Books for sharing

Reading together. The book reviews below have been produced by parents from SureStart Stockton on Tees. Thank you to every one who contributed to the reviews.

Bone - Anne Cottinger
Buster is fed up with hand me downs, and when he finds the biggest juiciest bone, he is determined not to share it. So he hides it. He discovers that a BIG dog has pinched it, but his brothers and sisters come to the rescue. Buster decides that he will share it with them and sharing isn't that bad at all. A good book for pre-schoolers and a good way to help see that sharing is a good thing.

Not so Loud - Tony Maddox
A simple but effective story. Oliver is an owl who wants to play and make a noise at night while all the other farm animals want to sleep. The animal mummies aren't happy that he is keeping their babies awake. However one night Oliver sees the fox creeping in and makes a very loud noise. He wakes the animals and scares away the fox. Oliver becomes a hero. Lots of repetition that younger children can join in. Also has lovely pictures. We read it again and again until we knew it off by heart.

Dinosaur Dreams - Allan Ahlberg
On a dark night in a cosy bed, the big skeleton has a dream and so does the little skeleton. They dream that they are chased by lots of dinosaur skeletons. Luckily dogs have dreams to and he comes to the rescue. Ideal for pre-schoolers who can join in the repetitive text and children who are just starting to read.

Elmer In The Snow - David McKee
It's cold in the jungle and the elephants are feeling grumpy. They are only happy when it's hot. Luckily Elmer the multicoloured patchwork elephant knows he can still have fun when it's freezing. Good story for pre-schoolers and for younger children. It's a good way to discuss colours and a lovely story about friends.

Wait for Me Little Tiger - Julie Sykes/Tim Warnes
Little tiger has to take his little sister with him when he goes to play with his friends. He finds that she is too young to join in their rough jungle games. When little tiger goes to play at the river with little elephant he leaves his little sister behind. Lovely pictures, not too much text so big brothers and sisters can read it. Good story for bigger children who have younger siblings, and to show that younger brothers and sisters aren't too bad really.

The Royal Broomstick - Stephen Cartwight
One of a large series of 'Castle Tales' that followed on from 'Farmyard Tales'. Don't ever use a strange broomstick - it might fly off! This happened to Princess Alice and Prince Max when they find a broomstick. Soon they are soaring through a window into the sky completely out of control. A lovely picture book for younger children who are just beginning to read. The delightful illustrations will inspire young readers as well as giving clues to words and their meaning. Good for younger children as an easy to read text and a duck to find on each page.