. Hedgehugs - Horace and Hattiepillar, is Lucy Tapper and Steve Wilson’s second book featuring these two sweet friends and if you have yet to read Hedgehugs, you can read my review here.

Horace and Hattie are the very best of friends and love to do everything together; watch blossom fall, look for the first star of the night and play hide and seek in the meadow. But one day they find something tiny and interesting under a leaf. It was shiny and round and out crawled a wriggly, striped thing. It looked at Horace and Hattie and started to eat the leaf and in no time at all, the leaf had disappeared. Horace and Hattie found more leaves for it to eat and it got bigger and bigger before one day it made a soft, silky bed and slept for many days and nights. Then one sunny morning, out crawled something beautiful and colourful. It looked at Horace and Hattie, waved its wings and flew off.

This gives Horace the idea that if they eat lots of food, and build a bed, maybe they would turn into something beautiful and wonderful as well. So Horace and Hattie munched and crunched their way through lots of food before making a bed out of flowers. After a good nights sleep, they awake to find themselves changed as well - they’re all covered in the brightly, colourful flower petals and look beautiful.

It’s lovely to see Horace and Hattie again in this sweet little story. Children will like seeing what these two hedgehogs get up to and how they help the caterpillar to grow and become a beautiful butterfly. Great for making very little ones aware of caterpillars and butterflies in the garden. As like the previous book, Hedgehugs, this story is also about caring and friendships. Lucy Tapper continues to use the different textures creating simple but cute pictures. This charming book is recommended for ages 3+ and is available in all good book shops or online.

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!

Princess Stay Awake

Princess Stay Awake

Written by Giles Paley-Phillips and Illustrated by Adriana J. Puglisi 
Published by Maverick

 

 

After first reading this book, my first thought was, this is my daughter! We are currently going through a phase of fighting sleep in the day and refusing to go to bed at night, utterly exhausted! I’m sure other parents will be able to relate to this book, or if you’re one of the lucky ones who has a child that sleeps through the night, well, I’m sure you’ve heard of those sleepless children.

 

 

Princess Stay Awake is about Layla, a little princess who refuses to go to bed and doesn’t like sleep at all. Layla likes to skip around her room, play with all her toys and generally avoid shutting her eyes for a kip. The King and Queen try everything; singing lullabies, reading tales and even instructing a wizard to cast a sleeping spell - which backfires and makes him sleep instead! They call in a jester which just makes Layla laugh out loud. They make a knight run Layla around a maze and touch her toes to see if that would tire her out but it has no effect. "Perhaps a softer bed?", the king next suggests, but this just makes Layla imagine her bed is a trampoline and that she’s in the circus. The King and Queen are at their wits end (I know how they feel) when they have one more idea… It’s time to send for Grandma!

 

Grandma arrives in Layla’s room and suggests not sleeping at all and to stay awake. Layla is rather confused and unsure but as she says “I’m Princess Stay Awake!”, her eyes begin to droop, her legs and arms go floppy, and with a yawn, Princess Layla settles down to bed. Hooray!

 

This funny tale where Giles Paley-Phillips uses rhyme, which works and flows well throughout the story. The illustrations are big and bright, and the reader can clearly see what cheeky Layla is up to - avoiding going to bed!

This is the third Maverick book by author Giles Paley-Phillips - and after scary monsters and dark chilling tales, this rather different tale will be loved by your little princesses and Grandmas, because everyone knows Grandmas usually do know best. Princess Stay Awake is available to buy now in all good bookshops. More information on the title can be found on the Maverick website.