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Four Books for Toddlers Recommended by Cape Town's Child

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 06 Jun 2011   |   

Kipper has touched a chord with children and parents alike and in this edition kipper gets tired of his old and worn basket and sets off to find another place to sleep. Needless to say, he eventually returns to his old basket, where his pet rat and favourite bone await him. It is the best basket in the whole wide world. Inkpen’s illustrations are as enduring as always and children as young as two will enjoy the story and the drawings. This edition of the book comes with a speacial 10-episode DVD where your child can watch kipper on his trail of adventures.

Freddie is delighted when he meets a fairy who offers to grant him his every wish. But fairy Bessie-Belle can’t hear very well, and Freddie’s wishes keep coming out wrong. Wishing for a pet gets him a net, and a dog turns into a frog. Then Freddie tries for a cat, only to be surprised by a bat. Freddie really gets annoyed when, instread of a parrot, he gets a carrot! Luckily the Fairy Queen Appears to set things right. This lovely, simple story has a great lesson a the end.

There are hugs for wrigglers, and hugs for gigglers; hugs that are tickly and hugs that are prickly. The little Panda in this story is out to find the perfect hug – with hilarious consequences. But will he find it? This book shows there is a perfect hug right under your nose. A feel-good picture book, this is simply bursting with the cuddliest, snuggliest, most pertect hugs and is an adorable follow-up to The Biggest Kiss. You’ll have a special mommy or daddy moment every time you read this story to your child, as it’s sure to lead to a long hug of it’s own.

Zoe loves her doll, but so does her dog. And it’s become a but of a problem. It all began when Beans lost his favourite toy, Binky Boo. Will Zoe and beans ever find him? Let’s hope so, because Molly is getting very stinky! Join the lovable, lively Zoe and her devoted dog Beans on their very first adventure. Zoe and Beans: Where is Binky Boo? is the beginning of a new series featuring two adorable characters children are sure to love. Children aged three plus will enjoy the heart-warming comic storytelling combined with vibrant characterised illustrations.

Book details

• Kipper by Mick Inkpen
  EAN: 9781444902730
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• Freddie and the Fairy by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Karen George
  EAN: 9780330511186
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• The Perfect Hug by Joanne Walsh
  EAN: 9781847385925
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• Zoe and Beans: Where is Binky Boo? by Mick Inkpen, Chloe Inkpen
  EAN: 9780230748453
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April's Recommended Books for Preteens and Teens From Cape Town's Child

by Chelsea on 28 Mar 2011   |   

Fact Finder By Helen Lewis.
A fun-filled collection of facts aimed at children in the intermediate school phase (Grades 4 to 6). It is a basic, but general, reference book integrating all areas of the national curriculum: Arts & culture; Economic management sciences (EMS); Language; Life orientation (LO); Mathematics; Natural sciences; Social sciences (History and Geography); Technology. In addition to the basic information that will also be taught at school, each section contains loads of interesting asides, references to websites and other sources of information, and suggestions for interesting things to do and places to visit. Parents have a huge selection of books to choose from for younger children, and there are many study-guides available for high schoolers, but this age group has been neglected with hardly any references aimed at their level. This title is a companion for every child in this group who will lap up the information and have fun sharing the facts.

Running Wild By Michael Morpurgo.
The epic and heart-rending jungle adventure from the nation’s favourite storyteller, now available in paperback. For Will and his mother, going to Indonesia isn’t just a holiday. It’s an escape, a new start, a chance to put things behind them – things like the death of Will’s father. And to begin with, it seems to be just what they both needed. But then Oona, the elephant Will is riding on the beach, begins acting strangely, shying away from the sea. And that’s when the tsunami comes crashing in, and Oona begins to run. Except that when the tsunami is gone, Oona just keeps on running. With nothing on his back but a shirt and nothing to sustain him but a bottle of water, Will must learn to survive deep in the jungle. Luckily, though, he’s not completely alone! He’s got Oona.

Ottoline at Sea By Chris Riddell.
This is the third Ottoline story from award-winning and bestselling author Chris Riddell. Ottoline and Mr Munroe do everything and go everywhere together. That is, until the day Mr Munrow mysteriously disappears leaving a strange clue written in string… Armed with her Amateur Roving Collectors’ travel pass, Ottoline sets off on a journey over, under and on top of the sea to find her hairy best friend, and bring him back home. The book comes with goggles to help your child see Ottoline’s world more clearly. The Ottoline series is very popular among young children, and includes Ottoline goes to School and Ottoline and the Yellow Cat.

Book details

• Fact Finder by Helen Lewis
  EAN: 9781920268725
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• Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo
  EAN: 9780007267026
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• Ottoline at Sea by Chris Riddell
  EAN: 9781405050593
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Top 3 Books for Preschoolers from Cape Town's Child Magazine

by Chelsea on 23 Mar 2011   |   

Over the Rainbow By Eric Puybaret and Judy Collins
Eric Puybaret’s breathtaking artwork will lead readers on a magical journey over the rainbow and way up into the sky where happy little bluebirds fly and dreams really do come true. With a CD featuring an exquisite rendition of Over the Rainbow , plus two other songs performed by Grammy Award winner Judy Collins, this beautiful set is sure to delight and touch the hearts of parents and children alike.

Tractor Factory By Elinor Bagenal and Steve Augarde
Children aged four to eight can have fun with this pop-up book that follows the assembly line of a tractor factory. With tabs to pull and lots of moving parts, the book allows young readers to help to build the perfect tractor. The engine needs to be lowered onto the chassis, the front-end loader needs to be fitted, and everything must be checked to see if it’s in working order. This book will fascinate all young mechanics. Note: some of the small parts can be choking hazards for little children.

Room on the Broom Colouring Book By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
The award-winning duo, Donaldson and Scheffler, have released this fun activity book based on the original Room on the Broom story, which was translated into 21 languages. But this is more than just a colouring-book- children can paint, draw, join the dots, complete words and copy pictures too. Scheffler’s illustrations are again a winner and your child will love the good-natured witch -warts and all- and all the quirky animals.

Book details

• Over the Rainbow by Eric Puybaret, Judy Collins, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
  EAN: 9780330520492
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• Tractor Factory by Elinor Bagenal, Steve Augarde
  EAN: 9781935021001
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• Room on the Broom Colouring Book by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler
  EAN: 9780330505925
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April's Recommended Books for Toddlers from Cape Town's Child

by Chelsea on 23 Mar 2011   |   

I want a Mini Tiger By Joyce Dunbar and Lara Jones.
This little girl wants her very own miniature wild animal. Anything from a little snappy happy crocodile or a tiny trundle rumble elephant, to a pocket-sized grizzly bear. But as her big brother explains, a real wild animal would make a terrible pet. You can’t nuzzle a crocodile, or tickle a wild elephant, and a grizzly bear belongs in a cave not a pocket! But there’s one pet, a tiny pet, that loves to be tickled and cuddled. It’s like a tiger, only much smaller. This is a delightfully rhythmic tale, bursting with imagination, and a playful introduction to a world of wild animals.

I’m not scary! and I won’t bite! By Rod Campbell
These touch-and-feel books have a surprise for little enquiring minds on every page. Your child can feel a scratchy-scratchy grasshopper, a shiny beetle, a fluffy rabbit, a slippery fish and a leathery hippo plus lift a flap to find a slimy snail. Both books have big-impact endings. Rod Campbell has been illustrating and making children’s books since 1986 and he is also the creator of the Dear Zoo series.

Fairy Magic! and Wizard Magic! By Rachel Fuller
These little books come with sliding tabs to create magic changing pictures on each page. Apart from providing fun and entertainment, they will stimulate your little one’s imagination and introduce them to rhythm and rhyme. Children as young as two will love these bright books with their hidden surprises. These are the perfect beginner books for aspiring fairy and wizard toddlers.

Book details

• I want a Mini Tiger by Joyce Dunbar, Lara Jones
  EAN: 9780230703803
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• I’m not scary! by Rod Campbell
  EAN: 9780230741706
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• I won’t bite! by Rod Campbell
  EAN: 9780230747883
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• Wizard Magic! by Rachel Fuller
  EAN: 9780230743434
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• Fairy Magic! by Rachel Fuller
  EAN: 9780230743427
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Recommended Books for Preschoolers from Cape Town's Child

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 09 Mar 2011   |   

Wild Alphabet by Mike Haines and Julia Frolich
Animals literally jump off the pages in this illustrated pop-up book featuring 26 wild animals. Young children can discover facts about these creatures with the help of the pop-ups and moving parts. With each animal on its own spread, there is enough space to inform children where each creature lives and what they eat. Some of the animals might be unknown to South Africans, but it’s still a fun way to learn the A-Z.

Jack and the Beanstalk AND Little Red Riding Hood by Nick Sharratt and Stephen Tucker
Each book is a funny re-telling of a classic fairy tale with lift-the-flap surprises on every page. Children from as young as three will enjoy the rhyming text and colourful illustrations. In thius version there are no threats from the Giant “to grind his bones to make my bread”, and both Red Riding Hood and Grandma survivie the ordeal – so it shouldn’t frighten little children. Older children will love the humorous take: “when they found Gran in the wardrobe she said: ‘Don’t you agree, Red Riding Hood needs glasses if she thought that wolf was me!’” Each book comes with a CD so that little ones can also listen to the story in the car.

What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. Among all the noisy farm animals lives a tiny silent ladybird. This beautiful glittery creature (little fingers will love to feel her sparkly shape) is so quiet that she hears the two crafty robbers plotting to raid the farmyard. The ladybird has a plan of her own and urges the animals to put their mooing, quacking, neighing and baaing to cunning use. The crooks get so confused that they end up getting caught. The book comes with a CD, read by Alexander Armstrong.

• Visit Child Mag

Book details

• Wild Alphabet by Mike Haines, Julia Fröhlich
  EAN: 9780753430316
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• Jack and the Beanstalk by Nick Sharratt, Stephen Tucker
  EAN: 9780333962183
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• Little Red Riding Hood by Nick Sharratt
  EAN: 9780333962176
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• What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson
  EAN: 9780230706507
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This Month's Recommended Reads For Toddlers From Cape Town's Child

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 24 Feb 2011   |   

This is another delight from the Tales from Acorn Wood series brought to you by award-winning writer/illustrator duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Deep in the heart of Acorn Wood, Bear is writing letters to his friends. Your child can visit Frog, Squirrel and Mole by lifting the flaps that are the doors to their homes. Scheffler beautifully illustrates this sturdy boardbook. Also look out for Fox’s Socks, Rabbit’s Nap and Hide-and-seek Pig in the series.

This is an interactive and early-learning book for children aged two and older. It’s a fun and innovative way for little ones to learn their numbers and the sliding pages help with hand-eye co-ordination as well as problem solving. The colourful drawings and photos will keep a toddler captivated.

With busy, colourful pages and a sound button to press, these are fun and noisy books about cars or trains. The books are developed for children one year and older and will help stimulate your baby’s senses and assist with hand-eye co-ordination. The sound buttons can be used on each page with the colorful illustrations and the board pages are easy to clean and sturdy enough for small hands to page through the book.

Book details

• Postman Bear by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
  EAN: 9780333966242
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• A Slide and Surprise Numbers Book by Natalie Boyd
  EAN: 9781849152914
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• Noisy Cars by Roger Priddy
  EAN: 9781843324980
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• Noisy Trains by Roger Priddy
  EAN: 9780312509354
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Recommended Books for Toddlers from Cape Town's Child This Holiday Season

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 29 Nov 2010   |   

Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori
This is the perfect bedtime story for children aged two to five years old. Enter a warm world of warmth as you join the characters of this book, preparing for the night ahead. Your toddler will be enchanted by the gentle rolling and rhyming text and the comforting artwork as, one by one, the animals cuddle up and fall asleep, safe under the watchful gaze of their adoring parents. The author gently addresses bedtime fears, which through this enchanting story, soon disappear.

Milo’s Pet Egg by Rebecca Elliott
This is a story about the development of an unusual friendship. Milo finds an abandoned egg, which he calls Snappy, and they become the best of friend – swinging together, floating together, balancing, falling, rolling and climbing. Then one morning Milo wakes up and the egg is broken. He thinks he has lost his friend, but of course the egg has hatched and Milo’s “new” friend, Snappy the baby crocodile, is there to play with him. The story has a heart-warming ending, with Milo having aspirations to be a croc-sitter.

Cave Baby by Julia Donaldson and Emily Gravett
A hairy mammoth takes a cheeky little baby on a thrilling ride through a moonlit landscape where they encounter a sadre-toothed tiger, a leaping hare, a laughing hyena and even (or is it maybe?) a big brown bear. The award-winners, authors Julia Donaldson and illustrator Emily Gravett, have paired up for this new picture book. It is the first time that Gravett, who writes and illustrates her own books, has illustrated someone else’s work. They have created a story of rare quality: a visual feast and joy to read out loud.

Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood by Brenda Apsley and Jo-Anne Shilliam
These board books for four-year-old bring a whole new dimension to two very popular fairy tales. Each book comes with 30 soft-felt picture stickers that can be used to fill scenes on the special felt backgrounds that accompany each page. With colourful illustrations by Jo-Anne Shilliam, the books will make great gifts and give children hours of creative fun.

Bear Flies High by Michael Rosen and Adrian Reynolds.
Children from the age of three will enjoy how to fly. Bear spends most of his time on the beach, singing, “Do be doo, Doo bee doo, Doo bee doolily doo”, when the saegulls distract him and his dream to fly is born. Luckily his four human friends come along, and they know just how to help Bear – off to the fairground they go. The roller coasteris a bit scary , but once high up in the air, Bear realises: “I’m a bear who can fly. You can fly? I can fly”. This is a story about friends helping each other to realise their dreams, and having great fun doing it.

The Littlest Dinosaur and the Naughty Rock by Camilla Reid and Michael Fireman
This is the perfect book to teach children as young as four the importance of the simple words “please” and “thank you”. The Littlest Dinosaur has been in a bad mood all morning. First he’s rude to his dad, and then he shouts at his brothers and sisters. The final straw is when he throws a tantrum because Mom doesn’t serve him the lunch he wants. “Go and sit on the naughty rock until you’ve calmed down and can behave properly”, says Mom. The naughty rock turns out yo ber a wise old tortoise who shares his wisdom with the Littlest Dinosaur, with delightful and insightful consequences.

Book details

• Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori
  Ages 2 to 5
  EAN: 9780802794222
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• Milo’s Pet Egg by Rebecca Elliott
  EAN: 9781408802007
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• Cave Baby by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Emily Gravett
  EAN: 9780230743083
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• Sleeping Beauty by Brenda Apsley, illustrated by Jo-anne Shillliam
  EAN: 9780798151603
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• Little Red Riding Hood by Brenda Apsley
  EAN: 9780798151658
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• Bear Flies High by Michael Rosen
  EAN: 9781599903866
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• The Littlest Dinosaur and the Naughty Rock by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Michael Foreman
  EAN: 9781408802663
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Cape Towns Child's Recommended Reads for Preteens and Teens This Month

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 11 Nov 2010   |   

In the Trees by Pauline Fisk. All around him, the smell of trees rose from the ground, earthy and dank, just the way he’d smelt it that first day. And he’d heard a voice that day, which he’d thought was calling out a welcome. But really it had been calling out for help. Kid Cato’s come to Belize, on the Caribbean coast. He’s left behind his life in London and is looking for his dad. But what he finds instead is a group of gap year volunteers. They’re just the boring, do-good types he’s always hated, but he’s stuck with them. Stuck with the jungle too – but, by the time it’s done with him, he’l never be the same. And neither will Kid’s new companions. Living in the trees will change them all. ‘Forest are like lungs. They breathe life into us and make us one. Here we are from worlds apart. And thanks to the forest we’re sharing one life. Where we come from doesn’t matter, or what we once were in the past. It’s what we are now that matters. It’s what we make of ourselves.’