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Sun
06 ^th

Lily and the Magic Comb
by VV Brown & Kate Hazell

It’s Lily’s birthday and her Mum has given her a beautifully wrapped box with a resplendent yellow bow. What could be inside? As she unties the ribbon and tears the paper Lily wriggles with excitement. She knows Mum’s present will be very special – and she’s right!

Inside the box is a sparkling wide-toothed comb decorated with pink stars. As she stares at it in wonder her Mum explains that this is not just any old comb. This is Lily’s special comb and it is filled with history and magic. Using it will transport her anywhere her imagination wants to take her!

As Lily pulls the teeth of the comb through her abundant curls she wiggles her nose to activate the magic and whooosh! She finds herself flying through space and time, taking tea with an astronaut, dancing on the rings of saturn and eating cake with aliens.

Fri
04 ^th

Can’t See Santa
by Mandy Archer & Chris Jevons

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

It’s Christmas Eve and little Mouse has finished all of his preparations for the big day. Everything is ready for Santa but there’s just one problem – Mouse can’t find him anywhere!

With over 40 flaps to lift and explore, this is the perfect book for busy toddlers. On each double page they are invited to help Mouse try and locate Santa, his reindeer and a selection of gifts.

They can peek under the tree, through windows, under tables and behind doors. They will find spiders hiding underneath plates, frogs in the fruit bowl and hamsters nibbling on cheese – but they definitely won’t find Santa and his team.

Thu
03 ^rd

How Frank Helped Hank
by Suzanne Hemming & Jacquie Hughes

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

If you’ve read ‘She’s Not Good For A Girl, She’s Just Good‘ then you’ll probably recognise the central character in this story. Back then, Frank had some pretty outdated views about how girls should behave, shaming his friend Florence at school because she wanted to be good at sports. Now Frank is back and we get a sneaky peek at his home life, which offers some interesting insight into how these thoughts were formed.

Hank, Frank’s Dad, was raised to believe that boys should behave in a certain way. They should play sports, have ‘boy’s toys’ and they definitely, definitely aren’t allowed to cry. These beliefs are so firmly ingrained that he parents Frank in the same way. When Frank bangs his head he is told to ‘Man up’ and his request for a shimmering butterfly wand is met with derision. As a result, Frank has learned to hold his feelings inside, no matter how much it hurts.

Thu
03 ^rd

The Most Wonderful Gift In The World
by Mark Sperring & Lucy Fleming

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

When Esme and Bear finish opening their Christmas presents they are surprised to discover one last gift hidden away at the back of tree. It’s a small box wrapped in red paper with a beautiful golden bow. Who could it be for?

The tag reveals that the intended recipient is Little Bunny Boo-Boo – but they don’t now who that is! Saddened by the prospect of someone missing out on a gift, they pull on their hats and coats and head out in to the snow. Fortunately they spot a sign for Little Bunny Boo-Boo’s house straight away but it looks like the journey might be a tiny bit tricky….

First they have to slip and slide down a treacherous path and then they have to walk through a howling gale. When they come to a deep snow drift they consider giving up but they know in their hearts that they need to get the gift to its rightful owner.

Tue
01 ^st

The Littlest Yak
by Lu Fraser & Kate Hindley

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

Ivy and I read A LOT of books together, so when one comes along which truly captures her heart I know that it must really be very special. She is utterly entranced by ‘The Littlest Yak’ and I have to say I think it’s one of the best books we’ve read this year.

The gorgeous story follows a tiny little yak called Gertie who is fed up of being the smallest animal in the herd. She looks at the big yaks with their big horns and their big hooves and she wants to be just like them – but growing up takes such a long time!

Determined to speed up the process, Gertie comes up with a plan. She exercises, eats lots of vegetables and practises clip-clopping up mountains. She even reads lots of books to try and make her thoughts grow! But despite all her efforts, she remains the same size.

Tue
01 ^st

Peas On Earth
by Jonny Marx & Lindsey Sagar

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

This chunky board book is a perfect festive read for babies and toddlers. Written in upbeat rhyme, it follows a group of adorable little peas as they count down to Christmas.

At the start of the story we have five peas, but page by page we lose one as they head off to complete their final preparations for the big day. One bounces away in pure excitement, one leaves to sort out the decorations, one visits Santa’s Grotto and one goes to bed early – leaving just one smiling pea sitting on top of the tree giggling as she watches Santa’s legs come dangling down the chimney.

Will all the peas make it back in time to open their presents?

Thu
26 ^th

The Most-Loved Bear
by Sam McBratney & Sam Usher

Posted by Shelley Edwards - 2 Comments

Do you ever read a book to your child and find that the emotion in the story catches you by surprise? The first time I read ‘The Most-Loved Bear’ I found myself struggling to hold back the tears as it really struck a chord with me. It’s absolutely beautiful!

A long time ago a little girl called Mary Rose buys a bear for sixpence from her local toyshop. She names him Growly Bear because he makes a little growling noise when you tip him upside down. Her Mother embroiders the letters ‘G’ and ‘B’ on to his paws and together the little girl and her much-loved bear have many adventures. Until one day she leaves him on a train…

Growly Bear ends up in the Lost Property Office and when he isn’t claimed he is sold to a little boy called Ronnie who loves him just as much as Mary Rose did. They play together for many years until the boy is too old for toys. The bear is donated to a second-hand shop to make room for Ronnie’s new hobbies.

Thu
26 ^th

Monster Christmas
by Giles Andreae & Nikki Dyson

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

It’s early December and Santa is feeling tired. Lifting heavy sacks of toys every year has taken its toll on his back and his knees so he thinks it may be time to retire. He carefully writes out a job ad for someone special to take over his role and throws it on to his magical fire.

At the exact moment the parchment hits the flames, someone else is making a big decision on the other side of the world. A little Monster from Monster Land is telling his parents that it’s time for him to see the world and try to do some good. As he talks, Santa’s letter drifts in to view and the Monster realises that this is the perfect opportunity for him to spread his wings.

In the North Pole Santa puts the monster through some rigorous training and soon he is ready to go out and spread some Christmas joy. Monster Christmas is about to be unleashed on the world! He’s very excited but his first appearance at a Grotto doesn’t quite go as planned. The children and parents take one look at his green fur and run away screaming.

Wed
25 ^th

Bright Sparks Flash Cards
by Button Books & Dominika Lipniewska

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

We’re over half way through Ivy’s first term in Reception and the homework has started to arrive thick and fast! After a busy day at school she’s not always a fan of sitting down and getting it done so I have been trying to make it as fun as possible for her.

Earlier this year we were gifted two boxes of flash cards by Button Books – one set is for the alphabet and the other is for three-letter words. Each box contains 50+ sturdy, laminated cards, each illustrated with super cute designs by Polish illustrator and designer Dominika Lipniewska.

There are two types of card in the Alphabet box. There are 26 which each feature just a letter, with upper case on one side and lower case on the other. The remaining cards have upper case, lower case and a familar word on one side and a picture of the word on the other side.

Wed
25 ^th

The Christmas Next Door by T.A. Creaser, Samuel Langley-Swain & Christine Cuddihy

Posted by Shelley Edwards - No Comments

The majority of Christmas books focus solely on the good things about the day – family, food, presents – but as parents we know it can actually be quite stressful. There’s so much to think about and for many people Christmas can be tinged with sadness because of an empty chair at the table or the financial strain. 2020 has been awful in so many ways so these issues will no doubt be exacerbated this year.

This is why i’m glad we discovered ‘The Christmas Next Door’. It celebrates the joy of the festive season whilst acknowledging that sometimes things don’t quite go to plan!

When Grandad arrives to spend Christmas with his family everyone is very excited, but he has a few challenges to overcome before the big day arrives. Autistic Lily is anxious about being in the school play, Max is stressed about visiting Santa’s Grotto because he thinks he might be on the naughty list and Mum and Dad are running around trying to get everything prepared.

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