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.

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. 

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!

Bewitched

Genevieve discovered her ‘inner-witch’ today – very empowering for a little girl!  This new founded maverick, was inspired by Julia Donaldson’s very popular ‘A Room on a Broom’ tale of a kind-hearted witch who offers space on her broom to many news friends in exchange for finding her ‘missing items’.

Now, in case you aren’t familiar with the peculiar qualities of a witch – according to G, the have cold fingers to repel little children and if you venture too close, she’ll bite your bottom!

Another favourite witch story, is Lee Weatherly’s  ‘Pigwitchery’. This is a humorous story of a 'pig-witch', who loses her magic wand, bringing disaster to Farmer McGee’s magical farm.  What was once an extraordinary farm where cows give chocolate milk and hens lay rainbow coloured eggs, is now ordinary.  Poor ‘pig-witch’ has to go deep into the dark forest to consult with the wise old pig in the hope that the farm can be restored to its former glory.

My daughter Genevieve, who is 2 years old, loves books.  She loves stories.  She seems to internalise all the character’s and speak about them as if they are her friends.  She is forever popping up with a book in her hand, demanding that I drop whatever I may be doing at the time and read – ‘Read It, Mama’!

I started reading to her when she was about 3 months old; simple books; stories and lullabies that soon became part of our routine.  I made up stories about the characters in the picture books – just to make it more interesting for me.  Some of the books weren’t yet age appropriate, but she didn’t seem to mind.  We joined our first library reading group, long before she could walk, and although we don’t  participate in the reading group as often, we still take out batches of up to 14 books on each visit to our local library.

Genevieve hasn’t yet started school, so our day often begins with a batch of books in bed – before breakfast or even a trip to the bath room.  She has also taken to reading by herself, evidence of which I find scattered around the house.  My parents read to her, my friends are often requested to tell a story and my dear neighbour is a patient and loving story teller. 

I hope that this blog will be a record of the books that we have enjoyed as a family and that one day Genevieve will start sharing her reading experiences with others too.