The Little Book of Farmyard Tales

This is a book for fans of "Find the Duck" (of which I am). It is another book by Stephen Cartwright (and Heather Amery). If your child enjoyed finding the duck, then this is for them.

This is a collection of stories about Appletree Farm (which appears a lot in Stephen Cartwright books) that will grow with your child. At first, you'll be reading the entire story to your child . As they start to read, they can start with the short sentence at the top of each page. There is a longer sentence or two at the bottom of each page which you can read. Eventually, the child will be able to read the entire book.

A little game that you will be able to play together will be Find the Duck! Yes, the little duck from the original book is located in every picture in the book!

 Click Here to get your own copy of "The Little Book of Farmyard Tales" from Miss Stacey's bookstore

Hannah's Winter

This is a first novel by Kierin Meehan, an Australian writer, for kids about 10 and up. I was VERY impressed.

It's a fantasy/mystery/ghost story that takes place in Japan. Hannah, an Australian girl, spends a winter in Japan living with a Japanese family.

Your child will learn a lot about Japan, without FEELING like they learning. I found her descriptions of the people, land, temples, etc. very beautiful and thorough without going on and on - which I often find annoying in books.

The book is narrated by Hannah and I thought Ms. Meehan wrote in a very authentic way - I FELT like a 12 year old was telling the story. I didn't want to put it down once I started and look forward to future novels by this author.

Once again this is a book published by Kane/Miller and I must say that all in all I have been impressed with their books.

I'm going to have a 10-year old girl I know read this and I will let you know what she thinks.

Click Here to get your own copy of "Hannah's Winter" from Miss Stacey's bookstore