Top Ten Children's Books (or Dave Quacks on about Duck Books) (Top Ten Childrens Books)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Top Ten Childrens Books
Date:	06/07/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Early Education, Enjoying Time With Kids

Disadvantages: None

I've always been a bit of a reader myself, and I've always been especially keen on kid's books. There are some amazing ones out there that really help to nurture a positive interest in young children right from a few months of age. Our grandson was mad about 'That's Not My Tractor..." from just five months old, and these days he's probably got more books than all three of my kids had put together at his age! My top ten children's books are based on what I share with the grandson today, rather than kid's books I remember over the years. Most of these are suitable for pre-schoolers.

10. I Forgot to Say I Love You

I Forgot to Say I Love You is a sweet little book by Miriam Moss and Anna Currey. It's a lovely little story about little Billy Bear and his childlike ways making Mum late. Mum's so cross, she hurries off without remembering to tell Billy she loves him like she usually does. Poor Billy is really sad, but fortunately Mum comes back to apologise and make it up to him. It's a sweet story for parents and kids alike, and it's got lovely illustrations in it. The grandson doesn't get the sentiment of it much, but he certainly likes the relationship between Billy and his soft toy which is something that the grandson can definitely relate to.

9. Farmer Duck

Farmer Duck is by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury. It's another lovely picture book with lots of big, detailed illustrations throughout. It tells the story of a poor overworked duck who has to do everything on the farm, while the fat lazy farmer sits in bed all day eating chocolates. The animals revolt towards the end of the book, and take over the farm for themselves. The grandson loves how they replace actual conversation in this book with animal noises to represent what they might be saying. It took him a while to understand what they were doing, but when he got it, he thought it was really funny. Being a duck fan, he loved the hero of the tale best of all.

8. Wilbie Finds a Friend

Wilbie Finds a Friend is by Sally Chambers and probably isn't as well known as some of the other titles in this list. The grandson is mad about ducks in general, so naturally this was always going to appeal to him. I think a lot of kids would like this little tale regardless of the duck's involvement though. It tells a nice little story about how Wilbie the duck finds something in common with his elderly next door neighbour, a football fan like himself. He realises that old people aren't always stuffy and boring after all!

7. Give the Dog a Bone

Give the Dog a Bone is a Funnybones book by Allan Ahlberg. It tells the story of the little dog skeleton going for a walk, and losing all his bones along the way so that he has to be picked up and put back together again. This is a really great story for kids who like a bit of a challenge in fun and visual ways. The pictures lead us all around the night time town, following the skeletons as they try to sort out the skeleton dog. The illustrations are really quirky and innovative in places which I think makes this book really stand out from the crowd.

6. Usborne Book of Farmyard Tales

The Usborne Book of Farmyard Tales is by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright. There are a few different editions around from what I've seen, so you need to make sure you buy the one that suits your own kid. The one we've got is the original format I believe, with short stories and lots of small print text for adults to read. The other, newer versions I've seen with slightly varying names (same authors) have large print text with shorter stories for kids to read themselves. We love this book because we can dip in and out of familiar characters within a series of different stories. There are loads of animals on every page, which the grandson approves of, and the stories are short, chirpy and well written. There's also a fun little 'find the duck' game to play on every page.

5. The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo is by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It tells the story of a little mouse wandering through the forest one day. On his way, he meets lots of scary animals, but he's not afraid of them. He's not afraid because he tells them he's on his way to meet a Gruffalo, and the Gruffalo is a big scary monster who likes to eat whichever animal the little mouse happens to be speaking to. We love the way this story flows so smoothly, with lots of clever rhymes throughout. There are bright, colourful and bold illustrations on every page too, including a scary but friendly looking Gruffalo.

4. Dance of the Dinosaurs

Dance of the Dinosaurs is by by Colin Hawkins and Jacqui Hawkins. It's a lovely large picture book that's filled with some really bright and appealing illustrations. The story is written in a fast-paced rhyme that's really easy to get swept along with. It's all about a group of children who travel off into the sky to find out how a storm is made. And of course, as we all know, a storm is made by dinosaurs dancing! There are loads of great crashing and thrashing words in this book that really help to make this story come alive. It's fun for kids to listen to, and it's fun for adults to read too.

3. Cuddly Dudley

Cuddly Dudley by Jez Alborough tells the story of a penguin called Dudley who is just so cuddly. All his brothers and sisters won't leave him alone, they can't - he's just too cuddly to resist! One day Dudley goes off alone and finds a little wooden house to live in. But oh no, there's a great big man at the door - and he wants to cuddle Dudley too! So Dudley runs off and quickly finds himself lost and alone. It isn't for long though, as his brothers and sisters soon reappear wanting more cuddles if Dudley has finished being alone now. This book is written in really great rhymes, and there's lots of boldly printed words to add depth and emphasis to the story as well. The pictures aren't the best I've seen by Jez Alborough but the grandson absolutely loves them, especially all the penguins.

2. Hit the Ball Duck

Hit the Ball Duck is also by Jez Alborough, and probably my absolute favourite children's book to read. There's something about it that's just so much fun! The rhymes flow readily and there's no awkward or uncomfortable pauses anywhere in this book for me. I love the use of the little repeated phrases like "with a hop, and a step, and a one, two, three..." in particular. The illustrations are bright and welcoming, with the star of the book being Duck from Jez Alborough's popular Duck in a Truck series. In this story, Duck in his over-zealous typical manner manages to get the gang's baseball stuck up in a tree. This is quickly followed by their bat and glove too! The gang have to work together to get it down, which I think is a great way of teaching kid's about team work.

1. This is the Bear

This is the Bear by Sarah Hayes and Helen Craig is number one in our house at the moment. We all think that little Fred Bear is a handsome, cheeky little chap. The story is written in a really great rhyming manner, in large print that early readers will be able to manage unaided. It follows poor Fred Bear as he winds up in the bin getting carted off to the dump. He's really cross about it, but all is forgiven once he's home and cleaned up and ready for bed. In fact he can't wait for his next day out! The funny little speech bubbles add amusement here, especially for the adults reading the story, and the illustrations are simple but attractive.

So that's my top ten children's books, and this is probably the longest review I think I have ever written (or ever will!). As you can probably tell, we've read a lot of books and will continue to do so in the months and years to come. No matter how old I get, nothing can replace for me the simplistic genius of a well written children's book. And I love to think that I'm doing my best to help instill a life-long love of books into a young lad while I'm enjoying myself along the way.

Summary: Highly Recommended