a poetic reminder to make time for fun!
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ME AND YOU
by Deborah Kelly and Karen Blair – Penguin Australia 2017
ages 0 to 7 years / heartwarmers, imagination
I love it when Ivy says something like ‘remember when we went to that park, that was so cool!’ I love it because we're usually just driving away from the park at the time!
She re-tells all the wonderful things that happened, even though I was there the whole time and it was only 20 minutes ago. The talking is lovely and draws us closer together.
I think shared experiences and the memory of the sharing is so very important in little lives. It’s the foundation of strong relationships—we share connections, learn to empathise and grow to understand one another. It helps us create and maintain our individual and shared identities.
Me and You by Deborah Kelly is about these kinds of experiences. It’s a fun and beautiful celebration of the activities and relationships that make up a child’s life, written in verse. In it a young girl shares with us all the important things that she loves about her life. Things like:
I love our arty-crafty days,
our cut-and-paste and colour days,
making things all kinds of ways
with scissors, paint and glue.
[...]
I love our grubby-garden days,
our wriggly-worm and mudpie days.
We plant tomatoes, beans and maize,
and water them all, too!
and...
Each verse is accompanied by delightful watercolour pictures showing the activities being shared with parents, grandparents and friends.
They're a lovely reminder of the important things in life, like taking the time to make memories and the joy of reliving them. And it reminds us that simple, small things can have a big impact on little lives.
Plus, it’s a wonderful reminder to have more fun!
Me and You is a sweet and endearing book that leaves me reminiscing on my childhood and making plans for fun-filled days with my children (Ivy thinks there are some great ideas in it!). It's written for 2 to 7-year-olds but the rhythm and style make it a lovely book to read to younger kids too (Angus loves it at 6 months).
Book Depository has free postage anywhere in the world and great pricing, but Amazon might be cheaper for North American readers.
