DREADFUL DAVID :: just how much dreadfulness does it take to wipe the smile off Granny's face?

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DREADFUL DAVID :: just how much dreadfulness does it take to wipe the smile off Granny's face?

Age guide: 4 to 8
I bought a copy of this for my family and one for my nephew David – who was not at all dreadful, making it an especially funny book for our family.

Dreadful David is one busy little kid – he wreaks havoc at Granny’s house. She is stalwart in the face of all the trouble but slowly her smile begins to fade. The last straw comes when David hoses Granny – he’s already hosed the letter box, the kitten and more.  

Granny, being of the old school variety, changes David, smacks his bottom and puts him to bed.  David yells for a while but finally goes to sleep and Granny comes in and kissed him on the cheek.

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Mile High Apple Pie: a child's love and a tender look at Alzheimer's

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Mile High Apple Pie: a child's love and a tender look at Alzheimer's

I don’t normally like books that overtly teach. I prefer the teaching part to settle gently in the recesses of small minds ready for them to catch and adapt as life throws circumstances to them that don’t quite match the books they’ve read. Mile-High Apple Pie is an exception - there's the obvious, plus much more. 

ages 4 to 12 years

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Silent Night, Holy Night: ever wondered how this beautiful carol came to be?

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Silent Night, Holy Night: ever wondered how this beautiful carol came to be?

Truly, this is a lovely book. In a time of poverty and despair, two young men - a priest and a teacher - recognised the gift that comforting words could be and created a carol that would drift and echo through the ages.

ages 4 to 12 years

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ALFIE WINS A PRIZE : a reassuring and comfortable peep into a little boy's life

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ALFIE WINS A PRIZE : a reassuring and comfortable peep into a little boy's life

Age guide: 2 to 6. The Alfie books by Shirley Hughes are a bit like an antidote to perfect-minimalist Mommy blogs. Not that I don’t love reading a good Mommy blog!  But in the Alfie books there’s a very real family – they’re not especially rich. The house is not styled, it’s functional and beautiful as a result – there’s plenty of clutter (of both the physical and social kinds) and plenty of pushing aside clutter to make room for the next activity.

In this one, there’s a Harvest Fair coming to a local school and Alfie determines to enter one of the competitions. 

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The Librarian of Basra: the value of culture - and one woman's great courage

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The Librarian of Basra: the value of culture - and one woman's great courage

Set in Iraq. The true story of Alia Muhammad Baker - a middle aged Iraqi woman living in the town of Basra and working as a librarian. Alia knew that war was coming to Basra and she knew that war brings fire which would likely destroy the precious books. This is the remarkable and impressive story of her work to save them.
ages 4 years to grownup

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Let The Celebrations Begin!: a gentle and soft introduction to holocaust literature

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Let The Celebrations Begin!: a gentle and soft introduction to holocaust literature

ages 4 years to grownup
Set in Europe, this is one of my absolute favourite books. It's a book to give perspective to small bingles and it's a book to plant notions of empathy, courage, and resilience in children. Definitely one to have in your home library, Let the Celebrations BEGIN! speaks across a wide range of age groups and relates to so many sets of circumstances.

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Space Travellers: a respectful and warm look at homelessness

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Space Travellers: a respectful and warm look at homelessness

ages 4 years to grownup
Children’s books about homelessness are hard to find and this one strikes just the right note. Zac and Mandy are homeless, but very far from helpless. Space Travellers is a beautiful book about homelessness, with themes of self-reliance, sharing, making do and so much more.

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