As well as the many non-fiction books that Ladybird produced they were also responsible for many children of a certain generation learning to read through their Key Words Reading Scheme. This book, Picture Reading, was designed to fit in before children actually started reading though. The aim is to encourage parents to sit down with their children and to talk about what they see in the pictures and possibly relate what they see to things in their own lives. Picture Reading was the only book in series 721 and was originally published in 1972. Harry Wingfield was responsible for the artwork for ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday
As Ladybird Tuesday gathers steam I thought it worthwhile trying to pull together an index of all the books that people are writing about and to separate them into series. I will try to update this as often as possible, but please remember that I can only include the posts I know about. All books listed without links are ones that I own but have not yet written about. Ones where someone else has written a review are also owned by me if they have a * next to their title. Series 401 Bunnikin's Picnic Party Ginger's Adventures Smoke and Fluff Lost at the Fair The Green Umbrella Bunny's First ... read more
Octonauts and the Undersea Eruption
Another CBeebies tie-in today, but rather than reading about Knights we've now moved to under the sea and the Octonauts. A slight difference here is that the Octonauts originated as characters in books before moving to the small screen. Following their TV success they're now ready to go on some new adventures in books. In The Octonauts and the Undersea Eruption the Octonauts have to deal with an emergency caused by a volcano at the bottom of the ocean that is erupting. Will they be able to get everyone out in time? In particular the three floating blobfish, Bob, Bob and ... ... read more
Mike the Knight and the Real Sword
Mike the Knight is someone we've only recently got to know. For those of you that are not familiar with him - he's a Knight in Training who lives in CBeebies-land here in the UK. A wiki search tells me he might actually be Canadian, but I somehow had it in my head that all knights were English, so that's what I'm choosing to believe for now. To tie in with a new series having started on CBeebies this year two new Mike the Knight books have been released by Simon and Schuster and we were sent a copy of Mike the Knight and the Real Sword to review. In the story, Mike is due to ... read more
Millionaire Shortbread
When I was working in London there was a coffee shop just down the road from my office that sold the most amazing millionaire shortbread ever and since then I have been addicted to the stuff. Some places make it a bit too sweet and sickly, but I've followed this recipe a few times now and it always seems to turn out really well. I just have a handwritten version of this recipe from my sister which I have then gone on to tweak, but I believe that it's originally from the Hairy Bikers. Ingredients Base 125g butter 50g sugar 175g plain ... read more
Review: Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover
Bearing in mind that it's the most natural way of feeding your baby there's no doubt that breastfeeding can also be bloody difficult. Not only can there be issues about milk supply (either not enough or too much) but some babies struggle to latch on properly at first and older babies can also get distracted and find everything else more interesting no matter how hungry they are. I was incredibly lucky with Little Miss C as I had plenty of milk, she fed very quickly and when she was hungry not much else distracted her. I'm also lucky living in St Albans as there are literally ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries
There's absolutely no doubt that I was something of a geeky child. I had a chemistry set and also a selection of batteries, bulbs and electric wires. I also had a magnet set that I loved so much that when I saw the same one for sale on eBay last year (in new condition) I bought it instantly to put away for Little Miss C and her, then still a bump, baby brother. It's no wonder that I went on to study physics and chemistry at A-Level and engineering at university. I would have loved the Ladybird Junior Science Book Magnets, Bulbs and Batteries - in fact some of the projects look so ... read more
Snug as a Bug – Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot
Someone at Simon and Schuster must be totally in tune with when my kids are either under the weather or being awkward as it always ties in beautifully with when review books arrive from them. That's exactly what happened last week when Master C was full of cold and demanding almost constant feeding. Luckily the postman delivered a copy of Snug as a Bug and I was able to snuggle up on the sofa with them both to read it straight away. Any book that has a main character named after Master C is a sure fire hit in this house and that's exactly what we had here. The book starts ... read more
A spot of Telly Nostalgia
Just in case it's passed you by I feel it my moral duty to inform you of an amazing event that's going on this weekend. It's 30 years since those people at ITV started doing kids programmes - Children's ITV as it was known, CITV in modern speak - and to celebrate they're turning the CITV channel (that one you watch sometimes when you overshoot CBeebies on the remote) over to some of the best shows from the last 30 years. A quick look at the schedules (in this Radio Times article) shows some great memories from my childhood as well as plenty of others I'd forgotten. ... read more
Toddler friendly hidden vegetable bolognese
I'd put money on Little Miss C not being the only toddler out there who isn't particularly keen on fruit and veg. After a Christmas season in which she went to several parties that presented her with the opportunity to eat her own body weight in crisps we thought it about time to try to reverse this unhelthy eating trend. LMC has always been a fan of meat dishes and would quite happily snack on sausages or similar in the same way that other (healthier) children might eat a banana or an apple. Over the last couple of years I've therefore become quite good at trying to squeeze as ... read more