This book just ate my dog!

This book just ate my dog!

By Richard Byrne
Published by Oxford University Press

Wanted! Nice reader to show this naughty book who’s boss!

This book just ate my dog! Written and illustrated by Richard Byrne is very funny and young children will love that they are needed to help save the day! The story starts with a little girl called Bella taking a stroll across the page with her dog. But a very odd thing happened, her dog disappeared! The book had eaten it! 

And when Bella’s friend Ben comes to have a look he disappears too! Even when the rescue services come to investigate, they vanish. What on earth is happening? Peril lurks within the centre of this book.

There’s only one thing to do, Bella must go and sort this out herself. So Bella walks to the centre to try and sort this mess out, but…BURP… the book eats Bella too! What a naughty book this is. But all is not lost, a note appears with instructions from Bella on how to help them. 

Readers must turn the book over and shake and SHAKE! Bella, her dog and everyone else all reappear and everything is back to normal, well almost - Phew! This picture book is fun and original with the book itself becoming the villain! I really like the simple concept and the interactive element to it which children will love. Aimed at ages 2+, this will be great for bedtime and any nursery/pre-school setting - especially with getting all the children to get involved in shaking the book.

The illustrations are simple - the background is the same on every page which allows little ones to focus clearly on Bella and others. The text is orange and bold which stands out and works well with the overall aesthetic appearance. An overall fun, witty and original read, but be warned, it might just eat you! This book just ate my dog! is out now in paperback in all good bookshops and on the Oxford University Press website.

Wilbur's Book of... Early learning series

Wilbur's Book of... Early learning series

By Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Published by Oxford University Press

It's day three of my special Halloween week, this is something for the very little ones - the new Wilbur toddler and baby board book series based on Winnie the Witch’s cat Wilbur. Winnie the Witch is the bestselling picture books by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul.

This series of 8 early learning books cover colours, first words, numbers, opposites, actions, feelings, dressing up and things that go. These are not your average first word books. You won’t find examples such as; A is for apple, or the big elephant or the small mouse. Instead you and your little ones will find a mix of magic and mischief. 

For example, in Wilbur’s book of colours, you’ll come across a red beastie, a black cauldron of white washing and maybe even some slimy green worms!

In Wilbur’s book of numbers, you’ll be counting broomsticks, monsters and even pumpkins.

These board books are humorous and witty and children will love following Wilbur throughout the books. These put fun into early learning. And what makes them even more sweet, is that at the end of each book there’s a message celebrating the fondness that Wilbur and his owner Winnie have for each other, a lovely way to end each book.

This delightful series, though different, are a great alternative from the traditional first word books. An ideal way for introducing magical creatures and other odd objects that they’ll soon be encountering in books, on TV around this spooky time of year!

All eight books in the series are available to buy in good bookshops and online at Oxford University Press Shop.

Betty Goes Bananas

Betty goes bananas

By Steve Antony
Published by Oxford University Press

Meet Betty, the star of Steve Antony's second picture book about a baby Gorilla. We've all heard of the 'terrible twos', well just like a toddler, Betty is quite the handful when things are not going her way. When Betty comes across a banana and finds she can't peel it, her rumbling tummy gets the better of her and she throws an almighty tantrum. Luckily for Betty (and for us) a helpful Toucan arrives to show her how its done. But will this solve Betty's problem?

Like The Queens Hat, Steve has gone for a very limited colour palette - but there is a very clever reason behind the limited choice of colours. As well as being the same colour as a banana skin, the yellow in the backgrounds represent a calming atmosphere when Betty is content. And when that tantrum erupts, we find the yellow is replaced by a strong alarming red, which helps us realise how upset Betty is.

In this book there is a bigger focus on the characters and emotions compared to Steve's debut. There is no background art, just solid flat colour of yellow or red (on top of a banana paper texture). This helps the reader recognise when Betty jumps from a calm, loveable gorilla to one that's loud and unpredictable. The illustrations themselves, stand out on the page and the pastel effect they're drawn with give them a childlike quality. Betty is hard to forget and children will undeniably relate to her expressions and poses.

I'd recommend this book for younger readers and their first time parents. It helps children and their parents understand tantrums and how things as simple as peeling a banana (and a parent 'thinking' they've understood what's wrong) can upset a child that can't communicate how they're feeling without expressing it through a tantrum. Steve has tackled tantrums in a successful manner, and created a memorable character in Betty. He's definitely a new talent to keep an eye on. To find out more about Steve, keep an eye out for my interview with him coming up next.

And if like Betty, you're finding it a little hard to open a banana too, take a look and this helpful technique on Youtube.

Betty Goes Bananas is to buy in all good bookshops and on the Oxford University Press website.