Lulu and the Treasure Hunt (children’s picture book review)

23 February, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Lulu and the Treasure Hunt (Wagtail Town)

It might be better than Lulu and the Best Cake Ever – JD, 5

We’re big fans of children’s writer Emma Chichester Clark in this house. She has an easy, natural writing style that wins over both JD (5) and Miss J (1) every time and her books consistently become firm favourites, read at bedtime night after night.

JD loved the first book in the Wagtail Town series, so we were looking forward to reviewing the newest installment, Lulu and the Treasure Hunt.

So, did it live up to expectations? Well yes, JD seems to love it and the humour of the first book is definitely still there, especially when I dust off my French accent. And just as Lulu and the Best Cake Ever is about learning the lesson that we’re all good at different things and it’s the taking part that matters, this book is about doing the right thing, sticking to promises and being a good friend.

The illustrations, as ever, are quirky, bright and friendly and bring a lot of personality to the likeable characters. It’s a nice, uncontroversial bedtime book.

Here’s what JD has to say about Lulu and the Treasure Hunt:

  • I like that it’s called Wagtail Town because it’s got dogs in it
  • I like that it has a different person on the page with Lulu every time you get it
  • I like that it has a page at the front that tells you who everybody is
  • I like that there’s a map so you can spot where people’s houses are and where different places are
  • I like that it’s still called the same school
  • I like that there’s not a cake in this one but a treasure hunt
  • The drawings are nice. I like how they go to the swings and it has all the details like the holes where the legs go
  • I like how they’ve drawn the fountain because it’s has a nice swirl, and the details on the ducks – they have eyes, beaks and everything
  • There are some sad bits but other bits are quite happy
  • The best bit of the story is when they all get really exited and go to the park
  • I like the different flowers – tulips and daisies
  • Lulu learns in the end that she should do as the teacher tells her and that you shouldn’t break a promise because it will make the person you promised sad, and even let them down
  • I would definitely read the story again – I really like it

If you fancy getting Lulu and the Treasure Hunt for yourself, it’s available in softback for £6.99.

Disclosure: we were sent Lulu and the Treasure Hunt free of charge for review. No payment was received. All posts are 100% honest.

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This Moose Belongs to Me (book review)

23 October, 2012 By 1 Comment

The moose doesn’t belong to anyone – JD, 4

JD loves Oliver Jeffers and The Hueys is on our regular reading list, so we were really looking forward to receiving his newest title, This Moose Belongs to Me.

We weren’t disappointed. The illustrations are lovely, with all the personality of Jeffers’s other titles and beautiful painted backdrops. And just as The Hueys reminded us that it’s easy to get caught up in peer pressure, this book is a story on the morals of ownership, but with a few laughs thrown in.

For younger readers, the only possible downside is the trademark Jeffers scrawly writing that appears in parts of the story. It’s stylistically pleasing, but probably challenging for early readers.

This Moose Belongs to Me is available from HarperCollins in hardback for £11.99 and will later be available in paperback for £6.99.

Disclosure: we were sent This Moose Belongs to Me free of charge for review. No payment was received for this post. All posts are 100% honest.

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Have you met the Hueys? (review)

27 June, 2012 By 9 Comments

The thing about the Hueys was that they were all the same…

JD and I have been smitten with The Hueys – The New Jumper ever since it arrived. Why? Because the illustrations are brilliant.

The characters are simple, identical creatures, drawn in pencil lines. Yet somehow creator Oliver Jeffers manages to convey the most wonderfully comical emotions from each of them.

The story is cute and relevant – all about wanting to be the same as your peers, while also wanting to stand out and be different. The back page is a bit of a joy too, but I won’t spoil it by saying why.

Here’s a great little animated teaser, narrated by my teenage crush, Jarvis Cocker:

If you want to grab it, it’s published by HarperCollins and available in hardback for £10.99.

Disclosure: we were sent The Hueys – The New Jumper free of charge for the purposes of this review. No payment was received. All reviews are 100% honest.

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Grandparents are people too: The Frank Show (a review)

25 May, 2012 By 1 Comment

I wonder if there is anything about Frank that will make my talk interesting – The Frank Show

It’s show and tell time and our hero has been asked to talk about a member of his family, but the only person available is Grandad Frank and he’s boring, right?

The Frank Show, written and illustrated by David Mackintosh, perfectly captures the difficulty children can face in understanding the older generations. The rhythm of the words is very pleasing when read out loud and the closing pages bring the story to a delightful climax when Frank turns out to be a lot more that ‘just a grandad’.

The Frank Show is published by HarperCollins and priced £10.99.

Disclosure: We were sent a copy of The Frank Show free of charge for review. No other payment was received and all posts are 100% honest

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