Young children's book recommendation of the fortnight - Little One's Bedtime

'It was late at night and time for bed.

 The clock was ticking when somebody said.... '

This fortnights book is Little One's Bedtime by Suzi Moore and Rosie Reeve.

G was excited to see this book feature in the bedtime hour on CBeebies a couple of weeks ago, "Look it's my book mummy".

I picked this up about a year ago I think, a bargain in the book offer of 4 books for £5 at The Works. I think it's a lovely book and it's one of my favourites of G's expanding book collection.

This is a book parents will relate to when your little one finds ways to stall bedtime. Or like G does, after getting her second wind, decides it's playtime again. The little girl in this book uses her imagination for her reasons for not going to bed.

It has lovely illustrations and a lovely rhythm with the story being written in rhyme. Both boys and girls can relate to it with the child just being named little one and doing a variety of activities in her imaginations before bed such as being a dancer, being a knight fighting a dragon, being a monster and being a wizard.

 I find there can be a lot of picture books these days that have beautiful illustration but to be frank a pretty poor accompanying story. This is not one of them. A lovely story and enjoyable read.

COMPETITION: The Owl and the Pussycat & The Further adventures of the owl and the pussycat GIVEAWAY.

So here it is! My first competition!


I'm so exited to be running it and having a lovely prize to give away.


Yesterday I posted my review of The Owl and The Pussycat by Edward Lear and The Further Adventures of The Owl and The pussycat by Julia Donaldson, published by Puffin and both illustrated by the very talented Charlotte Voake.

They would make a lovely Christmas gift and if you want to know why please check out my reviews of each book. 

Thanks to Penguin I have a set of these wonderful books up for grabs and all you have to do is enter below!

The blog comment and following on twitter are mandatory** but the other entries are optional. The more you have, the more likely you are to win :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway




*This giveaway is open to UK entrants only, sorry.
** Anyone who hasn't done both the mandatory entries will not be counted in the competition,

The Further Adventures of The Owl and The Pussycat by Julia Donaldson & Charlotte Voake - Review

So I've been super lucky this week and along side the new publication of the owl and the pussy cat I am also reviewing The Further Adventures of The Owl and The Pussycat by Julia Donaldson.

This book again is beautifully illustrated by Charlotte Voake who brings the story and it's characters to life.


I'll let the pictures do the talking....

 Julia continues where Lear's poem leaves off, in a mix of her own charming style that has been so successful and Edward Lear's original poetic techniques. She introduces characters and places from Lear's other work's into her story. I think this is a lovely idea, although if anything, I would say as an adult reading this book it helps if you are familiar with Edward Lear and his works, otherwise you might feel she is introducing too much nonsense. From a view of a child who the book is actually aimed at I'm sure the more nonsense the better and other Lear devotee's I'm sure would approve too.

The book has been well received, being shortlisted for both the spec savers national book awards and the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medal. It has an RRP of £7.99 but can also be found at the cheaper price of £5.99 at the Book Depository.

We received a paperback copy of the book complete with the CD. My 3 year old has a bit of a thing about CD's that come with books so she had this straight on and plonked herself on my knee to listen and read* along. The CD, in which the story is narrated by Julia herself, does go at quite a fast pace so to enjoy the pictures it's best read by an adult (or the child themselves if at reading age). However it's a great addition along side the book and expands the experience and enjoyment of the book.

Reading along with the CD for a second time.

This book, along side The Owl and The Pussycat, would make a lovely Christmas gift and for those of you lucky people reading who have joined me on my new blogging journey, I have a set to give away here.

*read through viewing the pictures 
** This is not a sponsored post and all views are my own. I was however given a copy of the book to review by The Bigshot. 

Young Children's Book Recommendation of the Fortnight - Delicious

This week I've picked another Helen Cooper book without realising. Delicious - A Pumpkin Soup Story.

A charming book with lovely illustrations and great use of alteration.

A fed up squirrel and cat have to get round the problem of having no pumpkins when they're little duck friend, rather like a fussy toddler (I'd say much worse actually) won't try anything else. They get there in the end!

There is a little side story going on at the same time with some bugs trying to save the soup that is being wasted.

Little Monster Did It also by Helen Cooper is currently on my list of wanted books for G.

Do you have any favourite children's authors?

Young children book recommendation of the fortnight - The baby who wouldn't go to bed

This week I have chosen The Baby who wouldn't go to bed by Helen Cooper. A brilliant bedtime story for very young children especially those that can be funny with going to bed.
I originally got it for G for that very reason. It used to take her forever to go to bed or to sleep. Now she's much better although still has problems during the night.

It's a delightful book with baby refusing to go to bed and supposedly travelling off in his little car, coming across a tiger, some soldiers, a train and a musical band, all of whom he asks to play. They tell him they are too tired and are heading to bed and that he should too. He carries on until everything around him falls asleep even the moon.

But there is one person still awake, someone who can't go to sleep until baby does ....... mummy.

All the characters he's come across are toys in his room and he finally settles off to sleep. Lovely book and I recommend you have a read. I got our copy again from Amazon, second hand but in great condition.


Do you have any books that are great for getting your little one in the mood for sleep?

Young Children's Book of the Week - Noisy Poems

We love our books in this house so I thought I'd start a weekly post of our favourite's in case anyone is looking for any inspiration. They will generally be aimed at G's age group and I've had a bit of writers block with the title so it may change.

This week I've chosen Noisy Poems collected by Jill Bennet and illustrated by Nick Sharratt.

I remember having this read to me by the teacher in my reception class when I was little. I got a second hand copy off Amazon for G to have all these years later. I like to share books with her that I loved as a child.

These poems are full of alliteration and onomatopoeia's which are great fun for young children and great for developing language skills. I love On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan and Yickety Yak. Great poems full of funny words for little one's to get their mouth around so to speak.

Books & reading with your children.

When I was little I never stopped reading. We went through two long periods of not having a TV due to us living I suppose a poverty stricken lifestyle back as children....but it was great as we read loads, were really creative - drew, made things, we were full of idea's. When we did get given second hand TV's (two broke) from the neighbours we were still capable of being creative but I do think it was good for us not having one for a while and then when we had it was a huge novelty. 

Luckily I had access to all the Enid Blyton books my elder sister had and my mother also took us to the library often. I remember getting obsessed with a book series called Saddle Club. Along side Enid Blyton I particularly remember  the Goosebumps series but there were so many more magical ones.

Reading takes you away from your real life and (if a good book) you are absorbed into the story taken into a magical land or the life/world of someone or something else. 

I can't imagine life without it and i am one of those that loves to read an actual book, the feel of it, the smell, the art work on the front, turning the pages. Any access to books is great but you can't beat a good old book.

I know there are a lot of people that have barely read in their life or don't like it (although I'm sure if they gave it another chance a read a good book they would) and then often don't bother reading to their children or getting books for them.

An article from the Huffington Post in 2012 mentioned a report by the National Literacy Trust that stated 3.8 million children in the UK did not own a book. 

I think that's a travesty. Yes I know there's much worse things in the world. Despite the obvious help it gives with development of speech and language I think it's so sad to deny a child the joy of a storybook. Even when they can't read they can look at the pictures and as my little girl does either makes up her own story when looking at the pages with a flash light after I've put her to bed or they remember the story and can read it that way. It helps them develop their imagination in a way nothing else can.

Story time is one of my favourite times of day. I love to relax at the very end of the day next to G in her pyjamas all snuggled up in bed or sat in her room with her sat on my knee and read the books that one of us has picked out of her bookcase. We used to read up to five books a night, though as she is getting older the books have got longer so it's usually two or three.  

We also would sing several nursery rhymes or children's songs after that, every night without fail. G was a fast developer with language and I have no doubt that all this helped. It is really not too much effort to read just one story or sing just one rhyme each night. I managed it as a single parent with a debilitating exhausting disease. 

I am lucky despite our circumstances that we have relatives that have got her books. My mum brings her some she's found in charity shops. I have brought several second hand from a selling page on facebook. I sell (well if they haven't been chewed or ripped from baby years of course!) the book's she has grown out of to help with budgeting and then the book gets passed a long for another child to enjoy.

She's been given book's for birthdays and Christmas, got a couple free from either playgroup or nursery as a Christmas present or from the Health visitor or sure start center on World Book day. I also use Amazon if it's a specific book we are looking for as they often do a much cheaper price than in the shops. 

 One shop I love for books is The Works. They have loads of wonderful children's picture books, many for only £1.99 or 4 for £5. Or buy one get one free - so £1 each. They also cater for older children and adults too. You can now sign up for a points card and they currently have a competition to win Mary Berry's new book and a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer on their website. 

I recently discovered some Enid Blyton titles in there. The faraway tree Collection (3 stories in 1 book) and The Wishing Chair Collection (again 3 stories in 1 book). I have put them away for when she has learnt to read. They are magical stories and I want her to get to experience them too. The Works also had the early years of Malory towers 3 in 1 last time I looked so when I have the spare pennies I'll get that to put away for her too.

So there are plenty of cheaper options but of course you don't have to buy any books for your child to be able to read. There's the library anyone can sign up to and access. G has plenty of books at the moment, all we have read many a time and will still continue to do but the library is a great place to go and try out some new ones and a different environment for her to be in which she enjoys.

Do you have a favourite book you read with your child? I will soon be starting a post about which book we have most enjoyed reading each week.

What I'm reading right now

Or a a more accurate title would be what I'm trying to read right now! I've taken the past couple of nights off the blog to be able to read. It would be much more beneficial to my health to get some proper sleep but I have found myself struggling at never having any me time for so long so I'm making sacrifices somewhere.

I love reading, I read so much as a child and may not have the time now but I try to when I can.
The last book I read was probably a year ago - House Rules by Jodi Picoult, an excellent book. The one I'm reading right now again is another Picoult book - Nineteen minutes.



Here's the Blurb: "Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens - until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone, inside and out.

The daughter of the judge sitting on the case should be the state's best witness - but with her boyfriend dead and her childhood friend charged with murder, she's struggling to remember what happened in front of her own eyes....

Number one bestselling author Jodi Picoult brings us her hardest-hitting and most involving novel yet. NINETEEN MINUTES asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else - and whether a person is ever whom they seem to be..."

I've read almost all of her books. All brilliant reads although many of them (not all) have a very similar set out in that they all have an event that leads to a court case, so depending on which one's you read they can get a bit repetitive. They all have different powerful themes which Picoult researches thoroughly and delves into in amazing detail. I would recommend if you've never read any of hers to at least try one. I find most hard to put down as once you've started you get reeled straight in.