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Raisie Bay

book review

Unfolding Journeys from Lonely Planet Kids – review and give away

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As you know, here at the Raisie Bay household we love our books. We’ve been a big fan of Lonely Planet Kids books for quite a while, despite us not being big travellers. There are other ways of finding out about the world.

The book I am reviewing today is Unfolding Journeys – Following the Great Wall

ISBN: 9781786571977 Language: English
Authors: Stewart Ross, Victo Ngai
16 pages, 16 pp colour | Dimensions: 934mm x 305mm

“From the dusty desert of Gansu province to the rolling waves of the Yellow Sea, this amazing journey takes you past flaming mountains and ancient wonders. Watch out for mighty fortresses, giant pandas and the extraordinary Army of Terracotta Warriors.  Along the way you’ll discover breathtaking wonders of nature, visit modern China, and see how the traditions and landscape of the Great Wall are changing. You’ll also encounter fascinating ancient Chinese monuments and amazing creatures living near the Wall.”

Created in consultation with William Lindesay OBE – author, presenter, geographer, researcher and leading non-Chinese expert on the Great Wall.

The first thing you notice about this book is that it doesn’t read like a normal book by turning the pages.  It starts off with an information page and fact file and then you are off on your journey along the Great Wall of China. As the book unfolds each part of the journey is marked with short facts which are numbered 1-49. If you want to find out more detail you can look up the number on the reverse side. By the time you have finished you will have unfolded the pages of the book into an eight page frieze of the Great Wall, with all the detailed facts listed along the back.

The book would be a great learning tool for a pupil wanting more information on the Great Wall. It would look good pinned up on a wall or board for reference in a classroom. The frieze is illustrated throughout making it attractive as well as factual.

The book is aimed at children aged 7 plus and is priced at £12.99, although at the time of publishing this post it can be purchased for just £8.70.

The Book I am going to give away is Unfolding Journeys – Secrets of the Nile.

ISBN: 9781786571052 Language: English
Authors: Stewart Ross
16 pages, 16 pp colour | Dimensions: 230mm x 305mm

“From the golden beaches of the Mediterranean, travel upstream to explore the cultural, historical and natural wonders of ancient and modern Egypt. Find out about Egyptian pharaohs and explore their treasures, tombs and mummies; visit modern Egypt and see how the landscape of the Nile is changing; discover the Pyramids and other wonders of the ancient world; and encounter some of the exotic creatures that make the Nile their home.” 

Created in consultation with Anthony Sattin – award-winning author, journalist and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.



If you would like the chance to win a copy of this book please fill in the gadget below.

Terms and Conditions

1. UK only (sorry)

2. Giveaway closes  27th July 2017

3. Entries will be validated according to the rules of entry
4. There is 1 prize of a Lonely Planet Kids Book
5. The data of anyone that enters won’t be passed on to any third parties or used for any unsolicited marketing communications.
6. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook or any other social media.
7. The winner will be randomly chosen, and will be shown on this post, with further notifications may be shared on social media.
8. The winner will be notified via email, and will need to respond within 4 weeks otherwise a further winner will be drawn.
9. Prize will be sent out within one week of receiving e-mail details via the supplier.
10.If the prize is not available an alternative may be sent of the same value.

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Even Super Heroes Have Bad Days – book review

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We were thrilled to be sent a copy of Even Super Heroes Have Bad Days, we saw Chris Evans (Captain America) read the story on Cbeebies Bed Time. What a treat for mums and kids alike.

Chris Evans on Cbeebies

The book itself was well received by my super hero loving Little Man. It’s written by Shelly Becker and illustrated by Eda Kaban.

Even Super Heroes Have Bad Days
Hardcover: 40 pages
Age Range: 3 – 9 years
Publisher: Sterling (7 Oct. 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1454913940
ISBN-13: 978-1454913948
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 1 x 27.7 cm
It’s a great size book and in hardback with a dust cover. It will likely to be a bedtime favourite for a very long time and is built to withstand this.
Here’s the Blurb;


When Superheroes don’t get their way, when they’re sad, when they’re mad, when they’ve had a bad day…they COULD super-tantrum, they COULD but they DON’T, because REAL Superheroes just WOULDN’T they WON’T! All kids have trouble getting a grip on their emotions, sometimes even young superheroes! But what do they do when they’re having a bad day? Colourful action-packed illustrations and a dynamite rhyming text reveal the many ways superheroes (and ordinary children, too) can resist the super-temptation to cause a scene when they’re sad, mad, frustrated, lonely, or afraid. From burning off steam on a bike or a hike, to helping others, this energetic picture book has plenty of fun ideas to help kids cope when they re feeling overwhelmed.

The message is subtle but it helps kids deal with their emotions just like the superheroes do. The Illustrations make this book really special, they are colourful and full of detail. My Little Man spent ages looking at them and spotting his new favourite superheroes. 
The superheroes are introduced inside the cover of the book. They are not your regular superheroes but they are still strong and brave with special abilities. like Thrash, Typhoon and Zing, Beastie, Lazer Man and Screecher.

It shows all the awful things they could do if they allowed their emotions to take a hold, like kick, punch and pound, knock over buildings like towers of blocks, use laser eyes to ignite forest fires or screech with an ear piercing sound. But they don’t, instead they race to rescue people in need, hatch super-plans to help banish world sadness and chase wanted bad guys with a super-charged zing.

The book teaches children that it’s okay if they frown, sigh, or cry they just need to acknowledge their emotions and wait for them to get better.

This is a rhyming book which is always a big hit, and along with the fun colourful illustrations it’s a great read which kids will love.

We give this book a big thumbs up!

You can find this and many other fabulous books at the GMC Group website

Laura's Lovely Blog



Disclosure: we were sent a copy of Even Superheroes Have Bad Days for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes – Book Review

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Our latest book review is Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes, Tim Baker and the Ancient Curse by Stella Tarkson. 
Paper back: 128 pages
ISBN: 978-1-78226-345-6
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Author: Stella Tarakson
Illustrator: Nick Roberts
This is the first book in a series written by Stella Tarkson and we loved in, we’ll be sure to be reading more, the teaser at the end of the book has got us hooked.
Lets start with the ‘blurb’ on the back of the book.

Life hasn’t been easy since Tim’s dad died – the kids at school call him Cinderella because he’s always at home doing the housework while his mum’s at work. But when Hercules unexpectedly turns up in this living room, life starts to  get a while lot more interesting! Super- strong, but no so super-smart, when Hercules sets out to help him Tim is left picking up the pieces.How do you convince a hero, that you don’t need his help?

 Poor Tim, you immediately feel sorry for him having to do housework for his mum straight after school. He’s being bullied at school and he misses his mum who is having to work two jobs. Then he smashes an expensive Greek vase by accident and that’s when his troubles start.

Hercules appears but only Tim can see him. Hercules wants to help but all he succeeds in doing is make things so much worse. Tim wants to get rid of him and Hercules wants to go home to his wife and daughter.

I love how the book develops the characters for further series, Hercules may be a bit dim but Tim still learns from him, in particular how to deal with the bully at school. Tim’s mum is hardworking and understanding and Tim has a great relationship with her, so much so that he tells her everything.

The book is fast moving and each chapter leaves you wanting to continue with the next. I read it with my 6 year old boy and 11 year old daughter. It was easy enough for them to read but we enjoyed reading it together. there is a puzzle which if solved will send Hercules home, my 11 year old worked out the puzzle in no time at all, although it was a little harder for Tim and Hercules.

There are fun illustrations throughout the book which add to the charm of story. Hercules always appears as big black character as you would expect to see on an ancient Greek Vase.

Talk of the Town
Laura's Lovely Blog

Disclosure: We were sent a free copy of this book as a member of Boolino Friends, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Owl and The Pussycat

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The Owl and the Pussy cat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat…..

As a child I loved this poem by Edward Lear. It was so romantic and also a little crazy, which was just fine with me. I was really happy to re-discover the poem with my children. Of course the girls were straight in there with the questions, “what’s a runcible spoon?” and “What’s a Bong Tree? Is there really an island where they grow?”
Boo decided that a runcible spoon is probably what we would call a spork, a kind of spoon with fork prongs. Star decided that a bong tree would be a tree which ‘bonged’ when you bumped into it, or if a bong fruit fell off.
That is the magic of Edward Lear, he used words that didn’t necessarily have to make sense, children find them so much fun.
I was sent a brand new copy of the Owl and the Pussy Cat with illustrations by Charlotte Yoake and a forward by Julia Donaldson.

 I loved the imagery, you could relate to it even though the poem is 143 years old.

 The pictures are bright and fun, Very attractive to young and old alike and bound to create more questions from the little ones as they enjoy the poem.

Did you ever wonder what happened to the Owl and the Pussy Cat after they were married and danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon?

Julia Donaldson did and now she has written a perfect follow on poem, in much the same style as Edward Lear. This book is also illustrated by Charlotte Yoake.

The book can also be purchased with a CD which contains the story read aloud by Julia Donaldson. She also sings the poem like a folk song on the CD.

 I won’t give the story away but the ring gets stolen and the owl and the pussycat set out on a mission to retrieve it.

 Julia Donaldson also introduces some more of Edward Lears characters from other poems such as the Pobble who has no toes and his Aunt Jobiska.

My children really loved the books and have since been practising their own poetry.
You can purchase both The Owl and The Pussycat and the Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat from Amazon. They would make perfect Christmas presents for any child.

Here is a little introduction to the book by Julia Donaldson herself.

I was sent copies of both books for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Colour Red – Book Review

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I recently purchased Loss De Plott by Stephan J Myers and the author asked me if I would like a copy of The Colour Red which is a children’s book.

Loss is a little girl who loves to draw and one day one of the characters from her drawings came to visit with a gift, a book for her to record her dreams. 
The story is written in prose and my girls loved the story. We had to read it through several times so they could pick out all the rhyming words. There is nothing like poetry to get the little ones interested in reading for themselves. 
Full of beautiful illustrations the story takes you on a magical journey through dreams and drawings. Completely enticing and enjoyable for all ages.
You can purchase The Colour Red on Amazon and for the month of March Stephan J Myers is donating all royalties to Save The Children charity. How brilliant is that?
You can follow the author Stephan on Twitter and Facebook.
I’ll let you know what I think of Loss De Plott when I’ve finished reading 🙂
WORLDBOOKDAY