The Very Hungry Bear by Nick Bland

The Very Hungry Bear by Nick Bland definitely qualifies for Day 3 of the Book-a-Day challenge: A book you love to read aloud.

This is a terrific new instalment in Bland's books about Bear. He's been cranky, itchy and now he's hungry! I will look at the other titles later, but I think The Very Hungry Bear is my favourite so far.

Bear is not impressed when he reels in a polar bear while fishing for his breakfast - especially when the polar bear is eating all his fish! The polar bear's iceberg is shrinking and he cleverly persuades (bribes!) Bear to help find the polar bear a new home.

The reason I love to read this book aloud is the wonderful rhyming throughout it. There is a real rhythm to Bland's storytelling, and it really does make this book a pleasure to read aloud - Maximilian is always totally transfixed by it.

"Now a fish to a bear 

is like a chocolate eclair, 

it's INCREDIBLY hard to resist

So the thought of a pile

that would last for a while

was an offer too good to be missed!"

Lines like these simply roll off the tongue. The illustrations throughout the book are also extremely engaging: bright and colourful with expressively drawn characters. Bland uses decorative font and bold text to great advantage, and I found this really helpful with reading the text out loud - the bold text helps the reader to emphasise the syllables well for great effect when reading out loud (I'm not sure if Bland intended this, but is very clever and effective!) I think this would be really helpful for parents not used to reading books out loud.

Another wonderful book by an Australian picture book author - Nick Bland will definitely feature in other posts as we have many of his other titles too. He is a favourite in our house and definitely a name to remember.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

This wonderful classic story is probably my all time favourite picture book. 

This is the tale of mischievous little boy Max and his trip to where the wild things are. After getting into all kinds of mischief, Max is sent to bed without his supper, and then things really take off! The illustrations, including the iconic cover image, are just fabulous; the story is told in simple language that resonates so well with children; it has adventure, danger, wonder, and a happy ending; and I've always found Max to be a character that kids really relate to.

Everything about the illustrations in this book amaze me - the incredible detail, the simple and effective use of colour, and the amazing imagination in the illustrations of the wild things - I just love Love LOVE them! Maurice Sendak really was a genius.

Maximilian and I have only recently started enjoying this book together - mostly because, unable to find my original copy, I have only recently repurchased a new edition for us to read. It's good timing though, as the story is just the right length for his 18-month attention span. He loves the wild rumpus pages and also loves to say "No" to the wild things, point out the moon throughout the story, and say "hot" at the very end when Max returns home to find his supper waiting for him. It is wonderful to see the development of Maximilian's language skills through sharing stories and this book has been a great example.

I've always found the wild rumpus pages are a great opportunity for children to interact with the story - particularly in a group setting such as library storytime, the kids love getting up and romping about like wild things!

I am sure this will be a book we will continue to enjoy for years to come. At the moment it is definitely a favourite and I often have to read it several times in a row!!

Kisses for Daddy by Frances Watts and David Legge

Baby Bear doesn't want to go to bed and he doesn't want to give Daddy a good night kiss. The way that Daddy Bear takes this in stride and gets Baby Bear to complete his bedtime routine is an inspiration for all parents and makes for a wonderful story :-) The book has lots of fun animals in it and great use of repetition to build language skills in little ones.

Kisses for Daddy is one of those books that is an absolute pleasure to share with your child. It is a real romp of a story, with lots of opportunities to share hugs, tickles, kisses and laughs with your child. The rhythm of the story is also excellent, so it is a nice story to read aloud. Maximilian just loves it and there are pages in this book that always get a laugh, no matter how tired or overwrought he is. We've been enjoying it now for at least six months, so it's definitely good for babies 12 months and up.

The illustrations are just amazing, and the more time you spend reading this book and looking at the fabulous illustrations, the more you are rewarded. As the story follows the different animal kisses that Daddy and Baby Bear enjoy, each of the animals can be found in the corresponding illustrations - so as your child gets older, you can play find the animal games and all sorts of other fun things.

I am sure this is going to remain a favourite story in our house for years to come! Definitely a five star picture book - I will definitely be looking for more books by Frances Watts and David Legge (and while writing this I've just found out they've got another one - hooray!)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Day 1 of the Book-a-Day in May challenge called for "A Classic" and is there a book more classic than this one?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has a special significance for our family. While pregnant with Maximilian, I was always hungry and so "the very hungry caterpillar" became his in utero name. When looking for a first book to buy before he was born, there really was no choice - it had to be this one!

We chose the big BIG board book version, because we knew we wanted to read it with him at a very early age and board books are so hardy. As it turns out, it was an excellent decision - it is a nice large size so the illustrations are very engaging and the holes where the caterpillar eats through the food are just the right size for little fingers!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a simple and engaging story of a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly. The language is clear and repetitive, excellent for early learning, and the illustrations are simple, colourful and interesting. We started to enjoy this book together when Maximilian was around six months old. As he has grown older and his concentration has improved, it has remained a firm favourite. Now, at almost eighteen months, he can point to the little egg on the leaf, the moon, the sun and the many kinds of food, so it is still a really interactive reading experience.

Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party

The other day I was totally blown away when I asked Maximilian to get me the very hungry caterpillar book from his bookshelf and he toddled over and chose the correct book from the dozens there and brought it back to me to read. (I'm often surprised at the moment by just how much he understands - it really is fascinating to watch the evolution of language and comprehension unfold!)

First published in 1969, I am sure this book needs no further introduction as it has remained in print and popular ever since. Quite the franchise now, there is a huge array of Hungry Caterpillar merchandise available and it is a popular theme for children's birthday parties too - we went to a first birthday party with this theme and it was very cleverly executed and lots of fun. There are also heaps of free online resources to use based around this book - great for parents, teachers and librarians looking for book themed activities.



This really is a book that every child will enjoy for many years. Like I said, a classic!

May Book-a-Day Challenge

I came across this fun "Book-a-Day" Challenge via Facebook, and decided to take part with Maximilian. Since he is really into reading at the moment, I figured this would be a great way to introducing new books!

Here is the full Challenge list:

Although the challenge is for any children's books, I decided to limit my selections to picture books - simply because they are the most age appropriate for Maximilian at the moment. It would be interesting to do the challenge again with junior fiction some time down the track.

I've been taking part every day and posting the results on Facebook. I missed a few days, mostly because Maximilian was just too tired to participate by the end of the day and there were a couple of days where I was just plain stuck for a selection. Here is our full list of selections:

1. A classic: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
2. A gook that makes your child(ren)laugh: Kisses for Daddy by Frances Watts and David Legge
3. A book you love to read aloud: The Very Hungry Bear by Nick Bland
4. A favourite cover: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
5. A green message: Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
6. A favourite author: Dr Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham)
7. Onomatopeia: Along Came a Bedtime by Ian Whybrow
8. A book about animals: Whose Baby Am I? by John Butler
9. A character's name of significance: -
10. A fairytale: -
11. A wordless book: Window by Jeannie Baker
12. A book from your own childhood: Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allen Ahlberg
13. A sweet illustration: Ben and Duck by Sara Acton
14. Set in a city: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
15. A book that makes you cry: Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (I cheated, this is not a picture book!)
16. A favourite character: Mr McGee by Pamela Allen
17. Set in another country: Five Little Fingers and Five Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxbury
18. Unusual or unique: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
19. Cool typography: A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton
20. Tonight's bedtime story: Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
21. Borrowed from the library: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
22. An Australian book: Christmas Wombat by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
23. An international author: Hug by Jez Alborough
24. Controversial: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
25. Your child's choice: 101 First Words Things that Go by Hinkler Books
26. Interesting title: -
27. Cloth book: Peek a boo Forest by Lamaze
28. Board book: Cookie See, Cookie Do (Sesame Beginnings) by Anna Jane Hays
29. Given as a gift: Some Dads by Nick Bland
30. Beautiful endpapers: Warambi by Aleesah Darlinson and Andrew Plant
31. Award winner: -


I will post more details about individual selections as I get the chance!

I really enjoyed using this challenge as a way to find new books and some of the ones we tried as part of the challenge have become firm favourites for Maximilian. If you are having difficulty finding time to read to your child, a challenge like this can help to make reading a part of every day - once the habit is formed, it's really easy to keep it up!