How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan & Lee Wildish

My Review

How to Babysit a Grandpa is quite a special book, that very beautifully takes us on a wonderfully warm adventure, alongside a little boy and his grandpa - who have such a special bond!

This story is filled with charm and anyone will (secretly) know, that it's really the grandpa that needs babysitting in any relationship. The little boy in this story gives us the instructions needed to look after a grandpa, which include: playing, snacks and entertainment!

There is so much fun to be had on every page and we couldn't wait to see what the double act were going to get up to next!

We loved it when the grandpa fell asleep and the little boy had to try lots of funny things to try and wake him up! But all disasters are averted before the arrival of mum and dad.

The illustrations are stunning, with lovely gentle colours. Plus the grandpa and the little boy are sooooo cute!

How to Babysit a Grandpa is a super tale full of fun and adventure. We loved the hilarious things the pair got up to and we immediately read it all over again!

4 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Hodder Children's Books for providing the review copy*

Have You Seen Who's Moved in Next Door to Us? by Colin McNaughton‏

My Review

This book is a barrel of laughs that will have both kids and adults giggling like idiots throughout!

A new family has moved into the street and neighbours being typical gossips, tell everyone in the street of the horror of these new neighbours. Yes, okay that sounds a bit vague, but there are so many BIG surprises in here and I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

But, as the neighbours tell each other, we get a glimpse of the real horrors that lurk in each house. There may be some pigs, a witch or maybe even Mr Kong himself - plus loads more even stranger things!

We were seriously excited to flip each page and see what new surprises each neighbour had in store for us!

This is a bouncy book that needs to be read out load in a very enthusiastic voice (which we do regularly). We just adore the sing songing adventure!

The illustrations are fantastic and without them the story wouldn't be quite so brilliant!

The ending, with it's big pull out pages is just simply AWESOME!!

You seriously need this super fun book in your life - who knows what YOUR neighbour classes as normal!?

5 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Walker Children's Books for the review copy*

Jack's Mega Machines: The Supersonic Submarine by Alison Ritchie & Mike Byrne

My Review

The Supersonic Submarine is a highly adventurous tale full of fun and danger! Perfect for the boys (although my daughter loves it too)!

Jack and his little dog Riley, head of on a magical adventure under water in a super speedy submarine! They come across a group of dolphins, who are playing football, until a cheeky octopus steals their ball!

Jack decides to help the dolphins get their ball back and delves deeper into the sea, after the huge octopus. They come across a shipwreck, that they start to explore until something catches their eye....

But nothing is ever quite what it seems and the poor octopus really just wants to join in. He also manages to skillfully save Jack and his buddy from a disaster!

Jack comes up with a super solution, so that everyone can play together.

The fab illustrations are what bring this story so brightly to life. They are bursting with bold colours and tell the tale wonderfully.

This is a fantastic adventure story filled with fun, plus it also has a couple of great positive messages. It even has a pull out submarine to play with at the back!

4 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Simon ans Schuster for the review copy*

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers

 My Review

The Day the Crayons Quit is quite possibly the best picture book ever! Yeah, the kids love it too, but it's a real personal favourite of mine!

The storyline is genius and every child will be able to relate to favouring one colour of crayon over the other!

One day a little guy called, Duncan, sits down to colour in, and in place of his crayons he finds a note saying they've all quit!

What I loved the most was the way each colour had it's own personality, which really shone through in their letters. Some were upset (pink), some felt overused (blue), some felt board of always colouring-in the same things (grey) and others have fell out (orange and yellow)!

There is so much fun and so much humour to be had in this bright story and we were thrilled at every flip of the page.

I liked each crayon individually but two of my favourites:

Beige Crayon: This little fellow is feeling a bit misunderstood! He is also tired of feeling like an unexciting colour and is tired of playing second fiddle to Mr Brown crayon!

Peach Crayon: Who seems to be missing his wrapping and is feeling a little......shall we say....NAKED!!

This tricky business is solved with a wild and highly imaginative use of all the crayons in a masterpiece in the back pages! Oliver Jeffers' quirky illustrations light up and bring to life this story so fantastically!

I'm sure anyone who reads this will be looking at their crayons differently. In the future we could even see, pink postboxes, orange clouds, yellow water and maybe even some white grass?! Who knows, the possibilities are endless and we must keep pleasing all of our crayons in mind!

A MILLION Stars!

*Special thanks to Harper Collins Children's Books for the review copy*

Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower

My Review

Troll and the Oliver is a delightful adventure story full of humour and tricky business!

The storyline follows a very hungry Troll and a pesky little guy called Oliver! Everyday Troll tries to eat Oliver, but Oliver proves to be a sneaky and slippery little fellow to get your hands on.

We go through all the trials Troll faces to catch Oliver, until one day the Troll isn't lying in wait for him! Oliver couldn't possible have won - could he?

There is more than one shocking moment in this story....

The ending is brilliant and is something we most definitely didn't see coming!

Troll and the Oliver is a charming little tale that is full of fun and twisty turns! The illustrations are fantastic and we delighted in the adventure playing out on every page.

Another big plus has to be the troll cupcake recipe at the back of the book. Which we will definitely be trying rather soon....

A BIG 5 stars!

*Special thanks to Templar for the review copy*

Bing: Get Dressed by Ted Dewan

My Review

Aw, Bing is such a kooky little fellow that we found rather cute and quite charming indeed!

Bing and his adorable little friend, Flop, are getting dressed all by themselves! Which is a very tricky job, especially for little guys! He tries ever so hard, but he has a couple of minor hiccups along the way! When he finally accomplishes his mission, he has a little.....shall we say....accident, and has to start all over again! But it's no big thing; It's a Bing Thing!

This is a gentle and reassuring story, that quite simply lets little people know that everyone makes mistakes and has accidents, it's no big thing and we can always try again.

The illustrations are very unusual and we liked the striking quality a whole lot. The big bold colouring makes the illustrations ever so eye catching.

Bing: Get Dressed is a fab little picture book with a wonderful message. It is perfect for all those little guys who or just potty trained and are maybe starting pre-school!

4 / 5 Stars

*Special thanks to Harper Collins Children's books for the review copy*

Princess Evie's Ponies: Sprinkles the Magic Cupcake Pony by Sarah KilBride & Sophie Tilley

My Review

This beautiful picture book is pink, sparkly and is just the perfect book for all those little girly girls out there!

We are new to Princess Evie's world, so we were delighted to delve into this adventurous world full of magic, fun and friendships!

Princess Evie has a secret, when she rides her ponies through the tunnel of trees, she is transported to some place quite magical indeed!

In this story we are taken to a school of magic, where Evie will help her new friend in a baking competition. The girls need to find the 3 best magical ingredients before time runs out!

We especially love how the rainbow drops make your hair turn multi-coloured! Another huge plus is the pull out sprinkle pony that is in the back of the book - it adds a little something extra special.

The illustrations are so cute and mainly consist of pinks, purples and sparkly bits! We just adored watching the adventures unfold and the cakes come to life!

Sprinkles the Magic Cupcake Pony is girly heaven: it has ponies, magic, friendships and is bursting with life! What more could a little lady ask for?!

4 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy*

Hugless Douglas Finds a Hug by David Melling‏

My Review

I simply cannot put into words how excited we were to have this gorgeous book in our hands! My 2 children even fought over who was going to keep the book!

We adore Douglas and I think anyone who has ever had the pleasure of meeting the little guy will have wanted to give him a cuddle. Well, now you can! He is super soft, fuzzy, larger than life and peeks out of the middle of this wonderful picture book!

We have huggled him, snuggled him and showered him with love. So it's safe to say that he isn't so hugless anymore!

The best bit for us was the way Douglas could be moved around perfectly along with the storyline. You can stretch him, make him look all around and have him try to hug everyone. But in this story you are the person to cheer up Douglas with a big hug!

The illustrations are super duper but obviously the very best thing is Douglas himself. This book is strong, sturdy and hopefully will last a lifetime because it truly is a real keeper, that we will enjoy reading over and over again!

A HUGE 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Hodder for the review copy*

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter‏

My Review

After the bonkers but brilliant ' The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas' we just couldn't wait to get our sticky paws on this awesome second book!

If possible I think this one is even better than the first! The laugh out loud silliness is on from the very first page and we very easily flew along on this sing songing adventure story!

The Pooping Dino is most definitely one of a kind and we loved heading out to space with him and his buddy! But we all know what happens when our good friend Dino gets a rumbling in his tummy.....you know that spaceship looks kinds yummy!

This is a fabulously bouncy book that is funnier than funny! Kids love it and adults will love it too. The 2 McFly boys have out done themselves and have managed to produce another perfect book!

The illustrations by Garry Parsons are very eye catching indeed. They tell a fantastic tale all of their own and we truly loved watching the...shall I say smelly events unfold!

A BIG 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Red Fox*

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Amazing Baby: Incy Wincy Spider by Emma Goldhawk

My Review

This a beautiful board book that is super strong for those rough little fingers and is an all round ton of fun!

Incy Wincy Spider is a wonderful introduction to the nursery rhyme world and what better way to do it than with these big, bold, striking illustrations and wonderful touchy feely bits and pieces!

Each page has a little feely bit to discover, but my little guy's favourite has to be the yellow fluffy cloud page, which has a super woolly soft could to explore!

Another big plus for me was watching my 5 year old sit with her baby brother and say the Incy Wincy rhyme along with the book,

This Amazing Baby book is a real must for little explorers everywhere. It's real winner that we will love looking through again and again.

5 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Templar for the review copy*

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My Busy Being Bella Day by Rebecca Patterson

My Review

Yay for more Bella!

Bella is a wonderful little lady who tends t have a bit of a shouty side! I think I was more excited than the kids about this book and when it arrived, I stroked the cover and took my time pouring over the pages all by myself....

Children are such busy little bees, always buzzing around trying new things and learning from others. Bella is happy doing these things in nursery, but she can't help wondering what her baby brother Bob is doing when shes not there!?

Any older brother or sister will very easily relate to this story, because when a new baby comes along we all question our place in the new family environment. Children who go to school may very well be jealous of leaving mummy and their baby brother/sister behind! What do they do all day without me? Am I missing out on something exciting?

Rebeca Patterson masterfully handles this topic in a very reassuring way. She gently lets us know that nursery is super duper fun, you aren't missing out on anything and your little brother or sister is probably missing you!

We LOVE Bella she is a super fun loving little lady who says and thinks the funniest things! The teapot moment had me laughing out loud like an idiot!

My Busy Being Bella Day is another brilliant winner from Rebbecca Patterson that every child needs on their favourites shelf. The illustrations stand out from the crowd, are very moreish and we love feasting our eyes over each striking page. A lot of fun and a lot of positive messages to be found in here - we loved it!

A BIG 5 stars!

*Special thanks to Jonathan Cape for the review copy*

Check this book out on Amazon