"The picture book is a peculiar art form that thrives on genius, intuition, daring and a meticulous attention to its history and its various, complex components. The picture book is a picture puzzle, badly misunderstood by critics and condescended to by far too many as merely a trifle for "the kiddies." Children are routinely patronized and thus so are we who spend our creative lives entertaining them and nourishing their spirit" Maurice Sendak
4 Ingredients Gluten Free is not a make from scratch, blend your own flour book. The baking recipes use a commercial flour blend. My teens regularly make the pineapple cake. The beef stir fry includes a commercial GF BBQ sauce as one of the ingredients. The authors Rachael and Kim are not from a culinary background, but neither are... »
My Father’s Dragon: Three Tales: 50th Anniversary Ed My 10 year loves these books. I read the first one aloud to him when he was about 8. They were one of the first real chapter books that he read to himself. They have lovely illustrations.... »
Alanna, the First Adventure Alanna changes her name to Alan and pretends to be her twin brother, so she can become a knight. She is talented at fighting, archery and riding. Because only boys can become knights she must deceive those around her otherwise she... »
Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics This is the audio version for listening on your ipod or in the car. If you find it hard to find the time to read then audio books are great, it makes... »
“This book is not about buying fresh, organic, sustainable, free-range ingredients. It is not about creating picture-perfect dishes or even super-healthy ones. It is not about wowing guests with slick menus and asymmetric flower arrangements. It’s about the bit that comes afterwards, the bit... »
Have you any fussy eaters in your house? I am not suggesting you try this at home but Frances’ parents cure her with bread and jam at every meal and snack. We have enjoyed the Frances stories including Bedtime for Frances, A Baby Sister for... »
Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 children’s books. He won the Caldecott Honor prize four times for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. An Extraordinary Egg is one of our favourites. The illustrations are charming , the story is... »
This book gives us a glimpse of the immense, wonderful universe and takes us on a journey all the way down to microscopic creatures. The book is not specifically Christian but it reminded me of Psalm 8: What is man that You are mindful of... »
“Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.” When I read Beatrix Potter I am surprised by the rich vocabulary. Yet my... »
Judith Martin who writes under the pen name Miss Manners writes a fabulous column in the Washington Post. Her books written to the “Gentle Reader” are so helpful, humorous and very practical. For example on unwanted visitors “What if nobody invited them? They just announced they... »
Dr. John Dolittle featured first in the illustrated letters from a father enduring the horrific trenches of WW1 to his children. I have enjoyed reading aloud many of the books, there are little jokes throughout that often only the parent will get. I am... »
The lovely rhyming text and delightful illustrations have sent us off to the library to get some of her other books including I don’t want a posh dog Auckland Libraries link here »
I grew up with Richard Scarry. I love his illustrations and his humour. Some people do criticise the text and that Mother Cat does the dishes … I’ll admit it isn’t the best read aloud. I think these are great browsing books for kids... »
A smaller board book version of the “I Spy” series, these are a wonderful way to introduce the delight of books to small children. My daughter, 18 months old, loves them. The beauty is that they will last at least a couple of years... »
I’m having trouble with trillions, a word which is increasingly appearing in the news after the credit crunch. A billion dollars seems hard to understan! A billion seconds ago it was 1959! Watch this to begin to grasp how big these numbers are. The... »
Nandini Nayar tells the story, inspired by her son , of a boy making all kinds of creatures with his chapati dough. The illustrations give us a taste for the Indian way of life but in a way that all children can relate too.... »
I was delighted to find a new book and author we have not read before that we really liked. Keith Baker has written and illustrated thirteen picture books, this is the first that we have read. We are planning to explore his... »
There are many Madeline books. This one is new, though, written by Ludwig Bemelmans’ grandson. I think it is pretty true to the flavour of the orginal. We read it tonight. I don’t think it is my favourite . That would have to go... »
We were introduced to Pamela Allen’s books with Who Sank the Boat which was memorised by my first son:-) She has remained a family favourite. This week we found a new one The Toymaker and the Bird, I appreciated the truthful ending not often... »
Ezra Jack Keats is another author that remains on our favourite list. We have enjoyed Peter’s Chair, Whistle for Willie, Jennie’s Hat, The Little Drummer Boy and The Snowy Day. Here is the link for the books at the NZ National Library Here is the link... »
These picture books are a little like Frog and Toad because they contain truths that are recognised by children and adults. For example in one of the stories in the series George pretends to like pea soup because it would be hard to tell... »
