Books in Oakey Picture Books series

“Ma! there’s nothing to do here!” complains the precocious protagonist of this rhyming tale set entirely in utero. It’s not exactly a scintillating experience spending nine months in your mother’s womb. You’re just stuck there at the end of that dumb bungee cord (a.k.a. the umbilical cord), with nothing whatsoever to do but slosh around. But, oh, the endless joys you have to look forward to as you listen to the tick-tock of ma’s happy heart clock and await that happy day when you finally come out to play.

This is a new edition of this artist-led picture book that begins with the question 'Have you ever wondered what clouds are made of?' This title includes fabulous watercolour paintings and evocative text that lead very young children through the effects of a rainy day; from cloudy skies to the 'splish, splash, splosh' of puddles and a beautiful rainbow. It also includes a simple story for very young children filled with Sarah Gill's atmospheric illustrations of stormy skies, leaping frogs, and wispy clouds. It also describes some of the creatures who need and enjoy rainy days, such as frogs, birds, worms and snails.

Damon & Blue Just us two Cruising up the avenue. With his night-and-day shades and a frame like a "heavyweight boxing machine," it might seem like this guy would be someone to steer clear of....But that's not the way it is. Blue is the best friend a kid could ever have. Blue, who lost one boy to the streets-and is determined that this time will be different. And Damon, whose laugh reminds him of that child, and who, even though he's the "man of the house," knows there's room for a guy like Blue in his life. To shoot hoops with, bounce thoughts off of, to share a laugh and a hot dog with all the works. And to know that at the end of the day there's someone standing steadfast in his corner. Someone true...like Blue. Drawing on those friendships that have inspired her own extraordinary life, Nikki Grimes creates a poetically realistic tale of that joyous, complicated bond that draws us, one to another. To this Jerome Lagarrigue, in a truly wondrous picture book debut, adds powerful and sensitive paintings that capture the rich moods and atmospheres of the story's Harlem setting.

This is an artist-led picture book, which introduces young children to the vastness of the universe, how far away the moon is, what gravity is and the concept of space travel through a gentle and captivating story about an imaginative little girl. Combining full colour illustrations with NASA photographs from the surface of the moon, this beautifully illustrated picture book takes young children on an amazing journey into outer space. The story s use of rhythmic text generates an evocative and friendly tale, taking children on a magical and informative journey.