Storybook Corner Book Review: I Know an Old Lady by Edward Miller

 I Know an Old Lady

Written & Illustrated 

by

Edward Miller

Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing

Publication date: 5th January 2021

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 20

RRP: $12.99AUD (Board Book)

Format read: eBook

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

About the book

An updated and slightly different take on a classic folk song “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” with a new, kid-friendly ending, I Know an Old Lady is a humorous picture book for children featuring the iconic old lady that can’t stop eating the strangest things! With memorable lyrics, absurd illustrations, and die-cut elements that gradually build and build upon each other until the old lady’s stomach is filled with bizarre objects, from a small fly all the way up to a horse, this silly children’s book of a timeless tale will delight both kids and parents alike! 

 

My review

 

A new take on an old classic that many readers would have grown up listening to, or reciting themselves.

 

The images are colourful and wonderfully detailed in a cute cartoon style. I enjoyed the depiction of the old lady who always seems to have a cup of tea and a cupcake on the go.

 

With a conservative move away from the original verse of "perhaps she'll die" Miller ends each stanza with a different rhyming match to "fly" such as "It makes me cry" and  "I'd rather eat pie."

It is hard to get the full visual effect with an eBook as the hard copy board book has peek-through die cut holes that show the every increasing animals inside the old lady as you turn the page.

Reading this book was a treat for me as well as the children. The full spread illustrations had many elements to look at apart from the mounting collection of animals in the old lady's belly. I loved that the animal that was next to be eaten appeared on the page previous to it being mentioned and the children could speculate what was coming next. The repetitive nature of the rhyming is conducive of audience participation and it didn't take them long to start joining in.

I didn't particularly like the ending with it's veer away from "She died, of course." I really don't think children take their story books so literally that they think an old lady died. Do we really need to be so sensitive? However this is a good version if you have a child that is sensitive to these things.  Anyway, I liked it enough to seek out a hard copy to add to my home library. It was a lot of fun! 

My rating 4/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Dot & Jay 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Edward Miller is the author of many nonfiction children's titles. A prolific graphic designer and longtime art director in children's publishing, Miller lives in New York City.

 

 

 

 

Storybook Corner Book Review: The Toad From Outer Space by Faiz Kermani

 

 

The Toad From Outer Space

by

Faiz Kermani

Illustrated by Korey Scott

 

Publisher: Children's Funny Books
Publication date: 3rd July 2020
Genre: Children / Picture storybook
Pages: 26
Format read: Softcover
Source: Courtesy of the author

 

About the book

 

Fizzy Frog Swamp was a beautiful location
A croaking wonderland for rest and relaxation
Every local frog possessing cold blood
Considered it a paradise of insects and mud

An uneventful life was all that they desired
The swamp provided everything that they required
If there was food, then nothing else mattered
But the peace of their home was about to be shattered…

 

My review

 

Snotbubble (a name that elicited many giggles) was forced to leave his home as it had become overrun with pollution and human waste. He makes a rocket from refuse left In the lake. Crash landing in Fizzy Frog Swamp a quiet, unpolluted haven he spins a story to the frogs that he is an alien from outer space. Mudball is suspicious about Snotbubble’s story and does some investigating. He is soon found out to be lying and decides to come clean and tell the truth. When they hear his story of how the lake was polluted and all the inhabitants had to leave, they tell him they must all stick together and he can stay.

I really enjoy Faiz Kermani’s children’s books! They have messages of acceptance, anti-bullying, being different, honesty and being your best self. I love the use of frogs and toads in these wonderful tales featuring anthropomorphism and are a fun way to introduce meaningful, related topics.

The Toad from Outer Space is a story of acceptance and honesty with themes of displacement and conservation. This picture storybook is told in verse and the story moves along smoothly with a good cadence and wonderful imagery.

Each page of text is accompanied by a full page colour plate giving the story an extra lift in imagery. The text also has a visual effect with colour, size and font change to express noise, movement, colour and atmosphere.

 

5/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Meet the author

 

 

Away from his serious scientific day job, in his free time, Faiz Kermani loves writing children's books that have funny and wacky themes.
A lot of his books have frogs in them but no one knows why.
His books have won awards in the US and UK and have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian. Faiz is also involved in various literacy projects with schools and non-profit work with healthcare charities.


For more information on his books please visit:

childrensfunnybooks.co.uk

 

 

Meet the illustrator

 

Korey Scott is an illustrator who specializes in children's books, educational material, and funny characters/cartoons.
His illustration style is perfect for capturing the attention of children and adults. Not only are they fun to look at, but they provide a beneficial resource to a child's education. He explains, "I love what I do, and try to put something unique in each project while learning something new too. When I am not drawing (and many times when I am) you can find me telling jokes, making sound effects, speaking Spanish, and trying to make people laugh".


See more of Korey's work at:

childrensillustrators.com/koreyscott/portfolio

 

 Other books I've read by Faiz Kermani

The Frog Who Was Blue 

The Toad Who Loved Tea 

 

 

Book Review: There's a Zoo in My Poo by Prof. Felice Jacka

There's a Zoo in My Poo

by

Professor Felice Jacka

Illustrated by Rob Craw

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 28th July 2020

Genre: Children's / Non Fiction

Pages: 64

RRP: $24.99 AUD

Format read: Hardcover

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

About the book:

There's a Zoo in your Poo!
It needs a Zookeeper
And that Keeper is YOU! 

Did you know that trillions of tiny bugs live in and on all of us? And there's a Zoo of bugs in our poo. But which are the good bugs and which are the bad? What should we eat to keep our good bugs happy and our body strong?

Get to the guts of what you need to know about you and your poo.

Professor Felice Jacka is a world expert in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health. Teacher and musician Rob Craw is a world expert at drawing bugs!

They want kids to know all about the amazing stuff going on in their bodies.

Get ready for a journey inside the most exciting of places ... YOU! 

My review: 

It’s no secret that kids love books about bodily functions. There are a plethora of books to choose from about poos and farts. These books tend to be more fun than educational emphasising the fact that poos and farts are a normal part of life.

Professor Felice Jacka goes a whole lot further with her educational and fun children’s book There’s a Zoo in My Poo to explain gut health with zany illustrations and catchy rhymes. The book tells us all about the bugs that live in our gut, both good and bad, the food that we eat and the effect it has on these bugs, what the good bugs feed on, healthy food for a healthy body and brain.

 

Six year old Dot really enjoyed the concept of being the zookeeper of her body and once I explained that the bugs inside your body aren’t like insect type bugs but tiny invisible bugs you can’t see, she was much more receptive to the idea of how they lived inside you.

 

There is quite a lot of information in this 64 page book and I found it better to concentrate on a small area of the book at a time. The catchy rhyming poems were a great feeder into the more in-depth ins and outs of the workings of the gastrointestinal tract.

 

I knew the book was having some effect when Dot was asking me if the food she was eating was feeding her good bugs or bad bugs. That’s a win!

 

There’s a Zoo in My Poo focuses on the principles of gut health with colourful microbes and entertaining prose making this complex topic easier for children, and adults, to understand. gut health is an important topic and you can never start too young to teach children about healthy eating. It is great to see a children’s book addressing the ‘why’ of healthy eating. It’s a book that can be pulled out whenever your children’s eating habits go off track.

Read together from 6+

 

Read alone from 8+

⭐⭐⭐⭐ from Dot

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐from me

About the author: 

Professor Felice Jacka is an international expert in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health and leads a research field examining how individuals' diets affect mental and brain health.

About the illustrator:

Rob Craw is a teacher, musician, and illustrator, who shares Jacka's passion for educating everyone, especially kids, about the importance of healthy eating.

 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

  the Australian Women Writers challenge  and the Non Fiction reader challenge

 

 

 

Book Review: Crack Up by Jules Faber

Crack Up

by

Jules Faber

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Pan

Publication date: 31st March 2020

Series: Book #2

Genre: Middle Grade / Teen

Pages: 232

RRP: $12.99 AUD

Format read: paperback

Source: courtesy of the publisher

Max Crack and his best friend Frankie are back with even more quest-ordinary adventures!

Armed with a shiny new quest list, they are on a mission to find a meteorite, make a movie, solve a sisterly feud, eat truckloads of chocolate, set a World Record ...

Funny fonts, gross stuff, embarrassing moments, speech bubbles and strange creatures. Read all about it!

Max Crack and best friend Frankie Doink are back again with more quests, bigger and better than before.

Max starts a new journal/diary which runs from November to end of February. A four month period that includes the end of year school holidays which gives the boys plenty of time to complete new quests.

After seeing a shooting star and feeling a shudder like an earthquake the boys think it could have been a meteorite. Their first quest: find a meteorite.

At school their class will be involved in trying to break a world record. They will also be having a movie making competition.

I loved that the stories weren’t all about winning but working together and having fun.

The boys are eager to attend their first pop concert and find work mowing lawns for an elderly local resident who tells them of her falling out with her sister. Thus prompting their next quest: to reunite the sisters.

The boys take the ups and downs of life in their stride. Max eager for his own smart phone is happy to take his father’s hand-me-down and the rules that go with owning a phone.

We see the comparison of Frankie’s large rambunctious family to Max’s only child family. Both families are caring and interested in the boys activities.

As an adult I am keen for young children to read books with good role models and I think Max and Frankie have achieved this status. They have fun, are a little dorky, are respectful, don’t expect to be given the world, argue and make up, give everything their best effort and never complain.

I loved the second book in this series even more than the first.

There are blank pages at the end to write your own quest list, favourite movies, world records you want to set, places you wish to explore and also a few pages to try your own sketches.

My rating 5/5         ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jules Faber is a cartoonist and illustrator, most well-known for illustrating the 'WeirDo' series by comedian Anh Do, for which they've won multiple awards, including Book of the Year for Older Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards

He's also illustrated David Warner's 'Kaboom Kid' series Michael Pryor's 'Leo Da Vinci' series, Alex Ratt's 'Stinky Street Stories' and some of Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's science books.

When he's not illustrating books, Jules loves reading books and graphic novels, and collecting comics. he has served four, two-year terms as the president of the Australian cartoonists Association and is a member of the CBCA NSW Committee.

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

Click the cover to read my review.

Storybook Corner Book Review: Kiki & Jax by Marie Kondo

Kiki & Jax

by

Marie Kondo

Co-written and illustrated by Salina Yoon

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication date: 12th November 2019
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Pages: 40
RRP: $22.99AUD
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Kiki and Jax are best friends, but they couldn't be more different.

Kiki likes to collect things, Jax likes to sort things.

But when things start getting in the way, can they make space for what has always sparked joy..... each other?

Kiki, a squirrel, and Jax, an owl, were best friends but they didn’t like everything the same. Kiki loved to collect things whilst Jax loved sorting things.

Kiki had so many things collected all over her house she couldn’t find what she needed when Jax came over to ask her out to play or go swimming. Kiki always had to play at Jax house. She wished she could play with her best friend at her house but there was no room.

Jax said he could help Kiki sort her collections. It was his favourite thing to do. Together they sorted and piled and stored. Now Kiki had room for all her favourite things and most important….room for her best friend.

Marie Kondo has used her life changing magic of tidying theories to include your children in the tidying process. By making it fun, tidying can be something you can enjoy together.

Salina Yoon’s full page colour illustrations give a visual aspect to Marie Kondo’s sparsely worded story making it perfect for even the younger children in the family.

In this time when children are at home more than ever this is a gentle story about the benefits of keeping a tidy room.

Although I did like the idea of sorting and categorising items into keep, donate and throw out I think she could have included something on storage and labelling so everything has its place.

Kondo includes her mantra of “sparking joy” in this story and I’m not sure how this will convert to a child’s thinking. Everything sparks joy in a child, even if it is that stone, feather or string they found on a walk.

Dot loves this story. We have read it over and over. She always says “I can be Kiki”. She loves to collect things too and she loves to look at the illustration of Kiki’s house with all her stuff spread everywhere. We read this as a fun story about a squirrel and an owl but not so much a story about keeping everything sorted and tidy.

 

 Rated by Dot  4/5      ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Photo credit: Goodreads

 

Marie Kondo has been enchanted with organising since her childhood and began her tidying consultancy business as a nineteen year old university student in Tokyo. Today she is a renowned tidying expert, helping people around the world to transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. She stars in the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and is the founder of KonMari Media, Inc. Marie has featured in numerous magazines and newspapers and was listed as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

Marie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two young children.

About the Illustrator:

Photo credit: Goodreads

 

Salina Yoon was born in Korea and emigrated to the United States at the age of four. She is an author, illustrator and format designer and has worked on nearly 200 books for young children, specialising in interactive and novelty books. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and their two sons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storybook Corner Book Review: The Gruffalo's Child (15th Anniversary Edition) by Julia Donaldson

The Gruffalo's Child (15th Anniversary Edition)

by

Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Macmillan Children’s Books

Publication date: 24^th September 2019

Genre: Children’s / Picture Books

Pages: 40

RRP: $14.99 AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood.

But one wild and windy night the Gruffalo's child disobeys her father's warnings and ventures out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn't really exist … does he?
The Gruffalo's Child is the number one bestselling, much-loved sequel to the worldwide picture book phenomenon that is The Gruffalo. Julia Donaldson's trademark rhyming text and Axel Scheffler's brilliant, characterful illustrations combine once more to ensure that the Gruffalo's Child has followed firmly in her father's footsteps and that her story is one that children will ask for again, and again … and again!

Children have always enjoyed tales of dark, scary creatures and the Gruffalo’s child is no exception. The Gruffalo tells his daughter she should never go out in the deep dark wood or the Big Bad Mouse will be after her.

The Gruffalo’s child decides to find this Big Bad Mouse. She isn’t scared. The story follows her through the snow swept woods as she comes across different animals; a snake, an owl, and follows tracks to see who they lead to. Will she find the Big Bad Mouse?

The Gruffalo’s Child is told in rhyming verse and the use of voice variation gives depth to the story. Scheffler’s illustrations give the Gruffalo’s child a human like dimension as she carries her favourite toy, a doll made of sticks.

The Gruffalo's Child 15th Anniversary Edition features:

- A wrap-around snowy wood play scene and press-out characters for an interactive reading experience.

- Plus additional book content including letters from author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.

- The Gruffalo's Child Song.

- A Gruffalo's Child quiz.

- And tips for putting on a Gruffalo's Child show!

We all enjoyed playing with the wrap around scene, acting out the story and also making up our own stories with the animals.

With this 15^th Anniversary Edition you can be assured the Gruffalo will delight yet another generation of children.

The Gruffalo’s Child is on the 2020 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge list for K-2.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Our rating  5/5

About the author 

Photo: Pan Macmillan Aus

Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. 
 

 

 

 

About the illustrator

Axel Scheffler is a star illustrator whose instantly recognisable, warm and witty illustrations have acheived worldwide acclaim and numerous awards. Axel is the illustrator of some of the world's best-loved picture books.

Other books we've read by Julia Donaldson:

 

                                                                                           

   

Storybook Corner Book Review: The Truth Pixie Goes to School by Matt Haig

The Truth Pixie Goes to School

by

Matt Haig

Illustrated by Chris Mould

Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication date: 1st August 2019
Genre: Children's
Pages: 122
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Won in a giveaway

New school. New friends. Same old pixie.

'Aada started her new school,
And the pixie came too.
But this school was a place
Where it was hard to be true . . .'

An uplifting story that will delight younger readers and help them to be themselves in their school uniform. With words by the bestselling mastermind Matt Haig and pictures by the inky genius Chris Mould.

With Dot starting school this week I thought The Truth Pixie Goes to School an apt read.

There once was a girl

Who lived far away

And tried to be kind

Whatever the day.

Aada lived with her dad. She was sad because she was moving towns and had to start a new school. This is sad at the best of times but poor Aada’s Gran had died and her father had lost his job. But Aada had her best friend, the Truth Pixie, who went with her everywhere and when times were tough and Aada was sad the Pixie was always there to cheer her up.

When they started school the Pixie was outspoken and everyone laughed at her for being different. Aada was embarrassed and wanted to fit in with the other kids so she turns her back on the Pixie. The Pixie, rejected, leaves and goes home. Aada soon misses her quirky best friend but has she lost her forever?

The Truth Pixie Goes to School is a fun, enjoyable story told in rhyming verse. The quirky illustrations by award winning illustrator Chris Mould are as much a part of the story as the verse that accompanies them.

A poignant tale with themes of bullying, hurting a friend’s feelings, being true to yourself, saying sorry and not changing to fit in with the crowd.

Don’t try to be something

You really are not.

Your one true self

Is the best thing you’ve got.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Dot's rating  5/5

About the author:

Photo credit: Goodreads

 
As well as being a number one bestselling writer for adults Matt haig has won the Blue Peter Book Award, the Smarties Book Prize and been nominated three times for the Carnegie Medal for his stories for children and young adults.
In 2018, The Truth Pixie was a Sunday Times children's bestseller.



  

About the illustrator:

Photo credit: Goodreads

Chris Mould went to art school at the age of sixteen. he has won the Nottingham Children's Book Award and been commended by the Sheffield Children's Book Award. he likes to write and draw the kind of books he would have liked to have had on his shelf as a boy.






 

Storybook Corner Book Review: Arabella and the Magic Pencil (Children's Picture Book) +related craft

Arabella and the Magic Pencil

by

Stephanie Ward

Illustrated by Shaney Hyde

Publisher: EK Books 
Publication date: 1st September 2019
Pages: 32
RRP: $24.99 AUD
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Arabella is a very happy only child living a perfectly pleasant life.

Until she gets a baby brother who utterly upsets everything!

So Arabella erases Avery with her magic pencil. Problem solved.

She's sure her life will go back to being perfect now....wont it?

A fun-filled look at sibling rivalry and creative problem-solving!

“There once was a girl named Arabella”

We loved how the story started like a fairytale. A simple statement that sets the scene!

Arabella was the only child of the Duke and Duchess. She was granted a royal wish every year.

Arabella’s wishes were for fanciful things, wishes a child could relate to; a pink dog (that gave Dot a giggle). Dot’s wish was a real live unicorn.

Arabella didn’t wish for a little brother but that’s what she got. She loved Avery but he made lots of noise and ruined all her games until one day Arabella got so annoyed she made him disappear.

But life was too quiet, too calm and Arabella was sad. How can she get Avery back?

Anyone who has ever been a sibling probably knows what it feels like to wish that their irritating brother or sister would just vanish for a little while.

I remember when Jay first arrived on the scene Dot was not at all impressed and even drew family pictures without him in it. Luckily our young memories are short and she doesn’t remember ever not wanting her little brother around.

Stephanie Ward has produced a story that will never age. Sibling rivalry will be with us as long as little brothers and sisters keep arriving to change the family dynamics.

Arabella and the Magic Pencil is a charming story filled with magic and wonder to enhance a child’s imagination. The story includes words to extend the child’s vocabulary and Dot was quick to ask the meaning of ‘mayhem' and ‘acoustics’.  Alliteration is used at times to give a fun rhythm to the story; Dainty dolls dined, Pretty princesses paraded.

The watercolour illustrations are a feast for the eyes. Shaney Hyde has given the story extra meaning through little touches in her illustrations. A royal bird (wearing a crown) can be found on each double spread, Arabella in her tent, headphones on, listening to music, Avery’s little blue dinosaur makes quite a few appearances, dragonflies, ladybugs, singing flowers all displayed in beautiful pastel colours until Avery disappears. The colour also disappears leaving Arabella and her surroundings in a sepia tone.

Arabella and the Magic Pencil is a wondrous picture book, not only for a young girl or boy who has had a new sibling enter their world but for any girl or boy who is enthralled by magic and imagination.

Dot had a lot of fun colouring and playing with the Arabella and Avery paper dolls.

 

Visit Stephanie’s website to download the paper doll activity sheet and colouring pages.

https://stephaniemward.com/books/

End note: Jay stomped around the room making dinosaur noises while we read the book. (little bothers 🤣🤣)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Rated by Dot 5/5

About the author:

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

Stephanie Ward is an award-winning children's author and reviewer who splits her time between London, Seattle and Sydney. She spent 15 years in public relations before deciding to dedicate herself to what she loves - writing stories for children. Stephanie has five award-winning picture book manuscripts.

 About the illustrator:

Photo credit: EKBooks

Shaney Hyde is an Early Childhood Teacher from Melbourne who runs art workshops for children and draws inspiration from her own playful childhood. Arabella and the Magic Pencil is the first book she has illustrated, fulfilling a long-held dream.