My Favourite and My Best: January/February 2010

As I missed out January’s entry, I’ll allow myself double the reviews.  But shorter ones to make sure it’s not dull and cumbersome…

So, that means four books…

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt

There are picture books which are full of lavish, panoramic feasts of colour.  There are picture books with plenty of text and less illustration… this is more of a manual, I guess.  But in the absolutely brilliantly entertaining way.

Every time Scaredy Squirrel wants to do something or go somewhere, he has to go the long way round or do things the hardest possible way.  But not because he’s clever.  It’s because Scaredy Squirrel is so terrified of the outside world that he devises health and safety regimes that would make many local councils sigh in wistful jealousy.

This story sees him deciding to build his own beach because he doesn’t want to go to an actual one with actual real people there.  But it’s not quite right without a real shell – and he can’t avoid going to the seaside to get one.  So he makes a plan…

It’s funny, it’s very clever in the telling and the labelling of the pictures and it is not at all confusing like a real manual to the mental workings of a squirrel would be.  It’s just that side of complicated that means children will get that it’s a joke.  And we love Scaredy Squirrel!

Green Light for the Little Red Train by Benedict Blathwayt

A library discovery we made, which Luke loves…  This is a charming little story that rattles along much like the little red train.  In fact, when you reach the end of the little red train’s mammoth journey, you might feel just as exhausted as the driver!

It’s the story of what happens when the little red train is told not to stop until he gets to a red light… only he doesn’t come across a red light, so unintentionally makes a whistle-stop tour of some European countries before finally being stopped when boarding a ferry back to England.

It’s one of those perfect picture books, where the text is well-paced, and not too wordy, and the pictures are simple enough to glance at and take in, but have plenty of little details there to keep someone occupied for a while before turning over.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr Benn by David McKee

A while ago, Luke was rooting around in my things.  He does that, he’s nosey.  There’s nothing embarrassing or scary for him to find, so I don’t mind it too much (just the mess left behind).  But buried in a box, he discovered a DVD of Mr Benn.  And to my surprise, he absolutely loved it.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, he loves dressing up and pretending to be other people (as Eric Morecambe would have put it, “He’s a fine actor, that boy!”)

This book is a reprint of the original form of Mr Benn – story books that came out in the late 60s that spawned the cartoon, and there are 4 here: Red Knight, Diver, Caveman and Spaceman… all with the distinctive and wonderful illustrations from the author.

They are longer than you’d expect a picture book to be, but really good all round I think – brilliant escapist nostalgia for you and a lovely chance to disappear into a world when costume shop doorways lead to adventure for the smaller person…  The stories all follow the familiar Mr Benn pattern, which is lovely and warm and friendly, the plots develop slowly and gently, which is also really pleasing to read, and the language is perfect – simple and descriptive.  It’s all very engaging, and my heart does a little leap whenever Luke picks it up to read…

Nicobobinus by Terry Jones

OK, this is one of mine…  I saw Tony Robinson read this on Jackanory sometime in the 1980s, and was entranced by it then.  But I never bought a copy – it was never in the bookshops I thought to look in, and I hadn’t thought about looking online for it.  But then I chanced across a copy in a charity shop.

Thrilled, I got it home and devoured it within a day or two.  And I wasn’t disappointed – it’s still every bit as daft, magical and thrilling (in a sort of muted, 80s children’s book kind of way).  There are limbs turned to gold, dramatic escapes into the canals of Venice, the works.  Think Alex Rider meets Alice in Wonderland.  Then take away the kind of weaponry and tech in Alex Rider…

OK, so that was still quite long.  But I get carried away, alright?!

Counting down the hours…

I’m sure everyone has better things to do than read a blog on Christmas eve…  even lonely people do – so I feel a little daft doing this now.  But there are three things I wanted to do/say before Christmas morning is upon us.

1. Firstly, if you check on the right hand side, probably right next to these words, there’s a little menu which tells you what pages there are on this site.  Now if you’re observant, or even just have eyes that function just a little, I’m sure you’ll have noticed that there’s something new there.  A section called “Stories and things”.

And in that is now the full version of the christmas story I posted the first few paragraphs of a week or two back.  Please do go and read it, and let me know what you think if you do.

If it’s easier, click here and you’ll go straight to the story.

2. I wanted to give a bit of a shout-out to a book…  and here it is.

“How Santa Really Works” by Alan Snow

Alan Snow has written a few books along the “How **** Really Work” lines.  I know of one about Cats, and another about Dogs…  But this is wonderfully conceived.

There’s an explanantion for everything Luke and I could think of to ask, except maybe what Santa does when he needs to go for a wee…  (see here for an answer to that), and the illustrations are all terrifically meticulous, pointing out every different little section and explaining – a bit like one of those Haynes car manuals.  But for Santa…

This is the blurb on the back of the book:

“Intrepid Santa-tracker Alan Snow has travelled up through Lapland to the far reaches of the Arctic Circle in search of the ever-elusive Mr Claus.  There, beneath the polar ice cap deep underground, he found a bustling community with one mission and one mission only – to make Christmas happen.

“Have you ever wondered how Santa knows exactly when you fall asleep?

“Does he really have time to check if every single child’s been naughty or nice?

“And maybe more importantly, what do the naughty kids actually end up with?

“These are but a few of the questions you’ve never had answers for… until now.  How Santa Really Works is the real scoop on how Santa does what he does so well.”

And the book itself is loads of fun.  Luke and I have read it many times already this month.  I love the answers to how he fits down the chimney and what he does when you wake up while he’s still there…  Anyway, if you get a chance, give this a look.  It’s well worth it!

And last but not least…

3. Merry Christmas everybody!

My Favourite and my best: December 2009

It’s Christmas time!  Mistletoe and Wine!  Woo hoo!

I’m going to blog about Christmas more generally when I get the chance, but I’m starting the month off with a couple of recommendations (thought I’d get in nice and early – before I left it too long and forgot…)

“How To Catch A Star” by Oliver Jeffers

I came across this quite by accident.  In fact, I did what convention would tell you not to, normally… I judged the book entirely on its cover.  I loved it – I generally see books as works of art as much as reading tools, but this one captured me absolutely before I’d even opened it.  Then I picked it up to see if my judgement was right.

And it was.

This is the story of a boy who loves stars so much that he decides to own one for himself.  It’s a beautiful expression of the rollercoaster of emotions that we know of as possibilities and disappointment – but it is topped off by a fabulously feel-good ending that feels like a triumph to the reader every bit as much as it does to the boy.

I’m pretty certain that every adult who reads this will think that its a book describing how they’ve felt – and that’s a key to the success of this book.  It makes a connection with something everyone has in common, a dream and a possibility.

“Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure” by Kristina Stephenson

Once upon a time, there was a deep, dark forest, where monstrous trees groaned, terrible beasties moaned (or the other way round) and wiggly woos waited to tickle your toes. Nobody ever went there until…Sir Charlie Stinky Socks, his good grey mare and his pet cat Envelope decide the time has come for a really big adventure. Sir Charlie packs his best sword and his sandwiches and off he goes, over the hills and far away, until he gets to the deep, dark forest. Sir Charlie doesn’t flinch when he meets the beasties, or the dragon, or the wily witch, but when he comes across the princess, he realises he’s met his match!

This is an absolutely brilliant – the text ebbs and flows like a proper little adventure story (if that sounds trite or daft, you wouldn’t believe how many children’s adventure stories sort of flat-line and never move up or down in tone or pace), it moves along in a breathless way that absolutely keeps kids and parents reading, it’s funny and has some great little characters in there – and none more loveable and brave than its marvellous hero.  I’ve heard a number of little boys in the local library talk about either being or wanting to be Sir Charlie Stinky Socks, which surely means this book captures imaginations!

I can’t think of a better argument for the importance of books and libraries than how well they capture little people’s imaginations.  (and big people’s too)

My Favourite and My Best: November 2009

I know, I know, this is pretty late…

But I’m here now, and it’s not like you’ve paid or anything…

“Mr Big” by Ed Vere

This is a wonderful little book, about a lonely gorilla.  He’s lonely because he’s so big – everyone else is scared of his size and no one takes the time or trouble to find out who he is inside.  One day he spots a lonely looking piano in a shop window, and takes it home.  When he begins to play, the music is so beautiful that it draws crowds – and eventually he is invited (despite no one knowing who he is) to join a jazz band… and makes so many friends that he is never alone again.

This is absolutely lovely.  It’s bold and funny, colourful and vibrant – the graphics are contrasting and bright.  Its a very sensitive treatment of the lessons of inclusion, not judging people by their exterior… and the absolute recommendation, as far as I am concerned, Luke loved it!

“Super Duck” by Jez Alborough

Make way Super Duck is here! Goat is eager to try out his new kite with the help of friends, Sheep and Frog. But, just they are about to see if it will fly, Super Duck arrives… And, as always when Duck is around, things are bound to go wrong! It’s not long before Frog is carried up into the sky on the end of the kite’s string. Poor Frog! Can Super Duck save the day?

I am a big Jez Alborough fan, I have to admit.  This is the latest in the Duck in the Truck series that Alborough has been creating for some years now, and it keeps the high standard going.  Every one of this series is hilarious for little ones, and is thoroughly enjoyable to read as a parent (which is every bit as important!).  The rhyming story fairly bounces along with a wonderful pace, and it makes it all the easier to read.  The pictures are bright and breezy, perfectly complementing the story, and adds to the humour with some great little touches (the images of the duck in full superhero costume had me chuckling for ages, and inspired several impromptu games of pretending to save frogs from blow-away kites!)

My favourite and my best… October 2009

In a bid to surprise absolutely no one, this month, I’m going back to a couple of inspirations – and strongly recommend that you dip in and have a look!

“Artemis Fowl” by Eoin Colfer

Colfer is flavour of the moment just now – what with the new Hitchhiker’s book being released – and his Artemis Fowl series is one of the biggest and most successful not written by JK Rowling…  I am not in the slightest bit worried about saying that I’ve read all the books in the series – quite the opposite in fact – but my favourite is still the first, and that is the one I’m mentioning here.

Artemis Fowl is a 13 year old criminal mastermind, with a genius intellect and an already extensive technical know-how.  He finds out that Faeries are real (despite what the world tells you) and not only that, but they carry gold… and he likes gold…  Add in huge, heavily armed butlers, the odd kleptomaniac tunnelling dwarf and a troll and you have a spectacular ending, which plays out ridiculously vividly.

What actually happens is something you’ll have to read the book to find out, and trust me, you’ll enjoy the journey.  There’s nothing particularly original I can say about the book – it’s been reviewed to oblivion, I think!  But Colfer’s writing is sharp, funny, not at all wasteful, and wonderfully cinematic in style.  The fact that the first two books in the series have been turned into successful (and high quality) graphic novels, and that rumours of a Hollywood movie have swirled around for the last 9 years are no surprise at all.

“Cops and Robbers” by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

The Ahlbergs are now legendary – and quite rightly so, seeing as their library takes in classics from my childhood (and before) like the Funnybones series, Burglar Bill, the Happy Families books, The Jolly Postman, Please Mrs Butler and lots more besides… including this one.  I picked up a copy quite by chance one afternoon, and thought Luke might like it – and he loves it, to the extent that he quotes from it regularly!

The story is simple: there’s a crime wave in the town, and its being carried out by a villainous gang led by Grabber Dan…  so the police call on the heroic Officer Pugh – the only man who can stop them.  It’s all told in quite a nice, jaunty verse, which hums along at a really nice pace and adds to the fun of the story.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I find myself thinking over snatches of the story from time to time – being in verse means that it’s particularly easy to remember after several readings… and several is a slight understatement!

So those are the two for this month, and I hope some of you will go and have a look, if you haven’t already read them!

My Favourite and My Best: September 2009

Two books to recommend…  I’m going to try and do this every month, but if you’ve been coming back to the blog regularly I’m sorry I haven’t been getting round to it!  The same old pages must seem a little dull by now!  So let’s add a little splash of colour.

I have my reasons for reading these two books at the moment, but I’m not going to share for now…  I still have more to do before I’m comfortable telling the wide world.  But I felt that I had to share these in particular.

 “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney

I’ve sort of been picking this up on and off for months, reading the back, looking at the first few pages and then thinking about whether it’s more a cartoon strip or a novel…  But clearly it is neither – the title makes it obvious!

The long and short of it is that this book is funny.  I read it in pieces over a weekend – it’s very easy to read in short chunks as it is in diary format, so might help out people (probably especially boys) who aren’t that keen on sitting and concentrating on a book for too long.

 Here’s the blurb (I can’t think of a better way of describing it!):

“Greg finds himself thrust into a new year and a new school where undersize weaklings share the corridors with kids who are taller, meaner and already shaving. Desperate to prove his new found maturity, which only going up a grade can bring, Greg is happy to have his not-quite-so-cool sidekick, Rowley, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s popularity to his own advantage. Recorded in his diary with comic pictures and his very own words, this test of Greg and Rowley’s friendship unfolds with hilarious results.”

Really, really worth keeping an eye out for.  There are two more in the series, which I’ll pick up at some point, but the first volume is always the easiest place to start!

  ”Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now” by Lauren Child

I’m in a strange position, I suppose.  I’m a dad, so inevitably come into contact with children’s TV on a similar level to your average student…  but I’ve found the odd show I absolutely love… Charlie and Lola is one of those (the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that’s where this post’s title comes from), and the Clarice Bean series is written by the creator of those two wonderful characters.

And this book is lovely.  With this character, there’s a completely different voice that comes through, which has the same sense of lively fun, but deals with altogether more serious things than Charlie and Lola.  Here she deals with the worry of her parents arguing, her best friend moving to America, a new girl who she’s convinced hates her and who to take to the Ruby Redfort film premiere…

It reminded me really strongly of one of my favourite childhood books – The Eighteenth Emergency by Betsy Byars, which is certainly no bad thing!  I’m now determined to work my way back through the other Clarice Bean books, and there’s certainly no reason why other “grown-ups” shouldn’t too!

So there you go – two recommendations.  Off you go now – to the shops!