Not to be missed!

I saw Eoin Colfer's show in Bath in 2007 and he was hilarious. I thoroughly recommend it!
See dates here.

Rita and Whatsit

Jean Philippe Arrou-Vignod (text)
Olivier Tallec (illustrations)
(Zero to Ten)

It's Rita's birthday today and she is feeling a bit grumpy. She doesn't like any of her presents; they are either too small too big or too ... middle-sized: she doesn't know where to start .... until one starts leaping! Inside she finds a little dog who doesn't not liked to be bossed about! After a lot of chasing about, the dog settles down and Rita struggles to come up with a name that suits him. She finally settles for Whatsit and the dog's reaction surprises Rita. This is the first book of the adventures of this absolutely fantastic duo. Rita is very bossy an determined, and her dog-with-no-name is cool as cucumber and very philosophical. It has been incredibly popular in its native France and it is easy to see why: Tallec's minimalistic illustrations compliment perfectly Arrou-Vignod's humorous text.

Other titles in the series include: Rita and Whatsit at School, Rita and Whatsit at the Beach, Christmas with Rita and Whatsit , Rita and Whatsit at the Beach and Rita and Whatsit's New Friend.



A great little series which well worth discovering!

Mangaddiction

A couple of blogger friends introduced me to manga through the wonderful series Emma and since then my interest has grown. I started a manga collection at my school which proved to be very popular and this has allowed me to read more of it too.

I read the first volumes of two series at the week-end which have little in common apart from the fact that the characters in both have animal characteristics and can therefore turn fully or partly into a specific animal.

Tokyo Mew Mew

Mia Ikumi & Reiko Yoshida

(Tokyopop)

Ichigo is visiting the endangered species exhibition at the museum with Masaya, the boy she is infatuated with, when a odd-feeling earthquake puts an end to their date. What she does not know yet is that during the odd incident, her DNA has just been merged with the DNA of an almost extinct animal,the Iriomote cat. Soon after the incident, she meets Ryou and Keiichiro, who tell her the truth of her new condition. Her new powers will be put to good use; she will protect the Earth from invading aliens . But her first assignment is to find the four other girls who have been also affected ; Café Mew Mew, which Keiichiro manages, becomes their headquarters. Although she is enjoying her new life, she is also struggling to juggle it with her normal life and especially with seeing Masaya.

This is a real fun manga. I found the layout a bit messy at times, and as I am still a bit of a novice as far as manga-reading is concerned so it was a bit frustrating at times but I still really enjoyed it. The characters definitely have the cute factor, and like Sailor Moon we are definitely in the “magical girl” type of story. The characters are endearing, and despite its lack of originality, you’ll definitely be drawn into wanting to read more, I know I did, I am on the 3rd volume now!

+Anima

Natsumi Mukai
(Tokyopop)

At the beginning of this first volume, we meet Cooro as a baby, when he literally falls out of the sky. He is a Plus Anima, a human with the characteristics of an animal, in his case, a crow. We then see him again years later, grown up, as he stumbles across a circus that has a mermaid on display. Through mischief he soon realises that the mermaid is in fact a boy who is a fish +Anima. Cooro rescues Husky and they escape together. On their travels they soon meet two another + Anima: Senri, a bear +Anima, and Nana, a bat + Anima. This first volume’s aim is obviously to introduce the main characters, and it works. We hear enough to want to read more and there are enough questions left unanswered for material for a few more volumes. Fantasy is not really my thing so I didn’t think it’d get into at first but I actually really enjoyed it. The artwork is beautiful, and unlike Tokyo Mew Mew, I found the layout clear and easy to follow. The storyline is packed full of action and humour, and I found the underlying theme of discrimination towards the +Anima quite interesting.

The London Eye Mystery

Siobhan Dowd
(Random House Children's Books)



Ted and Kat's cousin Salim is visiting them in London from Manchester. He is on his way to the USA where he is emigrating with his mother.
They decide to show him around London and decide to go on the London Eye, Ted's favourite attraction. They accept a free ticket from a odd-looking character and Salim ends up boarding the Eye on his own. But he does not come out again; somehow, while riding the Eye, mid-air, Salim has disappeared. The police are baffled, but Ted, aided by his sister Kat, has a few theories of his own. He also his very own way of working things out; will he find Salim? And will the police and his parents listen to him?
This is a great thriller story, quick-paced and which will keep you guessing until the very end (I honestly could not work out what had happened to Salim!). Ted suffers from Asparger's syndrome, which gives another edge to the story, as we follow his train of thought, trying to work things out.
Dowd actually wrote this book years ago. Unfortunately she finished it at the time when Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was published and decided to wait, as she did not want The London Eye Mystery to be branded as "another Asperger's book".
I really enjoyed the relationship between Ted and Kat. Kat, depicted as an archetypical moody teenager, seems to have little else but disdain for her brother. Yet, as the stress of Salim's disappearance takes its toll on the family, cracks begin to appear in Kat's put-on front and she appears a more caring ,if yet still a bit fiery, character who obviously loves her brother dearly.
Dowd was a such a talented writer. A Pure Swift Cry was a wonderful book which touched me greatly, and I am now in the middle of reading Bog Child, the first one of two novels being published posthumously, as she sadly passed away last August.

Siobhan Dowd Trust

Look After Your Planet (Charlie and Lola)

Lauren Child
(Puffin)



After seeing the state of Marv's big brother's room, Lola decides to throw out all the things she has been keeping. But Charlie offers to start recycling them instead, to which Lola answers "Recycle it? What is that?". As they set to recycle paper, bottles etc, Charlie explains to Lola all about recycling and how important it is. Lola then decides to have the whole school involved so they can enter a competition to win a tree.

Part of the "Charlie and Lola" series taken from the TV animation series (as opposed to the original Charlie and Lola books written by Lauren Child), this is a great little book packed full of information about recycling disguised into a fun story. The book includes a sticker tree counter chart to keep track of your recycling. It is a great introduction to recycling for little ones, and what better way to do than through this ever so popular comic duo?

For some more activities around the book, go to Charlie and Lola's Looking After Your Planet page.


Today is World Environment Day.

Ottoline Goes to School

Chris Riddell
(Macmillan Children's Books)

This is the second book in the wonderful series which describes the adventures of Ottoline Brown and her friend Mr Munroe. The inquisitive little girl, who is also a master of disguise, finds herself going to school for the first time after she meets a new friend, Cecily Forbes-Lawrence III encourages her to join her school, The Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted. But as Ottoline and Mr Munroe try to get used to their new surroundings, unusual things to happen and it soon becomes clear that the school is haunted. Ottoline, not one bit worried, soon investigates.

I have always liked Chris Riddell but this series is just fabulous! The books are beautiful; the stories are funny, original and witty; the illustrations are absolutely fantastic (Riddell uses black and blue only this time as opposed to black and red in the firs installment).

and my favourite:

I am just amazed! I thought Ottoline and the Yellow Cat was good, but Ottoline Goes to School is even better! When will the promised Ottoline at Sea be published I wonder? I can't wait!

A Dog Called Rod

Tim Hopgood
(Macmillan Children's Books)

Elsa would love to have a dog as a pet, but she lives with her dad on the 24th floor of a big apartment block and her dad thinks that dogs are too much trouble anyway: they are noisy, smelly, needy …. But Rod the dog isn’t like that. He likes art, does not bark, uses the toilet … Surely all dogs are like him? Dad agrees to let Elsa look after their neighbour’s dog Barker and soon Elsa realises that not all dogs are as well behaved as Rod.
I loved the artwork in this book; the colours used are bright and very unusual, with a lot of yellow. Rod is, of course, an imaginary dog but it is only through illustrations that one can work it out: Hopgood used glitter and lots of little starts all around Rod which gives a real sense of magic.

This book was shortlisted for the "younger children" category of