What Little Miss Read April & May 2016

Life has suddenly got a little hectic in our house hold meaning i’m falling behind on series posts such as this one because I just don’t have the time to sit down and really write. Life hasn’t stopped, Little Miss is still loving her books, especially new books that introduce her to new series’ like The Fairytale Hairdresser that I’m going to talk about below. It’s now less than 3 months until LM heads off to big school where she will be bringing home books on a weekly basis as she learns to read. And that’s a scary thought! My other half has been wonderful taking full control on teaching her letters and numbers, and I’m in charge of phonetics which is how she’ll learn to read at school. We make a good team.

Anyway, onto the books Little Miss has been enjoying throughout April and May. We have a huge eclectic selection this month that we have been really enjoying.

The Fairytale Hairdresser and Beauty and the Beast by Abie Longstaff*
This is the series I mentioned above, The Fairytale Hairdresser, is a series of stories that are a modern twist on classic fairytales.. right up both LM and my street. She is now completely obsessed though and was so excited to learn that there is already a huge collection of The Fairytale Hairdresser books available such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and many more meaning she doesn’t need to stop with this one.

The story has the foundations of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast so there are characters that she recognises as well the introduction of The Fairytale Hairdresser herself, Kittie. It has a great message in the book, much along the same vein of the original, that beauty is only skin deep but this time it’s the Beast learning this. The story read really well and I’ve actually lost count the amount of time she’s had me read it to her. It definitely appeals on the level that it’s a full story with structure along with a beginning, middle and an ending. In additions to a good solid story with well rounded characters (as far as a childrens book goes anyway), it’s beautifully illustrated. I love the art work, it’s bright, colourful as well as being whimisical enough for a fairytale story. This definitely appealed to me, someone completely obsessed with fairytales, I still needed that aspect to remain. And just so you all know, it has a perfectly fitting happily ever after ending.

Odd Bods by Steven Butler*
Children are all strange, right? They all individually have their own weird little quirks and now there is a book that celebrates this in Odd Bods. First thing you need to know about Odd Bods is that it’s a rhyming book. I’ve mentioned often in past What Little Miss Read posts that LM really loves a rhyming book and they are going to come in so handy while she’s learning to read over the next year. Odd Bods is a perfect example for this, also a lot of the rhymes are silly words that really appeal due to the fact she’s a child. If you want to get your little boy particularly interested in books, this could be the one for you. As I have nephew I know they’re not as keen to embrace the idea of reading themselves. Each of the Odd Bods have a name beginning with each letter of the alphabet, and it’s in alphabetical order. Hooray, when you’re trying to teach your kid the alphabet! This was a real aid in helping her with this. It’s incredibly witty and funny, but it’s also short making it a great bedtime story if you’re in a hurry. We also really loved the illustrations, I think they appealed because they look like children’s drawings but they still have enough detail for them not to look crude. I love the colours chosen. I expect Odd Bods to be an instant classic as fars as childrens books go.

Monster Park by Annie Bach*
Remember way back in October when we reviewed Monster Trouble? When when this book arrived I thought it would be a lot like that, the colourful illustrations looked similar on the cover, however I was slightly disappointed it didn’t have an as structured story as Monster Trouble. HOWEVER on the plus side, the rhyming nature of the book meant it made it into the pile of books for Little Miss to learn to read herself over the next few months. The simple language is perfect for early readers and with it being so well illustrated and about monsters it will appeal to early readers. It’s a beautiful book and would make a fun gift for girls or boys at a pre-school age as well as they will enjoy the illustrations and an overly enthusiastic parent reading it aloud to them. It’s a good length but realistically it’s a little young for Little Miss as far as bedtime story goes. I definitely recommend for the 1-3 years crowd.

I am NOT a Dinosaur by Will Lach*
This was the first book my other half read to Little Miss and personally I feel he enjoyed it more than her as she cares little about dinosaurs, or any prehistoric animals. HOWEVER, my dinosaur crazy nephew would completely eat up this book. He’s the type of kid that knows all the proper names for the dinosaurs and I definitely think that is this books target audience. It’s a really clever way to teach children that not all creatures that lived thousands of years ago were dinosaurs. This really would make a great educational gift for a dinosaur mad child, it’s beautifully illustrated and the fact it only comes in hard back makes it that little bit more special. Also, the best bit, it rhymes! You really can’t turn your nose up at a rhyming educational book. Despite the fact it does use the scientific name for a lot of the creatures mentioned the rhyming does make it a really enjoyable book to read for those of us not completely sold on the prehistoric nature and educational value of the book which is why I have since read it to LM and she was a little more interested, not enough princesses in her opinion!

The Sky Guys by Madeleine Rogers*
The Sky Guys is another beautiful book that would be a wonderful gift. It comes with 5 paper animals and scenery to make up which I’m saving to tackle during the 6 weeks of summer we have to look forward to. It’s also another fun but also educational book that helps teach children about the bird family. It especially appealed to me as owls are one of my favourite animals (after unicorns obviously!) Each bird has a couple of facts about them so children are able to differentiate between them. The book is beautifully illustrated too, I love the modern style art even though I’m not sure Little Miss fully appreciated it. The pages really popped and I love the stylisation of it. It’s actually part of a series that also all come with paper animals and scenery in the same style hard back book. I would love to have a look at The Forest Folk or The Safari Set.

The Bumblebear by Nadia Shireen*
This book was much more up Little Miss’ street and made a great bedtime story because there was an actual plot line (which as I’ve mentioned before, is something she’s interested in these days). It’s a very cute story about a bear that pretends to be a bee to get the honey.. sound familiar? Yes, Little Miss even noticed it “bears” a resemblance to a certain little black rain cloud. However, The Bumblebear is much funnier, and the plot a lot more elaborate. It also has a much nicer ending than what happens to ol’ Pooh Bear. I don’t want to give too much plot away as there is much more to the story that Norman just dressing up a bee and going to bee school but it is has an obvious beginning, middle and resolution. Little Miss has had me read this more than once which is always a good sign and I haven’t minded too much as although it is well structured it is short enough to be enjoyed by a parent who has to read the same book out loud on a regular basis. The illustrations are lovely, really child friendly. There is a good amount of colour although I wouldn’t call it bright. It’s definitely a great read for pre-schoolers through reception.

Where Do Garbage Trucks Go? And Other Questions About Trash and Recycling by Benjamin Richmond*
I should note here, we did not read this book as a bedtime story but it was a book I picked up for Little Miss but more so, my nephew who wants to be a big truck driver once he grows up. Yep, not even kidding. It’s a proper non-fiction book with no story but filled with fun facts, information, illustrations and photographs which is great for a kid who is really interested in where their rubbish goes. It comes from a series of books called Good Question! which are a great collection of educational and information books for children.

Ah-Choo! by Lana Wayne Koehler*
The format of this book reminded me a lot of Dear Zoo. A kid asks his parent for a pet and everyone is unsuitable because his sister is allergic (hence the Ah-Choo title). I’m sure you can imagine what happens in the end. But I think this format is exactly why this book is such a huge hit for Little Miss. She remembers that book fondly and it’s Christmas counter part and that’s why she loved this new version a lot. It’s more wordy which in turn made it more enjoyable for a kid of 4 years, lets face it Dear Zoo is one of the books we first read our children when they’re old enough to enjoy a bedtime story especially with the flaps to lift. We both really enjoyed doing the “Ah-Choo!” bits which did gradually get louder from Little Miss as we went through the story, not exactly ideal at bedtime but thankfully I was able to calm her own in time for bed. I love the illustrations, it’s a great picture book where Little Miss was able to explain what was going on on each page, which I do feel had something to do with the repetitive nature of the book. If your kid enjoyed Dear Zoo, they’re going to love Ah-Choo!

Alison Hubble by Allan Ahlberg*
Our final book over the last two months has been Alison Hubble, or the full working title of The Story of Alison Hubble Who Went to Bed Single and Woke Up Double. Written by the legendary children’s writer Allan Ahlberg. Like all Ahlberg’s books this is an instant classic, a wonderous tale that’s clever and funny. Alison Hubble is a girl who just keeps doubling until there is a whole army of Alison Hubbles, even as far as kids books go, this is a real page turner especially for a parent (as lets face it, this would be a complete nightmare for!) It’s a great book to help with multiplcation as well as being the perfect length for a bedtime story. As usually we really enjoyed the rhyming verse and it makes it fun for the parent who is readng out loud. Although I always loved Janet Ahlberg’s illustrations, I do think the book is a pleasure to look at and the attention to detail just perfect for a four year old. We’re a huge fans of Allan Ahlberg and have a vast array of books that I even kept from my own chilhood (Each Peach Pear Plum anyone?) and Alison Hubble didn’t disappoint. We’ll enjoy this together for many years to come no doubt.

What have you been enjoying book wise this month?