Friday 28 December 2012

Picture Book - A House in the Woods - Inga Moore (Author & Illustrator)


Picture Book - A House in the Woods - Inga Moore (Author & Illustrator)


Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers




A House in the Woods tells the story of two (that's right, TWO, not three!) little pigs, who decide to build a den and a hut in the woods to live in. Sadly, their friends Moose and Bear destroy both luxury properties accidentally. The four friends decide that should all live together in a house in the woods, so they enlist the help of the local beavers to make their dream a reality.

This is a really fun story. It's more wordy than a lot of picture books, so possibly for slightly older toddlers with slightly longer attention spans, but it's a great tale of friendship for them to hear, and it's bound to make children giggle in places. It made me smile particularly when you learn that the beavers want to be paid in peanut butter sandwiches - I wish the banks would start offering such a deal.

The illustrations reminded me of the styles I've seen in illustrations for Winnie the Pooh and Brer Rabbit, which brought a nostalgic tear to my eye. When you see the house in the woods, you'll be hard pressed not to want to go out and find the local beavers to build you one for yourself.

Well worth reading with your children.

9/10

Thursday 27 December 2012

Picture Book - Josh and the Woo Woo - David Bedford (Author) & Daniel Howarth (Illustrator)


Picture Book - Josh and the Woo Woo - David Bedford (Author) & Daniel Howarth (Illustrator)


Recommended for: Babies/Toddlers/Younger Readers




As with any parent, as soon as I spot a book that has my child's name in it, I'm immediately drawn to it. So it was the case that, when shelving one day, I spotted Josh and the Woo Woo. Naturally, I didn't care what it was about - the fact it had my son's name in it was enough to warrant a reading.

Josh and the Woo Woo is about a rabbit who has five brothers and six sisters, and hates noise. Naturally, his siblings love to be noisy, and the story is about how Josh never wants to join in with any of their noisy games, until one day he finds something that has noises they all hate and he loves.

While Josh is admittedly a bit of a wimp (unlike my son, of course - his fearlessness makes me hope he'll be a champion snowboarder by the time he's 11), there's something irresistibly cute about the poor rabbit who likes the quiet. Sure, it's a bit of an illogical leap at the end to suggest that a his siblings would be scared of the noise a train makes after they embraced the sound of a helicopter, and that Josh would have the reverse effect, but it's a book for young children so I'll let that slide. Overall, it's a pleasant little story about a little boy who has learnt that he can have fun with other children, which is really what we're all hoping for with our own kids.

7/10