Refresh your home library with these lovely stories for kids big and small.
Refresh your home library with these lovely stories for kids big and small.
PRESCHOOLERS
WHO’S IN THE TREE THAT SHOULDN’T BE? – A LIFT THE FLAPS BOOK
By Craig Shuttlewood (Templar Publishing, $27.95, from major bookstores) Be prepared for laugh-outloud fun as your little one discovers all sorts of strange animals hiding in the wrong places.
Why, there’s a penguin in the tree, an octopus in the grass, and what’s the elephant doing behind a cloud? Beautifully illustrated, this is a great way to introduce little ones to the different creature habitats around. Best for ages two to four.
MISS LLEWELLYN-JONES GOES TO TOWN
By Elaine Forrestal, illustrated by Moira Court (Freemantle Press, $18.90 from www. closetfulofbooks.com)
Follow Miss Llewellyn-Jones and Teddy as they head to town for some
grocery shopping. Teddy is bored, so he slips away and gets into
trouble, and poor Miss Llewellyn-Jones has to hunt high and low for him.
This is a fun read to teach little ones about being safe while they’re
out and about with you. Best for ages three to four.
LOST IN THE GARDENS
By J. H. Low (Marshall Cavendish, $12.95, from major bookstores) Mum and Mei are visiting the Gardens by the Bay, but Mei gets lost. Luckily, Wise Wee the bear finds her, and off they traipse through the cool Cloud Forest, to bustling Kingfisher Lake and up the Supertree Grove in search of Mum. Read this book as a primer before you visit the Gardens. Best for ages three to five.
MY MOTHER’S GARDEN
By Emila Yusof (Oyez!Books, $14.90 from www. closetfulofbooks.com) From Malaysian author and illustrator Emila comes this colourful picture book about a little girl and all the things she loves doing in Mummy’s garden. We like the index of local plants and flowers that you can use the next time you head to a park. This is best for ages three to four.
HAROLD AND GRACE
By Sean E. Avery (Freemantle Press, $22.50 from www.closetfulofbooks.com) The fish don’t want to be friends with Harold because he has no fins. And the bugs look down on Grace because she’s furry. The misfits become best friends, but when Harold suddenly grows fins, he becomes popular with the fish, and abandons poor Grace.
Their transformations into adulthood are a fantastic science lesson wrapped up in a touching tale about what friendship really means. And did you guess what they were? Harold’s a frog and Grace is a butterfly. Read this to your kindergarten-age kids and use it as a steppingstone to explore animals.
DEAR MISTER CAT
By Elieth Sardinas, (Selfpublished, $18 from www. closetfulofbooks.com) When her adopted pet Mister Pet goes missing, the little girl in this book goes all out to find him, and her imagination goes wild. Kids who like felines will learn more about being a responsible pet owner. Best for ages three to five.
BELLA AND THE WANDERING HOUSE
By Meg McKinlay (Freemantle Press, $12.50 from www.closetfulofbooks.com) Bella is convinced that her house shifted during the night, but her busy parents call her a dreamer. So, she confides in Grandad, the only one who indulges her imagination. And what do you know, the house gets up and walks off ! Her parents’ lives are turned upside down as the house moves to different locations, searching for its true home. Finally, Bella discovers the reason for its nomadic adventures, and Grandad is part of the solution. A sweet tale of intergenerational bonding, this will appeal to lower-primary kids who like magical realism.
THE SECRET DIARY OF THE WORLD’S WORST GENIUS
By Paro Anand (Puffin Books, $10.70 from www.closetfulofbooks.com) Arjun Bhasin has lived in his sister’s academic shadow for the longest time. And that’s perfectly fine with him – until the day he sits for a surprise test in school and finds out he has a genius-level IQ of 149. But what is he a genius at? So far, he’s been really good for… nothing. Set in India, this story is a refreshing departure from the American-centric tweenage novels of this genre. Best for ages 10 and up.
