Goodnight Book

zulily UK: 12 Top Picture Books of 2012

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:48:08 +0000

zulily UK: 12 Top Picture Books of 2012:

Our lovely guest blogger, Laura, has whittled her favourite picture books this year down to a list of 12. She’d love to know what your favourites are, so have a read and comment away.

2012 has been a great year for books. From adult books such as The Casual Vacancy and Fifty…

Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleep – David Melling When this new...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:19:46 +0000

Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleep – David Melling

When this new book popped into my hands I knew it was going to be great. Douglas is a great character that is loved by my whole family.

Douglas has been invited to a sleepover with his rabbit friend. But Douglas has never been to a sleepover and with everything else that happens to him there are always hurdles and problems to squeeze into and overcome.

We’ve not actually read this book at home yet, it’s been put in a pile for Max’s birthday but I needed to share it with you all as I know it’s one that everyone will love as much as us.

zulily UK: Modern Children's Picture Books

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:31:27 +0000

zulily UK: Modern Children's Picture Books:

maxandmummy:

zulilyuk:

At zulily, we love bedtime and we love bedtime stories. One of our guest bloggers, the lovely Laura has already given us her top picks for classic children’s picture books and now she has been kind enough to give us her top five modern picture books too!

With so many…

I’ve blogged again for Zulily recently. To all the UK followers, there are some great gruffalo gifts going up tomorrow!

Esther sent me a message asking if she could write a few...

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:38:30 +0000

Esther sent me a message asking if she could write a few reviews! Here’s the first of them. I’ve always seen this book and never picked it up but will definitely get it next time I’m at work! Thanks Esther!

Rosie’s Walk - Pat Hutchins

This book is a cute little story full of prepositions (across, around, over etc.). Rosie is a ‘busy, fat, comfortable hen’ who goes for a walk, oblivious to the fox following her. Luckily for Rosie, the fox seems to get thwarted in every second page, and she makes it home in time for dinner. I have fond memories of this book (and must have spent a lot of time reading it - note the circled objects on the front cover - naughty kid Esther), and is great for children learning descriptive words. My copy is a well loved paperback, but the Book Depository also has hard cover copies for those little grabby hands.

Esther xx

(http://thislittlefeeling.tumblr.com)

This Is Not My Hat – Jon Klassen So many of you know and love I...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:33:55 +0000

This Is Not My Hat – Jon Klassen

So many of you know and love I Want My Hat Back? Well this is the much awaited sequel/spin off. A fish has taken a hat from a bigger fish, it isn’t his hat but he doesn’t care.

In the same style of I Want My Hat Back this book is great. It’s simple story but hilarious sarcastic touches means that parents and kids love it alike.

Max loves pointing the hat out and pointing out all the fishes but I don’t think that you need much more convincing with this book.

It’s only in hardback at the moment but would be a great gift just in time for Christmas!

I asked Marisa if she wanted to share a book with our readers as...

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:55:11 +0000

I asked Marisa if she wanted to share a book with our readers as I love the way her and Ena are such avid readers and share their stories on their blog. This book looks fantastic!

Gyo Fujikawa’s A to Z Picture Book - Gyo Fujikawa

When my husband and I were expecting our daughter, we couldn’t help but buy this book to add to her growing library. She has a few alphabet books, but this is by far our favourite.

The black and white pages have wonderful unexpected illustrations for each letter, like “Edelweiss” for E and “rolling pin” for R. The pages with colour illustrations are an absolute delight and it was so hard to choose only one or two to share with you today. I think “Y is for Yuletide” might be my favourite, because the illustration captures the feeling of Christmas for me so perfectly.

The pages are paper, so they aren’t ideal for our one-year-old who loves to carry books around with her. But we occasionally pull this out and look at it carefully together, and she loves it. I know that when she is older this book will be a lot of fun for her to look at and learn her alphabet.

This book retails for $11.95 CAD.

- Marisa

The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas – Tom Fletcher and Dougie...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:17:00 +0000

The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas – Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

When you hear that one of your favourite bands is releasing a children’s book you never know how to react. There are so many cases of celebrities releasing books that really aren’t that good. This one however is an exception.

The book focuses on a boy called Danny (see what they did there!) who gets a dinosaur for Christmas. A very hungry dinosaur that won’t stop until he’s eaten everything in site. Including everything for Christmas!

As you are aware though, what goes in, must come out and the rest of the book, well you need to read it to believe it. A very graphic but very funny book.

This book is for the kids and adults alike with humour that will get the whole family laughing. It’s filled with poop, dinosaurs and Christmas. What’s not to love! The book is really charming and I must say that I hope the boys decide to release another book. Max loves anything disgusting at the moment so talking about poop is right up his street.

This book is available most places for around £6.99

Also keep your eyes peeled (this may be part of a small xmas giveaway!)

This Moose Belongs To Me – Oliver Jeffers Okay, so as you all...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:32:38 +0000

This Moose Belongs To Me – Oliver Jeffers

Okay, so as you all know about my love (wee obsession) with Oliver Jeffers. His work is just so magical. So when this book popped into my work I had to snap it up with such haste that I didn’t even look to see what it was about!

In a similar style to Lost and Found, this book tells you of Wilfred who finds a moose and decides to call it Marcel. Marcel is a very obedient Moose, following the rules of being a good pet to Wilfred. But what happens when someone else decides that they own Marcel and he isn’t really Marcel at all but someone entirely different.

This book is different in style to some of Jeffers other work; whereas the rest of the books are pure illustration, this is more illustrations layered over old prints and paintings. It gives the book a nice quirk to the normal illustrations of other picture books. I love the story. It captures the imagination just like the rest of Jeffers work does. There might not be much meaning behind his stories and there might not be a moral to it but the way it makes you smile as you are reading it proves that people of all ages will love it.

Max is enjoying this book. We received a limited edition print with the book so he gets to see that in his bedroom all the time! He has also learnt about the word moose, which is really funny to hear him say!

The book is only in hardback at the moment, but if you like any of his other works then this is a great addition to the collection.

I LOVE TO DANCE - Anna Walker This is another book that’s...

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:47:01 +0000

I LOVE TO DANCE - Anna Walker

This is another book that’s great for getting your little ones involved!

Ollie really likes dancing and throughout the book he does all his favourite types of dancing. The illustrations are really cute and it’s nice and simple. Dylan especially likes dancing like a jelly and shouts “wobble wobble” when we get to that part!

The paperback retails for £5.99 but once again this was a bargain bin find for £1.99.

Ginny xo

I'm a lousy blogger.

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:38:44 +0000

I'm a lousy blogger.:

I’ve been away from this site for far too long. I’ve got a good excuse though! I’ve been hired as a guest blogger for Zulily UK to write about books.

I’m in the process of adding at least 50 books to the queue today so keep your eyes peeled as there will be a new xmas themed giveaway and loads of great new books reviewed! I promise I won’t leave you for this amount of time again.

zulilyuk:

At zulily, we think bedtime is one of the most important times of the day, so much so it’s even been suggested we have a pyjama day at work. For little ones it’s a time for cuddles, being tucked safely in and a bedtime story. We asked the lovely Laura for her top picks on classic…

The Hair Scare - Jeffrey Fisher I go this book at Camp Bestival...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 14:36:00 +0100

The Hair Scare - Jeffrey Fisher

I go this book at Camp Bestival on a small stall that was filled with interesting books that I had never seen before, so of course I had to pick it up!

Radbert is a boy who loves to cut hair, but not in a normal, smart haircut type of way, but in a way that is so unique that the recipient of the hair cut was amazed. One day the king knocks at the door asking for a haircut… but if he fails at it, there would be trouble throughout the land! What will happen to the kings hair? Will he like it or will Radbert be in big trouble!

This book is so fun, the illustrations are so quirky and different, it’s what made me pick up the book in the first place. The book is such a lovely simple story, it’s one of hope and dreams for a child that just want’s to cut hair and be different. Something that all of us can appreciate and agree with.

We’ve only read this a couple of times to Max, it’s not one that he reaches for in his book cart (he’s going for his trusty favourites at the moment!) but that’s not to say it won’t become a firm favourite and a book I already have a soft spot for. I wouldn’t suggest the book is for everyones taste. it’s one that takes a bit of reading to fully appreciate but if you enjoy the likes of Chris Haughton then I’m sure you will love it.

I paid about £4 for this book, it’s published by bloomsbury and the only place I can find it is here

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALLY/WALDO! Our favourite striped lost guy is 25...

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:06:24 +0100

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALLY/WALDO!

Our favourite striped lost guy is 25 today.

A childhood classic that every young boy and girl loves (and the parents too!) So why not celebrate and find him in the photo above.

FOLLOW THAT STRING - Deborah Brown & Kathy Bacovitch Okay...

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:08:00 +0100

FOLLOW THAT STRING - Deborah Brown & Kathy Bacovitch

Okay guys. I really think this is one of my favourite picture books ever, and it’s certainly Dylan’s favourite at the moment!

Ning has a parcel delivered which is full of string and a note instructing him to follow it. He and his toy rabbit Keppy do so and it leads to so much fun!

I’m going to have to give away the story in order to express how brilliant this book is. When you get to the end of the string, there’s an actual piece of string with a paper key attached. The key ‘unlocks’ a chest, and inside the chest (pocket) is a tiny book full of Ning & Keppy’s favourite things. It’s such a creative way to end the story and means the fun continues once the book is over.

Following the string through the book is great fun and Dylan loves tracing it with his finger. He’s been obsessed with this book for weeks now and even once we’ve read it and he’s ready to sleep he asks to have his ‘Keppy book’ in bed with him.

I would highly recommend this book to all of you - it’s a brilliant way of getting your kids really involved with reading.

It retails for £6.99 but I picked it up in my local bargain bin for £1.99!

Ginny xo

Stuck – Oliver Jeffers Floyd got his kite stuck in the tree, so...

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 15:09:22 +0100

Stuck – Oliver Jeffers

Floyd got his kite stuck in the tree, so he threw a shoe up to try and get it out, but that got stuck too. What happens is a rolling story about objects getting stuck and Floyd just wishing he could find a way to get his kite back.

Again I have chosen an Oliver Jeffers book, Just by reading these reviews you guys must have some idea how amazing and fascinating I find his work. He takes a small idea and creates a magical moment for a child to read.

In this book he picks the most far-fetched objects to help knock the kite out of the tree, but of course nothing works and it ends up in a giant muddle of objects, animals and people stuck in a tree with still no way of him getting his kite back. The small child Floyd is so loveable (and incredibly strong) that your children will find it hilarious how he manages to get everything up in the tree.

Max hasn’t taken that much of an interest in the book, preferring to stick to some of Jeffers other work that we have. Most of this is due to the story being a bit to old for him, as he doesn’t know most of the things that get stuck in the tree.

This has just been released in paperback at £6.99 but I have it in hardback format.

So, today is Roald Dahl Day. It happens every year on the 13th...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:28:32 +0100

So, today is Roald Dahl Day. It happens every year on the 13th September on this magnificent storytellers birthday. As his books are aimed at a slightly older audience from what we show you books for, I decided the best way was to pick a book that has won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. The aim of this award is to highlight books from different age categories that celebrate humour throughout their stories.

Peter Bently won the 2011 Roald Dahl’s Funny Prize for his book Cat’s Ahoy. This book is another by his which I think is just as funny!

The Yoga Ogre – Simon Rickerty & Peter Bently

Ogden the Ogre is a bit upset, his trousers are a bit too tight. Overweight ogres need to do some sport to help get fit, and maybe eat something that is a bit better for them.

This story follows the lovable and round Ogden trying out all different sports to see what one suits him the best to keep him active so he can eat his twelve (yes twelve) meals a day! Nothing seems to be suitable for him as he keeps getting in the way or not being able to do sports, until someone suggests Yoga. Will this be the magical sport to help those trousers fit?

This book is a humerous look at healthy eating and exercise for children, who wants to be lectured about what is good for them when they can read something funny! It shows the children lots of different sports that they may not have known about previously and also is such a humorous book from watching all of Ogden’s mishaps that you can’t help but fall in love with him a bit (who doesn’t love an ogre! Look at Shrek haha)

Max really enjoys this book, mostly because the ogre looks a bit like a friendlier Shrek and he likes shouting ‘GOALLLLL’ when he sees a ball! I think when he’s a bit older this will appeal to him more when we are trying to lure him into eating his healthy food and playing lots of sport. But this has also given us as parents ideas on different things we can maybe try out with him when he is able to!

The book is £5.99 in paperback.

It may appear that we have gone on an impromptu hiatus when in...

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 15:31:59 +0100

It may appear that we have gone on an impromptu hiatus when in fact there is a lot of talk and work going on behind the scenes! As of Monday we will have daily reviews and be looking to review more books than ever in the run up to Christmas!

In the meanwhile I purchased this book cart from the great little trading company to store some of Max’s favourites. Are some of yours there too?

DINOSAUR ROAR! - Paul and Henrietta Stickland I absolutely love...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:35:43 +0100

DINOSAUR ROAR! - Paul and Henrietta Stickland

I absolutely love this book, and so does Dylan. He gets really into it and it’s one of the few that he will sit and read the whole thing by himself. It’s pretty battered now and has just gone down to his Granny’s flat so he has something to read when he’s there.

Dinosaur Roar is a perfect introduction to opposites, with each page featuring two very different dinosaurs. He loves describing each dinosaur to me, and always tells me over and over again that the dinosaur above is “very dirty Mummy”.

It’s a board book and it retails at £8.99.

Ginny xo

malorieandelsa: Malorie hasn’t ever had a specified reading...

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 08:30:08 +0100

malorieandelsa:

Malorie hasn’t ever had a specified reading area. I always encouraged her to read all over the house (as I do) and not feel restricted to a certain place. For me, I feel safe when I have a book within arm’s reach, and I’d love Mally to feel the same.
That being said, the stuff-all-over-the-house situation has gotten rather out of control since Elsa arrived and I decided it was high time I created a special place just for Malorie to relax.

It took me two days to complete the mural (with a week between to re-stock my paint), the task made more difficult by Malorie’s insistence to help. In the end I decided my best bet was to let her help me with some of the line work and allow her to scribble on the cover of Lola’s book.

The little shelf is just a wooden spice rack - one that had been sitting atop our oven for two years - nailed to the wall, and her little sofa was a Christmas gift from her Nanna.

I’ve been switching the books in the rack over every few days, but as I’m the kind of person who likes to see my books all the time I’ve assumed Mally to be the same, so she still has her other shelf full to the brim.

I’m really proud of this space, and whilst it isn’t perfect by any means it’s surely a favourite spot for Mally to hang out and flick through a book or two (and sometimes eat her morning tea!).

ena ballerina: we're reading

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:46:20 +0100

ena ballerina: we're reading:

enaballerina:

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.

I’ve been wanting to get Ena this book for a while but had only ever seen it in paperback format. I knew she would rip the pages in an instant, so I waited to purchase it. I figured we would just get it for her when she was a little older. But I found it in…

The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson ‘A mouse took a stroll...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:34:45 +0100

The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson

‘A mouse took a stroll through the deep, dark woods. A fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good’

I’m pretty sure most of us parents can recite this book without even having to turn the page. But as I have just returned from Camp Bestival I feel that this needed to be shown on here.

But for those parents that don’t know about this famous book, here’s the story:
A mouse wants to go into the woods but the bigger, scarier animals want to eat it. So the mouse decides they are meeting a Gruffalo right there, in that space. What little mouse doesn’t realise is that the Gruffalo isn’t as made up as it thinks!

We love to read this book. We even purchased the hand puppet to allow us to tell the tale in a more interactive sense. The rhyming helps the children pitch in with cries of ‘Gruffalo!’ and ‘Owl Ice Cream!’

This is a timeless classic, one that parents and children adore. Our family are massive Gruffalo fans (not so much her other books though) and Max will sit there and watch the DVD of the short that the BBC created a few xmas’s ago and at Camp Bestival we managed to catch the Gruffalo Live twice and I’ll just urge you to go and see it! It captures everything you would think of into a short play (hour long) with songs and dance and amazing costumes.

You can get this book in many formats. The paperback is anywhere from £4-8 and you can get it in a board book, dvd, and of course the plush versions. Every child needs this book on their shelf!