Sunday, 19 August 2012


Richard Scarry -  Perfect for a Kid with a Vivid Imagination!


No bookshelf is complete without a couple of Richard Scarry books.  Ours include copies from the late sixties and early seventies that have survived a couple of generations.  It’s wonderful to think that these timeless books are now a companion to Genevieve, bringing back memories from my own childhood days, when I used to sit on my bedroom floor paging through the adventures of Huckle and his friends. 



Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? is G’s favourite.  The captivating pics make it an ideal book for a toddler to page through without needing Mom to read!  I can’t imagine a child who doesn’t enjoy reading all about Lowley Worm – or at least relating to a worm that can drive an apple car.  G thinks nothing of a cat directing traffic or putting out a deadly fire.  Richard Scarry is no doubt one of the world’s best-loved children’s authors ever.  His make-believe world is quite normal in a mad sort of way -perfect for a kid with a vivid imagination! So make sure to add a copy or two to your collection – and keep it on the bottom of the bookshelf, where it is accessible to your children.


Sunday, 12 August 2012


Back to Bed, Ed - Please!


We’re reading ‘Back to Bed, Ed!’ at the moment– for reasons that most parents will relate to, but I’m afraid it isn’t having the desired effect - yet. 

This is a simple story about a family of mice, having trouble getting their toddler, Ed, to stay in his own bed.  Sound familiar? Whilst Ed loves his fun bedtime routine, he isn’t so keen on actually STAYING in his bed.  How we can relate...  Genevieve has taken to sleeping in our bed; and whilst we may love having her warm little body to share the winter nights with us, we do look forward to her returning to her own space someday.  Who knows, perhaps we just need to read Ed’s clever little story, on how he conquered his night time fears. 




Friday, 3 August 2012

Join The Hullabaloo!


It was a cold and misty morning today, so Genevieve and I decided on warm Milo and an hour of story time before breakfast.  Winnie the Pooh stories and a whole series of Colin West’s delightful books were devoured.  My friend, Aiza, lent us a whole bunch of these clever and colourful animal tales and they’ve become a favourit read.

These spirited-animal stories include “Hello great big bullfrog”; “‘Pardon?’ said the giraffe”; and “Go tell it to the toucan!” One of G’s favourite is the story of a bullfrog, who doesn’t feel so great after meeting lots of greater, bigger animals. He’s so upset that he doesn’t want to join the hullabaloo. It’s a bright, clever and cheerful tale of a bullfrog with a rather fragile ego – completely irresistible!