Our love affair with Oliver Jeffers continues with ‘How to Catch a Star’.
This story is about a little boy who loves stars. He loves them so much that he wants to find one so that it can be his friend – so he decides to catch a star of his very own! He waits all day but doesn’t see any stars. Then night arrives and a star appears, but it’s too high for him to reach.
He uses lots of inventive ways to try and catch the star – but will he succeed?
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2s1pKUb
One day little owl is sleeping in his tree next to his Mummy when he accidentally falls out and bounces in to the forest. Alone and scared, he meets a squirrel who tries to help him find his Mummy.
Using the little owl’s limited descriptions (Big, Pointy Ears, Big Eyes) the squirrel leads him to lots of animals that he he thinks could be the mum but he can’t quite get it right. Will the little owl manage to make it home safely?
The minimalist illustrations by Chris Haughton are adorable and the story is great for sparking a conversation with your little one about how to describe what someone looks like and what to do if you get lost.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2GvZPqE
We loved The Storm Whale by Benji Davies and recently purchased this sequel – The Storm Whale in Winter. It does not disappoint!
In the original story a little boy called Noi saves a young whale who washes up in the beach during a storm – however in this book it is the whale who comes to the rescue.
Winter is setting in and Noi’s dad (a fisherman) decides to take his boat out on one last trip, but he doesn’t come back. Noi heads out over the frozen sea to find him but soon finds himself lost and stuck.
Enter the little Storm Whale who appears with his whole family to rescue poor Noi. Together they work to find Noi’s dad – but where could he be?
A gorgeous tale of friendship and bravery
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2npHQJQ
Bedtime has become a bit of a challenge at our house this week as Ivy has started chatting rather than sleeping when she gets in to bed.
This evening we have read this lovely little book about how different animals sleep. It’s a short and calm read with beautiful illustrations showing koalas, elephants, giraffes, penguins and more having a snooze.
She went to sleep a little quicker than last night so who knows? It may actually have helped! What are your favourite books to encourage sleep? I would love to hear your recommendations.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2nda2An
This book is so fantastic that I can’t really do it justice in a mini review. It’s beautifully illustrated, well thought out and a great interactive learning tool.
The book itself talks about babies – how to look after them, how to play with them and how to show them love. However what lifts this above other books about babies is the fact you can interact with the pictures and even take the baby and her bottle out of the book to play with.
Ivy loves getting the baby out and keeping it by her side – kissing her, talking to her, feeding her milk and rocking her back and forth – but she always makes sure that she puts her safely back to bed in the back of the book so she doesn’t get lost.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2BmgMQK
This sparkly book is very popular in our house at the moment.
The story is about Pip Pip, a tiny penguin who is scared of the sea. All of his penguin peers laugh at his fears and soon he becomes lonely and sad.He plays by himself on land so that he doesn’t have to go near the water.
One day, following some gentle encouragement from his mum, he tip toes to the edge and leans forward. Can he overcome his fears and jump?
An inspiring little story about courage, with lovely illustrations and some extra sparkle.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2n2Oczz
As it’s National Hugging Day we have been reading The Little Book Of Duggee Hugs.
I’m not usually a fan of tv/movie tie-ins as I find they’re often sloppily written but this is a really cute little book that feels like a natural extension of the Hey Duggee brand.
If you’ve been living under a rock (or you’re not from the UK) then it’s possible that you won’t have heard of Duggee. He’s essentially a scout master with a small band of animal charges (The Squirrels) and in every episode he teaches them a valuable life lesson so that they can earn a badge. Each episode ends with the Squirrels giving him a hug before their parents come to take them home.
It’s Ivy’s favourite show and I’m also a big fan as it’s educational, teaches some great lessons on friendship and it’s both funny and smart.
The book is about the Duggee Hug and outlines all the scenarios when a hug might make you feel better. It’s like a tiny self help book for toddlers!
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2rrCOli
We love this hilarious book by Ross Collins.
A little mouse in an adorable little jumper is absolutely furious to discover a polar bear sitting in his favourite chair. He tries everything he can think of to get the bear to move but he just keeps on sitting on that chair without a care in the world.
Finally the little mouse loses his patience and flips out. Will the bear pay attention?
The illustrations here are fantastic. I love the various stages of annoyance on the little mouse’s face and the nonchalance of the bear.
Ivy thinks it’s funny to press her hands against the pages and try to push the bear off the chair herself!
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2FVBWIF
The Flying Bath by Julia Donaldson has an extremely random story but the rhyme and illustrations never fail to make Ivy giggle.
3 little bath toys (a duck, a frog and a turtle) operate their own little emergency service for animals in urgent need of water. When they receive a call they jump in their magic flying bath and set off to the rescue.
On their adventures they help a thirsty kangaroo, a bee with droopy flowers, a pig who needs a wash and many more. But will they make it home for bathtime?
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2mWKoQn
Side by Side is a really sweet book about finding your best friend.
Little Mouseling is the smallest mouse in a large family of mice. She desperately wants a friend of her own but all of her brothers and sisters are so busy running and playing that they forget all about her.
She sets out to find a friend but although she has plenty of offers of friendship she just can’t find someone who is the right match. Toad is lovely but she can’t swim so can’t join in with his games. Squirrel is great fun but Little Mouseling is too scared to climb his big tree.
But just as she thinks she won’t ever find a friend a shy little vole appears. Could this be the little buddy she’s been searching for?
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2B8y6Z7