There was an amazing amount of laughter especially when catfish says "Just look what you've done...I'm meant to have whiskers and now I have none." The group was concerned about the bubbling stew, were fascinated by the pirates and laughed hard when there was a bubble soaked pirate ship.
Sometimes there is just something extraordinary about picture books, they look like any other book but there are elements that make it unique. Lola Dutch is that for me, in its simplicity there is beauty and the hidden treasure in the dust jacket adds flair that can only come from the creative mind.
From early morning until it's time for bed, mama and papa are teaching their little trucks how to dig, scoop, and push at the construction site. This tough and burly crew scoop up dirt, dump it, lay BIG steel beams, mix the cement and roll it flat; at the end of the day they give a TOOT TOOT to celebrate their hard work.
This book is simply joyful, fun and hug filled. So remember whether your feeling awesome or a little blue, Duggee's book will have a hug or two waiting for you.
You know a book is fairly special when there are themes of solidarity and equality, where men stand up for the rights of women, where a little girl marches with millions of other women for their future.
Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa (When We Go Walkabout), is a beautiful celebration of indigenous culture, where each picture is a work of art and celebrates the Aboriginal way of passing on knowledge through the traditional stories of their ancestors.
In fairy tales, things will always feel more perfect than in life. The dashing prince will find the fairest maiden for his wife...Well...you might be shocked to hear this, but even fairies fart! (Jennifer Stinson)
Nosy Crow have a podcast in iTunes, it has been there since 2013 but I only discovered it today. The podcast has audio versions of some of the Nosy Crow books which you can read along with it. This reminded me of my childhood when I used to listen to the Storytime Magazine to stories such as, Gobolino the Witches Cat, when I went to bed at night.
The newest two books in the Alphaprints range - Happy Dog & Quirky Bird are a wonderful addition to these touch-and-feel textured prints and fingerprint embossed pictures. These highly creative books are humorous, with pictures that are different to your average hardback book.
To the children out there. Books are a beautiful gift of imagination, knowledge and being lost in worlds where anything is possible. Enjoy this gift, soak it up and let your imagination soar.
Little Big Reads 