Toddler books… our favourites…

For the last day of Book Week 2014. I thought I would share some of our favourite toddler books.

H is a great lover of books. He gets so much pleasure out of them and it just thrills me to see him get so much enjoyment out of something I love too.

We keep things on high rotation and as he now gets to choose what we read before bedtime it is quite wide and varied which is lovely. It’s always nice to ‘rediscover’ a book we haven’t read for a while.

A big hit with us is anything by Julia Donaldson. Her books are so lovely and varied. Her writing has a lovely rhythm to it and it can actually be a little tricky to read the first time until you get the flow of the words. She is most famous for The Gruffalo (he even has his own website). Some of our other favourites are Stick Man, The snail and the whale, A squash and a squeeze and Sharing a shell. We are working on owning her whole collection and still have several to go so no doubt there are more favourites to discover.

We also love the Dr.Seuss books. They are such fun and the best ones to start with, as they are shorter and easier to get through with short attention spans are. The eye book, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, 10 apples up on top.

H was given the Gum tree farm series from his Grandparents for Christmas and it’s been a huge hit. It was bought through a book club but I have managed to find them here. Bluey’s Bone, The broken quad bike, The hungry rabbit and When will it rain?. The broken quad bike is a particular hit thanks to his Grandfather’s quad bike he LOVES when we’re home at the farm.

Ladybird Favourite stories for boys is another favourite. Every story gets a turn but in particular I think his favourite is the 3 billy goats gruff.

There is also the much loves classics… the Beatrix Potter collection. H is really enjoying them at the moment. We have started with the original The tale of Peter Rabbit. We have so many copies of this one… we have the box collection (a beautiful christening present for E), the complete collection in one book, a small collection of the original little hard cover books (my mother has also kept the complete collection we had as children too) and The tale of Peter Rabbit board book which is great for E as she’s not great with soft cover books.

The current favourite is How to be a Pirate which is a little golden book. H is very into all things pirate so this was one book he flipped over. It’s a really cute book and a really fun one to read aloud.

There are lots of other but will save them for another post soon.

I’d love to hear your favourites/recommendations. I have a real love affair with books and am always adding to our collection. What’s on rotation in your house?

For other favourites check out my instagram – I have been posting a book a day for book week.

Jx

From the archive… Favourite first books…

In honour of Book Week I am reposting this from the archives… We still love these books and read them most nights to E before bed.

Hello Baby and 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes by Mem Fox are without a doubt two of our first favourite books. Both of my babies love these books…

I read 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes to H in utero and I believe it’s the reason it fast became his favourite. It is currently E’s favourite book. At the end of the book the little baby in the story gets three little kisses on the tip of its nose… we kiss the tip of our finger and touch their nose three times. H got to the stage and E is there now that they know it’s coming and look up at you when you’re reading the last page waiting for their kisses.

H adores books and always has. E is loving them more and more and I get such a thrill to see her get excited when we sit down to read these two books. They are a big part of our bedtime routine… every night we have a book before bed. For me, it ensures the children are reading/read to every day and it’s a terrific wind down/sleep cue for them as well…

I highly recommend any new Mother’s or expecting Mother’s to add these books to your collection. They are beautiful stories and the illustrations are gorgeous…

For anyone looking for a great baby shower or baby gift these are terrific… the board books are terrific as little exploring and excited hands can’t rip them. It does take a little while for them to learn not to rip pages so board books are a definite plus…

Where is the Green Sheep and Time for Bed, both by Mem Fox are also favourites.

Are these books in your collection?
Please share your favourites and must haves, I would love to hear them…

Happy reading… Jx

All photos copyright Jess Flett

Book Review… ‘All I know’ by Mary Coustas…

I bought this book to take and read on our recent holiday. I had seen the interview’s with Mary and George on 60 Minutes so knew loosely what to expect… you can take a look here, here and here…

Wow! What an inspiring woman. This is a lovely read. Mary writing is so incredibly heartfelt, witty, endearing and honest. What she has endured to reach her dream of becoming a Mother is unbelievable. She has overcome challenges and grief no one should ever have to experience.

I laughed, I cried and I cheered. This is a wonderful read about strength of spirit and how to come out the other side smiling.

Mary, I admire your strength, your optimism in the face of extreme heartache and challenge and your ability to love and persevere. As you have so aptly said… Nothing good comes out of giving up…

I highly recommend giving it a read. You can get a copy here…

What have you read lately? I’d love to know and need some ideas for my next read…

Jx

Favourite first books…

Hello Baby and 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes by Mem Fox are without a doubt two of our first favourite books. Both of my babies love these books…

I read 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes to H in utero and I believe it’s the reason it fast became his favourite. It is currently E’s favourite book. At the end of the book the little baby in the story gets three little kisses on the tip of its nose… we kiss the tip of our finger and touch their nose three times. H got to the stage and E is there now that they know it’s coming and look up at you when you’re reading the last page waiting for their kisses.

H adores books and always has. E is loving them more and more and I get such a thrill to see her get excited when we sit down to read these two books. They are a big part of our bedtime routine… every night we have a book before bed. For me, it ensures the children are reading/read to every day and it’s a terrific wind down/sleep cue for them as well…

I highly recommend any new Mother’s or expecting Mother’s to add these books to your collection. They are beautiful stories and the illustrations are gorgeous…

For anyone looking for a great baby shower or baby gift these are terrific… the board books are terrific as little exploring and excited hands can’t rip them. It does take a little while for them to learn not to rip pages so board books are a definite plus…

Where is the Green Sheep and Time for Bed, both by Mem Fox are also favourites.

Are these books in your collection?
Please share your favourites and must haves, I would love to hear them…

Happy reading… Jx

All photos copyright Jessica Flett

What I’m reading at the moment…

I am currently reading Maeve Binchy’s latest book – A Week in Winter. I don’t want to put it down. I have loved Maeve’s books for many years and love reading every one of of them. Her latest one is no exception.

Maeve is an exceptional story teller. All her books are set in beautiful Ireland and she has such a way of drawing you into her characters’ world. I am always sad when I finish one of her books and eagerly await the next one. Sadly she died in July 2012 and I am so sad about that.

If you are a fan of Maeve then you will know what I mean. If you don’t know her please give her a go – I really think you’ll enjoy her stories.

You can find A Week in Winter here and here. For a full list of Maeve’s books click here.

I’m always keen to hear about new authors. I adore a good read. What are you reading at the moment?

Jx

That’s not my dinosaur…

Source: Here

Our Son loves the Usborne touchy-feely books. His favourite is ‘That’s not my dinosaur…’ They are terrific tactile books and there are lots of them to choose from. Our little man has several of them and I just love when he gets them out of his toy box, brings them over and holds them up for us to read them to him. He gets so excited and I really love how much he enjoys books. I highly recommend them. I have found they are readily available in book stores and toy stores. If looking to purchase them on line here is one of the places you can find them.


Here is a photo of our little man enjoying one of the books….’That’s not my Teddy..’

Image: Jessica Flett

I hope your little one enjoys the books as much as ours.

Jx