Just published. Four books for July

Don’t lose Pigley, Wibbly Pig
Mick Inkpen
£10.99
Age 3-5 years

Wibbly Pig has just come back from a party and like many before him, he promptly explores the contents of his party bag. In the process, Wibbly nearly encounters disaster when it looks like he is about to lose his favourite toy Piggley. Through clever initiative on Wibbly’s part, Piggley is saved but it is a close call.

This new Wibbly Pig title from Mick Inkpen, is perfect for pre-schoolers. We asked three-year-old Tia, and mummy Michelle to test it out for us. Michelle said:

“Tia really enjoys this book. I had to read it to her three times in one day. I found it a bit of a tongue twister when I’m tired and that makes us both giggle. We both really liked the way the printed words formed the shape of the ground and hill when Wibbly was chasing after Piggly.”

Farmer Joe and the Music Show
Tony Mitton and Guy Parker Rees
£5.99
Ages 3-5

Down on the farm, the crops won’t grow, the hens won’t lay eggs, the cows won’t graze. Farmer Joe has an idea though. Will the power of music cheer everyone up and get the farm back to normal again?

We loved the fun animal illustrations in this book, and asked two-year-old Tom, and mummy Helen to see what they thought of it. Helen said:

“This book had a lively pace to it and was a fun read. Tom is quite particular about which books I read to him, but we wriggled and jiggled our way through this to keep his attention going. The illustrations are bold and colourful and he really enjoyed pointing out the various animals that he recognised. It is nice to have a book that encourages the importance of song and music.”

When Dragons are Dreaming
James Mayhew and Lindsay Gardiner
£10.99
Age 3-5

This pretty, dreamy book is beautifully illustrated. It tells the story of a cute dragon who just cannot get to sleep. He wants to play with the fairies and join in their games, but when he does they are less than impressed until he rescues one of their little friends.

This book is perfect for a winding down bedtime story. We asked two-year-old Emily to test it out with mummy Amanda. Amanda said:

“This book is a little-girl magnet I think. Emily loved it so much, and so did her cousin Ellie. The pictures are soft and fuzzy and the story has dragons and fairies but without being scary. Sparkly and pretty, this is just the kind of book I would buy a young girl to get them into reading.”

Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide
Mara Bergman and Nick Maland
£10.99
Age 3-5

Oliver Donnington Rimington-Sneep, must surely have come from Clifton Village, in Bristol, with a name like that. Oliver wakes during the night, and though he was snugly tucked up with Bat and Owl and Fox, he couldn’t find Ted! With rhyming text and big boyish illustrations, we follow Oliver as he travels by train through deserts, mountain and cities to find his favourite toy again.

We felt with its exciting landscapes, blue hues and fast trains this would appeal to little boys, so we asked three-year-old Fin, to read this book with daddy Tim. Tim told us:

“Me and Fin really loved the feel and texture of the pages in this book. The paper it was printed on has a really nice quality and we noticed this straight away. Fin wasn’t too sure about the book to begin with, mainly because there was a crane outside the house. But when we got to the double page spread of the train, his interest really sparked up. After the initial read he was interested enough to want to go back and study hard the pages he skipped at the start of the book. There is something quite grown up about this story and I would recommend it to older three-year-olds and above. It shows the lengths a dedicated boy will go to to get back the thing he loves most.”