Friendship Archives - Page 4 of 8

Tag

Friendship

Sat
29 ^th

The Giant Jumperee By Julia Donaldson & Helen Oxenbury

You may have noticed that we haven’t posted any reviews for the last few days and this is because Ivy and I have both been under the weather. We’ve had nasty colds which has meant we’ve spent a lot of time together, cuddled under the sofa blanket, watching Disney movies and reading books.

This lovely collaboration between Julia Donaldson and Helen Oxenbury (who illustrated ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’) has been Ivy’s first choice all week!

The story starts with Rabbit, who is heading home for the day. When he gets to his burrow he is met with a loud voice which shouts ‘I’m the GIANT JUMPEREE and I’m scary as can be!’. Rabbit doesn’t know what this loud Jumperee creature is so he runs away. Cat offers to step in and help but when he approaches the burrow he is also shouted at by the terrifying Jumperee. Bear steps forward to help, followed by Elephant but each time they are scared away.

Thu
20 ^th

The Paper Dolls By Julia Donaldson & Rebecca Cobb

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

We discovered this gem in our local library about 18 months ago and Ivy loved it so much that I bought us a copy that same week. The story is beautiful and I’m not ashamed to say that I bawled my eyes out the first time I read it!

This lovely book is about a little girl whose Mummy makes her a set of 5 paper dolls. She gives them names, plays with them constantly and invents a little song for the dolls to sing about their friendship.

In the girl’s vivid imagination the paper dolls do battle with dinosaurs, tigers and crocodiles. They explore magical islands (on the breakfast table) and dance through forests (in the garden).

Together they come through every adventure unscathed. Until one day they encounter a little boy with a pair of scissors and suddenly the dolls are no more.

Sat
15 ^th

Sharing A Shell By Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

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.

Wed
05 ^th

The Dog That Ate The World By Sandra Dieckmann

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Down in the valley life is happy and peaceful – bears, foxes and birds roam the beautiful countryside. The different species live harmoniously alongside each other.

Then one day a big dog appears. The dog has a terrible hunger and eats everything in his sight. To try and calm him, a fox steps forward and plays a tune on his fiddle, but the dog just gobbles him up. The fox continues to play his tune from within the dog’s tummy and it’s heard by some brave bunnies who try to rescue him – but they also find themselves in the belly of the beast.

The dog refuses to listen to reason and continues to feed his hunger by consuming everything in his path – but deep in his tummy a community of animals is coming together. They light a fire and sit down to talk of the future. Together, they work together to rebuild their world on the inside.

Tue
28 ^th

The Snail And The Whale By Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

The Snail And The Whale is one of our favourite collaborations between Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. There’s a real sense of adventure but the rhyme is also very calming so it’s perfect for bedtime.

The story is about a little snail who longs to travel – but her family thinks she’s a little crazy and don’t understand at all! She’s determined to see the world so she hitches a lift on the tail of a humpback whale. On their magnificent journey the snail sees icebergs and volcanoes, beautiful beaches and strange animals. She is amazed at how big the world is and this makes her feel small and insignificant.

Wed
22 ^nd

The Only Way Is Badger
by Stella J Jones & Carmen Saldaña

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

This beautifully illustrated book about a group of woodland animals is extremely topical and we love it!

Badger is very proud of being a badger and he thinks that badgers are best. So much so that he thinks that everyone should be a badger! To try and make this a reality he builds a wall around the forest and puts posters up on all the trees encouraging the other animals to ‘be more badger’.

He’s a very confident public speaker so when he tells everyone that badgers are best the animals begin to wonder if he could be right and they question their own identities.

Wed
08 ^th

Ella Queen of Jazz
by Helen Hancocks

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Until a few years ago I wasn’t aware that Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe had been friends and that without each other they may never have reached their true potential or become the icons they are today. It’s a fantastic story and i’m so glad this book exists so that I can share it with Ivy.

The empowering tale starts with Ella Fitzgerald, a woman of colour with a truly amazing voice. She tours the country playing in small jazz clubs with her band but unfortunately there are many places where she isn’t welcome. Because of the colour of her skin, many venues refuse to let her play, including the largest and most well-known club of all.

But unbeknown to Ella, she has a fan who is soon to become a friend. An actress called Marilyn Monroe loves Ella’s music so she calls the club and says that if the owner books Ella to play for a week she will personally visit each night and sit in the front row, ensuring the paparazzi and press will be there. The owner agrees, Marilyn sticks to her word and Ella gets the opportunity to play to large audiences every night. She is a hit and becomes a huge star.

Sun
05 ^th

Blue Chameleon By Emily Gravett

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett is a really simple book but we have spent hours reading it and talking about all the questions which the beautiful illustrations present you with.

At the start of the story the little chameleon is feeling blue because he doesn’t have any friends. Each of the following pages shows him trying (and failing) to make friends with a different animal or object the only way he knows how – by changing colour!

He turns yellow to chat to a banana but the banana doesn’t want to talk. He rolls himself up and dons purple spots to speak to a spotty ball but the ball isn’t interested. The same goes for a brown boot, a green grasshopper, a goldfish and many many more. Will poor chameleon ever find a friend? (Spoiler alert – yes he does!)

Fri
03 ^rd

The Magical Wood By Mark Lemon & Maia Walczak

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

I’m breaking my own rules with this book as I confess it isn’t one which I have read with Ivy. It’s a tiny bit old for her just yet (the recommended age range is 3-8) but it’s an important book covering a difficult topic so I am sharing it in the hope it may be helpful to you, our followers.

The Magical Wood was written to help small children deal with the emotions they may feel around bereavement, particularly the death of a close family member.

The wood is a beautiful place which is home to a family of trees. It’s a happy place visited by lots of little animals who love to play and splash in the river. One night there is a terrible storm and when the tree family wake up they discover that the Strongest Tree (one of the oldest trees in the wood) has fallen in the night and is no longer alive. The trees know that their lives have now changed forever and many tears are shed. How can they continue without the Strongest Tree?

Wed
01 ^st

Tabby McTat By Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

We have been reading Tabby McTat to Ivy since she was about 6 months old and it’s still one of her all time favourites. When she was tiny she was just drawn to the illustrations of the cats (one of them looks a little like ours) but now she’s older she loves the story and knows the little song off by heart!

Tabby McTat is a scruffy little street cat who belongs to a busker. He loves his life wandering the streets of London with his owner, and he enjoys singing along when the busker performs. An unlucky chain of events result in the two friends being accidentally separated and McTat ends up living with a girl cat called Sock.

Sock and McTat become the best of friends and soon they end up with a small litter kittens. McTat loves his cosy new life but he never forgets the wonderful busker. One day he decides that he simply has to find out what happened to him so he kisses his little family goodbye and sets off in search of his old pal.

Older Posts →

← Newer Posts