Utterly Fantastic Fan Mail!

Yes! I did it! I was reading Clarice Bean Utterly Me, when I had this utterly amazing idea: To write to Lauren Child! (My absolute favourite writer in the history of utterly amazing writers!) 

So I asked my bestest friend in the whole widest world what she thought, and then it hit me! (Yet another utterly amazing idea!) We could both write to her, she LOVES Lauren Child too, so it works out.

 

So, we wrote the letter, and we included a drawing that we did. I was quite proud.

 And we even decorated both sides of the envelope!

Here is one side:

And here is the other side:

 

Writing fan mail is so much fun!

Have you ever sent fan mail to a favourite author? 

  Sorry for the photo quality!

:D

Pseudo Celebrity

Ahem. Hello. It's me. I know. I haven't been around lately. I won't go into a looooong boring story about where I have been, BUT I will apologize. I apologize.
I am soooooooo SORRY!

Is that a tear I see? It's ok. I am here. Shh. I am here.

Let's move on, shall we? Stop looking back? Look to the future? A future filled with blog posts about books and book cases and book nooks. Yes. That is what we will do. Look to the future bookish posts. That's why you are my favorite reader. You are always so positive.





Awhile back, my kids' school hosted Celebrity Readers. The idea was to get exemplary people from the community and have them read to a few classes. They would explain why they loved reading, how it made them successful, and whatever else they thought may inspire young people and their spongy little brains. Our future, if you will.

So. Being the world famous blogger that I am, I volunteered. Actually, it was more like, "If you need readers to fill in, I'd be happy to come in. Just FYI: I'm NOT a celebrity. And I am not particularly exemplary. I will, however, sign autographs."

I did, of course, mention that I love to read and, in fact, participate in a witty, fresh, and unique book blog. The organizer was im.pressed. Actually, she did like it. I sent her a link and I was IN, baby!

I got to read for both of my kids' classes. It was fairly easy to find a book for my first grader. But how do you choose a picture book for fifth graders? I asked the school librarian. No help. The books she had chosen, to me, were boring (Yes, I said it. Books a librarian chose were boring. I know that's sacrilege). So, I went online in search of books for fifth graders. It was still difficult, since I had to read reviews and reviews and make trips to our library to find something funny but not too babyish, not too adult, AND that could be read within 15 minutes.

"Wait a minute," you are saying. "Too adult? How could that be?" Excellent question. I am glad you asked. Well, many picture books that I found are, for example, studied in college classes. They use to them analyze attitudes and cultures and child psychology, et cetera, et cetera. And so it seems the author wrote them more for adults than children. Anywho.

Here are the books I chose for my kids.



Scapegoat by Dean Hale, illustrated by Michael Slack.

For my first grader, I chose Scapegoat.

This is the cutest story. It is about a goat named Oat and how she gets blamed for everything bad that happens.

As you can see in the title, the -oat is used throughout. Very helpful for teaching those vowel combinations.
The illustrations were bright and funny. The words had a nice rhythm.

Bottom line: the kids loved the story and asked me to read it twice! Even the teacher was laughing.






The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups
by David Wisniewski 

For my fifth grader, I found The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups.

Ok. This story was hilarious. It finally reveals the real reasons behind all of our rules. Why do we tell kids to eat their vegetables and drink their milk and not to pick their noses?



Life as we know it could end otherwise.



Check out this book for all the details. But I warn you, there are those that would like to keep this a secret, so be very careful!

Bottom line: at first the kids were fidgety. But a few paragraphs in and I had their full attention. They were giggling and "ewwwing", and crept closer to see the pictures. The teacher even stopped her work a few times to listen and laugh.

I am really proud of schools these days. They are really stressing reading, and getting the community involved in these projects is a great idea. I just wish more parents and neighbors would take half an hour occasionally and get involved.

What about you? Do you have a recommendations for next year? Have you participated in a project like this? If there is nothing like this in your local schools, maybe you could take the initiative. Everyone loves being read to, and it's a lot of fun for the reader as well!

Alice-Miranda At Sea!

Hey!

 So sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I finished reading Alice-Miranda At Sea, (awhile ago!) and found it was just fabulous. (As all Alice-Miranda books are.)

 The story is about a little girl named Alice-Miranda, and her aunt is getting married. And, of course, the wedding is on a private cruise boat that her other "aunt", Auntie Gee owns. (She isn't actually her aunt, but it's one of those special-connection things, Oh and her aunt is royal!) But there is a twist, there's a stow-away on the ship... Who? Well thats for you to find out!

This book is filled with lots of drama, mystery and intrigue. I recomend this for ages 8 to 12. 

Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child

Hello! Adele here!Remember the books that I wished for a couple of weeks ago?

Guess what?!  I went shopping and found both of the books: Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes and Alice-Miranda at Sea.

Of course, I bought them immediately and I've just finished reading Ruby Redfort.




Here is my review!

Ok,  the story line is that there is a girl, Ruby, from a wealthy family and her best friend is named Clancy Crew. 


Ruby is a code cracking genius, and when a suspicious butler, Hitch, comes along she has a "hunch" that he's not a butler. 

And, of course he's not. 

Hitch is an agent for a spy agency called "Spectrum". And when Ruby finds out why he's there , she gets an invitation to join Spectrum...

I won't spoil any more for you.

It is a fantastic book, with lots of mystery and intrigue.  I'm really into mysteries at the moment.

Ruby Redfort is perfect for 8 to 13 year olds. But, of course, whether you're 30 or 6, you can read it if you really want to.

I'm just about in the middle of Alice-Miranda at Sea, so I will review it soon.

Ok, gotta go read!

C:

Wishing For Books! By Adele, Our Newest Contributor!

Hello! I am Adele. I am 10 years old. You may have seen my guest review: English Roses by Madonna. I am extremely happy to become an official contributor!

 So, here is my first official Baja post.

I am soooooo excited at the moment!

My favourite author (or at least ONE of my favourites), Lauren Child, has a new book out!

You see, Clarice Bean is a book I am absolutely CRAZY about, and in the books Clarice is CRAZY about a book called Ruby Redfort. Clarice Bean has TV shows, badges and all sorts of things about Ruby Redfort.

Lauren Child FINALLY made a book of the book within the book! It's called, 'Ruby Redfort, Look Into My Eyes'.  I collect Lauren Child's books and I just have to have it!


Another one of my favourites is Alice Miranda by Jacqueline Harvey.

 I have all the books apart from that last one with the green cover. Its a new one and I'm trying to find it. 

So many books to buy!

**************************

Are there any books you are wishing for?  Please share. And to see more wishlists, please visit these linky parties:

Wishlist Wednesday hosted by Pen to Paper
On My Wishlist hosted by Book Chick City (Saturday link-up)

Bargain Book Bonanza (27): More Newbery Books!

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!


Welcome, bargain loving friends!

If you've been thinking: That lazy, Lesa! Where is BBB? Didn't she photograph all her bargain books for future BBB posts into infinity?

Well, yes and yes. I am lazy and I did photograph all my bargain books. But the computer had to be wiped. Thank goodness, my photos are safe on an external harddrive, whew! Still such a pain since everything had to be reloaded including my photo editing programs ect. Hub handles all that and it takes awhile (he is on the lazy side too).

Anyhoo, I'm now back in BBB biz.

So this week selection adds to my growing collection of Newbery winners and honor books...




Two paperbacks (.20 each) and one hardback (.50) from Goodwill 


Have you read any of these?

The only one I've read is Charlotte's Web. It is a fave from my childhood and I can't wait to read it to my little boy.

UH OH! He just ran in, saw the photo and said: Charlotte's Web! My teacher read that to us!

That is okay. He enjoys a reread as much as his mama and I'm thrilled he has such a wonderful bookloving teacher. I liked my first grade teacher but she didn't read cool books like that to the class. Did yours?  Actually, I only remember the school librarian reading picture books to the class. Hmm... I'm thinking my early education was deprived! 


If you have a bargain book, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (25): Mrs. K's Yard Sale Gamble!

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

Hello, friends!  I'm so excited to share a BBB from the lovely Mrs. K! 

Just who in the world is Mrs. K, you ask? Well, she is the fun and fabulous librarian at one of my schools.  

Mind you,  I like all the librarians in my life but I think Mrs. K might just be my favorite.  (And not just because she lets me have my pick of the school library discards... really, that isn't why)


Typically, we chat via notes left under the computer keyboard and only get to visit in person a couple of times a year since we work at this school on different days of the week. Last week, Mrs. K worked on my day of the week.  What a pleasant surprise!

And what fun!  We talked and laughed all day (between work tasks, of course) and never ran out of topics-- mostly bookish topics but not all.

Ah, good conversation with a kindred spirit...

As the conversation turned to bargain books, Mrs. K showed me her recent spectacular yard sale find.   

(Sorry no photo of Mrs. K yet-- she is a bit camera shy but said I could take a photo of her on book fair day-- that is a snazzy day for school librarians)

A set of eight brand new never read Magic Tree House books for one dollar! One dollar! Can you believe it?! That is like twelve cents a book!

This set was a bit of gamble even at one dollar since the  books were bound as a set in very dirty raggedy plastic that looked as though it had been wet. But the books are absolutely pristine! 

Kudos, Mrs. K! You are a bargain book shopper extraordinaire!

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Storytime Challenge:Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, Que Ves Ahi? by Bill Martin

It's been awhile since I have contributed to the storybook challenge. I haven't stopped reading to my little ones, just haven't posted about it.

I actually have a little challenge of my own happening right now. I am trying to teach my middle son Spanish.The background on the whys will be in one of my next posts.

One of my biggest goals in this is to get my son reading the language. Reading is, in my opinion, the key to learning any language. More on that in the next post!

So, in search of books. Well, my mom asked if she could buy presents for my kids. Yes, but they have to be books. Buy Spanish books for Nico, please. (See? I said please.) After a little grumbling about trains and tea sets, she agreed, and set off for Barnes and Noble. 

Well, I don't know if you have perused B&N for Spanish books for children, but there just isn't a lot at these stores. She bought several, but they were either too difficult or too boring for my son. He's a beginning reader in English and more than, say, twenty Spanish words on a page is overwhelming. 

So, I returned quite a few and got a gift card. Then I got online. Now, there are a TON of books in Spanish for beginners!

I selected, among others, a few books by Bill Martin. He wrote Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? I purchased the Spanish version: Oso pardo, oso pardo, ¿qué ves ahí?

I must admit, I never looked at these books in English. My boys were interested in trains, specifically Thomas, so I never looked for other things to read to them. I am so glad I got these!

After I received the books, I flipped through them to see if these would help me, or I should just pass them on as pretty books to my 2 year old. 

They are perfect! The illustrations are very pretty (or as mi suegro me dijo, "Que lindo!", and then began yelling about the weather or something. Los Argentinos. They yell. A lot. Anywhere. We go to a restaurant with my in-laws. "This bread is good. My mother made bread like this." ~ "Your mother never made bread like this." ~ "Hey! I think I know what my mother made!" ~ "How do you know what she made??!! You were never home!!! Always off having fun!!" ~ "FINE, MY LOVE!! FINE!! <mumbling> I don't know what I am talking about?! This woman doesn't know anything!" Then they both look at me and roll their eyes at the other one...) Uhhh...where was I? Oh, yeah. Books. Yes. Pictures. Yes. The pictures are very pretty, but the good thing is they don't distract!

This is exactly what I need! These books help in several ways: building vocabulary, learning colors, verb conjugation (you see, I see, they see, we see), and the repetition allows Nico to get comfortable with sounds and the rhythm of reading. 

At first, I read these to him, only asking him to read one word on each page. Then I had him read the "Animal, animal" que ves ahi? parts alone. Last night he read the entire book ALONE! It took for. ever. But he did it. I was sooooo proud of him!

But did Nico enjoy reading it? Let's ask him.

Nico, do you like this book? Oh, yeah! Yeah!

What is your favorite part? The bear. It's so...so...so meat-eatery.

Do you want to read it again? Yeah.

What language are you reading? Spanish.

Are you happy that you can read in Spanish? Yes. Because... Because I want to talk in Spanish.

Yep, I think we are making progress! Whew!

How about you? Are you reading any good books? Do your in-laws yell in restaurants?

Scholastic Book Club and Dinner Dictionary

Warning-- silly, base and scatological humour ahead. Read at your own risk.

We often read at the table after dinner.  Sometimes even during dinner.  We're so literary.  Tonight Dellylu brought her Scholastic Book Club catalogs to the table to browse.  

 

She first commented on the pony series, comprising I Want a Pony, A Pony for Keeps, A Pony in Trouble, Give Me Back My Pony, Pony to the Rescue, Too Many Ponies, Runaway Pony, Goodbye Pony, The Wild Pony, Don't Hurt Me, Pony, Keep Out Pony, and Circus Pony.  The entire set is on sale for only $45, a savings of $86.88 (a BBB post, maybe?).  She reckons the best one of the series must be Too Many Ponies, because there are definitely too many.

 

Then Izzy commented on the fine book, Dr Proctor's Fart Powder.  We laughed at the title and the blurb, which reads, 'Nilly and Lisa must help Dr Proctor keep his super-strength Fart Powder safe from the neighbourhood bullies!'   Since Hubby is the only boy in the house we found the idea of a fart book hilarious.  I tried to tell them about proctology and the pun with the Dr's name, but couldn't find the word in our dictionary. It was in Wikipedia.

So then Hubby commented on a set he found, saying, 'Here are some books about ponies who don't eat enough fibre. It's called Magic Ponies Bind Up.' 

Storytime: LEGO DUPLO On the Farm (DK READERS)

This is a really fun series for LEGO fans! And who isn't a LEGO fan? It's especially great for us parents - the fun of LEGOs, without the pain of stepping on them in the middle of the night. Or is that just me??

OUCH!

These books come in different reading levels. We read "Around Town", and my little boy liked it so much, I checked this one out as well.

Basically it is a simple story of the farm and the animals, and it spends a sufficient amount of time talking about tractors and combines (more on that later). Machinery! Oh yeah! That was the highlight! 

The illustrations are photographs of farm-y stuff that some grown up children constructed (could you imagine that job?).

The stories are simple and easy to follow. There is a lot of repetition of words, which is good, but sometimes the choice of words to be stressed is, in my humble opinion, odd!  

For example, "combine harvester" was used in three consecutive sentences. Yes, combine harvester. The story goes from "Cows go 'moo'." to "combine harvesters". There! I've used combine harvesters thre-, no, FOUR times! Just thought it was a leetle odd.

So, what does my motivationally challenged 6 year old think? 

"Good." 

Um, could you expound on that, darling? 

"I like the, uhhh, farmer. And the horses. The animals have to eat. Yeah. Heh. Yeah."

Alrighty, folks! You heard it here first! It is "Good." Check it out!

So what books are you reading little ones tonight?

That Black Sheep and Where is the Green Sheep

I have written about Where is the Green Sheep before, but I'd like to revisit it. Because there's something in our national news and something in Lesa's recent posts that remind me of the book. And, I like it and Lesa said I could write about whatever I like. So...

Has the 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' debate been reported in the US media like it has in the Aussie? Some nursery schools are changing the lyrics because of (IMHO) an over-wrought sense of political correctness. Rumour has it that the rhyme alludes to the slave trade, and some people are taking matters into their own hands by changing the words to a childhood classic. Our Black Sheep becomes a Rainbow sheep in the new version.

Wikipedia (the oracle of all truth) dismisses the assertion that 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' has anything to do with that nefarious time in history, which makes any debate seem ridiculous.

Aussie author Mem Fox created a classic when she wrote Where is the Green Sheep. It's repetitive and it rhymes, which Lesa says is great for children. It's also simple and funny, with all different kinds of sheep; a plethora of multicultural sheep. There's Train Sheep, Music Sheep, Brave Sheep and Near Sheep. Surely no-one will be offended by the Near Sheep, especially when she gets equal billing with the Far Sheep.

Look, there's even a bi-lingual version for all our bi-lingual bloggy families!

So, don't sing an old-fashioned nursery rhyme to your kids: read Where is the Green Sheep, and you'll be safe from the PC Police.

Linking to the Picture Book Challenge
hosted by There's a Book.

Storytime: iBaby: Goodnight, Baby illustrated by Ana Martin Laranaga

My mother gave Miss Nina the sweetest board book. 

 

The sun has set, the stars are out, the animals are in the barn.

Time to say goodnight to all the babies on the farm.

As you read each page, your little one tucks all the babies into their beds.

My little girl is about 2 1/2 and just loves this book. Each baby animal is attached to the book with a ribbon and she has to find the right baby and put it in the right place - piglet, chick, puppy, lamb, and a baby. That's her favorite - the baby at the end. (It looks like a boy, but he is in yellow, so you could get away saying it's a girl if it is important to your little one. Maybe scribble on a bit more hair?)

Nina absolutely does not let me help her find and place the babies. She squeals at each page, "Ohhh, the baby is so cute, Mama. Aww, look at the baby, Mama. Babies sleeping. Shhhhh, Mama. Babies sleeping."

Which brings me to my one complaint with the book. It states on the back that it is "perfect for bedtime." In our case, not so much. She gets too excited looking at the babies and the animals and squealing and oohing and awing...it's a bit hard to get her to wind back down again. I save this for during the day!

This is most appropriate (and recommended for) under 3. Maybe you could stretch it to 4 years, but I think an older child would get bored too quickly with this one.

All in all, we enjoy the book. It has a sweet little rhyme on each page. Nina is so happy to put the babies in bed over and over, and it doesn't drive me crazy reading it a few times each day. It's a win for us!

Check it out if you have little ones. I think you will enjoy reading this one to them too.

 

Bargain Book Bonanza (2)

Welcome to the second edition of Bargain Book Bonanza! 

Many thanks to last week's BBB participants.

 BBB is a linky party to showcase all the great books that we book lovers score on sale. 

Each Monday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

New and used books welcome!

BBB book(s) do not have to be current purchases. If a past book bargain did not get the bravo it deserved from your real life friends/family, claim your bragging rights now!  

 To join the party:

  

1. Grab the BBB button

2. Post your own BBB post

 3. Come back and link your BBB post to Mr. Linky (open Sunday-Thursday) 

4. Say Howdy! We will howdy back!

5. Mingle with other BBB guests! Make some new friends!

  

Easy as buying a bargain book!!

Lesa's Bargain Book Bonanza

Do you recognise this display?

It is at Big Lots!  Do any of you shop at Big Lots?  It is a closeout retail chain which basically means it is  just a high falutin' pallet store or bent can store. 

Big Lots sells a little bit of everything even furniture but the only items I usually purchase are toys, garden items, imported foods and... BOOKS!

New books for three dollars! Now that is a bargain book bonanza!!

The book bin varies from visit to visit. Sometimes it contains more fiction; other times more nonfiction. Sometimes I don't find any books appealing enough to buy even for three dollars but it is always fun rummaging through the bin.   

Here is one of my BBB finds from Big Lots...

Isn't it lovely?  My Guardian Angel may actually be one of the prettiest book  I own. And don't worry the price tag peels off with no sticking.

 I don't buy a book just for the cover though. The synopsis has to capture my imagination as well. 

 Crusaders are burning Jewish homes in 1096 Troyes, France.  Elvina, the feisty twelve year old granddaughter of the great Rabbi Rashi, can read and write and speaks with her Guardian Angel constantly.  On a day when she is alone three soldiers pound at the door. One is wounded. Elvina has only a moment to make a difficult decision that could put the entire community at risk.

Ooo, sounds like a good story to me. Have any of you read it?  I'd never heard of it but the inside cover says it won the Prix Sorcieres, France's most prestigious award for children's literature.

The beautiful cover and synopsis sold me completely but when I peeked under the dust jacket...

I was doubly and triply sold! Sold to the nth degree! 

Is that not the coolest cover ever for a story set in the 11th century?! 

Love both covers and I'm so excited to read Elvina's story.

Be sure to scope out Big Lots for a book bargain!

Can't wait to see everyone else's BBB!

A Guest Review by Dellylu: The English Roses by Madonna

The ladies of Mrs. BG are tickled pink to present a guest review by Dellylu!  

Dellylu says:

I am crazy about Clarice Bean, writing, fashion, books and my best friend. I also like Alice in Wonderland but not nearly as much as my sister (Izzy).  I utterly love using the word utterly.

Dellylu is DeLynne's youngest daughter so, of course, she is an amazingly talented and delightful young lady.  Yes, we are biased but it is true! 

Dellylu is nine and her new blog,  I think...,  is a welcome addition to the blogosphere. She plans to write about  books, games, clothes, school, and other girl stuff.  The pillow she posted of her first sewing project is too cute.

If you have tween girls in your life, please direct them to Dellylu's blog.

Without futher ado, Dellylu's review:

My Grandma sent me a Angus and Robertson gift card for Christmas. I ordered The English Roses by Madonna and with pictures by Jeffrey Fulvimari.

It finally came and when it did I was utterly thrilled. The illustrations are sooo pretty. I also liked the bright colours. This book is so perfect for 9 to 12 year old girls.

This book is about 4 girls who do everything together.

But, there is a new girl named Binah and the English Roses are jealous of her.

Binah is very very beautiful, she is an excellent student and very good at sports,  she is very kind too.

 But Binah is lonely, she has no friends.  The English Roses are avoiding and ignoring her. This book tells a story of how The English Roses become friends with Binah.

Linking to the Read to Me Picture Book Challenge hosted by There's a Book!

Storytime: Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward

Talon's February offering for the Read to Me Picture Book Challenge is Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward.


This book was purchased at the Scholastic Book Fair a couple of years ago. As soon as I saw it, I knew  Talon would love it. A cute kitty that gets into one 'cat'astophe after another. Yep, great toddler fare!

Here is Talon's vlog review. Warning: may cause motion sickness. No tripod, a rocking chair and a book circling: Watch at your own risk! 





If you didn't make it through the vlog, here is a synopsis.  Talon says this book is about Cookie, a cat that causes a mess every day of the week. Everytime, Cookie has an accident something goes everywhere.

Talon thinks the book is funny. At age three, he laughed hysterically over Monday's accident: Poor Cookie fell in the toilet and water went everywhere! 

Now at the more mature age of five, he laughs at Wednesday's accident: Cookie upset the trash can and garbage went everywhere!  Talon and I get tickled imagining an aggravated trash can! In Oklahoma, we say 'knocked over' or 'tumped over'.

Talon says he has learned something from this book: Do not do what Cookie does!

This book is a great choice for parents or early childhood teachers to read to children age two to 6 for storytime.

Little ones can relate to a curious kitty innocently exploring the environment and inadverdently creating mess after mess. Cause and effect and days of the week are portrayed in a fun way.

I read Cookie's Week to the entire three year old Head Start class when I'm off schedule and can't see speech/language students individually. They love Cookie's antics.

Don't tell the author that I add an 'UH OH!'  between each of Cookie's explorations and the resultant accident to improve the flow and drama of the narrative. 

 A repetive catch phrase is a language therapy trick to entice kids with limited verbal skills to verbalise more. All kids love catch phrases, whether they are delayed or not. It makes the storytelling experience interactive and the whole class almost knocks me over shouting 'UH OH!'.  (the 'everywhere' at the end of each accident is also repetitive and shoutable)

The illustrations are cute softly colorful watercolors. Funny and realistic that most pages only show a paw or tail sticking out of a mess or disappearing around a door as Cookie scampers off to the next disaster.

Talon and I highly recommend Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward.

And we both hope that on Sunday, Cookie rests... but we have our doubts.

Dog In, Cat Out

This is one of my favourite books. It's only got four words in the text, but I just love the story.

Dog In Cat Out by Gillian Rubinstein is an Aussie book without being overtly kookaburra- and kangaroo-infested. It recounts the day of a family, from the first member up to the last one to bed. The family depicted here remind me so much of friends of ours who live nearby. The house is gently old and rambling. Mum stays at home with Bub and pegs out the washing. Kids wear their uniforms and bike to school. Dad does the dishes. And in amongst all this the family's dog and cat go in and out, out and in.

Because the text consists entirely of these four words this is the first book read by countless Aussie children, my girls included. Also, on every page there is a cuckoo clock with the two pets in the appropriate position and the time shown. It's a great clue to the proto-reader to see the animals in or out of the clock, and to have the text against a white background in the same position on each page. And they can start learning to tell analogue time, too.

But this is not just an educational book. This is a gentle family and animal book that has lots to talk about. Children can talk about what happens in the illustrations and laugh at the things that go wrong. They can compare the daily routine in their own house to the one in the book.