I am Not a Octopus is a brightly illustrated picturebook that tells a story of facing fears and connecting with one’s true self. The journey to self-acceptance is told through regular tuna-loving guy, Terry (who is most definitely not an octopus and is absolutely not an octopus who is afraid of water!).
Tortoise is busy - places to go and rocks to climb - but after getting stuck upside-down, Tortoise’s frustration reaches boiling point and all Tortoise can do is shout in sheer exasperation. Not even a hug from Hedgehog will solve this problem. Luckily Owl is on hand with some wise words; “…to cheer someone up, you must try to understand what they are feeling”.
Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar have once again created a stunningly sweet and simple story for the current times. We meet our friends Hedgehog and Tortoise, this time practising patience and learning that some of the best things in life are undoubtedly worth the wait. This book builds on the wisdom from While We Can’t Hug and makes these powerful lessons very approachable for younger readers.
Secret Agent Elephant is a fun, silly and lively picturebook about… well the title says it all really. Elephant wants to be a secret agent, but first of all, some training must be completed. After some questionable test results, Elephant is sent on a top-secret mission, with hilarious consequences.
If you were expecting a traditional alphabet book then this is not the story for you, instead we have a puzzling mystery that bear must solve, which just happens to be in alphabetical format.
Who has stolen Bear’s cake? McLaughlin’s picture book crime story outlines an alphabetical array of culprits and crime scenes.
Best friends, Hedgehog and Tortoise, are sad. They miss being able to give each other a great big hug. Owl tells them you can show someone you love them in many other ways. Firstly, Hedgehog waves to Tortoise, resulting in a smile from Tortoise. Then, Tortoise pulls a funny face which causes Hedgehog to laugh. They send letters and share activities. Even though they cannot touch, these friends still know that they are loved.
As every parent or childminder knows, bedtime for small children can be a very fraught experience. Even the promised story can trigger anxiety, delaying tactics or full-on resistance, so calling this book This Is Not a Bedtime Story is a clever way to turn everything on its head. A gang of scary monsters try very hard indeed to be as horrid as possible, but they turn out to be cute, silly and even a little sleepy.
Although at first glance The Hug appears to be a simple story, a complexity of humour and emotion is conveyed throughout, both verbally and non-verbally. The story revolves around the difficulty of getting a hug if you are a hedgehog or a tortoise with a very hard shell. It is told through the format of a flip book, which shows the apparently separate stories of two animals, both of whom are looking for a hug. Following the journey of one will lead to the story of the other, with a dramatic meeting in the middle.
