Book Review: Lost but Found (Rescue dogs and their stories of adoption) by Peter Sharp

Lost but Found

by

Peter Sharp

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication date: 29th October 2019
Genre: Non Fiction
Pages: 216
RRP: $24.99AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

In Lost but Found , you will meet forty special dogs who have spent time at the Home. Their stories reveal how the dogs came to be lost, how and why they were in the shelter, and the love and care they received while there and in their new forever homes.

Fully illustrated and with both before- and after-adoption photography from award-winning pet photographer Peter Sharp of Tame & Wild Studio, this touching collection of precious pups will warm the hearts of animal lovers near and far.

About Sydney Dogs & Cats Home:

Sydney dogs and cats home is unique in its ability and commitment to find that ‘one in a million’ owner for animals in their care, as well as that ‘one in a million’ pet for people looking to adopt.

The home services multiple councils across Sydney, they take care of some 3,000 lost, abandoned and neglected pets each year. If they are unable to reunite a pet with its owner, they seek to find them a new and loving home.

The home has an extensive network of foster carers who take animals temporarily into care if they are not coping with the shelter life or if the shelter is at capacity. The home has a strict no-time-limit policy on every animal awaiting adoption.

If you would like to find out more about adopting or fostering please see the Home’s webite sydneydogsandcatshome.org

My thoughts on the book: 

You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this gorgeous book. The 40 dogs featured all have a story, each one different and interesting, of how they came to the home, the search for their owners and the story of how their new adoptive owners came to the shelter and found them. There is a follow up with each dog’s new owners saying how they are getting on with cute details about their antics and bonding.

The parts of the book I really loved were the interviews with the dogs which were quite often funny. Then each dog has a photo shoot with Peter Sharp. I can see why Peter is revered as a pet photographer. The photos were cute, charming and funny and showed off each dog’s personality.

The book also explains the senior pet project which is something I’ve never heard of before. In this project they adopt out older dogs in their twilight years. There are advantages to this for some people as the dogs need less exercise, the commitment is shorter and the dogs lead a quieter life. The new owners have the satisfaction that they have made the dog’s last years of life loving and comfortable.

A few important points on finding a new friend, microchipping and desexing are also included.

      

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My rating  5/5 (how can you not love a cute book of dog photos)

Peter Sharp is a Sydney-based photographer who has had a love of animals for as long as he can remember. Peter does all the photography for the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, while also running his business Tame & Wild Studio, and volunteering his services at three not-for-profit organisations. 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge  

and part of the NonFiction reader challenge Category: Nature. 

 

Storybook Corner Review & Giveaway: I Love My Dad Because (Children's Picture Activity Book) + related children's craft

I Love My Dad Because

by

Petra James

Illustrated by Allisa Dinallo

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 23rd July 2019
Pages: 32
RRP: $14.99
Format Read: Hardback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 
This book is for you and your dad.

Draw, decorate, colour in, count, play noughts and crosses, make a fish (or two) and then present the book to your dad for any special occasion: birthday, Xmas, Father's Day ... or just because.

An interactive picture book to personalise for your dad.

I Love My Dad Because will be out in bookstores in time for Father’s Day giving. A book to keep and cherish that is completed by your own child. There are activities to share; colour the fish, complete dad’s story, connect the stars, play noughts and crosses, decorate a castle, draw a picture of you and your dad. Thirty two pages of fun colouring and activities for you to share and keep as a lasting reminder of your little ones thoughts and dreams.

I Love My dad Because is a natural follow on from I Love My Mum Because, which we reviewed back in April. Dot loved this book! What child doesn’t love to draw colour and decorate, especially if it is a special gift to give to a parent. Completing the book and presenting it as their own work gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride and gives dad a lasting memento of their child’s formative years.

The book, designed and illustrated by Alissa Dinallo, features bright engaging colours and the illustrations have a childlike whimsy about them that is sure to appeal to young children.

I Love My Dad Because is an interactive picture book perfect for ages 3 – 7

Dot & Jay's rating 5/5  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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

and book #27 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

Dot had a lot of fun picking her favourite parts of the book for a craft activity. We decided on the fireworks and the fish colouring-in. 

Create your own fireworks:

Colour a sheet of paper with crayons in a multitude of colours.

Paint over the crayon with two to three coats of black paint.

When the paint dries scratch fireworks patterns with a pen lid or a pencil.

Trace and colour a fish:  

 Trace over the fish picture in the book. You will also need one large patty case for the tail and different coloured mini patty cases for the scales.

Starting from the tail of the fish cut the mini patty cases in half and glue them onto the fish. You can do stripes like Dot or mix them all up for a colourful fish.

Now for the giveaway:

With thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia I have one copy to giveaway. Enter via the form below.

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was - Krystyna.

Storybook Corner Book Review: Animalphabet (Children's Picture Book)

Animalphabet

by Julia Donaldson

illustrated by Sharon King-Chai 

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Two Hoots

Publication date: 30th October 2018

Pages: 32

RRP: $24.99

Format Read: Hardcover

Source: courtesy of the publisher

A splendidly die-cut alphabet of animals from Number 1 bestselling author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, and visionary illustrator Sharon King-Chai.
Each cleverly cut flap draws you further into a beautifully vibrant world of huge elephants, slithery snakes and growling tigers. Sharon King-Chai's bold colours and shapes make Animalphabet a rich delight for children of all ages while Julia Donaldson's rhythmic text is a pleasure to read aloud. The cleverly written, simple text invites children to compare one animal to another, and clever hints and peep-through holes within the artwork make this a hugely entertaining guessing game as well as a gorgeous book to treasure.
The perfect gift for boys and girls alike who will love embarking on a journey of discovery through the natural world, from one animal to another.

From the best selling author of The Gruffalo and The Guffalo's child.

This beautiful hardcover picture book tempts you right from the first look. The cover has a gorgeous illustration of two elephants in a forest, embellished with foil and cut-outs it’s a book that screams to be picked up.

Each page features an animal of the alphabet, bright splashes of colour, peep through cut-outs giving hints of what’s to come and flaps to lift and peek under. As each animal is introduced we are given a hint by way of a question as to what the next animal will be. B is a butterfly then the question is; Who has more legs than a butterfly?

Dot loved this book and her favourite part was guessing what animal came next. We have read this together many times and she is enjoying the accomplishment of getting more and more animals correct.

Ditto loves flaps and was more interested in seeing what is behind each flap than the related text but this is a book that will grow with the child and can be read and enjoyed over the years to come.

King-Chai’s illustrations are enchanting with great splashes of colour with the scenes perfectly matching the animals depicted with forest scenes, water scenes and desert scenes. A feast for the eyes!!

Animalphabet is a beautiful picture book that would make a treasured gift for any preschool child.

My Rating   5/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

photo courtesy of Goodreads

Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented prize-winning 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. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle books illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album covers, book covers, stationery and her books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet.


                                                      About the Illustrator 


Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. 
Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album artwork, book covers, stationery and her own books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet, a collaboration with Julia Donaldson. Sharon has a passion for innovation, and her artwork and clever use of paper cutting encourage the reader to think differently about the pages they hold in their hands.

                                       

Book Review: Laugh Your Head Off 4 Ever (Children's/Middle Grade)

Title: Laugh Your Head Off 4 Ever
Author: Various
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Aus
Publication Date: 30th October 2018
RRP: $19.99 
Pages: 208
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

 Just when you thought you were safe.....nine of Australia's favourite kids' authors are ready to get heads rolling - again.

9 authors
9 stories
to make you laugh your head off 4EVER

A runaway pram + an artsy alien + a cereal monster +a word-stealing curse + one dancing dad + three feral fairies + an evil genius + a hairy birthday + a super-duper pig = one hilarious book. 

Filled with delightfully quirky illustrations by Andrea Innocent, Laugh Your Head Off 4 Ever will appeal to both girls and boys, from middle to upper primary. 

This is another hilarious anthology of silly and fun stories by some of Australia’s best children’s authors.

Nine short stories perfect for bedtime that can be read alone or read out loud.

Runaway Pram by Andy Griffiths

A baby pram, a dog, a train, a trampoline and a backyard pool makes for the most terrifying ride of Andy’s life.

Harriet’s Spacey Friend by Lisa Shanahan

Harriet’s parents can’t seem to see that their new visitor is an alien, and things keep mysteriously disappearing. But when Gran disappears Harriet decodes it’s time for action.

I Hate Bananas by Marcus Emmerson

A mallowman cereal monster, a warrior dwarf with a Scottish accent and the threatening apocalypse will have readers holding their breath with this story.

Use Your Words by Penny Tangey

When Darcy becomes frustrated with his little sister, Freya, he puts a curse on his mother that impairs her speech. He needs to work closely with Freya to find the spell to lift the curse before his mother is operated on. He realises that Freya is not so bad after all.

Dad Dancing by Felice Arena

Hamish’s dad decides to bust a move on the dance floor at the school dance and now everyone is laughing at Hamish. That is until the other dads join in. They are having so much fun all the kids end up joining in too.

The Feral Fairies of Foggarty’s Field by Katrina Nannestad

These are the fairies that no one talks about, the not so sweet feral fairies, causing mischief and mayhem everywhere.

Evil Genius by James Roy

A family road trip and mum’s sneaky bribe to stop the children complaining in the back seat. Score one for the mum’s with this story. My favourite!

Eleventy-Five by Yvette Poshoglian

This story has a bit of a Freaky Friday theme. Sam is staying with his Grandad and as the day goes on Grandad is feeling more energetic and spritely but Sam is suddenly getting older. He is getting grey hairs and needs to take a nap. What can Sam do to reverse this change?

An Absolutely Definitely True Story by Matt Stanton

An absolutely true story about a super-duper pig and a frog who need to help save the Prime Minister.

Perfect for reading alone or aloud, this gorgeous hardback is sure to bring laughter and joy into your household.

This collection of crazy, silly and addictive stories by some of Australia’s best known children’s authors would make the perfect Christmas gift.

 Suitable for ages 5 - 14 years and beyond.

My Rating  5/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 
This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

Andy Griffiths: author of the best selling and award-winning Treehouse series.

Felice Arena: author f the best selling and award-winning Specky Magee series.

Yvette Poshoglian: author of the fabulous Frankie Fox Spy Girl series.

Marcus Emerson: author of the immensely popular Diary of a Sixth Grade Ninja series.

Matt Stanton: best selling author and illustrator of the Funny Kid series.

Katrina Nannestad: award-winning author of The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome.

James Roy: acclaimed author of the Edsel Grizzler series.

Lisa Shanahan: author of the hilarious My Big Birkett.

Penny Tangey: comedian and author of Clara in Washington.

Featured in the back of the book is a little about each author and their books. Each author also answers the Question; What makes you laugh?