Whilst telling us a cute story, this gives us scientific facts (and proper names) about the otter and what they need from us to survive in this world, conserving the cleanliness of our waterways is a must. When there’s a new baby on the way, it’s hard for little siblings to contain their curiosity, enthusiasm. Maps are a powerful, visual way of exploring information but, even so, Kuestenmacher reminds us, each of the maps in the book displays just ‘a small portion of the endlessly complex world we live in. When you put on your sunny-side specs, a bad mood can become a good mood, a goodbye can become a hello, and even the impossible can become possible! It is not the first time she has highlighted her love of animals and her concern about impending environmental disaster: her 2018 adult picture book, The Last Hedgehog, brought to life the plight of our spiky friends.

Oliver the otter is happy enough living alone, swimming or scampering along the twisty-rooted waterways. Inspired by Mulhern’s own incredible story of his journey to becoming a magician, performer and TV star, and written with well-known children’s author Tom Easton, these fun-packed adventures celebrate friendship, family, never giving up. When masked magician Mr Mysterio enters the competition, Max suspects that something strange is going on.Brought to life by the outstanding and exquisite illustrations of artist Nicola O’Byrne, I am Oliver the Otter will enchant readers young and old as we follow Oliver from his days on the riverbank to his meeting with the adorable Ottilie and the birth of his family of little otters. Oliver tells us about his life on the riverbank, his friends and cousins (not all look like an otter! So if you think eating broccoli or anchovies sounds unappealing, just wait until you hear what’s on the dinner table in other countries.

Youngsters will be raring to jump aboard and discover hundreds of seafaring vessels in this visually exciting introduction to sailing which lets young boat enthusiasts discover a huge variety of fantastic ships from around the world. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. So here’s the perfect picture book to guide them through all the stages – and sizes – of growing a baby. Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Post As well as featuring stunning pictures by illustrator Nicola O'Byrne, the book issues an important plea to children to help look after waterways and free them from pollution. But in a fascinating new book exploring some of the world’s most disgusting-sounding delicacies, author Soledad Romero Mariño and illustrator Montse Galbany invite youngsters to get a taste of how history and culture have shaped popular food items from different countries around the world, and why they might not be so gross after all.What I didn't expect was the ease with which all the nature notes and factual information were included within the verse, to such an extent the prose spread at the end to tell us about the critters seemed repetitive and redundant as a result. The story is interwoven with little facts about otters and the final double page provides some background information on what makes otters unique and how they are under threat from human pollution and farming. Written in rhyme and beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Nicola O’Byrne, Pam Ayres’s charming tale brings the natural world to enchanting life. Each double-page spread features a different group of boats and other watercraft, such as helpful lifeboats, racing dragon boats, and super submarines. Oliver, like most otters, is happy enough living alone, swimming, chatting, whistling like a bird, or scampering along the twisty-rooted waterways.

If I’m proud of anything I’ve done in my life, it is that I have overcome terrible fear to perform things I’ve written in front of big audiences. I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the opinions expressed are my own. Welsh’s warm, emotional book empowers readers to take control of their thoughts and choose how THEY see the world, showing young readers the beauty of changing your perspective.

This is a really lovely picture book, with beautiful illustrations and facts woven into the rhyming lines. I grew up in a very feudal village [Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire] where a lot of forelock tugging went on. Learn about the amazing travels of Marco Polo, and if you want to know where the world’s dog and cat breeds come from, what the Earth looked like 170 million years ago, where the best place in the world is to put up a solar panel, how to find the hidden scene in the map of the USA, who brings Christmas presents across Europe, and even what the Earth looks like to dolphins, then dive into this coruscating cornucopia of knowledge. Using cut-outs and flaps to transform the world around us, this eye-catching book perfectly illustrates the impact that reframing your thoughts can have. He likes to chat and sometimes whistle like a bird, but like most otters, he is a solitary creature.