February 2020

Month

Thu
27 ^th

Pug Hug by Zehra Hicks

The pug in this book really wants a hug. He asks all of his animal friends but no one seems interested. Hamster is busy spinning on his wheel, Rabbit is eating carrots, Cat just doesn’t like hugs, the parrots laugh at him and Fish… well, hugging Fish would be a little tricky.

Feeling dejected, Pug curls up and snuggles himself. His ears prick up when a crocodile offers him a cuddle but he soon realises the croc has ulterior motives! Will Pug ever get the big hug he desires?

This book has been a big hit with us! The vibrant illustrations jump right off the page and Ivy has fallen in love with the adorable Pug character.

Sun
23 ^rd

Slow Samson
by Bethany Christou

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Everybody loves Samson. He is a kind and considerate sloth who is always available for a chat or to give a helping hand. As a result he has many friends and gets lots of exciting party invitations. There’s only one problem – Samson is very, very slow.

On party days he always leaves home on time, but his slow movements and his kindly nature mean he is always late. In fact, he usually arrives after the party has ended which always makes him very sad.

His friends love him dearly and recognise that Samson is never late through any fault of his own. He just can’t move fast enough, and if he sees someone in need along the way he simply has to stop and help because that’s his nature.

Sun
23 ^rd

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak & Julian Frost

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If you’re looking for a simple but effective way of teaching your child about germs then I highly recommend this book! It uses a mixture of cute characters and photographs taken under a microscope to show how germs spread and where they live.

On the first page we meet Min the microbe, a little blue creature with an enormous grin (who is actually an e-coli).

The reader is encouraged to take Min on an adventure by touching the page to pick him up. You are then asked to transport him to a variety of places, including your teeth, your top and your belly button! In each instance we see photos taken under a microsocope of the surface Min is standing on, as well as the other microbes he meets along the way (Hello Rae the streptococcus, Dennis the fungus and Jake the corynebacterium!).

Sun
23 ^rd

Chatterbox Bear
by Pippa Curnick

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Gary the bear loves to chat. He chats at the supermarket, he chats in the library and he even chats in the bath! The trouble is, he’s giving all the other bears a headache with his incessant ‘Raar-ing’.

The chatterbox bear decides to set off on an adventure to find some animals who like to talk as much as he does. He sets sail on a boat and eventually he finds himself on an island surrounded by chatty birds. However they all speak Bird and can’t understand Bear.

They try to make sense of all Gary’s ‘Raars’ but they are baffled by the noises he makes. Why can’t he just Squawk like they do?

Mon
03 ^rd

My Monster And Me by Nadiya Hussain & Ella Bailey

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Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions experienced by children but it can be a difficult topic to discuss with someone who is too young to put their feelings in to words. This book uses the metaphor of a monster, albeit a friendly yellow one, to help kids understand.

At the start of the story a young boy introduces his monster and explains that it has been around for as long as he can remember. It’s large, loud and bossy, and it often gets in his way when he’s trying to enjoy himself. When his parents are around the monster hides so he doesn’t feel like he can talk to them about it, but he really wishes it would go away.

One day it all becomes too much and he opens his heart to his grandmother. In tears, he tells her all about the intolerable monster and how it just won’t leave him alone – but as he talks, something special happens. The monster starts to shrink! As the words tumble from his mouth the monster gets smaller and smaller until eventually he can pick it up and pop it in his pocket. Although he knows the monster will always be there, the little boy now knows that he is in control rather than the other way around.

Sat
01 ^st

The Garden of Hope
by Isabel Otter & Katie Rewse

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Maya’s house feels different without Mum. Her Dad is trying his best but he’s a little overwhelmed and the house, the garden and Maya herself are all a little untidy. She’s very grateful for her Dad and her dog Pip but sometimes she still feels lonely and anxious. Everything about her life has changed.

But then one day her Dad gathers Maya on to his lap and tells her a story. He explains that her Mum used to feel anxious too but she kept her worries at bay by planting and growing beautiful things in the garden. On the table in front of her Maya sees multiple packets of seeds and smiles.

Maya sets to work. She pulls up the weeds, she untangles the swing and she plants her first seeds in the ground. As she toils she thinks about her Mum but the green space makes her calm and she starts to feel like she has a purpose.