We’ve Been Reading…

The children have been absolutely spoiled recently, having received several new books, so this is what we’ve been reading…..

Boo has moved onto largely having chapter books for her bedtime story now, so most of these have gone into Little Man’s room. That said, she has of course read them all a few times and I notice that she immediately took the latest Amelie and Nanette book and popped that one in her room! She has their Sparkly Shoes and Picnic Parties book, which she enjoys, so it was no surprise!

OK, where to start and which one to share with you first?! They are all lovely, though favourites are already emerging. We’ll kick off with my personal favourite, which is…

Penguin and Pumpkin

When Penguin and Bootsy plan a trip in search of autumn, Penguin’s little brother, Pumpkin, wants to join in. But Pumpkin is heartbroken to find out he’s too little to go, so Penguin and Bootsy bring a special surprise home to share a little touch of Autumn with Pumpkin.

An energetic and endearing story celebrating Autumn and family in many forms!

Now, I love penguins, so this was always going to go down well, but that aside, it’s the quirky tale and illustrations from Salina Yoon that draws me in. We have Penguin in Love, which we also really like, so we were straight into reading this one to see what Penguin and Bootsy were up to this time. And as with the other Penguin stories, it’s cute, it’s charming and it’s just the perfect autumnal picture book for me.

Alfie in the Garden

Alfie Rabbit is helping his mummy in the garden. His world turns from real to imagined, as a gatefold spread is opened. Now he’s in the jungle! He’s a lion on the prowl, an elephant spraying water from his trunk, and a little bird flying home to his nest . . . to have a nap with Mummy! A delightful book for toddlers, celebrating their irrepressible imagination, with exquisite illustrations featuring all sorts of garden – and jungle! – creatures.

This book is sweet, and Alfie Rabbit does remind me of my toddler. The world is so different through their eyes, and Alfie takes us on a journey through his. Written by a favourite of ours, Debi Gliori, as she always manages to make her characters so very loveable.

My Little Star

When the day is done and sleep draws near,
When the moon’s aglow and stars appear.
I’ll whisper something crystal clear –
Words meant just for you to hear.

As nighttime falls and the moon starts to shine, parents and children across the world snuggle up together. So cuddle close, because it’s time for a bedtime story.

With a gentle message and beautifully tender illustrations, My Little Star is the perfect way to end the day with your own little star.

This one’s a cuddly, heart-warming one, one of those where you go ‘aah’ and hold your little one that bit closer. I like this one as the final bedtime book of an evening, to pop Little Man into bed with, a gentle tale to round off his day.

Dragon Jelly

TA-DAH! It’s DRAGON JELLY time,
A sizzling scrumptious treat.
It’s red. It’s wobbly. Best of all,
It’s SCARY HOT to eat . . . !

Max is having a MONSTER party. They play all sorts of yucky games then cool down in a fruitbat drool paddling pool! Then it’s tea-time, with termite tarts, ear-wig rolls and eyeball birthday cake. But the REAL treat is the red-hot dragon jelly!

This one’s Little Man’s favourite – I mean, bright pages, monsters and jelly – what’s not to love?! We like a lot of books by these authors, such as Aliens Love Underpants and Barry the Fish with Fingers. It’s bold, it’s funny and it has both children giggling.

Yikes, Santa-Claws

It was Christmas Eve and the dino-tots were tucked up
in bed dreaming of Christmas magic . . .

But where were the jolly jingle bells?
The hearty “Ho! Ho! Ho!”?
And who was this green scaly creature
stomping through the snow?

YIKES, It’s Santa-CLAWS and he’s causing chaos.
Can ANYONE stop him and save the day?
Find out in this crazy Christmas caper.

I do like getting new Christmas books to add to our little stock, as they do really make for fun reads in the run up to the event, and help to ramp that excitement up another notch! This is a rhyming tale and it’s a silly one. Sure to be a hit with little ones, as Santa-Claws burps and poos – I don’t know about your kids, but this is guaranteed hilarity to mine! It is funny, and you’ll be pleased to know that he does mend his ways and all comes good in the end!

Amelie and Nanette: Snowflakes and Fairy Wishes

Amelie and Nanette are very excited! Christmas is coming, and they are busy making their fairy costumes for the party at school. There are cakes to bake and paper chains to make too. But on the day of the party, poor Nanette starts to shiver and sneeze – and has to stay at home!

They are both very sad, but when Nanette gets better, a special fairy comes to visit, and Pilou the dog delivers a sack full of cards from her school friends!

An enchanting festive story featuring two very special girls, who discover that the best gift of all is to have a friend to share Christmas with.

‘Enchanting’ is just how I’d describe this one. A tale of friendship, with beautiful illustrations and an almost vintage feel to it. This is a little on the long side for a picture book, which is perfect for Boo, as she has a good attention span for stories, and she really likes the main characters and listening to the story unfold. It’s a book I suspect I’m going to be reading a lot in the run up to Christmas, and I don’t mind one bit!

They’re all available to buy now, with the exception on Amelie and Nanette, which comes out 23rd October. Which one most appeals to you?

Disclosure: We received the books FOC, though all words and opinions remain my own.

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