I have a real soft spot for chapter books – they have a mix of sweetness and exuberance that I find very endearing. These three books don’t have much in common beyond their genre – two are aimed at the younger end of the bracket and one a little older; one is fantastical, one contemporary, and one a whimsical mix of the two – but all three have that particular loveliness that makes them perfect for newly confident readers.
A dark middle grade fantasy with a great cat companion!
I simply couldn’t resist this translated tale of a talking cat who recruits a teenage bookshop owner to help rescue books!
I thought I’d scoop all three of these books into one post, as they tend to be slightly shorter reviews. So read on to find out about three of my recent reads for 5-7 year olds!
The latest instalment in the Museum Kittens series is just as full of adventure, history, and adorable cats as I’ve come to expect!
This adorable tale of a wartime publishing cat – based on real life! – is a sweet and heartwarming story that’s perfect for cat lovers.
You’ve heard of this book before: I was one of the stops on its blog tour back in January, where I interviewed author Amy Bond. You can check that out here, but today I wanted to actually review the book!
As you know, I am very much a cat person, and I’m always on the lookout for books featuring cats, in any age range. We’ve recently loved Mooncat and Me, which I reviewed here, and here are four more books for little ones that have cats! All of these books were sent to me, but that doesn’t affect my opinions.
Cat Chat by Dr Jess French and Penelope Dullaghan, from Nosy Crow
This is a wonderful introduction to the body language of cats! Each page has a brilliantly expressive illustration of a different cat, and a rhyming description that explains simply what each cat is feeling (“Say hello cat/let me go cat” for example). I think this will be invaluable as a tool to show my toddler when it’s safe or unsafe to approach our cat, which is something I’m hyperaware he needs to learn – Tomte is a gentle giant, but he’s still a cat with claws and teeth! I like that there are more detailed explanations of how to interact with cats at the back of the book, with an emphasis on when to leave cats alone and how to get them to feel comfortable with you – it has just the right balance of teaching kids to be wary while also acknowledging that they probably badly want to touch the cat! I’m very impressed with this, and will be glad to have it on hand for the future. Highly recommended for those who own both cats and toddlers.
Continue reading “Kitten Corner: A Selection of Cats!”
I’m so happy to be part of the blog tour for beautiful new middle grade adventure The Magic Place! Anything with a magical cat character is going to be a hit in my book, and this story is a really fun and entertaining read – it’s almost what you’d get if you crossed The Twits with A Little Princess, but of course with an added (and wonderful!) feline companion. Tomte was especially keen to get his paws on it, as you can see…
For my stop on the tour, author Chris Wormell has kindly given us a glimpse into his writing process, and, most importantly, an introduction to the friendship between our heroine Clementine and her cat, Gilbert!
Continue reading “Blog Tour: The Magic Place”The first Jasper and Scruff book was a delightful story of two oddly-matched friends, and I couldn’t wait to read another of their adventures!
A Cat, A Book, and A Cup of Tea 