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The Butterfly Dance By Suzanne Barton

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The Butterfly DanceDotty and Stripe are caterpillars and they have been friends for as long as they can remember.  They love spending time together and having fun munching on leaves.

When they both transition in to butterflies they are excited to meet up and show off their new wigs. Dotty has beautiful blue wings with multicoloured dots and Stripe has striking red wings with lovely orange stripes.

They are very excited to fly off together in to their new lives but are shocked to discover that all of the grown up insects tend to stay with their own kind. The ladybirds stay with the ladybirds and the dragonflies stay with the dragonflies. The red butterflies all hang out by the thistles and the blue butterflies like to dance among the poppies.

What will this mean for Dotty and Stripe’s friendship? Will they have to say goodbye or can they still be best friends?

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Just Like Me! By Joshua Seigal & Amelie Faliere

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Just Like Me!This book is fantastic for alleviating boredom when you’re stuck indoors with a toddler and it’s lots of fun for parent and child alike.

The two main characters – a little girl and a fluffy green monster wearing a rather fetching hat – invite their animal friends (and you) to copy them in a game called ‘Just Like Me’.

Clear some space on the floor and get your toddler to repeat all of the actions which the characters make. From rubbing your tummy and licking your lips to jumping up and down picking your nose, each page invites you and your child to do something silly that will make you laugh.

I find that the more exaggerated I make the actions then the more Ivy laughs and she loves getting involved. It also references lots of parts of the body so it’s a great way of learning some new words whilst having fun.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2uI3yzB

 

Zoo Poo by Richard Morgan

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Zoo PooWe’re not quite ready to start toilet training yet but I’ve recently bought a selection of books which address the topic to ease Ivy in to the idea.

This is the first one that we’re reading together and it’s a fantastic (and frankly hilarious!) way of introducing poo in to conversation in a fun way.

Zoo Poo takes you on a little journey around the zoo and shows you how each animal poos. Kangaroos do it while they hop, birds poo from the sky and elephants do poos that are bigger than you!

The illustrations are really fun and we always giggle our way through the book as Ivy find the poo on the page and yells ‘poo poo’!

The book then shows how humans poo on the loo and even includes some useful tips for parents.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2pWcITs

Snow Fight: A Warcraft Tale By Chris Metzen & Wei Wang

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Snow FightIvy’s daddy has been playing World of Warcraft (an MMORPG or massive multiplayer role-playing game) since it launched back in 2004 so when he spotted this book he immediately bought it for our library.

The story takes three popular characters from the game – Varian, Thrall and Arthas – but shows us them as children on a normal winters day. It cleverly takes the essence of their in-game personalities and perfectly translates them in to little playground versions.

Friends Varian and Thrall are contemplating a snowball fight when neighbourhood bully Arthas turns up to spoil their game. He throws a large and painful snowball which prompts Varian to retaliate. Unimpressed, Thrall shows them that the game is a lot more fun if they can all just play nicely together. But can Varian and Arthas put their differences behind them?

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Please And Thank You By Amanda Li

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Please And Thank YouI’ve recently bought a number of Pirate Pete and Princess Polly books as I find them really effective. Each book in the series introduces your child to a change in their daily life which they may experience as a toddler – and may push back against because it’s unfamiliar and therefore potentially frightening.

The series covers many things including potty training, moving to a big girl/boy bed, going to nursery and becoming a big brother/sister.

This particular book is about manners and it has really encouraged Ivy to say please and thank you more often. 

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The Race That Stops The Outback By Doug Bray & Hammans Chan

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The Race That Stops The OutbackThis lovely book was a Christmas present from an old friend and made its way to us here in the UK all the way from Australia!

Rusty is a small kangaroo who loves to race and his ultimate goal is to take part in the biggest competition of all – The Race That Stops The Outback. However when he tells the other kangaroos his plan they all laugh and tell him he”s not tough enough to do it because he’s too small.

Determined to prove them wrong, he turns to his friends for help and they suggest that he try something a little different. All of the kangaroos will be hopping but if he could learn to run then maybe he could move twice as fast! It’ll be tough but Rusty is up for the challenge.

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Today I Feel… By Madalena Moniz

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Today I FeelI bought this book online on a whim purely because I fell in love with the artwork on the front. I had no idea what it was about or whether it was any good but fortunately when it arrived the contents lived up to the cover!

The book is an alphabet of feelings, with each double page dedicated to one letter/emotion and a corresponding image. The range of emotions covered is really wide and the beautiful illustrations and colours give a fantastic sense of how each one feels.

From Adored and Brilliant to Yucky and Zzzz (via Jealous, Patient and Warm) this gorgeous book is a fantastic way to start discussing emotions and feelings with your child.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2uCxnSj

 

Augustus And His Smile By Catherine Rayner

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Augustus And His SmilePoor Augustus the tiger is sad. He’s lost his smile and he can’t find it anywhere!

Determined to find it, he sets off on a quest which takes him to the top of the tallest trees, the bottom of the deepest oceans and the peaks of the highest mountains. Will he find his smile at the end of his journey, or is it just possible that it has been with him all along?

Ivy loves tigers and the beautiful illustrations (by the author, Catherine Rayner) in this book mean she pulls it down from our shelf to be read again and again. The pictures are simple but you can really feel every emotion that the tiger feels.

The story is  a lovely exploration of the wonder of nature which ultimately shows that it’s the simple things in life which makes us happy.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2GgYWlm

Triangle By Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen

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TriangleWe knew that we had to buy this book when we spotted that Jon Klassen was the illustrator as he is one of our all-time favourites. This collaboration with Mac Barnett has weird and wonderful illustrations and a very funny little story.

Triangle is a mischievous little guy and one day he leaves his little triangular house and heads out to play a trick on his friend Square. When he arrives he hides outside Square’s house and hisses like a snake. Square is scared of snakes so he panics but then spots his friend Triangle who cannot stop giggling at the trick he has played.

Square chases Triangle all the way home, but once they’re there sneaky Square manages to have the last laugh (or does he?).

We love this quirky little book and it looks great on our shelf too!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2I7vtL2

What I Like About Me By Allia Zobel-Nolan

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What I like About MeWe love this award-winning little board book which celebrates the fact that every child is different.

Each page focuses on a difference which could be perceived as a flaw in the playground (kids can be cruel!). It takes that point of difference and turns it on its head, showing your child to see the positives rather than the negatives.

Whether you’re short or tall, have crazy eyebrows or out-of-control hair, or wear glasses or braces, the smiling faces on these pages show that being a little bit different is what makes you special.

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2IInp4B