Category: Review

Illustrations – Ben Mantle

It’s been six and a half weeks since the first (and only) time I’ve read this book before today and throughout that time my brain has involuntarily and quite randomly been singing/chanting at me:

Bunnies on the bus!
Bunnies on the bus!

No wonder there’s a fuss
about the bunnies on the bus!

So, parents beware: this book comes with its own built in earworm. And I still love it!

The repetition not only helps the rhymes to flow well, but also gave me the same weirdly soothing feeling as The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.

Besides the chaos caused by the bus roaring past the citizens of Sunny Town, there’s another adventure being told solely through the illustrations. There are plenty of details to enjoy over multiple readings.

I get the feeling this isn’t the last time I’ll be reading this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Once Upon a Blurb

A romping, riotous read-aloud from best-selling author Philip Ardagh and award-winning illustrator Ben Mantle.

Bunnies on the bus!
Bunnies on the bus!
No wonder there’s a fuss
about the bunnies on the bus!

There are bunnies on the bus, and they’re causing mayhem in Sunny Town! Watch as they whiz past the bus stop, fly by the swings, and zoom over the crosswalk – these bunnies aren’t stopping for anyone. They finally reach the station, but where are they hopping off to now? Uh-oh … Acclaimed author Philip Ardagh’s rhyming, high-energy text and “Bunnies on the bus!” refrain is ideal for library or classroom read-alouds, and Ben Mantle’s colourful illustrations are chock-full of zany details perfect for repeat reads.

Parents of picky eaters will definitely empathise with Little Donkey’s mother. All Little Donkey wants to eat is grass.

It’s green and yummy and they don’t understand the need to eat anything else.

Their mother tries and tries to get them to try a new food but they don’t want to hear it … until they go too far and turn green!

Finally their mother succeeds in getting them to attempt some other foods and Little Donkey discovers a new favourite.

This was a really cute book and I loved the ending. This story reminds me of someone I knew as a kid who ate so much of a specific food for so long that their skin finally betrayed them, tinted with the colour of the food.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Once Upon a Blurb

Little Donkey doesn’t want to eat anything but yummy grass. Oh, dear – he has turned green! Is it time to try some other foods?

Little Donkey loves eating grass. Grass is so juicy, zingy, sweet, and tangy! Mom asks him to please have a tiny taste of something else – oranges, watermelon, broccoli? – but a life of eating grass is just fine with Little Donkey. Until one day he spies his reflection in the watering hole and sees that he has turned green. Mum resumes her persuasion with new urgency. Apples and grapes? Yuck! No thank you! But carrots – carrots are crunchy, crispy, and delicious! Little Donkey is delighted with his new carrot-only diet and happy to transform from his all-green self to – oops! Pictures full of color and movement bring to life a charming story that will resonate with choosy eaters.

Illustrations – Matthew Trueman

A warning about the domino effect that occurs when you remove one part of an ecosystem, If You Take Away the Otter tells the story of what happened when otters were not protected.

Clearly explaining the cause and effect, this message can easily be applied to other ecosystems.

With the inclusion of plenty of facts about the otters and their habitat, I would have used this book to research a school project when I was a kid. I doubt I would have borrowed it from the library with my usual reading material as I’ve only become interested in non-fiction as an adult. For those who are seeking further information, there’s a bibliography and details of books and websites at the end of the book.

For me, Matthew Trueman’s illustrations were the star of this book. The otters are absolutely adorable and all of the other sea life pictured are equally realistic. Some younger children may find the pages that depict the people in boats coming to hunt the otters scary, although there is a happy ending.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Once Upon a Blurb

When the sea otters disappear, why does their kelp forest habitat disappear, too?

On the Pacific Coast of North America, sea otters play, dive, and hunt for sea urchins, crabs, abalone, and fish in the lush kelp forests beneath the waves. But there was a time when people hunted the otters almost to extinction. Without sea otters to eat them, an army of hungry sea urchins grew and destroyed entire kelp forests. Fish and other animals that depended on the kelp were lost, too. But when people protected the sea otters with new laws, their numbers began to recover, and so did the kelp forests.

Susannah Buhrman-Deever offers a beautifully written account of a trophic cascade, which happens when the removal of a single element affects an entire habitat. Asides that dig deeper are woven throughout Matthew Trueman’s dynamic illustrations, starring a raft of charismatic sea otters. Back matter includes more information about sea otters and kelp forests, including their importance and current status, the effects of the international fur trade on indigenous peoples, and a list of books and websites for readers who wish to continue to explore.

A day at the beach is anything but ordinary for this young girl. She builds a sandcastle, but this is not just any sandcastle.

This one is fit for hosting royalty – a castle with turrets and a moat guarded by a crocodile. There’s even ice cream!

But a day at the beach is not complete unless sand gets everywhere.

This is an imaginative book and the illustrations contain so many details, with the opportunity for countless untold stories to be imagined. Before the story even gets under way you’re treated to a crowded scene that includes a sand shark, sand snowman (sandman?), mummy, pirate, witches and so much more.

I also found some references in the illustrations that will likely fly straight over kids’ heads. Jack and Rose from Titanic recreate one of their scenes. Excalibur tests the worthiness of various characters.

Make sure you keep an eye out for the girl’s small friend in the blue and white striped swimmers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Once Upon a Blurb

Step inside a sumptuous sandcastle packed with amazing and amusing visual details for a beach day that’s fit for royalty.

A young girl loves building sandcastles. But not just any sandcastles. She builds one so big and grand and lovely that all the royals of the world come to visit. There are banquets and balls and tournaments, a greenhouse for cacti, a staircase for skateboarding, and ice cream around the clock. Everyone seems to be having fun, until they discover sand in the royal almond strudel … and the fig milk bath … and everywhere!

With a keen eye for the absurd, author-illustrator Einat Tsarfati invites readers beyond the crocodile moat to explore the intricately detailed, increasingly wild festivities that echo the arc of a day at the beach, from euphoria to gritty discomfort. The diverse cast of regal guests, from a Rapunzel-esque princess in pj’s and unicorn slippers to a pair of knights playing badminton, is just as inspired. A visual treat of a tale, Sandcastle opens the doors to a world by the sea where wit and imagination reign.