Audio Books
The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson & Rebecca Cobb
The Paper Dolls is a beautifully gentle story about a childhood activity which encouraged us to make our own paper doll chains 🙂
Kipper’s Birthday by Mick Inkpen
With a birthday coming up in our house there is a lot of talk about invitations and cakes so we have been reading Kipper’s Birthday. Kipper is one of my daughter’s favourite characters and he and his friends have been with us since I started reading to her. I’m sure he’ll be around for at…
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.
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’…
All in One Piece by Jill Murphy
All In One Piece describes Mr and Mrs Large’s preparations for having a rare night out, just the two of them. Jill Murphy’s stories about the Large family were huge favourites of mine when I was teaching and it’s lovely to share them with my daughter who finds the children’s antics very funny.
The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright
Mrs Boot, her children Poppy and Sam and their dog Rusty have been firm favourites with my daughter since she received this book as a Christmas present when she was eighteen months old. The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales contains twenty stories (you can also buy the stories as separate mini books) and our version…
Doing the Animal Bop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner
I was sad to hear of Jan Ormerod’s death last week, her books have given pleasure to me and to many readers over the years. One of our favourite books, written by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner, is Doing the Animal Bop.
Hugless Douglas / Don’t Worry Hugless Douglas by David Melling
Hugless Douglas is a big, adorable, brown bear who is the main character in several picture books. As we couldn’t decide which was our favourite story we are recommending two!
A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Happy Birthday to A Squash and a Squeeze! A Squash and a Squeeze, the first picture book that Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler worked together on, is 20 years old. Since then they have collaborated on many other stories including The Gruffalo, Zog, Stick Man and Monkey Puzzle.
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Our favourite Christmas Eve story is definitely Stick Man. It’s not immediately obvious that Santa is a part of this story but he comes to Stick Man’s rescue after a series of mishaps and adventures take him far away from his family.
