Leo is not like other lions. He doesn’t feel compelled to hunt other animals, he just wants to cuddle them and shower them with love. As he is a little unusual and isn’t bringing any food to the pride, he is forced to leave his family and go it alone.
Will his loving approach help or hinder him as the little lion tries to survive on the plains alone?
This is such a sweet book with a lovely message about the importance of kindness.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2CuWHtn
Tiddler is a very cheeky fish who likes to tell little white lies to impress his friends. Whenever he’s late for school he tells extravagant tales of mermaids, treasure chests and sea turtles to explain away his tardiness.
One day he’s so engrossed in coming up with a new story that he doesn’t spot a fishing net and soon finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Is it possible that his tall tales might be able to save him and help him find his way back home?
This is one of our favourites from Julia Donaldson.The rhyming is super catchy and we speed up a lot as we get towards the end of the story, leaving us breathless and giggling by the last page
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2ClVGpV
Pom Pom the Panda is having a bad day.He got out of bed on the wrong my side and now nothing is going right.
He can’t find his blanky, his cereal is all soggy, the sun is too shiny and the birds are too noisy. When he gets to school his friends try to cheer him up but he yells at them to go away. Will he be able to recover from the grumps and will his friends forgive him?
We love the cute illustrations in this one and the story teaches a good lesson about saying sorry.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2CnlJdT
Our bedtime book this evening was this beautiful classic.
It’s the night before Christmas, everything is ready for the big day and everyone is sound asleep. But then a little boy wakes up to a sound outside and heads to his bedroom window to see what is going on. Could it possibly be Santa and his Reindeer in the garden?
There are lots of different picture book versions of this classic poem but I’d definitely recommend this one as the illustrations are gorgeous.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2C0R7Pr
Ivy is a bit young to fully appreciate this one yet but she loves the pictures, which is why I’m including it in our selection of Christmas books.
Receiving presents from Santa is obviously fantastic but Raymond Briggs flips this on its head and tells the story of Christmas from Santa’s point of view – and it looks like hard work!
He has to roll out of bed, feed his deer, have his breakfast, get dressed up in his Santa outfit, hook up his sleigh, brave terrible weather and travel the world delivering presents, all whilst dealing with the fact he’s coming down with a cold. Poor Santa!
The story is predominantly told in pictures, allowing you to ‘read’ it to your child however you like.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2pi9SuM
This little penguin has big problems.
He’s cold. It’s too early. It’s too bright. The sea is too salty. He looks silly when he waddles. He can’t fly. He looks the same as everyone else. No one cares about his problems.
Yup – this penguin is your toddler!
When his complaining gets too much, a wise old walrus steps in and tries to put his problems in to perspective and encourages him to marvel at the wonderful world around him.
Can the little penguin look outside of himself and see that things really aren’t that bad for him after all?
We love the illustrations in this one and Ivy adores the ‘pingwings’.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2kTt78P
Preparations for Christmas are underway at Mog’s house and he is not a happy cat.
Everyone is busy, there are too many people in the house and to top it all off someone has brought a tree in to the living room. A tree!
He escapes to the roof but it begins to snow and he soon gets cold.
Will Mog’s family be able to coax him down and show him just how lovely Christmas can be?
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2BTJ49D
Poor Stick Man. All he wants to do is go for a little jog but everyone interferes and he ends up on an epic adventure trying to get back to his family.
First a dog uses him as a stick, then a little girl uses him as a pooh stick, then a swan weaves him in to her nest, then a dad uses him as a flag mast for a sand castle…
As Christmas approaches he worries that he won’t reach his family, but a chance encounter with Santa might just get him home on time.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2B1kuQa
Little Pip is very excited about Christmas but as he’s only tiny his concept of time is a little off. Every morning he wakes up Daddy Grizzle convinced that it is Christmas Day – but there are still 4 more sleeps to go.
Daddy Grizzle manages to fill the days with lots of festive activities – choosing a tree, writing cards, wrapping presents – and shows Little Pip that the build up to Christmas can be just as exciting as the day itself.
Super cute, with lovely illustrations.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2CVtub0
Kevin the koala lives in a tree surrounded by a beautiful landscape and scores of fun-loving animals. However instead of exploring with his friends he stays up in his tree because he is scared of change. Up there he is safe and nothing bad can happen to him. Why would he risk doing something which might scare him?
Then one day a woodpecker arrives and changes Kevin’s world forever. What will happen when he is forced out of his comfort zone?
I love this book because we’ve all been Kevin – and I think it’s so important for kids to see that stretching yourself and facing your fears can truly enrich your life and bring you closer to your dreams.
Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2BuEJt5