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Simon Mole Books

Here, inside a bright and breezy cover, are ninety-three pages of illustrated, imaginative, occasionally quite incisive, and consistently inspiring verse. Inspiring because, if poetry can be this much fun, readers (of any age) will want to have a go themselves! It’s possible some will try to pen a haiku, but probably not the problematic ‘triolet’. Or they might simply take some of Simon Mole’s creative ideas like Mind Map and Cure for End of the Day Blues (to help them relax) or Us in the Car (as a game to play on long journeys).

There are also fun fabrications of dictionary entries, eg ‘Flooble’, and extrapolations of events like ‘The Last Wee’, which are certain to bring a smile to the face.

How many of these poems are based on the author’s own experiences, is not clear (did Dad really fill the bath with lemonade?), but it is clear that Simon Mole has a sparkling sense of humour and a real talent for cooking up a feast. Perform them, use them (eg to craft your own version of LOL with a.n.other abbreviation), share them and enjoy them!

This lively poetry collection is a brilliant follow-up for those who, like us, loved A First Book of Dinosaurs. Simon Mole uses his poetic skill to give a voice to everything from ants to scorpions, through a mix of poetic styles from snappy haikus and rhythmic verses that are perfect for reading aloud.

The language is playful, making it a fantastic EYFS and KS1 resource for exploring alliteration and onomatopoeia. Children who love minibeasts will also adore the bold and bright illustrations, which show bugs larger than life against vibrant backgrounds.

This is a real celebration of the tiny but mighty world of creepy crawlies, and will inspire children to get out into the garden to go hunting for bugs of different shapes and sizes.

I Love My Bike tells the story of a girl’s first experience with her bike, and is filled with beautiful illustrations and a heartwarming message of perseverance.

There’s a flame on the frame
and I love how it feels
from my head to my heels
when my feet push the pedals
and the pedals turn the wheels.
I love my bike.

I Love My Bike is a picture book about a daughter learning to ride a bike with the help of her father. It’s also about that exhilarating feeling you get when you succeed at something for the first time as a child. And, most importantly, it’s about learning that when you fall off, the best thing to do is get back on again!

The story is told through wonderful watercolours from critically acclaimed artist Sam Usher, with words from children’s poet Simon Mole.

Celebrating both family relationships and being outdoors, this is the perfect read for families everywhere.

A substantial hardback (like the Tyrannosaurus!), beautifully illustrated in full colour to inform about and celebrate dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. The flamingo-pink endpapers are decorated with a riot of dinosaur characters waiting to be discovered. The contents page lists the eight main dinosaurs chosen to be represented in prehistoric poems: an unusual mix of non-fiction and poetry. Followed by ten more in the ‘eat, or be eaten’ section. Then we have a section on the main dinosaur families. We like the handy pronunciation guide that accompanies each header, eg, her-air-ruh-saw-rus.

There is much to interest both children and adults in this dinosaur-themed book. We particularly liked learning about the dinosaur timeline, which starts, ‘a really, really, really long time ago…’ and brings us up to date with a double-page spread about finding fossils.

A rare and interesting specimen of a book, recommended for all dinosaur lovers, to be treasured and read over and over again.

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