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Wed
15 ^th

Find Out About: Families
by Pat-A-Cake & Louise Forshaw

Families come in all shapes and sizes and this little board book from Pat-A-Cake is a great way to introduce this concept to small children.

Each double page spread looks at a different aspect of family life and then introduces you to a child and their individual set up. There is then a question which encourages kids to think about their own family and how it may differ from others.

The book explores family size, different types of homes and environments, leisure activities, special holidays, job roles, celebrations, and family trees. It is very inclusive, with different races and religions represented along with single parents, step-parents, same-sex parents, foster parents and families with grandparents as primary carers. We see children in wheelchairs and children wearing glasses. It also features a parent who is unable to work due to illness, which is not something I have seen in a children’s book before.

Wed
15 ^th

Like The Ocean We Rise
by Nicola Edwards & Sarah Wilkins

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

This mesemerising, rhyming picture book examines the devastating effect that climate change is having on our planet and asks childen to consider how they might be able to play their part in preserving our future.

In the Arctic, ice is melting. In Queensland, the coral reefs are being bleached white. In the rainforest, trees are being chopped down. In Uganda, the earth is parched from lack of rain. But what can we do? We are so small so how can one person’s actions possibly change the world?

The answer is to rise like the ocean. Each of us is just a raindrop but even raindrops cause a ripple when they land. With enough momentum, ripples can grow in to waves and waves can create real, lasting change.

Tue
14 ^th

When A Dragon Goes To School
by Caryl Hart & Rosalind Beardshaw

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

If your little one is headed to ‘big school’ later this year then I would definitely recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this gorgeous book to read over the summer holidays!

Before Ivy and I read this together I asked her a question – how do you think a dragon would behave if they went to school? She immediately answered ‘NAUGHTY’, which was exactly what I was expecting her to say! This set the scene perfectly for the story as it turns out that dragons are better behaved than she realised…

The story follows an adorable dragon as she navigates her first day at school. We see her say goodbye to her mum and dad and greet her new friends. She eats her lunch, reads some stories and plays in the playground before preparing to head home. These are all scenarios which a child will encounter on their own first day and with Dragon’s help they will learn how to meet each new challenge with a smile.

Thu
09 ^th

Dinosaur Party
by Fiona Munro & Rachael McLean

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

This sparkly board book from Pat-a-Cake is perfect for helping toddlers develop fine motor skills, especially those who love dinosaurs!

Panda and Penguin are off on an adventure. They need to get to Dinosaur Town in time for a party but they have a long way to go. They huff and puff their way up a steep hill and over a spiky track – but when they get to the top they discover a great big grinning dinosaur face. It turns out they haven’t been climbing a hill at all, instead they have scaled the back of a giant dinosaur! Fortunately he’s very friendly – perhaps he will offer them a lift to the party on his back?

Tue
07 ^th

The Bossy Book
by Yoshan

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Hands up if you hate the word ‘bossy’? Yup, me too.

All too often it’s used to negatively describe strong-minded girls, whereas boys are simply seen as assertive – so when I picked up this book I wasn’t sure what to expect. It turns out that I didn’t need to worry. There’s no gender bias here, just lots of interactive fun.

From the very first page, this book is in charge and you have to do everything it says. If the book wants you to sit up straight then you have to sit up straight. If the book tells you to sniff it then you have to sniff it (and tell it what it smells like). And if it asks you to be quiet then you had better listen – but the book has very good hearing and can even hear your toenails growing so keeping it happy is quite tough!

Tue
07 ^th

Sophia Sparks
by Elanor Best & Lara Ede

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Little Sophia Sparks is a brilliant inventor who creates wonderful things out of items she finds in her home – like rockets and robots and even a house with legs! She wears a bright blue bow in her beautiful curly hair and she’s pretty sure that this is the source of her creativity. With the bow in place she comes up with idea after idea.

When her teacher announces to the class that they are going to work together to transform an old bus into something exciting, Sophia is over the moon – until she realises that she has lost her precious blue bow. As the other children get to work Sophia’s tummy starts to churn and her mind goes blank. No bow = no inspiration!

Mon
06 ^th

Impossible!
by Tracey Corderoy & Tony Neal

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Dog lives a happy but predictable life in a busy city. He runs a laundrette and takes great pride in washing and drying his customers’ clothes. He enjoys his days but secretly he dreams about visiting the ocean. He’d love to see the waves lapping on the shore but thinks this is impossible because the sea is so far away. Instead, he lives vicariously through characters in books and whittles small boats which he keeps around his home.

One day he discovers a new brand of washing powder called ‘Ocean Magic’. Hes very excited to try it – but the box contains a little more than he bargained for. When he gets the clothes out of the machine they smell like sea and sand but huddled inside them is a very dizzy and confused little crab!

Sun
05 ^th

Monsieur Roscoe On Holiday
by Jim Field

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I studied French at university so I am really keen for Ivy to learn some basic words and phrases whilst she is small. This brand new book from Jim Field – his first as both author and illustrator – is absolutely perfect for that!

Monsieur Roscoe is a friendly little dog with a pet goldfish called Fry. The pair are about to set off on the holiday of a lifetime to visit some friends, but first they have to pack. As they throw all of the things they need in to a suitcase we see that each one is labelled on the page in both French and English. This continues throughout the book, giving your child the opportunity to learn lots of new French words.

Once packed they say goodbye to their friends and set off on their adventure. They get stuck in traffic on the way to the train station, which gives us the opportunity to learn the words for different kinds of vehicles and the names of the many shops they pass.

Sat
04 ^th

Isadora Moon Goes To School
by Harriet Muncaster

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Hopefully by now you will have read my announcement from earlier this week – I am going to start reviewing Early Chapter Books alongside Board Books and Picture Books as we have recently started reading them at bedtime!

I am starting with Isadora Moon as this was the first chapter book we tried and Ivy is OBSESSED. We read the first book – Isadora Moon Goes To School – over 3 days and she loved it so much that I ordered the rest of the series.

Isadora Moon is a very special little girl. Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire, which makes her a vampire fairy! She lives with her family and her very special friend Pink Rabbit.

In this first story, Isadora is ready to start school but she doesn’t know which one she should attend. There are schools for vampires and schools for fairies, but there aren’t any for vampire fairies!

Thu
02 ^nd

There’s Room For Everyone
by Anahita Teymorian

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This gorgeous book from Iranian author Anahita Teymorian is a timely reminder of the difference which kindness and compassion can make to the world.

The story is narrated by an old man as he looks back over his life and shares the lessons he has learned. First he speaks of his childhood and observes that although his mother’s womb was small, there was enough space for him to grow. The house in which he grew up was also small, but there was enough room for his family and his toys and the love they shared.

As he moves through his life he sees that the sky is large enough to hold the moon and the stars, the library has room for all of his favourite books and the sea is vast enough to hold the largest whales. Nature has provided enough space for the world to thrive.

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