Book reviews: Gifts for baby and cat-astrophes galore with Little Tiger Press

Get on down to Poppy’s Place, a gorgeous new fiction series featuring a cool cats’ café, and find the perfect gift for a special new baby in a fabulous array of new titles from this popular small publisher with a classy line in children’s books.

Age eight plus:

Poppy’s Place by Katrina Charman

It’s the cat’s whiskers!

Young animal lovers will be fighting to get their paws on this brilliant new series starring a cat-loving girl and her charismatic puss Poppy as their home is turned into a cool café for cats.

A fresh new voice in children’s fiction, Katrina Charman turns on an irresistible brand of feline charm in this heartwarming story as we follow 11-year-old Isla Palmer’s dream to not just own a cat but to open her very own cat sanctuary.

‘The thing about cats,’ Isla said to her vet nurse mum as she helped put away bandages in the supply cupboard at the Abbey Park practice, ‘is that they are so loving. Not like a hamster who would rather chew on a stick than let you stroke it, or a bearded dragon who hardly even moves and eats live bugs.’

Isla has been desperate for a cat for as long as she can remember but the last thing her mum needs when she gets home from work is more cats to look after. Then one day, Isla meets Poppy, a gorgeous cat that Mum has been treating at the local vets where she works.

With no owner coming forward to claim her and no room at the local sanctuary, poor Poppy is homeless. Surely Isla can persuade Mum to let them take Poppy home … just on a temporary basis.

And it’s not long before Poppy transforms life for everyone at the Palmers’ house. Everyone is happier, especially Gran who has recently been widowed, and even Isla’s older sister Tilda admits she likes having Poppy around.

But little do the family guess at the amazing chain of events that will unfold with Poppy’s arrival. Soon they have opened their door to a host of abandoned cats all looking for their forever home. And Isla has come up with a crazy but brilliant idea to solve the problem – a cat café!

Written with a seductive simplicity and real affection, Poppy’s Place serves up an addictive mix of fun, family, friendship and furry friends, all guaranteed to leave young animal lovers grinning like Cheshire cats!

(Stripes, paperback, £5.99)

Age one to four:

Peekaboo 123 and Peekaboo A to Z Illustrated by Gareth Lucas

Learning your letters and getting the knack of numbers has never been so much fun!

Peekaboo 123 and Peekaboo A to Z are two brilliantly inventive lift-the-flap books from Little Tiger Press offering young children a bright, intelligent and humorous learning experience.

As they lift the flaps on every page, little ones will meet a crazy cast of animals and whether it’s two turkeys on a tandem or a newt nibbling noodles, they are guaranteed to educate, inform and entertain.

The comical, alliterative text is perfectly paired with stunning illustrations from talented artist Gareth Lucas and both cased board books have large, sturdy flaps, ideal for little learners getting to grips with their numbers and letters.

Join the Animal Antics race in Peekaboo 123 and enjoy a polar bear on a pogo stick, three walruses with a wheelbarrow, fifteen ferrets on a ferry and the rest of the cute contestants.

Children will be chuckling from one right through to 100!

And the Peekaboo A to Z alphabet book comes with a bite, a hiss and roar as the flaps reveal an alligator admiring some art, a lion licking a lollipop and a snake swimming in the sea.

And make sure you don’t miss the sleepy zebra!

So climb aboard to take part in the numbers countdown, head for the jungle for a super ‘red letters’ day… and watch your little ones laughing while they learn!

(Little Tiger, board books, £9.99)

From birth:

Wishes for Baby Illustrated by Sarah Ward

Are you looking for a special gift for a precious new baby?

Little Tiger’s gorgeous To Baby, With Love series has just what you’re looking for… a beautifully packaged and illustrated keepsake book for friends and family to write their hopes, dreams and messages of love for the new arrival.

Wishes for Baby is perfect for sharing with guests at a baby shower, christening or on that memorable first visit. Packed throughout with charming quotations and adorable pastel illustrations by Sarah Ward, this innovative record book will be treasured for years to come.

The padded cover and colourful elastic band closure add style and elegance to a special celebration of new beginnings that will delight mums and dads, and provide a fascinating memento for future generations.

(Little Tiger, hardback, £9.99)

Peekaboo Baby! Illustrated by Sarah Ward

Who’s hiding under the hat… and who’s nibbling the chocolate cake?

Watch your baby laugh with joy as this enchanting lift-the-flaps book makes every page a journey of discovery and delight.

Also part of the To Baby, With Love series, Peekaboo Baby! includes a mirrored last page so that little ones can see themselves as they help to find Mouse, Bunny, Lion and friends who are all hiding in the most unexpected places.

Babies will love turning the pages and lifting the flaps of this sturdy board book which offers fun and learning in one big, colourful package.

(Little Tiger, board book, £6.99)

Hello Baby! Illustrated by Sarah Ward

And it’s party time for the animals in the irresistibly touchy, feely book Hello Baby!

Ideal as a very first board book, babies can Say ‘Hello!’ to Lion, Puppy, Bunny and Elephant as they get together for fun and games. The touch-and-feel crinkly cover, easy-to-turn, chunky pages and gentle rhyming text are perfect for sharing with baby at any time of day.

It can never be too early to discover the joys of reading together…

(Little Tiger, board book, £6.99)