#365PictureBooks 36. Tom & Millie's Great BIG Treasure Hunt by Guy Parker-Rees

Parker-Rees, G. (2013). Tom & Millie's Great BIG Treasure Hunt. London, UK: Orchard Books.

ISBN: 9781408311776
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Join Tom & Millie as they go on a treasure hunt around their town and collect friends and things from their list.  I wonder what they are collecting their treasures for? 

Parker-Rees, illustrator of Julia Donaldson's Giraffes can't dance has written and illustrated this fantastic world that children will be eager to investigate.  As they help Tom & Millie find the items on their list they are also learning different types of maths like counting, colours and shapes.

There are hundreds of things to spot throughout the book as part of the story, and the end papers give you some of Tom & Millie's friends to look out for as well.  You could also get your children to look for all sorts of different things that are not part of the treasure hunt.

The illustrations are are quite simplistic, yet you can clearly make out the individual animals.  The animals and their backgrounds are done in realistic colours and are quite muted.  The bright colouring comes from their clothing and the accessories, like cars, playgrounds and shapes.   

The pages alternate between scenes like this one where the friends discussing what they have found, and what they have to locate next.  The clue for the next item is displayed in the previous item found.  Then you have a 'busy' scene where you need to help Tom & Millie and their friends find the next treasure, and there are simply dozens of things to spot on each page.

There is lots of discussion about colours and numbers, plenty of repetition, and the language used is very appropriate for the reading age.

This is a great book for sharing with friends.  It is also a really good maths resource for using with younger primary school students.

I got my copy of Tom & Millie's Great BIG Treasure Hunt from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 33. The Birthday Cake Mystery by The Tjong-Khing

Tjong-Khing, T. (2012). The Birthday Cake Mystery [Text free]. Wellington, New Zealand: Gecko Press.

ISBN: 9781877579103
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Book / Text Free
Rating: 4 stars

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Whose birthday is it?

Who steals the necklace?

What mischief are the mice up to?

Will poor dog ever finish making the cake?

The Birthday Cake Mystery is a text free detective story.  Told entirely in pictures, there are so many things to spot and a lot of red herrings to lead you astray!  Can you figure out the mystery before the end of the book?  

Created by The Tjong-Khing, it was originally published in 2010 with the title of Verjaardag met taart.  Tjong-Khing is an award winning children's book illustrator based in the Netherlands. 


Tjong-Khing's illustrations remind me a lot of the Berenstain Bears and Richard Scarry books.  They are so well done and they have a very 'old fashioned' feel to them.  

The first image sets the scene (actually if you want a clue, be sure to 'read' the title page!), and each consecutive page adds more detail to the mystery.

This is not a storybook that you can read from start to end.  You will find yourself flipping backwards and forwards between the pages as you try and decipher the mystery/mysteries.

This is such a great addition to your collection, be it at home or at school.  There are so many different stories to follow.  It is great for building children's imagination, and would work really well for story starter activities in literacy sessions.  It makes a great search-and-find activity, and young & old kids (and adults) can spend hours pouring over it and finding something different every time they read it.

This quote from The Children's Bookshop sums it up nicely:

This is a puzzle book that encourages lateral thinking, imagination and optical awareness, without losing its sense of fun or child appeal ...  you find fresh dramas with each reading.

The Children's Bookshop Newsletter, May 2012

I got my copy of The Birthday Cake Mystery from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 30. Tortoise and the Hair by P. Crumble, illustrated by Louis Shea

Crumble, P. (2014). Tortoise and the Hair. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781743625286
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Tortoise's big day has arrived.  He's going to be a singing superstar,up on stage with his guitar.  But oh oh!  Tortoise has lost his favourite wig!  Can Hare help him get his hair back in time for the big gig?  

Crumble has given new life to the classic Tortoise and the Hare tale in this rocking and rhyming story with an Elvis twist.  The tale is told in an easy to follow hilarious rhyme.

Tortoises' self-doubt is clearly evident with the constant refrain "I'll never win now, it's just not fair!", while he hunts for his missing hair piece and slowly gives up hope of ever finding it.

Then we follow his wig's escapades as it travels from animal to animal after Bear's foot is tickled by something on the floor of the bus and is eventually found by Hare. 

Shea's bright and bold illustrations are fantastic.  They add beautifully to Crumbles' rhyme, while giving more depth to the story.  You can see Tortoises' absolute sense of impending doom as he slowly makes his way to the concert.  There are all sorts of awesome things in the images to spot, and the looks on the animals faces are gorgeous.  I quite like the business mouse talking on his bug phone, and Miss Hippo strutting her stuff in a lime green dress, shoes & painted toenails ... with Tortoises' wig!

This is a fantastic book to add to your collection.  Great for pre-school and early primary children.

I got my copy of Tortoise and the Hair from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 21. Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly & James Dean

Dean, K., & Dean, J. (2014). Pete the Cat and the New Guy. London, UK: HarperCollins Children's Books.

ISBN: 9780007590803
Pages: 40
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Join Pete the Cat on his latest groovy adventure.  There's a new guy in the street and Pete thinks he might be 'his kind of guy'.  But when Pete meets him he finds that he is not the same at all!  Gus is different.  Gus is a Platypus.  But Pete knows that being different is really cool and that makes his special in his own way.  And when Gus can't find what he is good at Pete sais ...

Don't be sad,

don't be blue.

There is something

everyone can do!   

And guess what?!?!  There is something that Gus can do!


I really love the Pete the Cat series of books.  Not just because you can go online and listen to Eric Litwin sing the songs(book?) - He's soooooooo groovy man!!  Dean instills a message into each of these books that teaches children a number of things.  In Pete the Cat and the New Guy the message is all about acceptance, individual differences and friendship.  Just because you can't do what everyone else does, doesn't mean you should stop trying to find your own talent.  And when you do, then groove to it man!

The text is simple and rhythmic with lots of repetition.  It gets the message of acceptance, individual differences and friendship across in a way that younger children can understand.  This is a good book to read aloud and for sharing as there is really too much text for young children to read on their own, however kids will be able to pick up on the rhyming repetition quickly and join in with the story.  

The illustrations are very bright and colourful.  The characters are colourful, and the backgrounds are colourful.  The characters are quite simply drawn, and there is not much facial expression to determine their moods.  Actually with their eyeballs all being in the upper part of their eyes they all have a very 'chilled' look to them - very hippy'ish :-)  

Pete the Cat and the New Guy has a video of the story being read by children, rather than the Eric Litwin songs of his other books.  It is a great way for children to learn the rhythm of the story, while also a chance for them to have the story read to them if an adult or older student isn't available to read.  Good idea for a learning station during class literacy sessions.

This will be another great book to add to our collection.  Both for the message it is trying to get across and for the bright colourful illustrations.  A couple of our year 3 classes last year did lots of drawing activities with the Pete the Cat books.  The illustrations in the book are simple enough for children to reproduce themselves, and they can come up with their own stories to go along with their cat.  They are great to use for book week activities as an alternative to the Mr Men series.  

My one disappointment is that Eric Litwin is not the author of this book, rather it is James' wife Kimberley, and so there is no song to go with it.  Of all the books this one may be a little didactic - and not so happy-go-lucky as the previous books.  Still a great addition to your collection.

I got my copy of Pete the Cat and the New Guy from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 20. Line Up, Please! by Tomoko Ohmura

Ohmura, T.. (2014). Line Up, Please! Wellington, New Zealand: Gecko Press.

ISBN: 9781877579998
Pages: 40 (incl 2 fold out pages)
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: 4 stars

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Standing in line can be really dull and booooring!  Count down with these 50 different animals and find out why they are waiting in line.  Will it be worth the wait? 

Line Up, Please!  has been translated to English and published by Gecko Press.  It was originally published in Japan, in 2009, by POPLAR Publishing under the title Nanno Gyoretsu.

This is a fun picture book for young children.  There are 50 animals with their names so you can learn to identify them.  There is a number under each animal teaching children how to count down from 50.  As the animals wait (patiently) in line you can follow their comments ...  which are really quite 'human' and very humorous.  As an adult there are a number of comments we have heard, or even made, while waiting in line ourselves!!!  

The illustrations are bold and bright.  Each animal is drawn simply and is easy for children to recognise.  They have been given the cutest facial expressions, which are in keeping with their comments.  Each page has the tail of the animal on the following page, and makes for a good guessing game.

There is a great surprise towards the end when it is revealed just why the animals are all waiting in line.  There is a two page fold out spread so you can see all the animals.  Then there is the fun of the ride.  You can see the sheer joy on the animals faces!  See if you can recall all the animals names!

This is a great book to share with younger readers.  It will also make a great addition for maths sessions and learning what different animals look like, and are called.

I got my copy of Line Up, Please from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 18. Big and Small by Elizabeth Bennett, illustrated by Jane Chapman

Bennett, E. (2014). Big and Small. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742761053
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

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Big and Small are best of friends.  One day they decide to go out to play and take a picnic lunch with them.  But Small is so small he keeps getting into trouble and he is constantly asking for "A little help, please!"  At the end of the day, when they are tucked up in be, is Big really so big and brave, or does he need a little help too? 

This is just the cutest story about Big and Small's adventures.  The rhyming text is simple with short sentences, and lots of repetition.  The font used is nice and big and 'moves' across the pages fitting itself to the actions of the characters, making this a visually pleasing book to read.


Chapman's illustrations are fantastic.  They are bright and colourful.  Big is a great big bluey grey bear, and Small is a tiny little white mouse.  You can see from their facial expressions just how much fun they have together, and although Small is constantly asking for help, Big never gets frustrated with his friend.

The illustrations start off as full page layouts and then alternate with a split layout, where you can see Small in trouble and Big saving him.  I particularly like the page where they are about to roll down the hill.

What a gorgeous book to add to your collection.  With a theme of friendship and having someone who's always there for you, this book will make for a lovely bed-time read.

I got my copy of Big andSmall from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 17. The Very Noisy House by Julie Rhodes, illustrated by Korky Paul

Rhodes, J., & Paul, K. (2013). The Very Noisy House. London, UK: Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

ISBN: 9781847805348
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Clomp! Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!

goes the old lady's stick, which makes the dog upstairs go

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

which causes the cat to go

MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!

which wakes the baby -

WHAAA! WHAAA! WHAAA!

What a VERY NOISY HOUSE!

Can anything make it quiet again? 

First time published author, Julie Rhodes, was inspired to write this story about her very own very noisy house by her dog, Archie, who is always barking and running about.

As you read through this book, each noise leads onto the next one, slowly escalating in level until the old lady gets so sick of it all she decides to sit down and knit.  As her clomping stops, slowly, so do all the other noises, until there is a nice peaceful house at last.  But how long will it last?

There is a lot a repetition in this story, and you can have great fun with the sound effects as you read it aloud.  Actually it would be a really great (& noisy) idea to assign different children to make the sounds as you read through.  It would make for a great group read.  Its simplicity would also make it a great book for students to read aloud to the rest of the class.

The illustrations work so well replicating the text that younger children could actually tell this story by the illustrations alone.  Personally I find the illustrations too 'noisy' myself - I think it's all the text noise.  Each page is just so busy!  

I do like Paul's attention to detail.  Each time you turn the page, the rooms change.  You can spend simply ages just looking at the rooms to see where each character is, especially the little old lady (who I'm sure is a witch!) as she walks around her floor.  And keep your eye on the illustrations on her desk (desks?).  Very clever!

The illustrations initially reminded me a bit of Winnie the Witch which is quite popular at school.  They should.  Korky Paul illustrated that awesome series as well!

Oh! One other thing about this noisy book.  You have to read the whole thing on it's side and flip the pages UP not to the left.  It's really quite cool!!  But honestly, how else would you be able to fit such a tall house on the pages of a book.  Think about it!  It just makes so much sense :-)

The front and end papers have been illustrated by primary school children and add a nice touch to the book.

This is a delightfully noisy read for young children and provides lots of opportunities for them to join in as you read.  It would make a great read-aloud for library or class time.

I got my copy of The Very Noisy House from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 15. What can you Stack on the Back of a Yak? by Alison Green, illustrated by Adam Stower

Green, A. (2013). What can you Stack on the Back of a Yak? London, UK: Alison Green Books.

ISBN: 978775432555
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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Captain Quack and his trusty yak

deliver the post to the mountains and back. 

Well ... that's what is supposed to happen.  Yak's playful antics keep getting him in trouble and Captain Quack just cannot keep him on track.  Along the way yak looses his load of parcels but picks up a collection of lost and tired creatures.  Find out what happens when he finally makes it to the top of the track.

This is a humorous and catchy rhyming tale with lots of repetition making it a great read-aloud.  It's also a counting book.  Green's love of wordplay is evident in this fantastic tale of Captain Quack and his Yak.

The text has been presented in 'typewriter' font, making it stand out from the majority of other picture storybooks.  It's a refreshing change.  And easy to read.

The illustrations are done in muted watercolours, the majority of which are full page illustrations.  These are intermingled with images on a solid white background, which help draw your eye to what is important.  Stower's illustrations tie in perfectly with Green's rhyme.  I just love the look of fuming annoyance on Captain Quack's face when he can't control Yak.  And the look of joy on Yak's face when he keeps coming up with ways to play.  Gorgeous!  And once everyone is loaded on Yak's back he's so tall that you have to turn the page to see everyone. 

This is a fantastic read-aloud, and I am looking forward to reading it to ALL our classes this year.  The younger kids will enjoy listening to it, and I can see our older kids having fun trying to get their tongues around some of the rhymes and reading it to their little buddies.  

I got my copy of What can you Stack on the Back of a Yak? from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 13. Chu's Day by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Adam Rex

Gaiman, N. (2014). Chu's Day. London, UK: Bloomsbury.

ISBN: 978148828014
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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 Meet the little panda with a very big sneeze! 

Meet Chu.  A cute little panda with a sneezing problem.  When his mum takes him to the dusty library does he sneeze?  When his dad takes him to the diner with lots of pepper floating around does he sneeze?  What about when he goes to the circus with his family?  Will anyone listen to him when he tries to warn them he's going to sneeze? 


Gaiman has used short sentences, with just one sentence per page, that clearly describe Chu's day out.  He uses language that is appropriate to the intended audience and repetition making this a book young children will be easily able to follow along with.

I really like Neil Gaiman's work, but I think with this book, the star of the show is Adam Rex's illustrations - Sorry Neil :-)

Rex's illustrations are bold. They're bright.  And they are just darned gorgeous.  I especially like how he has made all the animals so realistic in appearance, even though they are wearing clothes.  I mean, what self-respecting creature would go out in public naked!?!?  And keep an eye on Chu's goggles - they are key to the story.  It took me a few readings to realise they aren't just to help him look cute. 

Not biased here, but I just love the library scene.  Check out the mice
on their teeny tiny computer screens!

Rex captures the readers interest in the way he uses two distinct styles of illustrating.  We have pages with a white background with only Chu or a specific scene displayed.  These really make you concentrate on what's important - like Chu and his dad walking into the diner.

Then you have other pages with so much detail you can spend simply ages just looking at all the different characters and what they are doing.  These full-page illustrations have either a white border around them, which keep your eye contained within the pages.  Almost as if telling you there is nothing else to 'imagine' about the scene.  Alternatively they take up the whole page.  This gives the illusion that the picture carries on, you just can't see it all.  Over-all I really love the mix of illustration styles.  It makes the book really interesting to read.

The final scenes when all the animals are getting blown around are fantastic.  The looks on their faces when they see the 'sneeze' coming (especially the turtle) and after it's over, are fabulous.  I can spend hours just looking at these four pages checking out the looks of shock on their faces.  And cute little Chu's 'oops' look sais it all!  



Chu is just the cutest little panda around, and I'm sure he will be a hit with young kids everywhere.  Children (and adults) will be able to relate to a topic that is about something they have all experienced - whether it is a delicate cat-sneeze, a 'just tricking' nearly-sneeze, or a whooping great Chu-sneeze.  This is definitely a great addition to our library!

I got my copy of Chu's Day from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy of Chu's Day as well as, Chu's first day at school, at Napier Libraries.  

#365PictureBooks 5. Oh Dear, what can the matter be? by P. Crumble, illustrated by Simon Williams, performed by Jay Laga'aia

Crumble, P. (2014). Oh Dear, what can the matter be? Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781743622377
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / Stories in Rhyme
Rating: 4 stars

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I love Crumble's work.  I noticed in the last year that I have been drawn to his(?) books as the combination of his humour and the illustrators of his books make for a bright and fun read. 

And he doesn't disappoint in this lively rendition of Oh Dear, what can the matter be?  Be careful because it is a bit of a tongue-twister!  For those who can't remember how the tune goes there is an accompanying CD with the lyrics sung by Jay Laga'aia.

Williams' fantastically amazing, bright and colourful illustrations, really bring the song to life.  There are so many different things to see on each beautifully illustrated page with the characters from one page flowing through to the next page.  I particularly love the first page with the ducks stuck in the lavatory!

It's great for a group read-aloud - or should I say CD sing-along.  You can let the CD play while one of the kids turns the pages and you having a jolly old time acting out to the song.  So much fun for us crazy librarians!!! ;-)

I got my copy of Oh Dear, what can the matter be from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.