Sheepy and the Riddle of the Occurrence

Sheepy and the Riddle of the Occurrence is a new book for children -and their parents and grandparents!- which has been written by Henrietta Williams.

20 years ago Henrietta's eldest son was doodling. And one of the creatures he doodled was a sheep.

Almost immediately Henrietta's fertile imagination created the entire world that Sheepy inhabited.

Nothing happened with Sheepy for a couple of decades until Sheepy was being turned into some images by professional illustrator Richard Berner.

Henrietta was entranced by the illustrations that Richard was creating but she said: "I wanted to try and make Sheepy so much more than an image on a T-shirt! I never intended to write a book!"

She noticed that, as Richard's illustrations progressed, that a whole mysterious world was being created that featured Sheepy and his friends, so, eventually, the idea of a book was born.

And so we are introduced into the magical and mysterious world of Sheepy and his friends.

Meet Sheepy, Mouse, Sox, Bob and Martha. There's a mystery to be unravelled and riddles to be solved as this admittedly unlikely band of heroic figures work to solve the puzzling Riddle of the Occurrence.

There's a whole range of equally interesting creatures who our intrepid gang will meet. Such as Twewdle Twitchers, Wizzles and Tree Stompers. And Mr Shouty. And the Chief. And... Well, to find out more, you'll have to read the book.

Like most good books for children this is multi-levelled.

Yes, it's a fantastic adventure for children to read, but there's so much more to it than that.

Young readers will see and learn about a variety of important concepts and ideas such as friendship, teamwork and loyalty.

The story is Henrietta's début book. It is to be hoped this will be the first of many equally inspired books.

The illustrations by Richard Berner are evocative of the best d.rawings of the late 1960, but with a new contemporary millennial vibe to them.

It is published in hardback by Matador at £12.99 and will make a great book for children to share with the adults in their lives, should they wish to.

It is due for publication on March 28th and will be available through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which you will find to the right-hand side of this book review, along with thousands of other books, DVDs, etc.

www.worldofsheepy.com.

Chuckle Verse. Poems by Lizzy Wade

Chuckle Verse is a collection of poems by Lizzy Wade.

Poetry can be difficult to write. And also sometimes difficult to read.

This judgement cannot be laid at the feet of Lizzy Wade.

The only thing that can be laid at the feet of poetess Lizzy Wade are a collection of accolades.

For Lizzy's poetry is always amusing and, if not merely amusing, downright bloody hilarious!

And often makes you, the lucky reader (trust me, if you take the time to purchase Lizzy's book you will be very lucky!) say: "Well blow me down! I thought that kind of stuff happened only to me?"

Such as this extract from one of her poems called Trying to see my GP

"I try to make an appointment
To see my own GP
But the battle-axe I encounter
Gives me the third degree"

She has a wit that shines a million candle power light into all sorts of nooks and crannies of everyday life.

From Doctor's receptionists to botox, from sexism to the problems of allowing men to barbecue, from from the confusion engendered by cricket to driving lessons, from boozing vicars to shopaholics and the problems of being a doctor to blind dates and the horrors of having a hot gran, all human life is here.

Each poem has a witty and pithy coloured illustration which perfectly matches the relevant poem.

If you spend your £7.99 on this excellent book of poems (it's from Matador) you will laugh and you'll live a little better, too, as these poems will remind you of truths you already knew or teach you things you should already have known but which you might have been away from school when that particular lesson was taught. (EDITOR: That's why I never came to grips with quadratic equations, apparently)

This book is promoted on the basis that all women will be able to relate to this book, in some way.

I have some hopefully welcome news for Lizzy and the staff at Matador. I think all men can relate to this book in some way, too!

Of course it is purchasable from the That's Books bookshop, which is to the righthand side of this book review, along with many other books of poems from Lord Byron to his newest and most distinguished rival, Lizzy Wade.

Bruno and the Little Donkey

Bruno and the Little Donkey is a story by Marianne Parry, which is illustrated  by Dave Hill.

It is a charming, well-illustrated tale of two friends, one a little boy called Bruno and the other, a little donkey who is called, Little Donkey.

Bruno and Little Donkey live and work on two different farms. Sad to relate, Bruno and Little Donkey are unhappy because they are both treated very badly on the farms.

When they meet at the market Bruno realises that Little Donkey is just as badly treated as he is. so, on impulse, he advises the donkey to escape.

A little while later Bruno follows his own advice and also runs away.

On the road from the village and the bustling, hustling market place, the two meet up again and they commence upon a journey away from their cruel, heartless masters they wander off together to face their new life as escapees from their previous cruel masters.

Life on the road was not easy for the two friends, for they meet characters who would wish them harm and ill fortune, but they face these and other troubles until, eventually, Bruno and Little Donkey manage to trudge their way to a new home which will be filled with much love and happiness.

This book is aimed at children -and their parents and grandparents!- from age six upwards.

It is published by Matador at £8.99 in paperback and is available from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, alog with thousands and thousands of other titles and DVDs, to the right of this book review.

Poetry for PSHE

Poetry for PSHE is a book by teacher and author Jay Clarke and if you are a teacher or a homeschooler who deals with children who are being taught at secondary school level, then this book is one that you must have.

And if you are the head of an English Department then you simply have got to buy multiple copes of this book for your department and/or the school library.

PSHE means Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education and the book is a collection of poems that are aimed at secondary school aged children.

It is a anthology of a variety of poems that cover a wide range of different subjects such as friendships, bullying, secrets, social media, families, ill health  and the like.

The subjects are covered in such a way that the pupils are, in general terms, enthused and wish to read the next poem.

They introduce the children to a variety of real life situations that they may already be facing (such as bullying) and provides them with potential ways to face up to the situations and to learn coping skills and to help others if required.

The positive impact of this book will remain with the children for years to come. Perhaps for the rest of their lives.

The book is short, but deals with the subjects in a highly effective way and is aimed at the modern curriculum.

At £11.99 this Matador textbook deserves a place on your book shelf and also in the resource library at your school.

It is available for purchase -as single or multiple copies- from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which you will find at the right hand side of this book review.

You can also purchase all other textbooks through the bookshop, too.

Last Tango in Buenos Aires Sketches from the Argentine

Last Tango in Buenos Aires Sketches from the Argentine is a highly evocative book by David Marsh.

David March travels into and through Argentina.

He takes his readers into the heart of this massive and highly varied country.

Through his eyes and skilled pen we meet with Indians and also a variety of religious figures from nuns and pilgrims to priests.

We see other people who inhabit the Argentine, teachers, veterans of the ill-fated war of the South Atlantic, coal miners and gold miners, ranchers and a whole host of other people who populate this country.

He also meets with those who are still bearing physical and mental scars from the wicked and horrible "Dirty War" and, astonishing though this night seem, he even meets some people who are still in favour of what happened during that filthy time and who act as apologists for what is arguably a very shameful event in recent Argentinian history.

There are also people who dream of the golden, olden days, when Argentina was one of the richest nations in the world and when Evita Peron kept many Argentinians captivated.

At £9.99 this book by Matador is ideal for people who have either a passion for Argentina or for travelogues in general.

It is available for purchase or order via the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which is to the right of this review, along with thousands and thousands of other books, DVDs, etc.

Willoughby Wind Has Fun!

Willoughby Wind Has Fun! is a fantastic new book for children written by Maggie Lycett and illustrated by Jan Woods.

It is a charmingly written and well-illustrated book that tells the story of the wind, the sun and the clouds.

It is guaranteed to capture the imagination of all children from ages three to five.

The illustrations are bright and colourful skilfully blending reality and fantasy.

The book introduces children to stories about the weather, and it also brings to their knowledge (in language that is aimed at their age range) the concepts of being good or being bad/naughty.

Children will be able to identify with the character Willoughby Wind who is really neither naughty or particularity bad, but who is a little bit mischievous!

This book is ideal for children and is perfect for their adult careers to share. Will also be idea for nursery or infant classes, too.

It is published by Matador Books at £9,99, and can be ordered through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which you will find to the right of this review.

The Skyscar. Début novel by Xander Macdonald.

The Skyscar is the début  novel by Xander Macdonald.

What happens to souls after they leave this mortal realm?

The Skyscar takes us on a journey into the afterlife. 

What happens to the souls who failed in life? Those who are the condemned?

They might become a demon, inhabiting one of a myriad different types of hells.

Where they will be fated to live out a life of misery and torture, with all the demonic overlords and their lower order demons battling for supremacy, whilst all fighting to gain supremacy on The Skyscar, which is the name for the mortal realm, which includes planet Earth, itself. 

Somehow, a pure soul becomes involved. A pure soul which has the ability to grant untold and immense powers to its owner.

Unfortunately this pure soul has suffered the fate of falling  into the clutches of Mullroch, who is an arch-demon.

But all the other demons are desirous to wrest the ownership of the pure soul from Mulltroch, so battle is commenced.

However, there are other beings who seek to restore order and remove the chaos. Angelic beings who range through the afterworlds seeking to impose harmony. One such angelic creature seeks to hide amongst the battling demons, working to save the soul, removing it from the demonic forces that would take it and keep it for their own nefarious purposes. 

But the task is not as easy as one might suppose.

This novel is published next month and, of you are a fan of fantasy novels and the works of authors such as Lovecraft, Tolkien and the like, you will need to purchase this book, available from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which is to be found to the right hand side of this review.

It is published by Matador in paperback at £8.99.