New Books Published: January 2013

Baby

The Selfish Crocodile Book of Colours

By Faustin Charles, Michael Terry

Published by Bloomsbury
ISBN 9781408814499

£4.99

This is the latest title in a new series based on the award-winning and hugely popular Selfish Crocodile picture books. The series aims to introduce very young children to different concepts including Sounds, Words and Numbers.

The pages are bright and colourful and the animals are just bouncing with fun and energy, ready to take your child through a super-snappy learning adventure!

In this book they meet each animal in turn and explore what colour they are, from black and white zebras to grey elephants and green crocodiles.

They might also enjoy The Selfish Crocodile's Book of Nursery Rhymes which also revisits these wonderful characters.


Link: www.readingzone.com/?zone=pz&page=latest_titles&age=0plus

Toddler

The Shape of My Heart

By Mark Sperring, Alys Paterson

Published by Bloomsbury
ISBN   9781408827055

£5.99

This eye-catching picture book is a reassuring story about love. Although there are many shapes to explore, this story isn't just about the circles, squares, and triangles that children are familiar with. 

The opening spread shows two smiling figures in white silhouette, reflecting a parent and a child, with the words: "This is the shape that we are./ The shape of you and me,"

The book goes on to explore the shapes of hands leading into an exploration of food and mouths, feet and shoes, vehicles etc.

Each of the pages is filled with colourful objects that young children will recognise and can be encouraged to explore - there's a dinosaur, a car, birds and stars in the sky.
 
It is a beautiful and appealing look at the places, animals, and objects common to a child's world.

Link: www.readingzone.com/?zone=pz&page=latest_titles&age=0plus
 

3+

Scruffy Bear and the Lost Ball

by Christopher Wormell

Published by Jonathan Cape
ISBN 9780857550118
 

£10.99

This is the second outing for Scruffy Bear who we first met in Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice, by the award-winning Christopher Wormell.

Scruffy Bear is an appealing and inventive little bear who tries to do the right thing but is also a little mischievous and sometimes he can't help getting in trouble.

In this adventure, Scruffy Bear sees a beautiful red ball which he can't help kicking, but he kicks it straight into a very high tree. When a group of bunnies come along looking for their ball, he knows he has to make things right and this means climbing the tree to retrieve the ball.

On the way he meets lots of animals that live in trees, including a squirrel, an owl and a stork, and he finally manages to find the ball when he is right at the top of the tree - where he also has a narrow escape.

The animals are all depicted more naturally than many picture books allow and the views through the tree's branches give a child an inkling of all the pleasures to come when they start climbing trees themselves! 


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