Daisy Hirst

Monster siblings Natalie and Alphonse, whose story began in Alphonse, That Is Not OK To Do!, return in this second picture-book devoted to their adventures. Lovers of stories of all kinds, they eagerly anticipate the day that Natalie learns to read, and will be able to access ALL the stories in the world. When Natalie actually gets her first reading book however, she discovers that the letters look like chicken scratch to her, and that the story itself isn't all that interesting. Will her show more frustrated declaration that she doesn't like books anymore put an end to their storytelling adventures...?

I Do Not Like Books Anymore! is my first title from British author/illustrator Daisy Hirst, and I picked it up not knowing that it was the second book about these characters. I don't know if Natalie and Alphonse's first story was as appealing as this one, but I greatly enjoyed this first foray (for me) into their world. Hirst displays a sensitive appreciation in her narrative for the frustration that beginning readers often feel, both in terms of the acquisition of reading skills, and in terms of the quality of story available to them. Her "solution" - the children create their own book - is a creative one. The accompanying artwork, created using screen-printing, were colorful and fun, managing to capture the changing emotional register of each scene. I will definitely look for more of Hirst's work, and highly recommend this one to anyone searching for children's stories about the frustrations attendant on learning to read. show less

Some people will think this brilliant, and maybe in another mood I would too. But right now all I can think about is that she's hoarding bad memories, which is a problem unlikely to be solved by a random new kids moving into the neighborhood. And can parrots be trained to a litter box?

Betsy and her best friend, Philippa, encounter an unusual phenomenon on their regular walk. When Betsy goes to get "watching snacks," Philippa disappears into the hole, so Betsy must go after her. Down in the hole (and series of tunnels), Betsy finds another child's toy ("Not-Philippa") and eventually the child (Nelson), who is playing with "Josephine" - Philippa! The children trade to get their own toys back, and Betsy shares her rice cakes with Nelson. Delightfully amusing, with just the show more right amount of suspense. show less

Super cute board book with fun, bright illustrations! Great rhyme and meter with a funny little twist in each stanza. Really enjoyable! Makes me want to look into her other books.