Average Rating:

.

Giraffes Can't Dance (Orchard Picturebooks)

by: Giles Andreae

July 12, 2001
I've been reading this to my daughter, now eight', for the past five years at least. A short moral tale that lends itself to daft voices and silly accents with the opportunity to ad lib as and when. Because of its narrative flow it can also be put to music....I've done it many times.... It is without doubt her favorite bedtime story even now....its the perfect 5 to 10 minuter.

Average Rating:

.

There's a House Inside My Mummy (Orchard picturebooks)

by: Giles Andreae

March 28, 2002
I can't help but write a review for this book even though we don't read it anymore. It is a very treasured book which my children absolutely loved - a real favourite. It is charming, sweet and fun. It tackles problems of pregnancy on every page in a calm, lilting poem which is perfectly suited to very young children. It gives an explanation for things which might otherwise frighten children such as morning sickness and tiredness. It is particularly touching to read that the author became father to twins at the end.

A sweet, safe, kind book which is a great help when you are expecting a baby and the elder sibling is still very young.

Average Rating:

.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs (Picture Puffin)

by: Giles Andreae

May 04, 2006
If your little boy is as boyish as they come - he will absolutely adore this book.

The combination of pirate and dinosaur - the two favourites for many little boys - is inspirational. My 4 year old wont put this book down. If your boy is obsessed by T-Rex's and pirates then this book will be an incredible hit. Its not often I come across books that are so atune to my children's interests and imagination. An absolute must have - I just wish I had got it when he was 3 so he could have enjoyed it all the sooner!

Average Rating:

.

Dinosaurs Galore!

by: Giles Andreae

April 07, 2005
My 11 month old son loves this book, and Farmyard Hullabaloo and Commotion on the Ocean. He seems to enjoy the rhymes and obviously loves the colourful, fun illustrations that are so mucha trademark of this series. This book has prompted many 'discussions' with my son about dinosaurs and I've spent many evenings checking things that have come out of our 'chats' on the internet. It certainly seems to be factually correct in most repects as well as having fun, silly rhymes that are easy to read and remember.

Average Rating:

.

More Pants

by: Giles Andreae

January 17, 2008
The original Pants is one of my kids favourite books and never fails to get a laugh. This is more of the same, and no worse for it. The illustrations by the superb Nick Sharratt, are fantastic and the cheeky rhymes by Giles Andreae are funny, memorable and just rude enough to make small children very happy indeed. We love it. May there be many more pants to come.

Average Rating:

.

Pants (Book & CD)

by: Giles Andreae

February 01, 2007
My daughter was easily bored with this book, we found it funny the first couple of times we read it but after that it just seems boring. It is too simple, probably better for smaller children as my 4 year old wanted more!

Average Rating:

.

Rumble in the Jungle

by: Giles Andreae, David Wojtowycz

April 16, 1998
There are lots of positive reviews for this book and I know why. I like the illustrations as they are colourful and fun. The verse has an energy and snappiness about it that keeps things moving and the usual humour from Giles Andreae.

One thing I don't like is that most of the animals mentioned couldn't live in one jungle. Lions, tigers and panthers are likely to be in Africa, Asia and South America respectively. Some of the rhymes are very lazy like the one about the elephant that doesn't say much other than it likes elephing around. If you can't think what to say... make up a word! This would be great if that was a common technique within the book (like doctor seuss uses). But this is the only incident and I think it's weak. There are poor ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Commotion in the Ocean (Orchard picturebooks)

by: Giles Andreae

May 13, 1999
I got this book for my 5 month old daughter and I love it and so does she. The pictures are big and colourful, and she loves me reading the poems to her in a sing song way. I prefer it to books with one or two sentences! We also enjoy looking for the starfish doing silly things! The reason I have given the book 4 stars is because I would would have liked it more had it had stiffer pages that would be able to handle pulling and pushing and being chewed on. The price is also a bit steep. That said, I will still be buying the rest of the series, as its beautifully written and illustrated.

Average Rating:

.

The Lion Who Wanted to Love (Orchard picturebooks)

by: Giles Andreae, David Wojtowycz

April 29, 1999
This book is about a lion named Leo who didn't fit in with his pride, because he just wanted to look for love and make friends with other animals in the jungle. After he was forced to leave the pride of lions, Leo did his best to help every kind of animal in the jungle, but never asked for a thing. Eventually, he became the king of animals in a different way.
The lovely colorful cover of this book will catch your eye in the bookshop. The illustrations are animated and charming as if you were in tropical Africa. From the illustrations page by page, Leo's enthusiasm and kindness are obviously an important part of the whole story. And the most brilliant drawing is the one in which Leo's friends arrive at the bank and link themselves up tail to paw to ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure! (Captain Flinn/Priate Dinosaurs)

by: Giles Andreae

June 05, 2008
My four year old daughter loves this book. It's such a relief to read something we both enjoy. It doesn't involve ballet dancing mice and princesses - a definite plus that.

The story is fast paced and there's sufficient dinosaur stuff going on to please the average four year old. The Big Four dinosaurs that all kids know and remember (Triceratops, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex) are present and correct, even if they look like extras from Pirates Of The Caribbean. The artwork is suitably manic and OTT - Gerald Scarfe crossed with Quentin Blake. The story isn't the most original I've ever read (not a million miles away from the plot of the first pirate dinosaurs book, ahem), but the execution is exemplary.

It's ... Read More: