Another year, another reading challenge!

Elmer’s Special Day. David Mckee. The sequel to the original where even more of the jungle get involved in Elmer’s day! A lovely read.

Little Miss Hug. Roger Hargreaves. Well, it’s a nice story. But we’ve had a conversation about how it’s not OK to hug people if they say no. Even if you think it would be best for them!

I Know A Monkey. Louise Tate. A very special book which reminds us of a very special monkey! Truly delightful, and one to return to over and over again.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers. Jesse Sutanto. A cracking read, would recommend. It’s funny, clever, keeps you guessing and I just fell in love with Vera!

Mole’s Bedtime Story. David Wood and Richard Fowler. An absolute favourite from my childhood, and I’m delighted to have found a copy for Sophia! We love moving Mole through the different rooms in the story and seeing him eventually tucked up in bed!

Uh-oh, It’s The Unicorns. Igloo Books. A lovely story about brightening up the world you live in. Sophia liked the rhyming.

Marie Curie – Little People Big Dreams. Isabel Sánchez Vegara. Sophia loved listening to a story all about the lady who wanted to be a scientist rather than a princess! What an inspiring person.

Little Miss Brainy. Rodger Hargreaves. A good story. Not only is little Miss Brainy brainy, she’s also a fast leaner!

Thomas and Friends: George. W Awdry. Although I much prefer the original Thomas stories, I do like a narrative where a character learns a lesson, and two do here!

Queuing For The Queen. Swéta Rana. A really lovely book that I would read again. Estranged mother and daughter Rani and Tania decide to break the silence and queue together to see the late Queen lying in state. They meet interesting people along the way, and slowly their story unfolds.

Snap! Snap! Colin and Jaqui Hawkins. We liked this cute book about monsters and the little girl eventually ending up back in her bed.

Goat Goes To Playgroup. Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt. Sophia loved looking at the different characters and animals, and thinking about what she gets up to at nursery too! We also liked how Goat didn’t stick to the rules or do things conventionally.

Dial A For Aunties. Jesse Sutando. A good fun nook that kept surprising me! I was rooting for Meddie and Nathan from the beginning, and I love the dynamics between all the aunties.

The Magic Paintbrush. Julia Donaldson. A different, but none the less brilliant, Donaldson book. We loved the rhyming and the moral of the story. Definitely one to come back to.

The Lord Is My Shepherd. Hans Wilmhelm. The most beautiful adaptation of Psalm 23 I’ve ever seen. With easy to understand prose and gorgeous pictures, we all love it!

Sammy Striker and the Football Cup. Catherine Emmett & Joe Berger. A brilliant, inspiring book with a great message. Wonderful to see a children’s book about girls in sport!

Four Aunties and a Wedding. Jesse Sutanto. Argh, I really expected and wanted to love this. I just didn’t. In fact, I spent a good chunk of time looking forward to it being over. The first book was so good, ridiculous but heart warming too. But this one was so over the top and too much time was spent on one story line with a big plot flaw. Not for me, I’m afraid.

What an Angel! Susie Linn & Natalia Moore. A brilliant little book about thinking outside the box and following your passions.

A Quiet Night In. Jill Murphy. Another lovely book in the Large Family series. I like the idea of the children taking themselves to bed! We’ve been reading it for a while but for some reason forgot to log it.

Dream Big! Bodhi Hunter & Louise Ellis. Absolutely adorable. A book all about being whatever you want to be and having big dreams.

Rosie. W Awdry. Another story from Thomas and his friends. It’s nice that Rosie admires Thomas so much, and we liked that Thomas came to appreciate it in the end.

Disney Encanto My Busy Book. Phidal Publishing. We like the movie very much and enjoyed reading a story which didn’t just relay the plot, but told us even more about the characters.

Go Gently. Bonnie Wright. I picked this book because I care about the environment, and I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, so I wanted to see what Bonnie Wright had to say. I really enjoyed the book. I took my time over it so I could digest the information and ideas. I found the science at the beginning quiet heavy going and I’d have struggled if the book had been like that all the way through. But with the interviews and practical ideas, the rest of the book flew by. I’ve got various ideas about what I could do moving forward. A good read.

Numbers. Sue Hendra. Children’s books are often cute and interactive or more educational, but this is both! Definitely one to read again.

God Knows All About Me. Kate Toms. A very lovely book that we found in a church and Sophia asked for over and over again!

Lessons in Chemistry. Bonnie Garmus. I can see why people are raving about this book. There are interesting characters, plot twists, really funny moments and a sense of injustice being fought. I loved the voice of the dog, Six-Thirty and and conversations between science and religion. I also raged at the kind of things that women experienced not that long ago. A really good book and I’d love to read a sequel!

Dear Chocosaur. Chae Strathie. It’s funny how certain books weren’t a hit with Sophia when we first bought them, but now she’s a big fan! This is such a book. I think it’s easier for her now she can follow storylines better. Anyway, we love the idea of the dinosaurs in the museum eating chocolate!

Princess Poppy: Mermaid Princess. Janey Louise Jones. Another nice story in this series, and good to see Poppy growing up and being kind! It’s still amazing how she manages to come first in everything though…

How To Catch A Star. Oliver Jeffers. A cute book with nice pictures, encourages use of imagination and does what it says on the tin.