Book Reviews – September 2018 

The Visitor 

By Antje Damm 

This visually stunning book tells the story of Elise, who is frightened of everything and as a result, never leaves her dark, lonely home. One day she unwittingly lets a young boy into her house, who brings with him joy, colour, and the promise of a brighter, more playful future. Award-winning picture book creator Antje Damm creates a three-dimensional diorama in which the action of the story takes place, and then photographs the scenes to create the absolutely gorgeous images for the book. The Visitor is a beautiful book to share with readers aged 2-8. 

Look Up! Numbers, Colours and Shapes in Architecture 

By Antonia Pesenti 

This book takes readers on a tour of some of the most fascinating and distinct buildings around the world, making it enjoyable for both adults and children alike. Each building has been carefully selected for some of the features it showcases – Pesenti uses these architectural wonders to draw our attention to numbers, shapes and colours in the buildings around us. By using a broad range of buildings from across the globe and from different eras, Look Up also provokes discussion about architecture, and its bold images will be enjoyed by children aged one and up. 

Where in the Wild 

By Jonny Lambert 

This richly illustrated book explores not only the animals of the world, but the varied habitats in which they live, from wild savannahs and scorching deserts to busy oceans and evergreen forests. The book is written in beautiful rhyme, with interesting facts and cut out sections on each page to keep young readers engaged. It ends with an important message about our role in saving animal habitats to ensure the preservation of all these species, providing a wonderful springboard for discussion. This book will be a hit with animal lovers aged 3-8. 

Dinosaur Day Out 

By Sara Acton 

Even though the dinosaur exhibition at the museum is closed, Sally and Max see all sorts of dinosaurs as they explore the city – lurking in ponds, up trees and on train platforms. As Dad reads them facts from their new dinosaur book, Sally and Max create their own dinosaur adventure, imagining they are being carried on the back of a stegosaurus, and sharing an ice cream with a tyrannosaurus rex. This is a gorgeous book to read with dinosaur-loving children aged 2-6, who will enjoy being taken along for the ride!