Halloween is has now been and gone (I know, bonkers isn't it! I'm sure it was only June a minute ago) and that was the perfect excuse, if one were needed, for a slightly scary children's book, and that's exactly what There's a Monster in My Fridge is. This rhyming story is hilarious and not only does it include a monster in the fridge, but also a witch behind a screen, a vampire in the cellar and two skeletons in the bath! I'm not exaggerating when I say that I laughed out loud when I read this to Master C for the first time. And as if the words were not funny enough, they are accompanied ... read more
Pom Pom the Champion – Sophy Henn
This was the first time that Master C and I had met Sophy Henn's adorable little panda creation Pom Pom, but I'm so glad we did. Pom Pom the Champion sees Pom Pom bored in the way that so many children always say they are when they don't know what to do. He has a house full of toys and games (which sounds very familiar) but he doesn't know what to do. After his mum suggests they play a game which Pom Pom wins he suddenly decides that winning is what he wants to do. He creates a load of challenges and races for himself which he managed to win and as you might expect he's rather buoyed up by ... read more
I Need a Wee – Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
In my opinion Sue Hendra is quite simply one of the best picture book authors there is. So many of her books (Keith The Cat with the Magic Hat, No-Bot, Doug The Bug That Went Boing!, Supertato to name but a few) have been huge hits in this house and I know that as soon as I open I new one the kids will jump on it straight away. I Need a Wee has to be a brilliant title for a book. It's a phrase that every child shouts regularly and when Little Miss C managed to read the title for herself she just laughed out loud. Like so many children, Alan needs a wee, but he's just too busy to go to the ... read more
Hooray! It’s a New Royal Baby! – Martha Mumford and Ada Grey
Before Prince George was born there was a flurry of children's books about the Royal Baby and in a way it was to be expected - the baby was going to be King or Queen one day and it was a bit bit of history. Part me though wasn't too sure about it all happening before the baby was born though. It just left me feeling a bit uneasy. Since then there have been several books featuring Prince George and I'm ok with that as it helps children learn a little bit about the little boy that will one day be king. There's going to be a new Royal Baby sometime next month though and I can see that the ... read more
This is My Rock – David Lucas
Sharing. One of the lessons that parents wish they could teach their children at a very early age, yet one that seems to take ages for them to really get to grips with. I find myself at playgroups with Master C regularly telling him to "share nicely" with other children and at home I'm constantly telling both children to share their toys. In This is My Rock a young goat stands at the top of a rock, telling anyone that dares to come near that this is his rock, and most definitely not their rock. A bear, an eagle, all the other goats and even a tiny bird are all sent away by the goat as he ... read more
Roo The Roaring Dinosaur – David Bedford and Mandy Stanley
I know I've said this before, but it's such a valid statement that I need to say it again - when you need to talk to a child about something and make sure the message gets home to them, finding an appropriate book has to be the best way to do so. And I'm delighted to say that reading Roo the Roaring Dinosaur with Little Miss C has been the perfect way to start a discussion that we'd been struggling with for a while. Roo is a little dinosaur who is very, very attached to his moomie - his precious comfort blanket. They do absolutely everything together and are the best of friends. One day ... read more
Calming down after Christmas with a bedtime story
I don't know about you, but after Christmas here it seemed like the kids went more than a little bit loopy. I'm not sure if it was all to do with life being really busy with lots of friends and family to see over the holiday, or going away, or the influx of new toys for them both, but this year it's really taken a while for life to get back to normal. I've often found that the only time of the day that's been more predictable was just before bed. That nice bit of time when all the stress of getting them upstairs for a bath is behind you, and all that is left is a good old bedtime story and ... 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
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