As I’ve said many a time before, reading to babies right from the start is fundamental in building not only a love of books, but also in laying the foundation stones of future language development. It’s also the perfect time to snuggle up and bond or to enlist the reading skills of an older sibling. … Continue reading Brilliant Board Books
You know the drill when it comes to fairytales - princess gets locked in a tower/ put to sleep/ kidnapped by a witch and is rescued by a handsome prince, right? Wrong! What I have for you today are four fabulous collections of reimagined fairy tales for a more modern era. ‘Fearless Fairy Tales,’ by … Continue reading Fairy Tales Reimagined
It seems apt that Book Boy Jr. chose to share this book with me in a time of social distancing when it’s very hard for people to physically be ‘together’ with their family and friends. This beautifully-illustrated story explores some of the other ways people can come together in these strange times. ’We Are Together’ … Continue reading #TuesdayReviewsDay ‘We Are Together,’ by Britta Teckentrup.
With Spring in the air and daffodils donning their yellow bonnets, now is the time of year when my thoughts turn to gardening. Pruning rose bushes and planting bulbs in the hopes of a riot of colour and creepy-crawlies come Summer. My boys love helping me choose which bulbs and bedding plants to purchase and … Continue reading How does your garden grow?
Children are endlessly fascinated by fastening and unfastening things - buttons, zips, child-safety locks on kitchen cupboards! This brilliant new board book of five fastenings from Caterpillar Books is absolute pure genius as it features real life fastenings for its readers to fiddle with. Packed with fun features to develop fine motor skills and help … Continue reading ‘I Can Do It: A Book of Fastenings,’ by Patricia Hegarty, illustrated by Hilli Kushnir.
Reading with a child is one of the most important things you can do to help develop their vocabulary, bond and start a reading habit that could last a lifetime. Little Tiger and Caterpillar Books have sent me some of their lovely new releases to enjoy and share with you too. Baby 101 Touch-and-Trace Series … Continue reading Snuggle-up with a Brilliant Board Book!
With time for music and dance being squeezed out of the primary school timetable, it seems important that we use every means necessary to encourage and inspire a love of music and dancing in children. This varied selection of picture is sure to cause music-making and merriment amongst their readers. ‘Jazz Dog’ by Marie Voigt … Continue reading Make a Song and Dance about it – books which celebrate the arts.
There comes a point on Christmas Day when all the tinsel and fairy lights can be a little much and you just want to snuggle up somewhere warm with a beautiful book. Animals are perennial favourites with readers of all ages so I have a selection sure to delight everyone. ’Goodnight Ocean’ by Carmen Saldaña, … Continue reading Gifts for Animal Lovers
I’ve a whole new selection of vibrant and enticing board books to share with you all. Get ready for llamacorns, unicorns, flamingos and tigers, counting and colours and fun! I always think the summer holidays are the perfect excuse to indulge in a stack of new books, whether from a bookshop or your local library. … Continue reading Don’t be ‘board’ books!
As the daffodils and crocuses start to bloom, we know that Spring is definitely on its way and it’s time for us to get outdoors and muddy. I’d like to share three picture books to help inspire little ones to get back to nature this Spring. ‘Little Bear’s Spring’ by Elli Woollard & Briony May … Continue reading Let’s Get Outdoors!
It can be a constant battle trying to persuade young children to remember their manners. One of these three picture books may just help make things a little easier. Good luck! ‘Wild Violet’ by Alex Latimer, illustrated by Patrick Latimer (Pavilion Books) Violet was born wild and, despite people’s assurances to the contrary, … Continue reading Mind Your Manners
I have recently been sent an excellent series of board books from Caterpillar Books which are designed to teach babies and toddlers key vocabulary and concepts in various scientific topics. Children always love to learn a tricky scientific word - they’re never too young to start! Babies can learn about the world’s greatest buildings, learn … Continue reading Baby 101: Welcome, class! from Caterpillar Books
If the stories in the news are to be believed, it would seem that people are more divided and more at odds with each other than ever. Authors, illustrators and publishers are trying to counteract this by producing beautiful books which show actually just how similar we all are. ‘Under the Same Sky’ by Britta … Continue reading We Are All the Same…
During my time as a teacher, there have been many occasions where the children I’ve been working have struggled to express how they’re feeling, often resulting in meltdowns or acting out. One of the best ways I found to help in these situations was to encourage the children recognise how different emotions felt and to … Continue reading Books to Foster Emotional Literacy
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the gorgeous ‘The Garden Of Hope’ which is the work of author, Isabel Otter and new illustrative talent, Katie Rewse. Things hadn’t been the same for Maya, Dad and Pip since Mum had been gone. They were a mess, the house was a mess and the … Continue reading ‘The Garden Of Hope,’ by Isabel Otter, illustrated by Katie Rewse.
Today, three stunning non-fiction books grace the pages of my blog, each of them teaching me something new about the amazing world we live in. A Year in the Wild by Helen Ahpornsiri (Big Picture Press) A stunningly beautiful book with artwork crafted from hand-pressed blooms and foliage. These are then carefully cut and arranged … Continue reading The Beauty Of Nature
Library Girl and Book Boy 