Stories to Enjoy

World Book Day has once again happened and whilst I am now looking forward to World Book night there is still time to celebrate books and stories and there are of course still the special £1 world book day books that we can all enjoy with our World Book Day vouchers, these of course could also be used as £1 off a book of choice and I have two books of choice for younger readers (and their parents) to share to begin with …

The Astonishing Case of the Stolen Stories by Anca Sandu (Random House) is a detective story with a difference.  In this story fox, cat and bear are the detectives.  They each know the theory of being a good detective but can they put the theory into practice when a call comes from the prince at the palace?  The prince’s bedtime stories have been stolen and he has called on the detectives to help him get them back.  Only it seems the prince is not alone in being the victim of this theft, all the books in the kingdom have been stolen, but who would do such a thing?  Join the three heroes on their quest for the stolen books, their discovery of a mystery hero and a new quest, to tell a new story as well as restore all the old ones.  This is the ultimate crime told with a delightful wit and some gorgeous, bright and funny illustrations.

The Story Machine by Tom McLaughlin (Bloomsbury) is another celebration of the art of storytelling but also about the power of drawing for we all know that most famous of phrases – ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.  When Elliot finds a machine that he accidentally makes work - this machine has no on/off button, no flashing lights, nothing that Elliot is used to seeing – he is certainly surprised when it starts to make letters.   He soon discovers that letters make words that in turn make pictures and so he sets to work, creating stories.  What a clever machine this is that Elliot has found!  It is a story machine – or is it?  This delightful book is a charming and simple story, beautifully and fully illustrated, using a clever typewritten font and lots of imagination.  It will inspire its readers and help them to understand the delight not only of stories but of simplicity in a world of technology.

Then, if you have enjoyed these books there are of course many more to choose from, a great website that might help point you in the right direction (with the exception of Armadillo Magazine of course) is http://www.childrensbooksequels.co.uk/ a site that will help you to choose what to read next.

The next edition of Armadillo Magazine is in progress and will be live very soon, here you will find some great reviews of new books, inspiring reports and interviews too.  If you have not yet begun your 2014 reading journey then start it this week with a celebration of books and make sure to continue it from now on!