We regularly come home from the library with hoards of books, however there are always some which Bryn (and me) find difficult to add to the ‘books to return’ pile. Here are a few which we have enjoyed reading so much that it’s going to be hard to say goodbye.

Ella by Alex T. Smith
This is a cinderella inspired tale of a ladybird, Ella, who finds herself as a muse & true love to the famous artist Pierre, the spider. Bryn liked it because of its similarity to Cinderella & proudly informed me that Ms Buzzbottom was the fairy godmother. He was particularly taken with Pierre & very happy about the Bug Ball, bugs dancing on candlesticks are very funny apparently. The shiny cover feels like you are opening an invite to a fabulous party and inside the story delivers plenty of drama & sequins. The book is crammed with charm, detail & humour, my favourite spread was of the framed picture of Ella which included a separate frame for her antennae. The only downside of reading the story is being left with ‘umbrella’ as an ear worm (but it’s worth it)

One Cool Cat by Susannah Corbett, illustrated by David Roberts
A story of an uber cool cat who laughs at silly superstitions, although the last laugh is on him. I enjoyed this book, especially reading it out aloud & playing at being such an arrogant & sarcastic cat. I also liked the practical and sometimes sarcastic ripostes given to the superstitions voiced by the black cat,’Oohh I wouldn’t step on those cracks’….. ‘no don’t tell me, in case a small volcano erupts under my paws’. It is however the amazing illustration which makes the book such a success for me, the beautiful colour palette & use of white space. The drawings bring lovely movement to the book, like the swish of the cool cats tail. It’s definitely one cool book.

Hans and Matilda by Yokococo
More cats although this time it’s about Hans & Matilda who could not be more different, Matilda was such a good cat while Hans was always in trouble. This was lots of fun to read, especially the first reading with Bryn when he hadn’t worked out the humorous twist in the tale. In subsequent readings he delights in being able to provide spoilers to this wonderful story. The bold & simple illustrations with contrasting backgrounds when depicting Hans & Matilda adds an additional dimension to the charming twist in the tale.

One of my favourite tales as a child was ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ I think I liked the idea of these magical little elves making shoes as big as themselves. As an adult I often find myself wishing some elves would come during the night & work magic on my never ending ‘to do’ list.

Part of my fondness for the story is tied up in the specific ladybird edition I read (I am intrigued by the change in illustrative & language style across the years for these ladybird editions, but that’s a post for another day) While I couldn’t share the same edition, the copy we have is much loved by Bryn and a perfect size for when out & about.

I recently picked up a copy of ‘The Real Fairy Storybook, Stories the fairies tell themselves’ by George Adams & Sally Gardner. A collection of 5 stories framed by a running conversation between a group of fairies sewing a ball gown for the Fairy Queen. I picked up this book as I loved the varied styles of illustration & while pink on the outside inside is a riot of colours, textures & attitude. The story Bryn is most fond of is ‘The Shoemaker & the Robber Elves’ a funny retelling of the Elves & the Shoemaker story where the Elves are the cause of the shoemakers misery by stealing all the shoes, luckily a fairy comes to the rescue for a happy ending.

I enjoy the magical fun quality elves & fairies can inject into stories especially with regards to scale and it seems Bryn does too. As this previous post shows Freya has also shown an early interest in Fairies.

Bryn received a top secret package a few weeks ago, inside was a treasure trove of stickers, poster & a stunning looking book, Operation Alphabet. “It’s the singing letters” Bryn shouted, as having read many reviews of this books I had already introduced him to the marvellous Ministry of Letters website & this fabulous video.

Like the website the book is wonderfully theatrical and part of the enjoyment in reading it has been the sense of drama & fun leading up to the story. It is an exhilarating read with action, adventure & a few quirky turns of phrase that had us both laughing aloud.

Operation Alphabet is the tale of a boy who has the ‘ALPHABET-A-HEEBIEGEEBIES’, Luckily help is at hand from the Special Alphabet Service.

Bryn especially likes the part where the Ministry of Letters are first introduced, as you peek into the Post Box. He was also keen to tell me he suspected Charlie Foxtrot was named that because of the colour of his hair, another code name perhaps! I really love the retro illustrative style which complements the dynamic atmosphere of the story.

Bryn has been learning the alphabet including phonics for a few months and it’s nice to have another perspective. The personification of the letters bring character & charm to the alphabet, although I have yet to see him follow Charlie’s footsteps & introduce ‘incredible hats & parachutes’ when writing letters.

The website, blog & upcoming app have also helped this book become more of an experience rather than just a story. Operation Alphabet is a definite hit in our house

Disclosure: We received our copy of ‘Operation Alphabet’ from the publisher for review. Our opinions are our own.