Birthday Book Round Up

After yesterday's birthday discovery box I thought a round up of birthday themed books might be a nice second post on the birthday theme.

These are just a few I used in class when our class teddy turned five!

Happy Birthday Winnie!

Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul

Picture Book Challenge: March and April

Library haul! It's nice to relearn the farm animal signs and we are also learning the sounds. I love Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes and we had to get another lift the flap book after the popularity of Animal Hide and Seek so Spot seemed like a good place as any to start.

World Book Day 2014

It shouldn't come as a surprise that I am a big book fan. We are loving our romp through 300 picture books this year and I am on my third book of the year! Big achievement considering I fall asleep within one page of reading most nights and my long used kindle is now busted. 

World Book Day is a day on which school aged children up and down the country get a £1 book token.

We are off on a bloggers meeting to begin organising the London Bloggers Meet today but L is dressing up! We are also going to be singing lots of nursery rhymes.

L's current favourite is Five in the Bed and you can find a great video of this rhyme here. It's great to watch together as you learn the rhyme and sing along. The Big Little Book Corner with Ladybird books is a great source of information, resources for home and school as well as lovely videos of both nursery rhymes and fairy stories.

You can find a link to all our book posts on the page Literary Morkus

Book Review: My Animals and Other Family

Before Christmas I received a phone call from our old caretaker to say a parcel had arrived for me. This was three months since moving out so had no idea what to expect. 

When I opened it I was pleased and surprised to see a copy of Clare Baldings autobiography My Animals and Other Family. I am not usually a biography, or non-fiction, fan but I love a free book. 

 

At the beginning of February the unthinkable happened. My book broke :-( my kindle of four years and many books screen was broken. I had just started A Casual Vacancy for the third time and was starting to get into it when this happened. That evening I reached for the nearest book on my bedside table and reached this. 

Picture Book Challenge: January and February

Here is a round up of the books we have read so far in our 300 Picture Book Challenge. I have recorded the books in various ways.

 

My favourites from this list include My First Taxi. L's Granddad is a taxi driver and this book was brought for L by a family friend when she was a newborn. 

Christmas Book Round Up!

We have started the Christmas Countdown in the Morkus household. 

I know that lots of people are doing a Christmas Book Advent this year. The idea being that each evening you share a different Christmas book, film or tradition with your little one in the lead up to Christmas. I think this is a lovely idea and to help those who are doing this this year I have looked through L's bookshelves and picked out the Christmas ones to share with you all. 

Baby Christmas Books

 

Usborne Touchy Feely The Nativity

A simplified version of the nativity story and a great introduction to the story. Each page features small textured elements keeping babies and young children entertained. The page are large and robust enough and have encountered a few chews each story time.

Usborne Cloth Books Christmas

A lovely story of woodland animals getting ready for Christmas with lovely natural decorations and a surprise visit from Father Christmas (refered to as Santa which would of put me off buying this book if I had known as I am a Father Christmas traditionalist.

That's Not My Penguin and Angel

Everyone knows this series yes? Repetitive, textured pages and one for any and every occasion. L enjoys the pictures and different things to feel and these are two suitably festive titles.

Baby's very first touchy-Feely Christmas

Each page has a word and an image of something suitable festive. Great introduction to Christmas vocabulary and next year when L is talking we will use it again to teach new language.

Nativity Stories

The Christmas Story, Ian Beck

Quite possibly my favourite illustrated version of the traditional story. Starting in Nazareth this picture book is full of richly detailed illustrations. It finishes with with a traditional scene of a nativity play. A beautiful book and certainly one to read when you set up the nativity scene at home.

Jesus' Christmas Party, Nicolas Allan

Another quite different take on the traditional nativity story told from the perspective of the rather disgruntled inn keeper. His grumps are quickly forgotten when he looks in the manger and realises just how special this baby is.

The Nativity Play, Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen

One which will appeal to any parent who was in a nativity while at school or a child who is taking part in their own nativity this year. Filled with humour and musical interludes for the finer voiced readers this is a bit of a through back, especially with mention of over head projectors!

Father Christmas Stories

Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes on Holiday, Raymond Briggs

 

The gruff and often grumpy Father Christmas of Briggs stories is how lots of parents, and now children, picture our bearded present bringer. One of the most brilliant elements of Briggs' stories is the lack of written narrative. This really gives children a chance to tell the story for themselves and for parents and children to really look at the detailed illustrations.

 

Aliens Love Panta Claus, Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

Those cheeky aliens are back and this time they are sharing the joy of Christmas pants! Helping Santa when his sleigh breaks down and bringing smiles, as well as pants, to the good boys and girls. In the spirit of Dinovember you might want to slip of pair of underpants in stockings to keep the magic alive!

Father Christmas Needs a Wee!, Nicholas Allan

My second offering from Allan and it's another funny one! This time with some additional learning fun with the whole book being a count up and count down as Father Christmas drinks lots of drinks but forgets to do something very important!

Christmas Activities

Usborne Christmas Baking for Children

 

This great book from Usborne has a great selection of Christmas treats from mince pies to Stollen this book will see you through many Christmases. The instructions are clear and there are getting started and basic skills pages, as well as decoration and wrapping ideas for giving these baked goods as gifts. I used some of these recipes in the classroom and I think this book is a great introduction to classic Christmas bakes.

I hope you find something to meet your seasonal reading requirements. What is your favourite Christmas book? How do you incorporate reading into your celebrations?

Forming Habits to Last a Lifetime

Daddy and Daughter sharing a favourite book. This one is Daddy's favourite. He even did voices. 

Free Books with Booktrust

Is there anything more magic than free books?

Not in my humble opinion.

Bookstart packs are given to all babies and nursery age children in the UK by the charity Booktrust. Booktrust are committed to helping inspire young readers as well as helping parents to help their children. 

We picked up out first pack last weekend at our local library, or if you are lucky your health visitor will bring your Bookstart pack to you! 

Autumn Book Round Up!

 

This week is children's book week. 

As a teacher it is only appropriate that I share some books and talk about the importance of reading with babies and children.