My apologies for not getting the updates posted sooner but I got ill, then went on holiday and I'm now ill again which has meant more time away from my computer than I would have liked.
In today's post I'm going to list all the books we've read so far as part of the challenge along with a brief review of what we thought of them.
- The Tortoise and the Hare and The Jet Pack by Steven Novak. My 5 year old liked this one and was happy when the tortoise won. He laughed a lot at the jet pack too. My 17 month old showed no interest at all (but then probably not the right age range for this book). I would have like to see more pictures and think that would have helped keep both of their interest more. A nice twist on an old classic.
- A Horse with Wings by Daeshin Kim. I won this book in a Goodreads give-away and thought it was a nice way to introduce kids to Shakespeare. The CD with the songs on it really added to the reading experience. Both kids enjoyed the songs (especially the one about the smelly dog).
- Safari Stanley's bugs & Insects: Peek-a-book Who's under the leaf? by Christopher Biggs. 5 stars for this one. Kids loved guessing who was hidden behind each leaf.
- Horse and Hen Count to Ten by Maisy Daniels. Fun little rhyming book with simple colourful pictures. Thumbs up from both me and the kids.
- Three Wee Peas : On the Farm by Laura Yirak. Cute but just got an "it's ok" from the boys.
- When I go to the Farm by Jill Harker. Nice hardback rhyming book with colourful pictures.
- My First Toy Catalogue by Jane Kemp and Clare Walters. Nice pictures. the kids liked talking about the toys.
- Simple First Words- let's say our numbers. Book with electronic number buttons incorporated. The kids had great fun pushing the numbers to answer the questions and for counting the objects.
- That's not my Puppy by Fiona Watt. Nice simple pictures. Kids read along. Both liked the touchy-feely shaggy ears best.
- Humpty Dumpty - Marks and Spencers. Book with electronic buttons incorporated. Kids liked pushing the buttons. My 5 year old thought it was sad that they couldn't fix him.
- Butterfly by Mick Inkpen. Nice book. Kids liked the clever dog and were glad he let the butterfly go.
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. Kids had fun flipping the flaps and guessing the animals. At the end of the story my 5 year old said "I want a puppy too".
- Frogs and friends by Joanne Barkan. Rhyming text with fun croaking frogs. My 5 year old liked the turtles best.
- Maisy at the Farm by Lucy Cousins. Excellent! Fun flaps and slides for interaction. Simple pictures in bold colours. Both my 5 year old and my 17 month old loved it.
- Spot at the Fair by Eric Hill. Liked it. Horse on roundabout was my 5 year olds favourite too!
- Little penguin Dives In by Rachel Elliot. Nice pictures.
- Mighty machines: Diggers by Amanda Askew. A non-fiction children's book with nice facts about all different types of diggers. Includes photo's with labels with the names of each of the parts of the diggers.
- Thomas Saves the Day (a Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends book). My youngest loves trains and is a big Thomas fan. He adored this play-a-sound book.
- Have you seen puppy? by Smriti Prasadam. A colourful book with flaps and touch and feel parts.
- Puppy Boo! by Kate Rowbottom. Counting, dogs and, slide and peek surprises. The boys loved it!
- 10 Little Elephants by Ashley Brayden. Very simple book with very basic pictures. Kids liked it though.
- Andy and the Angry Dragon by Thomas Yu. Read this one when the boys both had colds and they liked the idea of the dragon having a cold too. Very nice pictures.
- Baby Monkey has a Dream by Kris and Robert Barnard. Not bad. My 5 year old liked the story.
- Bailey's Birthday by Elizabeth Happy. The illustrations were gorgeous!
- Blankie Buddies Save the Day by Joy Findlay. A cute book with nice pictures. My son now wants a blanket with animals that come to life.
- Billy The Coral Snake by A.J. Cosmo. A good lesson in manners and how to interact with others.
- The Boy Who Cried Over Everything by Betsy Childs. Nice idea but a bit sad. The boys weren't really interested.
- Bumble Babees by Laura Yirak. Nice illustrations but found teh rhyme quite forced in parts.
Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?
What titles have you read so far this year?