Puppy love and animal magic

Columnist and chief leader writer

Saturday 21 April 2012

In recent decades there have been some celebrated author-illustrator partnerships in the world of children's picture books: Allan and Janet Ahlberg, Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, to name but three.

Custom byline text:

Anne Johnstone rounds up picture books for children – and how better to engage young minds than with the help of our furry friends?

Yet what is most noticeable about this selection of the latest picture books for one- to five-year-olds is that in so many of them words and pictures spring from a single creative talent. And why not? Surely illustrators understand instinctively the need to leave gaps in the words for the pictures to fill.

Animal Numbers Nicola Killen (Egmont, £5.99) For age 1+ One of a pair (along with Animal Colours), this delightful book is the perfect introduction to counting, with lots for toddlers to see and do. In each spread, the reader has to guess which animal is featured from its tail or hind quarters along with a clue, then unfold the page to check. A little bird acts as compere and big coloured dots on each page facilitate counting. Nice muted colours and rounded corners. It would be interesting to know how many tiny tongues cope with "hippopotamuses". Why not hippos? It's Snorey Time Meg and Catherine Pybus, illustrated by Petra Brown (Templar, £10.99) 2+ "Puff, puff, slowly breathing, in and out, tummies heaving. Guaranteed to make you ZZZZzzz", this little book boasts on its cover. What a brilliant idea. It's crazy that so many books billed as ideal for bedtime storytelling are madcap adventures, guaranteed to stimulate your children so effectively that they'll still be swinging from the curtains at midnight. How many exasperated parents and babysitters have watched a completely exhausted child battle to stay awake? This story employs a baby dormouse called Pignut to break down the barriers to sleep, gently leading a small child towards relaxation and sleepiness. Pignut claims she's not tired as we follow her encounters with various drowsy animals, finally arriving home for a special story called The Secret Of Sleep. Meg and Catherine Pybus (who are mother and daughter) use lullabies, visual imagery and language patterns full of rhythm, rhyme and repetition to help children relax and gently slip into the land of nod. This book deserves a medal. Fetch Jane Cabrera (Orchard, £10.99) 2+ Rosa finds a tiny black puppy shivering by the dustbins. Her mother agrees to take him in. One good turn deserves many others, it seems, and his fetching and carrying earn him his name. Rosa is upset when Fetch disappears but he returns, having fetched the best surprise of all. Simple, bright illustrations, full of character and feeling.Hans And Matilda Yokococo (Templar, £10.99) 3+ At first you may think this amusing tale of a nice little cat called Matilda and a naughty one called Hans is a bit of a cliché but there is a great twist in the tail of this feline story. Small children will relish the contrast between bad Hans and sweet Matilda that shows there's good and bad in all of us. The Japanese-born, English-trained author-illustrator blends her text and pictures beautifully.A Bus Called Heaven Bob Graham (Walker, £11.99) 4+ When a derelict old bus called Heaven appears mysteriously in an urban neighbourhood, nobody knows what to do with it, except a small girl called Stella. "It could be - ours," she whispered. Her determination wins the day, as members of the community scrub and polish it and turn it into a place where everyone can come together. Even snails and sparrows are welcomed. The story, told through a combination of comic strips and full page watercolours, has a reassuring message about the innate strength of communities, given the right sort of catalyst for affirmative action. This book is endorsed by Amnesty International.The Snorgh And The Sailor Will Buckingham, ill. Thomas Docherty (Alison Green Books, £6.99) 4+ Curmudgeonly Snorgh lives alone. He doesn't like sharing, doesn't like visitors and definitely doesn't like adventures. But when a bedraggled shipwrecked rabbit appears, full of exciting stories, Snorgh is swept along with him. Snorgh is a metaphor for the lone child, terrified of leaving his comfort zone, in this tale about unlikely friendships and the awesome power of stories. Boys particularly will love Docherty's zany illustrations and the hairy adventures of these two endearing characters.The Big Adventure Of The Smalls Helen Stephens (Egmont, £10.99) 4+ Paul and Sally Small live at Small Hall, a huge stately home. Too small to join the Grand Ball, they are observing all the excitement from upstairs when disaster strikes. Paul's teddy, Mr Puddles, falls through the banisters. A riotous series of adventures ensues as the children invade the party in search of the beloved bear, exploring secret passages, swinging from chandeliers and hiding inside a huge silver dish. Stephens uses a range of typefaces and sizes for emphasis and effect, as well as exaggerating the contrast between the tiny children and the scale of their grand surroundings. There are shades of the great Edward Ardizzone here but also the wacky Nicholas Allan (as in The Queen's Knickers).The Frank Show David Mackintosh (Harper Collins, £10.99) 5+ A boy has to talk about a member of his family for a whole minute. He chooses his grandfather, Frank, who doesn't trust barbers and doesn't like gadgets or "fancy food". Everybody else's relations sound much more interesting. But Frank captivates the class with his wartime adventures and quirky eccentricities. Mackintosh's anarchic illustrations are hilarious but there's a serious point about how much the older generation has to offer children, including loads of fun.

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Puppy love and animal magic

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED