Mango and Bambang The Not-a-Pig

Title: Mango and Bambang The Not-a-Pig
Author: Polly Faber
Illustrator: Clara Vulliamy
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2015
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy

This is the first book to be released by Polly Faber as well as the first book in the “Mango & Bambang” series. It contains illustrations by Clara Vulliamy and its sequel “Mango & Bambang: Tapir All At Sea” has recently been released.

 

The book contains four short stories, starting with the time Mango Allsorts saves a tapir named Bambang who is quivering on a zebra crossing, causing a traffic jam. From then on, they get into all sorts of exciting adventures around the city, including at the swimming pool and at a concert hall. All of these stories are very entertaining and involve a lot of humour in them that people of all ages can enjoy. There are plenty of memorable characters in the cast including the titular characters themselves, the evil collector Cynthia Prickle-Posset and George, a boy who loves sweets but hates baths. Whilst Mango saves Bambang at the start of the book it soon becomes obvious that he has also changed her life for the better as well. This is a story about the value of true friends and the difference they make to each other's lives.

 

The pictures have a classical look to them that reminded me a little bit of “Milly Molly Mandy” and Bambang looks endearing in them, especially when wearing one of his beloved hats. Mango and Bambang have particularly expressive faces that tell you everything you need to know about their personalities. One lift of an eyebrow and you know exactly how they are feeling. Additionally, a simplistic colour palette consisting of purple, black and white has been used that helps to grab the attention of the reader.

 

I absolutely loved these short stories and I hope you do too. The writing and characters helped to draw my attention in as well as the fun illustrations on every page. The book is perfect for young children starting to read alone for the first time, bridging the gap between picture books and longer stories. I can't wait to read its sequel and any other books that Faber and Vulliamy have to offer in the future.

 

 

 

 

Timmy Failure Mistakes Were Made

Title: Timmy Failure Mistakes Were Made
Author: Stephan Pastis
Publisher:  Walker
Published: 2013
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copy

This is the first book in the "Timmy Failure" series. There are another three books in the shops already and a fifth on the way later this year.

Timmy is the head of the detective agency Failure, Inc. and aims to achieve success as a detective, but many obstacles stand in his way, including his mother, his grumpy teacher Old Man Crocus and, most of all, his own ego. The characters are very amusing and Timmy, who owns a pet polar bear that he calls Total, reminds me of the eponymous Calvin from “Calvin And Hobbes”. Being a big fan of this comic strip, this made Timmy an engaging and funny character to me from the start. Other characters that play an important role in the story and that I found amusing include his friend Rollo, his unwanted admirer Molly Moskins and his nemesis Corrina Corrina, who also runs a detective agency. Furthermore, the illustrations that accompany the story are drawn in a cartoon style similar to Stephan Pastis' comic strip “Pearls Before Swine” and fit really well with the text. I feel that children and their parents will like these pictures and find them appealing, adding to their enjoyment of the text.

Overall, I found this to be an extremely funny book and just as hilarious as “Pearls Before Swine”. The storyline features several wacky hi-jinks, the characters are amusing and the pictures will appeal to all. This is a must-read if you enjoy books that make you laugh out loud, especially if you are a fan of “Pearls Before Swine” and “Calvin And Hobbes”.

The Next Together

Title: The Next Together
Author: Lauren James
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2015
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copy

Katherine and Matthew meet, fall in love and change the course of history, again and again, with one or both dying in the process. So what do they need to do to break the cycle? 'The Next Together' covers four of these meetings during the siege of Carlisle in 1745, the Crimean War in 1854, 2019 and 2039. They play a vital role in preventing catastrophes, but why do they keep being born over and over again and who is controlling their lives?

The book jumps back and forth through time, but it is easy to keep track because a different font is used for each period and the time and place is listed at the start of each chapter. I really liked the fonts used because they fitted the period described. I could open the book at any page and know immediately where Katherine and Matthew were in time. The story is told in the third person for the most part, but for 2019 hand written notes, texts and emails between the two allow the reader to eavesdrop on what is happening. It was interesting to see the part that changing technology played throughout and to consider how different the story would be if that technology had been available in the earlier periods. Lauren James has clearly researched the historical periods thoroughly, but hasn't allowed herself to be obsessed with accuracy at the expense of a good story.

I loved this book, the idea is brilliant and I was kept gripped to the end. And what an ending, the very last page opened up a whole new line for the story to follow. I found myself thinking, 'oooh does that mean what I think it does?' It also hinted at other periods that are still to be covered. I am really looking forward to the sequel 'The Last Beginning' coming out to find out if my ideas are correct, although I'm not sure if I can wait a whole year.

Poetry Books

As it is National Poetry Day I thought I would include a few reviews of books that I like. I love reading poetry and read a poem every night before I go to bed.

Title: A Great Big Cuddle
Author: Michael Rosen
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
Publisher: Walker
Date of Publication: September 2015
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy

This book involves poems written by former children’s laureate Michael Rosen and illustrated by current children’s laureate Chris Riddell. It is designed for especially young children and so features poems that are easy to read and fun to participate with such as “The Button Bop” and “Hello Goodbye”. The poems feature a lot of repetition that very young children will appreciate and there are funny poems as well as more deep and meaningful ones that will appeal to all ages. These poems encourage the child to join in when they are read aloud and will inspire a life-long love of poetry.

All of the poems are simplistic yet entertaining at the same time, and the light-hearted illustrations that Riddell provides match them very well. The characters that appear on each page, such as the multi-coloured monkeys in “Hello Goodbye”, will appeal to children and their parents as well. The design and layout of the book is excellent and the colours and fonts help the poems and pictures to stand out. Overall, this is a must-have for young children and their parents, as well as anyone who likes to have a fun poem to read aloud and join in with.

Title: Read Me... series
Author: Gaby Morgan, Louise Bolongara, Nick Toczek and Paul Cookson
Illustrator: Georgie Ripper
Publisher: Macmillan
Date of publication: Various
Format: Paperback
Source: My own copies

The “Read Me…” series is designed with schools in mind and each collection features 366 poems, one for every day of the year. The first two books are “Read Me 1” and “Read Me 2”, but now other books have been released for the series that explore different types of poems. For example, “Read Me First” includes poems designed for younger children, “Read Me And Laugh” includes funny poems and “Read Me Out Loud!” includes poems that can be read out by one or more persons.

All of the poetry collections feature a variety of poems from old to new in many different forms. The collections include works by well known and less well known poets as well as many by anonymous authors. The poems included are engaging and will appeal to different people whether they are old and young. I feel that it’s also a treat to have a different poem to read every day. It gives the reader a chance to discover different poets and styles and will inspire them to search out more of the same elsewhere. Additionally, there are illustrations by Georgie Ripper included in “Read Me First” that children will love for their appealing nature. For these reasons, these books are a must-have for schools, families and people who just like to have a good poem to read everyday.

I Am Henry Finch

Title: I Am Henry Finch
Author: Alexis Deacon
Illustrator: Viviane Schwarz
Publisher:  Walker Books
Published: 2014
Format: Hardback
Source: My own copy

I Am Henry Finch is the third collaboration between Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz, following the books A Place To Call Home and Cheese Belongs To You!

The story follows the plights of a flock of finches who always do the same things and say the same greetings until the titular Henry suddenly gains the power of thought and decides to take on the beast that threatens them on a regular basis. This is a very funny story that also happens to have a philosophical message behind it about the power of individual thinking and spreading that power around. Both the story and the dialogue are very simplistic at first and become more complex as Henry gains more thoughts and passes them on, therefore matching the progression of the finches perfectly. The illustrations are also very cute, with red fingerprints used to create the bodies of the finches and black pen used to create the rest of their features such as their beaks, feet, wings and eyes, which will appeal to young children immensely.

In general, the blend between humour and philosophy makes I Am Henry Finch both a funny and interesting book to read which can be enjoyed by everyone, both young and old. Children and art fans alike will also love the fingerprint illustrations.