
Five Faves from Afar


by - December 9th, 2013


Summer has nudged spring well and truly out of the garden but there’s still time to sit back, cool off and relax with this month’s Fave Five. Five sweet, syrupy offerings to help you remember the mellifluous moments of last season before we dive head first into the next silly one…

Wake up Do Lydia LouWake Up Do, Lydia Lou!Julia Donaldson and Karen George. 2013 Macmillan Children’s Books UK. From the creators of Freddie and the Fairy, comes this utterly divine, not so scary story about a ghost who is bent on trying to give Lydia Lou a fright. He tries everything in his ethereal powers, enlisting in the vocal stylings of mooing cows and booing babies, but nothing can stir Lydia Lou from slumber. What does happen when she finally wakes to a roomful of noise makers? Children as young as three will hang on every word of this amusing collection of alliterative and repeating verse. It’s a fun and innovative way of introducing sound and word associations with just a smidge of spook thrown in. Too good to wait for next Halloween to share.

Clara Button and the Wedding Day SurpriseClara Button and the Wedding Day SurpriseAmy De La Haye and Emily Sutton. V & A Publishing 2013 (in corporation with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum). When in London, a visit to the V & A museum is imperative. If an overseas sojourn to Europe with your little ones seems a long way off, whet their appetites and infuse their senses with culture with this gorgeous picture book, the very first published by the museum. Amy De La Hayes’ Clara Button is an innovative, creative type who is all in a dither over a friend’s upcoming wedding. She loses herself in a dream of what to wear and how to personalise her outfit. When things go horribly wrong, Clara’s lateral thinking turns disaster into something fantastic which ironically suits the wedding theme to a tee. Wedding Day Surprise is oozing with more intricate detail and fascination than the Portobello Road haberdashery itself. Captivating for 4 – 7 year olds.

Amelia and Nanette Sparkly Shoes“Amelia and Nanette: Sparkly Shoes and Picnic Parties Sophie Tilley. 2013 Bloomsbury Publishing UK. Still very much in the slightly convoluted manner of English orientated picture books, is this spring time release by Sophie Tilley. In spite of an over-flowery narrative, the look and feel of this book is sumptuous and sublime. I love the Bloomsbury penchant for clothbound hard covers. It’s a winsome look at two best friends who revel in each other’s shared dreams, loves and delights. Even when Amelia’s ‘large and really rather naughty dog’, Pilou, attempts to sabotage the girls’ perfect picnic day, their friendship endures, strengthened by hugs and supportive mothers. Younger school aged girls in particular will find this picture book as delicious as drinking a strawberry smoothie.

Dragon Loves PenguinDragon Loves PenguinDebi Gliori 2013 Bloomsbury Publishing UK. Another English author illustrator who should need no introduction is Debi Gliori. Her latest picture book is a gorgeous, read again and again tale of ‘need’ finding the perfect fit with ‘want’ and develops into an enchantment about the power of love, and being brave and unique. Two unlikely characters, a dragon and a penguin, are magically brought together with Gliori’s loose charcoal line and watercolour illustrations, a fusion which melts the iciest floes. Sensitive storyline and sublime art for 0 – 5 year olds, although my 8 year old can’t get enough of this one.

Penguin in LovePenguin in LoveSalina Yoon. 2013 Bloomsbury Publishing Australia, 1st published in the US 2013. Sticking with the Antarctic theme and rival for top pick over Dragon Loves Penguin, is Penguin in Love. Author illustrator, Salina Yoon, weaves a tender-hearted tale of looking for love and friendship and finally finding it under a mountain of woollen beak cosies. “Love is a big adventure” especially if you are small and alone but worth the risk of seeking out as Penguin discovers. Told with big bold beautiful illustrations, this picture book is certain to warm the very cockles of your heart not to mention those of 3 – 5 year olds.

Stay tuned for more exciting stocking filling ideas in my next post.

 

 


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Dimity Powell (73 Posts)

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One Response to “Five Faves from Afar”

  1. Kathy Says:

    Thanks for the list of ideas! I’m keeping a list of books I want to share with my grandson! I started collecting books for him before he was born!

 
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