It’s children’s book review time again! And this month, I’m doing what I did last month. But with different books, obviously.
I’m reviewing some of the books the kiddlywinks received for Christmas.
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Dear Zoo / Rod Campbell
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I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. They sent me a classic children’s book that I can’t believe wasn’t already in our collection.
Hands up if you remember reading Dear Zoo when you were younger? Okay, okay, I get it. Put your hands down.
You just can’t fault this book. It’s simple. It’s fun. Kids love it. Adults love (that they can read) it (really quickly and from memory).
Perfect.
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This is Not My Hat / Jon Klassen
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You may remember that our family’s favourite books include Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back. This is Not My Hat is Klassen’s follow-up (not a sequel, despite the hat reference), and it’s almost as good. Which means it’s pretty darn good.
A fish takes a hat from another fish. He knows it’s not his. He knows he shouldn’t have taken it. But the hat suits him better. And he’ll never get caught, anyway.
I love I Want My Hat Back, and think This is Not My Hat is almost as good. Ashleigh enjoys I Want My Hat Back, but enjoys This is Not My Hat even more. And it doesn’t feature the word ‘eat’, so if you’re after a Klassen title but are against explaining the food chain to your children, I recommend this one.
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Guess How Much I Love You / Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
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Guess How Much I Love You is another classic book I’m surprised we didn’t already have. In fact, I’d never read it.
Every now and then, I refuse to embrace the classics. I don’t know why – perhaps I think I can find something better hidden away somewhere. The whole world likes it? Meh. I’ll find something less popular, and then it can be mine. All mine. My preeeecious.
But no. Classics become classics for a reason. This book is beautiful. Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare competing about who loves the other more? Enough precious for everyone.
And the fact some friends of mine recently included this book as a reading at their wedding just cements its place in my heart.
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Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose / Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt
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Another win. (Well done, Christmas present book buyers!) Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose is a delight to read, and not just because it has chocolate in the title. Animals, rhymes, food – it’s the biggest dinner party you’ve ever seen!
(Not so surprising really – Julia Donaldson also wrote other family favourites Room on the Broom and Monkey Puzzle. And many more!)
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What books have you and your children read lately? Any recommendations?
This post is the sixth in a series of children’s book review posts. Check out the others here:
Children’s book review (January)
Children’s book review (December)
Children’s book review – family favourites (November)
Children’s book review (October)
Once upon a book review (September)
I adore Dear Zoo…so cute and well thought out with different sized animal crates…(covering animals, shapes and humour)
It is such a good idea! Zoo animals, flaps. Brilliant.
Choc Mousse and This is Not My Hat are new to me, the others are BIG favourites of mine! Have you read Poo Bum? It’s quite funny, although not if you don’t want to encourage cheeky words x
Nope, but the name alone means it’s now on my list! Cheeky words are okay around here, just not downright rude ones.
I love this Emily, thanks. We got Dear Zoo for Christmas and my 10 month old loves it. It gets recited several times a day here!
Here too! Thanks, Denise.
What fantastic books, Dear Zoo is one of our very favourites here, especially now Miss 5 has started reading.
Yes, Ashleigh is already ‘reading’ (reciting) it to Mitchell. CUTENESS OVERLOAD!
Guess how much I love you is such a gorgeous classic book, I love it. Thanks for the reviews!
Pleasure! I can’t believe I’d never read it before.
We are huge fans of Dear Zoo and Guess how much I love you! I haven’t seen the other two so will have to check them out. Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome! I remember seeing Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose on a list of important books for children to read. Will have to track the full list down.
My kids are grown now, so I guess I can be excused for only being familiar with Guess How Much I Love You!
Visiting today from #teamIBOT xxx
That is absolutely fair enough!
We love Guess How Much I Love You in our house, and Dear Zoo too 🙂
Excellent! Sounds like we have winners.
I know I’m a lone voice in the wilderness, but I’ve never been that into Guess How Much I Love You. My kids like it, so I should probably just get over myself, but I’ve always felt like Big Nutbrown Hare should just let it go and let the kid win once in awhile. Just me? Probably!
Let me support your lone voice, Lara. Sure, I haven’t read the book but I can vouch that the TV version of Guess How Much I Love You is one of the few ABC4Kids shows that empties my living room quick smart.
I know this is unfair – like comparing a bad movie with the good novel it’s based on – but what the hey!
Haha, I felt the same way the first time I read it. But then I thought, he does let him win. Little Nutbrown Hare is asleep so doesn’t know about the last one. And Big Nutbrown Hare does love him more, I have no doubt!
Haven’t seen the TV version.
We got Dear Zoo as a gift from our local health centre to promote reading in young children. Now I’m not sure if we have it or if it was given away with the last book cull. I now have the theme song for Guess How Much I Love You stuck in my head lol!
That is an EXCELLENT choice for a free book! Well done local health centre.
Oh I want to read the Chocolate Mousse one!! They all sound great! xx
Definitely do! It’s super fun.
Boo will love the hat stories! He loves anything with an ongoing theme.
His favourite book is ‘I love you stinkyface’. I think it is mine too.
Another one I’m adding to the list, along with Em’s Poo Bum suggestion!
I have read Nick “Guess How Much I Love You” since he was 2. But haven’t heard of any of the other books! Would Dear Zoo and This Is Not My Hat be good for a 5 year old? We are always on the lookout for new books!
Dear Zoo might be a bit young, although it’d be good for him to read rather than be read to. This is Not My Hat, definitely.
I love Dear Zoo. It brings up some lovely memories of the boys when they were about 2. Guess How Much I Love You was a birthday pressie last year and the boys didn’t really seem to get into it. Will have to check out Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose – we’re BIG Julia Donaldson fans 🙂
She’s a winner every time!
Dear Zoo is a HUGE hit in our house, Mr 2 even provides animal noises for extra effect!
LOVE IT!
One of my favourite – we used Dear Zoo with our 3yr old (now 20yr old) on Christmas Day to give him a new puppy – I made a 3D version with our farm animals. It was his favourite book before anyway. Still holding up for my rough now 7yr old twins.
What a great idea! Making your own Dear Zoo. Love it.
Loving the reviews Emily. I’m already purchasing a collection of books for my little human – I’m at 21 weeks and I possibly have more books than there are weeks in my pregnancy so far. I love the simplicity of your reviews and I’m going to have add some of these books to my list. Thank you!
Thank you! Yes, Ashleigh had quite the library before she was even born. Book buying was more fun than buying all of the other baby stuff combined!
ohhh Guess How much I love You is a big fave in our house – I LOVE that book myself 🙂 xx
Glad you love it! There are a few non-lovers around and now I’m second-guessing myself.