Sarah Webb

The Frank Show by David Mackintosh
When I received David Mackintosh’s The Frank Show in the post, I was so excited I danced around the kitchen. I adore his previous book,…
Posted 15/06/2012 in Reviews

Strike a Pose, Daizy Star by Cathy Cassidy
Cathy Cassidy is best known for her books for readers of 9+, but her Daizy Star series for younger readers is growing in popularity all the…
Posted 6/10/2011 in Reviews

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh
Irish-born author/illustrator David Mackintosh’s debut picture book, Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School is a tour de force of originality…
Posted 24/05/2011 in Reviews

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
When You Reach Meby Rebecca Stead is one of the most impressive and engaging children’s books I’ve read in a long time. Winner of the Newbery…
Posted 16/04/2011 in Reviews

There’s Going to be a Baby by John Burningham
This new title from the picturebook dream team John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury doesn’t disappoint. An enchanting tale about the arrival of…
Posted 1/12/2010 in Reviews

The Badness of Ballydog by Garrett Carr
Set in a bleak fictional town in Northern Ireland called Ballydog, which the author describes as ‘a little bit like Killybegs, Co Donegal’,…
Posted 1/09/2010 in Reviews

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
'Gram is worried about me. It’s not because my sister Bailey died four weeks ago, or because my mother hasn’t contacted me in sixteen years,…
Posted 1/09/2010 in Reviews

Look! by Gillian Wolfe
Look! Seeing the Light in Art is book four in this art series for readers aged 5+. It uses paintings, prints and illustrations to examine how…
Posted 1/04/2010 in Reviews

6 Feet Deep by Rose Impey
Rose Impey is one of those authors who has been writing for years but has never achieved the recognition she deserves. 6 Feet Deep is set to…
Posted 1/09/2009 in Reviews

Where Is Home, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson
Little Pip the penguin is warned by her parents not to wander, but she ignores their advice and finds herself far from home. So she sets off…
Posted 1/06/2009 in Reviews

A Finder’s Magic by Philippa Pearce
A Finder’s Magic is the final book by much-loved English children’s writer, Philippa Pearce, author of Tom’s Midnight Garden. It’s a short,…
Posted 1/12/2008 in Reviews

Lulu’s Shoes by Camilla Reid
There are so few stylish books being produced for very young readers that I was delighted to get my hands on Lulu’s Shoes, a gem of a book…
Posted 1/09/2008 in Reviews

Measuring Angels by Lesley Ely
Written in the first person, this is a charming book about bullying and learning to accept other children’s differences and points of view,…
Posted 1/06/2008 in Reviews

The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse
This affecting picturebook is based on true events which happened during World War II. In 1939, Warsaw fell into the hands of the Germans, and…
Posted 1/04/2008 in Reviews

Kiss by Jacqueline Wilson
Kiss by Jacqueline Wilson explores a teenage relationship between two childhood friends, Carl and Sylvie, both 16. Sylvie, a sweet, rather…
Posted 1/04/2008 in Reviews

I Don’t Like Gloria! by Kaye Umansky
Colin the dog is most put out. There’s a new pet in the house, a fluffy cat called Gloria, and she’s eating from his dish, sleeping in his…
Posted 1/09/2007 in Reviews

Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke is best known as the author of The Thief Lord and Inkheart, but she has also written several previous picturebooks including…
Posted 1/09/2007 in Reviews

Silly School by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Silly Mummy, Silly Daddy, the last picturebook for young children by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. A…
Posted 1/06/2007 in Reviews

I’m a Happy Hugglewug by Niamh Sharkey
I’m a Happy Hugglewug, Niamh Sharkey’s charming and vivacious new picturebook for toddlers andyounger children is hard not to like. It’s a…
Posted 1/06/2007 in Reviews

Hurry Up, Birthday! by Paeony Lewis
Bouncer, a young rabbit, can’t wait for his birthday. The day before his birthday he gets up extra early and drives his family up the walls by…
Posted 1/12/2006 in Reviews

Dad’s Bug Bear by Peter Dixon
Dad’s Bug Bear is the story of a young animal-loving boy and his grumpy animalphobic Dad. It’s told in the first person, through the eyes of…
Posted 1/12/2006 in Reviews

Silly Mummy, Silly Daddy by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Silly Mummy, Silly Daddy is a charming picturebook for younger readers. Beth is in a bad mood and her whole family try to snap her out of it…
Posted 1/06/2006 in Reviews

The Cockerel, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen by Jess Stockham
This book is a ‘Flip-Up Fairy Tale’ by Child’s Play, one of a series of books designed to make ‘muchloved fairy tales leap to life with lively…
Posted 1/04/2006 in Reviews

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Now here is a book to write home about. A lavish new edition of the Stevenson adventure classic, just right for sharing with an older child.…
Posted 1/04/2006 in Reviews

The Fantastic Mr Wani by Kanako Usui
I’m mad about the artwork in this debut picturebook by Japanese artist, Kanako Usui. Her illustrations are highly original and visually…
Posted 1/12/2005 in Reviews

Fancy That! by Gillian Lobel
‘Scratch, scratch, scratch! Mother Crane dug away in the hot damp sand, looking for a tasty snack.’

So begins this carefully written…
Posted 1/12/2005 in Reviews

Peter Pan and Wendy by JM Barrie
This new edition of Peter Pan and Wendy celebrates the first public performance of Peter Pan in 1904 and not the actual novel, which was…
Posted 1/07/2005 in Reviews

Tanka Tanka Skunk by Steve Webb
This bright and breezy picturebook features two animal characters, an elephant called Tanka and a skunk called Skunk. It’s a clever…
Posted 1/12/2004 in Reviews

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
I read How I Live Now like a woman possessed, cramming the words into my eyes as fast as I could read them. It’s an incredible book,…
Posted 1/12/2004 in Reviews

Brundibar by Maruice Sendak
Brundibar is an extraordinary picturebook, based on the Czech opera of the same name written by Hans Krasa, who was killed in Auschwitz in…
Posted 1/12/2004 in Reviews

Hello Baby by Jenny Overend
This book was first published in Australia and features the combined talents of author Jenni Overend and Julie Vivas, best known for…
Posted 1/09/2004 in Reviews

The Richest Crocodile in the World by Daniel Postgate
Crocodile lives ‘in a crumbly old mansion in Africa’. He has everything – his own cinema, helicopter, library, swimming pool – except company.…
Posted 1/09/2004 in Reviews

Drama Queen by Chloe Rayban
When her parents split up, Jessica moves from her comfy and respectable family home to Rosemount Mansions, ‘the kind of [place] where people…
Posted 1/09/2004 in Reviews

Daisy Books by Kes Gray
Kes Gray’s new hardback, Yuk! is set in a typeface charmingly called ‘Lemonade’, which aptly sets the tone for this zesty, brightly coloured…
Posted 1/06/2004 in Reviews

The Prophecy of the Gems by Flavia Bujor
This book left me unimpressed – the plot was annoyingly full of coincidences, the characters were underdeveloped and the writing was…
Posted 1/06/2004 in Reviews

Super Sid by Sam Lloyd
Super Sid is a sausage dog who lives in kennels. He wants more than anything else in the world to find an owner, so he decides to take matters…
Posted 1/06/2004 in Reviews

Once Upon a Time, Upon a Nest by Jonathan Emmett
Ruby is a little duck who, like the gem, is ‘small and precious’. From the very beginning, Ruby does everything late – from hatching, to…
Posted 1/06/2004 in Reviews

Follow Me Down by Julie Hearn
Follow Me Down is the debut novel from Julie Hearn, formerly a journalist and one of Philip Pullman’s creative writing students. This book…
Posted 1/06/2003 in Reviews

Bumposaurus by Penny McKinley
Bumposaurus, ‘Bumpy’ for short, is a baby dinosaur with a problem – from the moment he is born he is so shortsighted that he can’t even find…
Posted 1/06/2003 in Reviews

Sarah’s Story by Declan Carville
The strong message running through Sarah’s Story is that all ‘bears’ must learn to treat other ‘bears’ with respect, or as the last line of…
Posted 1/06/2003 in Reviews

Bright Penny by Geraldine McCaughrean
On pocket-money day Pa gives his children Bill, Bob and Penny a challenge: ‘If one of you can fill the barn for a penny, I’ll give you the…
Posted 1/04/2003 in Reviews

Nico’s Octopus by Caroline Pitcher
Nico has an unusual animal for a pet – an octopus – which he keeps in a small tank in his bedroom. Nico is determined to keep his octopus,…
Posted 1/04/2003 in Reviews

What On Earth Can It Be? by Roger McGough
This is a delightfully clever interactive picturebook by the popular children’s poet, Roger McGough. Each carefully designed double-page…
Posted 1/04/2003 in Reviews

The Facts Speak for Themselves by Brock Cole
This is an extraordinary piece of fiction. After three readings I’m still only scratching the surface of one of the most intriguing,…
Posted 1/04/2003 in Reviews

Ocean Star Express by Mark Haddon
This is one of those rare finds in picturebooks – the perfect blend of well-written text and expertly executed illustrations. The story of a…
Posted 1/12/2002 in Reviews

Ruby’s Potty by Paul Rogers
As the parent of an 8-year-old long out of potty training (thank goodness) I was brought back to those heady toddler days with a bump on…
Posted 1/12/2002 in Reviews

No Trouble At All by Sally Grindley
When two nameless bears visit Grandfather Bear for the night, they behave angelically – or do they? The illustrations in this picturebook tell…
Posted 1/12/2002 in Reviews

Where the Fairies Fly by Jane Simmons
Jane Simmons is best known for her award-winning ‘Daisy the Duck’ books and this is her first book with a child, rather than an animal, as the…
Posted 1/12/2002 in Reviews