I don't think of myself as a creative person and I struggle with mess. So doing craft activities with my kids doesn't come natu...

Bookish Play: Five Ideas

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 BookBairn 2 Comments



I don't think of myself as a creative person and I struggle with mess. So doing craft activities with my kids doesn't come naturally. But what I am good at is 'bookish play'. No mess, no fuss, and books at the centre of the activities. So here are five quick, and almost mess-free ideas, for ways we celebrate books in our play.


Baby-Led Reading



We are starting this week of brilliant bookish play by just playing with our books. No set-up, just a basket of books and a kiddo who loves to turn pages, and at the end a wonderful book mess We call this baby-led reading - just let them grab what the fancy and deal with the aftermath later. It’s my best tip for raising a bookworm. Make sure the books are easily accessible and pop them down to play beside them! This is the simplest and purest bookish play I can think of! 

Mix It Up: Exploring Colour


I don’t enjoy watching the colours get smudged into that delightful shade of brown that kids inevitably turn the paint colours into. But in the interest of learning about colours, I’d put my aversion aside and let BookBairn go wild with her mixing skills (with a little help and encouragement and lots and lots of learning chat from me!). And of course the perfect book pairing is Mix It Up by Herve Tullet Such a wonderful book, that if you don’t like mess or that smudgy brown you can have similar colour mixing fun! 







I Really Want the Cake: Play Dough


Play dough, cupcake cases and candles and voila you have cake! I love this laugh out loud story about a little girl who just ant resist the cake! And then she has to try and make another one. BookBairn loves play dough so this activity is always a hit and keeps her busy baking for hours! Even more fun when we make the dough ourselves to begin with and then pop it in the play oven. 




Dear Zoo: Puzzle


A classic and all time favourite book of ours brought out of the pages and all across the room! I love that BookBairn can do the puzzle and The Wee Page Turner can play with the flaps on the puzzle pieces. (We picked up this puzzle in Aldi last year and I haven't seen it since but there are lots of cool 'Dear Zoo' games, in fact I spotted some lovely building blocks in our local bookshop.)




Paper Dolls: Paper Dolls


Making Paper Dolls is so much fun! And this lovely book will have you feeling all the feels! In other words it will totally make you cry! But it's so sweet. And a great one to pair up with this little doll sticker set from Flying Tiger as it’s super easy to do - just fold the dolls out and create fun faces and outfits with the stickers! This is a great wee set and would be perfect for travelling or out and about. And has me inspired to make some more paper dolls with BookBairn.


Hope you have picked up some fun bookish play ideas! 
Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner xx




Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

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The bairns are both wonderfully polite children*. *One of them can't actually speak yet and demands things by squawking at...

How Rude! Blog Tour

Monday, September 24, 2018 BookBairn 12 Comments


The bairns are both wonderfully polite children*.

*One of them can't actually speak yet and demands things by squawking at us and finds burps hilarious. And the other sometimes needs a reminder to say please and thank you.

But for the most part they are really well behaved, especially with their table manners. We try to all sit round the table at the weekends and eat together and the kids sit at the table for their dinners together during the week. I think every parent worries what their children are like when they are not around. Usually they are even more polite than normal but sometimes...

They can be a little rude. Like Duck. In How Rude! by Clare Helen Welsh & Olivier Tallec, the main character 'Dot' has invited her friend Duck over for a tea party. Dot has no idea just how rude a guest Duck will prove to be. But Duck is being very rude. He throws his coat on the floor, stomps his muddy webbed feet across the carpet, and then puts them up on the table. He rejects the idea of the sandwiches that Dot has made, and then licks them all to taste and then finally scoffs the lot anyway. Meanwhile Dot's shocked eyes grow bigger and bigger, her face grows redder and redder, until eventually a huge storm cloud boils above her head. Just how will Dot react to such rude behaviour? 



There's one cake left. And Duck has his eyes firmly set on it. But Dot intervenes scoffing the whole lot and not sharing even a crumb with Duck. How rude! 


Duck and Dot soon realise that they have both been very rude when they look at the carnage around them. And they apologise. Except for one little burp at the end of course.


This book is a conversation opener to gently introduce little readers to manners and behaviours through this hilarious double-act. With sparse text and repetition of the phrase "How rude!" this is a lovely little stories for very young readers who are just starting to enjoy sitting still long enough for a story. And the illustrations are such a fun comic strip style! I don't think we have any other books with a similar style which makes it very unique and it's great for showing the bairns a different style of artwork. They strong colour palette and bold look to the characters against mostly white backgrounds also allow young readers to really see the action of the story without being distracted by background artwork. 

This could be seen as a very simple story. But with the clever artwork and hilarious use of such few words, this book is far from simplistic! Such a fun book!

If you would like to win a signed copy of How Rude! please pop over to my Twitter to tell us the strangest sandwich filling you've ever had before 4.10.18 to enter. I'll pop a link to the Tweet below (once the competition goes live).



And check out the other stops on the blog tour too! How Rude! is released on 4th October so make sure you check it out!


Happy reading! 
Mummy and the bairns


DISCLAIMER: I was sent the book free for review purposes by the publisher as part of my participation in the blog tour. Words and opinions are as always my own. If you are interested in pre-ordering a copy of the book or ordering it if you are reading after release date on 4th October, I have popped affiliate links where the title is mentioned and in the final photo. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 60p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

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We get so many wonderful books to share with you all and I struggle to blog about all the ones I want to share in full detail so I though...

Quick Reviews: Five New Favourites

Friday, September 21, 2018 BookBairn 10 Comments


We get so many wonderful books to share with you all and I struggle to blog about all the ones I want to share in full detail so I thought I would share 'Five Fast Favourites' in a mini-review format. 

Mind Your Manners by Nicola Edwards & Feronia Parker Thomas


This is a perfect early in the school year book. It's full of misbehaving animals who need to learn some manners. With quirky and memorable rhymes alongside adorable animal illustrations, children will enjoy this fun introduction to manners and the importance of being polite! The illustrations are packed full of humour which makes the lesson light-hearted and enjoyable for readers. One of the best things to establish in your class is how to treat one and other with respect, kindness and good manners and this book is just perfect for that! 


Hello World: Animals by Nicola Edwards & L'Atelier Cartographik


"An Amazing Atlas of Wildlife", this book will have little readers discovering some of the most incredible creatures on Earth! This book is aimed at older readers but BookBairn enjoys lifting the flaps scattered across each page and have me read about the animals they feature, so it's great for younger readers too. Discover the animals of each continent through the beautifully crafted pages, bitesize facts and stunning illustrations. With over 180 animals to learn about this one will keep kids busy, and fascinated, for hours! 



Tree by Britta Teckentrup



*now in board book* As the seasons begin to change and children can see the leaves on the trees change colour and then start to fall, it's wonderful to pair what they can see in their world around them with magical and beautiful storytelling. Following the life cycle of a tree through all the seasons has never been so beautiful in a book as brought to life by the incredibly talented (and a favourite of ours) Britta Teckentrup. The clever die-cuts on each page are wonderful to add depth to the illustrations, and now in a board book edition, it's perfect for little fingers to explore as you read the lyrical rhyming couplets. Part poem, part work of art, part non-fiction, this book is a beautiful journey for little ones learning about the changing seasons. And it might also make us grown ups stop and appreciate the wonder and beauty of nature around us. 

Where Happiness Lives by Barry Timms & Greg Abbott




What does a happy home mean to you? This is the story of three little mice, all of whom have very different homes: one small and humble but busy with family and friends, one large and the final one palatial. When Grey Mouse discovers two other houses in his area that are far larger and grander than his own he begins to envy his neighbours. Until he visits the astronomy tower of the mansion and sees that the telescope is pointing down at his humble little home. The wealthy brown mouse (who owns the palace) tells him it's lovely up here on the mountain and she gets the most joy out of using her telescope to look down on his family home. For the happiest mouse is not necessarily the mouse who has more. In our consumer driven society, this book is a lovely antidote, a reminder, to appreciate what we have. To realise what truly makes us happy. I think this is something we will want to be talking to our kids about more and more. I've been thinking a lot about social media and how it can influence people (it's users, myself included, aren't called influencers for no reason), how a snapshot of someone else's life, or someone else's book collection shouldn't make us appreciate our own any less and I keep coming back to the old adage: comparison is the thief of joy (Theodore Roosevelt). And that's exactly what this book is trying to share:

"Whatever your home, 

it is happy indeed...

If you love what you have
and you have what you need."




Mini Rabbit: Not Lost by John Bond


How far would you go for cake? Mini Rabbit really really wants his mother's berry cake, but when they run out of berries, he sets off before his mother has a chance to stop him. He passes people along the way, all of whom try to warn him not to stray too far from home in search of berries (especially as in each scene there are berries hidden) but Mini Rabbit is single-mindedly hunting for berries on his own. Until he finally finds one, of course, but then he realises that he really is lost. How can he find his way home again? But wait, he can smell something... cake! He follows the scent all the way home. But with a hilarious twist (in typical toddler fashion) at the end, this one will have you laughing out loud. BookBairn just giggles and giggles at the ending! I adore the colour palette in this and I love the deceptive simplicity with which Mini Rabbit is brought to life. A wonderful story, and now I want some cake! 

Hope you like this 'quick review' format!
Kim

Disclaimer: We were sent all these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.


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It feels like too long since I wrote a blog post! I thought once BookBairn started nursery I would have more time to write and manage...

Blog Update

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 BookBairn 4 Comments


It feels like too long since I wrote a blog post! I thought once BookBairn started nursery I would have more time to write and manage my blog but it turns out I just have more things that I need (want) to get done. I feel like I should have expected this but it has still taken me by surprise!

There are two mornings a week when I have a couple of hours to myself to get things done whilst both bairns are at nursery at the same time and I thought I would be able to fit lots of jobs in. I don't. I decided to join a local gym in order to improve my woeful fitness levels and that along with walking to nursery five times a week is making me feel better in myself but it means I have less time to blog! I'm also consciously trying to do less chores whilst the kids are around and enjoy playing with them instead as well as trying to fit in a bit of chill time/reading time for me when they nap/have quiet time. So again my child-free time seems to just disappear.

We currently receive over 30 books a month from publishers - some requests and some unsolicited - so it's tricky just to keep on top of that and sharing those on social media. Don't get me wrong, it's a great problem to have but it does mean that sitting down, writing lengthier blog posts as well as taking, editing and adding photographs, can be more time consuming than I have to spare. It also means several emails back and forth as well as building some skills as I try and learn about affiliate links and working with brands so that the blog earns me a little bit of pocket money. I don't want to turn it into a business particularly and I wouldn't want to put you lovely readers off but I would like to try and make a little bit of pocket money so that I can treat the kids every so often and buy myself some new books here and there. I have started doing this and try to make sure everything is clear in my disclosures for you and I hope you will support me in this. I hope to start using affiliate links so that if you like the sound of a book, and do intend to buy it, you click through the link and I get a small amount back. It doesn't cost you anymore but I get about between 20-50p per book. So I won't exactly be rolling it in! As I say I hope you will support me in this. 

My plan going forward is to make a conscious effort to find time to write here twice a week. I have several blog tours that I've committed to so that will keep the posts coming and I think I will try and do a weekly round-up sharing some of the books from my social media on here as well, hopefully allowing me to pop content up here without duplicating my workload. If there are any particular posts you would like to see please let me know and I will get writing those first for you! 

I am finding one thing that is taking up far more of my time is through sharing books on social media - primarily Instagram as I think it lends itself well to sharing picture books as it's so visual - and interacting with followers. I've almost got to the magic number of 10k! And would love to do that in time for Christmas so if you don't follow me on there I would love it if you would.

I'm aware this has been a bit of a rambly post so if you got all the way to the end of it - thank you! You're fully up to date!
Kim and the bairns x

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A recent Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children's Literature 2017  by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CL...

Reflecting Realities

Monday, September 10, 2018 BookBairn 10 Comments


A recent Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children's Literature 2017 by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) found that only 4% of the children's books published in 2017 features BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) characters and only 1% had a BAME main character. This is a rather damning statistic. And it made me think...

Firstly I wanted to understand a bit more about the Reflecting Realities campaign launched by CLPE and look deeper into the statistics with the aid of a printout of the full survey and a handy highlighter.

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) are an independent charity motivated to put "quality children's literature at the heart of all learning", supporting schools to teach literacy creatively and effectively and raise the achievements of children. They believe, as I do also, that being a reader opens the world to children and that literature should honour, value and reflect the reality in which they live. They maintain that they "still find it difficult to find enough books to add to [their] collections that are truly and authentically reflections of the wide world in which we live." This is something I will discuss shortly.

32% of pupils of compulsory school age in England were of minority ethnic origins in 2017 and yet only 4% of books published in the same year had a BAME character. Some other troubling information that this survey unveiled that only 1% of children's book published in 2017 starred a BAME main character. Something is certainly amiss. That doesn't make sense does it? Surely the books our children have access to should reflect the world around them? That's just logical. And surely we want all children to find themselves in a book? That's the magic of storytelling, right?

But it's not all doom and gloom because whilst these statistics are quite damning, there are lots of wonderful books out there that are, in my experience, easily accessible, which is why, whilst I wholeheartedly agree that the statistics unveiled by the CLPE is damning, I cannot agree with the statement:  that they "still find it difficult to find enough books to add to [their] collections that are truly and authentically reflections of the wide world in which we live."

I dispute it because I have, without much thought other than curating a shelf of great stories, amassed a collection of books that does reflect the wide world in which we live. How do I know? Because I took every book off our active bookshelves* and counted them. Here's what I found:


In short, our shelves are a pretty good reflection of reality. The CLPE research showed that 32% of pupils of school age in England were of minority ethnic origins, so showing 41% on our shelves is a fairly strong representation. And far above the 4% from the research. We have many books which feature an animal as the main character or are a word primer style of book where the pages feature predominantly animals, vehicles or objects, letters and numbers. And I think that makes sense for the age of the bairns. I should also point out that special mention goes to Sophy Henn's Ted character who we have six of the books and helps keep our shelves balanced alongside the Nosy Crow and National Trust collaborations, of which we have four books. I also noted that amongst the 'white only' books we have 19 fairytales/fairytale retellings featuring characters like Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood, which, as old European stories, it's perhaps not surprising that they have white characters. We also have seven 'classic storybooks' (books which are over 25 years old), such as We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Dogger, which sway the shelves a little.

But, what this tells me is that there are many wonderful books featuring BAME characters and you can have them starring all across your shelves without a huge effort! And you don't have to sacrifice good storytelling for diverse shelves either. You might have to ask in your local bookshop but they will know exactly what to recommend. There are also some great social media accounts you can follow who strongly represent books with BAME characters, like Here Wee Read and The Conscious Kid (both accounts I love). I will always share BAME characters as I share other books, blending them into our book collection, alongside all the other books, creating an inclusive shelf.

All that said, it doesn't mean that the publishing industry doesn't still have work to do to improve the inclusiveness of children's books. The CLPE statistics show that there is still not fair representation in children's books. And that goes for representation of children with disabilities or additional needs too. This is something our shelves are woefully lacking but the books starring children with disabilities are often books about the disability rather than just great stories that happen to have a child in a wheelchair, or with a feeding tube, for example. But the only way for this to change is for us to demand them and to buy them. I also know that our book collection is constantly changing and as the children get older we will no doubt have more books with humans so I hope I will be able to maintain shelves that 'reflect reality'. 

I hope you found this post interesting, and perhaps you feel inspired to have a look at your own shelves to see what they look like!

Thanks for reading,
Kim x


*By active bookshelves I'm referring to the ones that the children have access to - I have a box of seasonal books kept away in out attic and I have a box of books for BookBairn to grow into - books which I have received from publishers that BookBairn is still to young to enjoy but I've kept for future. So I stuck to the active, readily accessible books.


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You know what we realized recently over at #kidlitpicks? We've never made a list of our favorite funny books! I'm talking about ...

#KidLit Picks August Round-Up - LOL Books

Thursday, September 06, 2018 BookBairn 2 Comments

You know what we realized recently over at #kidlitpicks? We've never made a list of our favorite funny books! I'm talking about the books we can barely read aloud because we're laughing so hard and the books with pictures so ridiculous that we can't help but giggle as we pour over the illustrations. Funny books give everyone a moment in time to be fully together, laughing about what's on the page and leaving the stress or worry of everything else behind. And they're often a good way to address serious issues that are otherwise very difficult to talk about.

Throughout the month of August, the #KidLitPicks book club explored books that make us laugh out loud. Thanks to co-founder Mel Schuit of Let's Talk Picture Books for the theme!


The Big Bed, by Bunmi Laditan and Thomas Knight
“There is no way that you can read The Big Bed without laughing out loud. If you have a toddler that takes over your bed, there may be some tears mixed in with the chuckles. LOL!” — Summer from @readingisourthing


Potato Pants!, by Laurie Keller
“It's great as a read aloud, but it's also great for a solo read––the text and the illustrations are equally engaging and pair very well with each other." — Mel from @spiky_penelope


100 Dogs, by Michael Whalte
“This book is brilliantly illustrated with lots of hidden and humorous details!” —  Kim from @bookbairn


We Don't Eat Our Classmates, by Ryan T Higgins
“This lighthearted back-to-school book is sure to be enjoyed countless times.” — Miranda from @bookbloom


The Funny Life of Pets, by James Campbell and Rob Jones
“It was magic watching my daughter read this book – she kept bursting with laughter at the contents”  Carissa from @bookskidslove_


Baa Baa Smart Sheep, by Mark and Rowan Sommerset
“It's a fantastic read aloud, laugh-out-loud funny and so much fun to share - particularly after your little reader has heard it once and knows how the story goes.”  Carissa from @bookskidslove_


Beware the Monster, by Michaël Escoffier
Beware the Monster is a highly energetic and interactive book that had my boys hooting with laughter, it’s became an instant favourite.” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople


Rodney Loses It!, by Michael Gerard Bauer
"Rodney Loses It! is a truly hysterical search for a missing pen that will resonate with little readers and adults!” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople


Are You My Bottom?, by Kate and Jol Temple
"With fun and funky illustrations on every spread this laugh out loud picture book is guaranteed to be a hit with all the kids”  Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople


Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends, by Tina Kügler
"We just can’t get enough of it in our house right now. Lauren from @happily.ever.elephants



The Book With No Pictures, by BJ Novak
“This book is absolutely hilarious!” — Angelique from @heads.shoulders.knees



Stegothesaurus, by Bridget Heos and T. L. McBeth“Fun and educational (vocabulary for days!), this story is a great way to introduce the concept of synonyms.” — Heather from @kidlitbookbits


No Fits, Nilson!, by Zachariah O'Hora
“It’s adorably illustrated (Zachariah O’Hora is a dream!) and manages to get us all giggling at big gorilla tantrums... which is better than crying, right??” — Anna from @kidlitcrafts


Ella Kazoo Will NOT Brush Her Hair, by Lee Fox and Cathy Wilcox
“With wonderfully playful language, the rhythm and rhyme will make you want to have this book on high read aloud rotation and will be sure to make you laugh at loud as you make connections to your personal struggle!” — Teri from @petitbookcorner



T Rex Time Machine, by Jared Chapman
“This book has my kids laughing out loud and asking for re-reads over and over.” — Michelle from @the.book.report


OUR #KIDLITPICKS THEME FOR SEPTEMBER IS:


For the month of September, we're going to be focusing on books about COURAGE! This theme was chosen and introduced by Michelle @the.book.report


Learning to swim, going to school, meeting people for the first time, in the darkness of their bedroom, making good choices, in the face of the news on TV—kids are brave and take courage more often then we recognize. And books are great tools for talking about the times they need to have courage. Books allow us to talk about ideas that might otherwise be hard to grasp or bring up. Books allow kids to watch other kids face similar situations and struggles.

This month’s @kidlitpicks theme is COURAGE.  I can’t wait to see your books about courage start rolling in. Let’s gather SO many books on Courage under the #kidlitpicks_courage that every parent and caregiver feels they are flooded with a HUGEsource to turn to when their child is struggling to take courage.


Happy Reading,
The KidLitPicks Team and Kim x

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