Captain Falsebeard in a Very Fishy Tale

Captain Falsebeard in a Very Fishy Tale

By Fred Blunt 
Published by Puffin

This is Fred Blunt's picture book debut, and what a treasure it is! 

The story begins with Captain Falsebeard discovering the legendary Crossbone Treasure, and him and his loyal crew rowing it back to their ship, the Pretty Polly. But it isn't long until a mean looking parrot spills all to Captain Falsebeard's arch enemy, Admiral Swinetoes!

So Admiral Swinetoes hatches a fool proof plan to steal the booty from Captain Falsebeard, with hilarious consequences. A mermaid is caught by the crew of the Pretty Polly and it isn't long until the mermaid is revealed as one of Swinetoes crew. The treasure is taken and Captain Falsebeard quickly discovers that Swinetoes is behind the nickin' of his new found wealth. But with the use of a flock of parrots, an invasion is sent towards Swinetoes and its not a pretty one! With Admiral Swinetoes covered from head to toe in parrot poop, Captain Falsebeard reclaims his treasure and the crew celebrate with a spot of fishing (avoiding any catching of mermaids).

I couldn't help but have the Captain Pugwash theme tune play in my head as I read this (even as I'm writing this review the tune is on autorepeat in my noggin!). Fred's illustrations are bold, energetic and full of character, and I can see a string of great picture books to come from this great talent. Children of all ages will find fun, adventure, buckets of pirate talk and cheeky laughs on every page - the parrot poo incident towards the end had me in chuckles.

I'm sure this isn't the last we'll hear from Captain Falsebeard, I can see a franchise forming on the seven seas! And if you'd like to win a place at the book launch aboard the Golden Hinde later this month, simply tweet a photo (using hashtags #CaptainFalsebeard #SuperfanGood) of your child dressed as a pirate with a false beard for the possibility of winning a ticket aboard the mighty galleon on launch night or a signed book. Good luck me hearties! 

Captain Falsebeard in a Very Fishy Tale is available to buy in all good bookshops and online at the Puffin website.

The Cloudspotter

The Cloudspotter

By Tom McLaughlin 
Published by Bloomsbury

This is Tom McLaughlin's second picture book for Bloomsbury, his first being the magnificent The Story Machine. The Cloudspotter is another imaginative tale about a boy who would rather have adventures in the sky.

Meet Franklin, or as everyone else knows him, The Cloudspotter. Franklin doesn't have many friends, and instead of playing spends everyday with his head in the clouds. He spots big clouds, squeaky clouds, sneaky pretend-they-can't-see-you clouds and angry clouds. But The Cloudspotter doesn't just spot clouds, he has adventures in them!

Some of his adventures consisted of swimming with giant jellyfish, driving racing cars and being the KING OF THE CASTLE. However it all changes when a scruffy dog turns up. The Cloudspotter thinks the dog might be after his clouds and so he tries his best to avoid her. But everywhere The Cloudspotter goes the scruffy dog goes too. 

Enough is enough when the dog starts appearing in his cloud adventures and hatches a plan to get rid of her. And that plan takes the form of a hot air balloon, with the poor old scruffy dog being bundled into it! It's not long until The Cloudspotter starts to feel lonely and realises the scruffy dog wasn't actually after his clouds but was lonely like him too. Luckily the hot air balloon does get too far and the scruffy dog and The Cloudspotter are reunited, leaving them to have their adventures in the sky together.

This is a lovely book about friendship and learning how to share your interests with other people. The story isn't too dissimilar to Oliver Jeffers Lost and Found, but with Tom being Oliver's cousin I don't think he'll mind too much. The illustrations are classic McLaughlin, with the cloud spreads having a dreamy quality to them. A lovely story to accompany any rainy day this summer holiday. 

The Cloudspotter is available to buy now at all good bookshops and online at the Bloomsbury website.

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.