Review: Where is the Green Sheep?

Where is the Green Sheep?

Written by Mem Fox

Illustrated by Judy Horacek

Publication date: 2004
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN: 978-0152049072

Summary/Back cover:
There are red sheep and blue sheep, wind sheep and wave sheep, scared sheep and brave sheep, but where is the green sheep?

The search is on in this cozy, sheep-filled story from acclaimed author Mem Fox and popular Australian cartoonist Judy Horacek. Complete with sleepy rhymes and bright illustrations, this book is sure to delight children of all ages, from the very young to those just beginning to read.

Review:
This book has such a simple text base that it means preschoolers can learn to read it to themselves quite quickly - and it has the mystery of the missing green sheep throughout, which keeps the littlies guessing until the very end.

The entire book is made up of rhyming text such as:
Here is the blue sheep.
And here is the red sheep.
Here is the bath sheep.
And here is the bed sheep.
But where is the green sheep?

The repetitive nature of the text helps preschoolers to know what is coming next and to help read along.  My 3 year old enjoys telling me what sort of sheep is coming next by looking at the beautiful cartoon pictures, and my 1 year old enjoys pointing out the sheep on each page (not a hard task, as they're lovely, uncluttered pictures).

This book is definitely a winner here, and I've seen it for sale in our local bookshop with a soft-toy green sheep - that would go down very well, here!

A book worth having on your bookshelf - it comes in both paper-pages and board-book copies, so even your littlest people can read it to themselves.

My rating: 4.3 out of 5

Review written by Bronwyn

Review: Are you My Mother?

Are You My Mother?

Written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman

Publication Date: 1960
Publisher: Beginner Books
ISBN: 0-394-80018-4

Another classic story that even your parents might know from when they were kids (depending when your parents were born). This one is about a baby bird that hatches while his mother is out collecting food. So begins the baby bird’s journey to find his mother. Along the way he encounters many other creatures and machines, and to each one he asks the question: “Are you my mother?” until, at last, the mother and baby are reunited. In summary, it’s a story about belonging.

While it’s a solid story that’s easy to read, similar stories have since been released in bolder colours, with bigger pictures, and probably a shorter story (the bird does seem to encounter a lot of red-herrings before eventually realising who is mother is). Given that similar, more modern, possibly even better stories exist that convey the same theme, I find it difficult to enthusiastically recommend this book unless you are really fond of the originality and vintage quality of it.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Ed's Egg

Ed's Egg

Written by David Bedford

Illustrated by Karen Sapp

Publication date: 2010
Publisher: QED Publshing
ISBN: 978-1-84835-750-1

Summary/Back cover:
Ed loves living in his egg because it's warm and safe.  What happens when his egg cracks?  Will he come out and play?

Beautifully illustrated, QED Storytime introduces young children to the pleasures of reading and sharing stories.  Supporting notes for parents and teachers are also included.

Review:
This book is gorgeous!  It features a young chick who really doesn't want to leave his egg, but pieces of it keep breaking away as the story continues, until all he is left with is one little piece on his head.  The chick soon comes to realise that change is inevitable, and that there's still warmth and happiness to be found outside his comfort zone.

My three year old really enjoys this book - beautiful bright illustrations, and simple words with plenty of funny sound ("Hoppity Hopping" is his favourite one).  There are three other books in this series - Daisy Dinosaur Gets Lost, How to Catch a Falling Star, and The Wishing Stone.

My rating: 4 out of 5.

Review written by Bronwyn

Review: Go, Dog. Go!

Go, Dog. Go!

Written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman

Publication Date: 1961
Publisher: Beginner Books
ISBN: 0-394-80020-6

P. D. Eastman was a protégé of Dr. Seuss, and as such, several of his books are classics of the same generation as those of Dr. Seuss. You may recognise some of Eastman’s books from your own childhood, most notably Go, Dog. Go! and, Are You My Mother?.

Go, Dog. Go! begins with the simple word “Dog” then moves on to different sized dogs, different coloured dogs, and different amounts of dogs. As the story progresses, so too do the activities of the dogs and the concepts of up and down, in and out, and under and over are introduced.
My two year old boys really love this book – especially the bits where the dogs are driving. I like this book for its ability to introduce actions and concepts in a fun way.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Publication Date: 1960
Publisher: Beginner Books
ISBN-13: 978-0394800134

This is less a narrative and more a collection of rhymes about random nonsensical things. Have you ever sung in the shower with a Ying? Or given a Zed a haircut? Or ridden on the hump of a Wump? Do you have no idea what I’m talking about? You’ll have to read this book to find out.

Like the other Dr. Seuss books this one is a lot of fun to read and a lot of fun to listen to.

In spite of the crazy rhymes and wild images, the book ends with a sleeping Zeep, making it a not completely inappropriate book for reading to the kids at bed-time.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Publication Date: 1957
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0-394-90001-4

According to the quick search I did on Wikipedia, this story was written in response to a challenge to write a book for children using a limited number of words considered important for children starting school to be familiar with.
Obviously, this is a classic that we remember from our own childhoods, and with good reason. The rhyming is engaging, the story is fantastical (a weird-looking cat wearing an oversized hat who just shows up on the doorstep and wrecks havoc!), and there’s enough suspense to keep us all interested to the last word.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: Wee Little Bunny

Wee Little Bunny

Written by Lauren Thompson

Illustrated by John Butler

Publication Date: 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7937-1

Summary/back cover:
A young rabbit enjoys a “busy, dizzy” day of playing in the meadow near his home.

Review:
This is a perfect book for young listeners and those learning to read on their own. There’s only a sentence or two per page, and the rest of the page space is taken up with gorgeous illustrations of the wee bunny’s adventures.

The story is simple and sweet and reads beautifully. My two year-olds already have some of the words memorised and love to help me read the story.

My rating: 4.8 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: The Two of Us - Bono & Suma

The Two of Us - Bono & Suma

Photography by Neil McLeod

Text by Denise Burt

Publication date: 1979
Publisher: Childerset Pty. Ltd

ISBN: 0-909404-63-1

Gorgeous photo book starring Bono and Suma, twin Orang-utans born in captivity at the Royal Melbourne Zoo.  While it reads more like the captions on a Facebook photo album, the pair are so cute and cheeky that you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't adore them or this book. 

I find it a refreshing change from drawn pictures and it is a nice and easy read with just one sentence per photo.  And did I mention how cute they are?!

4/5

Review written by QTCass

Review: Market Day

Market Day

Written by Heather Amery

Illustrated by Stephen Cartwright

Publication Date: 2002

Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

ISBN: 0-7460-48971

Summary/back cover:

This series of delightful short stories has been especially written, with the help of a language expert, for young children who are just beginning to read. With the help and encouragement of an adult, beginner readers will be able to achieve the pleasure and satisfaction of reading a whole book for themselves.

Market Day is one of the stories in the Usborne Farmyard Tales series. There are 20 stories, in total. They are short and easy to read and as the back cover summary suggests, they’d be ideal for children first learning to read. My children aren’t at that stage, yet, but I find this story (and the two others we own from the series) good for helping them learn new words. The pictures and the writing complement each other so it’s easy for children to make the connection between what I’m reading them and what they’re seeing in the pictures.

With the farming theme running through the stories they would be particularly good for children who have family that run a farm or lifestyle block with animals.

Another attractive feature of these books is the little yellow duck to search for on every page. Oh, and they’re as cheap as chips – you might even be able to find them in the supermarket!

My rating:  3.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s

Review: There Is a Bird on Your Head!

There Is a Bird on Your Head!

Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

Publication date: 2007
Publisher: Hyperion Books
ISBN: 978-1-4063-1470-0

Summary/Back cover:

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In There Is a Bird On My Head!, Gerald discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head—two birds on your head!  Can Piggie help her best friend?

Review:
We found this book in the library among the 'emergent reader' titles, and it's just fantastic!  The words are all small enough for a beginner reader to know, and predictable enough for my 2 year old to say the next line, based on the pictures.

I love that it is so simple, but very humerous.  The facial expressions on Elephant and Piggie throughout the book are priceless, and make reading the book, which is written in speech bubbles, a lot of fun.

I can see this series of books being popular with my son when he becomes a reader - and I don't think I'll tire of them any time soon, either!

My rating: 4.8 out of 5.

Other books available in the Elephant and Piggie series:
I Am Invited to a Party!
Today I Will Fly!
My Friend is Sad

Review written by Bronwyn

Review: My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes

My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes

Written by Eve Sutton

Illustrated by Lynley Dodd

Publication date: 1978
Publisher: Puffin Books

ISBN: 978-0140502428

Summary/Back cover:

Lots of cats all around the world do exciting things like fly aeroplanes or play the violin – but my cat, an ordinary round-the-house cat, likes to hide in boxes. Children will love joining in with this fun rhyming story that is just right for beginner readers.

A classic New Zealand children's book with drawings by Lynley Dodd. This book is cute with lovely rhymes and illustrations but is quite repetitive to read. It would be good for kids when learning to read though and they love calling out "but MY cat likes to hide in boxes".

4 out of 5

Review written by Carrie

Review: Splish, Splash, Flappy Ducks

Splish, Splash, Flappy Ducks

Written by Ann Tobias

Illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic

Publication Date: 2005
Publisher: The Five Mile Press
ISBN: 978-1-74124-911-8

Summary/Back cover:
The rain poured down.
"It's a beautiful day," said Mama Duck. "A perfect day for little ducklings to play outside."
But the little ducklings have other ideas about being outside in the wet and the rain... until the sun comes out!

This is a beautiful wee book, made just that little bit more special with fuzzy bits - all the pictures of ducks in the book are fuzzy to touch, which appeals to my 2 year old greatly. He'll touch the duck, then touch another part of the page and say "Fuzzy... smooth" - great sensory learning happening there!

The story follows three ducklings who are sent to play outside in the rain. The ducklings grumble for a while, and talk about why they don't like the rain (one of them sneezes, which causes a fit of fake-sneezes in our house), but finishes with the ducks happy that the sun comes out for them to play in.

This is a lovely wee book that says it is for ages 5 and up, but is very suitable to read babies and toddlers, too. It would be a great first-reader though, so I guess that's why it has those ages on it?

It gets a bit confusing talking about Fluffy, Flappy and Fancy duck with their fuzzy feathers if you read the book multiple times in a sitting, but beyond that, this is a very easy book to read aloud to small children.

My rating: 4 out of 5.

Review written by Bronwyn