Books can open up whole new worlds, especially children’s books for their young readers (and listeners). Young children should read, or be read to, for at least ten minutes a day, it helps to improve vocabulary and language skills, develops a child’s imagination, exercises the brain and improves concentration and best of, it’s lots of fun!
When you look at the children’s book market there are plenty of books available, all colourfully illustrated and with good stories to tell, all with subtle messages that children can learn something from. The majority are short stories of up to 32 pages and are fun to read, especially as bedtime stories. Sticky Bun Publishing are a new publisher and have some charming children’s books, including their newest title, When Moggie Met Froggie.
When Moggie Met Froggie, by Julia Stebbing and Stephen Stone, is a tale of a scruffy ginger cat who is looking for a friend. A charming rhyming book written for children aged between 4 and 8 years old.
Moggie is a cat, a homeless ginger cat that has become scruffy. Moggie is also a very over-confident cat which doesn’t bode well when he meets a rude and outspoken frog, and a rather rude one at that.
When Moggie is out and about one morning hunting for some nice breakfast mice, he spies a frog when the fog starts to lift. Being an over-confident and special cat, he enquires what the frog is doing there, only to be spoken to very rudely and rebuffed, which Moggie takes offence to and decides to teach Froggie a lesson. This doesn’t go as well as Moggie had hoped for with the resulting confrontation ending with Moggie being humiliated.
But this turns out to be a blessing in disguise when they both realise that appearances can be deceptive and they both make a new friend.
Overall, When Moggie Met Froggie is a very charming story of first impressions and friendship, never judging a book by its cover! It uses adorable animals to grab children’s interest and get across the message in a charming, adorable way.
This delightful story sees Moggie brought down a peg or two from his lofty heights and shows how retaliation is never a good idea. She listens to Froggie and with his help changes some things in his life to become a better cat and also gains a new friend in the process.
Over its 25 beautifully illustrated and vividly coloured pages, the rhyming text will enthral children and adult readers will also enjoy this happy and humorous tale. The text, by Julia Stebbing, flows well and rhymes quite nicely whilst the illustrations, by Stephen Stone, are cute and engaging, bold and bright, and will grab the attention of any young reader. The illustrations also do a great job of portraying what is happening within the story.
This is a short story of how first impressions don’t always show you what a person is really like and how getting past them can see you find a good person (or frog) with a very good heart. It also shows that disagreements are not a bad thing and that they can be overcome with patience and listening to the other person.
When Moggie Met Froggie is a fun and charming story. It is engaging and entertaining and can lead to bigger discussions about friendships and perceptions of others, diversity and inclusion, and to never make rash judgements.
A 10-minute read that would be perfect for bedtime, or for just chilling out in the garden.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (Paperback) / £1.99 (Kindle)
For more information, visit www.stickybunpublishing.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
