When I did my post on my Owl Obsession fellow blogger Annie from anniesorganics mentioned that her son loves Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson.

Ned also loves Owl Babies especially when I read it aloud and do different voices for owl siblings Sarah, Percy and Bill. When the owlets awake to find their mummy gone, the two older owls decide that she is out hunting and will be back soon. But every time they come up with a reason as to why mum is not there, Bill gets more and more anxious, repeating “I want my mummy”. Bill is great fun to read aloud because you can put on a very sad voice. It really keeps Ned’s attention and he thinks it’s very funny.

Finally mummy arrives back at the nest, swooping through the night for cuddles with the babies. This is a particularly good concept for Ned at present as he is starting to fret a little when I leave him but I want him to know that I am always coming back to get him.

Patrick Benson’s illustrations for this book are amazing, his artwork makes it so you can almost reach out and stroke the tiny fluffy owlets. He gives each owl a personality and their wide little eyes are adorable. Toddlers like Ned can see themselves in the owls with their wonder of the big wide world but also feeling slightly scared of it.

Owl Babies makes a lovely bedtime story too as it explains to children that you will always be there for them, it’s very comforting. Simply written and with not too much text, Owl Babies is perfect for the very young and is even available in board book for them to look at and hold themselves.

My dear friend, Anne-Laure, reminded me of this book in a comment she left for us during our launch competition. Her twin boys, at two-and-a-half, are loving this book, and now Rowan is too. Most nights he is calling out for ‘Truck’ even before he is in his pyjamas…

Duck in the Truck comes from the very talented Jez Alborough, author of our previously reviewed, Hug!. Duck’s truck gets stuck in the muck, so Frog, Sheep and Goat all lend a hand. With the muck and mud involved, you can imagine the mess, but somehow Duck avoids a sticky end.

The combination of a few different vehicles, some mud and expressive animal characters make it a hit for Rowan. And the rhyming text makes it fun to read aloud. There’s nothing worse than a book that tries to rhyme but doesn’t quite hit the mark, but this one is spot-on.

Here is Rowan and his dad, and Rowan’s great mate, Jake, when we babysat him the other night. By the look of Rowan’s ‘Shhhh!’, I’d say they are reading Doggies by Sandra Boynton. Reading three, four or more books is a much-anticipated part of Rowan’s bedtime routine and a lovely time for a cuddle.

Doggies is great for dog-loving babies and toddlers. It’s a counting book with a difference; a fantastic read-aloud, as the reader gets to perform a rendition of barks of all kinds… Rowan loves it.

Check out Lou’s previous post for her Top 5 Going to Bed books, including another Sandra Boynton title…

Rowan’s current favourite book is Hug! by Jez Alborough.

Hug! tells the story of a little gorilla called Bobo, who notices other animals in his jungle having hugs. He starts to feel sad because he realises he doesn’t have anyone to hug.

The story uses minimal words – on most pages, there is just one word, ‘hug’, used by different speakers and with different types of emotion. Rowan really responds to this concept and also to the illustrations. He really empathises with little Bobo, and mirrors all the emotions of Bobo on his own face. No matter how many times we read it, he always has a huge smile on his face when Bobo and Mummy are reunited!

Ned received some beautiful get well presents this week after having a little op in the Children’s Hospital. His gorgeous mate Oscar gave him a copy of this lovely fold out counting book, Zoo!…

The text is rhyming and it has such lovely bright illustrations; the animals fold out of the book essentially making a four page spread and the paper is a heavy card that feels like it has a laminate on it so there won’t be any rips! Each animal has a rhyme and also an accompanying question to count objects on the page which will be fantastic for Ned when he’s a bit older. Is written by Lori C. Froeb and is published by Five Mile Press .

On the afternoon we came home from the hospital there was a parcel in the letterbox from Ned’s cousin Charlotte which was a copy of Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French in the new board book format. Illustrated by Bruce Whatley this is the gentle tale of a wombats observations of the human family she wants to live with. It is a funny, adorable and subtly informative little book, it is pure joy.

And then today mummy had a present in the mail too. A present to myself from this fantastic etsy store, hownowdesign. A gorgeous necklace…

I am also coveting these vintage blocks from the same store..

If there’s a book around Ned will find it, he’s a funny boy. This photo was taken at Mothers Group this afternoon, under a tree in the park. It was a gorgeous day for a coffee and a chat with some wonderful mums.

This book is Lachie’s and is by the same publisher (Roger Priddy) as Ned’s My Little Word Book that I bought him from the Coventry Bookstore (reviewed in a previous post). It is called Bright Baby At the Zoo and has touchy feely bits throughout. These books are really worth looking out for because they are of such high quality and they certainly get a thumbs up from little Neddy, very appealing!

Much as I try to avoid stereotypical ‘boy’ books, my sister, Clare, convinced me that the Child’s Play edition of Down by the Station (Classic Books With Holes) was worth a second glance as we perused the shelves of Borders one day.

I’m glad she did, as it is a favourite of Rowan’s and introduced me to a great series of books based on rhymes and songs.

We’ve since seen lots of the others in the series through our weekly classes with our fantastic music teacher, Rebecca. Rebecca always incorporates a rhyming or sung story into her classes, as well as giving the children some quiet time when they can read board books on their own.

We have since bought Over in the Meadow and Down in the Jungle, and there are lots more titles in this ‘Books with Holes’ series. There’s lots for Rowan to look at and grow with. At the moment he still loves sticking his fingers through the increasing number of holes in the pages, and there are sound effects and attractive colourful pages to keep him entertained. I have my eye on There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly and The Farmer in the Dell next…

There is nothing better than curling up in the sun with a good book and Ned loves it too. His favourite book of the moment is from a series by Dorling Kindersley called Peekaboo. We have Baby says Peekaboo and Peekaboo Playtime. They are photographic and have the most gorgeous babies in them as well as touchy feely bits and pieces. I had always been quite sceptical of these sorts of books because there are so many on the market and some are quite grainy and el cheapo, these are $14.95 each so not cheap but they are worth it. Ned now anticipates the PEEKABOO when you open the flaps and he even gets excited when I get the books out especially when we are somewhere that he doesn’t expect like the doctors surgery or the park. Peekaboo Baby has a mirror in the back which Ned adores and it now has copious amounts of dribble on it from where he tries to kiss himself, it is so much fun to watch.

TOP 5 BOOKS FOR BABY…

1. Where is the Green Sheep (Mem Fox and Judy Horacek) – Winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Early Childhood Picture Book 2005 Fox and Horacek have created a ‘cult classic’ for babies. The rhyming text is a joy to read aloud and the length is perfect for baby’s attention span. Judy Horaceks’ beautiful watercolour illustrations of these funny sheep doing crazy things mirror the text perfectly. Available in board book and hardcover.
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jnr and Eric Carle) – Another all time classic based on rhythmic repetition with plenty of identifiable animals and colours. Babies can anticipate what is coming next and you can incorporate the noises of the animals as you go. Carle’s beautiful, bold collage illustrations that are so recognisable make this a must for every child’s bookshelf. Available in board book and paperback.
3. Moo, Baa, La La La (Sandra Boynton) – Sanda Boynton is one of my all time favourites. Her gorgeous style of illustration gives the characters so much personality and her text is always fun and whimsical which makes it great to read dramatically. These little board books are also perfect for little hands to hold and suck. Available in board book.
4. Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings (Matthew Van Fleet) – This is the best touchy feely book that has been published. Every page has a different animal, even fuzzy gray koalas, and each animal has a different texture to touch and feel. Van Fleet has created this book like a graphic designer with stark white pages that frame the illustration and simple bold black text, this look enhances the reading pleasure for little ones with surprises on every page. Available in hardcover.
5. I Went Walking (Sue Machin and Julie Vivas) – This is another all time favourite and another beautiful melding of rhythmic repetitious text plus the most amazing dreamy illustrations. A little boy goes for a walk on the farm and gathers up a menagerie of animals on the way. On each page there is a partial glimpse of the next animal adding to the anticipation. Available in board book and paperback.

Last week I discovered a beautiful new bookstore in Coventry Street South Melbourne, it’s called naturally, Coventry Bookstore. I was with my beautiful friend Jenny and Ned (8 months) on our regular coffee jaunt, looking for a change of scenery we decided on trying Cafe Sweethearts. Our minds were made up by the review we both had read on the fantastic Breakfast Blog, what a fantastic idea to blog new brekkie places. If you love a good coffee and breakfast as much as I do you will LOVE this blog. Cafe Sweethearts was nice, good coffee and the staff were very accommodating of Ned and his Land Rover of a pram (great to walk with a three wheeler but not practical in shops or cafes).

Anyway back to the bookshop, it’s beautiful and just what I would want my shop to look like – when I will tatts. The collection is largely based around design, art and other beautiful things, the interior of the shop is gorgeous and light, designed by the people behind the Macro Wholefoods and Mimco stores, it is just such a joy to browse in. I was served by a man who I assume is the owner, he was so lovely and cheerful (no Bernard from Black Books here) which is a good reason to go back, how often do you get such great attention in retail these days?

The children’s section is amazing! Set in the back of the shop in its own little room you are immediately drawn to the bright fire engine red feature wall that is decorated with funky snowflake like graphics. The day I visited, Ned was fascinated by the colours and particularly by the Charlie and Lola umbrellas hanging from the roof. I really need to get one of those they are absolutely precious. They have the best board book section I have ever seen with ALL the Sandra Boynton books in stock, gee I love her and just about any other board book you could want. I picked up a great photographic word book for Ned called My Little Word Book, it is distributed by Pan Macmillan and has become one of Ned’s fav’s. He sits up in his pram and reads it when we go out . It is a great size and the photos are really clear and good quality. It was only $12.95 and a great investment for years of reading!!

Along with the books they also have a gorgeous selection of book related merchandise, I mentioned the Charlie and Lola umbrellas but they also have an amazing selection of cards, wrapping and toys, including the cutest little bobble head Noddy’s.

They also had a printed list of the Children’s Book Council of Australia award winners out on the display table and also a smattering of the books both winners and shortlisted. This isn’t something you see in the chains and I have often not even been able to be told the winners by staff at other shops. I truely believe that if you are after a beautiful children’s book you will find one here. A Gem!

While we were in Coventry Street we also popped into Nest, a divine home wares shop. They stock some lovely things; I bought Ned a pillow case screen printed by a Melbourne artist with Albi the elephant. It looks beautiful in Ned’s nursery as all his furniture is white, I think it is very special.