#365PictureBooks 60. How to Hide a Lion from Grandma by Helen Stephens

Stephens, H. (2014). How to Hide a Lion from Grandma. London, UK: Alison Green Books.

ISBN: 9781407139050
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

---------------

Iris and her family live with a brave, kind lion.  One weekend Iris's Grandma comes to stay and they have to find ways to hide the lion, because we all know that grandmas get anxious if they find a lion in the house!  With all sorts of creative hiding places Grandma never seems to notice the lion right in front of her eyes!  But Grandma has a secret of her own  What could possibly be in the gigantic box she brought with her? 

Helen Stephens has told this story in a lovely old-fashioned style of writing with lots of 'grandma-isms' like 'bit and bobs' and 'we'll see's'.  

There is quite a lot of text and the font used (or maybe the fuzzy print) is not the easiest to see so this will make a better read-aloud than a book children will read to themselves.

The illustrations are also very old-fashioned in appearance giving the book a nostalgic feel when I read it (No I'm not that old!!! But it reminded me of the Little Golden Books from when I was a kid).  They accompany the text perfectly.

A lovely read-aloud, especially good for grandmas to read when they come visiting :-)

I got my copy of Kiwi Corkers: A Kiwi Christmas Carol from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 28. How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish

Reagan, J., & Wildish, L. (2014). How to Babysit a Grandma. London, UK: Hodder Children's Books.

ISBN: 9781444918120
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

---------------

Oops, sorry ... this is going to be a speedy review, as I have a 19th wedding anniversary dinner to attend - mine!  Like ... NOW!

"When you babysit a grandma, if you're lucky it's a sleepover at her house!  With the help of this funny and heartwarming book, you're guaranteed to become an expert grandma-sitter in no time.  Be sure to check:

How to play with a grandma

Things to do at the park

What to do at bedtime.

Grab your pillow and get ready for some special grandma time!"

This is a follow up to How to Babysit a Grandad.  These books are a twist on the traditional babysitting routine where the kids are babysitting the Grandies.  They are bright.  They are funny.  And they take a topic that many young children don't like, are scared of, or just think is plain dumb to a new level.  This may make kids more keen to be babysat by their grandparents.  It gives kids an impression that they have ownership of the babysitting.  Full of lists on how to help babysit your Grandma, kids will be able to relate to many of these situations.

Wildish's illustrations are lovely.  They are bright and almost three-dimensional.  If you look closely at the faces they look like one of those raised stickers you can get.  With a mix of full page illustrations and illustrations fitting around the text, this is an interesting book to read.  There are so many things to see (and learn!).  The end-papers are great too.  They are a photo montage of the young girl and her Grandmother and some of the activities they get up to.

There are so many cool things to read and see in this book that I could go on for ages.  However I really truly have to dash or my hubby will tell me off :-)

This is a great book to have in you collection for when you have 'Grandparents day' at school.  The Grandies will enjoy reading it just as much as the young kids.  I know our junior students get a whole lot of enjoyment out of How to Babysit a Grandad.

A great book to celebrate grandparents.

I got my copy of How to Babysit a Grandma from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 26. The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Garry Parsons

Fletcher, T., & Poynter, D. (2014). The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! London, UK: Red Fox.

ISBN: 9781782951780
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

---------------

Warning!  This book is not for the faint of heart!  If you are not a fan of Poo, or time travel, I beg you, do not read on!

Danny and his Dinosaur friend are back in a third poo-filled adventure.  After eating Grannies green sludge they head off to play on an old swing.  This is not a normal swing though.  It has time-travel powers and the duo find themselves flung back in time where they meet some new dino-friends ... in VOLCANO SEASON!  With a broken swing!!!  Oh oh!  How are they ever going to get back home?  Will Dinosaur be able to save them by pooping them back to the future??

Fletcher & Poynter have presented us with another rhyming and humorous story that is just as good as the first two (The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet! and The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas!).  I dare you to read it and not laugh.  It's got all the things that boys like; dinosaurs, time travel, adventure, oh ... and poo.  Lots and lots and lots of poo!  An three really really cute dinosaurs - Dino Dudes A, B and C. 

Young children will love the fun of a pooping dinosaur, though a lot of the humour may be over their heads.  There is a lot of quite complicated language and odd phrases that older students will be more confident with.  Also the older kids will just love the grossness of the story and it will make a great read-aloud for them to share with their younger buddies, as the rhyme is easy to pick up.

Parson's illustrations are a perfect match to the hilarious time-travelling historical story.  Most of the backgrounds use very muted colours, and some of his illustrations are predominantly monotone - like the scene with Granny serving her green sludge - with only Danny & the Dinosaurs being the main point of colour. 


This series of books by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter are soooooo popular at our school.  Yes it's boy humour, but you'd be surprised just how many girls love toilet humour too.  Yep!  I'm one of them!!

A great read-aloud, though maybe not at bedtime when you are trying to settle your children down!   Perfect for young children and old alike.

I got my copy of The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 14. Very Little Red Riding Hood by Heapy & Heap

Heapy, T., & Heap, S. (2013). Very Little Red Riding Hood: A very BIG adventure for a Very little Girl. Oxford, UK: David Flicking Books.

ISBN: 9781849921459
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / Alternative Fairy Tale 
Rating: 3 stars

---------------

Very Little Red Riding Hood is brave, bold and BOSSY!  She is off to visit her Grandma for a sleepover, and she's not going to let anyone or anything stop her.  Not even a wolf! 

Heapy has done well in her cute retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood, which is lots of fun and has none of the gory bits from the classic.  It is very easy to relate it to the original, with the the twist being that Very Little Red Riding Hood invites the wolf to Grandma's for a 'cuppatea' and a play.  By the end of it I felt really sorry for the poor wolf.  Mind you when I become a Grandma I certainly want my own wolf to help babysit the grandies ... especially if they are as active as Very Little Red Riding Hood!

This is a very child-like retelling, and the language used is definitely aimed at pre-school children.  Heapy uses language in a way that many young children use, for example ..."I come see you, Gramma", and "Not lello flowers. Red!".  She uses a lot of short sentences, and there is one page that reminds me of our younger students story writing ... every sentence starts with 'Then'!  There is quite a lot of play on the original tale and I like how Heaphy has twisted scenarios around to tie in nicely with this modernised retelling. 

Heap's illustrations are very simple and in keeping with the story.  They look like they are done in pencil and watercolour, and some of them have a very unfinished look to them.  They are bright and colourful.  Very Little Red's jacket has ears on it which is very cute, and the wolf, aka 'Foxie', has a big hairy coat and stands out from the other characters in the way he is illustrated. 

With the inclusion of the fold-out map at the beginning I can see quite a few more books from Heapy & Heap with all the Very Little fairytale characters. 

A gorgeous story to be read at bedtime or as a read-aloud.  It will delight children and adults alike in the way Very Little Red Riding Hood bosses 'Foxie' and her poor Grandma around. 

I got my copy of Very Little Red Riding Hood from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.