15.03.07
A Cultivated Wolf
(Le Loup Conteur - Mijade)
author: Becky Bloom
illustrator: Pascal Biet
As a hungry wolf descends on a farm, he finds a duck, a cow and a pig immersed in their reading and not one bit impressed by his attempt at looking fierce. Intrigued, Wolf first goes to school to learn how to read and then goes from library to bookshop on his search for the perfect book which will impress the others and let him into the farm.
This is a superb book, and would have to be on my Top 10 picture books. Not only does it carry a great message about the power of learning how to read and the magic of stories but it also says a lot about friendship and respecting others. The text is witty and funny, and the illustrations enchanting. A real, real gem.
26.02.07
An ideal library for little mice?
Ok, so you might think who am I to tell you what you should have on your child's bookshelf? Well I am not, not really anyway! I am no expert - all I have is a passion for children's books, a huge collection of books and review periodicals on the subject, and let's be honest, far too much free time on my hands to be writing this blog (what I am not telling you is that my children have been eating spaghetti hoops for 3 weeks ... you don't believe me, do you?). So basically I will include a few personal favourites, but mainly books that are unanimously acclaimed. Also, I am always open for suggestions so please post a comment if you have one, or several!