Amy Gets Eaten | Adam Kay and Henry Parker | Puffin | Paperback £7.99
At first sight I thought, not another picturebook with poo on the front cover – there’s been a definite trend. But this is a good one. From the bestselling author and illustrator of Kay’s Anatomy – the fastest-selling children’s general non-fiction hardback of the decade – comesthe story of Amy, a small piece of sweetcorn who gets eaten by Noah, a medium-sized boy.
What follows is a funny, anatomically accurate adventure through the human digestive system that’s pitched just right for three- to six-year-olds. As the story progresses, children discover lots of information here about the passage of food and the conditions inside the digestive track. And you get to meet some great characters along the way, such as a rather tearful onion, a body-building lime and a wise old wrinkly raisin that can be followed through the story. Amy herself is a great character, forever cheerful and overcoming any fears by reminding herself – and her friends – that everything is an adventure; even when she finds herself all alone in the large intestine.
Don’t Disturb The Dragon | Rhiannon Findlay and Siân Roberts | Puffin Paperback | £7.99
It’s time to set off on an adventure with a mission – to find the princess’s baby brother who, having learned to crawl, has escaped from his cot into a magical world filled with castles, trolls, unicorns – and a dragon! And you definitely don’t want to disturb him.
Told in rhyme, young children can look for the clues hidden in the illustrations as the story progresses – such as a baby bottle and a toy duck, that eventually lead us to the baby and the dragon, who it turns out, is actually really nice and just a bit lonely.
This is one of those deceptively simple picturebooks that has lots of mileage, with children getting more fun from the story after a few readings when they already know where all the clues are and what’s waiting in store, allowing them to anticipate the clues and the visual tricks as the story develops.
More Peas Please! | Tom McLaughlin | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | Paperback |£7.99
It’s fair to say that Milo isn’t keen on peas, but his sister, Molly, thinks they’re delicious and knows they are really good for you too. Can Molly persuade Milo to give peas another chance? This fun, fantastical picturebook, with its big, bold illustrations, is a lot of fun and manages to incorporate a T Rex, a crafty fox and a two-headed robot among a whole host of characters.
I read this book to a small group of three- to four-year-olds and they loved it, especially the bit where the peas get thrown up in the air! A good picturebook to use as a conversation starter and to complement activities based on healthy foods and mealtimes. And it just might encourage reluctant veg eaters to give peas a go.
Amazing Dad | Alison Brown | Farshore | Paperback | £7.99
This is a good picturebook for demonstrating contemporary, relatable parenting, with depictions of two-dad families, blended families and shared parenting, all illustrated in Alison Brown’s fluffy-looking cuddly style. The simple rhyming text makes this good for reading aloud and will, I’m sure, instigate lots of questions and conversations about family groups, and embarrassing stories about children’s dads. The children I read it to had so many stories to tell me! And they loved spotting all the relatable details in the illustrations.
How The World Works | Christiane Dorion and Beverley Young | Templar Books | Paperback|£7.99
It’s often the most basic of questions children ask us that prove the most difficult to answer in a way that children can grasp, and this is where How The World Works comes into its own. Tackling lots of big questions on subjects ranging from ‘How did the universe begin?’ and ‘What kinds of things are floating out in space?’ to ‘How do plants live?’ and ‘What is a food chain?’, this book gives lots of mileage.
Although aimed at slightly older children, this could be great for sharing, with adults cherry-picking interesting facts for children to think about at the end of a session when everyone is brought together.
The Mermaid Moon | Briony May Smith | Walker Books | Hardback | 12.99
Merrin and Molly are best friends, but Merrin has never been to Molly’s house because she’s a mermaid and must stay in the water. Then comes the night of the Mermaid Moon, when sea creatures can magically fly through the air! But after a great day of fun together, trouble arises when it’s time for Merrin to return to the sea. If she doesn’t make it back before the moon sets, the Mermaid Moon magic will disappear from the world forever…
This gorgeous book is brimming with magic! It is beautifully illustrated, capturing the wonder of Merrin’s watery world in shades of bluey-green and silver, while Molly’s life in a little fishing village is shown in shades of golden yellows and warm browns.
Karen Hart is an Early Years Teacher, author and freelance writer specialising in early years and education