**I received copies of the books mentioned for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.
Toys might get all the glory at Christmastime, but when I was a kid, I loved getting BOOKS! My daughter recently gave me a bookmark that stated, "A book is a gift you can open again and again."... and I could not think of a more true statement. So, today I am excited to share with you not ONE, but SIX fantastic Pavilion Children's Books to consider this holiday season.
The brilliant debut from a rising star of the picture book world, noted as 'one to watch' by The Bookseller magazine: Big Cat by Emma Lazell (Pavilion Children's; 8/1/2019; ISBN: 9781843654292; Hardcover $16.95; Ages 4-8, 32 pages).
Lazell’s bright colors and brilliant characterization gives the book the look of a classic from the 1970s or earlier, but with a very modern sense of humor and sensibility.
Isobel's grandma has lost her glasses and she can't see a thing without them. While Isobel and Gran are in the garden searching for the specs, they come across a cat. A very big cat. A very big and stripy cat! The big cat moves in with them, much to the disgust of all gran's other cats. He might be good fun, but he takes up lots of space and eats every scrap of food. Eventually the new cat's mom and dad turn up, looking for their missing son. And they just happen to have found gran's glasses too. The tiger family are delighted to be reunited—and gran now sees that she's been sharing her house with... a tiger!
A heartwarming and surreal romp, packed with jokes and funny details and with an underlying message of acceptance.
The Green Giant by Katie Cottle (Pavilion Children's; 7/1/2019; ISBN: 9781843654308; Hardcover $16.95; Ages 4-8; 32 pages) is a beautiful eco-tale that encourages us to put down our devices and save the planet - from the winner of the 2017 Batsford Prize and a rising star in the picture book world.
You've met the Iron Giant, the Big Friendly Giant and the Selfish Giant. Now meet the Green Giant!
A young girl, Bea, and her dog, Iris, are staying with her grandad in the country. Bea is bored, but Iris’s adventures lead them to the seemingly small and rusty old greenhouse next door.
Inside the greenhouse, Bea finds... a giant. A giant made entirely of plants and greenery. Bea is scared, but the giant reassures her and explains that he has escaped from the grey city.
Bea and the giant become friends, but can they do anything to make the grey city, and the world, a greener place?
Forgotten Beasts: Amazing Creatures that Once Roamed the Earth by Matt Sewell (Pavilion Children's; 10/4/2019; ISBN: 9781843653936; Hardcover $19.95; Ages 7+; 9 pages) with scientific consultant Dr. Stephen Brusatte, vertebrate paleontologist at The University of Edinburgh is a witty, colorful celebration of the amazing lost creatures of this planet; with a strong message of protection and conservation.
Matt Sewell's follow-up to the mega-hit The Colorful World of Dinosaurs is a beautifully-illustrated large format look at the amazing beasts that time forgot—from the relatively well known, such as the sabre-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth, to the obscure monsters that walked the earth millions of years ago—many now forgotten.
Although less celebrated than the dinosaurs, the range of beasts is equally impressive, every one an amazing or scary creature that actually stalked the planet. Like the dinosaurs, these beasts are awe-inspiring in their variety, in a wide range of furs, feathers and colours, making for a stunning collection of vivid watercolor illustrations.
The animals are arranged chronologically—from the strange invertebrate Opabinia that lived over 500 million years ago, to the Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, that became extinct in 1936. More than 50 strange and fascinating creatures are featured.
Barry Falls' debut picture book is a brilliantly illustrated, funny and thought-provoking celebration of where you might go and what you might do in life that harks back to the Dr. Seuss era of children's books: It's Your World Now! (Pavilion Children's; 8/1/2019; ISBN: 9781843654315; Hardcover $16.95; Ages 4-8; 32 pages).
“As for you my bouncing ball, well you can truly have it all. Yes, you can set the world alight, my child-so-small, your future's bright.”
A beautiful, lyrical and funny celebration of the world and the potential of every individual within it, with ;ots of things to spot on each page – cats, birds, flowers, cars, books, castles, rollercoasters and chocolate cake to name a few! Can you spot the ladybug on every page?
This is the perfect book to read to children to help them appreciate the wonderful things that exist in the world, and the wonderful things that they can do, as well as allowing them to understand some of the setbacks that may happen. And in the end, whatever happens, the child is reassured that their parents will always love them.
Adventures on Earth by Simon Tyler (Pavilion Children's Books; 10/8/19; ISBN: 978-1843654278; Hardcover $19.95; Ages 7+; 96 pages)
The wonderful graphic illustrator Simon Tyler is back with a book all about the extremes of our planet - and the people who venture there. Bursting with information and illustrated in bold and colorful graphics, this book will grab the attention of all avid explorers - big and small.
Follow in the footsteps of the world's most famous explorers and travel to the extremes of our environment on Earth--learn about the highest and deepest, hottest and coldest places on Earth. Discover the world's most wild terrain--deserts, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, jungles, oceans, the polar regions and more and learn about how they were discovered and explored by human adventurers. Find out how these regions are under threat from global warming and other issues, and learn what we can do to conserve them.
The Adventures of Moose & Mr Brown (Hardcover $17.95; ISBN 9781843654285; Ages 4-8), the first picture book by celebrated British designer Paul Smith and illustrated by Sam Usher, well known for his multi-award shortlisted book Can You See Sassoon? and popular seasonal picture book series – Snow, Rain, Storm and Sun.
The Adventures of Moose & Mr Brown is a laugh-out-loud rollicking adventure story of animals, travel, design and finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places. It follows the story of Mr Brown, an international fashion designer, who agrees to help a Moose he encounters at an airport to track down his lost twin brother, Monty. Along the way they travel the world and help multiple animals by designing garments to meet their particular needs – including slippers for sloths, parkas for penguins and scarves for giraffes. The story was inspired by toys that Paul has owned for many years and which reside in his office in Covent Garden, London.
These books are all absolutely fantastic! All are very much unique to one another, but there are a few things they have in common... they are all fun stories that my kids could enjoy and they are all beautifully illustrated in a way that both my kids and myself were really drawn to.
First up, Big Cat. My daughter LOVES cats, so naturally she was first drawn to this one. I must admit, by the end we were both laughing and wanting to read it again. I loved this idea of the grandma losing her glasses and not realizing that the cat she had brought into her home was in fact a tiger. While we found it to be just a fun story that made us laugh, I do love the message of acceptance it provided as well. If we could all be blind to the physical differences in one another... well, what a beautiful thing that would be! I think it's a very relevant message for kids today that they are getting in such a subtle way they don't even realize it!
Next up was The Green Giant. This was a great reminder to kids about the importance of plant life and taking care of the earth, but again... it does so within a fun story so that kids are learning without feeling as though they are being preached at. I think sometimes those more subtle messages can have an even greater impact than anything. My daughter and I both really enjoyed the artwork in this one too... it was very uniquely done and had me wanting to see more!
While the other books are more picture books and ideal for story time with my kindergartner, Forgotten Beasts: Amazing Creatures that Once Roamed the Earth and Adventures on Earth are less likely to be your go to bedtime tales. Still, that doesn't mean your child--- especially your older and curious child--- will not enjoy them all the same. They are fantastic educational reference type books filled with great information. It'll take a little longer to read through, but I know I loved this type of book when I was a kid--- they were extremely educational, while still remaining kid friendly.
My daughter loves fashion AND animals so The Adventures of Moose & Mr Brown was clearly right up her alley. She enjoyed the fun and fashion seen on each and every page. It was another fun story that I can see us revisiting again and again!
While all of these books were fantastic, my favorite was hands down It's Your World Now! First of all, I really enjoyed the lyrical style in which it was written... those tend to be my favorite children's books as they just seem to roll off the tongue so easily... making them quick to read and enjoyable to listen to. More than anything though, I loved the message in this story. I am constantly telling my children that they can do absolutely anything they choose to do, and this story just beautifully reminds them as just that. This is one that we have already read several times...and one that I know that we will continue to read again and again.
Whether you want them all, or just a few, these are ALL great additions to your home library!
Pavilion Children’s
Twitter: @PavilionKidsBks
Instagram: @ pavilionchildrens
Facebook: @PavilionChildrensBooks
Matt Sewell
Twitter: @ sewellspotnjot
Instagram: @ mattsewell
Website: https://www.mattsewell.co.uk/
Emma Lazell
Twitter: @ emmallazell
Instagram: @ emmallazell
Website: @ https://emmalazell.co.uk/
Simon Tyler
Twitter: @MrSimonTyler
Instagram: @ mrsimontyler
Website: https://simontyler.co.uk/
Paul Smith
Instagram: @paulsmith and @paulsmithdesign
Twitter: @PaulSmithDesign
Facebook: @paulsmithdesign
Website: https://www.paulsmith.com/uk
Sam Usher
Twitter: @ SamuelUsher
Instagram: @ samuel_usher
Website: https://www.holroydecartey.com/sam-usher.html
Katie Cottle
Twitter: @ katiecottle_
Instagram: @_katiecottle
Website: https://www.katiecottle.com/
Barry Falls
Twitter: @Barry_Falls
Instagram: @ barryfalls
Website: http://barryfalls.com/
This sounds like a great selection of books. I would love to own them and read them to my granddaughter. SHe loves to be read to.
ReplyDeleteWould love to win and pay it forward. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWould LOVE to win these books for my nieces!
ReplyDeleteFantastic bundle of books. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDelete