Sharing Archives - Ivy's Library

The Whale Who Wanted More
by Rachel Bright & Jim Field

Humphrey the whale is never quite satisfied. He glides through the ocean with his many possessions strapped to his back, always on the look out for the next new thing to capture his attention. However, no matter how many treasures he amasses, he always wants more.

Driven by his desire to consume, Humphrey lives a lonely and dissatisfied life until one day he spots a reef which is bursting with colour and life. There are so many shiny, fun things – surely this is what he has been looking for? He circles above, constructing a plan.

Unbeknownst to him, the creatures who live below are also unhappy. Instead of seeing the beauty of their magical surroundings they bicker and shout at each other, jostling for space amongst the coral. They’re too busy being grumpy to notice the covetous whale start to swim down towards them…

Fri
18 ^th

Little Rabbit’s Big Surprise
by Swapna Haddow & Alison Friend

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It’s time for another chapter book review and this one is utterly adorable!

Little Rabbit is a very bored bunny, so when the opportunity comes along for her to spend the day with her grandfather – Big Rabbit – she is very excited indeed. Big Rabbit tells her he has lots of work to do and she can be his assistant. Little Rabbit thinks this sounds like fun but she’s a little confused. As far as she’s aware her grandfather doesn’t have a job – he just spends all his time talking to his friends!

Over the course of the day the two rabbits encounter lots of different animals who need help. The entrance to Mole’s new burrow is much darker than he had realised and he’s worried that Little Mole and his friends might take a tumble. Granny Hedgehog has a nasty cold and she’s feeling very lonely in her little nest by herself. Dormouse has just moved in to a new house but it needs a lot of work and he has four little babies to feed and look after. And poor Squirrel has sprained her paw which means she can’t forage for food for her young children.

Sat
15 ^th

Sharing A Shell By Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks

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Sharing a Shell by Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks is a lovely little book about sharing and friendship, which we have read over and over again.

The story is about a little hermit crab who is looking for a new home. He finds a lovely shiny shell and moves right in but then he meets an anemone who wants to move in too! He really doesn’t want to share his shell but the anemone explains that he can help ward off predators so will earn his keep. The crab reluctantly agrees and soon realises that having the anemone around is really helpful and they are very happy living together. Then up rocks a bristleworm who also wants to move in. Again, the crab isn’t keen but relents when he realises that the bristleworm will keep the shell nice and clean.

Thu
19 ^th

Dinosaurs Love Underpants By Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

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Like most toddlers, Ivy loves dinosaurs so as you can imagine we have quite a few dinosaur-themed books. This is one of her favourites and it never fails to make her laugh.

The story is about how the dinosaurs became extinct, and if you think they were wiped out by an asteroid or another mass extinction event then you are sadly mistaken. It’s all because of UNDERPANTS!

The clever little cavemen invented underpants to cover up their rude bits because they felt a little bit embarrassed when they were nude. As soon as the dinosaurs see them they are besotted with pants and they all want some, but they just don’t fit right which makes the dinos all grouchy. Soon a massive pants war is raging as they each try to get their claws on the best pairs.

Wed
09 ^th

Sharing Time By Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen

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I have been a big fan of the Toddler Tools books by Elizabeth Verdick ever since Calm-Down Time helped us with controlling tantrums. This other title from the series – Sharing Time – is the one we’re currently reading a lot and i’m hoping we’ll have similar success!

It shows how it’s fun to share some things (like hugs and see-saws for example) but more difficult to share others. Children worry about sharing their toys because they aren’t sure if they will get them back or if they will be broken.

Using calming language the books teaches children the words they need in order to be able to share things with their friends. It helps them identify the feelings they experience when they don’t want to share and offers a little breathing exercise they can do in order to regulate their emotions and move forward without a major incident. Ultimately it shows that we all have more fun when we play together nicely and share – something which is true for both toddlers and grown-ups alike!

Fri
04 ^th

The Steves By Morag Hood

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This isn’t the book I was planning to review today. We only bought this one yesterday and I usually like to have a book in the house for a few weeks before I write about it so that I can get a proper feel for it. This story is a little bit different though. It’s captured Ivy’s imagination to such an extent that I felt the need to share it with you straight away!

At the start of the story you meet a puffin who introduces himself as Steve – but on the very next page we meet another puffin, who is also called Steve! The two puffins are not happy about this development. They each want to be Steve and they don’t want to share the title.

What follows is a madcap competition to prove which one is the most Steve – the very Stevest of Steves there can be. They compare birthdays, heights, speed and fishing abilities and when none of these provide the right outcome they start trading insults instead.

Wed
11 ^th

Iris And Isaac By Catherine Rayner

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Iris and Isaac are beautiful polar bears and they are best friends. However their inability to share causes them to have a little falling out. Iris makes a snow nest which is a bit too small for both of them to snuggle up in. They each try to squish their big bottoms in, trying to get a bigger space for themselves but they end up destroying the whole nest and walking away from each other in a huff.

However they soon discover that life can be pretty sad without someone to share it with. When Iris spots a flock of snowy white ducks in flight she wishes she could tell Isaac about it – and Isaac spots the northern lights he wishes Iris was there to share the moment with him.

Can these lovely bears learn to share so they can be friends again?

Sat
31 ^st

Please And Thank You By Amanda Li

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I’ve recently bought a number of Pirate Pete and Princess Polly books as I find them really effective. Each book in the series introduces your child to a change in their daily life which they may experience as a toddler – and may push back against because it’s unfamiliar and therefore potentially frightening.

The series covers many things including potty training, moving to a big girl/boy bed, going to nursery and becoming a big brother/sister.

This particular book is about manners and it has really encouraged Ivy to say please and thank you more often.

Sat
24 ^th

The Squirrels Who Squabbled By Rachel Bright & Jim Field

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We are big fans of Rachel Bright and Jim Field so we have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new collaboration and we’re happy to say that it’s fab!

Cyril and Bruce are Squirrels who both have their eye on the last pine cone of the season – but for very different reasons. Cyril has partied his way through the year and hasn’t collected any food for the winter. Bruce, on the other hand, has amassed large stocks of food but is worried it won’t be enough.

An epic squabble ensues which puts both of their lives in danger. Can these two squirrels put their differences and work together to survive?

This is a gorgeous tale about friendship and sharing, with a big splash of adventure thrown in for good measure.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2otV4Xt

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