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BOOK GIVEAWAYS

Books for all ages and interests in our February giveaways - you can win STUNT BUNNY, DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, LENNY/ANIMAL123, EASTER BOOKS, BOOBELA, BODY IN THE FOG, WORD BOOK. Full details and entry form.

Book reviews - Kids IQ Books

Kids IQ Books specialise in children’s educational books and have a wide array of book sets and individual books that will benefit your child’s education and help make reading a pleasure for them. All their books are discounted so please browse through the different categories and find what is most suitable for your child. They have a fantastic range, a few of which I have reviewed below. Do visit their website to see what they have to offer - http://www.kidsiqbooks.com/

New book reviews added July 2011. I was sent another superb parcel from KidsIQBooks and these are reviewed below. Do take a look at their website - they have some wonderful collections of books and all great value.

From their website: "We are an on-line retail company selling a large range of children’s educational and story books at discounted prices, aimed at babies through to children sitting their A Levels. We understand the importance of parents and children working together in learning. We aim to help you with your child's learning and development by displaying a wide variety of educational books which support the UK Curriculum and are also perfect for all your child’s reading needs and general knowledge enhancement. We also try to provide additional information regarding the education system and point you in the direction of other sources of information. Your encouragement and support as a parent along with great resources is certainly a recipe for much fun and fulfilment. So help your child’s development and confidence through reading, but most of all have fun learning together."

I was sent a super collection of books from KidsIQ Books. They arrived next day and were securely packed so were all in perfect condition.

	Enid Blyton Classic Mysteries Box Set Collection - 6 Books The Mystery of the ... Burnt Cottage; Disappearing Cat; Secret Room; Spiteful Letters; Missing Necklace and Hidden House - I remember them well and loved them! This set contains the first 6 of the series of 15. The five Find-outers (and don't forget the dog, Buster) solve mysteries that even the police have given up on - although perhaps PC Goon is not the brightest star in the police force! It seems that every school holiday throws up a new mystery in the village of Peterswood and the five are always on the spot. The first book sets the scene and introduces the characters, all of whom are typical of Enid Blyton. Plenty of adventure and puzzles to enjoy. This is one of Enid Blyton's most popular series - although she has often been criticised, children still love her books and that is the most important thing.
	Mr Gum Collection – 3 books The Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton are hugely popular so it's great to see this good value set available. Mr Gum is just the most miserable man you could imagine and everybody keeps away from him as much as possible. This set contains the first three stories - You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!; Mr. Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire and Mr. Gum and the Goblins. The books are hilarious and really appeal to a child's sense of humour. They also gain a huge sense of satisfaction from reading them, as there are around 10 lines to the page as well as plenty of illustrations,meaning a child can read a whole thick book quite easily. They also make lovely bedtime stories to share as adults will find them just as much fun as children do. There's a little surprise at the end of each book too! Andy Stanton is a deserving winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
	Michael Morpurgo Collection – 4 books Michael Morpurgo is one of the very best children's authors writing today and this collection is an excellent showcase of his work. It contains Friend or Foe; Twist of Gold; Waiting for Anya and Little Foxes. His work is always thought provoking and Little Foxes is about a boy who was bullied and a fox he tries to save. Waiting for Anya has as its theme the plight of Jews under the Nazis and Friend or Foe is also set in World War II as David battkes with shared loyalties. Can Sean and Annie save their family as they journey to America away form the Irish Potato Famine?
	Cautionary Tales Collection - 5 Book set As well as being a good collection to have at home, this would be an excellent resource fornursery and reception classes. It is a series of cautionary tales to help children learn to distinguish right and wrong behaviour. The titles speak for themselves - Say Please, Louise!; Don't Tell Tales, Lucy!; Give That Back, Jack!; Don't Be A Bully, Billy! and Don't Be Greedy, Graham! Simple, repetitive text with each page illustrated in full colour and gently padded covers make these books really attractive. Children will absorb the gentle messages without feeling preached at and enjoy the story at the same time.
Here are some more excellent value collections I would recommend.	Wibbly Pig Collection - 6 Books Winnie the Witch Colllection - 6 Books Thomas the Tank Engine: The Classic Library Station Box - 26 Books First Questions and Answers Collection- 10 Books Roald Dahl Box Set Collection - 15 Books
	On the Move Pocket Library This is a lovely set of 6 little board books, attractively presented in a slipcase - and you can put the books together to make a jigsaw! Tractor, motorbike, police car, train, lorry and fire engine to enjoy with your little one. Plenty of vehicle noises to make reading aloud great fun. And the perfect size for little hands!
	Mr Men Glitter Books This is a brand new series of Mr Men books and they are every bit as good as the originals, but with attractive glittery covers. Meet up with old favourites, including Mr Tickle and Mr Bump, in these new stories guaranteed to get a whole new generation enjoying the fun. You might also be interested in Mr Men My Complete Collection and the Little Miss Glitter Collection. All are lovely as complete sets but also, individually, make ideal gifts. The set contains six new stories. My favourite is Mr Nosy and the Beanstalk.
	My Naughty Little Sister Collection Just how much trouble can one naughty little girl cause? Quite a lot, it seems and you will have great fun finding out just what mischief she gets into. My children were great fans of these books and I can remember many happy bedtime reading sessions with these lovely gently humorous stories. It is great to see them made available to today's young readers. Shirley Hughes' beautifully detailed illustrations perfectly complement the stories and offer plenty of scope for discussing the stories. Three books in this set - My Naughty Little Sister; My Naughty Little Sister's Friends and My Naughty Little Sister and Bad Harry.
	Jill Tomlinson books Jill Tomlinson's books have always been huge favourites with children, with her heartwarming animal stories. She really brings the characters to life and children can readily identify with the themes of the stories - children want to find out, can be afraid of the dark, and want to be safe in their own homes, just as the animals do. These are very reassuring stories, both for reading aloud and for young independent readers. The four books in this lovely set will have great appeal to children. Once your children have enjoyed these, try More favourite Animal Tales.
	World History The 3D cover of this book instantly appealed, which is a great start. Six topics are comprehensively covered in this excellent book - Explorers, Mummies, Vikings, Ancient Rome, Arms & Armour, Gladiators and Knights & Castles. Ideal to support KS2 history, this has all children will need to know, and more. The double page spreads contain just enough information on each topic and the book is ideal to support project work. Copiously illustrated and crammed full of fascinating information, I think this book will be of particular interest to boys as it covers many of their favourite historical topics. A fantastically good value book.
	World of Science This comprehensive volume divides science into key areas - space, planet earth, weather, oceans, insects & spiders, reptiles & amphibians, birds, mammals, general science, human body and inventions. There is so much content that each would make a great book by itself. Each topic is covered in a double page spread, copiously illustrated (and well labelled diagrams), and with an ideal amount of text to answer those homework questions. There are plenty of activities and quizzes (plus answers) too, which give practical experience and ensure understanding.