Considering she is only 6 months
old and cannot read, S owns a lot of books. Perhaps even too many books, some
(illiterate idiots) might say. We also borrow library books on a regular basis.
At the moment she has three cloth
books and three board books on her play mats, and we have three library books
as well, having recently returned a book we loved so much we kept it for two
months!
My favourite book at the moment
is called Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus. It’s fairly simple, as you can
imagine: the bus driver tells you, “I have to go over there, please can you
keep an eye on my bus and don’t let the pigeon drive it…” and then the pigeon
spends the whole book trying to persuade you to let him drive the bus. As with
all the best children’s books, it’s a completely ridiculous premise that works
precisely because it’s so ridiculous. The pigeon tries bargaining, bribing,
pleading and trickery to get you to let him drive the bus. At the moment, S is
too young to do much other than listen to the words and look at the pictures of
the pigeon looking sad, but I can imagine in a year or so it will be one of
those books she will get endless enjoyment from, shouting at the pigeon that it
can’t drive the bus!
The book we borrowed from the
library for a good two-month chunk is possibly the most simple, straightforward
book I’ve ever come across: Orange Pear Apple Bear. I used to read it to my
ex’s four year old, and never understood why she loved it so much. S also seems
completely mesmerised. There are five words in the entire book, repeated in
different order. I know children love repetition, but I didn’t realise
something so simple could be so enjoyable. An orange, a pear, an apple, a bear.
An orange pear. A bear that looks like an apple. And so it goes on, and S sits
and watches the pictures go by.
Another library book we kept a
little too long was Peace At Last. I chose it mainly for sentimental reasons: I
can remember reading this book when I was at school. S seemed to enjoy it
though, I think because of the repetition. Mr Bear can’t sleep, and goes from
room to room in his search for peace, always ending up saying “Oh no! I can’t
stand THIS!” There are lots of opportunities for making silly sounds: Mrs
Bear’s snoring, Baby Bear’s aeroplanes, the fridge, the cats outside, the
cuckoo clock, and the illustrations are traditional and quite beautiful.
I bought a copy of Yak Yuk on a
whim in Waterstones the other day, and immediately fell in love with it. It’s a
board book, so I know I can give it to S to play with and look at the pictures
without having to worry about parts of it getting torn out (library books are a
worry on that front!), and there are very few words – typically two to a page.
The story is basically about a yak and his friend, who is a duck and likes to
jump in muddy puddles. The pictures are bright and colourful and because the
words are so simple you can make the story as complex or straightforward as you
like. And then S can sit and use it to practise turning pages and look at the
pictures for herself.
When I bought Yak Yuk, I also
bought a board book of Each Peach Pear Plum. This was another one I used to
read as a child: the original Where’s Wally book. You start off looking for Tom
Thumb, and then on the next page a short rhyme tells you who you’re looking for
next. At the moment S is not really old enough to do that side of it, but she
enjoys looking at the pictures and listening to the rhymes. I’ve always loved
the Ahlberg books; the stories are enjoyable and the illustrations adorable and
instantly recognisable. It’s hard to believe Each Peach Pear Plum is now 34
years old!
One of my favourite books of all
time is a children’s book I owned long before I was even pregnant. I have loved
Where The Wild Things Are since I was very young, and always enjoy reading the
book. Spike Jonze recently made the book into a movie which, while definitely
staying true to the look of Maurice Sendak’s original illustrations, was
nowhere near as amazing as the book! It’s about a little boy who is naughty and
sent to his room, from where he sails off to a far away land where the wild
things are. At the moment I don’t think S is really old enough to understand
it, and the pictures are a little dark for her right now, but I can’t wait
until she’s old enough to read along with me.
Last, but most definitely not
least, is another book that will have to wait until S is a little older. I
borrowed Don’t Put Your Finger In The Jelly, Nelly from the library when I was
still with S’s father, and would read it to his two youngest children. They
loved it and quickly learned the words by heart, shouting them out as I turned
the page. In the end I bought them their own copy for Christmas, and would
often overhear them reading it to each other – a sure sign of a hit. In my
experience any book which allows the reader to interact, with flaps to lift or
holes to poke, is a winner with young children, and this book comes out on top
of that pile. The first part has a big picture of a jelly and tells you not to
put your finger in it. There is of course a hole for you to poke your finger
through, and when you turn the page your finger is waggling next to the
jellyphant, who is upset. The book goes on like this: don’t put your finger in
the cheese Louise, pasta Jocasta etc, until the last one – which I won’t tell
you, because I don’t want to spoil the ending for you.
Thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed reading this post please share it with your friends using the buttons below.
Thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed reading this post please share it with your friends using the buttons below.
This made me remember a book I had as a kid about a girl who pulled a hot water bottle around in a pull-along cart with her, I can't remember why but I loved it! Have you come across the "That's not my..." books yet? They have different textures and things to touch and there are loads of them! My boyfriend's nephews, who are nearly 3, love books too but I still feel too awkward doing any silly voices with them!
ReplyDeleteWe love Each Peach Pear Plum, and I remember it from my childhood too. Peace at last was our library book that went down well too (my brother used to love it)
ReplyDelete