R. Weir

He's Out! Ollie is a great book for young children., 27 Jun 2005

Ollie doesn't want to come out of his egg. But Gossie and Gertie have been waiting for him for weeks... and they have a plan!

This is a board book that should stand repeated reading, and it's a good job because our experience is that it will need to. It's a wonderful little story that someone bought for us just before our first child arrived - and it gets read to him every night. Despite us both being able to recite it without even looking, we aren't bored with it yet - and neither is our little boy, who now has this as part of his bedtime routine. It's hard-wearing, and the illustrations are nicely done - colourful and bright, but not too cluttered either, ideal for attracting a young… Read more

Terrific, but not to be read in isolation, 16 Jan 2004

If you're looking for a book that tells you the story of the race for the pole, this is about as good as it comes - but Huntford's views on the two main protagonaists need to be balanced with those of other accounts.

Scott was a bumbling, self-serving, incompetent who refused to listen to advice; Amundsen was a great leader, professional in approach and clear in his aims. At least, that's what this book seems to portray. And Huntford makes a great case for this, in what must be one of the most readable and well-researched accounts of the two polar missions. Starting with what drove them to Antarctica, he looks at both characters in some detail - including Amundsen's navigating of the… Read more

Not the best of Pern, 14 Jan 2004

I'm a fan of Anne McCaffrey, and Pern in particular - but I couldn't help finding this one of the less gripping books in the series. I couldn't help thinking, "Haven't I read this before?"

While it isn't exactly the same, I found too many parallels with "Dragonsong" to really enjoy this. It's not quite as simple as "Readis=Menolly, Dolphins=Fire Lizards", but sometimes it feels like it; at the time I first read this, I thought Pern was finished as a series and began to treat further volumes with a little suspicion. Fortunately I've found "Red Star Rising", "The Skies of Pern" and "Masterharper of Pern" to be a significant improvement.