BookBairn: Repeat Reads

Showing posts with label Repeat Reads. Show all posts

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The Wee Page Turner could not have been more excited for this book! Jon Agee books are ones that we read over and over.

And this new title is no exception, My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee was immediately read several times and then packed to go on holiday with us (as well as three other Jon Agee books). An instant hit!

But why does he love them so much? Well, because he adores the humour in them; the way the words (i.e. the adult reading them) are saying one thing but the illustrations (i.e. the child reading those) are implying something totally different. It’s like the author lets only the children in on the secret whilst the adults are in the dark. And why wouldn’t a kid love that feeling? A feeling of being more knowledgeable than the grown ups!

This newest release is the story of a main character who decides to get a rhinoceros for a pet. But he’s left feeling a little disappointed when it won’t chase a ball or a stick or a frisbee. In fact, according to the experts, a rhino only does two things: pop balloons and poke holes in kites. But the boy’s rhinoceros doesn’t even seem interested in doing that. What good is a rhino for a pet? Well, I won’t spoil it for you (although the big reveal is in the images below!) But it’s pretty darn cool!

Again this book tickles my bairns’ funnybones. Where again the adults in the story are left looking sheepish and silly when the child reveals the truth about his rhinoceros.

If you haven’t read any Jon Agee books I urge, no compel you to seek them out. The Wall in the Middle of the Book is a perfect one for teachers and could be read to classes of all ages. And his others (Life on Mars is one of my favourites!) will have you sniggering with each read - I've linked some of my previous posts below. The joke and the reveal never seem to lose their appeal! One for kids and adults alike and the stories you won’t tire of reading!

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Happy reading and giggling!

Kim and the bairns x

Many thanks to Scallywag Press for sending us this new book as well as other Jon Agee books over the years. They’ve made for many happy story times!

Disclaimer: If you click on the image of the book below 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 20-90p 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 post 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 Readers Section.

Often we buy books that follow our children’s current interests and passions. But sometimes a book can ignite that passion. And BookBairn is now fascinated by bats after reading the story of Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds.

Kids imaginations are magic aren’t they? And this book is such a tribute to that. That within a fishbowl is a shimmering ocean. Stairs can be a huge mountain. Striped cats can be fearsome tigers. In this new picture book, We're Going to Find a Monster by Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola, we join Charlie and Eddie as they embark on a grand adventure to find the mysterious monster!

You might remember that at the start of the year I wrote a blog post about my Most Anticipated Picture Books of 2020. And I've had the opportunity to read three of the original ten on the list. What I find interesting is that occasionally when I do those lists I am super excited to read the books and then I don't ever actually get a copy or when I do they disappoint. So I thought it would be interesting to look back on the ones that I got and see if they lived up to my expectations.

Let's start with Everybody Counts by Kristin Roskifte.

Every year this is one of my favourite blog posts to write but it also one of the ones that I find the most difficult as ultimately it means I can't talk about all the books. I have to select just a few of our absolute favourites.
So just a little disclaimer:
- these are all 'new' books that our family discovered this year. They were either published this year or ones that we only read for the first time this year.
- we have read many many books from lots of great publishers so whilst many of these books have been sent by the publishers, I have chosen to include the books we love best!
- I'm all for having a balanced bookshelf with books sharing mighty girls and diverse characters and stories from around the world and we really do read a wide variety. But these are a favourites list and therefore it would be dishonest and disingenuous to share books that weren't actually the ones we read the most for the sake appearing more diverse or more feminist or more contrived in some way. (Having said that, there is a number of books here that have sustainable and environmental themes as that it something that I have spent a lot of time thinking about this year.)

Anyway...
We have read lots of great things this year. BookBairn has started to enjoy reading chapter books - we are currently halfway through reading Matilda which is a joy - although I haven't included any here yet as I feel like we still predominantly read picture books and enjoy them the most (maybe it's the nature of re-reading them). The Wee Page Turner has moved on from those baby and toddler board books to predominantly choosing picture books and is a firm fan of Julia Donaldson stories as well as The Tiger Who Came to Tea and his favourite reading position is stretched out at full length on his tummy. And they enjoy reading and discovering books together - side by side! You will notice here that quite a few of these book shave powerful messages beyond just a good story - and I think that's what makes these ones special. And probably why I chose them for this list. Here are the books that we have read the most this year:

Nell and the Circus of Dreams by Nell Gifford & Briony May Smith

Sometimes you get a picture book where the words are beautiful poetry. And sometimes you get a picture book where the illustrations are exquisite artwork. But rarely do you get a picture book where both poetry and art come together to create real magic. This is the story of the little girl called Nell, who goes a-wandering one day through the fields behind her farmhouse, only to discover a circus. A story of a magical world that really draws you in. The cover artwork took my breath away. I adore Briony May Smith’s illustrations (Stardust is another favourite book of mine) and I knew straight away that Nell’s world was somewhere I wanted to visit. Each page is so stunning and the use of light and shade in the illustrations is so delicate that it feels like you are in the room. The warm shades of the lights and the whole cast of characters are so evocative of a circus it feels like you are inside the big top. And to top it all off, the story has a magical and ambiguous quality to it. Was the circus real, or did it spring from Nell’s imagination? Magical.

Chicks Rule by Sudipta Bardham-Quallen & Renee Kurilla

Written in the most wonderful rhyme and packed full of humour and fun, l love reading this one aloud! From Maker Chick to Baker Chick to Soccer Chick and Rocker Chick, all the chicks in town are horrified by and standing up to the “No Chicks Allowed” rule! Nerdy Chick isn’t standing for this senseless rule and won’t let it stand in their way to achieving her dreams of launching a rocket into space! She turns to her fellow chicks for help. And together they lift each other and prove once and for all that chicks are truly out of this world! The illustrations aren’t the kind that I’m usually drawn to but we love the bright colours and cartoon/comic style. I am totally won over by them! Showing you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And you shouldn’t judge a Chick by her feathers! I cannot say how much love I have for this book!

Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup

This is one of the most clever and poignant and powerful picture books that I have ever encountered. Now I am already a huge fan of Britta Teckentrup’s work but I think this is her best yet. Cleverly using die-cuts that work across both pages, the left-hand side of the book tells of a growing chasm between friends who disagree, argue, say unkind words, abandon, get angry. And the right-hand page tells the story of a growing tree, flourishing through friendship, love and support. Showing the contrast between the two ways of interacting. When the children on the left-hand page look across the those on the right, they see hope and how to heal their rift. The words are poetry. And the illustrations convey the message so beautifully. In our current climate, this is a book that should be widely read and shared among children and I hope that parents, teachers and any book-givers get it into the hands of as many children as possible.

Nibbles and the Monster Hunt by Emma Yarlett

Nibbles Numbers by Emma Yarlett

Nibbles is perhaps my all time favourite book character! I know there are so many great ones to choose from but BookBairn and Nibbles (or Dimbles as she calls him) have been best book buddies since that very first turn of the page. He’s an adorable little monster with an insatiable appetite for books. In Nibbles and the Monster Hunt, Nibbles has a human friend whose bookshelf he can ravage! Nibbles Is nibbling his way through some serious tomes of non-fiction: fact books, colour books, counting books, you name it and he’s nibbling it. Like the previous books in the series, this conceptually clever book works on so many levels that it’s great for a wide audience of readers.

In Nibbles Numbers, little ones can count along with Nibbles as he chomps his way from one to ten! From the first page flap, to all the delightful little finger-sized cut-out holes in each page (corresponding to the number of bites Nibbles has taken), there's so much for little ones to explore. With bright and inviting colours and tactile holes to count together this is a number book that provides more than simple number teaching. The rhyme scheme makes it enjoyable to read aloud and allows little ones to predict the next number in some pages.

I’ve written a full blog post as to why Nibbles is our favourite book character if you want to read more about him.

The Green Giant by Katie Cottle

If you are looking for a book whose illustrations will literally take your breath away, then you have to get your green fingers on a copy of The Green Giant. It is truly truly spectacular. It tells the story of a young girl, Bea, who is visiting her grandfather in the countryside, far from the big grey city that she lives in. And she finds it rather slow and boring, until she finds a new and unexpected friend in the Green Giant who is hiding away on an old greenhouse. A giant made entirely of plants! The giant opens Bea's eyes to the wonders of nature and the magic of greenery and together they set off on a mission to make the city (and the world) a greener place. This fits with everything I want to share with the bairns about being concerned about our environment but in a way that little children can understand. And the illustrations are so striking - the contrast between the grey city and the greenery is incredibly poignant. It's just beautiful.

Clem and Crab by Fiona Lumbers

The little girl in this story - Clem - loves nothing more than a day out at the beach. She loves spending her weekends combing the beach for treasure with her big sister. On one day treasure hunting on the beach, she stumbles across Crab with his claw stuck in a plastic bag. Clem things Crab would be much happier with her in the city but everyone tells her that he belongs on the beach. After a show and tell presentation to her class, she spreads the word about cleaning up our beaches. When returning Crab to the beach the following weekend Clem finds her classmates all helping to clean up the beach and they find the perfect rock pool for Crab. The illustrations are so evocative of the seaside and the characters, particularly Clem and Crab, are just adorable. I particularly love that the opening endpapers feature a beach littered with, well… litter and the closing endpapers feature Clem and Crab gazing out on the ocean standing on a natural litter-free beach! Such a timely tale about cleaning up our beaches and and underlying message that every small action helps. In fact, I got a lump in my throat when I read Clem shout: “I made a difference… We can all make a difference!” Isn’t that just such a lovely message for children to hear and at the heart of all efforts towards sustainability we need to believe that we can make a difference.

Alba the 100 Year Old Fish by Lara Hawthorne

Another book about sustainability and human impact on the environment is this story of Alba the Hundred Year Old Fish, which will help little readers understand the effects of pollution on our oceans. Alba the fish has spent her entire life collecting precious and beautiful objects that drift down to the ocean floor every year on her birthday. But as each birthday passes, and one more item is added to the collection, Alba notices that her collection is losing it's sparkle and treasures are becoming harder and harder to find. But for her 100th birthday she spots a pearl in a strange plastic shell. And she gets trapped. Fortunately not for long as a little girl comes to her rescue. This book is packed full of so many wonderful things - a visual feast of the natural world that will make little one's appreciate the beauty and the need to protect it.
(When checking details for this post I noticed that this book is now completely sold out and will be re-released in March under the new title: 'Alba and the Ocean Clean Up'.)

Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz & Eda Kaban

If there are two things in a book that are guaranteed to make it a hit with The Wee Page Turner it’s animals and vehicles. So this new board book edition couldn’t be more perfect for him. Using the familiar tune Old MacDonald had a Farm and giving it a new and hilarious twist with Old MacDonald having a variety of vehicles from an excavator to a steam roller to a cement mixer all of which are being used to convert. Space on the farm for Mrs MacDonald to perform a stunt show in her Monster Truck! The illustrations in this book bring a real magic to the funny song showing all the animals on the farm working together (in hard hats and hi-vis vests of course - safety first!) getting themselves into some hilarious situations. Honestly this is a truly fun book and I know we sing this one over and over at bedtimes!

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman

This is certainly a book to experience as well as read. It's a celebration as much as it is a story! Following a group of children in their school and throughout their day in school, this book shows a school where diversity it's at it's heart. Everyone is welcome no matter their race, religion or background. this story shares an uplifting celebration of cultural diversity and belonging where all children are welcome in the classroom. With children wearing hijabs, patkas, baseball caps and yarmulkes playing and learning side-by-side the illustrations in the book create a world where all the children belong. With scenes of the children pointing to their family's countries of origin, and the children gathered on the floor in a circle drawing illustrations of families of all sizes and colours and a playground full of happy children having fun together this is a really welcoming book! You will want to jump into the illustrations. The accompanying poem (it's definitely more a poem than a story) lets readers know that what they see in the illustrations is reinforced by the language of the school and community: everyone is welcome, they all have a place, they all have a space, no matter what. The school also has children of a variety of abilities including a blind child who carries a whitestick and a child in a wheelchair, reinforcing the lovely message of inclusion. That, for me, sums up what I want a school, and a wider community, to be and to cherish. This book is so wonderfully executed and really lives up to it's important message!

The Tide by Clare Helen Welsh & Ashling Lindsay

Stories can be an excellent way to talk about difficult to understand things with children. And this book truly is a wonderful way to share with children the difficulties of living with dementia. It tells the story of a little girl and her Grandad on a day out at the beach. Grandad is excellent at building sandcastles and finding shells, and rock pooling. But sometimes he gets confused. And buries the sandwiches. The little girl talks about her feelings too - how sometimes she gets cross at Grandad when he does odd things. But also that she tries to remember that it must be scary to forget. And especially frightening to forget someone you love. And no matter, even though Grandad doesn’t remember things like he used to, she loves him as much as she always has, and knows that he loves her too. A deeply sensitive book with beautifully imagery of memory ebbing like the tide, this book will provide enormous comfort to children struggling to understand something as intangible as memory and memory loss. The illustrations are magical and gentle and bring to life the beauty of the small moments. A truly heartwarming and touching story.

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

The latest book in The Questioneers series continues to celebrate little heroines that children can look up to. Along with Rosie Revere, Ada Twist and Iggy Peck, new classmate Sofia Valdez is out to leave her mark by following her dreams. When Sofia's abuelo hurts his ankle at the local landfill sight on their journey to school, Sofia decides to take on 'Mount Trashmore'. She gets the idea to turn the dangerous and disgusting pile of trash into a park! She brainstorms and plans but when she goes to City Hall she finds that she is moved from office to office until she is finally told by a clerk that she can't build a park because she is just a kid! But with the help of her friends, classmates and neighbours, Sofia sets out to prove that one kid can move mountains (trash ones at least) and do something to make a difference. Written in rhyming verse, giving brilliant pacing and momentum to the story these books and with mixed media illustrations, this newest release is a delight and captures the magic of what it is like to be little and to imagine and to create. They really are perfect inspirational stories for children about pursuing their own passions.

The Bad Seed by Jory John & Pete Oswald

The Good Egg by Jory John & Pete Oswald

These are two of my ultimate favourite picture books, and fortunately BookBairn loves them too! So I get to read them over and over and they grow on me more with each reading.These two books are packed full of wit, humour and puns but also a subtle poignancy that mean show us to see another point of view. Maybe that ‘Bad Seed’ has suffered some trauma that has affected his outlook on life, his behaviour and the way he connects with others, maybe he needs a helping hand and love and support? Maybe that goodie-two-shoes ‘Good Egg’ is cracking under the pressure and needs support and rest from looking after others? The illustrations bring to life these two colourful characters and add to the wonderful storytelling and humour of the stories. They are perfect for widening little readers’ perspectives and building their empathy.

What a fantastic year of books! If you are looking for more of our very favourite repeat reads check out my Amazon shop and click on the section favourite books!

Here's to a great year of reading in 2020

Kim and the bairns x

If you are interested you can find last years list here: 2018 Favourites

And 2017 list here: Best Reads of 2017

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 of the book or use my amazon shop link 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.

I have finally found them! The books I have been looking for for ages but I didn't know what they looked like or who wrote them or published them or illustrated them - they existed only on my dream shelf. And after four years of searching I've found them!!

One of the things I know about reading with kids is that reading the same story over and over again is really great for language development, understanding and skills for learning to read. Another thing that I know is that there are some books that you don't want to read over and over. Let's be honest, those books 'disappear' quickly - behind the sofa, returned to the library or make their way out all by themselves. But on the flip side there are some books that I love reading again and again. Every read it gets better. So I thought it would be fun to put some of our favourites together. These books are great for taking on holiday too as you can pack a couple and read them all holiday and not get sick of them. I have put the details of each one below but these books are all brilliantly illustrated, have magical stories and also impart a little fun or a message that you want to enjoy from the story too.

Nibbles the Book Monster by Emma Yarlett

Conceptually clever and innovative, Nibbles works on multiple levels and that's why it makes a great book to read over and over again! This is an ingenious story about a little monster who can't help but nibble his way through books. He enters the worlds of three different fairytales and his invasion changes the story and messes with the characters. The illustrations are sensational! Nibbles is mischievous and yet is still adorable. The fairy tale characters are so expressive. And the detailed pages of illustrations of piles and piles of books are quite simply a dream! With layers of illustrations I'm still finding new things hidden even after the many many reads. It really is a brilliant book and has featured on our favourites lists so many times!

Billy and the Beast by Nadia Shireen

This book is BookBairn's choice for the list! And she's so right - I could (and have) read it over and over again! When a terrible beast starts roaming the forest in search of tiny creatures to make a big bowl of monster soup, Billy and her Fatcat cannot let him get away with it. He's got boil in a bag bunnies, spicy mice and grated hedgehog all on his list but can Billy outwit this ferocious beast and save the inhabitants of the forest? Packed full of humour, fun illustrations and a heroine who stashes doughnuts in her hair for emergencies this is a brilliant new fable that will empower as well as make you giggle. We love stories that have a Mighty Girl at the centre of the story so it's a delight to read over and over.

Tropical Terry by Jarvis

This was an instant and firm favourite on BookBairn's shelf from the very first read and over 100 reads in it's still one of the most colourful and fun stories about a seemingly dull little fish called Terry. He has a great little team of friends - Cilla the crab and Steve the sea snail and they play lots of fun games. But that are not part of the 'cool gang' that live in Coral Reef City. And Terry just wants to fit in with these glamourous fish. So he, with the help of his friends, creates the most spectacular tail fin out of all the bits and bobs he can find and becomes 'Tropical Terry'. However, he soon learns being the shiniest sparkliest fish in the sea can attract unwanted attention. Eddie the eel fancies a bite of Terry for his dinner. But fortunately, the games that Terry has been playing with his old friends have made him super skilled in evading Eddie’s unwanted advances! It makes me smile just to look at the stunning illustrations. And it has a lovely message about being true to yourself, not judging a fish by his fins and accepting others. Definitely messages that I'm happy to share with BookBairn over and over.

Mixed by Arree Chung

I must have read this book over 500 times and BookBairn loves it, I love it! This is a story of colour. In the beginning there were three colours: reds, yellows and blues and they lived together in colour harmony. But one day each colour proclaims themselves the best. And they each go their separate ways, dividing their once happy home into three separate neighbourhoods separated by walls and barbed wire fences. Until one day when two colours fall in love and decide to mix. Creating a whole new colour! And she's so cute. Cute enough to overcome the critics. And finally more colours decide to mix creating a wonderful rainbow of colours in the residents of the new town! The illustrations are wonderful and unsurprisingly the use of colour is perfect against the black and white backgrounds. The colours really stand out! And the endpapers are my favourite! And with such a wonderful message I love that we've now read it so often that BookBairn can more or less read it to me!

Mrs Mole I'm Home by Jarvis

We initially picked this up in the library and have pretty much read it every day for a month. We loved it so much I renewed it and renewed it and then I bought a copy. She loves Morris and his escapade to find his way home without his glasses to help him see where he is digging. She finds it so funny that his glasses are balanced on his head throughout the story. The illustrations are packed full of fun details and BookBairn particularly enjoys spotting all the books in the owl residence (one of them has her name on it) and tracing the maps of where Morris has been digging. It's a lovely story packed full of humour and I have enjoyed reading it over and over so it's got to be pretty good to keep our attention that long.

Dinosaurs Don't Draw by Elli Woollard & Steven Lenton

This is the story of Picasaur who comes across a small piece of chalk and is destined to create. But his parents are not impressed. Dinosaurs stomp. Dinosaurs roar. Dinosaurs do not draw. Picasaur can't resist the urge to create and when he crosses path with anything that resembles paint, chalk or drawing material he creates his own dino-graffiti! But when a nasty T-Rex comes prowling, Picasaur's drawings save the day by scary away the T-Rex with a dinosaur even more fearsome. The main little dinosaur, Picasaur, is just adorable and his family of triceratops are friendly despite their anti-drawing mentality and his cousins and friends are a variety of multi-coloured delights. But brilliantly, when Picasaur draws on rocks, caves, and stones, his illustrations stand out from the rest. They look spectacular and don't for one second blend into the story. And through this you get a feel for the different art supplies that Picasaur uses and his own creative flair. Written in rhyme, this story really is a wonder to read aloud! And I love that it celebrates creativity!

I hope you enjoy reading these over and over again! They are fab! If you are looking for more of our very favourite repeat reads check out my Amazon shop and click on the section for Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Happy reading again and again and again...

Kim and the bairns x

Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers (except Mrs Mole I'm Home and Mixed which I bought myself). 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.