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Animals

Wed
04 ^th

1 to 20 Animals a Plenty
by Katie Viggers

1 to 20 Animals a Plenty is officially our favourite counting book. It’s quirky, cool and makes Ivy laugh out loud!

As it moves through the numbers it introduces you to a host of animals doing ridiculous things, making it really memorable for toddlers. You won’t find five little ducks here. Instead we see llamas in pyjamas, gorillas gazing in mirrors and naughty raccoons who have stolen balloons from baboons.

The illustrations are both elegant and amusing and there are lots of different animals to explore. I love that it stays away from the traditional farmyard animals (although there are a few mixed in) and gives your child the opportunity to learn about some more exotic creatures. Ivy definitely didn’t know what a capybara was before we read this but she now recognises them and can (just about) pronounce it!

Tue
26 ^th

A Little Paper Caper By Oliver Jeffers

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We are huge fans of Oliver Jeffers and I had thought we owned all of his books, until Ivy spotted this one in our local bookshop and started gleefully shouting ‘Bear! Bear! Bear!’. This is a special board book version of an earlier work called The Great Paper Caper.

The animals in the forest are all very confused. Lots and lots of branches were going missing from trees and their beloved home is beginning to look a little forlorn. What is happening to all the trees? At first the animals all blame each other but it soon becomes clear they all have alibis. Until one day they find a paper aeroplane with Bear’s paw prints all over it.

Is Bear responsible for damaging the trees and lying to his friends? And what’s with all the paper aeroplanes?

Tue
19 ^th

This Zoo Is Not For You
by Ross Collins

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When Platypus arrives at the zoo on interview day the other animals assume that he’s there to apply for a spot at their establishment. Clutching an envelope and wearing a baseball cap and old woolly scarf, Platypus doesn’t seem to be quite what they’re looking for.

As he moves through each stage of the interview the different animals each take one look at him and decide that he’s definitely not up to the job. The panda doesn’t think he’s special enough, the flamingos think he’s ugly, the monkeys don’t think he is smart enough – and he doesn’t even get the chance to open his mouth and speak!

Annoyed, the platypus drops the envelope he was carrying and walks out of the zoo. When they open it they realise that he wasn’t applying for a job at all and their judgemental and rude behaviour will mean they miss out on some fun. Will they be able to convince Platypus to forgive them?

Sat
16 ^th

One Happy Tiger By Catherine Rayner

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We love ‘Augustus and His Smile‘ by Catherine Rayner so we were really excited to see this lovely counting book which features the same character.

The book starts with lovely Augustus sitting on his own feeling lonely, but as we slowly count from 1 to 10 he meets some new friends, including bugs, birds, butterflies and bees.

This feels like it has a little more depth than your average counting book because the themes of friendship and nature are central to the simple narrative. As always, Catherine Rayner‘s illustrations are breathtaking and the animals seem to jump off the page.

If you’re looking for a baby or toddler gift that is educational, sturdy and beautiful to look at then this would be perfect.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2t0dcug

Thu
14 ^th

Billy And The Beast By Nadia Shireen

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This one was only published a few weeks ago but I have read it so many times since it arrived that it feels like we’ve had it forever.

Billy and Fatcat are taking a walk through the woods when they stumble across a nasty beast who has hatched an evil plan. He has captured a fox, a hedgehog, 2 mice and 3 super cute bunnies and he plans to boil them up in to soup.

Quick-thinking Billy soon has the Beast in a tizz but, armed with only the items she has stashed in her amazing afro, can she save the animals from the soup before it is too late?

We love this book. It has all the right ingredients for a great children’s story – a feisty female protagonist, a feline sidekick, a scary monster and a whole host of adorable woodland animals!

Tue
12 ^th

Mopoke By Philip Bunting

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Until we bought this book I had no idea what a Mopoke was, but a quick google search informed me it’s a type of owl which is native to Australia!

The little Mopoke in the story just wants to sit on his branch and relax – but the author has other ideas. Each page features a different play on the word Mopoke, with a funny visual to match. Our favourites are the Mo’poke who sports a natty moustache and the ‘Fropoke who has an amazing afro.

The illustrations are fantastic and make both myself and Ivy laugh. If you watch the poor little Mopoke’s eyes you can see him slowly getting more and more frustrated until he finally loses his cool.

It’s such a simple book but we seem to find a new and amusing detail every time we read it. Recommended!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2l5xaiQ

Sun
10 ^th

You’re Safe With Me By Chitra Soundar & Poonam Mistry

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When night falls in the Indian forest it is time for the baby animals to go to sleep. However on this particular evening a storm is brewing and the noises make the little ones afraid. Suddenly the forest is full of unfamiliar noises and their imaginations run wild. The trees are swooshing, the wind is howling, lightening is flashing and thunder rolls in the sky.

Fortunately Mama Elephant is there to calm their fears. Each time they are woken by a noise she gives a lovely description of what is happening and why. For example the wind huffs and puffs because it is tired from all the hard work it has been doing gathering seeds from faraway lands and bringing them to the forest. She finishes each little story with a soft whisper of “You’re safe with me”.

Sat
02 ^nd

What The Ladybird Heard By Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks

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‘What The Ladybird Heard’ is one of our favourite books by Julia Donaldson and we’ve been reading it since Ivy was just a few months old.

The story is about a tiny ladybird who lives on a farm. All of the animals around her are very noisy but she just quietly goes about her business, not saying a word. Then one night everything changes. She overhears a conversation between two burglars (the wonderfully named Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len) and discovers their evil plot to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow.

She goes to the other animals and for once she speaks up, telling them about her fantastic plan to thwart the burglary. The animals listen carefully and they all agree to play their part, which involves impersonating each other in order to confuse the thieves.

Wed
23 ^rd

My Colourful Chameleon By Leonie Roberts & Mike Byrne

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This colourful book by Leonie Roberts and Mike Byrne is about a little girl with a pet chameleon. She loves her pet but he causes lots of trouble because he’s constantly changing colour and getting lost!

The little girl tries to explain that chameleons are supposed to change colour but her mummy just doesn’t understand and threatens to take him away. After the chameleon gets lost at school and gets her in to trouble with her teachers, her mummy decides enough is enough and takes him to the vets.

Will the little girl have to say goodbye to her lovely pet or will the vet be able to help?

The tight rhyme scheme, cute story and fantastic illustrations make this a great book for toddlers – particularly if they are already a fan of lizards!

Tue
22 ^nd

Space Tortoise
by Ross Montgomery & David Litchfield

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This lovely story is about a little tortoise who lives all on his own in a bin in a disused old park. He has a nice cosy home but his life is missing one thing – friends! He has searched all over the park but has never seen another animal so he feels very lonely.

One evening, as he sits holding a tiny candle and gazing out at the world, he spots lots of little lights in the sky. He wonders if it is possible there are lots of other animals up there also holding candles, and if so, how can he get to them?

The next day he finds a book about rockets so he fashions himself a space suit and sets off in the direction of what looks like a rocket in the distance. He braves a great desert (a sandpit) and sails across a wide ocean (a paddling pool) but when he gets there the rocket isn’t quite what it first seemed.

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