2013
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
If you were to ask me which picture book I would choose to take a baby from birth through to their early childhood I would definitely choose Dear Zoo. It’s a fabulous first book which is still enjoyed by my almost five year old.
Cactus Annie by Melanie Williamson
The Story: Cactus Annie doesn’t want to go to cowgirl school. On her first day she gets everything wrong and Miss Tumbleweed, the teacher, tells her that she must try harder. On the second day of school Cactus Annie arrives to find that the pesky rats have stolen all the cows so Miss Tumbleweed sends…
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
What happens when you mix primary colours together? This is a really simple story that introduces children to the concept of colour mixing in a fun way and inspired us to get our paints out.
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell & Patrick Benson
Owl Babies is the best picture book I know for dealing with separation anxiety. A parent of a five year old in my first class introduced me to the story, her daughter cried every morning when she started school. The mother wanted to reassure her daughter that she would be back later like the owls’…
Cuddly Dudley by Jez Alborough
The Story: Cuddly Dudley is a penguin who likes to do things by himself. However, his brothers and sisters find him so adorable that they just want to hug him. One day he finds a little hut that is a perfect sanctuary for a penguin. When his brothers and sisters follow him he sends them…
Mucky Duck by Sally Grindley & Neal Layton
The Story: Mucky Duck is a white duck who lives on a pond in Oliver’s garden. She loves to cook, dig in the garden, play football and paint so she gets dirty very quickly. This means that every week Mucky Duck has to have a bath (which she doesn’t like) but to Mum and Dad’s…
A New Home for Little Fox by Janet Bingham & Rosalind Beardshaw
The Story: It is spring. Little Fox and Daddy Fox are going for a walk and along the way they come across a variety of animals, insects and birds who are nest building, spring cleaning and tidying. Daddy Fox answers Little Fox’s questions about the animals’ homes and explains why they aren’t suitable for foxes.…
The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray & Dubravka Kolanovic
The Little Raindrop is a great book to introduce young children to the water cycle. It is primarily a story although non fiction concepts (precipitation and evaporation) are introduced which makes it great to use as part of a water or weather topic in the Early Years classroom.
The Jolly Postman (or Other People’s Letters) – Janet & Allan Ahlberg
Last week in an interview that I did for Readitdaddy’s blog one of the questions was “If you had to name one booky person as your complete and utter book idol (Writer, Illustrator, Publisher etc.) who would it be and why?”. I chose Janet and Allan Ahlberg as they have written several of my favourite picture…
Bedtime Little Ones by Claire Freedman & Gail Yerrill
The Story: It is the end of the day and the little animals are going home to get ready for bed. We join mice, rabbits, badgers, squirrels, bears and hedgehogs as they have supper, have a bath, read stories, climb the stairs, watch the stars and get into bed. Then we say goodnight.
