Welcome to Children's Corner book reviews from 4MBS Classic Radio FM in Brisbane. Here you will find short annotations of the children's books reviewed by Kerry Neary in Children's Corner on 4MBS, together with the details you need to find them at your favourite bookstore. Any prices shown are the publisher's Australian recommended price and may vary depending on where you shop. You are welcome to use these reviews for newsletters and the like with appropriate acknowledgement.

Jan 16, 2015


This is the 20th continuous year of Children's Book Reviews on 4MBS radio. Is that some kind of broadcast record? If not, it's still something to celebrate!

Books reviewed 15.01.15


 



Many popular early childhood books have a whole marketing industry built up around them. Good business sense perhaps but it can tarnish the gentle magic of the original. This doesn’t always have to be.
Squish Rabbit [Board-book]


Katherine Battersby
UQP
ISBN: 9780702253447           RRP: $ 14.95

Squish is a rabbit, so small he is difficult to see – thus his name. His efforts to find a friend, told in a simple but breezy story line, endear him to early readers. Does he succeed? Of course he does. The size reduction to board book format works well because of the openness of the illustrations and clarity of design. Now under 3s can enjoy holding this sturdy book with safe edges for themselves.
Baby days

Alison Lester
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781760111724           RRP: $16.99

From a gift-box series written almost 20 years ago - Board books for babies – this collection is now released as a single book, a kind of chapter book for early readers. The titles are the same - Bibs and boots; Bumping and playing; Crashing and splashing; and Happy and sad - each skipping through the days of toddlers at home, work and play. Transparent watercolour pictures have illustrated borders, a signature of style. The padded cover and sturdy card pages are safe for a new generation of toddler handling.
Jessica's Box [CP Edition]

Peter Carnavas
New Frontier
ISBN: 9781921928574           RRP: $29.99

First released in 2008 to great acclaim and popularity, this charming story, beautifully balanced with sensitive illustrations, is about a young girl and her apprehension over starting school. She takes a box, with different contents each time, in an effort to attract friends at school. This edition has been commissioned by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and Jessica is sitting in a wheelchair. This change, the only change to the book, is so unobtrusive yet has added a new dimension of poignancy to the story. Very highly recommend.