2013
Picture Books for International Friendship Day
To celebrate International Friendship Day we have put together a list of our favourite picture books about friends and the activities that they like to do together (or in Amos McGee’s case, friends who take care of each other).
Prince Cinders by Babette Cole
Prince Cinders isn’t your archetypal dashing prince (unlike his three, large, hairy brothers) but with the help of a dirty fairy he does get his happy ending!
Friends by Helme Heine
This story about friendship and the relationship between a trio of very different farm animals has been translated from the German story, Freunde.
The Lost (and Found) Balloon by Celeste Jenkins & Maria Bogade
The Story: Molly O’Doon ties a note to her red balloon and lets it loose to see who will find it. It floats up and away and over the town until the sun goes down. It floats all night, over the water and then lands in Katie’s garden. Katie has just moved house and when…
Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day
Today is Teddy Bears Picnic Day so we have put together a list of some of our favourite stories about bears. Unfortunately our favourite picture book version of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is no longer available to buy new and we would love to hear your suggestions for a newer version.
Amazing Aeroplanes by Tony Mitton
If you are planning a holiday that combines planes and small children I recommend this colourful, non fiction picture book to introduce the experience of flying. We bought it for our daughter (who first flew at the age of four months) and its bold, bright pictures and easy to read, simple rhyming text were an…
Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
I often borrowed Rosie’s Walk from the library as a child and bought my own copy when I was doing my teacher training. I have read it to my daughter since she was small and now she is excited that she can ‘read’ it by herself, there are less than thirty five words in the story so…
Caryl Hart recommends Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell & Helen Oxenbury
The Story: There once was a duck who had the bad luck to live with a lazy old farmer. The duck did the work. The farmer stayed all day in bed. Poor Duck. He is so tired, and fed up that the other animals make a plan to get rid of the lazy old farmer once and…
Mole’s Sunrise by Jeanne Willis & Sarah Fox-Davies
Mole’s Sunrise is a beautiful story to introduce children to blindness and the use of the senses.
The Hundred Decker Bus by Mike Smith
Come and join The Hundred Decker Bus on its colourful journey (and don’t forget your swimsuit, it even has a pool!).
