2013
On The Way Home by Jill Murphy
My copy of On the Way Home has a different picture on the cover and is old, battered and well loved. It was well read when I first started teaching and it’s now the perfect story for my daughter who is trying to make sense of real characters versus fantasy characters, we have long conversations…
Winnie’s Amazing Pumpkin by Valerie Thomas & Korky Paul
This year we planted three pumpkin seeds but we didn’t realise how big pumpkin plants grow (luckily only one plant survived!). We did cut the plant back when it started to grow across our patio and threatened to strangle the tomatoes next to it but although our plant is big it doesn’t look like our…
Say Goodnight to the Sleepy Animals! by Ian Whybrow & Ed Eaves
My daughter loves Say Goodnight to the Sleepy Animals! with its touch and feel animals and its simple, repetitive, rhyming text. It’s a perfect bedtime read for the littlest of people.
What Small Rabbit Heard by Sheryl Webster & Tim Warnes
What Small Rabbit Heard by Sheryl Webster & Tim Warnes is an amusing story which shows how Small Rabbit discovers he can have fun in the wind.
Lucky Wish Mouse Starting School by Clara Vulliamy
We borrowed Lucky Wish Mouse Starting School, a story about ten tiny mice starting school from the library, and have read it at least once a day since. My daughter loves it and the reading is always accompanied by lots of giggles.
Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt by Guy Parker-Rees
Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt is a first adventure story which introduces counting, colours and shapes through Guy Parker-Rees’ fantastically detailed illustrations. We spend lots of time poring over each page to see what all the animals are doing while we are helping Tom and Millie to hunt for clues.
Ella by Alex T. Smith
I was looking for a picture book with a character who wore glasses and I found Ella, the story of an adorably feisty ladybird. It’s a great twist on the Cinderella story, all of the characters are insects. My daughter is currently fascinated by all kinds of insects (she’s quite happy to pick them up!) so…
Tom & Small by Clara Vulliamy
If you have a child who will soon be starting school, Tom & Small is a great story to help prepare them for the experience. It acknowledges the initial fears that a child may have before giving a positive impression of the experience. My daughter received this book for her second birthday, it is a…
One More Candle by Merry Susiarjo & Emmeline Pidgen
My daughter calls this beautifully illustrated book ‘Nola’s story’ which is so apt as throughout the book Nola struggles to accept that she is younger than her sister, Betty. How old you are and who is older / younger than you are very important to young children and One More Candle introduces the theme of…
Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne
Handa’s Surprise is a lovely, simple story which provides a great first learning experience for a child who has no knowledge or experience of Africa.
