Amy-Rose’s Reading Diary Part 5

Amy-Rose’s Reading Diary at 3

Amy is now three. Time continues to fly. She’s now a real little girl and no longer a ‘baby’, as she keeps pointing out to me. She still loves her books and demands at least three every night before she climbs into her Barbie bed. It’s a pink and purple affair on stilts that her devoted and kind dad put together from an Argos flat pack, bless him. It took him a whole day. Amy helped of course, banging away on an old bit of wood with the real hammer. A toy one wouldn’t do.

She’s quite a handful at times, as only a wired three year old can be, but she’s great fun. Her room is full of books –they are under her bed, in the bookcase, in her bed, in piles on the floor – but I don’t mind. I’m just so delighted that she loves ‘reading’.

At the moment she’s still mad about ‘Ten Minutes Till Bedtime’. She’s grown out of Spot a little, but still requests it from time to time. I have to read her this awful, twee book about two little girls having a tea party, but I hide it most of the time as it makes me cringe. We’ve just discovered the joy of poetry and have shared a good few laughs over simple nonsense verse and funny rhymes.

As Jago is now 4 months old, I have a little more time to spend with Amy. So I’m making the most of it. So apologies for the shorter than average diary entry. I’m sure you’ll understand!

 

Here are two new books that Amy really likes –

I reviewed both for Bookfest – see the Bookfest reviews for more details of Bookfest and for some more recommended reads for 3 year olds.

(***** A Must, **** Great, *** Good)

	Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpy’s Little Sister by Bob Graham **** Walker Books, £10.99 Hardback This clever, original picture book is a joy from start to finish. The tale of Humpty’s brave little egg sister, Dimity, who is part of the Dumpty family travelling circus, it shows how one small person can make a big difference in the world. Graham’s gentle, witty pen and ink and watercolour illustrations are highly detailed and fun to pour over, from the marvellous double spread circus tent interiors, to the more intimate egg-box-house family scenes. Amy really took to this, even though it’s for a slightly older child – four I’d say. And I enjoyed it too – most important as I know she can tell when I get bored with her books. It’s longer than the average picture book, but worth the extra minutes reading.
	Shoe Baby by Joyce Dunbar, Illustrated by Polly Dunbar *** Walker Books, £10.99, Hardback ‘There once was a baby who hid in a shoe, And had learnt to say "How do you do?"’. So begins this charming, eccentric picture book written by a talented mother and daughter team. The story in written in simple yet witty and clever verse; a baby travels around in a shoe having adventures until he finds his mum and dad. The illustrations sing with colour and joie de vivre; the baby’s squashy smiling face is adorable. Highly recommended for toddlers and younger readers. This one is great fun and Amy knows some of the words and refrains and joins in. It’s a strange little story and the verse is a little iffy at times, but it works. And the illustrations are great. Nice and short too for tired mums and dads!