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PICTURE BOOK SNOB

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celebrating extraordinary storytelling

Reviews and explorations of illustrated children's books

Discover new stories and revisit familiar favourites

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BLOG TOUR: Sonny Says, "Sorry!" by Caryl Hart and Zachariah Ohora

Picture Book Snob

Apr 13, 2022
4 min

BLOG TOUR: Sonny Says, "Sorry!" by Caryl Hart and Zachariah Ohora

Published on 14th April 2022 by Bloomsbury Sonny Says,"Sorry!" is the second story in an irresistible new series for pre-schoolers from two of the biggest talents in picture books. We fell in love with Sonny and his pals last year when we saw the first Sonny story, Sonny Says,"Mine!" It was so exciting to learn that Sonny and Co. were back in an equally lovable adventure. This time, while playing hide and seek, Sonny finds a mysterious box addressed to Bunny. When he and Bo

The Witchling's Wish: Review + Interview with Lu Fraser & Sarah Massini

Picture Book Snob

Oct 19, 2021
10 min

The Witchling's Wish: Review + Interview with Lu Fraser & Sarah Massini

It was so exciting to chat with the author and illustrator of one of the most beautiful books we've ever seen! Read a review, learn what inspired the story, discover how Sarah creates her artwork, and find a clue about Lu's next project with Bloomsbury... What's it about? A lonely Witchling attempts to cast a spell to find a companion but lacks a vital ingredient: a hair from a one-eyed bear. The little witch's search for this elusive component leads her to the home of a girl

Avast ye landlubbers! Here be Neil Gaiman reading Pirate Stew for Talk Like a Pirate Day...

Picture Book Snob

Sep 19, 2021
1 min

Avast ye landlubbers! Here be Neil Gaiman reading Pirate Stew for Talk Like a Pirate Day...

Arrr, today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! To celebrate, we're hosting a video of author Neil Gaiman reading from his hilarious picture book Pirate Stew, illustrated by Chris Riddell. You can also learn to talk like a pirate with Neil in a series of clips shared below and download a free activity pack here: https://bit.ly/PirateStewActivityPack This swashbuckling and side-splitting rhyming story is all about what happens when your babysitter turns out to be a pirate

BLOG TOUR: The Viking Who Liked Icing Review + Lu Fraser's Top Five Feel-Good Picture Books

Picture Book Snob

Aug 3, 2021
4 min

BLOG TOUR: The Viking Who Liked Icing Review + Lu Fraser's Top Five Feel-Good Picture Books

The Viking Who Liked Icing has all the ingredients for a future classic. Combine wonderful characters, a meaningful story, masterful rhyming and gorgeous illustrations, sprinkle with humour, and you’re left with an incredibly sweet book with a potent message. This delectable tale encourages little readers to be themselves, celebrate their differences instead of trying to fit in, recognise their talents and follow their hearts. Nut and his sister Leaf couldn’t have less in com

BLOG TOUR: Ten reasons why we love There is No Big Bad Wolf in This Story...

Picture Book Snob

Jul 25, 2021
3 min

BLOG TOUR: Ten reasons why we love There is No Big Bad Wolf in This Story...

...and why you will too! We are delighted to finish off the blog tour for There is No Big Bad Wolf in This Story by Lou Carter and Deborah Allwright (Bloomsbury). This is another exciting and entertaining tale from the creators of the wonderful There is No Dragon in This Story. We’ve read There is No Dragon in This Story so often that when recently dodging jellyfish at the beach, my four-year-old shouted: “There is no jellyfish in this story!” When we heard a sequel was comi

You take your eyes off them for five minutes

Picture Book Snob

Jun 30, 2021
3 min

You take your eyes off them for five minutes

Baby's First Train Robbery by Jim Whalley and Stephen Collins, Bloomsbury You take your eyes off them for five minutes and the next thing you know, they’re getting into all kinds of trouble. Sound familiar? Then this is the book for you! What's it about? This is the latest title in the Baby Frank series but it can be read as a stand-alone story. Following on from the events of Baby’s First Bank Robbery and Baby’s First Jail Break, this time Baby Frank is headed to the seaside

BLOG TOUR: Sonny Says, "Mine!" by Caryl Hart and Zachariah Ohora

Picture Book Snob

Apr 14, 2021
4 min

BLOG TOUR: Sonny Says, "Mine!" by Caryl Hart and Zachariah Ohora

Caryl Hart is one of our favourite authors and Zachariah Ohora is one of our favourite illustrators. We were delighted to discover that these two talents had collaborated on an exciting new series for pre-schoolers called Sonny Says. We were even more thrilled to join the blog tour for the first Sonny story, Sonny Says, "Mine!" Read our review to find out why we love this book and why you need it... What's it about? We are introduced to an adorable fox called Sonny and his eq

Kindness rules in this fabulous fairy tale

Picture Book Snob

Mar 12, 2021
3 min

Kindness rules in this fabulous fairy tale

Princess Swashbuckle by Hollie Hughes and Deborah Allwright, Bloomsbury "Once upon a time in a faraway land and place, there lived a frog princess with a green and slimy face..." What's it about? Swashbuckle is a princess and a frog who longs for a life on the ocean waves. The king and queen consider marriage the only appropriate aspiration for Princess Swashbuckle. Frustrated by her parents' frantic attempts to find her a suitor, and the limits to her freedom that matrimony

BLOG TOUR: Meet the Oceans by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin, Bloomsbury

Picture Book Snob

Mar 1, 2021
9 min

BLOG TOUR: Meet the Oceans by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin, Bloomsbury

Meet the Oceans by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin. Dive into our review and jump behind the scenes as we chat to illustrator Bethan Woollvin... What's it about? More than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water and this stunning new book takes readers on a magnificent maritime world tour. We encounter a variety of creatures, travelling through stormy seas, glacial landscapes, balmy tropics and sultry sunsets, in the comfort of a little submarine. What can we learn? T

Bethan Woollvin speaks to Picture Book Snob

Picture Book Snob

Mar 1, 2021
7 min

Bethan Woollvin speaks to Picture Book Snob

Bethan Woollvin is an author and illustrator, famous for her feminist fairy tales and her bold and distinct style. Bethan's debut picture book, Little Red, won the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition in 2014 and was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 2016. Little Red also won the AOI World Illustration Award and was nominated for the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award and the Klaus Flugge Prize in 2017. We're huge fans of Bethan's work and have all her books.

A spectacular tour of our solar system

Picture Book Snob

Jan 15, 2021
3 min

A spectacular tour of our solar system

Meet the Planets by Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin Meet the Planets is an eye-catching explosion of energy, just like the cosmic landscape it depicts. This stunning book takes children on a spectacular tour of the solar system and is an entertaining and memorable introduction to all the planets. Its fascinating facts and striking illustrations are a stellar combination. We zoom around space and learn a few facts about each planet as we stop for a brief chat with them. Though

There are no clichés in this story

Picture Book Snob

Jan 11, 2021
3 min

There are no clichés in this story

There is No Dragon in This Story by Lou Carter and Deborah Allwright, Bloomsbury This is another of our most-treasured books and I'm going to try my best not to give too much away. As there are so many wonderful and amusing surprises, it will be far more enjoyable to read if you don't know what's going to happen. I actually couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw the very last page. The ending of this story might be my favourite conclusion to a book out of everything I've

Meet T. Rex's bigger sister

Picture Book Snob

Nov 28, 2020
2 min

Meet T. Rex's bigger sister

She Rex by Michelle Robinson and Deborah Allwright "She Rex is a big and burly, multi-coloured dino girly..." Ed won't let his sister Maisy play with his toys, claiming “Dinos are for boys.” Maisy doesn't let that stop her, and she tells an incredulous Ed all about a dinosaur she just saw called She Rex. Maisy begins by making a portrait of She Rex but paints an even more vivid picture with her words. While Maisy describes this dinosaur to Ed, a larger than life “lizard que

The fine art of friendship

Picture Book Snob

Nov 11, 2020
3 min

The fine art of friendship

Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival "Meesha LOVED making things. She could make pictures out of numbers... and pictures out of sounds. Sometimes she made pictures out of both. But there was one thing that Meesha found hard to make... friends." Meesha Makes Friends is a gentle and affirming story with a powerful message about the importance of being yourself. It also delivers a valuable lesson about and being inclusive and accepting of others. Despite its serious subject matt

A beam of hope in challenging times

Picture Book Snob

Nov 6, 2020
3 min

A beam of hope in challenging times

The World Made a Rainbow by Michelle Robinson and Emily Hamilton "Let's paint a big rainbow to put on display. When people pass by it and see it, they'll say, 'All rainstorms will end, and this rainstorm will too.'" While the whole world stays home, a family makes a rainbow for their window, to raise their spirits and those of anyone who sees it. As they paint and collect materials for a collage, the family recalls past adventures and discusses the new memories they'll make

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