Forest Life and Woodland Creatures

Forest Life and Woodland Creatures

Published by DK Ltd

I received this little gem back in summer time, along with  Sharks and Other Sea Creatures, which I talked about on my Instagram feed. But with Aoife now at nursery and going on regular walks to a nearby wood, we have been talking a lot more about leaves, seasons and woodland animals which is discussed and explored within Forest Life - making this a great book to refer to.

Contents include: What is a forest, bugs, nests and birds, forest food and animals that may live underground or only come out at night. Filled with lots of different facts, which adults could bring up on their walks, and a range of crafts to keep children busy, these books offer a lot for little ones. I especially like the pages that show how a seed grows into tree and the examples shown for the seasons and what happens to the trees.

A nice range of books to engage and support the development of little ones minds. For more information, check out the DK website here.

Below: Aoife getting crafty and making an egg box ocean from Sharks and Other Sea Creatures.

DOT. Magazine - Vol. 1 The Shapes Issue

DOT. is the new creative magazine for littles ones, aimed at girls and boys under the age of 5. It’s fun and creative, and if you have an eager to learn child, then this magazine is a nice alternative to an activity book. 

The theme for the first issue is Shapes and covers a whole section aimed at learning about a variety of different shapes, giving information about the number of sides, examples of objects that are that shape and offering a space for children to practice drawing the shapes themselves. 

The magazine also offers activity suggestions, little illustrated stories, jokes, recipes and much more. Illustrations are by Anorak’s chief designer Anna Dunn. I love her style and the colours used, it’s bright, bold and looks fun. There are other guest illustrators as well who have created little stories throughout the magazine.

Advertised as the Happy Mag for Creative Kids, it definitely is, and I know children will look forward to receiving this through the post, something to brighten any dull day. Issue 2 is due out in August so catch this issue whilst its still out or get a subscription from here.

My Favourite Fairytales

My Favourite Fairytales

by Nina Filipek and illustrated by Bruno Merz
 Published by Milly & Flynn

 

Aoife and I were extremely lucky to receive the series of book, My Favourite Fairytales, from new childrens publishers Milly & Flynn.

 

The fairytale series includes; The Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Rapunzel, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Hansel and Gretel.

 

 

All are retold by Nina Filipek and illustrated by Bruno Merz. The books are recommended for children over three years due to the suggested activities and stickers that can be found at the back of each book. Please note that the books will be available from early July and will each be sold with 2 sticker sheets for a limited period of time.

These classic stories have traditional illustrated illustrations in watercolour and pencil, which makes a lovely continuity throughout the series.

 

 

For each book the story flows well and at the end includes activities to encourage the child to think about what has happened and to flick back into the book to help answer the questions. From a layout point of view, the use of type and for some books, the different fonts, all enhance the telling of the stories bringing these classics up to date.

With the lovely surprise of stickers at the end of each book, if you don’t want your little one sticking them to walls or furniture, they would be great to use for creative activities - such as encouraging your child to create artwork about the story using the stickers or making up their own stories about the characters.

…And even though Aoife is too young for these books, after reading this article on the Guardian; about US paediatricians now urging parents to read to children from their earliest days, it never really is too early to start reading to your little ones!

No bookshelf should be out these classic tales as they are stories that shape all of our childhoods and are true treasures to for future generations to enjoy.

For more information on the books visit the Milly & Flynn site.