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Entries Tagged as 'kids books'

Bug detective book: minibeast facts, myths & more

January 26, 2016

Are your kids in to myths and facts? My seven year old is obsessed with them so we have recently made up a dinner table game called ‘myth or fact?’. We each take a turn to come up with a statement and the others have to guess whether it’s a myth or a fact. The statement can be about anything, any subject, any topic – the challenge lies in coming up with facts that sound like myths and vice versa. It’s really fun seeing what Anya will say as she sometimes comes up with things that neither Richard or I are sure whether it’s a myth or a fact. And other times her statements are so random, they are hilarious! She gets some of her info from one of her current favourite books – The Amazing Human Body Detectives – that I wrote about last year.

That book was such a hit in our home and yours (so many readers emailed me to say they had bought it and their kids loved it too) that when I discovered the other book in this series I had to get it for Anya and of course share it with you. Called Bug Detective: Amazing facts, myths and quirks of nature – this Bug Detective book is packed with interesting facts and myths about bugs, insects and minibeasts. Did you know that worms don’t have lungs or that ladybirds have poisonous knees? Or if you weighed all the ants in the world, they would weigh more than humans (wow, that I did not know!). All the info is presented in a fun and engaging way with great illustrations. There is a lot of info on each page but it’s broken up in to bite sized chunks making it easy for kids to read and understand.

The Bug Detective book also comes with a magnifying glass so kids can search for the extra, often tiny, details on some of the pages – making it even more fun to read. I highly recommend it especially for inquisitive kids who will devour this book and spend hours buried in it! If you’re in the US, you can find the book here and in the UK find it here.

A favourite picture book: Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth

January 18, 2016

What are your six and seven year olds reading at the moment? Have they started enjoying chapter books or do they still love their picture books too? My seven year old is starting to enjoy chapter books, but she still loves her picture books. After finishing a chapter book I notice she always goes back to picking up a handful of her picture books and none more often than this one.

I think Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth is one of her favourite picture books which I realised I hadn’t shared here. Once you see the book, it’s not hard to see why kids would love it so much. The story is simple and sweet. Ganesha is just like any other kid except he has the head of an elephant and he rides around on a little magical mouse. And like most kids, he loves sweets. When his sweet tooth gets the better of him, he is unable to resist a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo (an Indian sweet). As he bites in to it his tusk breaks off. With the help of a wise poet and his mouse friend, Ganesha learns that what seems broken at first can be quite useful after all. Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth is loosely based on a classic Indian tale but the author has reinvented the story in to something funny, sweet and engaging for kids.

While it’s a sweet story, it’s the illustrations that really stand out. The pages are bursting with colour and the illustrations are so detailed making the characters come to life. It’s hard not to fall for this book, no matter what age but I think it’s a must have picture book for 4-7 year olds. What are your kids reading at the moment? I’m always looking out for unusual and interesting kids books so I would love to know in the comments.

UK readers can find Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth here but if you’re in the US, find it here.

Infinity and Me

June 1, 2015

Anya has been asking a lot of questions about infinity lately. I’ve tried explaining the concept to her but it isn’t an easy concept for a six year old to understand – I only just about understand it myself! :). Her interest in infinity started when she asked what the biggest number in the world was. I told her about infinity and for a while she thought that the biggest number in the world was infinity because she just couldn’t grasp the idea that numbers never finish. But then I came across this book called Infinity and Me and it seemed like just the book to help in explaining infinity to children.

Infinity and Me is about a little girl who gazes up at the night sky and starts to feel very small in the vastness of the sky. She begins to wonder about infinity and just what exactly infinity means. She starts asking everyone she meets and soon realises that maybe there are infinite ways to explain infinity. Infinity and Me is a very simple and sweet book with illustrations that are equally adorable. It’s a great first book to give some meaning and relevance to the concept of infinity to kids. While the main character in the book happens to be a girl, I think this book is equally suited for boys as it is for girls. Any child curious about infinity would enjoy Infinity and Me.

The Wolf’s Whistle

May 5, 2015

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll know how much I love kids books. And every time I come across a great book, I love sharing it here. While I love many of the better known kids books, I also love searching for lesser known gems and today I have one such gem for you. The The Wolf’s Whistle is a book I am so glad I came across. At it’s simplest form it is a twisted tale of the Three Little Pigs and the big bad wolf. But this book is so much more. It could be the story of how the wolf came to be so bad or even how superheroes are made. It features a lone wolf called Albert who is a bit of a misfit. He and his group of three friends, none of whom really fit in, are tormented by the ‘honeyroast brothers’ – three enormous pigs! Albert has a dream of becoming a comic book artist and his story continues from childhood in to his adulthood where tragedy befalls him and yes the ‘honeyroast brothers’ are involved.

The Wolf’s Whistle is not only a great read but also the illustrations are beautiful. The drawings are created in a retro style which works so well with the story. The book is aimed at 5 to 8 year old kids but I think the upper end of this age group will appreciate it better. Anya enjoyed the story and loved looking at the pictures but couldn’t fully understand the subtleties in the book. For her it is a simple story of a good wolf and bad pigs but that is what is so appealing about this book – it will grow with her and I see her reading it several times over the years. I love this book for it’s originality and the beautiful illustrations.

Have you come across any lesser know kids books that are unmissable? Do let me know in the comments.

How do you choose your kids books?

April 28, 2015

I absolutely love kids books and can spend hours upon hours choosing books for Anya and then enjoying them with her. We all know that it’s important to encourage our kids to read but to develop their interest and keep it going it’s so important to pick the right books for them. Apart from searching online, I tend to ask friends and colleagues for recommendations, browse real bookshops in London and on holiday (where I have found some gems) and I even ask on my facebook page which gets me some fabulous suggestions. Over the years we have discovered many fab kids books in this way but there have been some disappointments too. While I love searching for kids books, sometimes I wish there was a less time consuming way. And that got me wondering about a kids book subscription box as there seem to be monthly subscription boxes for everything else these days!

I went searching and I found some – yay! In the UK there is The Willoughby Book Club where you can subscribe for 3, 6 or 12 months and it’s aimed at children from 5-12 years of age but they also offer toddler and baby book subscriptions. You just answer a few questions about your child and the books are tailored to their age and interests. In the US you have Giftlit which works in pretty much the same way but has a few advantages. I especially liked that with Giftlit you get to see the books you are getting before you order and having briefly browsed their selection I have to add that it looks really good. So if you don’t like the sound of one, you can substitute it with another and you can also return books. This ensures you only get and keep books you and your kids love. Lastly again in the UK is Prudence and the Crow who specialise in vintage books for kids and adults. You don’t get to see the books which is a shame but I still like the idea behind the service.

I haven’t tried any of these book subscriptions yet but I am very tempted. I love the idea of a kids book subscription box because of the element of surprise and also any kid would love to receive a monthly package in their name. The anticipation would just add to their excitement of reading and enjoying the book. And especially for those months when you don’t have time to search and find books you know you’ll at least receive one in the post. Apart from your own child, these book subscription boxes would make great gifts too. Have you tried one? Where do you look for inspiration for your kids books? Do you know of any other services? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

{photo by Abigail Fahey Photography for ebabee}

Ebabee Christmas Gift Guide 2014: Kids Books

December 12, 2014

We are complete bookworms in this house. I would go so far as saying almost more then adult books, I adore kids books and get excited every time we get a new one. Christmas is the perfect excuse for me to go a bit over the top buying new books for Anya. Last week I shared some great activity books for kids so today I wanted to share some story books. Most of these books are suitable for around ages 4-7 years but of course can be read out loud to younger kids too. Some of them are old classics like Puss in Boots and Aesops Fables but I’ve picked new and exciting editions which bring something different. We already own some of these books and love them and the rest are on our wish list:

Beautiful classic books for children

September 11, 2014

Once the school term starts, so do the birthday parties. Come September, I am on the hunt for gifts and this year I am trying hard to be organised. That means finding a few nice gifts and ordering them now so I don’t have a huge panic the day before each birthday party that ends in me paying crazy shipping prices for next day delivery. One of my favourtie gifts for kids is books. While on the hunt for some new books, I came across these timeless classics with the most beautifully illustrated covers and I thought they would make beautiful gifts.

Anya and her friends are a bit young for these books but Anya has older cousins and sometimes gets invited to her friends older sibling’s parties. So I end up looking for gifts for a range of ages and I thought I would share them here in case you do too. These classic books are a great way to introduce 8-12 years olds (depending on the book) to literature and are the kind of books that are kept forever. Over the years there have been many different covers for these books, but when I saw these ones illustrated by Anna Bond, I loved them. There are four classics in this range and each cover is illustrated in the prettiest colours with beautiful drawings that make you want to pick up the book and get reading. All the books also come with matching bookmarks. Wouldn’t they look lovely on a shelf or on a table? And besides, what can be nicer than giving a child a timeless gift that will last forever?

These classics will be available from October but can be pre-ordered now. And dare I say it, but I will – I am also thinking of these as lovely Xmas gifts.

The Day The Crayons Quit

February 18, 2014

Each time we buy a new kids book I can’t decide who’s the most excited… me, my husband or Anya! I know I can never wait to read it and neither can Anya so we usually read it within minutes of her coming back from school. Last week we bought The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and we both loved it. It’s such a sweet, fun and unusual story about a pack of crayons that decide they’ve had enough. The drawings by Oliver Jefferes are colourful and childlike adding to the charm of this lovely book. We liked it so much that we’ve already bought another copy to give as a gift.