Book Sharing Monday

Whew! We moved house, we got the flu, we got better, we got a puppy (see below) and then a tummy bug. And he's gorgeous (see below). His name is Zac, he's a Border Collie and we are all very much in love with him.

Especially Isla, who showers him with kisses and wraps him in blankets and pushes him around in her dolls' pram. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind.

Hopefully I can start to get back on track now, so here is this weeks Book Sharing Monday. "Giraffes can't Dance" by Giles Andreae.

Poor Gerald. He's really good at munching shoots off trees, but not so flash at the dancing...

At the annual Jungle Dance, he tries his best but the other animals laugh at him...

Luckily he meets a friendly cricket who plays him a lovely song on his violin, and advises him to look inside himself and listen to the music all around him in the leaves and the trees.

And much to the other animals surprise, Gerald learns to dance better than he could have dreamed! And then he gives his friends some very good advice-see below xx

Book Sharing Monday

Well I can't say I've done too well with Book Sharing Monday so far. And it hasn't been due to lack of good intentions or lack of wonderful books to share.... It's been due to lack of light, or more to the point lackoffreetimewhenthelightishalfdecent. But today I made sure I squeezed in a few moments while dinner was bubbling to photograph this little beauty.

"Very Interesting" by Yokococo. It's so fabulous in it's simplicity. I absolutely adore this book.

I've read it to groups of children, and to sit on the mat time chair and see a little sea of faces beaming up at you, transfixed with a story of such few words... That really is something.

I hope you get to share it with your little ones sometime as well.

Back to packing now for me. Those boxes aren't going to fill themselves up...

Book Sharing Monday

It was only 20cents at the op shop, and I was attracted to the simple pictures, thinking they could be good for softie design inspiration. But when I got this wee book home, I realised it's actually a real treasure. It's called "A Story to Tell", by Dick Bruna.

It's a wordless book, giving children the opportunity to make up their own narrative as it goes along...

I love the picture of the little doll with the sad face...

My children love this page, they adore seeing characters in books doing familiar, recognisable activities...

And when I googled the author, i discovered there is a really cool website as well.

Now, please excuse me, my fingers are itching to sketch out a softie with a pointy hat like that!

Book Sharing Monday

I am at a loss as to why it's taken me this long to discover Book Sharing Monday, but now that I have, I'm very excited to be involved! My pick for this week is Stick Man, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by the amazing Axel Sheffler. This is the latest offering from the wonderful wonderful people who bought us The Gruffalo, and, like The Gruffalo and every other book from these two, it's a clever story, beautifully illustrated and very fun to read!

"Stick Man lives in the family tree, with his stick lady love and their stick children three. One day he wakes early and goes for a jog. Stick Man, oh Stick Man, beware of the dog..."
Poor Stick Man, an innocent jog turns into a huge adventure as he is picked up by a passing dog and used in a game of Fetch. He is taken further and further away from home as he is picked up by a swan and used in her nest, then floats down the river...

Into the sea, where he is picked up by a family and used as the mast for their sandcastle, and several other things including a boomereang, a hook for a bag, and an arm for a snowman until eventually he ends up in the grate of a fireplace. Exhausted, he falls asleep and dreams of his stick lady love. Will someone wake him before it's too late?

Luckily, our favourite chimney dwelling friend, Santa himself, gets stuck, and Stick Man pulls him out, then gets to ride on the sleigh and help deliver presents. Stick Mans' Christmas wish is to be back in the Family Tree with his wife and kids, and Santa is happy to grant it.

Sorry about the awful pictures (Winter is good for many things-light is not one of them!) but you get the gist. Pretty cool huh?