LM’s Library Books, Week 2

Carrying on with our library visits as part of our summer bucketlist, last time LM convinced me into 9 books with a total of 10 stories (one book had 2 stories in, meaning two nights worth of reading). Plus I was away two nights meaning it’s been a while since our last trip to the library. Each book is stamped for a month and since we can take 15 books (I know, right?) I see no sense in going back until we’ve read all the ones we have at home. So we finally took another trip on Friday before we met Bee & her daughter’s off the train. So we have 7 new books to read, but in the mean time, here is what we thought of the 9 last time;

Winnie in Space by Valerie Smith
Yep, another Winnie the Witch adventure. LM really loves them and they’re such a good length for bedtime. It’s a real story with a beginning, middle and the end which appeals to my specific child. However, this is one of the newer ones and I didn’t feel like I laughed as much as I did with the ones from my own childhood but LM really enjoyed it due to the fact she likes to talk about space and play space rockets with my nephew at the the moment. Probably not one I’d buy to add to our Winnie the Witch collection but enjoyable none the less.

Lucky Wish Mouse Sweet Dreams by Clara Vulliamy
I should tell you, aside from her love of Princesses and fairytales, LM has a thing for mice and anything mouse related so when I read the title of this one she was so excited to get it. Lucky Wish Mouse appears to be a series of books about a mouse and her ten tinies and the mischief and adventures they get up to. This one was about bedtime which of course made it perfect to read as a bedtime story. The illustrations are cute, as is the story and it was enjoyed by both myself and LM. It had the format for 10 in the bed with a little twist at the end. It was sweet, so sweet in fact we’re now on the look out for more Lucky Wish Mouse books at the library!

A Dark Dark Tale by Ruth Brown
To be honest, LM was a little bit too old for this as it’s a story with one line on each double page.. however it was one of my absolute favourites as a kid but I’ve discovered this was down to how my mum read it, which I couldn’t capture the same way. I have to admit while reading it LM was getting rather creeped out but by the end she was giggling. It was super short and perfect for the night I read it as I just wanted to go in the bath, but I doubt we’ll ever read something so simple again.

Milly and the Mermaids by Maudie Smith
We have a conflict of opinions on this one.. LM loved it. She loved it so much she decided to read it to herself a few times before returning it to the library. I however found Milly to be a bit of a brat. I’d be pretty upset if LM behaved like that on a beach because she didn’t see mermaids. Although I do allow LM to believe anything she wants (including in the existence of mermaids) I would be down right horrified if she ruined a lovely trip to the beach by having a melt down over not seeing one. However, the story was a good length with a beginning, the middle and an ending, the ending was even left open for a sequel. I loved the illustrations, they were beautiful which does add to the enjoyment for a small child. Like I say, my only gripe was the fact the child was so ungrateful. Aren’t kids books supposed to enforce good behavior? Never mind.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd
My nephew is hugely into Hairy Maclary (or Hairy de Clary as he calls it) so it’s a bit of a conversation topic. We do have one, Rumpus at the Vet but LM had never heard the original one that introduces all the characters. So when I saw it at the library I suggested we get it. I love Hairy Maclary because it just flows, I love the rhyming, the silly names and the illustrations, the looks on the animal’s faces are hilarious. LM really enjoys rhyming books where she can guess what word will come next so as I expected, this was a complete hit.

Katie and the Spanish Princess by James Mayhew
This was another book that I chose, and LM agreed because it had princess in the title. I do on occassion like to read books of a educational value to LM and this one was about art. I loved the Katie books as a kid, and I did enjoy reading it but I don’t think it’s aged well. The illustrations are very dated and it didn’t really hold LM’s attention as I’m sure it held mine as a kid. As much as I’d like to read the other Katie books, we may have to give them a miss as LM just isn’t into them.

The Frog Prince by Susanna Davidson
In my last LM’s Library Books I mentioned I want her to know all the classic fairytales, this week it was The Frog Prince. Of course LM knows the story as The Princess and the Frog from Disney, but this was a more classic albeit simplified version of it. It was a very simplified version with bright colours that appealed. It was a very easy read, it flowed well and had all the important bits in it. LM enjoyed it and I enjoyed reading it. If I manage to come across anymore classic fairytales in this series I’ll be sure to pick them up.

Winnie’s Midnight Dragon by Valerie Thomas
Another Winnie the Witch book. I did enjoy this one a lot more but again it’s your standard Winnie the Witch book. I’ll always recommend them for kids of LM’s age.

Angelina’s Best Days Out by Katharine Holabird
We actually joined the library purely to find more Angelina Ballerina books. LM LOVES THEM. We have loads but we’re always looking for new ones to read so she was so excited to come across this book with two stories in them. I’ll admit as an adult I find Angelina to be a little bratty at times but as this was something I loved as a kid, I can see why LM loves them and I do my best to just ignore the bits where she acts spoilt. As ever, I love the format of the Angelina stories, I love the illustrations and I love that they’re quite calming, perfect for bedtime. I do also like that by the end Angelina has realised her mistakes and set them right which is SO important in a child’s book. They’re great books for a three year old to be honest.