Our book reviews :)

Mary Poppins JR Travers

Weststar: Reading this to the kids was reassurring for the most parts, bringing back memories of the film, the quality of the prose it high. I did find myself jumping bits though when the years since it was written glared too loudly at me in the attitude towards children and some other bizarre images. Hasn't stopped us ordering the second book from the library though!

Blackberry: I loved it. My favourite part was when they went to the gingerbread shop because I'd like to eat the fingers that broke off! My favourite character is Maya - a sky fairy! Its 100% good.

Elderflower: Quite nice, child-friendly. My favourite character is Jane. My favourite bit was when they were at the zoo for Mary Poppins' birthday.

Sunburst: -


The Railway Children E.Nesbit


Weststar: Enjoyed this a lot, quite an adventure story, we were eager to find out what happened next, and moving too.

Blackberry: Not the best book I've read, my favourite character was the Station Master but I wouldn't recommend this book - I didn't really like the story but I liked the drawings.it  was 20% good

Elderflower: Quite good. My favourite character was Bobby and my favourite bit was the ending because there father came back.

Sunburst: I liked the trains.



Five Children and It E.Nesbit


Weststar: Liked this less so, got it because I remembered a BBC adaptation as a child and because we'd enjoyed the Railway Children so much. Lots of fighting and things that showed the 100 years since it was written. Was difficult to trust what I was reading - so even though there was a few pages of beautiful magical happenings, it would spiral off into something I didn't want to share so readily. Trying not to edit too heavily, but aware that one of my audience was 3 years old!

Blackberry: I'm not really into this book. my favourite character was the psammead because he gave the 5 children wishes .
I would recommend this book it was 90%

Elderflower: Quite good. My favourite character was the Psammead because he gave everyone wishes. Favourite part: the ending because the Psammead got his own wish.

Sunburst: I liked the Psammead.

The Giants and the Joneses J. Donaldson

Weststar: Had some scary torture elements to it - the guide age I got was 5-7 which may be about right. We got really into this. There is a new language Groilish with dictionaries at the back which Elderflower really got into. Julia Donaldson (of Gruffalo fame) writes well, characters were easy to relate to, comfortably lengthed chapters.

Blackberry:

Elderflower:

Sunburst:

Woof! Allan Ahlberg
Fine story, funny, lots of school in it and what it used to be like a few decades ago. E and S liked this.

Mary Poppins Comes Back JR Travers
Definitely enjoyed by all three. Very long chapters which made bedtime longer than I sometimes have the energy for!! But we reread a lot of this as we did the first book - I'm drawn to the quality of the prose again even though its very dated in places - not so much the details of living, but the attitudes and way the adults relate to the children throughout. Triggers much discussion!

The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark J Tomlinson -- and also the Penguin one, the Otter one -- really fab books from the point of view of the animal themselves what its like to grow up.

Dick King Smith - We really like these and enjoy finding him in charity shops - there's one book we have that talks through  his life of animals - a beautifully illustrated hardback book which helped us to feel that we knew him a bit and that has helped us enjoy each of the books we've read. Gentle tales, touch of the surreal or magical but grounded in animals :)

And now we have found Enid Blyton which I didn't expect to like - themes such as punishment, locking each other up, baddies and so on - however we've loved the reading of the Faraway Tree books, just waiting on the third from the library. And B orders one or two each time she goes on the library website - Wishing Chair, Famous Five. We've listened to an old Noddy tape we found and Papa W reads Brer Rabbit to them when its his bedtime. Heavens that lady wrote a lot!! You kind of get what it says on the tin form her books: children's stories, nice length chapters, fairly easily forgotten I think, very light reading but I've tried to eek out a bit of discussion re the punishment thing! The general feel for me having reread these Faraway Trees is a fab encapsulation of childhood adventure away from the adults in their own world.