Autumn

The Bears in the Bed and the Great Big Storm
by Paul Bright and Jane Chapman
Little Tiger £10.99
The wind howls in the tree tops, the leaves are shaken from the branches, lightning flashes, thunder crashes and Baby Bear is convinced that a monster is waiting outside. So too are Little Bear and Young Bear. It’s not long before they are all snuggling up in bed with their parents. But what are those monster-like horns making a shadow on the wall and what’s that banging on the door? As Bear says, “There’s no such thing as monsters!” Or is there?
A lovely, mock scary autumnal tale, which is great fun to read aloud, even at bedtime.
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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Delicious!
by Helen Cooper
(Picture Corgi)
Disaster has struck in the pumpkin patch for the inhabitants of the old white cabin – there’s not a ripe pumpkin to be found. So what can the three friends, Cat, Squirrel and Duck, cook for lunch when all they ever want is pumpkin soup? They try making fish soup, mushroom soup and pink beetroot soup, but all get the thumbs down from Duck; he only wants his orange pumpkin soup. When a horrible hullabaloo ensues, Cat decides it’s time for a bit of culinary subterfuge and, after some judicious shopping followed by much slicing, chopping, dicing, squishing he produces a concoction that looks very like the real thing. But will it pass the taste test for Duck?
This is the third story to feature the three soup eating pals and Cooper’s ingredients – superbly detailed, richly coloured illustrations and a dash of humour – are as delicious as ever (there’s even a recipe for the delicious beetroot soup Duck missed out on). It’s well worth sampling the delights of this picture book and if you’ve not yet tasted the others – Pumpkin Soup and A Pipkin of Pepper – try them too.
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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Ouch!
by Ragnhild Scamell, illustrated by Michael Terry
(Little Tiger Press)
The leaves have fallen and Hedgehog has built a nest ready for her winter sleep. All of a sudden, a ripe red apple drops from the tree and gets stuck on her prickly back: with this appendage, she’s now too big to fit into her new nest. Various friends come to her assistance but before long, despite their efforts, Hedgehog is saddled with a whole host of autumnal fruits, not to mention various other bits and pieces. Can she shed her unwanted baggage and get into that cosy nest?
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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The Nutty Nut Chase
by Kathryn White, illustrated by Vanessa Cabban
( Little Tiger Press)
The appearance of a shiny brown nut seemingly bursting through the ground causes a squabble between two squirrels. So tasty does it look that other animals want it too, so Badger decides on a race with the nut as prize but things don’t go quite as planned. All’s well that ends well though, when Mole reveals first himself and then his store of shiny nuts, and there’s plenty for everyone.
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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Making Minestrone
by Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Nan Brooks
(Barefoot Books)
What do you do when you’re feeling lonely?
You ask all your friends round to make a minestrone!
So begins a rhyming narrative detailing how a group of friends set about picking all the vegetables they need to make soup. Then they wash, peel, slice, chop, season and cook a scrumptious looking minestrone. And where better to share it with all their friends than outdoors in the garden?
There is a list of required ingredients at the start of the book and a recipe for making the mouth-watering minestrone on the final spread. The whole presentation is superb with each double spread contained within an appropriately tasty border and there are many small ‘sub-plots’ starters in the illustrations to set young children storying.
This is an excellent book to share with young children at any time but most especially in the autumn; and if you happen to be looking for a way to enliven your harvest festival assembly, it’s a great story for acting out.
(reviewed by Jill Bennett)
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