Thursday 7 July 2016

A Summer Splash with Little Tiger Press

I would like to say a huge thank you to Little Tiger Press, for inviting Aoife and I, to join them and celebrate their summer book releases at the weekend. We had a lovely time meeting the authors and illustrators, learning about what inspired their stories, the length it can take for a book to come out and about all the little bits that goes on behind the scenes at Little Tiger. There were fun activities for the children, face painting and dress up, we loved it, especially Aoife who was a very tired little girl by the end. Keeping with a summer splash theme, we then took a trip to the London Aquarium! It was a lovely day out in London.




Here with the latest summer releases from Little Tiger Press:

Nibbles: The Book Monster
By Emma Yarlett


Beware! There's a book eating monster on the loose and he's causing mayhem and mischief!  Will you be able to help catch him? Mr Nibbles, a naughty but cute monster has nibbled his way through the book and other fairy tales; children will have fun lifting flaps and peering through holes and following the destruction left by Nibbles. Help catch this cheeky little monster in this delightful and very funny read!
You can find a full review here.

The Great Aaa-Ooo!
By Jonny Lambert


I have had the pleasure of reviewing two of Jonny Lambert's books already; Little Why and I Love you More and More (illustrated only). He has a very distinct style which I love. The Great Aaa-Ooo! features a mouse, owl, bear, moose and wolf cub who are all very scared; it's dark and something is making a terrible noise! Is it a monster? Join the animals to help solve the mystery.





With a fun lyrical text, this is a great bedtime story and for reassuring little ones of the dark! Beautifully illustrated animals and funny going ons, children and adults will love it! Available in shops mid-August and online here.


There's No Such Thing as a Snappenpoop
By Jeanne Willis
Illustrated by Matt Saunders


Big brothers beware! This is a delightfully wicked, cautionary tale. Little Brother is desperate to play with Big Brother as he always plays the best game, but if you have ever had an older sibling, they don't always want to play with you. Big Brother wants to get rid of him and tells him to fetch a unicorn, a flying lion and even a Snappenpoop but there's no such thing as a Snappenpoop... or is there?






Packed full with magical creatures, children will be enjoy this story, especially when the bossy big Brother gets his comeuppance! Be warned, older siblings! Available in bookshops soon and online here.

Paws McDraw
By Connah Brecon


Join Paws McDraw, the fastest doodler in the west, he can draw himself out of trouble any day. However when the Rascally Racoon Gang come to town and start ruining the bunnies' cupcake carnival, will Paws McDraw be able to save the day or has he met his match? Or will he need a little help from his friends?





This fun western themed story will have your little ones cheering on Paws McDraw to save the day. With a comic book feel, brightly coloured illustrations and cute little bunnies, what more could you want. Yee-haw! Available in bookshops soon and online here.


The Messy Book
By Maudie Powell-Tuck
Illustrated by Richard Smythe


Naughty Cat, she has made a huge mess of the book and won't tidy up, no matter how many times Dog asks her. She tries to hide it, jump on it, anything but tidy it away. Poor Dog, he offers to help Cat tidy it away but when the mess explodes out of the hoover, Dog has had enough, it's time to tidy up! Just in time for a party. And the morale of the story, it's easier to tidy up straight away and not let the mess get bigger and worse, it's never fun to tidy up a bigger mess!




I think I can relate to the Cat, there's always those days when you just can't face tidying up and I wish I could hide the mess! With just large speech bubbles, the conversation between the Cat and Dog is hilarious and the illustrations work so well. The Messy Book is very funny, though hopefully it won't give your little ones ideas on not tidying up their toys!
Available in bookshops soon and online here.

Professor Astro Cat’s Intergalactic Activity Book

Professor Astro Cat’s Intergalactic Activity Book

By Ben Newman & Zelda Turner
Published by Flying Eye Books


Calling all Space Cadets! Think you know your asteroid from your comet? Now you have the chance to flex those brain cells and test your space knowledge using this new out of this world activity book! 




Packed with amazing experiments and thrilling facts, this Intergalactic Activity Book offers a universe of excitement, and is bursting with ideas for a future at the frontiers of space! You'll find all kinds of activities and quizzes donning each page. From designing your own space patch to keeping a moon journal and even learning the NATO phonetic alphabet! After you've successfully completed it you'll be on the next mission to Mars before you know it. 

There is loads here to keep any child busy this Summer. The activities are separated into different parts, which is a great idea for keeping track of progress and setting goals for completion. And unlike some activity books, this is just a beauty to look at. Full of Ben Newman's great illustrations, each page is beautifully crafted. You certainly won't find a better activity this side of the galaxy. 




Professor Astro Cat’s Intergalactic Activity Book is available to buy now from all good bookshops and from the Flying Eye Books website. And in case you missed it, you can get in on the activity action and win a whole heap of Professor Astro Cat goodies by entering the 'Robot Pet' competition I announced yesterday. Full details on how to enter are here. Good luck!

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Professor Astro Cat Activity Competition

Calling all Space Cadets! To celebrate Professor Astro Cat's latest publication, Flying Eye Books are giving away an astronomical prize; the entire Professor Astro Cat back catalog, including the fantastic Solar System app!



All you have to do to have a chance of winning is complete the below activity from the new book. Simply draw a robot companion/pet to take into space. It can be as inventive as you like and use whatever you want to draw it. Then give it a name  and let us know what it's programmed to help you to do.



Once you're done, just tweet the final drawing to me (@TheBookwormBaby) and Flying Eye Books (@FlyingEyeBooks) and we'll pick the most inventive one on the 22nd July who will bag all the goodies. The competition is open to UK residents only (sorry!) and children up to the age of 11 can enter. You can download a printable activity sheet from here.

Professor Astro Cat’s Intergalactic Activity Book by Ben Newman & Zelda Turner is out now in all good bookshops and online from Flying Eye Books. Watch out for my review of the new activity book tomorrow!

Sunday 3 July 2016

The Fox and the Wild

The Fox and the Wild

By Clive McFarland
Published by Templar Publishing


This is the second authored picture book from Northern Ireland based illustrator, Clive McFarland. His follow up to A Bed for Bear is an animal adventure with a strong environmental message, all wrapped up in Clive's distinctive collage-based graphic style.




Fred is a city fox, born and bred. He has never left the city but longs to go to a place that's not noisy, smoky and dangerous. On one of his bin raids he comes across a flock of birds flying over the city. He calls to them asking where they were going but they don't hear him. Determined to find out where they were flying to, Fred asks some of the animals he comes across whilst walking through the city, but none of them can help him. that is until on the birds crash lands in front of him. Fred asks the bird and the bird tells him about 'the wild'. Fred then goes on a quest to find this place, often finding places within the city that match the bird's description but not being quite right. It's only when Fred gets scared by a rather scary digger that he finds himself in a tunnel which leads straight to the wild! 

Clive's collaged illustration is always a joy to look at. I love his work and have been a fan since his debut last year. His city scenes are stunning (the image below is my favourite from the book) and as always there are wonderful character designs for each animal depicted in the story. This is a really enjoyable picture book, with a story children will adore and a humorous ending that will certainly make you chuckle.




The Fox and the Wild is a joyous read with lovely colourful illustrations that are sure to make you a fox lover. It's out now to buy in all good bookshops and available to buy on the Templar website.

Friday 1 July 2016

Creaturepedia Activity Book

Creaturepedia Activity Book

By Adrienne Barman
Published by Wide Eyed Editions


This is the activity companion to the Bookseller Book of the Month, Creaturepedia. Adrienne Barman once again dons her pen to illustrate this fantastic activity book that all Creaturepedia fans will adore.



It's packed full of Adrienne Barman's animal illustrations, informative facts and most importantly lots of fun! The activities include drawing homey nests, prickles on porcupines and decorating butterfly wings. There's also drawing challenges using grids, drawing fishy friends for a hammerhead shark and drawing a meal for three hungry animals. On top of that there's a huge fold out colouring page and a lots and lots of stickers (100 stickers altogether!). 

This will certainly keep any budding artists busy this summer and animal lovers interested to finish the whole activity book. Perfect for those rainy days inside!



The Creaturepedia Activity Book is out now at all good bookshops and from the Quarto website.

The 50 States Activity Book

The 50 States Activity Book

Written by Gabrielle Balkan
Illustrated by Sol Linero
Published by Wide Eyed Editions


There's some great activity books coming out at the moment, they're great for the summer holidays and with a little fun learning thrown in, what more could you want for your little ones. The 50 States Activity Book, aimed at children between 8-12, offers a little bit of everything; fun facts, state trivia, dot to dot and many more activities, with solutions provided at the back. 


This is a summer companion title to the The 50 States book, which I treated myself to when I visited New York back in February, more info here. Both books are lavishly-illustrated, keeping the same style - I especially love the different illustrated type and colours used.




I personally like books that are well designed, insightful, look good and are great when you can learn something new alongside your child. The 50 States also includes a large poster which has a map of the 50 states on one side and suggests adding the landmark stickers which are provided. The other side includes the 50 state flags and a list of all the presidents.




Enjoy a fun packed journey through the States with this action packed activity book - learn about wildlife, people and places unique to the 50 States! Available in all good bookshops or online here.