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Tue
23 ^rd

Outside, Inside
by LeUyen Pham

One Whole Year.

I honestly cannot believe that it’s been one whole year since we entered lockdown for the first time. I had no idea how long it would last but I genuinely didn’t expect to still be under so many restrictions twelve months later. Sometimes it feels like the time has flown, but other times it seems like we have been living this way for decades!

But here we are, and I am marking this strange ‘anniversary’ with this beautiful book from LeUyen Pham which begins with the lines: ‘Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed.
Everybody who was outside…went inside.
Everyone. Everywhere. All over the world”

Wed
17 ^th

How Many Beads?
by Nicola Edwards & Thomas Elliott

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

When Ivy and I are looking for something fun to do then Maths generally isn’t at the top of the list – however this fab board book has managed to change that! It’s part of a montessori-insired series called ‘My World’ which encourages childen to explore the world around them. Aimed at children aged 3-5, the book has a built-in string of colourful beads which you can use for counting and measuring.

Each double page spread shows a different scene for you to explore – including the home, the garden, under the sea, around town, the inside of a drawer and nocturnal animals. Kids are then encouraged to use the beads to count or to measure the things they can see. How many apples are there? How many bees? What’s the tallest household object? Which is the longest fish? Which items are too big to fit in the shed? Which animals are small enough to fit in the tent?

Wed
17 ^th

Love
by Corrinne Averiss & Kirsti Beautyman

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Little Tess has grown up surrounded by warmth and affection. She adores her family and, because they are never apart, love follows her like a warm scarf wherever she goes.

When it’s time for Tess to start school she is nervous because her family can’t come with her. She’s never had to do anything by herself before and she is worried that she will be seperated from her family’s love. Her mother explains that love is like a string which connects them even when they are apart. It can stretch really far and it won’t ever, ever break.

Tess isn’t sure about this theory but as she enters the school she starts to see little threads of love everywhere. Each child has a string just like hers and one boy even has a string which reaches right up to the sky, connecting him to the father which he lost when he was small. Reassured by this, Tess settles into her day and we even see a new thread start to grow between the little girl and her teacher.

Thu
04 ^th

Doctorsaurus
by Emi-Lou May & Leire Martín

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

When Triceratops damages her horn at a dinosaur picnic her friends know exactly who to call – Doctorsaurus!

Armed with her doctor’s bag and some extra-sticky plaster, the lovely doctor fixes the problem in a jiffy, but soon she has lots of new patients to see. Stegosaurus has a splinter, T-Rex has a blocked nose and Brontosaurus has a big, bloaty tummy. Doctorsaurus doesn’t bat an eyelid as she deals with green goo, snotty slime and some rather icky smells and before they know it all the dinosaurs feel well enough to celebrate.

But as they tuck into their picnic, Doctorsaurus hears an almighty rumbling and yells ‘Emergency!’. It looks like those prunes she prescribed Brontosaurus might be about to take effect…

Wed
03 ^rd

Meet the Oceans
by Caryl Hart & Bethan Woollvin

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Geography was never my favourite subject at school but if our textbooks had looked anything like this beauty from Caryl Hart and Bethan Woollvin then I suspect I may have paid more attention!

At the start of this gorgeous rhyming story we hop on board a submarine with a little girl and her dog. Together we embark on a journey to see the world’s oceans, but this is no ordinary tour as the guides are the waters themselves.

First we meet the Arctic Ocean, who smiles as she speaks of her pride at being the smallest. She shows us her narwhals, her beluga whales and the polar bears who inhabit her ice. Next is the choppy Atlantic who tells us about her underwater mountains and hidden caves. Our submarine glides past blue fin tuna in the Indian Ocean, sea snakes in the Coral Sea and millions of pieces of plastic in the Pacific.

Wed
03 ^rd

Beatrix and her Bunnies
by Rebecca Colby & Caroline Bonne-Müller

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

I’ve read countless stories by Beatrix Potter but I have to admit that until I read this beautifully illustrated picture book I didn’t know anything about her life. Did you know that Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit were real live animals which she befriended? Nope. Me either!

At the start of Rebecca Colby’s story, young Beatrix is living in London and feeling very lonely indeed. She loves animals and has lots of pets but none of them can really play with her in the way that she’d like. But then, on a visit to the countryside, she meets Benjamin, a mischievous bunny who loves snuggles and games. Finally the little girl has a friend!

Tue
02 ^nd

The Last Garden
by Rachel Ip & Anneli Bray

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

In the middle of a war-torn city a garden grows. It’s surrounded by devastation, but within these four walls there are trees and herbs, vegetables and flowers, and most importantly there is hope.

Every day Zara tends to her plants, helped by the local children, and when the work is done they climb trees and build dens. Outside the war looms, but the garden gives them the freedom to play and to shake off their worries for a short while. They pick flowers to brighten up their homes and bring baskets of fruit to their friends in hospital.

As the conflict increases their focus turns to mending the things in the garden which have been broken, but eventually the danger is too great and they are forced to leave the city behind.

When the war is finally over the families return to what is left of their homes. As Zara unocks the gate to her precious garden her anticipation rises. What will she find within those four walls?

Thu
25 ^th

Alone!
by Barry Falls

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

On the edge of a busy, bustling town is a hill with a little house on top. This is the home of Billy McGill, a solitary child who avoids people and noise. He enjoys his own company and spends his days alone with his books for company, until one day he hears the squeak of a mouse…

Billy definitely doesn’t want to share his house with the tiny furry creature so he heads into town to fetch a cat to scare away the mouse. This seems like a great idea, until the two animals unexpectedly become friends. Billy then finds a dog to scare the cat, but this doesn’t work either. The boy’s plan soon spirals out of control and he soon finds himself co-habiting with a mouse, a cat, a dog, a bear, a tiger, a vet, a sheep, a hairdresser, a baby and a big red balloon!

Overwhelmed by the noise and the chaos, Billy storms out of his house and finds a new hill, but as he stares into the sunset he finds himself thinking of everything he has left behind. Could he be ready to let some new friends into his life?

Fri
19 ^th

Love from Giraffes Can’t Dance
by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

I totally meant to post about this book on Valentine’s Day but, despite searching the whole house, I couldn’t find it anywhere. This morning I found it lodged down the side of Ivy’s bed which means she must have snuck it upstairs to read by herself! I’m not surprised though, as we have so many happy memories attached to lovely Gerald the Giraffe.

The original ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’ story was one of the first picture books I read with Ivy when she was a baby and it is still a firm favourite. We were both so happy to receive this gorgeous new board book featuring all over our favourite characters.

The beautiful rhyme, written in Giles Andreae’s signature style, celebrates all of the ways which love can make us feel. Our favourite line is:

‘You make me want to somersault and leap up in the air.
You make me want to sing and skip and boogie everywhere!’

Fri
19 ^th

Can I Sit With You?
by Sarah Jacoby

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

This heartwarming and stunningly illustrated book will tug on the heart strings of anyone who has ever had a beloved pet. Reading it brought back lots of happy memories of the cocker spaniel we had when I was a child. Pugsley (yes – I know! My brother and I were fans of The Addams Family at the time!) was incredibly naughty but gave the best snuggles.

At the start of this story we see a small stray dog brandishing a stick. He is looking for someone to play with him so he approaches a lonely little girl. What follows is a beautiful love story which lasts for many years.

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