Video Review: Saltie Mumma

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Saltie Mumma. A non fiction picture book for children aged 5 and up. Written and illustrated by Sandra Kendell.

Title: Saltie Mumma
Author/ Illustrator: Sandra Kendell
Publisher: Windy Hollow Books
Publication Date: 1st October 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922081889
For ages: 5+
Type: Non Fiction Picture Book

Video Review: Pink!

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Pink! A picture book for children aged 2 - 5 years old. Written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Judith Rossell.

Title: Pink!
Author: Margaret Wild
Illustrator: Judith Rossell
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication Date: 8 July 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781460757499
For ages: 2 - 5
Type: Picture book

Video Review: All in a Drop

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World. A non fiction chapter book for children aged 8 to 12 years old. Written by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger.

Title: All in a Drop
Author: Lori Alexander
Illustrator: Vivien Mildenberger
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 6 August 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781328884206
For ages: 8 - 12
Type: Non Fiction Chapter Book

Video Review: Climate Change for Babies

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Climate Change for Babies, a nonfiction board book written for children aged one year and up by Chris Ferrie and Katherina Petrou.

Title: Climate Change for Babies
Authors: Chris Ferrie and Katherina Petrou
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: 1 October 2020
Format: Board Book
ISBN: 9781492680826
For ages: 1+
Type: Non Fiction 

Video Review: My Culture and Me

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of My Culture and Me, a picture book for children aged 4 - 8 years old. Written and illustrated by Gregg Dreise.

Title: My Culture and Me
Author/ Illustrator: Gregg Dreise
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 7 May 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780143789376
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

Video Review: The Tale of Barnaby Glurp, The Boy Who Burped

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of The Tale of Barnaby Glurp, The Boy Who Burped, a picture book for children aged 3 and up. Written by Felicity McVay and illustrated by Caroline Seltz.

Title: The Tale of Barnaby Glurp, The Boy Who Burped
Author: Felicity McVay
Illustrator: Caroline Seltz
Publisher: New Holland Publishers
Publication Date: 23 April 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760792121
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

Video Review: Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot!

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! A hilarious graphic reader for children five and up, written and illustrated by Cece Bell.

Title: Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot!
Author. Illustrator: Cece Bell
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 1 September 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780763679361
For ages: 5+
Type: Junior Fiction

Video Review: When the Whales Walked

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of When the Whales Walked, and other incredible evolutionary journeys, written by Douglas Dixon and illustrated by Hannah Bailey. This video includes other recommended titles for children on evolution.

Title: When the Whaled Walked
Author: Douglas Dixon
Illustrator: Hannah Bailey
Publisher: Australian Geographic
Publication Date: 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925695236
For ages: 8 - 12
Type: Nonfiction

Video Review: Elephant Me

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of the latest feel-good picture book written by author and illustrator duo Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees, Elephant Me.

Title: Elephant Me
Author: Giles Andreae
Illustrator: Guy Parker-Rees
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 26 May 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781408356524
For ages: 3 - 5
Type: Picture Book

Video Review: Big Wolf & Little Wolf

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Big Wolf & Little Wolf, a picture book written by Nadine Brun-Cosme and illustrated by Olivier Tallec.

Title: Big Wolf & Little Wolf
Author: Nadine Brun-Cosme
Illustrator: Olivier Tallec
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Publication Date: 2009
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781592700844
For ages: 3 - 7 
Type: Picture Book

Video Review: Two Bicycles in Beijing

Join Yvonne as she reviews the picture book Two Bicycles in Beijing and learn more about this sweet story of friendships old and new, lost and found set in the beautiful city of Beijing.



Title: Two Bicycles in Beijing
Author: Teresa Robeson
Illustrator: Junyi Wu
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co
Publication Date: 1 April 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780807507644
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

Video Review: Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World

Our innovative KBR team are always looking for ways to enliven your reading experiences. If you love our daily dose of uplifting, thoughtful  and insightful reviews buckle into your beanbags because we have something exciting and new for you! 

In addition to our regular video posts by creators sharing their book trailers and behind-the-scenes news, we now have a dedicated Virtual Wonders page featuring the best of our KBR team's on line antics. Links to their colourful YouTube channels, beautiful Instagram accounts and more are all at your fingertips. Plus we are now sharing virtual reviews so that you can literally soak up the wonder and glory of some of our best loved kids' books almost in real life! Regular contributor, Yvonne Mes, is the first to virtually review especially for you. Have a look...

Title: Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World

Author/ Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky 

Publisher: Ten Speed Press 

Publication Date: 2019 

Format: Hardback 

ISBN: 9780399580437 

For ages: 12+ 

Type: Non Fiction

Review: Coronavirus For Children

The book was written as a response to the coronavirus by the staff of publishing company Nosy Crow in consultation with Professor Graham Medley, as well as teachers and a child psychologist.

The illustrations by Alex Scheffler (The Gruffalo)add a touch of light and colour to what is a complicated topic.

The book is available for free as a PDF from the website and as an audiobook on Audible and iBook and is narrated by actor Hugh Bonneville (Paddington and Downton Abbey).

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

Special Feature: A Dutch Picture Book Experience

Before the world locked down due to the pandemic, I found myself in The Netherlands last month because of a sudden medical emergency of a close family member. And though I wasn’t there for pleasure, as soon as things looked up a little, I found my way to a couple of bookshops. 

First, a small bookshop in a hospital and later my old neighbourhood bookshop in the North of Amsterdam.

Most Dutch bookshops have a range of books translated from English to Dutch. This year The Storm Whale by Benji Davies was popular and, as usual, there were some translated copies of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Rupsje Nooitgenoeg) by Eric Carle.

Books written by Dutch-speaking authors and illustrators are plenty and published by various well-respected Dutch and Belgium publishing houses.

Having lived in Australia for most of my adult life, and mostly reading picture books published here, in the UK or the USA, I set out to speculate on what makes Dutch picture books typically Dutch.

Review: Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

Growing up in the Netherlands, I have vivid memories from when I was a teenager reading Het Dagboek van Anne Frank (Anne Frank’s Diary) and visiting het achterhuis (the secret annex).

I also read and still have copies of her father’s, Otto Frank, autobiography as well as that of one of the helpers, Miep Gies. So, I was very interested in reading this graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary.

The adaption begins in 1942 with 13-year-old Anne living an ordinary life in the Netherlands. After she receives a diary for her birthday, she declares it her best friend and names it, Kitty.

Anne Frank and her parents, Otto and Edith Frank, and her sister Margot have moved to the Netherlands from Germany because of the Nazi’s rise to power and the worsening treatment of the Jewish people. After the Nazis occupy the Netherlands, and to escape being sent to work or concentration camps, the family hides at Otto Frank’s office behind a bookcase which leads to a secret annex.

Review: After The Fall, How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

Caldecott medal winner Dan Santat has written and illustrated a powerful story of falling down and getting back up again with After the Fall.

The story takes place after birdwatching enthusiast Humpty, falls from a high wall and soon after he has been put back together again by the king’s men. 

Set in a contemporary city, the illustrations show Humpty walking out of the Kings County Hospital covered in plasters.

Review: Collage Workshops for Kids: Rip, Snip, Cut, and create with inspiration from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

This book of collage art ideas is an excellent resource for busy parents and caregivers and will be a pleasure for them to share with children from toddlers to primary school-age children.

Artist Shannon Merenstein wrote the book with the art educators from the Eric Carle Museum. Eric Carle is, of course, the master of picture book collage illustration, with books spanning generations such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug.

The Eric Carle Museum, situated in the US, has its own Art Studio dedicated to making collage art with the museum’s visitors under the guidance of Art Educators.

Review: Thank You, Omu!

An elderly lady, Omu, lives at the top of an apartment block in a busy street. She has made the most delicious stew and is looking forward to dinner. 

While the stew is simmering and Omu reads a book, the smell of the stew wafts and drifts out the door, down the hall, toward the street, and around the block. 

Soon people around the neighbourhood come knocking at her door asking after that scrumptious smell.

Each time Omu shares a little of her stew, but when it is time for dinner, her big fat pot is empty. 

When once more there is knocking at her door, she sighs and tells the gathered group there is nothing left to share. The most poignant part of the story is here when a little boy hugs Omu and explains what they’ve come to do. The book concludes with a shared feast leaving everyone full in the tummy as well as full of love.

The structure of the story and the repetition of language made it a pleasure to read.

The people who knock at Omu’s door represent a diverse community, which for me made the story all the more valuable. Throughout the book, the reader enjoys a wonderful sense of community, kindness and sharing.

I was immediately attracted to the beauty of this book. The collage work and colours are beautiful, and the seemingly simple textured shapes combine to form sophisticated illustrations.

The Author’s Note explains that in the Igbo language of Nigeria, 'Omu' means queen, while for the author as she was growing up,'Omu' was the word for grandmother.

This is Oge Mora’s debut book which she started as a student project at Design School in the USA. It went on to win the 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, the John Steptoe Award for New Talent and the 2019 Ezra Jack Keats Award Illustrator Award as well as receiving a 2019 Caldecott Honor.

Title: Thank you, Omu!

Author/Illustrator: Oge Mora

Publisher: Little Brown and Company $29.90

Publication Date: 2 October 2018 

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9780316431248

For ages: 4+ 

Type: Picture Book 

Review: But First, We Nap

Picture a sleepy sloth lounging on a tree branch, ready for nap time. Now add an energetic and insistent little bunny ready for play!

And like any assertive toddler, rabbit doesn’t take no for an answer. Rabbit’s efforts see it set its own fur on end with its noisy effort.

Like any toddler, Rabbit goes from a full tank to empty within a heartbeat. You can guess who is ready for a nap in the end!

The narrative is mostly told using onomatopoeia with toots, pops, crashes, grunts, snores and sighs, which makes it a delight to read aloud with little ones.