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
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
The Sleepy Train – Mark Marshall
I've said it many time on here, but I love books that promote conversation and prompt Little Miss C to ask questions and discover new things. The Sleepy Train is a sweet book in which Bear and his friends take a journey on the sleepy train all the way to the Land of Nod. Written in rhyming couplets it's got a good rhythm to read out loud at bedtime and has lovely illustrations with lots for young children to recognise and spot, especially in terms of animals. I did have to explain the whole concept of the Land of Nod to LMC as it was a phrase that she wasn't at all familiar with. What ... read more
The Mouse Who Ate the Moon – Petr Horacek
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about the benefits of reading with young children. In fact, Chris Evans wrote about it beautifully in the run up to last week's 500 words competition that he ran on Radio 2 in conjunction with the Hay Festival. I love reading with my children, not just at bedtime, but what fascinates me most is how their thoughts and questions are influenced by what we've been reading. So often we'll be reading one book and Little Miss C will reference back to another one and talk about how they're similar or different. She'll even spot themes that I haven't even really ... read more
Little Lou and the Woolly Mammoth – Paula Bowles
Is it just me, or are Woolly Mammoths just the sort of animals that you don't really think about much? Certainly I don't, yet Little Lou and the Woolly Mammoth is the second book that we've been sent to review featuring one (the last being How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth) so Little Miss C is becoming quite familiar with them. Little Lou is bored playing with her toys and wants someone to play with instead. She suddenly sees something move in her pile of toys and goes to investigate. Then she finds a woolly thread, so she following it and her adventure with her new woolly thread begins. A ... read more
Review: Little Learners from Parragon Books
It's well known as to how much Little Miss C loves books and she seems to get excited whenever the postman arrives with a package and has started asking if all parcels that arrive are books for her! We were both very pleased to open one jiffy bag containing a selection of books from the new Little Learners range from Parragon Books. The first thing that strikes you about the Little Learners books is that they are lovely soft muted colours rather than the usual primary colours of baby and toddler books. They are also incredibly tactile books too, more so than many others in our ... read more