#365PictureBooks 72. Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball by Giles Paley-Phillips, illustrated by Gabriele Antonini

Paley-Phillips, G., & Antonini, G. (2012). Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball. Pulborough, UK: Maverick Arts.

ISBN: 9781848861008
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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One night when Tamara Small can't sleep she is whisked away by a hairy monster and taken to the mysterious Monsters' Ball for an evening of fun she will never forget! 

Starting off in a spooky rhyme that is just full of building tension, we find Tamara clutching her ted and unable to sleep.  Suddenly a big hairy arm comes snaking in and grabs poor Tamara.

With the illustrations done in lots of dark tones to help build the feeling of fear, the only bit of brightness is Tamara in her bright pink PJ's.

Suddenly the tone of the illustrations changes.  Although they are still quite dark, depicting night time, they have a brightness to them - more of a friendly party atmosphere.

The rhyme also changes, taking on a questioning tone before moving into an energetic fun filled one and finally a sleepy bed-time feeling.

The font is large and easily read, while the language used is appropriate for younger children with no big confusing words.  With a variation in font size to help the reader give emphasis to the story, this is also a great book for older children to read to their younger buddies. 

Another great monster book a for bed-time read-aloud.  Kids will love the rhyme and the awesome illustrations.  I love these types of picture books ... they give kids a great introduction to poetry, and the joy that can be found in word-play, as well as showing kids that monsters don't have to be scary things.  Books are to be enjoyed, and they can come in all shapes, sizes and genres.

I got my copy of Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Oops!  I wasn't able to find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 69. Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle

Duddle, J. (2014). Gigantosaurus. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742761015
Pages: 32 - including 1 'fold-up' page
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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His feet go STOMP!  
His jaws go CRUNCH!  
In the blink of an eye you'll be his LUNCH!  

Are you ready to meet the GIGANTOSAURUS? 

Bonehead, Tiny, Fin and Bill are four tiny and terribly cute dinosaurs who like spending their days playing.  Their mums warn them to beware of the Gigantosaurus, but like most children do they take any notice?  Why, of course not!  Well actually ... Bonehead does.  He keeps tricking his friends by calling out the Gigantosaurus is coming.  But what happens when the Gigantosaurus really does come???  

What a gorgeous gorgeous book.  It initially reminded me of the Puff the Magic Dragon story, but the further through I read it appeared to be a dinosaur retelling of Peter and the Wolf.  Bonehead is a bit of a liar, and he eventually cries 'wolf' ... woops I mean 'Gigantosaurus' once too often. 

Told in rhyme, this is a great book to share with your dinosaur-loving children.  Younger children will enjoy having this read to them, while the language used is more suitable for older children to read alone.

Duddle's illustrations are fan-fraking-amazing.  I love love love Bonehead.  Each of his images seem to just pop with his courage and self-confidence ... especially the page where their mothers are trying to tell them to be careful.  He's like 'Yeah Yeah, whatever!'  While his friends are quaking in their boots.  Did I mention that they are really really cute???  

The amount of detail in each illustration is fantastic.  They are bright, clear and show so much.  If you look carefully you can see hints of all sorts of dinosaur formations hiding in the images.  And you also get to meet the dinosaurs in the book at the end.  There are two pages of dino facts for kids to enjoy.

What a great addition to your collection, whether it's because you are a dinosaur fan, you like a good read-aloud, or purely for the amazing illustrations.

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

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 66. Esau the Paw by Chris Gurney, illustrated by John Bennett

Gurney, C., & Bennett, J. (2014). Esau the Paw. Auckland, New Zealand: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781775431855
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

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Esau the Paw was a VERY cool cat.
No cat was fluffier, be sure of that! 

OMG! Esau the Paw is the cutest fluffiest cat!  One of the descriptions of him is that he looks 'like a big bloated fur ball'.  And he does!  His facial expressions as he plays are fantastic.  And his looks of absolute disgust I'm sure I have seen on my own cat!!!

Esau the Paw has a beautiful fluffy coat that his owner grooms when he gets it tangled.  Until ... one day it is just so bad that he has to go to the vet ... where he gets a trim - Doh!

Chris Gurney's rhyming text is easy to follow.  He humorously tells the tale of poor Esau's catastrophic results from playing in the mud.  Something many a pet owner can relate to - especially those of us with long-haired darlings, be they cats or dogs ;-)

John Bennett's illustrations are bright and colourful and clearly show Esau's delight in life ... and his disgust once he has been shaved bald!  Predominantly full of full-page illustrations like this one,  children will be able to relate to their own pet's predicaments when they get messy in the winter.

A humorous and colourful read-aloud that will be enjoyed again and again.

I got my copy of Esau the Paw from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 61. Ten monsters in the bed by Katie Cotton, illustrated by Aaron Blecha

Cotton, K., & Blecha, A. (2014). Ten monsters in the bed. Gosford, Australia: Koala Books.

ISBN: 9781742761176
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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This is going to be a 'Minimal Monday' review, simply because it's just a fun, noisy book that you HAVE TO read!

There were ten monsters in the bed,
and the farty monster said ...
"MOVE OVER!" 

A smelly, noisy (definitely boy humour) twist on the 'ten green bottles' ditty.  

The ten dirty, gross and disgusting monsters don't have enough room on the top bunk of their bed.  So they proceed to push, throw and sneeze their way off the bed, whilst down below one big monster is trying to sleep.

The illustrations are amazingly bright and colourful, even with a dark purlply/navy background.  And the monsters, even though they are rather disgusting, are really quite fantastic to look at.  Keep your eye on the moldy flea ridden sandwich during the story, as well as the monster in the bowl.  So many things to look at on each page as the monsters are constantly in motion.

A rollicking great rhyming read-aloud.  Mind you I wouldn't read it at bed-time as it is not the sort of story that children will settle down and fall asleep to!  It's more a noisy, gross, activity inducing read!

I got my copy of Ten monsters in the bed from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 54. The Pet Itch by Elli Woollard, illustrations by Elina Ellis

Woollard, E., & Ellis, E. (2013). The Pet Itch. West Sussex, UK: Maverick Arts.

ISBN: 9781848861077
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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What Mossy the Monster most wanted to get in the whole wide world was a small PESTY pet.

Mossy reeeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy wants a pet Itch.  But his family think he is too young, and that pets are nasty, smelly and noisy.  They try to talk him into soft toys, imaginary pets and just looking at books with Itchs in them.  Mossy is having none of it!  He wants a real pet Itch!  He and his sister finally come up with a plan to trick his family into letting them keep a pet Itch.  But does it work???



Woollard's story of a young monster wanting a pet has been told in a humorous rhyme.  Children will be able to relate to the 'need' for a pet, whilst parents will be able to laugh at the antics the aunt, uncle & grandma get up to trying to talk Mossy out of his idea.  I know for sure that we've been down this 'road of denial' before we finally gave in to our 14 year old and allowed him to get a dog!  Kids .... they'll wear you down and twist you around in the end!

The fonts have been done with a mix of bold and capitalization to show emphasis in the rhyme.  And I love how his sister keeps butting in!

Ellis's illustrations add perfectly to the rhyming story.  The monsters are horribly cute, even the pet Itch ... well I don't know about the tutu!  The mixture of full page images and smaller images are done in bold bright colours.  This makes the monsters, done in a purply-brown hue, really stand out as the main focus.

A great read-aloud monster and pet book to add to your collection.  I can see some really creative class activities coming out of this book that I will get to display in the library :-)

I got my copy of The Pet Itch from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 53. Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head by Stella Dreis, text by Daniel Hahn

Dreis, S., & Hahn, D. (2013). Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head. London, UK: Phoenix Yard Books.

ISBN: 9781907912054
Pages: 40
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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This is the story of three bitter, unhappy and miserable women - Miss Whimper, Miss Grouch & Miss Stern.  Their neighbour, Miss Jolly and her pet Melvin the boar, is always happy.  These three grumps try to find out her secret, and in the process learn that happiness can be a big sticky pink mess.  With the help of a teeny tiny watermelon food fight!  

Originally published in 2011 in Portuguese with the title A Felicidade e uma Melancia na Cebeca by Callis Editora.



Wow!  I just love love love this book.  Stella Dreis' illustrations are fan-freaking-amazing!!!  I saw some artwork many years ago that this reminds me of, but I'm blowed if I can remember the artist ... aaaarrrrrggghhhh!!!!.  I would love to have some on my walls!

The illustrations are extremely bright and colourful and done in a surrealist style.  They have been depicted in an overly exaggerated way from their facial and body features, their expressions, through to the way they move.  I love their snobbish expressions as they strut around with the most hideously fantastic hats on their heads.

Hahn's rhyming text is a perfect match to Dreis's illustrations.  It has a catchy rhythm and mostly uses language that younger children can understand. 

What a fantastically imaginative and fun book to add to your collection.  The artwork is worth spending hours pouring over, and the rhyming story makes for a great read-aloud.  Even though it is supposedly for Early Childhood 0-6 year old children I personally think that Middle Childhood 7-12 year olds will appreciate this book more, both for the illustrations and the humorous rhyme.

I got my copy of Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops, I couldn't find a copy at Napier Libraries.

Check out Goodreads for more reviews of Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head.

#365PictureBooks 52. The Monsters' Test by Brian Heinz, illustrated by Sal Murdocca

Heinz, B.J., & Murdocca, S. (1996). The Monsters' Test. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press.

ISBN: 9780761300953
Pages: 24
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook / Poetry
Rating: 3 stars

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The Monsters' Test is a bit of an oldie, but I have only just purchased it, and it's about monsters so I'm definitely going to review it. 



Kid's are always having friendly competitions - who is the tallest, the smartest, the prettiest, the fastest - and monsters are no different.  So when a group of the worst of them get together for an evening out, it's not surprising that they decide to have a contest to see which of them is the scariest looking.



Told in verse the Monsters' Test is more appropriate for upper primary and intermediate children.  The rhyme is catchy although not always easy to keep the rhythm up.  Each monster gets a chance to try and outdo everyone else with lots of heckling from the audience.

In keeping with the monster theme the background images are dark and full of suspense.  However the foreground images of the monsters have quite a lot of colour, and the creatures facial expressions and antics make this a book to laugh at and enjoy rather than be scared of.  It shows kids that, just like them, other 'creatures' have fun, make fun of each other, love competition and can be scared of the silliest things!!!

What a great book about Halloween.  I like it although I have to say the sometimes un-rhythmic verse has let it down ... hence only 3 stars.  It would be a great poem for senior students poetry competitions.  I must admit that it is currently catalogued in our system as 821:Poetry, but I'm thinking it will get more use in our Sophisticated Picture Book section so I'll be changing it before the spine label goes on this week.

I got my copy of The Monsters' Test from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 50. Clementine's Walk by Annie White

White, A. (2013). Clementine's Walk. Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921928475
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Clementine is bored and decides she wants to go outside in the sunshine for a walk.  She makes messes everywhere as she bumbles her way around the whole family trying to find someone to take her.  But they are all too busy to take her for a walk.  Poor Clementine.  When everyone is finally ready to go they can't find Clementine anywhere!  Where can she be hiding? 

What a gorgeous story.  It has a simple rhyming text and uses language that is aimed at it's younger audience.




The illustrations tie in perfectly with the text and are just beautifully done.  They have quite an 'old-fashioned' look to them.  Done on a pale cream background your eye is drawn to the main focus - Clementine and her antics in trying to get the family to take her for a walk.  Clementine has been shown as a scruffy looking happy dog ... well until she gives up because everyone is too busy.  The illustrations are quite realistic looking, while being done nice and simply and not too complicated for younger children to relate to.  They show the energy and chaos that is part of having a pet dog.  

The end papers are just lovely.  The front shows a trail of Clementines mess, while the back has a map of Clementine's walk when the family eventually takes her out.

The rhyme and the story make this is a beautiful book for reading aloud whether you have a pet or not.  It is also a good title to have in your classroom or library for Year 1 students.   

Teacher notes are available for this Clementine's Walk.

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

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 48. Phylys the Farm Truck by Christine Fernyhough & Susan Elijas, photography by John Bougen

Fernyhough, C., & Elijas, S. (2013). Phylys the Farm Truck. Auckland, New Zealand: Random House.

ISBN: 9781775535096
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

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Meet Phylys.  She's the shiny new farm truck at Castle Hill Station.  Will she be tough enough to get the jobs of a high-country farm done, or will she be to pretty to try?  And how are the animals on the station going to treat her? 

Christine Fernyhough & Susan Elijas have presented us with a humorous rhyming read-aloud about the every-day happenings on a working farm.  The verse reminds me of The Man from Snowy River (Yes I know it's Australian and this is a New Zealand story) but it's rhythm and language just has a 'down home' feel.

Interspersed with the actual verse are rhyming one-liners from the farm animals which add beautifully to the story.

The illustrations remind me of one of those felt boards that we had as a kid.  You could create & re-create your own 'story' by adding felt characters, buildings, vehicles, trees etc to a felt back-board.  Hours and hours and hours of fun was had.

Susan & Sam Elijas have taken John Bougen's photos, and with the use of collage have designed each spread in a way that is eye-catching.  Their humorous depiction of an everyday occurrence in the farming community is brilliant.  

What a great read-aloud with so many fantastic things to spot on each page.  Keep your eyes open for the little pink mouse who can be seen on each page getting up to all sorts of mischief.

I got my copy of Phylys the Farm Truck from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

Find out more about Christine Fernyhough here.

Check out Graham Beattie's blog post about Phylys the Farm Truck.

#365PictureBooks 44. What do Werewolves do when it's not Halloween? by Heath McKenzie

McKenzie, H. (2013). What do Werewolves do when it's not Halloween? Lindfield, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742838793
Pages: 24
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Just what do Werewolves and all the other supernatural creatures get up to when it's not Halloween?  Do they hide in dark closets, or do they get up to mischief?  Join Heath McKenzie as he takes you for a romp through the lives of your favourite ghouls, ghosts and spooks, and find out just what Werewolves do after Halloween. 

With a rollicking great rhyme and a funky font this is a great picture book to share with young and old kids alike.  Older kids will 'get' the humour of it more-so than the pre-school kids, but I can see them laughing their way through story time if you read this with them.

McKenzie's illustrations are just so awesome as well.  He uses humour in his images to turn what some people find scary (monsters) into a hilarious twist on our own relaxation activities.  There are so many great things to see on each page that I can't choose a favourite.  I just love them all so much.  I've got to admit though that I'm quite partial to the library scene!

This is a wicked-cool addition to your collection, especially if like me you are a fan of all things supernatural.  And maybe after reading this, those kids that are usually scared of things that go 'bump' in the night won't be so scared any more :-)

I got my copy of What do Werewolves do when it's not Halloween? from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Oops I couldn't find a copy at Napier Libraries.

Check out Heather McKenzie's website on how she came up with the idea for What to Werewolves do when it's not Halloween?

#365PictureBooks 40. Toys Galore by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake

Stein, P., & Staake, B. (2013). Toys Galore. London, UK: Walker Books.

ISBN: 9781406346213
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Book 
Rating: 5 stars

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Toys are silly.

Toys are fun

Who loves toys?

Everyone!

This book ticks all my 'fun factor' boxes.  It is bright.  It is rhymey (yes I know it's not a real word).  The illustrations are cute.  It is just plain fun!  I defy you to put it down before you have finished.  Not going to happen!!!

The rhyme is easy to pick up, and with lots of repetition little kids will be able to follow along with the humorous text.

The character illustrations are kind of alien'ish, but they are just so awesome.  They are bright and happy looking, and just make you want to smile along with them.  There are so many great toys to spot.  Each page has toys relating to the particular part of the rhyme.

This is such a cool book to add to your collection.  It is a fun book for reading aloud either at bedtime ... well maybe not if you are trying to settle your child down to sleep!  But certainly great for daytime read-alouds and class read-alouds.  Older kids will have fun reading it to their younger buddies.  Be careful you don't get your tongue twisted around the words :-) 

I got my copy of Toys Galore from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 38. Kakapo Dance by Helen Taylor

Taylor, H. (2014). Kakapo Dance. Auckland, New Zealand: Puffin.

ISBN: 9780143506010
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook / NZ Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

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I love Helen Taylor's illustrations!  They are so bright and realistic it is as if the birds will just step off the page into your lap.  Stunning! 


In Kakapo Dance Taylor tells the story of all the birds in the bush trying to get Kakapo to join in their singing and dancing.  But Kakapo CAN'T Dance!  And so it carries on through the book with each consecutive bird trying to entice poor Kakapo to dance.

The rhyme and story remind me of My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton & Lynley Dodd.  Or maybe The Twelve Days of Christmas.  As each bird tries to tempt Kakapo to sing and dance their line of rhyme is added to the previous so that you repeat each line as you get down to Kakapo's refrain ... 

But Kakapo DON'T sing or dance,

we're just not made that way!

With lots of repetition and a catchy rhyme this book is full of language that will teach children about the movement and sounds the birds of our New Zealand bush make.  The font has been coloured so that the motion and noise words are done in a way that links to the bird it is talking about - Teal for the Kereru, Navy Blue for the Pukeko, and bright Emerald Green for the Kakapo. 

As I mentioned before, Taylor's illustrations are just stunning.  They are bright.  They are bold.  They are so realistic.  A true and beautiful depiction of our native birds.

I just want to keep re-reading it!   It is a lovely addition to your collection of fun rhyming stories.  A great read aloud.  And fantastic for when classes are doing artwork and need an image or photo of one of our beautiful birds.

I got my copy of Kakapo Dance from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 35. Worries go away! by Kes Gray, illustrations by Lee Wildish

Gray, K., & Wildish, L. (2014). Worries go away! London, UK: Hodder Children's Books.

ISBN: 9781444900163
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

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When a young girl is worried, she has a world of her own where she can escape to.  A place where nothing and no one can reach her.  At first it is full of all the nice things like cakes & cola, flowers and trees.  But soon her worries follow her and she can't escape them.  Only her family and friends can help her, but can she get back to them?

Told in rhyme this book gets a powerful message across in a gentle and sensitive way.  The language is appropriate for the age group it is intended for - pre-school and early primary school students.

Wildish's illustrations add to the gentle and sensitive message.  The illustrations are very bright and colourful.  The little girls imagination is depicted with pink unicorns, delicious giant ice-creams & cakes and cute little animals.  Even when the 'worries' start to intrude in the little girls special place they are done in hues of gold and pink - depicting the 'monster' but not in a way that is terrifying to the reader.

The final pages get the message across of family, friends, love and kindness being the place to go when your worries start to get to you.  

I only wish that the character had been 'changed out' every few pages to a young boy, and maybe characters of different ethnicity.  The illustrations would work with both boys & girls.  I'm just thinking slightly older children are starting to get a bit "oooh I'm not reading a book about girls" when the message is so important to all children, regardless of sex or ethnicity.      

This is such a beautiful book about a serious topic relevant to so many children (and adults).  It would work really well as part of the new-year-at-school introduction when schools, our school especially, do a 'You, Me, We' topic starter.  Another book it would work well with is A Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside.

I'm loving the very last page:

I feel so much better,

Not lonely or down.

And as for my worries?

They've upped and left town!

The next time I'm troubled,

There's a place I will go.

Not a world of my own.

But to someone I know.

I got my copy of Worries go away! 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 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

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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 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.