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When visiting book stores I always head to the numerous cookbooks with their sumptuous pictures and delectable fare. I then wonder past the art section, thumbing through anything from printmaking to fashion design. House and garden is next with much sighing over quirky and delicious interiors and pangs of envy at colossal gardens. My literary circling always leads me to my resting place for a while...the children's books.
Here I read story upon story not only to my babes but also for myself. I dive into colour so vivid and luscious that the reality around me fades away in a greyish haze. Rollicking, rhyming words carry me away on waves of adventure. A smile never leaves my face.
When I was teaching I returned to the book shelf time and time again. To fuel interest in a new topic, to quell nerves on early days, to settle little people full of the flibbety-jibbets....but mostly, just because. Children's literature contains magic properties to not only soothe but to ignite imagination. It is a world I have long revelled in.
I am so delighted that my babes have taken on this love of reading and have in their tender years already developed some firm favourites. We love anything and everything by Eric Carle; his painted illustrations were the inspiration for Bijou's flurry of painting, snipping and gluing, Pamela Allen with all her rolling text and colourful pictures, Bob Graham; particularly Dimity Dumpty - The Story of Humpty's Little Sister and How to Heal a Broken Wing....they are all kinds of lovely, Anna Walker and Jane Godwin's graceful watercolours and soulful prose, and Mem Fox is always, always on our shelf.
What are you reading to your babes at the moment? Do you have any special favourites? Do tell.
Steph x
oh! you're a chalky, too! I was looking at your pics thinking...that is exactly what i always had set up in my preschool room, sometimes a book illustration, sometimes an artwork. I miss it a little- what was/is your grade? :)sarah
ReplyDeleteI haven't been called a chalky in a long while! Made me laugh out loud!! Year one and then preppies for me. Yeah...I miss it sometimes...but my babes are my everything now. HOpe all is lovely x
DeleteOh Steph! I can just imagine your wonder! If I was locked up in a bookshop i could consider myself very happy indeed! Children's books a big resourse for us too. We love Mem fox, Pamela Allen too. At the moment Mr J is loving the rhyming fun of Dr Suess as he can read for himself! I love your painting idea to make a collage! Such fun and wonderment! Oh steph what lovely memories you are creating your babes!
ReplyDeleteMy babes are much bigger now, Miss 13 adores reading and borrows book after book at the library, at the moment she loves to borrow talking books so she can sit and listen whilst cutting and gluing into her handmade cookbook. Miss 8 loves to read Pearlie the Park Fairy books as well as small chapter books but when the two of them were little I adored reading Hairy Maclary books, the sing song tone always got their attention and mine too. x
ReplyDeleteYou write so beautifully. And I love that your little one uses books for colour inspiration! Our boy is obsessed with Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd right now (and by obsessed I mean he pulls them out of the bookshelf, brings them to us and then toddles off as we start reading...). X
ReplyDeleteI too am drawn like a magnet to books. My mum was a school librarian before owning a second hand book store so we had an endless supply of books at the ready. I was always the one offering to mind shop for her and would spend hours purusing her book shelves.
ReplyDeleteA few of our favourite authors are listed here including Eric Carle, Mem Fox and Pamela Allen. Our kids also enjoy Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and C.S Lewis to name a few and Tegan was crazy for Milly Molly Mandy as a young girl.
Our big boys don't read so much these days...sports mags and the newspaper but the younger three still eagerly curl up with me to hear me read aloud.
I love how engrossed Bijou is in creating!
xx
I read this and truly, I could hear my mothers voice speaking. She is an early childhood educator and childrens books are her thing.
ReplyDeleteArt is my thing, so together, my mum and I adore you ;)
LOVE this post- the idea, the colours. all of it.
Going to do it next week for sure :)
xo em
Thanks lovely Em! She had a whale of a time doing it and my heart almost burst with all the book loving going on. Hope your tommorow is beautiful x
Deleteso many favourites ... i also love that my two little ones are drawn to books and are often inspired by various books that we read. we have just started chapter books at night and they have become a bit of a hit! x
ReplyDeleteGorgeousness. Your words, her art. We are loving 'Noni the Pony' at the moment and select five new books from the library each week. I still have my collection of Enid Blyton hard covered books from my childhood. I wonder if Emerson will love them as much as I did? :)
ReplyDeleteEric Carle is a favourite around here as well.
ReplyDeleteWe also like books by husband wife team Janet & Allan Ahlberg - like Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum.
Also LOVE Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon & Runaway Bunny.
Those are some gorgeous works of art!
Ronnie xo
I have two little book lovers here too. I love it but I'm afraid we currently have a Spot obsession here! xx
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with Spot! Hope your tomorrow is a lovely one :) x
DeleteHi ... just found your beautiful blog via Caroline at Scraps of Us ... I too adore childrens books and often buy them as much for myself as the little ones ... we adore reading here and have many, many favourites ... my eldest is six now and a competent reader ... I am so delighted when he takes a book from the shelf and reads it aloud ... Eric Carle is wonderful ... The Very Hungry Caterpillar ... of course a particular favourite ... so glad to have popped by and will enjoy reading your future posts ... Bee x
ReplyDeleteOh I love the Eric Carle books, we have a few at our house... what a great idea! This is making me wonder if Sofia's fear of paint has subsided! (Last time we attempted, she got purple paint on her hands and wasn't too fond of the sight!) Haaha!
ReplyDeleteWe love Eric Carle around here! I am in love with his book Pancakes Pancakes. Also, The Little Prince, anything by Roald Dahl, and Maurice Sendak books... especially my childhood favorite Outside Over There (though it is very creepy and a bit too much for younger kids). We go to the library at least once a week... probably as much for me as for my 3 little boys!
ReplyDeleteHi Steph,
ReplyDeleteI read to Millie all of the time. We love Pretzel by Margret Rey. Have you read it? My brother bought it for Millie when she was born.
Hope all is wonderful in your world.
Melinda x
I must check out these authors. We have lots of Mem Fox here, and the elder two once got to attend a reading of hers. I've never seen anyone read so captivating and with so much expression as the way Mem Fox did.
ReplyDeleteViolet is a one book at a time kind of girl. At the moment it's a book called Rudie Nudie (and a post bathtime favourite I might add, as this is what the book is about). Luca is a non fiction fan and Julia's tastes are many with books.
It's a little like reliving our own "book pasts" isn't it?
Oh it is so good to hear that someone else has a love for children's books too. Sometimes I think I have a problem though, particularly on bookstore visits where I walk out with a couple of hardcover Children's book when I was supposed to be finding a novel for myself - whoops!
ReplyDeleteI love the photos of Bijou being inspired by the Eric Carle book are just lovely! What a great art activity to do with a little one.
As for favourite books/authors, I adore Libby Glesson ('Amy and Louis' is a personal fav, even though my kids aren't particularly drawn to it ;) ), Nick Bland ('Twinkle' is almost the perfect bedtime book for a pre-schooler), Stephen Micheal King ('Mutt Dog') and like you we love Bob Graham books too ('A bus called heaven' is becomeing a fast favourite around here).
Such a lovely post Steph!