BookBairn

If you read our post about 'Where We Read' you will know that BookBairn's nursery got a revamp into a bedroom suitable for two - and of course we had to get rid of the baby pink walls and choose something a little more gender neutral. So we went with one of BookBairn's favourite passions - animals! And having found a beautiful fabric for curtains we now have two little monkeys in their own little jungle. So I thought it would be appropriate to share some of our favourite jungle reads with you!

Baby's First Very Noisy Book: Jungle by Stella Baggott, Josephine Thompson and Anthony Marks

This was given to The Wee Page Turner as a new baby gift but unfortunately he's lucky if he gets to have a look at it! BookBairn loves a noisy book and this is one of the best that we've had. The sounds are lovely and have a little bit of percussion and music behind the animal noises. This means that BookBairn not only enjoys pressing the buttons and saying what animals she can see, she also likes to dance along to the music and is beginning to act out the animal actions: slithering on her tummy like a snake and jumping around like a frog. The illustrations are typical of Usborne books: bright and colourful! The only thing about this book is that it doesn't have any text beyond the animal noises written out in words meaning that it won't necessarily stand the test of time the way that other books do. But for the moment it's great fun for BookBairn and hopefully her little brother enjoys hearing the sounds even if he doesn't get a look at the pages yet!

Safe and Sound by Jean Roussen and Loris Lora

This is a lovely book which mixes story and non-fiction with incredible artwork. Most baby animals need protecting from the world until they are big enough to look after themselves and this book explores the different ways their parents protect them. Little chipmunks stay safe in their underground burrows; bluebird chicks cosy down in their nest; wolves stay protected within their pack; kangaroo joeys travel safely in their mothers' pouch; crocodile hatchlings hide inside their mothers mouth; monkeys ride on their daddies' backs. And of course human children get tucked up in bed! This is a book of wonderful artwork of animals from the treetops of the jungle to the depths of the ocean but I adore it! I would love some of the illustrations as artwork on the wall. This makes a lovely bedtime story about all the animals being tucked in safe and sound!

The Only Lonely Panda by Jonny Lambert

We all know that pandas are an endangered species so it's not surprising that the panda in this book finds himself all alone with no friends to play with. He tries to fit in with the flamingos but his stilts make him topple over rather than gracefully dancing like the flamingos. His attempts to bounce like the sifakas (a type of lemur) end in a bumped bahookie. He gets on the wrong side of the peacock when he plucks their feathers in efforts to make himself a magnificent tail. So he plods off in search of some bamboo for dinner and who does he find? Another panda of course! Such a lovely story and the illustrations are adorable. Each page is a shimmery silver making the animals stand out and almost appear to move on the page. Love this one!

Where's the Elephant? by Barroux

This is a brilliant wordless picture book from the fabulous Barroux. If you read our 'Finding Nemo' post you will know that his books are a wonderful introduction to environmental issues for little ones. Elephant (and his friends parrot and snake) are hidden amongst the jungle foliage and as you turn the pages the forest is reduced and reduced as the loggers come and chop down the trees and developers build houses on the land. It becomes easier and easier to spot Elephant, for he has no place to hide. Eventually the only tree left standing is put inside the fencing of a zoo. What will happen to Elephant and his friends? This really is a great way to introduce children to the plight of the rainforest in an approachable way. The illustrations are so adorable and the colours are very vivid. And I like that this one has no words and you can discuss the issues facing Elephant and the rainforest at a level you feel is appropriate for your child. This one is suitable for children of all ages from the littlest toddlers to primary school aged children, who may enjoy telling their own version of the story. Great for reluctant readers too as it's a story they can enjoy without needing to read! Brilliant! And meaningful!

Tiger Tiger by Jonny Lambert

When Old Tiger gets asked to cub-sit for Cub, he's not too impressed. He just wants to have an afternoon snooze (I sympathise!). But little cub has other ideas and wants to explore the jungle and investigate all the world around him and all the animals in it and, of course, like all little ones he wants to play. Old Tiger follows along dutifully and soon his eyes are opened as he sees the wonder of the jungle through little Cub's eyes. The magical thing about this story is the way the colour changes subtly as you turn each page. The initial pages feature illustrations of the jungle that predominantly feature grey-greens and browns and duller colours, but as you read on the colours become more vibrant and vivid. It brings to life the vibrancy and dynamism of the jungle. The back cover describes the book as "a touching celebration of the light and colour little ones can bring to the world." Which sums the story up perfectly. I certainly know that since BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner entered my life it has been turned upside down, become chaotic and full of wonderful wonderful colour. And if I stop to see the world through their eyes I realise how magical it really is. This book has a thing or two to teach us grown ups and it's a great read for little ones too.

Deep in the Forest: A Seek-and-Find Adventure by Josef Anton and Lucie Brunelliere

This is truly one of the most beautiful books that I have ever seen. I adore the illustration! Each page is packed with jungle animals and the flora and fauna of the rainforest. The colours are vivid, striking, intense, brilliant, bright, strong, rich deep... I could go on! Each page takes a different perspective showing the forest from above, delving underground, floating down the rivers, above the tops of the trees, and even a night scene where the eyes of all the creatures are glowing luminously. Seriously they look like the glow in the darkness of the deep purples and blues of the night scene. It really is a work of art. To add to the brilliance of the artwork there are over 50 animals to find which are listed on the back and throughout the text with an animal truly hidden under a flap on each page too. Slightly over-sized and hardback it's definitely one to lay on the floor, stretch out and explore. It's a perfect non-fiction encyclopedia of jungle creatures. It's a brilliant brilliant book. I can only give it the highest of praises!

And I guess I will end it on that wonderful note!

Let's hope my two jungle monkeys like their new room! Happy jungle reading!

Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner

*Some of these books were sent to us by publishers for review and others are ones that we have borrowed from the library or purchased ourselves.

Being a parent of two little bairns finally feels like 'normal', and I'm getting back to my usual attitude of keeping the days busy and getting out and about as much as we can. Unfortunately all our usual classes are on break during the holidays so I'm filling up the diary with play dates with friends instead. This week I've seen BookBairn grow so much as she ventured into the 'jungle' soft play with her little friend and the slid down the slides hand in hand; she also climbed to the top of a tall slide at the park and came down all by herself. My cautious little girl is finding her adventurous side!

We also had her 27 month health check and she scored high in problem-solving and language skills which wasn't a huge surprise to us as her nursery had indicated she was good at both these things. She has measured up as petite though having started her life as a big(ish) baby it seems she is a petite little toddler! Big personality and big enough to boss us all around at home though. The Wee Page Turner has also been coming on leaps and bounds - he's building his strength for tummy time and likes to be held up so he can hold his weight on his feet. He's also started giving us lots of smiles and giggles and is beginning to develop a little personality of his own. His favourite thing to do, undoubtedly, is to watch his big sister in fascination. And she has started to read stories to him! So cute!

Today's guest post comes from Wendy, the Homegrown Reader, a fellow book enthusiast! Wendy and her family have lived in many places across the globe but currently find themselves in Germany and it's this travelling, I think, that make her book selections so interesting, varied and fascinating! Like, BookBairn, her little 'Bug' has a passion for books which, like me, she's enjoying nurturing! Over to Wendy for some new baby book selections.

Title: A You're Adorable

Author: Buddy Kaye, Fred Wise, & Sidney Lippman

Illustrator: Martha Alexander

Age Group: 0-3

Synopsis: A sweet alphabet sing along.

The Low Down:

My grandmother taught me the words to this song right after Bug was born. We were sitting outside and as she held him she sang this song in her soft, sweet voice that warbled with age. She had sung this song to her children and her countless grandchildren. My aunt gave us the book a short time after and it's been a favourite ever since. I've read and sung it to Bug as he lovingly cooed at the illustrations, as he's hummed along, as he's helped me with the letters and words, and as he's read/sung it to me himself.

These are some of the most cherished moments I can think of, to share a song and story that not only showers my little one with praise and love, but with heritage that connects him to his family. It is a book that we can take with us even as we leave it at home and something that encourages his beloved interest in reading. It's also an alphabet book that doesn't take twenty minutes to read. Short, sweet, memorable, and worthy of song. Those are all points for a win in my book.

Story Tips:

The YouTube clips of this song are not how my grandmother sings it. Her version is quieter, slower, softer. Something you use to calm a baby. But if you're looking for a guide this is a good place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STNZa-6cyUQ

Title: The Runaway Bunny

Author: Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrator: Clement Hurd

Age Group: 0-3

Synopsis: A mother bunny reminds her little bunny that her love will follow him anywhere.

The Low Down:

I don't know why I've never been a huge Goodnight Moon fan. That being said, I love it's companion book The Runaway Bunny. It's sweet and tugs at my heart strings with just a dash of wit and charm. Plus, I have a healthy dose of respect for a mother that can so quickly and convincingly convince her creative child that no matter where he goes she will find him and always love him.

Clement Hurd creates a unique effect by including colourful illustrations in a largely black and white story. The illustrations are very reminiscent of Goodnight Moon but stand out on their own by embracing a whimsical flights of fancy. Turning the page to these wordless beauties leaves me smiling every time. The little bird bunny is a favourite of mine flying into the arms of his mama bunny who's transformed into a tree where he makes his home. I gets me every time.

The final line of the story is delivered after all this the bunny decides to just stay home and the mother bunny responds by saying, “Have a carrot.” I've always thought this weird but I think after having children, I've cracked it. I'm convinced that the bunny was using running away as an excuse not to eat his dinner. Maybe that's not it and I'm reading far too much into this but every time we read this now I shake my head and sigh. Been there. This mama bunny deserves some serious bonus points for keeping cool and coming up with a fun and distracting way to derail his line of thought. Something I always aspire to.

Story Tips:

Letting little ones spot the little bunny adds an extra bit of fun to each coloured page.
Come up with your own companion ideas. Although beware, you'll really need to think on your feet.

How cute is that alphabet song?! BookBairn and I will have to learn it to sing to The Wee Page Turner. And I love that the book goes along side it. We have another book, 'Baby, I Love You' that can be sung to the tune of 'Twinkle Twinkle' and BookBairn loves singing it! Like Wendy, I'm not a big fan of Goodnight Moon either so I'll be looking out for Runaway Bunny as a good alternative. Thanks so much for your recommendations Wendy!

Hope you enjoyed this most recent guest post, to find them all click here.

Happy reading,

Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner xx

To Find Wendy:
Homegrown Reader currently based in Germany. Most of my days are spent with Bug, my son, adventuring through life. He seems very interested in books so far. Of course, I'm using all of my book knowledge to encourage that blossoming relationship. I post as I sift through old favorites and discover new friends. I mostly review books but love throwing some crafty projects up on the site every once in a while. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for weekly book reviews.

Get ready to explore the past...the prehistoric past. During June, @kidlitpicks dug into prehistoric life, dinosaurs, fossils, and those who speak for creatures long since past.

An American Paleontologist named Robert T. Bakker once said, "It's very simple why kids are crazy about dinosaurs -- dinosaurs are nature's Special Effects. They are the only real dragons. Kids love dragons. It's not just being weirdly shaped and being able to eat Buicks. It's that they are real." He is completely correct, children and adults alike are fascinated by the mammoth sized creatures that tower over us in museums. We are always in awe of the creatures that once roamed the Earth 230 MILLION years ago!

A special shout out to Leah from @astoryaday for giving us the idea to celebrate all things prehistoric! And though you might see a few of the same books in this list (can we help it if we all love the same books??), we've added in few extras shared by our featured contributors to help you build out your own list of prehistoric books! Enjoy!

T. Veg: The Story of a Carrot-Crunching Dinosaur, by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Katherina Manolessou

“Written in rhyme and illustrated in bright colours—neon bright—this book is a romp, a stomp, a roar.” -- Summer from @readingisourthing

The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth, by Ellie Hattie and Karl James Mountford

“The flaps generally blend in with the rest of the spread so it's extra special to seek them out to see what's underneath." -- Mel from @spiky_penelope

Day of the Dinosaurs, by Stephen L. Brusatte and Daniel Chester

“It draws you in, makes learning fun, and teaches you all sorts of interesting things as you travel (in a makeshift safari-ish narrative) through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.” -- Katie from @afriendlyaffair

Toby and the Ice Giants, by Joe Lillington"A perfect marriage of fiction and non-fiction literature." -- Leah from @astoryaday

The Magnificent Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures, by Rudolf Farkas and Tom Jackson

"Children will be able to explore a range of fascinating dinosaurs as they flip the pages of this book." -- Leah from @astoryaday

Day of the Dinosaurs, by Dr. Steve Brusatte and Daniel Chester

“Check out this book for yourself! Seriously worth the fuss!” -- Clarissa from @book.nerd.mommy

Diggersaurs, by Michael Whaite

“This is a brilliantly crafted rhyming book about what each diggersaur can do!” -- Kim from @bookbairn

Dino Block, by Christopher Franceschelli and Peskimo“The die-cuts allow us to run our fingers over the shape of the dinosaurs and the vintage style illustrations are a visual feast.” -- De from @books_and_babycinos

Prehistoric: Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins

“Prehistoric animal facts!” -- Arielle from @childrensbooksgalore

If I Had a Dinosaur, by Alex Barrow and Gabby Dawnay

“This is an endearing, imaginative story that celebrates childhood and children’s imaginations and will become a quick favourite with all dino lovers.” -- Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

Cave Baby, by Julia Donaldson Emily Gravett

“My excitement reached mammoth levels (pun intended ha!) on finding this irresistible prehistoric adventure from two of the biggest names in children's books.” -- Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

Neffy and the Feathered Dinosaurs, by Joe Illington

“This books is great for those kids that want more than just a story, but some cold hard facts too and Neffy delivers.” -- Fiona from @feeloves

Dad and the Dinosaur, by Gennifer Choldenko and Dan Santat

“I think this book is a great example of the importance of having short follow-up conversations with your children after reading. This is especially true if YOU feel there are some things you think need additional clarification. .” -- Charnaie from @hereweeread

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, by Mo Willems"The story might as well be a canvas for Willems to display all of his wit through use of word and illustration." -- Wendy from @homegrownreader

Peep Inside Dinosaurs, by Simona Dimitri

“Filled with lots of lift the flaps..” -- Mel from @kids.books.we.love

Darcy and the Dinosaurs, by Nicole Madigan

“Filled with lots of lift the flaps..” -- Mel from @kids.books.we.love

Return of the Dinosaurs, by Brownwyn Houston

“This was a fun book to read, image what life would be like if dinosaurs returned to this world..” -- Mel from @kids.books.we.love

T. Veg: The Story of a Carrot-Crunching Dinosaur, by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Katherina Manolessou

“This is a RAWR-some read for any dino-loving/ veggie-avoiding young folk out there..” -- Shannon from @ohcreativeday

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur, by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack

“Do you happen to have a dinosaur just laying around your home....? Well, what are you going to do with it? .....I'd say if it's eating you out of house and home and making a mess, you'd better put it to work.” -- Michelle from @the.book.report

Things That Grow, by Libby Walden and Becca Stadtlander

“An introduction to the field of natural sciences and biology, this non-fiction work tackles everything from the Big Bang to the bumble bee.” -- Liam from @words.and.illustrations

What a great selection of prehistoric books. BookBairn just adores dinosaurs so we will need to look into extending our collection by adding some of these.

Katie from @friendlyaffair has chosen our theme for July: Little Kids, Big Emotions. This is going to be hard for me to choose as there are so many great books out there for helping children deal with their emotions and changes in their little lives.

Katie says "Did you know that reading with your kiddos supports the development of emotional intelligence? Well it does! By enhancing vocabulary, creating an openness to experience, and providing safe space for empathic imagination, books open our children to the world of emotions in pretty powerful ways. This month, the #kidlitpicks theme is Little Kids, Big Emotions and we are excited to share some great picture books that address your children's big and budding feelings! Some books will aim directly at helping kiddos understand and express themselves (a major tantrum-busting skill) by featuring an array of emotions, illustrations, and feeling words. Other books will feature stories that give children the opportunity to imagine themselves in interesting narratives about sadness, hope, joy, fear, angry, and all the rest.

I hope you share your favorite Little Kids, Big Emotions books and tag #kidlitpicks_emotions. As a clinical psychologist, I feel strongly about the importance of giving your kids a plethora of ways to express themselves. Hopefully your feed will be full this month of books that help us all along the way of building a good base of knowledge, play, and imaginative experiences so that our kids can understand the world around them and be resilient."

Celebrate with @kidlitpicks, by gathering your most beloved books on the theme of 'little kids, big emotions life' and tagging them #kidlitpicks_emotions throughout July.

Happy reading!

Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner xxx

Wow! Having two little readers in this house has certainly kept me busy and I feel my days are so full - full of giggles and new baby smiles, full of cuddles and lullabies, full of BookBairn singing nursery rhymes and dancing, full of nappy changing, shoogling and drinking milk. And full of new stories. We have been sent lots of lovely new books and I did manage to find a moment to update the Favourites Shelf.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

This is one of BookBairn's favourite books to read with visitors. She often invites our friends and family to join her on the 'beautiful chair' and read this one. Its a magical story of how a bare winter tree is transformed through the seasons. But with a difference. Little fingers have to act out certain actions to make the tree change. Tap the pink blossom buds to make them open, wiggle you fingers to make the leaves change colour, shake the book to make the leaves fall off. It's just so clever how it teaches little ones about the seasons, tell a magical story and get them joining in. BookBairn loves these sorts of books where she feels like she is influencing the story. To check out our favourite interactive books you can find them all here.

Diggersaurs by Michael Whaite

What's bigger than a digger? Bigger than a dinosaur? A diggersaur of course! BookBairn loves this one! And who can blame her? It's a toddlers ideal combination - diggers and dinosaurs. With bouncing rhythmic rhyming introductions to each diggersaur, brilliant illustrations and opportunities for discussing colours and numbers it truly is a brilliant read! If you fancy winning a copy of this toddler-friendly story check out our original blog post and our social media (competition closes 8.7.17).

Bug Bear by Patricia Hegarty and Carmen Saldana

Bear is not a happy chappy. This little red bug has landed on his nose and taken up home amongst his soft and cosy fur. But bear doesn't want a bug. How can he make him go away? Fortunately owl has a solution! This is a great story and BookBairn likes acting out when the bug lands on bear using her little bug cut-outs that the publisher sent us (but it makes me think I should do this more with her books and create little characters so that she can act out parts of the story). This would also be a great introduction to some natural science by discussing symbiotic relationships - but perhaps I should wait until BookBairn can pronounce the term before I mention it!

The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas

One of our most consistent re-reads is The Colour Monster. BookBairn loves the characters in the book and enjoys seeing The Colour Monster change colour from page to page and talking about the different colours. But she also adores the pop-up elements to the book and is generally pretty gentle with it though she loves to touch the pages - particularly the string elements. She has a new-found love of the green monster since the publishers sent us this gorgeous cuddly toy monster. Check out our Twitter and Instagram pages to win one of your own. (Competition closes 10.7.17). Our full review can be found here.

Blocks by Irene Dickson

We only received this book at the weekend but BookBairn has read it dozens of times and I had to find a space for it on the Favourites Shelf. This is such an adorable story about two children, Ruby and Benji, learning to share their coloured blocks. The timing couldn't be more perfect for little BookBairn who is now entering the phase of toddlerhood where sharing is particularly hard, and of course she now has a little brother to share with! I adore the illustrations in this one too as they are deceptively simple and use primarily only red and blue colours making the children's valued blocks all the more important. But do they manage to compromise and share? And left on a cliffhanger when Guy shows up with his green blocks. Leaving it open for little ones to discuss what they think will happen next. No wonder BookBairn loves it so much - it's great fun!

Farm by Jo Lodge

And a new addition to the Favourites Shelf feature is The Wee Page Turner's favourite. It's not really appropriate to shelve this one as we play with it a lot. Black and white high contrast illustrations from one of my favourite illustrators, the littlest reader in our house is captivated by the creatures. He also loves the mirror!

To find our previous favourite reads I've gathered them all on one page here. And you can always find the current list in the tabs at the top.

What are your favourite reads at the moment?

Happy reading, Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner x

*Some of these books were sent to us by publishers for review and others are ones that we have borrowed from the library or purchased ourselves. These are our geniune re-reads so all opinions are our own.

We have just had the most fun this morning. It was a grey and very un-summery sort of day but I decided to get the double buggy out in an effort to get The Wee Page Turner to nap for more than twenty minutes! First we headed to the swings (obviously) but then I had a little trick up my sleeve.

There is an abandoned yellow digger on a local woodland walk near our house. Toddler jackpot right? And being the book-loving mummy that I am I took a very appropriate book along with us.

'Diggersaurs' combines the fascinations of most children under 5: diggers and dinosaurs! Firstly I want to talk about the illustrations in this book because they are just ingenious. Brilliantly blending dinosaur species with construction vehicles, Michael Whaite has created characters that are irresistible. Did you ever notice that crane with their long necks resemble the diplodocus? Or that the jaws on an excavator look like T-Rex's sharp teeth? Each character is such a clever mix of dino and digger and is illustrated in bright and bold colours, making them perfect for discussing colours. When I asked BookBairn which was her favourite she said "I like the yellow and orange best. [The Wee Page Turner] likes green. Mummy what's your best colour?" What a great discussion starter! Each diggersaur is also labelled with a number consecutively from one to twelve. So it's also great for talking about numbers too. One of the other delightful things about the diggersaurs is that they aren't gender specific so they can be both boys and girls which is great because we all know little girls like dinosaurs (and diggers) as much as little boys do!

The background illustrations are equally as fascinating. Each page has two tiny builders - a boy and a girl - who get up to little adventures of their own. It's so clever that the diggersaur is undoubtedly the star of the show but the background details are still worthy of attention.

The text is written in rhyming couplets over two pages and is full of bounce and rhythm. It is a brilliant story to read aloud! Both Daddy and I love reading it and I think even the digger enjoyed hearing the story too.

This is truly a wonderful book! And perfect for toddlers who love diggers, dinos and a good story (which in my experience is pretty much all children under the age of five!).

*UPDATE* This competition is now closed and the winner has been notified!

***We have a been sent an extra copy of this brilliant book to giveaway. If you would like to win a paperback edition of Diggersaurs, please comment below. (Additional entries will be available so keep an eye out by following us on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.) UK residents only please. Competition closes 8.7.17.***

Love Mummy and BookBairn x

*DISCLAIMER* I was given our book for free for review purposes, however, all words and opinions are my own.