We were pleased to hear that Julia Donaldson is the new Children’s Laureate, we really enjoy her stories & have a number of her books. They have been read to Bryn many many times. Some of his favourite include Tiddler, Smartest Giant in Town, Charlie Cooks Favourite Books & of course the Gruffalo.

I read Cave Baby to Freya which has Donaldson’s trademark lyrical rhyming text. The illustrations were done by Emily Gravett (see previous post) and are beautiful. The tale is of a little baby who having discovered a paintbrush adds to the painting on the cave only to be told off by his mother. At night he is taken by a mammoth & paints his cave walls. The baby covers the walls in brightly coloured fantastical pictures a contrast to his mothers realistic monochrome pictures.

I especially liked the night time illustrations as the colours were rich & help depict the fear & wonder of the baby. For me the story was a good reminder of painting without any rules & just enjoying the colours & shapes, something I hope both son & daughter will do.

While it is a lovely read this however is not one of my favourites. I think I had high expectations from this collaboration and for me it lacked some of the wit & musicality of the other books.

I am looking forward to the work of the new laureate & was pleased to see her back the campaign for libraries. Her latest book ‘The Highway Rat’ is already on our wish list.

I have been singing Wheels on the Bus to Freya since she was a few days old. Its one of my favourites especially when they are tiny as I rotate her legs as wheels, pretend her arms are wipers & her nose the horn on the bus.

I remembered reading this edition to a friends son who absolutely loved it so I bought a copy for Bryn. I like the small cut outs in the book especially the wheels. It’s also fun to spot the characters as they get onto the bus & the final page ends with them all at a birthday party – although we are not sure whose party it is.

We have the dual language edition, English & Gujerati, so their grandad could also join in the fun of reading to his grandchildren.

While at Hay I treated Freya to an Emily Gravett book, Blue Chameleon (was more a treat for me to be perfectly honest) I absolutely love Emily Gravett books, the illustrations are beautiful with a great sense of humour & honesty.
Blue Chameleon tells the tale of a chameleon trying to make friends by copying objects & animals he meets, but his efforts fail until the end where he meets a colourful chameleon. A joyous bright pattern filled ending.

I was really impressed that the book was able to convey the chameleons emotions through such limited text & simple illustrations.

While Freya was not completely captivated by this book her big brother however found it lots of fun. He decided to try & be like the chameleon & copy the different objects & animals. He particularly liked being a boot.

We are huge fans of the Ahlbergs & Each Peach Pear Plum was one of the first books we bought for Bryn, so it only seemed right that Freya have s copy of Peepo, the 30th anniversary edition

It’s a joy to read with the rhyming text & wonderful detail which enhance the joyous illustrations. The illustrations evoke a busy loving household and I am reassured to see clutter & mess in the rooms.

Each alternate page has a cut out circle giving a glimpse of a scene, when you turn the page you get the full picture all based on family scenes which the little baby encounters. The small scenes are perfectly framed for maximum impact when unveiling the full picture. They remind me of beautifully shot photos.

Other favourites include Cops & Robbers and Burglar Bill which we’ve been reading to our son for the last 3 years & I imagine a few more years to come. There is always something new to spot in the pictures & great humour in the stories.

Went to the Stratford Literary Festival at Compton Verney, which although Freya was too young to appreciate it was enjoyed by the rest of the family.

Bryn loved the story telling & the highlight for me was seeing Axel Scheffler draw & read from his new books. I enjoy taking Bryn to festivals like this, last year we had a day in Hay, as it provides him with another perspective on stories & making books while giving me the chance to indulge in more book buying.

The Pip & Posy stories tell the tale of two young friends, in the Scooter story Posy snatches Pip’s scooter but when she falls over it’s Pip who helps her. The little puddle story is about Pip having an accident & Posy looking after him.

While the stories are a little old for Freya, I enjoyed showing her the illustrations, I especially love the facial expressions of all the animals in the stories. I know she will enjoy these when she is older & they are good tales evoking empathy with the characters.

Bryn has enjoyed having them read to him & pointing out all the toys & different animals. We were lucky enough to see a sneak preview if a page from the next in the series about Monsters, can’t wait.