Even Firefighters go to the Potty by Wendy Wax …
… Day 5 May #AtoZfavbooks challenge.
Even Firefighters go to the Potty by Wendy Wax is a lift the flap book that makes potty training cool!
It’s not strictly about Firefighters, rather it features different professions that children tend to like, such as police officers, astronauts and construction workers. But the concept is simple. Every page has a different scenario where a critical person is missing. You lift the flap and find them sat on the toilet because … even firefighters to to the potty.
Did that make you laugh? Believe me, it works on a two year old.
My only reservation about this book is that the police officers, firefighters etc are sitting on a toilet and not what most young children consider to be a potty. This resulted in my grandson wanting to use the ‘big toilet’ – which was no bad thing but could be slightly confusing. (I feel this could be the result of an Americanism that didn’t cross over to the UK very well).
Wendy Wax also has a similar book Even Princesses go to the Potty, if that’s more your child’s thing.
Suzie x
P.S. Read this book? Let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S. Don’t forget to share your favourite book title starting with the letter E in the comments below or post them on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #AtoZfavbooks so I can find them.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell …
… Day 4 May #AtoZfavbooks challenge.
Dear Zoo is an absolute must-have classic children’s picture book. My children read it … over and over until the flaps were worn out … and now I read it to my grandchildren … over and over (flaps still intact but tiring at the time of writing).
This is the story of a little boy who wrote to the zoo to send him a pet and all the animals they send him. Little ones love opening the flaps and discovering the lion (who is too fierce), the camel (who is too grumpy), and the monkey (who is too naughty) and who are all found unsuitable and have to be sent back to the zoo. Luckily at the end of the book the people at the zoo send him the perfect pet.
You can find more of Rod Campbell’s books on the website dearzooandfriends.
Suzie x
P.S. Read this book? Let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S. Don’t forget to share your favourite book title starting with the letter D in the comments below or post them on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #AtoZfavbooks so I can find them.
Crispin the Pig who had it All by Ted Dewan …
… Day 3 May #AtoZfavbooks challenge.
If you’ve ever said children enjoy the boxes their Christmas presents are wrapped in more than the presents themselves, then Crispin The Pig who had it All by Ted Dewan is the book for you.
Crispin is a very spoiled pig who has every toy you could imagine. Consequently, he doesn’t look after them or care for them much at all. Then one Christmas his only present is an empty box. Angry, Crispin throws it outside and that’s when he learns some very important lessons about friendship and consumerism.
The illustrations in this book are brilliant and detailed and give you lots to talk about with your children, while the text is very funny and told in a way that children understand. Adults will appreciate the story on a whole other level (which is always great when you have to read a book to your child several thousand times).
Suzie x
P.S. Read this book? Let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S. Don’t forget to share your favourite book title starting with the letter C in the comments below or post them on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #AtoZfavbooks so I can find them.
The Aerodynamics of Biscuits by Clare Helen Welsh …
… Day 1 May #AtoZfavbooks challenge.
To kick off the May #AtoZfavbooks challenge, my pick for Day 1 is The Aerodynamics of Biscuits by Clare Helen Welsh.
Apart from having a really brilliant title, this is a hilarious tale involving Captain Sneaky McSqueaky and his crew of pirate mice, a little boy named Oliver and, of course, some biscuits. McSqueaky is trying to steal cheese from the moon. What follows is a very funny story.
There’s lots to talk about with your child in the illustrations and the ‘pirate talk’ was especially interesting to my grandson.
Although it was only published last year, the Aerodynamics of Biscuits has already won the Silver Medal in the Greenhouse Funny Prize and been shortlisted for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award.
Here’s a quick video flick through to give you a taster.
Definitely a book to look out for and share with your little ones.
Suzie x
P.S. Read this book? Let me know in the comments below.
P.P.S. Don’t forget to share your favourite book title starting with the letter A in the comments below or post them on facebook or twitter with the hashtag #AtoZfavbooks so I can find them.
The #AtoZfavbooks challenge…
… 26 letters, 26 books, 26 days.
Starting May 1st, I’m doing the #AtoZfavbooks challenge and I invite you join my in sharing a book title you love for every letter of the alphabet?
The Rules:
The rules are easy:
- start with titles beginning with A on 1st May, B on the 2nd May and so on.
- any genre goes. I’ll be focusing on Kids fiction but you could choose crime, romance, horror or mix them up as you please.
- share your top picks on twitter, facebook, pinterest or any other social media.
- use the hashtag #AtoZfavbooks so we can find your posts.
- titles starting with ‘The’ or ‘A’ should have use the next word in the title. eg The Hunger Games would go under ‘H’ for Hunger Games, not ‘T’ for The.
Make sense?
Are you up for the AtoZfavbooks challenge?
Suzie x
Progress report.
I just uploaded the new files for the interior of Better Buckle Up to the printers.
After the problems I found with the last proof, all the photos have been lightened and brightened and the layout altered slightly. Fingers crossed it looks right this time. May 18th is only 20 days away.
20 days!
Arrgghh!!
On the positive side, as I had to add extra pages to accommodate Lightning Source’s printing information, I’ve also added a new page – a map – as the final image. I’m really pleased with the way the illustrator has combined some the elements from the story into a final map. I tested the image on my grandson and found there was lots to talk about in the picture.
OK, I’m off to stress about 20 days.
Suzie x
Pre-order Better Buckle Up for 18th May
Better Buckle Up. A story to make car safety fun.
About The Amazing Matilda.
The Amazing Matilda by Bette A Stevens is gentle story about a caterpillar impatient to fly.
Winner of TWO LITERARY AWARDS:
* 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award (Picture Books 6+)
* THE GITTLE LIST 2013 (Top 10 Self-published Children’s Picture Books)
The Amazing Matilda has some lovely hand-drawn illustrations as it tells readers the life-cycle of a butterfly.
Matilda chats with lots of animal friends as she matures.
This is story that is sure to delight children of all ages.
Best still it’s only 99¢ thru until April 26th so grab a copy while you can.
The Amazing Matilda also has a beautiful animated trailer which gives you a sneak peek at the delighful artwork in the book.
About Author Bette A Stevens
Inspired by human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies-an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Did you know monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed? Now you do.
Check out Bette’s blog here.
Progress report on the proof copy of Better Buckle Up.
I had mixed feelings when I received the proof copy of the book.
Things I liked:
- The cover is great. The colours are vibrant and popped off the page. I also road-tested the super glossy cover with the sticky fingers of my grandchildren and it wiped clean perfectly.
- The paper quality is fine. I’d opted for the Premium colour printing from Lightning Source on the heaviest weight paper but I had heard that POD books didn’t have the ‘feel’ of a children’s book. I needn’t have worried.
Things I didn’t like:
- Some of the interior pictures were quite dark. If every picture had been darker, I could have blamed this on the printing process but some were fine. On further inspection of the image files I’d sent, I decided the ‘darkness’ could have been predicted.
- I wasn’t happy with the binding. The saddle stitch binding doesn’t lie flat properly and makes it look like a pamphlet rather than a book.
- Blank pages at the end of the book. I hadn’t realized I needed to leave a page blank at the end for the printing info added by Lightning Source. Duh! And having a saddle-stitch binding meant the printer had added 4 pages all at the end which, in a book with so few pages, makes it look as though some of it is missing or I’ve added pages for notes or something. Totally un-children’s book-like. Yuk!
Of course, the mistakes were all mine. I’m re-editing the pictures to brighten them and changing the type of binding from saddle stitch to perfect bound which should hopefully give it that proper book look.
Needing to leave a blank page at the end meant adding more pages so my first layout won’t work but the bonus is, I’m adding an extra final page spread. I’ve seen the first draft of the new picture and I’m really excited about it.
My rep from Lightning Source was super helpful and offered to alter the cover file from saddle stitch to perfect bound for me so I don’t have to upload it again but all these changes mean re-submitting and waiting for a new proof. I think they’ll be worth it.
And there are still 24 days to launch so I have time … don’t I? Ooh, take deep breaths and don’t panic!
Better Buckle Up book cover has arrived.
Pleased to report I’ve been working super hard and the book cover for Better Buckle Up has been finalized.
Phew!
I am so pleased with the gorgeous, bright illustrations from PlainSightVFX and hope you’re going to like them too.
More pages coming soon.
Let me know what you think.
Suzie x
Illustrations for Better Buckle Up have arrived.
Squee! I’m super excited because I just received the files with the illustrations for Better Buckle Up.
Can’t wait to share them with you guys.
What? You thought you were going to see them?
Ooh, just teasing, you’ll have to wait a little while longer 🙂