Making a pirate map, and some new pirate books

Like many children, Harry is fascinated by pirates at the moment. There are so many different crafts and activities that you can do on a pirate theme, and I decided to re-visit a craft that I remember loving as a child - making a pirate map.

We took a piece of plain white paper, and used a teabag dipped in a small bowl of water to paint on it to make it look old. When it was dry, I used a candle to burn around the edges of the paper. This makes it sound a lot easier than it was - it involved a lot of frantic blowing out of flames and a smoke filled kitchen. Harry's map also ended up with a somewhat larger hole than intended, after the paper continued to smoulder once blown out.

Then we decorated it with felt pens. I drew some things out for him to copy, we made mountains, beaches, trees, paths and of course an X marks the spot. Then we crumpled it up and flattened it out to make it look really battered. A truly authentic pirate treasure map!

To continue the pirate theme, we've also been sent two brand new pirate picture books to read.

The first is Plunge into the Pirate Pool by Caryl Hart, published by Simon and Schuster. Albie loves going swimming, but this time when he dives in to the pool he finds himself in the middle of an underwater adventure when he boards a shark submarine and makes friends with the cheerful pirate crew. There is plenty of detail in the illustrations, giving lots to talk about as we read the story. Definitely a story that your little pirates will enjoy.

The second is Tim, Ted and the Pirates by Ian Whybrow and Russell Ayto, published by Harper Collins. This story is about Tim and his Ted, and the pirate adventure that they have while their teacher is reading them a story. The story is written in rhyme, and it was a real pleasure to read aloud. The pirates in this story are up to no good at all, and so Tim and Ted battle the bad pirates and save the treasure. Another pirate book which I can fully recommend.

Both of these stories particularly appealed to Harry because they are about what is happening in the child's imagination rather than what is really going on, and he is fascinated by that idea at the moment.

I'm sure that we'll be returning to the pirate theme. Harry is currently enjoying Jake and the Neverland Pirates on television (somewhat to my dismay, he's starting to speak American) and so he has requested that we make some gold doubloons next!

If you have any pirate crafts to share I'd love to see them, please feel free to link them up in the comments!



We were sent the two pirate books to review, Amazon links are affiliate.

Five must-see places for Harry Potter fans in the UK

Today I'm delighted to welcome a fantastic guest post from Joanne at Kids Days Out Reviews!

Five must-see places for Harry Potter fans

There is huge demand in the UK for film tourism. People flock to see where famous film actors and actresses once stood to deliver their seminal lines. Possibly the biggest film phenomenon over the last few years has been Harry Potter, and there are several places in the UK you can visit to catch a glimpse of the Potter magic.

Warner Bros Studio Tour, Watford near London

An obvious starting point for any fan of the eight Harry Potter movies is the place they were mostly filmed – the old Leavesden film studios just outside of London. The tour takes you through the sets, props, and costumes of the films, including Diagon Alley, the Griffyndor common room, and all the house robes. You can ride a broomstick on a green screen, walk through the castle bridge, and get carried away in the massive gift shop. A must-do.



Diagon Alley at Warner Bros Studio Tour

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland

Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, Northumberland dates from the late 11th century and is home to the Earl of Northumberland and his family. It has recently been used as a school and a college but is now a popular tourist attraction, not least because both the interior and exterior were used for filming the Harry Potter films. Alnwick Castle is Hogwarts in the film and is set in a most beautiful part of the country, with lots of other places to see.

Goathland train station, North Yorkshire

For scenes at Hogsmeade station in pretty much every Harry Potter film, the real-life train station in the gorgeous village of Goathland in the North Yorkshire Moors was used. Goathland has also been home to the cast of Heartbeat over the last few years too, and it really is a step back in time. You can ride the NYMR steam train while you are here, and have a pint in the Aidensfield Arms.

London Zoo

Remember the scene from the first film where Harry talked to the snake at the zoo, and Dudley fell in to the tank? This was all filmed at London Zoo’s reptile house. The reptile house was built in the 1920s and houses animals including crocodiles, snakes, and frogs.

Kings Cross train station, London

From the moment Harry Potter pushed his trolley through the magic wall to get to platform 9 and three-quarters, fans have been flocking to Kings Cross train station to try and do the same. To help you out, there has been a trolley placed in the wall, so you can don your house scarf and make like a Hogwarts student. If you haven’t got a house scarf, you can buy one at the conveniently placed Harry Potter shop just a few feet away. Great for a bit of magical atmosphere for free.

Written by Joanne Brady – mother of four and writer of Kids Days Out Reviews, a blog featuring great family days out around the UK.

A penguin craft for "Ping Pong Are Best Friends (Mostly)" book review

We've been talking a lot about penguins lately. Mainly because we've been playing our walk to pre-school game, and because it's been so cold still the talk has turned towards Antartica. We also received the book Ping and Pong are Best Friends (mostly) by Tim Hopgood to review by Tim Hopgood, so I thought that I'd introduce a bit of a penguin theme.

The book is about Ping and Pong who are best penguin friends. But no matter what Ping does, Pong always does it better. So Ping becomes discouraged, until he finds out that there is one thing that Ping is the best at.

Harry loves being read to, but he is also starting to show an interest in reading for himself. He's a way off actually learning to read yet, and I'm not pushing him in any way, but I've found that if I read him a simple story a couple of times he can repeat it back to himself with surprising accuracy. This story was perfect for that because it is so easy to understand, with lovely clear illustrations. The story also has an important message about the importance of friendship.

After the success of our book inspired Lucy Ladybird craft the other week, I thought that this time we'd try a penguin picture. This time I let Harry do all the cutting out, which was really good scissor practice for him. Then he cut out lots of small squares in white and we used them to make an igloo, before sticking on cotton wool for the snow. Lovely!

 



 

 

We were sent the book to review, Amazon links are affiliate.

Book review and craft - Lucy Ladybird by Sharon King-Chai

Lucy Ladybird is the debut picture book from writer and designer Sharon King-Chai. The story follows Lucy Ladybird, who is different to the other ladybirds because she has no spots. She goes on a journey through different seasons, collecting some brightly coloured spots from her friends along the way. When she returns home, she is sad when she realises that she is still different to her ladybird friends with their black spots. But when the other ladybirds see her they like her new spots so much that they decide it's actually best to be different.

Lucy Ladybird is a firm favourite in this household already. The story is simple, and what really makes the book special are the gorgeous, bright illustrations. The final page is a fold-out surprise page - a marvellous spread of  cheerful ladybirds and other insects covered in their colourful spots. Once Harry discovered this he couldn't stop unfolding it to look at it, and Mia was captivated by the bright colours.

This is a book which immediately lent itself to a related craft activity. We cut out simple ladybird bodies from red card, then I cut out a head, face and lots of coloured spots. The little ones glued the spots onto the ladybird body, then we glued all the pieces together and drew on a face. I love books that you can do more with than just reading!

There is also a Lucy Ladybird website to enhance the ejnoyment of the book further, including some colouring pages to print. Lucy Ladybird will also soon be available as an interactive e-book. It's definitely a book that I can recommend!



We were sent a copy of Lucy Ladybird to review. Amazon links are affiliate links.

Book Review - Winter Storms by Lucy Oliver

Normally the books that I review on this blog are children's ones, but when I was contacted by Lucy Oliver, the author of Winter Storms, and asked if I would like to review her book, I couldn't say no.

I have tremendous admiration for anyone that can write a book. I also love reading, love supporting books from new authors, and I knew that if I committed to writing a review then I would definitely be making time for myslf to prioritise reading and actually finishing the book!

Winter Storms is set in Cornwall, a part of the country that I love. The book tells the story of Carly, who broke up with her lover Daniel after blaming him for a sailing accident that forced her to give up the sport and put an end to her Olympic hopes. She stayed behind and built a new life for herself in the small Cornish village where they grew up, while he went on to find sailing fame. Carly's life is thrown into disarray when Daniel returns and hopes to pick up where they left off.

I very much enjoyed this book. The story flowed really well, and I really wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. One thing that really struck me about the writing was the characterisation - the characters were fully rounded and developed, even the minor characters. The descriptions in the book are also fantastic, making the people and events totally believable. I'd really recommend it!



I was sent a Kindle copy of the book to review, link to Amazon is affiliate.

Book review - I got a crocodile by Nicola Killen

I Got a Crocodile is a new picture book, written and illustrated by Nicola Killen. The young child in the story really wants a little brother or sister, but instead they get a crocodile. At first it isn't much fun having a crocodile in the house, and it causes big trouble at dinnertime, bathtime and bedtime. But then the child finds out that a crocodile can also be the perfect friend.

This is a really good book for teaching children about emotions, in particular jealousy and irritation. Life with a crocodile isn't exactly what the young child expected, but it turns out to be exactly what the child needs. I couldn't decide if the child in the story was a boy or a girl, and I liked that because then you can relate it to the child that is listening to the story. 

We really liked the simple illustrations in the book, and how well they conveyed the emotions being experienced by the child.

This would be a really good book to share with a young child that is expecting a younger brother or sister. You can prepare the child by talking about all the things that are going to change when a new sibling appears on the scene, and how although they might at first seem negative and disruptive, in the end the child will learn to love and appreciate the new addition.



We received a copy of the book to review, links are affiliate.

Book review: Big Beds and Bedtime

In this household we do not have good sleepers. We've been through various different stages of sleep deprivation with both children over the last four years. Currently it isn't the worse that it has been (that would be about two years ago when for over six months Harry screamed every night for two hours then started his day at 5am) but we do still have many disturbed nights. At the moment Harry sleeps through more often than not until his Groclock tells him that it is morning at 7am. Mia however is up several times a night, and as I blogged recently getting her to sleep at bedtime has become worse since we moved her into a bed.

Therefore, being asked to review Let's Talk About: Big Beds and Bedtime by Stella Gurney and Fiona Freund has come at an ideal time! This book is one in a series of books which will cover key developmental stages of childhood. The books are aimed at toddlers, pre-schoolers and their parents and feature modern photographs, illustrations, text and speech bubbles.

Big Beds and Bedtime follows Layla as she prepares for the first night in her new bed. She follows a typical bedtime routine which will be familiar to most young children, and the book discusses the anxieties that she might have (darkness, being very small in a big bed).

I really enjoyed the style of the book, it was easy to read with plenty of room left for open-ended discussion as well as opportunities to talk about what was happening in the photographs.

Mia (22 months) is a bit too young to understand the concept really, although I am certainly going to read the book to her regularly and hopefully re-inforce the messages about staying in your own bed all night. I thought that at four Harry might be too old for it, but he loved it. He particularly liked the pages towards the end of the book where you can see what Layla is dreaming about and see some pictures of other babies and small children in all the places that they fall asleep. Even though his sleep is better than it has been there is still room for improvement, and I do hope that this book will have some influence!

You can find more information about the books on the Let's Talk About website.



I was sent Let's Talk About Bedtime to review, links are affiliate.

Creative Creatures blog book tour

Today, I am hosting the Creative Creatures blog book tour! Creative Creatures by Donna Wilson is Donna's first children's book, containing lots of fun and inspiring crafts to make both for and with children. I was asked to choose a craft from the book to make, and I chose the Sock Monster - a fun way to use up one of the many odd socks that we have lying around our house! I also knew that I would be doing the making myself, so I wanted to choose something that Harry would have fun playing with.

Our socks unfortunately aren't as pretty as the ones in the book, but I do have plenty of colourful felt around. This version is the sock in his second incarnation - Harry decided that my first version was too scary. You will notice that he doesn't have arms like the one in the book, this is because Harry runs around chasing Mia with him and I thought that the arms might be a bit hazardous!

This is a lovely book, all the crafts can be made with things that most crafty types have around the home, and you only need very basic skills to complete them. The book contains all the patterns and instructions that you need, as well as being illustrated with some gorgeous photographs and some lovely little stories about all the creatures. I did all the sewing for the sock monster but I let Harry choose the colours to use - older children would perhaps be able to get more involved and do some of the making by themselves.

You can see the other bloggers that are taking part below, do pop by to see the crafts that they have been making from the book!

I received a copy of the book to review, but I made the sock monster all by myself. Links to book are affiliate.

Book Review - Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty

Monkey Nut is a story about sharing, something that we are talking about a lot in this family at the moment! When two little creatures find a monkey nut they both want it, that is until something larger comes along!

The story is mainly told through the illustrations, and there are very few words. This was brilliant for Harry (just 4). He can't read, and this was the first time that I have observed him sit down with a book and 'read' it to himself using the pictures, which was wonderful to watch. This book also appealed very much to Mia (20 months). She's never really been one for books, although I do try, and this was the first ever book that she brought over to me to read to her.

I have read it to one or the other over and over, and I'd really recommend it for both toddlers and pre-schoolers, I think that it appeals to young children of all ages.



I received the book to review, the link is affiliate.

The "Lunchtime" blog tour

You may remember that a few months back I reviewed Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb. We loved the book, and so I was delighted to be asked to take part in a blog tour to celebrate the release of Lunchtime in paperback. The book tells the story of a little girl who doesn't want to eat her lunch and is helped out by a friendly crocodile, bear and wolf.

The crocodile is covered in a gorgeous pattern of circles which is repeated on the end papers of the book. When we first read the book, Harry and I did some circle painting based on this, and so I decided to make Harry and Mia a special circle lunch also inspired by the book.

I collected together circular plates and bowls (raiding the toy kitchen) and prepared some circular food - round sandwiches, cucumber, crackers and a few treats. To make it more special I took out the 'party cloth' (a patchwork duvet cover made for me by my Mum) and laid it all out on the floor so that they could reach easily.

I even found them a muffin tin each with circular holes to act as a plate. They loved it, and ate more than they usually do (of course I kept the treats back until they'd had a good go at the sandwiches!)

The Lunchtime book tour has taken in a number of blogs. The schedule is below, so do make sure that you visit some of the other blogs that have taken part! I'd really recommend this book, it really is a lovely story to read and enjoy with your children.

 

 

Finally, just a quick reminder to my readers, if you enjoy reading my blog I would love you to consider nominating me for a MAD Blog Award, perhaps in Family Fun, Family Life or Craft. Thank you!

I've not received anything in return for this post, I just love the book.

Book Reviews - Mike the Knight and Octonauts

We are very lucky in this household, in that from time to time we receive some lovely books to review. Our latest two are both based on television programmes that are currently showing on CBeebies.

Mike the Knight and the Real Sword

I'm not very familiar with Mike the Knight, probably because it isn't on at a time that we have the television on. I do know that my niece enjoys the show very much - my sister crocheted her a gorgeous Mike the Knight hat! You don't need to watch the show to enjoy the story though. The Mike the Knight stories emphasise about learning responsibility and learning to do things the right way - "It's time to be a knight and do it right". In this story, Mike the Knight is desperate to have a real sword so that he can act like a real knight, but he learns that he can make the best of what he has already.

Octonauts and the Undersea Eruption

We've only dipped in and out of the Octonauts on television, but I was very impressed with another book in the series - The Octonauts Explore the Great Big Ocean - which I reviewed over on Mini Bookworms. In this story, the Octonauts have to save sea creatures from an undersea eruption. The story was good, but what I really liked was the little fact boxes that told you more about what was happening. Like all pre-schoolers, Harry is very curious and full of questions, particularly about things that he hasn't encountered before like underwater volcanoes. This book would be a great starting point to go on and find out some more information.



Read some more reviews:

Mike the Knight at Being Mrs C

The Octonauts at Mini Bookworms
The Octonauts at Being Mrs C

I was sent the books to review, links are Amazon Affiliate links.

Two Book Reviews - No-Bot and Snug as a Bug

I love buying books for the children, but I tend to be stuck in the rut of buying books which I'm either familiar with from my own childhood, or which are older books that I've found in charity shops or the sale shelf at the library. So I'm always very pleased when I receive some new, recently published books to review, because there are some wonderful new picture books for young children out there. Here are two more books that we've been enjoying lately:

No-Bot The Robot with No Bottom! by Sue Hendra

Harry is just at the stage now where he is finding talk about bottoms very amusing, so this story is perfect for him. It's about a robot that loses his bottom on the park swing, and sets off to find it with help from his friends. After finding out that his bottom has been used for all sorts of things - as a nest, a drum kit, to make sandcastles - it looks as though all hope is lost when he spots it being used as a boat to sail away in.

We loved the range of characters in the book, and the simple, colourful illustrations.

Snug as a Bug - Tamsyn Murray and Judi Abbot

We both enjoyed this sweet book about a little boy and his imaginative Mum on a trip to the park. George doesn't want to go out because it's cold and raining, but his Mum assures him that he will be nice and warm, in fact providing a whole host of reasons why he doesn't need to worry about the cold, ranging from being "As hot as three pigs in big purple wigs" to being "Tucked up like nine owls in big fluffy towels"!

Harry thought that this book was hilarious, and the illustrations fit the story perfectly. It's also a great book for teaching counting.



Read more reviews here:

No-Bot at Mini Bookworms
No-Bot at Mum Reviews
Snug as a Bug at Mini Bookworms
Snug as a Bug at Being Mrs C

We received these books to review, links are Amazon Affiliate links.

Book Review - The Dinosaur Digger by Alison Ritchie and Mike Byrne

The Dinosaur Digger is a book in the new picture book series Jack's Mega Machines. Over on Mini Bookworms I reviewed the first title in the series - The Rocket Racing Car - which my son loved, so we were really pleased to be sent another in the series to review. I love how the books take two seemingly separate things which both appeal to young children, in this case dinosaurs and diggers, and blend them together in a story.

Jack is a mechanic who needs to fix a digger, but when he takes it for a test drive he is transported into a land of dangerous dinosaurs, saving some baby dinosaurs from the fearsome T-Rex.

The illustrations in the book are fantastic, and best of all it comes with a fold out dinosaur digger which your child can use to play along as you read the story, and then use to re-enact the story later on.

I really enjoyed reading this book to Harry, I love how it goes into so much detail about the digger as Jack mends all the different parts, and the descriptive language really makes the story come alive.



Read more reviews:

Mini Bookworms

We received the book to review, Amazon link is an affiliate link.

Book Review - Diary of a Christmas Wombat by Jackie French

I'm not familiar with the books in the Australian Diary of a Wombat series by Jackie French and illustrated by Bruce Whatley, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. We don't have very many festive books though, so I thought this would be a good one for us to read together in the run up to Christmas.

I'm not entirely sure what a wombat is, so I think that there is a good learning opportunity for both me and Harry here. The story is told from the point of view of Mothball the wombat at Christmas time, as he discovers and follows some strange creatures that are in competition with him for carrots.

There are plenty of Christmassy elements here to talk about with your child - stockings, reindeer, a sleigh and of course carrots. The story is really simple with few words and some lovely illustrations. We had a lot of fun talking about what was really going on in the story.

I would really recommend this lovely Christmas book to read with your child.

We received a copy of the book to review. Amazon links are affiliate links.

Raised with Enid Blyton

On the Mini Bookworms blog this month it's Enid Blyton month. We are hosting an Enid Blyton linky where you can share your posts, and read about other people's Enid Blyton activities and stories.

We always had lots of Enid Blyton books in the house when I was growing up. My Dad had a big collection of the original hardbacks, and I read them over and over. I didn't have a torch to read under the bedcovers but I remember begging to read one more page before the light was turned out. I still enjoyed them even though they were rather removed from my own experiences. The Famous Five books are the first proper books that I can remember reading on my own, and I devoured the books - buying them with Christmas money, borrowing from friends and the library.


Some of my Enid Blyton books

The books have held up pretty well considering how often they've been read by me and my siblings, and after dividing them up I still have plenty to pass down. Behind these is a whole shelf of paperbacks that I've bought since from charity shops, including the full set of Malory Towers books, another favourite series.

I loved the original illustrations:

Five go on a Hike Together

Five on a Secret Trail

Maybe the stories were quite repetitive, they certainly had many of the same themes, but I didn't mind. It's also a different experience when re-reading them as an adult, and you realise how politically incorrect some parts seem now! But although Enid Blyton may have had her critics, she certainly started me off on a love of reading!

The Sea of Adventure by Enid Blyton cover

Did you read Enid Blyton as a child? Which were your favourite stories? Do come over and share your posts in the Enid Blyton linky!

Book review - Zoe and Beans, Hello Oscar by Chloe and Mick Inkpen

Hello Oscar is the fifth book in Zoe and Beans series, and Harry and I loved reading this funny story. Zoe has found all sorts of animals at the bottom of her garden, but where have they all come from? Does the hole in the fence have anything to do with it?

This is definitely a story book for children of the modern age, I can't think of any other picture books with a reference to Google! It's a lovely book to read aloud, and the dialogue flows really naturally. The text is laid out in a way that encourages you to really get involved in the storytelling, and there are plenty of opportunities for a silly voice. We really enjoyed this book, and I'll definitely be looking out for the others in the series.



Affiliate link. We received the book to review.

Book Review - The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

We were sent a copy of Paper Dolls to review - a new book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. I really don’t want to sound too gushing in my review, but I have to say that in my opinion this picture book is perfect.

The story follows a little girl with a mother that makes her a string of paper dolls - each named and unique. The paper dolls have some beautifully illustrated adventures as the little girl plays with them around the house and garden. The paper dolls encounter a variety of imaginary hazards, but they escape them all, singing that they are ‘holding hands and we won’t let go’.

In the end, however, they can’t escape the very real threat of a little boy and his scissors, and he cuts them up into tiny pieces. But they haven’t gone forever, and they float away into the little girl’s memory, along with all sorts of other lovely things, until she has a little girl of her own that she can make paper dolls with.

This story is different to others by Julia Donaldson in our collection. The book is a touching reminder of children growing up and the passage of time, and that can be very poignant as a parent reading to a young child. It also broaches the subject of loss, and I think it would be a good book to share with a child that has experienced bereavement or any other type of loss, as it builds upon the idea that nothing and no-one is gone forever, they will always live on in your memories.

The illustrations in the book are quite superb. I love the drawings of Rebecca Cobb. I recently reviewed Lunchtime, which Rebecca wrote and illustrated, and that has become one of our favourite books. Her drawings are so lifelike, and they inject so much personality into the story.

I would absolutely recommend this book. We’ve been reading it every night for several days now, and I’m enjoying it every time. It must surely be destined to become a children’s classic.

Read some more reviews here:

Mini Bookworms
Plus 2.4

Affiliate link. I received a copy of the book to review

Book review: Poppy Cat - All Aboard

Poppy Cat: All Aboard is a brand new Poppy Cat title, to tie in with the television series. I must admit that we've not actually come across Poppy Cat, either through the books or on television, but I found that this didn't matter at all when it came to reading the book.

The book is described as a 'First Storybook' and that is exactly what it is. I think that it is the illustrations that really endear the book to small children, with their bright colours and appealing characters. The pictures are simple, yet detailed enough to leave plenty to talk about.

The book follows Poppy Cat and her friends as they go on an adventure to search for buried treasure. The story is simple and fun, and I liked that it opened up a variety of related play activities. I originally thought that Mia (16 months) would enjoy the book more, but Harry (3 1/2) was sufficiently interested and inspired by the events in the book to make his own treasure map and hunt for treasure.

This is a lovely book for children from younger toddlers to pre-schoolers. I'll definitely be looking out for more books in the series!




(Affiliate link)

We received a copy of the book to review.

Book Review - How Dinosaurs Really Work by Alan Snow

I think that most children are fascinated by dinosaurs, and it's certainly a topic that I look for in books. So I was really pleased when we were sent "How Dinosaurs Really Work!" by Alan Snow to review. It's primarily an educational book, packed with easy to understand facts and jokes. The best thing about the book is the cartoon-style illustrations. It really gets children thinking about what dinosaurs did and how they behaved.

The dinosaurs featured are the old favourites - Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex. The pictures show them as machines, with the food going into the mouth on a conveyor belt, being mashed up in the stomach, with all the inner workings being run by miniature dinosaurs. The legs and necks are worked by levers and springs worked by more tiny dinosaurs, and they chat away to each other in speech bubbles.

The book is aimed at children 4+ so it probably went a little over Harry's head. But he loved looking at the 'dinosaur machines' and talking about what was going on inside the dinosaurs. He has a fascination with his own body too, so I drew him an empty Harry Machine that he could add to. He really enjoyed adding in the pieces of breakfast cereal in his tummy and the bones in his legs.

The Harry Machine

If you are looking for books about dinosaurs and want something a little bit different I'd really recommend this one. It's light-hearted, but there is also a lot of learning going on.



We were sent the book to review.

Review - Three new picture books from Macmillan

I was recently sent three wonderful new picture books from Macmillan to read with Harry. I love the stage that he is at now with books - we can read stories that are interesting for me too, and he is old enough to follow a story and to ask questions and increase his understanding about the world around him. These three books are all newly published and would be great additions to your child's library.


Always exciting to receive new books!

I particularly enjoyed Farmer Clegg's Night Out by Peter Bently and Jim Field. It's the story of a night out in the farmyard, playing host to "Tractor Factor", and with many a nod for the adults to the television show with a similar name. The illustrations are plentiful with lots of extra details - I loved the "hen night" chickens wearing L-plates and the badly singing twin sheep, each sporting a blond quiff.  The text is written in easy-to-read-aloud rhyme, and the story has plenty of comedy! One that I don't mind reading over and over.

Another lovely book, The Pirate House by Rebecca Patterson plays on a child's imagination about who might be living in the house on the corner. Sam Turner tells his friends all sorts of tall stories about what goes on in the house, but is it really all just in his imagination? Once again, plenty of detailed illustrations led on to lots of discussion and conversation about what might be going on in the houses on the street, and we carried on talking about the book once the story was finished
.

Finally, Matilda's Cat by Emily Gravett is a wonderful, simple story about Matilda as she tries to think of new things that her cat might enjoy doing, trying desperately to interest him in a tea party, playing with boxes, reading stories...unfortunately the cat is just not that enthusiastic. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story has a lovely soppy ending.





We received the three books to review, but all opinions are my own.