Book reviews: Big Ben, spring rabbits and a giant treehouse with Macmillan

Watch a rabbit make sense of the world, take a trip to adorable Acorn Wood, meet a fun-loving crocodile, colour in with The Moomins, climb into a 52-storey treehouse or share the angst of a troubled teen. Macmillan have a book for every young taste…

Age 2 plus:

Hooray for Hoppy by Tim Hopgood

Hoppy the Rabbit has five good reasons to enjoy the arrival of spring… and he’s discovering just how useful it is to be able to smell, see, hear, touch and taste!

Hooray for Hoppy is an exciting book which helps little ones to understand about their senses and comes from the Booktrust award-winning illustrator Tim Hopgood.

When Hoppy the rabbit wakes up on the first day of spring, he discovers a world full of wonderful things but after he has sniffed the fresh air, listened to the singing birds and tasted the fresh green grass, he starts to feel a little lonely. And so he finds a way to wake up his friends so they can enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of spring all together.

This bold, colourful and appealing introduction to the senses helps children to learn about the way they can use their five senses to interact with the world around them, whilst the stunning artwork has a delightful retro charm that will appeal to readers young and old.

Don’t miss the fun with Hoppy as he makes sense of the world around him.

(Macmillan, paperback, £6.99)

Babies and toddlers:

It’s a Little Baby by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb

Somebody’s hiding. Who is it? It’s a little baby, and she’s peeping at you!

Lift the flaps of this adorable book and watch your little one’s face as he or she finds five babies doing all the things that babies do… waving, clapping, pointing and lots more.

It’s a Little Baby is a beautifully illustrated and engaging first book from Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb, creators of the popular The Paper Dolls which has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.

Donaldson’s simple but effective rhyming text combined with Cobb’s appealing illustrations on fresh white backgrounds make this a perfect gift. With big flaps to lift and irresistible pictures underneath, children will love joining in with the baby’s actions.

And the fun doesn’t stop there because there is an online song to enjoy too! Written and recorded by Donaldson, the wonderful It's a Little Baby song is the perfect accompaniment to the book and sure to become a favourite sing-along tune. Visit www.itsalittlebaby.co.uk to hear the song and download the lyrics and actions.

A world of surprises in a fresh and beautiful book…

(Macmillan, board book, £6.99)

Age 0-3:

Tales from Acorn Wood: Colours and Counting by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Creators of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, are the geniuses behind two enchanting and educational new board books.

The books, which teach little ones the basics of counting and colours, are based on Donaldson and Scheffler’s best-selling lift-the-flap toddler series Tales from Acorn Woods featuring Bear, Fox, Pig, Rabbit and all their woodland friends.

In Colours, try to find Fox’s blue socks, Bear’s red waistcoat and the yellow flowers in Rabbit’s garden, and in Counting, learn to count to ten as one pig plays hide-and-seek, Fox loses two socks, Bear delivers three letters and four mice keep Rabbit awake.

A captivating and colourful way to join familiar friends and make learning fun!

(Macmillan, board book, £5.99 each)

Age one plus:

Noisy London by Marion Billet

The sights and sounds of London in one big, beautiful book!

Even the youngest of children can enjoy getting in on the hustle and bustle of a visit to the capital city with this exhilarating and noisy board book which has six iconic London sounds.