Nosy Crow

Filled with facts on daily life in Ancient Egypt, Chae Strathie’s book is an entertaining and informative introduction to what life was like in the time of the pharaohs. The objective of the book is to humorously demonstrate to child readers the triviality of their modern-day problems, and this is achieved by explaining the hardships endured by children in Ancient Egypt. The reader will come to see that while owning a pet baboon or a lion does sound appealing, life was certainly not all fun and games and crazy wild pets in Ancient Egypt.

Platypus comes into the zoo just when the animals are running interviews. Will he be accepted in? Panda is not impressed by the platypus’s lack of popularity, the flamingos claim he is not graceful; the monkeys believe he cannot do any tricks; the chameleons find him hitting only a one-colour note, and elephant finally declares he’s short and weird. Platypus remains silent through his visit, while all zoo animals constantly tell him ‘This Zoo is not for you.’ Then he gets fed up but accidentally leaves a note behind… will the animals find out the true reason why Platypus was there?

There is a refrain that repeats throughout the book – ‘All around the world and through, people have…’ – and so begins a history of people, a veritable museum of items from across time. Each spread is full of over thirty images – all items that can be found in the British Museum. There is a broad sweep of all peoples from across the world through history – rich and poor, children and adults, wild beasts and friendly pets.

This is a Dog is yet another very funny picturebook by the creator of There’s a Bear on my Chair and This Zoo is Not for You, Ross Collins. Its main character is inspired by Collins’s own pooch, Hugo, and just like him, Dog wants to be the centre of attention. He’s so intent in doing so that he cleverly tries to take over all the pages of a book entitled “My First Animal book”. The short sentences may lead you to think this is, in fact, an animal book, but you’ll discover soon enough what the book is really about.

This light and pretty book introduces the reader to seven types of housing beginning with the Middle Ages and ending with the present day. The eras have loose parameters and simplified explanations, but there are a lot of interesting things to discover! In describing each home, the author and illustrator offer facts on not just architecture, but on fashion, roofing materials, interior decoration, social history, and even types of entertainment over the centuries.

Get ready for an adventure with Ruby and Alex Pilgrim, siblings who journey through a magical mirror at their Aunt Joanna’s B&B to past times where awaiting them always is a wrong to be righted.

Flung this time to a cold day in Christmas 1872, Ruby and Alex soon realise their mission is to come together with their rowdy Victorian Pilgrim cousins, Aunt Marian and her husband Dr. Pilgrim, and their dog Bunyan, to save cousin Edith from a looming lonely life. Edith’s stern father Elijah must be convinced not to send Edith away on Boxing Day to the notorious boarding school ‘Scotsborough’.

For many generations of readers, Beatrix Potter is a household name. Her tales of Peter Rabbit are loved by young and old, but how did this little rabbit hop onto her pages? This beautifully illustrated picturebook tells the story of a lonely girl who found joy and company in the animals that surrounded her for her entire life, and how she grew into the celebrated author we know and love today.

Worlds collide in this seafaring adventure when Razi finds a boy called Zheng washed up on the shore following a shipwreck.

Razi and his sister Shifa are recovering from the recent loss of their father at sea. Together, the three team up using Zheng’s treasure map to find the Captain’s hidden treasure and restore the Dagger of Serendib to its rightful home. However, they’re not the only ones looking for the treasure and they need to outwit the other treasure seekers in their quest.

Calling all brave adventurers for a thrilling search for treasure in The Boy Who Met a Whale. Farook takes us on a journey to the island of Serendib where Razi, Shifa and Zheng must use their skills, brains and courage to follow a treasure map so they can rescue a hidden treasure. There is a lot of excitement along the way as they sail through a sea of monsters and race against the evil Marco and Cook, who want the treasure for themselves. They must learn to work together, to trust the sea and to respect the ocean creatures in order to succeed on their mission.

Faith’s dad has gone missing, her mum is refusing to get out of bed, and her younger brother has started talking to a sea ghost in the cellar. Their house is balanced precariously on the edge of a crumbling cliff, with the crack in the ground growing bigger every day. Can things get any more complicated? Yes, of course they can.