I'm pretty sure that there's not a child out there that doesn't dream of waking up on a winter morning and finding the whole world under a thick blanket of white snow. That's exactly what the children of London found when they woke up on Thursday 5th December though. During the previous night it had snowed and snowed and snowed so hard that in the morning mobile phones buzzed and emails pinged with the news that there was no school today. But in Snow Day it seems that not everyone got the message as two people did turn up for school. Danny and Mr Trapper. Putting aside any practicalities ... read more
Dragon Jelly – Claire Freedman and Sue Hendra
I had been intending to get a review of Dragon Jelly up before Halloween, but life got in the way somewhat - as it has a habit of doing - and actually looking back at it, although some people associate monsters and general grossness it's also the sort of thing that appeals to children all year round. Dragon Jelly follows on wonderfully from Claire Freedman and Sue Hendra's last book Spider Sandwiches which Little Miss C and I reviewed last year. This time round Max is having a Monster party where he and his friends are playing all sorts of horrible games and eating some pretty hideous food. ... read more
Spot A Lot Animal Escape
So much of Little Miss C's learning stems from books and when I see her curled up in bed or in her "reading corner" with a book it just gives me a bit of a warm glow inside to see her starting that reading journey that I loved as a child. It's not just words and language that children learn from books though and one thing that I really like about Spot a Lot Animal Escape is how it encourages children's maths and observation skills too. The opening lines of "There's trouble at the zoo today... The animals have run away!" instantly grabs children's attention and they instantly want to know ... read more
On Sudden Hill – Linda Sarah and Benji Davies
When reviewing children's books here on Being Mrs C I've written so many times about the important role I believe books have in helping to explain situations and behaviours to our children. Conversations about difficult subjects can be opened up by reading a related book and with Little Miss C starting school properly this year I've found so many different books helpful in encouraging our chat and play. Being in a class with some of her old pre-school year friends (but not all of them) along with some children who are new to the school means there's actually a fair bit of change in her ... read more
The Polar Pack
Little Miss C and I review a huge number of children's books together and it's a job we very much enjoy. Finding a book that stands out though can be tough, but The Polar Pack has managed just that - literally! As well as being a beautifully illustrated book about polar animals, The Polar Pack also has an envelope at the back containing push out card pieces that you can use to make all the animals featured in the book. You just need a bit of glue to hold them together and then you have your own set of polar animals. As well as turning the book into a craft activity it really ... read more
The New Small Person – Lauren Child
As a family who loves books it seemed natural that when I was pregnant with Master C we introduced Little Miss C to a selection of books all about there being a new baby in the family. By the time Master C was born she was pretty comfortable with the idea of a baby and had a good idea of what was going to happen with the new tiny baby. But, as we all know, babies grow up. They learn to crawl and move around. They become toddler. Suddenly the older sibling's possessions aren't safe any more and their younger brother or sister just wants to join in with everything they're doing. For us this ... read more
How Strong is an Ant? And other questions about bugs and insects
We're huge nature fans here in the C family - so much so that Mr C also runs UK Nature Blog when he has time - and we all enjoy getting outside as much as possible to see what we can spot. From a young age Little Miss C has been a big insect and bug fan and we've always encouraged her to see what she can spot in our own back garden. So being asked if we wanted to review How Strong Is an Ant? was a perfect opportunity to teach her a bit more about all the bugs and insects that she enjoys finding under stones and in the soil. The Good Question! books, of which this is one, are a lovely series ... read more
Where Bear? – Sophy Henn
There are some children's books that I love. Ones that I remember fondly from my own childhood and ones that I know my children have loved and that I've enjoyed sharing with them. It's rare though to fall completely and utterly in love with a children's book on first reading, but that's exactly what happened with Where Bear? by new writer and illustrator Sophy Henn. There's an old fashioned simplicity that's just utterly perfect in Where Bear? and the vintage style of the illustrations had me at first thinking that this must be a re-publication of a much-loved old title. The beauty of it ... read more
Fiddlesticks! – Sean Taylor & Sally Anne Garland
You can tell that a child likes a book when they insist on sleeping with it by their bed at night, open at the page of their favourite illustration. Just so they can look at it as soon as they wake up the next morning. That's exactly what Little Miss C was like with Fiddlesticks! Mouse loves his little house and is incredibly house proud about it. One day he noticed that one of his windows was a little crooked though. Oh Fiddlesticks! he exclaimed. Unable to fix the problem himself he enlisted his friend bear to help. Bear tried to straighten up the windows, but ended up pulling it clean ... read more
Supertato – Sue Hendry
I'd be slightly scared to work out just how many picture books Little Miss C and I have read together now. We're definitely well in to the hundreds though and I'm now declaring ourselves experts on what works in our family book-wise and what doesn't. Rarely have I found a book though where I'm still chuckling about it a few hours later, but with Supertato that's exactly what happened. I mean, when did you last read a book about a super-hero potato protecting the other supermarket occupants against an evil frozen pea? The concept is so completely bonkers that it's brilliant! No only are ... read more