Review: Floating by the Clouds

Floating by the Clouds is a story full of big emotion. Emotions that get bottled up inside until there is only one way out, tears. This can be a hard topic to write about. Most children don’t even have the language to explain what they are feeling, or understand it, but Author Mohammad Awad and Illustrator Nina Nill have managed to create a beautiful book that any child can relate to.

Review: The Little Girl and the Rain

When I first received a copy of The Little Girl in the Rain I instantly fell in love with whimsical beauty of the cover, with its matt finish, subtle colours and glittery raindrops. It had a somewhat modern feel but was written an illustrated by someone unknown to me, so I did some research. I was shocked to discover this beautiful book was actually first published in 1974, in what is now known as the Czech Republic.

Review: What's that Splat?

‘Sometimes a splat is just a splat
but sometimes a splat is
much more than that!’

From the creators of the Children’s Book Council Notable, What is a Dot? Comes, What’s that Splat? The perfect companion book, that once again challenges the imagination and encourages creativity in both the reader and the child being read to.

Review: The Not So Quiet Life of Marcel Marceau

Like most people I opened The Not so Quiet Life of Marcel Marceau knowing very little about the man beyond the typical mime gags. After reading, I was actually disappointed in myself that I had never learned more, for Marcel Marceau was a truly exceptional human being. From fleeing his home in Strasburg as a child and watching friends and family being marched off to concentration camps, to joining the French Resistance and being instrumental in saving countless lives. This was all before becoming a world famous performer who was still touring the world, well into his 80’s.

Review: The House That Walked Away

I have heard over the years that when coming up with a title for a picture book one should avoid being too clever. Just say what the book is about without giving too much away. There is definitely no confusion when it comes to Simon Howe’s new release The House that Walked Away. If indeed you do need a little more assistance, the little house casually strolling down the path will help you out.

A lot can be said about that little house, even before you open the book. Instantly recognisable is the one door, two windows and a chimney, (well two actually) construction that is the go-to design when a child draws a house for the first time. It has a face of sorts, making it ‘alive’ and with its almost scale like shimmering tiled arms and legs, there is no doubt that this little house has character and a unique personality. All of this combined make for the perfect book cover that children will pick up wanting desperately to know what the story is all about. Well done Simon.

And what about that story? It begins, ‘Once there was a house that didn’t feel at home.’ What a great opening line. I’m sure many of us can completely relate to that sentence. What I love is that this little house decided to do something about it.

The House that Walked Away follows the little house as it searches for somewhere that ‘feels right’. Somewhere that feels like home. Discontent, It never stays in one place for long as nowhere seems to fit, or perhaps it feels that it, doesn’t fit anywhere. One day a family notices this little house and begins to follow it. That’s when everything changes.

With under 200 words this may come across as a picture book with a simple story, but I can assure you it is not. Those words have been perfectly chosen and combined with the illustrations create something unexpectantly emotional.

Let me just take a moment to give credit to those illustrations as they rightly deserve. To begin Simon has created a house full of hope and yearning. A house…. with emotions…. that is a marvel in itself, but it just gets better from there.

Composition wise, the book changes from full spreads to an almost graphic novel approach, perfectly enabling the story to flow without the overuse of text. Then the colour is added, and what glorious colour it is. Simon has chosen the perfect colour palette and uses it expertly to show emotion throughout the narrative. There is a deep sadness felt in the grey ocean and uplifting hope in the fire red clouds, which also happens to be my favourite page. The painterly texture throughout just adds to the appeal. In short the artwork, and it is art, is stunning. I must also give credit to the choice to print on matt paper instead of gloss.

This may be a book written for children, but the story has such a wider reach. Even as adults we are constantly searching for our tribe. Many of us spend years being restless in jobs or moving and changing friends as we look for a place where we are appreciated just being ourselves. We are always looking for somewhere where we can relax at the end of the day and feel safe. Ultimately we are all looking for somewhere to feel like home. 

Title: The House that Walked Away
Author/Illustrator: Simon Howe
Publisher: Little Hare
Publication Date: May 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761218309
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture book

Review: Butterflies Do Not Ride Their Bikes

Ali Rutstein and Nina Nill have come together again to bring you the latest addition to the bestselling Preschool Problems series Butterflies DO NOT Ride Their Bikes.

I would like to begin by saying that as my children are older I have not read the first three books in the series so I am coming at this with fresh eyes and no expectations. I have however seen the covers of the previous titles and will say this one is just as adorable as the others.

Review: Bella Grows a Bicycle

Bella Grows a Bicycle, starts with a simple premise. Bella wants a bicycle but it’s nowhere near her birthday, so what is she to do? ‘Maybe we could grow one,’ says Dad.

Based on the cover alone you could be led to think that what comes next is a fanciful tale of a magical tree that grows presents of all kinds including bicycles but this is not the case.

A trusting Bella does as her Dad suggests and heads out to the garden but she is quickly disappointed when her tiny seed does not produce a bicycle, but a radish instead. 

Review: Monkeypig

Molly has been happily living in the jungle with all the other monkeys. But Molly has a secret. She is in fact a pig. No one had ever noticed, but after a non-monkey scent is discovered, suspicion begins to rise that an impostor has infiltrated the group. Can Molly manage to go undetected or will she get found out and banished from the group forever?

Review: Mouse Can't Stop

Take one friendly bear who likes to ‘stop and smell the roses’, pair them with a gung-ho mouse who is always in a hurry, and you have the perfect set up for the humorous story that is Mouse Can’t Stop.

On an ordinary day, Bear and Mouse decide to climb a mountain, an amazing mountain at that. While Mouse races ahead, Bear decides to take his time. The more Bear tries to get Mouse to slow down the more frustrated Mouse becomes, and the more determined he is to make it to the top, as fast as possible.

Review: My Nonna Loves

For fans of My Nonno Loves comes the perfect companion book - My Nonna Loves.

Nonna is an adorable Italian grandparent. She loves getting up early and talking to the chickens. She loves baking biscotti and going to the markets. She loves knitting and sewing and even the occasional bit of gossip.

But more than anything she loves her family.

Review: The Umbrella

Most of us at some point have heard a version of the phrase, ‘under the same umbrella’... a blanket term used to package a somewhat diverse group of people under one label. But what happens when a child doesn’t fit under this umbrella no matter how hard they try?

Author Niki Foreman has used her parental experience with neurodivergence to write Umbrella, the story of a child trying to find their place in the world.