Betty Goes Bananas in her Pyjamas

22/02/2016 by Alex Milway

This second picture book about Betty by Steve Antony is a real joy.

The tale of one toucan’s attempts to get a wilful young gorilla to bed, Betty Goes Bananas in her Pyjamas takes the premise of Betty Goes Bananas (a huge hit in our house) and adds the extra punch of a troublesome bed-time routine. Any parent who has experienced their son or daughter wanting to do everything other than sleep will appreciate the efforts of Mr Toucan, the unflappable bird who tries his very best to convince Betty it really is time to sleep.

The artwork is superb – Betty’s expressions are so spot on. Yes, this is a gorilla, but Betty perfectly represents every toddler that’s ever lived. If you have a daughter or son like Betty, you’ll certainly relate to what you’re seeing on the page.

So this is definitely a book that both the parents and their children will love. And any book about the difficulty of getting a child to sleep, which is likely to be read at bedtime, is very gratefully received. Come on kids, see your parents’ pain and give them a break!

Also, where can I get me some banana pyjamas? They are awesome.

If you like this try Steve Antony’s other books Please Mr Panda, or Betty Goes Bananas!

Published by Oxford University Press. RRP £6.99

Pugly Bakes a Cake

19/02/2016 by Danny Pearson

Are you ready for a bake-off?

As you’d imagine from a book titled Pugly Bakes a Cake, Pugly, the pug, is going to make a cake. However, Clem, the cat, is going to try her hardest to land Pugly in trouble and the evil squirrel from the back garden is also out to ruin things for poor Pugly.

This wonderful adventure by award-winning Pamela Butchart is beautifully illustrated by the Queen of pug illustration, Gemma Correll.

Will Pugly create the worlds best cake using eggs, flour… tuna, cheddar cheese and day-old spaghetti? Probably not BUT it is going to be one big, baking adventure finding out.

If you like this try George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl.

Published by Nosy Crow. RRP £5.99.

The Bolds

18/02/2016 by Danny Pearson

At first glance the Bolds look like a normal family. Mr and Mrs Bold and their two children Betty and Bobby live in a semi detached house, in an ordinary suburban street. 41 Fairfield Road in Teddington to be exact. Yep everything seems pretty normal… until I tell you… the Bolds are in fact hyenas dressed in human clothes.

This hilarious story was written by the comedian and life-long animal lover Julian Clary. His words have been brought to life brilliantly by David Roberts, with each character lovingly drawn in great detail, often with extra funny jokes hidden in the background.

It’s now been longlisted for the 2016 Kate Greenaway prize, and rightly so.

If you like this, try Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things by Guy Bass.

Published by Andersen Press. RRP £6.99

The Mystery of the Haunted Farm

17/02/2016 by Danny Pearson

I love a picture book but I especially love a LARGE picture book. And they don’t come much bigger than The Mystery of the Haunted Farm from the award-winning artist and author, Elys Dolan. Each page is packed with beautifully detailed scenes that are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.

Take a trip to Farmer Gregg’s farm and join the Ghost-hunters, three highly qualified pigs, on their quest to find out what is spooking his farm. You will bump into zombie ducks, ghost cows as well as Donkula and Frankenhorse! However all is not as it seems and the pigs investigation leads them to the mysterious chicken coop on the hill! Are you brave enough to join them?

This is a perfect read for all ages and would be a perfect bedtime read with the lights off and the torch on. Just be careful you don’t read it on a night when the moon is full. You have been warned!

If you like this, check out Elys Dolan’s Weasels, or There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes by Michelle Robinson and Jim Field.

Published by Nosy Crow. RRP £10.99.

Specs for Rex

16/02/2016 by David O'Connell

Yasmeen Ismail has been creating some terrific picture books of late, and her work is always so bright and exhuberant. Time for Bed Fred is a delight, and Specs for Rex is another wonderful example.

Rex has new specs and he does NOT like them! So he spends the whole day trying to hide them from everybody. There’s lots of fun in the inventive way he tries to keep the annoying eyewear concealed, and it’s all helped along by Ismail’s gloriously energetic watercolours, that show off Rex’s colourful and sometimes messy world. I particularly like his pant collection!

If you like this, try another of Ismail’s books, I’m a Girl or even the Mouk books by Marc Boutavant.

Published by Bloomsbury. RRP £6.99

Super Happy Magic Forest

15/02/2016 by Danny Pearson

The tagline reads: Five brave heroes. One epic quest! And that’s exactly what you get with Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long.

Join Blossom, the unicorn, Twinkle, the fairy, Herbert, the gnome, Hoffius, the faun and Trevor… the mushroom, as they go on an epic quest to find the stolen Mystical Crystals of Life. The intrepid team travel through icy mountains, burning hot deserts and cold, dark dungeons in order to save their beloved Super Happy Magic Forest.

And if this story sounds like it’s bonkers, that’s because it IS.

Matty Long has dug deep into his magical imagination to create a world where every page delights the senses and makes you wonder what craziness is going to appear on the next page. It’s a super happy wonder of a book, and has been shortlisted for the 2016 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, so HOORAY!

We’re currently a bit lost as to what book you might like if you like this. Maybe some of the cheery Adventure Time Comics? Or there’s a sequel out soon, if you can wait!

Published by OUP. RRP £6.99

A Beginner’s Guide to Bearspotting

12/02/2016 by Danny Pearson

If you go down into the woods today you are sure of a big surprise. Actually make that two BIG surprises. We are off for a walk into bear country.

Here is what you need to know:

Black bears are dangerous and black.

Brown bears are dangerous and brown.

The problem is sometimes black bears can appear a little brown and brown bears can appear a little black. If you are a little confused then you need this book.

Michelle Robinson and David Roberts have created a real gem here. It’s large and hardback, and utterly gorgeous, but then you would expect anything illustrated by David Roberts to be beautiful.

So it’s safe to say A Beginner’s Guide to Bearspotting will become an instant bedtime classic. In fact I am certain this will be read morning, noon and night. Just be sure to remember the valuable lessons it teaches you about black bears, or were they lessons about brown bears?

If you like this then do try Michelle Robinson’s There’s a Lion in My Cornflakes (illustrated by the awesome Jim Field.) And if you’re at all interested in what a real-life 3-yr-old thinks, have a listen to our podcast. Her thoughts are very near the end…

Published by Bloomsbury. RRP £12.99.

Danger is Everywhere

11/02/2016 by Alex Milway

This is a very silly book, which is why it’s so brilliant. A kind of instructional, self-help guide to keep you safe at all times, Danger is Everywhere by David O’Doherty and Chris Judge, will teach you to be wary of EVERYTHING, even things that are entirely made up (i’m now always on the look-out for supermarket leopards hiding under over-ripe bananas!) And quite right too.

Fully illustrated by the super-talented Chris Judge (do you own the Lonely Beast? You really should), this book gives you all of Docter Noel Zone’s bonkers wisdom and then some.

For ages 8+, though I think many adults would enjoy it equally.

If you like this, then there’s also a sequel Danger is Still Everywhere, and you’d definitely like the Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton, or even The Pirates, in an Adventure with Scientists, by Gideon Defoe.

Published by Puffin. RRP £7.99

Mortimer Keene: Attack of the Slime

10/02/2016 by David O'Connell

New readers have a treat in store for them with Mortimer Keene: Attack of the Slime.

A wave of green slime attacks St Barnabas’ School, chasing pupils and teachers alike, filling up the classrooms with its foul-smelling tendrils. Some enterprising teachers discover the source: Mortimer Keene, the small kid with BIG ideas, and a home-made slime generator.

Tim Healey’s witty rhyming text bounces along in this heavily illustrated early reader, which is one of a series. There’s also a handy A-Z of slime in the back for future reference. Chris Mould’s pictures are suitably inventive and brought to life with a good helping of bright lime green spot colour. An Edward Gorey book for the very young.

If you like this try Captain Underpants.

Published by Hachette Children’s Group. RRP £4.99

Louie Lets Loose

09/02/2016 by Alex Milway

Unicorn in New York: Louie Lets Loose is a terrifically funny and wonderfully absurd story about a Unicorn who leaves Story Land and moves to New York to find fame. Written by Rachel Hamilton with great illustrations by Oscar Armelles, this book is a brilliant early reader novel. We love it. Read our review of Louie Lets Loose, here.

This Book is Funny!

Funny books for children

Betty Goes Bananas in her Pyjamas

Pugly Bakes a Cake

The Bolds

The Mystery of the Haunted Farm

Specs for Rex

Super Happy Magic Forest

A Beginner’s Guide to Bearspotting

Danger is Everywhere

Mortimer Keene: Attack of the Slime

Louie Lets Loose

Latest 0-4yrs

Supermarket Gremlins

Latest 4-8yrs

Snow-Man Windy Pops!

Latest 8-12yrs

Perijee and Me