I’ve been asked to write an article for an online magazine called Visit From the Stork http://www.visitfromthestork.co.uk/ This is a magazine specifically for young parents who are aged 25 and under. The article is about my top five favourite books for under fives.
Reading to children is one of life’s simple pleasures so I thought I would share the list with you here as well. You may already have all of the books but you might just see one that you’d forgotten about or never heard of. If that is the case…enjoy!
1. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.
From the same author as the Spot the Dog books, this is a little gem. The storyline is very simple: boy seeks new pet. The little boy writes to the local zoo who keep sending him a range of unsuitable animals. He sends them back! Eventually the perfect pet arrives. The illustrations are child friendly, appealing and simple. The colours are bold and the lift the flap element ensures the children are fully involved with this lovely story. A definite must read.
2. Gossie by Olivier Dunrea.
This is the first in a series of books about a gosling called Gossie. I love these books! The illustrations are so appealing and expressive. The story lines are generally pretty simple but the vocabulary covers a range of topics including weather, places and buildings. This particular book follows Gossie while she wears her favourite red boots. One day there is a disaster – Gossie’s boots have gone! The book tracks Gossie as she searches all around the farm trying to find her beloved boots. But will she find them? You’ll have to get the book and find out.
3. Jasper’s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen.
Two well respected and well loved children’s authors collaborate on this lovely book about a cat called Jasper. Jasper is determined to grow a beanstalk from a bean he finds. As the week progresses, Jasper does his best to look after his bean. Unfortunately (like me) he is not very patient when it comes to gardening. Digging it up and throwing the bean away, Jasper is amazed to see what eventually grows. With lovely illustrations and characters, it is also a great introduction to Maths (days of the week) and Science (growing). One for any bookshelf.
4. Meg’s Eggs by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski.
I grew up with Meg and Mog and have fond memories of reading the whole collection. Despite being over 40 years old, these books are still selling in their thousands and this is one of my favourites. Poor Meg is a bit of an accident prone witch and her spells never seem to turn out quite right. This is no exception. A spell to make eggs for supper results in three large dinosaurs causing chaos. This book has the winning combination of great illustrations, storyline and characters. Throw in a bit of poetry in the form of spells and it really does have it all. Enjoy!
5. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney.
This modern day classic tells the tale of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare who compete to say how much they love each other. With charming illustrations this is a book that strikes a chord with all parents. The age old message that no matter how much your children love you, you will love them more is captured perfectly in this story. Anyone reading this book will find themselves loving it to the moon and back!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little round up. I will be doing a list for older children too. Until then, have fun with the above…
