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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The Empty Stocking: naughty and nice definitely can go together!

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The Empty Stocking: naughty and nice definitely can go together!

Sam and Charlie are twins; one is 'naughty' and the other is 'nice'. Which is cause for some considerable consternation in the family. It turns out to be a problem for Santa too!

ages 2 to 12 years - a really fun book for Christmas!
 

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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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The Butter Man: the challenge and beauty of delayed gratification

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The Butter Man: the challenge and beauty of delayed gratification

Set in Morocco—the baba (father) in this story is telling his little girl about a time when he was a child living in Morocco. There was a drought and his family was running out of food, so they ate less and less each day. Eventually, the gnawing hunger pervaded all of his thoughts ...
ages 4 to 12 years

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