Tag

Diverse Representation

If I Had A Dinosaur By Alex Barrow & Gabby Dawnay

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If I Had A DinosaurIvy loves dinosaurs so I always get excited when I see a dino book we haven’t read yet.

This particular book was inspired by the discovery of the bones of  a massive Titanosaur in Argentina in 2014. It’s believed to be the largest dinosaur to have ever lived. What would he have been like as a pet?

The little girl in the story would really, really like a pet dinosaur. She imagines how much fun it would be to take him for a walk in the park or even take him to school!

She sensibly thinks of all the things the dinosaur will need – like food, a dino-flap to get in and out of her house and also somewhere to sleep. She decides that a dinosaur would definitely be the best pet she could ever have.

Cleverly though, the gorgeous illustrations tell a slightly different story. We see squashed cars, giant poops and it’s apparent that the dinosaur is far too large to fit anywhere comfortably!

A fantastic book for dinosaur lovers, but also a useful tool for explaining to your child why a particular pet might not be right for them.

Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent bookshops: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/155/9780500651506

Buy from Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2prLFPM

Note these are affiliate links and Ivy’s Library will receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through them.

Mini Myths: Good Job, Athena! By Joan Holub & Leslie Patricelli

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Good Job, Athena!We recently discovered the Mini Myths series and we’re busy collecting the whole set! Each book takes a well-known tale from Greek mythology and distils it in to a simple modern day story which is relevant relevant to toddlers.

This particular book takes the myth of Arachne and Athena (about hubris and boastfulness) and turns it in to a story which would be very familiar to most pre-schoolers.

In this re-telling Athena is very good at tying bows. Arachne is not as skilled at bow-tying but would very much like lovely bows on her shoes. Athena is a good friend and she ties some nice bows for her. Arachne boasts to the whole class that her bows are the best but she fails to credit poor Athena for having tied them. What will happen when another child in the class asks Arachne to pass on her skill? Will she be able to admit that Athena actually did all the hard work?

We love the simple but spellbinding illustrations (by Leslie Patricelli) and the easy to digest parable. Other myths in the series include Pandora, Hercules, Medusa, Midas, Icarus, Aphrodite and Odysseus.

Buy it now:  http://amzn.to/2FUotRg

She Persisted Around The World by Chelsea Clinton & Alexandra Boiger

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She Persisted Around The WorldOur pick for International Women’s Day 2018 is the fantastic new book by Chelsea Clinton – ‘She Persisted Around The World’.

Featuring the stories of 13 inspiring women, the aim is to show little girls that whoever you are and wherever you live you can achieve their dreams and help change their world. All you need is the courage to believe in yourself and to take that very first step.

The book will introduce your little one to familiar faces like J.K. Rowling, Malala Yousafzai, Marie Curie and Viola Desmond, along with some less familiar but equally amazing characters such as Kate Sheppard, Wangari Maathai, Leymah Gbowee and Yuan Yuan Tan.

This is an important book and I’m really excited to have this in Ivy’s Library. Although she’s still a little young to understand the impact these women have had on the world she is drawn to the beautiful illustrations and is listening to the inspiring stories as she strokes the pictures. I hope they stay with her and encourage her to take big steps out in to the world.

Highly recommended!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2G3U3ww

We’re All Wonders By R.J. Palacio

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We're All WondersAnyone who has read Wonder by R.J. Palacio or seen the recent movie adaptation will be familiar with the story of Auggie – a small boy with a facial disfigurement who enters a mainstream school. If you haven’t read it then it’s highly recommended!

This version of the book is suitable for little children and let’s them see what life is like when you don’t look like everyone else.

Auggie explains how he likes to do all the same things that other children do but because he looks different then people stare and sometimes they are mean to him. He shows you how this makes him feel and how he deals with it.

He knows he can’t change the way he looks but he wants to try and change the way people see because he thinks it will make the world a better place.

We love this one and it’s an excellent book to start a conversation with a pre-schooler about empathy and how we should treat those around us.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2COJJ8v

Ivy’s Guest Book: Nicola Washington AKA @toomuchmotheringinformation

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Nicola WashingtonTell us a little bit about yourself and your family

I’m Nicola, tea-drinker and lapsed reader and I live in South London with the Mr and our two children aged 3 and 5. I was a secondary school English teacher for 12 years, so I have a deeply rooted love of books, but now I bring home the bacon through being a Social Media Specialist for small businesses. This basically means Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are treated like my third, fourth and fifth children – hence being a lapsed reader! I also blog, enjoy yoga and it makes me disproportionately happy when I open the dishwasher and it’s already been emptied.

What is your son/daughter’s favourite book?

My kids are 3 and 5 which means their taste in stories is completely different – annoying at bedtime!

My son is in the midst of a Peppa Pig obsession and loves the fact that Peppa and George are brother and sister, just like him and his sister! We’re moving house soon and all he wants to know is if he can have a bunk bed like his favourite little pigs.

My daughter’s favourite book is currently Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls and she really enjoys choosing a different story each night. That said, she has some firm favourites, so I think I could probably recite Misty Copeland’s story off by heart!

Continue Reading…

Sloth Slept On By Frann Preston-Gannon

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Sloth Slept OnToday we visited the zoo with Ivy for the first time and she loved seeing all of the animals. In the gift shop I let her pick a book for her collection and she chose this lovely one about a sloth.

Three little children are playing in their garden when they discover a strange animal sleeping in the tree. What on earth is it and where did it come from?

They try asking grown ups but they’re too busy. They look in their books but they can’t find any animals that look like him. They use their imaginations and wonder if he came from space or if he’s a hairy pirate or a brave knight.

Will they ever find out what he is and where he comes from? And if they do, how will they get him home?

The illustrations are gorgeous and the book features lots of interesting facts about sloths for your little ones to learn!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2EQdJ9h