The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

I have started to read The Faraway Tree series to my young son. So far it's been lots of fun as the children (Joe, Beth and Frannie) has explored the woods near their new house, and found it full of fun and adventure, with new worlds to explore and magical creatures with which to become friends. I love how the main protagonists are an older brother, and two younger sisters, and how Joe, the big brother, knows he's the one who needs to look out for his sisters whilst they are on these adventures. He is a good big brother - level headed, and true to his word.

It's a book that both girls and boys will like. There is no feminization in these texts. It's not about a brother and two sisters who are visiting a mystical world of rainbows, unicorns and barbies call Wanda-Tulip the third, who only do ballet, and talk about how to set people up ready to date. And it's certainly not a book that is too old for his understanding. There's an old saying that boys read boys book and girls read books... this series is the perfect combo where boys and girls have characters they can relate to and vicariously live through as the adventure unfolds.

(Some parents may not enjoy the old world-ness of letting your kids go off into the wood by themselves and play; having a story talk about young children sneaking out of the house at night by themselves, or even letting them go with a stranger - which the parents do in the book with Saucepan Man. I agree with the sentiment, but whilst reading I've encouraged my young audience to remember it's a story, and not be done in real life.)

Having never read an Enid Blyton book before, there is enjoyment in her turn of phrase, and her English quaintness. The chapters are about 4 - 7 [ages long - bites sized enough not to be laborous, but long enough to be a proper chapter book. Happily there are six books in the series - they may last us until the end of the year. (Hopefully.)

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus, by Mo Willems (2004)

This is a different kind of

book. It is new wave, like a lot of children's theatre at the moment, where it gets rid of the forth wall, and interacts with the reader, not just in terms of

being comical, but truly requires 'action' and answers from the reader in order to continue with the story. It does this from the outset of the book, and so engages the child from before the 'first page', remember to read the title page when you're starting the book.

Storyline: The bus driver has to leave for a while, and he asks the reader: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus." It's the height of common sense, but the driver clearly knows this determined pigeon and readers do not-yet. "Hey, can I drive the bus?" asks the bird, at first all sweet reason, and then, having clearly been to

ld no by readers, he begins his ever-escalating, increasingly silly bargaining. "I tell you what: I'll just steer," and "I never get to do anything," then "No fair! I bet your mom would let me." In a wonderfully expressive spread, the pigeon finally loses it, and, feathers flying and eyeballs popping, screams "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!" in huge, scratchy, black-and-yellow

capital letters. The driver returns, and the pigeon leaves in a funk-until he spies a huge tractor trailer, and dares to dream again.

I also like how well the writer, who has also written for Sesame Street, constructs this book.The device of addressing the audience, as well as, the illustrations in movie-like motif's - it's very post-modern, and good.

When I read this book to groups of children I always find it an interesting study on which children adhere to the driver's request; and which don't. Some children love the fact they can 'give permission' for the pigeon to be naughty. A very interesting character study of children.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus is an 'unflinching and hilarious look at a child's potential for mischief. In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of unreasonableness in the very young.'

Like Willem's Knuffle Bunny Series; the Pigeon series (there's four them) is also well worth the investment into buying them all. The Pigeon series can be read at playgroup level also. I wouldn't recommend Knuffle Bunny series in a group setting.

The Growing Story

The Growing Story By Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Reprint 2007)

This wonderfully timeless story is suitable for children from 2 - 12 years old, and each will find a part of it they can relate to. It is about the universal experience of growing up and discover the rhythms of the seasons. A little boy, some chicks and a puppy live on a farm. They see the first signs of spring growing in the fields and the little boy asks his mother if he and the puppy will grow too. She assures him that he will. And we watch him and the puppy and chicks grow during the changing season of the book. For instance, as spring turns to summer he sees his dog growing taller and the chicks become chickens. But as the seasons change he feels that everything is grows around him, but he is staying the same. With a great ending to it all, this very predictable book will by enjoyed by children, as it answers that age old question about growing.

This charming story will enchant younger readers and is perfect for sharing aloud. Beautifully presented as an illustrated in usual Helen Oxenbury style.

PS The cover that appears in the photo is the cover of the reprint, re-illustrated version. The original can be found on the web.

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day by Stephanie Carmichael and Jess Green (2011)

I just got sent some new books by the publisher yesterday and I love them. Matthias Media sent me their hot off the press, not yet released kids books. These are number 3 and 4 in the Stephanie Carmichael series. They are a great read, for all ages...

The Birthday Party and The Grumpy Day... I can't even get an image of them from the net - I've gone and photographed the covers.

The Birthday Party is about Ben's birthday and his sister Emily wanting to throw a pretend birthday tea party for him, and then all the family getting in on the act, leading into God's love for everyone. It's a sweet tale, which is beautifully written to be read aloud, and the illustrations reflect the simplicity of it brilliantly. It has a very, very cute ending.

The Grumpy Day is about the three kids

of the same family as above each being grumpy because they are unable to do what they want. A cute story which leads to praying for our wants to God, but knowing that He's ultimately in control, so to trust in Him. Very well written and not heavy handed in the 'God' stuff. This one will appeal to all the kids in your family as they will have a character to identify with.

Love, love, love, love, love.

Grab them for god-children, your children, nephews, nieces, next door's kids, kids at church, for Christmas, for birthdays ... they're great.

New Children's Laureate announced

Julia Donaldson was born in 1948. She grew up in London and studied Drama and French at Bristol University. She worked for a few years in publishing and as a teacher, while also writing and performing songs and street theatre with her husband Malcolm, and writing and directing two musicals for children. She then combined a career writing songs for children’s television with bringing up a family. In 1993, one of her songs was made into a book, A Squash and a Squeeze. Since then she has written over a hundred books and plays for children and teenagers, including the award-winning rhyming stories The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and Zog, all illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which are among the UK’s best-selling picture books.

Julia has also worked with different illustrators, among them Lydia Monks, Nick Sharratt and David Roberts, and has written several young fiction titles, including three books about Princess Mirror-Belle, who is the badly-behaved reflection of a well-behaved girl. Her novel for teenagers, Running on the Cracks, came out in 2009 and won the Nasen Inclusive Children’s Book Award.

She is also the author of many educational books, including the 60 books which comprise the phonic reading scheme Songbirds. This series is part of the Oxford Reading Tree published by Oxford University Press.

Julia still loves writing and singing songs, and has produced three books of these, each one with a CD on which she is accompanied by some great live musicians. And her passion for drama is kept fresh by her frequent dramatic performances at book festivals and theatrical events, where she talks, acts and sings with her audiences.

Farmer Duck - Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury

Farmer Duck - Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury (1996)

There once was a duck

who had the bad luck to live with a lazy farmer. While the duck worked, the farmer lay in bed - until one day the other animals decided to take action! Martin Waddell and Helen

Oxenbury work their storytelling magic in Farmer Duck. A duck does all the work for a lazy farmer until a rebellion by the other barnyard animals sets

them all free. It has been said, that by book's end, young

readers will flap for joy right along with the endearing web-footed hero.

I love this book because of it's fun nature. All children will be on the side of the animals getting rid of the farmer. It's interesting that

we're never told the animals' plans to get rid of the farmer, and yet we don't need to the finer

details of the plans, the story is unfolded in the illustrations. I love that this book as has sweet and delicate interdependence of words and text. It brilliantly

showcases these two masters of children's literature: Helen Oxenbury and Martin Waddell.

Firstly, Helen Oxenbury is in my top 5 favourite illustrators.

The simplistic look of her illustrations, are actually belied by the complexity in which they are drawn. Helen Gillian Oxenbury is an award-winning illustrator of children's picture books. She lives with her husband, the illustrator John Burningham, in north London. (We'll come back to the outstanding John Burningham in a few weeks time.) I love the way she draws faces with such simplicity, and yet, they easily convey to a child how the character is feeling.

Martin Waddell is widely regarded as one of the finest contemporary writers of books for young people and he won the prestigious Hand Christian Anderson Award in 2004. He is also a twice winner of the Smarties Book Prize - for "Farmer Duck" and "Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?" - and he also won the Kurt Maschler Award for "The Park in the Dark" and the Best Books for Babies Award for "Rosie's Babies". Martin Waddell (born 1941 is a prolific, award winning children's author. He has lived most of his life in Newcastle. As a child, Waddell was often told stories in a lively manner. This inspired him and "the love of story" stuck with Waddell ever since. In 1972 he went into a church to stop some vandals and got caught up in an explosion in Donaghadee, Co Down - an experience that took him some years to ovecome. As an author, nearly all of Waddell's stories are inspired by events and/or places in his life at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. As he humorously claimed, "I’ve been blown up, buried alive and had cancer as an adult, and survived all these experiences, so I’m a very lucky man."

Farmer Duck is well worth a borrow from the local library to read to your children aloud.

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit by Beatrix potter, 1902

I had bought some CDs of the Peter Rabbit tales being red aloud and my child liked them

so much, I went and bought a couple of the books. A family favourite is The Tale of Tom Kitten and I like The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I love the simplicity of these stories. The little tidbits that draw the

pictures with the language as you go through. For instance, we're told Peter's father is caught by Mr McGregor and put in a pie by Mrs McGregor ... no need to say he was killed, but

we're told of his fate. Interestingly, my child learnt the stories without the pictures to go with them, just the CD. Potter was exquisite with both l

anguage and illustrations.

Potter was an interesting woman, I think. Here's some info

on her:

She developed a love of the natural world which she closely observed and painted

from an early age. Her parents were artistic and interested in nature and the out of doors. W

hile Beatrix was happily never sent off to boarding school, her education in languages,

literature, science and history was broad and she was an eager student. Although she was provided with private art lessons, Beatrix preferred to develop her own style, particularly favoring watercolor. In her twenties, she concentrated on the study of fungi mycology, of ancient artifacts archeology, and of geology, and achieved a measure of respect from the scientific establishment for her reproduction of fungi spores and her scientific illustrations. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit publishing it privately, and then in 1902 as a small, three-color illustrated book with Frederick Warne & Co. Between 1902 and 1918 she published over twenty popular children’s books.

With the proceeds from the books and a small legacy from an aunt, Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a tiny village in the English Lake District near Ambleside. Over the next several decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. In 1913 at the age of 47 she married William Heelis, a respected local solicitor from Hawkshead. Potter became a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. She continued to write and illustrate children's’ books for Warne after her marriage until the duties of land management and diminishing eyesight made it difficult to continue. Beatrix Potter published over twenty-three books; the best are those written between 1902 and 1918. Potter died on 22 December 1943 at Castle Cottage, Near Sawrey, leaving almost all of her property to National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now comprises the Lake District National Park.

E. B White's Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White (1952)

It's a very easy book to read aloud. The sentence structure lends itself to being verbalised easily. And White's use of language is beautifully olden day. I remember that one of my professors said, "You want to book not to tell you what's going on, but to show you." (The 'showing' is not in regards to illustrations but in the use of language and sentences; structure and narrative.) This is one of those books.

I liked this little paragraph from the second chapter. I thought it is very cute in the way it shows us (the reader) the bond that has occurred:

Carrying a bottle of milk, Fern sat down under the apple tree inside the yard. Wilbur ran to her and she held the bottle for him while he sucked. When he had finished the last drop, he grunted and walked sleepily into the box. Fern peered though the door. Wilbur was poking the straw with his snout. In a short time he had dug a tunnel in the straw. He crawled into the tunnel and disappeared from sight, completely covered with straw. Fern was enchanted.

White gives enough information for us to draw the scene in our own minds and to enjoy the fanciful notions of feeding a thankful pig, who sleepily moves into his little kennel, as we, like Fern, watch what he's doing. White cleverly leads us through the scene without over powering us with every detail, or telling us outright what we should be seeing in our own mind's eye. There's a life breathed into the text which makes it interesting to read. It holds our interest as we watch it unfold.

I thought this bit was very cute too:

If she took her doll for a walk in the doll carriage, Wilbur followed along. Sometimes, on these journeys, Wilbur would get tired, and Fern would pick him up and put him in the carriage along side the doll. He liked this. And if he was very tired, he would close his eyes and go to sleep under the doll's blanket. He looked so cute when his eyes were closed, because his lashes were so long.

Isn't it fun to imagine a little pig in a doll's carriage falling asleep, like a baby would being pushed around?! And the little detail of long eyelashes makes it all the more 'real', in a sense.