Kids’ Picks
PICTURE BOOKS
Stan the Van Man.
Emma Vere-Jones (illustrated by Philip Webb)
Miss Mickle urgently needs a
van driver to deliver all her mail. Stan comes to the rescue, but Stan is
unable to read and there is pandemonium when the mail gets very mixed up.
However there is a delightful solution...
This story is told in
rhyming verse by a New Zealand author.
Thank You and Goodnight. Patrick McDonnell
Clement, Jean and Alan
Alexander are having their very first sleepover. The three animal friends dance
and play until everyone gets sleepy. This is a gentle story reminding us to
cherish life’s simplest pleasures.
FICTION 7-9
Mister Cleghorn’s Seal. Judith Kerr
This is the enchanting story of Mister
Albert Cleghorn who rescues an abandoned seal pup and takes it home to care for
in his flat. Mr Cleghorn is determined to find a proper home for Charlie the
seal and incidentally finds happiness for them both. The 92 year old author is
best known for her 1968 book The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Mog books.
Mister Cleghorn’s Seal is an illustrated novel.
Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. Tony Diterlizzi (Illustrated by
Ralph McQuarrie)
Star Wars fans both old and new will
be captivated by the retelling of the original trilogy of Star Wars which is
collected in this remarkable new picture book. Ralph McQuarrie’s vibrant art is paired with
captivating text by Tony Diterlizzi.
FICTION 10+
Fuzzy Mud.
Louis Sachar
Fuzzy Mud is a New York Times bestseller
by the acclaimed author of Holes. This story is a fast-paced thriller with a
science fiction twist. Marshall and Tamaya, and a bully called Chad, accidentally
discover mutant bacteria (fuzzy mud) in the woods near their school. Courage,
strength and humanity are shown by all three children as they are faced with
the terrifying fuzzy mud.
Life on Mars.
Jennifer Brown
Arsturus Betelgeuse Chambers, Arty for
short, is the son of an astronomer who hopes to be the first human to discover
life on Mars. Arty is devastated when his Dad loses his job at the observatory
and the family has to move to Las Vegas.
This story is about friendship, family, change and loss. There is also a good balance of humour and astronomy information.