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Entries Tagged as 'picture books for older kids'

A favourite picture book: Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth

January 18, 2016

What are your six and seven year olds reading at the moment? Have they started enjoying chapter books or do they still love their picture books too? My seven year old is starting to enjoy chapter books, but she still loves her picture books. After finishing a chapter book I notice she always goes back to picking up a handful of her picture books and none more often than this one.

I think Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth is one of her favourite picture books which I realised I hadn’t shared here. Once you see the book, it’s not hard to see why kids would love it so much. The story is simple and sweet. Ganesha is just like any other kid except he has the head of an elephant and he rides around on a little magical mouse. And like most kids, he loves sweets. When his sweet tooth gets the better of him, he is unable to resist a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo (an Indian sweet). As he bites in to it his tusk breaks off. With the help of a wise poet and his mouse friend, Ganesha learns that what seems broken at first can be quite useful after all. Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth is loosely based on a classic Indian tale but the author has reinvented the story in to something funny, sweet and engaging for kids.

While it’s a sweet story, it’s the illustrations that really stand out. The pages are bursting with colour and the illustrations are so detailed making the characters come to life. It’s hard not to fall for this book, no matter what age but I think it’s a must have picture book for 4-7 year olds. What are your kids reading at the moment? I’m always looking out for unusual and interesting kids books so I would love to know in the comments.

UK readers can find Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth here but if you’re in the US, find it here.

Captain Coconut and the case of the missing bananas

August 17, 2015

One of my favourite places to discover new and unusual kids books is in museum shops especially here in the UK and in the US. You can find real gems that you wouldn’t easily come across elsewhere. Last week we visited Tate Modern and after admiring the art I made a beeline for the shop. I barely glanced at the adult collections, knowing that I was here to check out the kids books which didn’t disappoint. There were loads of fabulous books some of which I had already come across but many others that I was delighted to discover. I could have bought about 20 books but I had to hold back. There was one though that I couldn’t resist and that was Captain Coconut & the case of the missing bananas.

Captain Coconut and the Case of the Missing Bananas is such a fun kids book – full of laugh out loud humour that kids (and adults) will love. Captain Coconut is a detective who is called in to solve the mind-boggling case of the missing bananas. But Captain Coconut is no ordinary dectective – he has a brain as fast as lightening or so he thinks. Mrs Y is distraught as she bought 14 bananas and 4 of these were eaten by her and her family. The next morning, instead of finding 10 bananas, there were only 6! Where have those 4 missing bananas gone? So Captain Coconut arrives and goes about solving the mystery with lots of silliness, fun and entertainment for the reader. Beyond the fun there are also some simple maths puzzles (about the disappearing bananas) that kids will enjoy solving with Captain Coconut. The graphic illustrations are so artistic and colourful using collage style art and there are lots of them so there’s plenty to look at on each page too.

Anya adored this book and after we had read it together, she went off to read it by herself. Every so often I would hear her laughing out loud. It’s a book that is ideal to read to younger kids and but also great for slightly older kids to read by themselves – like around 6-7 years. Captain Coconut and the Case of the Missing Bananas is the first book in this series but there are more cases coming soon – I can’t wait. This book is such a joy so if you are looking for something fun and a little bit different, then do check it out.

What do you do with an idea?

June 17, 2015

What do you do with an idea? How many times have you let an idea slip by just because people told you it wouldn’t work? I know that I have pushed aside ideas many times because people have laughed at it or because I didn’t believe enough in myself to pursue it. We all have ideas, big and small, but often we are scared of them and don’t know what to do with them. Will people laugh at our idea, will they think it’s weird or worse will they think we’re weird? Do we have the determination and confidence to develop it? This kids book called What Do You Do with an Idea? is all about an idea and what can happen when you have one. It’s written in a very simple, easy to understand way for kids with beautifully simple drawings to match.

What Do You Do With An Idea is a kids book that is just as much for adults. It’s a great reminder for any age that ideas are to be treasured, nurtured and believed in but more than the idea, it’s also about believing in yourself and having the confidence to look beyond the meanies who try and put you and your idea down.

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago and read it to Anya expecting her to love it just as much as I did. She didn’t. She didn’t dislike the book but I think she didn’t fully get it. This book is recommended for three years and over but I think for younger kids it’s a cute picture book but not much more beyond that. Even for Anya who is six, I think we need to talk about the book a bit more for her to fully appreciate it. But don’t let that put you off as this book as it’s a keeper. What Do You Do with an Idea? is a book to pull out whenever you or your kids are struggling with an idea and self-belief. I am so glad I bought the book and will be keeping it and bringing it out every so often to read to Anya and I know she will appreciate it more in time, especially as she gets older and maybe starts having more doubts about things.

Infinity and Me

June 1, 2015

Anya has been asking a lot of questions about infinity lately. I’ve tried explaining the concept to her but it isn’t an easy concept for a six year old to understand – I only just about understand it myself! :). Her interest in infinity started when she asked what the biggest number in the world was. I told her about infinity and for a while she thought that the biggest number in the world was infinity because she just couldn’t grasp the idea that numbers never finish. But then I came across this book called Infinity and Me and it seemed like just the book to help in explaining infinity to children.

Infinity and Me is about a little girl who gazes up at the night sky and starts to feel very small in the vastness of the sky. She begins to wonder about infinity and just what exactly infinity means. She starts asking everyone she meets and soon realises that maybe there are infinite ways to explain infinity. Infinity and Me is a very simple and sweet book with illustrations that are equally adorable. It’s a great first book to give some meaning and relevance to the concept of infinity to kids. While the main character in the book happens to be a girl, I think this book is equally suited for boys as it is for girls. Any child curious about infinity would enjoy Infinity and Me.

Once Upon an Alphabet

February 24, 2015

Now that Anya is six, I have been introducing quite a few longer, chapter books to her as I think she is ready to follow more involved stories. Some have been really good, others not so much. While we are experimenting with these longer books, we are definitely not ready to give up our picture books anytime soon. Anya is still young and loves looking at pictures in books especially ones where the pictures tell part of the story or add an element of humour and fun. Some picture books can be a bit babyish but there are plenty of far more sophisticated ones that are actually aimed at older kids like 6-7 year olds. Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers is definitely one of them.

You wouldn’t expect anyone to be recommending alphabet books for 6 year olds but this is no ordinary alphabet book. Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers is a collection of short stories based around the letters of the alphabet. The stories are very short and even though they appear simple, they are packed with humour, wit and unexpected twists. The words used in the book like ‘E for Enigma’ or ‘V for Victor the Vanquished’ are interesting new words and the accompanying illustrations are really fun too. One of my favourite stories is the one about ‘Danger Delilah’. It’s a book that Anya and I have read together but she has also been picking it up and reading it to herself. I’m a big fan of Oliver Jeffers and this latest book is no exception. It’s now on my list for birthday gifts too.

{top two photo’s by ebabee, bottom photo via}

Entries Tagged as 'picture books for older kids'

A favourite picture book: Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth

January 18, 2016

Captain Coconut and the case of the missing bananas

August 17, 2015

What do you do with an idea?

June 17, 2015

Infinity and Me

June 1, 2015

Once Upon an Alphabet

February 24, 2015

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