Picture This: What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside

Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are up to their sneaky tricks again! Luckily Ladybird is on hand once more to save the day. 

What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside follows the successful formula of the previous stories, with clever Ladybird foiling Hugh and Len with some animal-noise confusion. This story is lots of fun to read aloud thanks to Donaldson's clever use of onomatopoeia and joyful rhyme scheme, and little ones will be keen to get involved too. 

Hugh and Len's failed escapades prompted lots of giggles, as ever, but despite its similarities to the rest of the series, this story still feels fresh and new. 

Monks' artwork is bright and cheerful. I could look for ages at the friendly, detailed landscapes which are full of fun things to spot. Little readers will love the glitter on every page, and its always fun to search for the tiny ladybird too. This story also featured a few of our favourites from previous Donaldson/Monks stories, which were fun to spot. 

Thank you Macmillan for sending us a copy for review. 

What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside is written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Lydia Monks

Indie Spotlight: Fairy-Tailed Wish

I'm trying out a new feature, which I'm hoping to do once a month: indie spotlight! Today's post is about Fairy-Tailed Wish, by Megan Pighetti. You can read a little bit from Megan about this fairy-filled, birthday picture book below. 

This is more than a book…it is a childhood experience to be treasured for a lifetime. Do you have a birthday coming up? Then you have to check out Fairy Tailed Wish, by Megan Pighetti. Building anticipation and excitement on the birthday eve night. Then the minute your child opens their eyes they will know they are loved and celebrated!  

What happens when someone makes a wish to be Fairy-Tailed on their Birthday Eve?

It’s up to Suzie and her fairies-in-training to see that the wish is granted. But when fairy dust meets toilet paper, things don’t always go as planned. Dashing up and zooming down, tying knots and winding around, a nighttime mission can quickly go wrong and wake a sleeping child. Will Suzie and her fairies escape in time before they are discovered?

Available on Amazon or for more information check out the book: www.FairyTailedWish.com 

Picture This: The Perfect Shelter

The Perfect Shelter explores family illness in a way that's easy for young children to understand. The little girl in the story just wants to build a shelter and have fun with her sister, and illness appears to threaten her favourite family activity. But it's always the perfect time to build a shelter and to be together. This is emotional, heartfelt picture book is very special. 

Not naming the characters helps young children to identify with the narrator and what she is going through, as it is easy for them to put themselves in her place. I also liked the way changes in the protagonist's life are echoed by the weather - it's easy to fix their shelter after a breeze and a bit of rain, but the storm makes it much harder. 

My house seems to have a shelter in every room at the moment, so when this arrived we were quick to snuggle down in one to enjoy this touching story together. While it wasn't written with the current health crisis in mind, I think The Perfect Shelter will still be very comforting for children frightened by the impact of COVID-19. Its themes of shelter and family security will help them feel safe and loved.

Thank you Little Tiger Books for sending us a copy of this story to review.

The Perfect Shelter is written by Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by Asa Gilland

Roxy & Jones: The Great Fairytale Cover-Up

Once Upon a Modern Time, in the city of Rexopolis, in the Kingdom of Illustria, lived twelve-year-old Roxy Humperdinck, half-sister to Hansel and Gretel (yes, THE Hansel and Gretel, not that she knows it). Enter Cinderella ("Call me Jones") Jones, who most definitely does NOT want to marry ghastly Prince Charming and is far too busy hunting for lost relics of the Cursed Kingdom. But now she needs Roxy’s help. And Roxy’s about to discover the truth about her world and her family: that witches are real, magic is real and fairy tales are not only real ... but recent history.

Roxy & Jones is full of fast-paced, fairytale madness. From lost shoes to talking mirrors and even enchanted vegetable transport - this story has everything your heart could desire.

I think this story will be a huge hit with young readers everywhere. Who wouldn't want to discover that their favourite fairytales were reality and had been covered up by the Minister for Soup, an enchantment placed over the world and fairy godmothers forced to live in secret? Throw in lots of rhyming hilarity and readers will be giggling from beginning to end. 

Roxy & Jones was full of brilliant characters who I hope we return to in future stories. Jones loves adventure and wants to get revenge on her horrible family (which would be easier if she didn't keep losing one of her shoes). Roxy is pulled reluctantly into Jones's crazy schemes, and learns she's braver and more resourceful than she thinks. Frankie, Jones's fairy godmother, was another fantastic addition, and I loved Roxy's siblings too. 

Woolfe's writing is brilliant and I think readers will love her crazy, fairytale world. 

Picture This: The Bedtime Book

Mouse has lost her favourite bedtime book and can't sleep without it. Her friends all help her to track it down, but sometimes even knowing where something is, isn't enough to bring it back. 

The Bedtime Book is a lovely story about friendship and sharing, with kind, helpful characters and a sweet message. It is a soothing bedtime story but would also work well in a classroom, especially when someone is sad because something has been lost. 

The simple artwork in bright colours will catch the eye of even the youngest readers and the pictures tell the story as vividly as the words. 

Thank you Little Tiger Books for sending me a copy to review.

The Bedtime Book is written by S Marendaz and illustrated by Carly Gledhill

Dangerous Remedy

Camille, a revolutionary's daughter, leads a band of outcasts – a runaway girl, a deserter, an aristocrat in hiding. As the Battalion des Mortes they cheat death, saving those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of Madame La Guillotine. But their latest rescue is not what she seems. The girl's no aristocrat, but her dark and disturbing powers means both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries want her. But who and what is she?

In these dangerous days, no one can be trusted, everyone is to be feared. As Camille learns the truth, she's forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future. {goodreads summary}

Oh wow, this is a fast paced, action packed YA that you won't want to miss. Here are three reasons I couldn't put Dangerous Remedy down. 

1. The setting. Revolutionary Paris is definitely underused in novels. I adored Enchantée last year and it was fascinating to see the same location only slightly later in time. I loved all the little details: the street names, the food, the clothes. There was a constant sense of threat and danger which kept me on edge throughout, and plenty of gore too! Plus the tensions and blurred lines between the royalists and the revolutionaries was really interesting to see explored. 

2. The Battalion des Mortes gave me Six of Crows vibes. If you like stories about found-families and bands of misfits coming together to right wrongs and commit daring rescues, this novel is for you! The relationships between the characters are complex and intriguing and it was refreshing to read a series opener that focuses on characters staying together rather than getting together. 

3. Twists! I don't want to put too much detail in here, I just want to say wow! This was a story where I never knew quite what was going to happen next. And that amazing feeling when you're 96% through a book and suddenly realise there's going to have to be a sequel? It had that too. 

I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to return to these wonderful, complex, messy characters in the next book. 

I received an eARC of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Clap When You Land

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. {goodreads summary}

Clap When You Land is an emotional story with a lot of heart, and lyrical writing which flies off the page. This was such a delight to read. It's a perfect, bittersweet summer story that will have you longing for the beach and desperate to book a flight to the Dominican Republic. Acevedo brings her locations vividly to life, so that I felt like I was in a Dominican Republic summer rather than an English Spring. 

Characterisation is extremely strong. Camino and Yahaira have distinctive voices and I loved the way their stories intertwined. I was never disappointed when the viewpoint switched as they were both so brilliant and great to read about. Clap When You Land is a story about family, in all its complexities and different guises. Camino and Yahaira's Papi is a complicated character, who fills the book even though the plot hinges on his absence. He loves both of his daughters dearly, and they him. It is through losing him that they find each other. 

I've always found there's something incredibly accessible about verse novels, which helps them appeal to a huge range of readers. Even the most reluctant of teens will be sucked into this story and Acevedo's beautiful writing. The verse heightens the emotional impact of the novel, and this is a truly moving and wonderful story. I would recommend Clap When You Land to teenage readers without hesitation.