Most of us with kids have experienced the bizarre musical bed shenanigans that often go on after lights out.
Bed Tails is an amusing story book depicting the night a scary storm brings everyone into Mum and Dad’s bed, one by one.

Meridith Costain’s prose is lively and engaging and laced with rhyme, complemented by Mitch Vane’s cute and descriptive watercolour illustrations.

This is definitely a book made for reading  — and giggling — aloud together.

Bed Tails is published by Penguin Books, RRP $24.95.

Ah, Denmark.

What?

Jezebel has the pages of a very graphic book by Danish author Per Holm Knudsen called “How a Baby Is Made”. And boy, do they show you how.

It’s all kind of amazing. The showing of daddy’s erect penis. The pubic hair. The hippie “Herbie The Love Bug” car the couple drives to the hospital in. The way the baby is smiling – “Hi guys!” – when he/she pops out. And of course, there’s the fact that mum and dad don’t wear clothes until after the baby is born. Is this the story of two former nudists? (Note: these are cartoon drawings, but they do show nudity. Cartoonish nudity, but nudity all the same.)

These are some of the pages, Jezebel has the whole thing.

Source: Jezebel via You Gettin’ This?

There are two things my daughter adores. Kitties and cupcakes. Therefore, without much of the stretch of the imagination, she loved If You Give a Cat a Cupcake written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, which is part of the “If You Give…” series by HarperCollins (like If You Give a Pig a Party and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie).

The story follows the unlikely series of events that would occur if you just happened to give your strong willed cat a cupcake which would lead seamlessly to requesting sprinkles, trips to the beach, and a ride on a merry-go-round. You can get your own cat a cupcake from Amazon for $US11.55 (regularly $US16.99) here.

I Wish Daddy Didn’t Drink So Much

Wanna know why daddy’s always asleep sunday afternoon, a high life tipping out of his limp hand and pouring onto the floor? Or how about when daddy gets all worked up and strats yelling at ghosts. Children’s books are a great way to help kids cope with real problems, but if daddy really is a raging alcoholic, you need more than a book, kid.

The House That Crack Built

Don’t sell drugs, kids, or one day you’ll live in a beautiful mansion.

Hiroshima No Pika

Once upon a time America dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and no matter how many of their cars Americans buy they’re still a little peeved about it. As Cracked writer Michael Swaim puts it,

And yes, this book for kindergartners is about that. According to the author, the book is based on a true account of a woman leading her child out of the A-Bomb’s blast radius while carrying her wounded husband on her back. According to the picture on the cover, it’s about women running topless through a sea of blood.

More throughly depressing children’s entertainment here.

We don’t see many graphic novels for children, which is a shame as the wordless picture book format can offer so much to delight and stimulate young imaginations.

Gregory Rogers’ The Hero of Little Street is a case in point. The third book in the BOY BEAR series, it is a delightful romp through the art world, as our young hero is chased through the streets of London and in to the National Gallery. ‘Boy’ ends up in a Vermeer painting and on the streets of 17th Century Delft, where he lands in a whole new spot of bother.

Wittily illustrated, this is a delightful and refreshingly different book for younger readers.

The Hero of Little Street is published in hardback by Allen & Unwin with an RRP of $AU29.95.

Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Scott Magoon is a beautiful little book about a spoon that feels bad about himself. Spoon’s life isn’t as excited as other pieces of cutlery like a knife or chopsticks. The book celebrates the individual things that make someone special.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal does such a fabulous job with children’s books. Click behind the fold to find out more.

It’s a great book to bond with and is recommended from preschoolers-1st graders. Check it out at Amazon.

The tragedy of Gallipoli and the story of Simpson and his Donkey have become immortilised in Australian folklore.

Conveying these strories to the next generation is not always an easy task.

From prolific Australian author Jackie French comes a new book for young readers which aims to bring the story of the courageous Jack Simpson and his trusty mate to life.

Like French’s other works of historical fiction, (Hitler’s Daughter, A Rose for the Anzac Boys and The Goat who Sailed the World), The Donkey Who Carrried The Wounded is based on exhaustive research. Alternating point of view between stretcher bearer Jack Simpson, a Turkish sniper, stretcher bearer Richard Henderson and The Donkey itself, French gives a graphic, sad but gripping account of the men of Anzac Cove who became known as “the bravest of the brave”.

Small warning  — due to the detailed descriptions of war this book is most suitable for children aged 9+.

The Donkey who Carried the Wounded is book number four in The Animal Stars series. It’s published by Harper Collins with an RRP of $14.99.

It might seem a curious topic for a game-industry veteran’s first book, but with Sofa Boy, Scott Langteau delivers an inspired motivator for getting kid gamers off the couch.

Equally retro-cute and Tim Burton-esque weird, thanks to Pin-Up Toons mastermind Rion Vernon’s illustrations, Sofa Boy tells the tale of a game-obsessed kid who learned too late that he should’ve taken time to get out in the real world to play. We won’t give away the ending, but suffice it to say Langteau’s twisted sense of humor shines through the muck of Sofa Boy’s universe.

One of the more timid images from Sofa Boy.

Admittedly, the visual story seemed a bit much even for a grizzled dad like me, but despite its seeming shock value, Sofa Boy has quickly turned into one of my boys’ favorite books. At its core, it’s a valuable lesson told in simple rhymes, and a great way to bond away from the game console before bedtime.

$US10.17 (normally $US14.95) at Amazon.

From the illustrator of the beloved Mem Fox book Where Is The Green Sheep?, comes this cute board book, a companion to These Are My Feet.

What are all the fun things we can do with our hands? Pick up our toys, colour in, dance in a ring… These Are My Hands gives toddlers a window on their own little world of daily discovery.

It’s published by Puffin Books for an RRP of $14.95.

Let her tell stories and dance in the rain, somersault, tumble and run,

her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep.

Let her grow like a weed in the sun.

Bestselling author Neil Gaiman wrote Blueberry Girl for his friend, songstress Tori Amos, as she prepared for the birth of her daughter. Originally just a signed poem for the nursery, interest in the poem grew and eventually Gaiman teamed with a frequent collaborator, artist Charles Vess, to produce a picture book for many other mothers and daughters.

The prose is magical with a lilting rhyme, complemented beautifully by the art nouveau-esque illustrations. It’s a book which celebrates the glory of growing up and all the adventure that awaits a young girl. Definitely one to give and cherish.

Blueberry Girl is published by Allen and Unwin and retails for $27.99.