The Reading Adventures of Jessicat Magnificat

In which Jessicat has her portrait drawn...

2010-02-19T20:42:00.002Z

We attendend a special storytime at the library this morning. It was led by local children's author/illustrator Thomas Docherty. We've read 3 of his books: "Little Boat", "To the Beach" and "The Big Scary Monster", all of which are suitable for 2 - 5 year olds. The books don't have a huge amount of text, but big pictures which draw children in. The stories are simple, but contain themes that really resonate wiht Jess: "Scary Monster" for example, is all about making friends and how to treat them. Tom was brilliant at entertaining a lively crowd of pre-schoolers, and managed to hold their attention pretty well for nearly an hour (no mean feat). He read his books aloud, but used pictures, interaction and some big monster hands to make it an interactive and involving experience for the kids. Nice bloke, and we will definitely look for more of his books. He finished off by doing individual drawings for all the children who wanted them, so Jessicat is now the proud owner of a drawing of her being chased by the eponymous scary monster.

Managed to get a lunch out in Sainsbury's cafe (oh the glamour of parenthood) with Zoe and her kids. All in all, a top day. Shame about Jess's cold and unending stream of snot. She's now in bed after her milk and medised chaser.

Jessicat can read to me!

2010-02-16T19:08:00.002Z

Well, sort of! On our trips to Mr B's Emporium of Book Delights (wonderful bookshop in Bath - google it), she always requested that I read a book entitled "Good Egg" by Barney Saltzburg. It's a very simple book about an egg that does tricks before a chick hatches out on the final page. A simple concept, but Jess loved the interactive elements, as the book is constructed in such a way that you can move the egg around. There are few words in it, and the text consists mainly of the phrase "good egg". Anyway, Dave and I bought Jessicat her own copy for Christmas, and she quickly memorised the text and begged to read it to us! Even though, strictly speaking, this isn't proper reading, she felt so proud of herself, and all of us enjoyed this reversal in our normal roles.

Hello once more

2010-02-15T19:05:00.002Z

It's been a good few months since I last blogged, as I was finding the pressures of work and parenthood left me with little time to keep the blog up to date. But I'm keen to start again, partly because I think I can make enough time to keep it going, but mostly because I'm loving the time that Jess and I spend together reading, and I want to keep a record of this for both our sakes. It's been a busy 6 months. Jessicat is now 3 and 3 months, and a strong willed and busy little girl.

Probably the biggest change in our lives recently has been Jess starting a pre-school, which happened last November. In spite of my anxieties about her separating from us, she has settled in well and appears to really enjoy her 3 mornings a week at The Village. It's a small, informally run group, and an ideal place for Jess to build up confidence and make some new friends (quite a challenge for my timid little girl). There is little by way of formal instruction (rightly so at this age IMO), but lots of painting, crafts and pretend play. Jessicat's best friend is her neighbour Rex, and her favourite activity so far is playing with the toy farm, and painting. She is beginning to recognize letters, and can probably sound out most letters, as well as becoming increasingly confident with counting objects up to 10 and recognizing most basic shapes.

We have a slightly longer bedtime routine now. Jessicat still goes to bed at about 7.40pm after a story and milk, but now she is the proud owner of her own bedside cabinet and lamp, she likes to spend a short period in bed reading her books "just like Mummy and Daddy". Our book at bedtime tonight is one from the Charlie and Lola series "Whoops! But it wasn't me". I'm sure I'm not alone in being slow to realise that Lauren Child hasn't written the whole series, but Jess still enjoys the collage pictures and Lola's misdemeanours. She watches the TV adaptation on CBeebies and recently, we enjoyed a family outing to Cardiff to see the fantastic Lauren Child exhibition at the National Museum of Wales. Couldn't recommend this exhibition highly enough: lots of interactive elements for toddlers to enjoy, whilst parents could look at the artwork and learn more about CHild's unique style.

The range of books for children of Jessica's age is splendid, and time and energy permitting, I'd like to note down her reading experiences in this blog over the coming weeks and months.

Goodbye

2009-06-24T19:40:00.003+01:00

I will not be making any further entries to this blog for a while. Pressure of time is the main culprit. Thanks to those of you who added comments and followed Jessicat's reading adventures.....who knows, one day I may find the time and the inclination to begin again. Farewell.

Another good website...

2009-06-21T20:14:00.002+01:00

...this time devoted the the idea of dads spending more time reading books to their children.

http://www.readingdads.co.uk/site/

Very easy to navigate site, and it seems apt to feature this on Father's Day today. Jessicat had scribbled on some cards for Dave, and he had chosen a Porcupine tree CD, so we were well prepared here. Unfortunately, Dave had to spend the morning on cleaning and other household chores whilst I took Jess to Sunday school, but his day improved after a meal and relaxing afternoon at my mum's house.

Reading for June 2009

2009-06-14T13:56:00.004+01:00

"Once upon a time" - John Prater. Lovely book featuring lots of characters from nursery rhymes and fairy stories.

"Melrose and Croc" - Emma Chichester-Clark. Would be ideal to read this again in December, as it's set at Christmas time. Nice story about friendship and beautiful illustrations.

"Jungle Jive" - Tony Mitton. Great book, rollicking rhyme. Jessicat can knows some of it off by heart. We're familiar with some of Tony Mitton's poems from our anthologies of children's poetry, and this doesn't disappoint.

"Noah Built An Ark One Day" - Colin Hawkins. This book has flaps and strong rhymes. Jessicat is particulary fascinated by the final double page spread showing the inside of the ark, and likes to spend time studying this and speculating where she would sleep.

"Horatio's Bed" - Camilla Ashforth.

Some of our favourite hangouts of this summer so far have been:

Tiny Tearawayz soft play at Broadwalk Centre - great to meet up here with friends. This summer is the first time I see Jess going off to play independently, leaving me to chat and flick through magazines (surely one of the best ways of passing time?)

Starbucks - cookies, marshmallows, muffins, chocolate coins etc. Nuff said.

Borders Bookshop - air conditioned paradise. What genius thought to put a sofa in the children's play area next to the colouring in table and train set? Give that man a pay rise!

The parks of St Annes, Arnos Vale and Keynsham - generally only bearable in short doses or the company of friends.

Broadmead and Cabot Circus - ELC! McDonalds! Water fountains! Waterstones! Pubs! We loves it!!!

Bath - no trip to Bath is complete without at least one of the following: a sojourn in the egg cafe, browsing in Bath library, cookie hunting in Ben's, reading and dog stroking in Mr B's. After years of a deeply rooted aversion, I've finally grown to love Bath and what it has to offer.

Not a Thomas fan

2009-06-11T19:04:00.002+01:00

I have just seen that Jessicat has opted for "Thomas and the Jet Engine" as one of her reads tonight. Ugh! Whilst I would never openly want to condemn any enjoyment of books she has, these aren't great for reading aloud. I think it is signicant that I can find no mention of the author's name on this book. The Thomas books do have merit when it comes to teaching colours and numbers, but the stories always seem to be so leaden and the characterisation so wooden that these are one of the few books that I don't enjoy sharing with Jess.

We also have a quick pictue book to read called "Zzzzzz - A book of sleep" by Il Sung Na, featuring pictures of lots of animals going to - you've guessed it! - sleep. I am really looking forward to introducing Jess to Dr Seuss and "The Cat in the Hat". I've never read it myself, so it will be new to both of us.

Bit disappointed to see only limited coverage of Anthony Browne's success in the papers. Maybe once he gets going properly in his new post, we will see some more media coverage. Anything that makes a change from MPs's expenses and Gordon Brown's woes would make a refreshing change.....

New Children's Laureate

2009-06-09T18:46:00.004+01:00

...is Anthony Browne! In celebration of today's announcement, Jessica and I are celebrating by reading one of his books as our bedtime read, "Gorilla". This is a poignant tale about a little girl whose Daddy is always too busy to play with her, but all comes right in the end. Our other read tonight is "Bear in a Chair" by Tim Healey.

We had a good weekend. Jessicat and I had our usual trip to Bath whilst Dave tackled the housework. Found a new shop selling the best cookies I have EVER tasted. At Jessicat's request, we paid our customary visit to the ELC and to the egg cafe. Hurrah for eateries with play areas; surely one of the most civilised developments in the history of eating out! And no trip to Bath feels complete without a visit to Mr B's Book Emporium, a wonderful and idiosyncratic bookshop. THeir children's area is fantastic. They have child sized chairs, a few cuddly toys, and a wonderful array of picture books, all displayed face out to tempt us in. Jess loves this pop up book called "Chick" by Ed Vere, and laughs out loud at the page where the chick poos!

In the afternoon, we went to the Festival of Nature at Bristol harbourside. I was really impressed by how much was laid on for children. Jessicat had a go at painting, colouring in, planting sunflower seeds and stroking a polecat. The day was slightly marred by Jess being in a grumpy mood. I just had the strongest yearning for wine and a session with the CJ Sansom novel that I'm into, so 7.30pm couldn't come round quick enough!

A motley collection...

2009-06-05T13:27:00.002+01:00

...of books this week.

"Nobody Laughs at A Lion" - Paul Bright. Appealing story about a lion who needs to find his talent (message there for grown ups as well, I think).

"Oliver Finds His Way" - Phyllis Root. Beautifully illustrated, very short story about a little bear who wanders too far from home, but is quickly reunited with his mum and dad. A cosy read, and one that with its autumnal pictures, makes me yearn to be snuggled up with Jessicat listening to rain and wind howling outside.

"Big Red Bath" - Julia Jarman. Written in rollicking, jaunty rhyme, I love reading this aloud, and it seems that Jess knows parts of it off by heart, as she is able to supply the missing word or phrase if I stop! A truly splendid book.

"A Rumpus in the Night" - Nick Ward. A rumpus is a friendly little monster who just won't stay in a dream where he belongs. Jessicat enjoys this story of the monster and the young boy causing havoc and having fun in the middle of the night, but I'm not sure she really "gets" the twist in the tale at the end, so probably a book to re-visit in a few months.

"Rufus and the Blackberry Monster" - Lisa Stubbs. Stories that deal with children feeling frightened but overcoming their fear are very reassuring to toddlers I think, and this is no exception. Jess talks about monsters and ghosts, but hasn't yet reached a stage of worrying about them.

"This is the Bear and the Picnic Lunch" - Sarah Hayes. A short story written in rhyming couplets. Fast paced and simple, but very effective, and I will definitely be looking to read the whole series with Jessicat.

"Jumpy Jack and Googily" - Meg Rosoff. Recently published book that we have managed to order from the library, this tells the tale of a nervous snail who asks his monster friend to check everyone for scary monsters. I think the irony of asking a monster to look for a monster completely escaped Jess, but she was still gripped by the story, and we will be looking out for more books for Meg Rosoff.

Summer has hit with a vengeance, and brought with it all the usual paraphanalia: annoying hayfever, Jess looking cute in shorts and sandals, fans in the bedroom (like last year, she is still scared of them!), yearning for different weather and darker nights etc etc (guess who's not a fan of this season?) We still put Jessicat to bed at 7.30pm, but it seems that the heat and the light nights combine to keep her awake and chatting away to herself to nearly 9pm. Which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't insist on still waking up before 6am on the odd occasion...

At least the midday nap has made a temporary re-appearance, which is giving me the time to blog today. Later on, we are off down town, to share a drink and a cake in Starbucks, and to browse in Borders (air conditioned, just heavenly). Anyway, the forecast is for a cooler and wetter weekend, so we live in hope. We are planning to take Jessicat to the Festival of Nature at the Harbourside on Saturday, and maybe to the market at the Tobacco Factory on Sunday.

Books as work of art

2009-05-26T18:40:00.003+01:00

Seem to be uncovering a few of these recently. Just been reading "Willy Dreams" by Anthony Browne, a magical book of few words but absolutely amazing pictures full of clever references and visual nods to the worlds of film, surrealist paintings and the art world in general. These references are completely wasted on a toddler, but make sharing the book a joint treat. Jessicat just enjoys trying to spot the bananas that are cleverly incorporated into the most unlikely of objects.

We've picked up another book today that takes major works of art as it's starting point. It's called "I Spy Colours In Art" by Lucy Micklethwaite, and features reproductions of many different - some famous, some less well known - works of art, and asks the toddler to identify various features e.g two blue eyes. Great way of exposing Jessicat to visual art, as whenever we try to go to a gallery or museum to look at paintings, she's invariably too excitable and distracted to look at the art work. Luckily, it seems that Lucy Micklethwaite has produced a whole series in this vain, so I have the prospect of a real visual feast in store!

Our other book for tonight is "How do dinosaurs eat their food?" by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. Jess, like so many toddlers, is going through a stage of being fascinated by dinosaurs, so it's always good to read something that ties in with her interests. Already, I am dreaming of weekend breaks in London where we take her to the Natural History museum to see the dinosaur skeletons (haven't been myself since I was 10). Is 3 the right age to begin taking city breaks???

Inspiring video footage from Bookstart

2009-05-25T19:16:00.003+01:00

Found this on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIyMBIAwvDU

I only hope the link works, as I'm not the most technically adept. If not, go into youtube and put "Maia reading" into the subject bar, and you should be directed to the appropriate clip. It shows parents sharing books with their little girl from babyhood into her toddler years. It's lovely footage that manages to encapsulate some of the closeness, fun and sheer joy that sharing books with children can involve.

Just about to embark on my usual bedtime reading with Jessicat. Today, we've got "One Day with Mum" by Helen Oxenbury (short, straightforward little stories that reflect everyday events in the life of an ordinary toddler), and a poetry compilation called "Along the Line With Bernard Cribbins". This anthology is full of short poems for children. It's strong on rhyme and contains a pleasing mix of favourites that can be found in almost any anthology for children and some more uncommonly chosen poems.

Not surprisingly, Jess is exhausted tonight. We met our friends, Zoe and Ian and their kids, to go to the @Bristol science museum this morning, and then after lunch, John and Sarah had invited us over for a BBQ. Jessicat always loves playing with Sean's trains and cars, and today they had their bouncy castle up - another winner. I'm always keen to encourage her to get exercise, for health reasons, and also because I belive in a link between a healthy body and a healthy mind. Doesn't seem to encourage me to do much sport mind.....

Well you asked me to post.

2009-05-24T15:38:00.002+01:00

Dave here. Following Barbeque and copious amounts of white wine Val, Cherry, Alison and Jessica are just about to depart leaving me with a glass of white wine and a surfeit of solace...no James Bond comments please!
It's very pleasant to be sat here with clear bue skies knowing that later on I shall be retreating to my Joe Hill short story anthology '20th Century Ghosts'. For thise who are interested I would recommend Joe Hill. His novel 'Heart Shaped Box' while not treading new ground is well written and paced and the anthology I am currently reading explores greater depths. For those who may be interested he is the son of Stephen King but has a voice of his own. I for one think he may end up more down the Ray Bradbury/Neil Gaiman line than following the Father's furrow but that can't be a bad thing can it?
I understand that Joe Hill's next book is going to be a graphic novel. No bad thing. Greater distance from Dad and ploughing a rich genre. Talking of graphic novels,I have just read 'Watchmen' at the behest of my brother (who is now in his 6th decade) --- and I loved it! Big issues dealt with in knowing terms and full of intelligence. If only all novels I read had as much soul. I will certainly not dismiss graphic novels in future. They are not a sub-genre to novels! Might have to investigate some Neil Gaiman in the graphic field. He wrote one called 'Signal to Noise'. I wonder if there is any relation to the Peter Gabriel song of the same name?
Anyway, family are all well and great. We had a fantastic day with Jessica in Bristol centre yesterday where we mooched, had an ice cream (flake and sauce included) and took a ferry ride in the harbour. Jess loved it.
Jessica comes on in leaps and bounds. She is trying to assert her independance more and more but loves stories, cuddles and someone to play with as much as ever. She is a star with her own fully defined character and personality....even if she does mix up Ribena and ballerina!
On a more sober note, the MPs expenses row has cast a long shadow over the political life of this country recently. It is so frustrating to hear those who represent the people try and excuse their behaviour in terms which do not connect with the electorate. The political system is rotten to the core. Even if it isn't against the rules the level of claiming and the items claimed for are unjustifiable in moral terms...particularly by those who would advise the manner in which we should live our lives. Hypocrites.
It's difficult to think in those teerms when listening to a blackbird's song and children's laughter in the distance. I just hope that they can pull it together, live by conviction and sort out the difficulties that face us economically and possibly more importantly, environmentally in the forthcoming years.
Back to the wine. I have recently signed up to Twitter and will be testing the value of that forum over the forthcoming weeks. I like to keep in touch where I can. Reminiscence is great but does not solve problems and keep you up to date with reality. The sepia tinted world has left - taken by the Langoliers perhaps?

Summer reading and a BBQ

2009-05-24T15:09:00.002+01:00

It doesn't get much more summery than this! I am sat out in our back garden, sipping from a glass of cool white wine, listening to my sister Alison reading a book to Jessicat (a Shirley Hughes, but I can't remember the exact title). Now, they are on to something by John Prater, with "Mister Magnolia" by Quentin Blake to follow. It's Sunday afternoon, the mood is mellow, there is a Bank Holiday tomorrow...great for us to be so relaxed.

Now we are the proud owners of a laptop, I'm hoping for more frequent updates, and to get Dave, Ali and others to comment or do guest posts.

PS - Hello NK, thanks for stopping by!

2009-04-17T14:15:00.003+01:00

PS - Hello NK, thanks for stopping by!

2009-04-17T14:15:00.001+01:00

Time still running away from me....

2009-04-17T14:05:00.002+01:00

...so I haven't been making entries to Jessicat's blog as often as I wanted. Yesterday, she was 2 years old and 5 months, so time feels as if it's passing really quickly now. The potty training has been pretty successful, though we still have some work to do on Jess being able to pull her own pants/trousers up and down before she can manage completely independently.

Easter was nice. Too much chocolate for all of us (I think Jess had about 10 eggs this year) and I have probably been too slack in allowing Jessicat to eat so much. Dot and Brian came down for a few days, and they brought an old dolls' house nearly as big as Jess, with lots of old-fashioned furniture and some small dollies inside. Needless to say, Jess loves it. She likes to chat to herself as she moves the dolls from room to room; again, more evidence of her ability to construct a very basic narrative. And I would rather play with a dolls house than with cars or trains any day!

But talking of trains, we did take her to Ashton Court Miniature Railway on Easter Monday, and that was a big success. We met up with John, Sarah and Sean and had a meal in Chiquitos afterwards. Sean is now 4 years old, and a lovely, gentle boy. It is a pleasure to see them playing together so nicely.

Her favourite book this week would be Ian Whybrow's "Harry and His Bucket of Dinosaurs". She is still slightly obsessed with the Giles Andreae titles "Commotion in the Ocean" and "Farmyard Hullabaloo" and it always amuses Dave and me when she insists in reading the poems herself and attempts to recite them off by heart! Now, I must go and wake Jessicat from her nap as our weekly trip to the library beckons...

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-03-08T17:26:00.002Z

So busy, in fact, that I haven't updated my blog for a long time. We had a family holiday to Center Parcs in Longleat at the end of February. Jessicat loved feeding the ducks from our log cabin, catching the land train, and having her first ever paddle in a swimming pool! The whole campus was well organized for parents, and I enjoyed being able to eat out whilst Jess amused herself playing with available toys. She didn't enjoy the organized activities - the soft play, the dance class and the teddy bears' picnic - as much as the "free floating" time with us.

And now we have come back to potty training - day 3 of it as I type. Things are going well so far, touch wood. Jessicat asks for the potty and does her wee in it. We have yet to broach the more contentious areas of poos in the potty and actually doing your business on a proper big toilet! So with all of this going on, I've had less time to blog than usual.

But I still want to recommend a book of the week, and I'm making an unusual choice this week. The book in question is called "The Zoo" and it's illustrated and written by Alison Jay. It's an usual choice because it is a book without text in it, and usually I find those hard work to read. But Alison's beautiful artwork makes this book a joy to behold, and there is enough craziness and stories to be found within the pictures so it does what a book should always do: it makes you think and invites you to use your imagination.

the egg theatre, Bath

2009-02-22T17:39:00.003Z

Yestereday, we took Jessicat to see her second ever performance at Bath's theatre for children, the egg. It was a show called The Gift, and it featured 30 minutes of songs, puppets and handling objects of different textures. Jess moved from being apprehensive about entering the auditorium to really enjoying the whole experience and wanting to go back again. She was also really excited about sharing a cheese and onion pasty with me afterwards!

I'm excited about taking Jessicat to the egg for several reasons. Firstly, it's storytelling at its finest. Even babies and toddlers can enjoy these very simple narratives brought to life with props, lighting and sound. Secondly, it's a good way of starting to share some of the things I love with Jess; to say nothing of the fact that's it's a guarenteed way for me to acutally see some theatre (as my chances of getting a break and a ticket for McKellen and Stewart in Waiting for Godot are pretty much non-existent! Such experiences should be open to every child. the egg is a magical place, and I wish there were more like it.

We managed to catch up with our good friends John and Sarah as well yesterday (their 4-year old son, Sean, is our godson). We enjoyed a pub meal whilst watching Jess and Sean run around the pub together, amusing themselves for ages by rolling trains around and attempting to play hide and seek. I'm enjoying seeing Jessicat beginning to play with other children, as opposed to simply alongside them. On Friday, for the first time ever, she actually asked me if her friend Sky could come back to our house to play!

So many good books on the go at the moment that it's hard to choose just one book of the week. So I'll go for two.

Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram. Bright, vivid pictures show Bob, the eponymous hero, going about his day job as the man on the moon. It's humourous: children would love spotting the aliens hidden on most pages, and a really unusual idea. Great for children aged 2 - 5 who have ever looked at the moon and wondered if anyone lives there.

Againby Ian Whybrow. A book that strikes a blow for the cause of reading aloud to children AND features a Dad as the reader! Lovely little story, written in rhyme, and a great book to share at bedtime.

2009-02-22T17:38:00.001Z

hello

2009-02-15T18:17:00.002Z

Hello - Dad here...

2009-02-15T10:30:00.006Z

Valerie and Jessica are out at the moment so I thought I would take a rare opportunity to add something to the blog. Much of my time these days seems to be taken up with reading, making up stories or being 'the second best dancer in the world' (Jessica is the best!) so not much time to get on line. Note to self - must buy a laptop.
Jessica's enjoyment of books and stories is undiminshed. She gobbles them up like an 'incredible book-eating' girl. As Val has already mentioned she has moved on to wanting Mummy and Daddy to make up stories with various toys. She even makes a decent effort at inventing some herself when prompted. Her stories usually involve a car, or some such like, going to the local supermarket and observations made on the way (bridges, car parks,animals etc). In addition she includes her typically British fascination of the weather conditions! It's a lovely phase.
I am particularly enjoying the following books with Jessica at present:
'Again' by Ian Whybrow and Sebastien Braun. Lovely rhymes and pictures. It's lovely to see a male character reading to his cub and friends. The authors understand the magic of books.
'Wriggle and Roar' by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt. Jessica has lots of fun joining in with some of the poems and listening to others.
We also enjoy anything by Lynley Dodd. I love the character of Scarface Claw.

I thoroughly endorse the views of Val over the Michael Rosen programme. Why show it at 10.30pm on BBC4? If it had been about cooking/diet it would have been on a mainstream channel at 8pm. It was good to see Caitlin Moran make a similar point, albeit briefly, in The Times yesterday. The other point I would like to make about this topic is that cookery programmes are generally based on adding to consumers fear that they need to eat healthily or their (and their children's) arteries will clog and they will die. It's a horrible, draconian way of trying to get a message over. There's none of that with books - it's more of a try it and, after a while, I can almost guarantee you will like it! It won't hurt you particularly if you don't read but there is so much to be gained if you do. The only fear is in the content of certain books!

Talking of fear, I recently read 'Duma Key' by Stephen King. That is an excellent, page turning and often creepy story. I am enjoying Stephen King novels again after quite a few years off them. He is a master story teller and actually a very good writer as well as being hugely popular.
My next book is 'Only Forward' by Michael Marshall Smith - suggested by a friend. Looking forward to reading something by an author previously unknown to me. I'll let you know how it goes! As part of this exchange of authors I have got my friend into Neil Gaiman who, I believe, is one of the finest imaginative authors around. He is thoroughly enjoying 'Neverwhere' at present which is a fantastic fantasy based in and under London. Those who enjoyed the way Phillip Pulman creates a world that is alien yet familiar would love it.

Lastly, I can't believe my daughter is already 27 months old. Time is flying and I intend to savour every moment I can so I'd better be off. Games to play, books to read!

Book of the week...

2009-02-14T18:01:00.004Z

...this week it has to be the stupendously brilliant Wriggle and Roar by the splendid Julia Donaldson. Jessicat loves the rhymes and the bright illustrations that accompany them. This book could appeal to a child from about 18 months to 5 years old; it really is that versatile, and can work on several levels. Well worth trying with children who think that they won't like poetry.

The Micheal Rosen programme was as inspiring as I expected it to be. His advice to parents - take your kids to the library and read to them a bit more - was hardly earth shatteringly novel, but one that's well worth repeating as a lot of people still haven't got the message. Disappointing to see so many spanking new computers in a school, and such an impoverished and uninspiring library. Wish the programme could have been shown on terrestrial channels, where it would surely have reached a wider audience.

Jess continues to plague us for stories. Every morning, she comes into bed with us for a cuddle, and demands "Make up a story, Mummy" (or Daddy). Not as easy as it sounds when you are bleary and tired at 7am. But she would listen to made up stories ALL DAY LONG. I find I can't keep manufacturing them at a rate to keep her satisfied, even though I can still get away with a simple narrative and few characters.

As of February 2009, these are some of Jessica's favourite things:

Books - really difficult to choose, but she seems keen on poetry at the moment. And any books involving Thomas the Tank Engine (ugh).
TV Programme - Higgeldy House, Nuzzle and Scratch, Peppa Pig
Meal - sausages with baked beans followed by jelly.

A book all parents should read

2009-02-08T17:50:00.004Z

As I seem to be plugging things today, let me recommend the book Baby Talk by Dr Sally Ward. This comprehensive and approachable book gives detailed advice on how to help and support your baby's developing communication skills. Refreshingly, it has a lot of advice on how to encourage children to listen - what a neglected skill this is - as well as how to talk. It's a great book and one that should be given to all parents when they leave the maternity ward. One moan: a lot of the advice given seems rather obvious (eg. don't always have the TV on in the background; read to your child; talk to your child as you play together etc), and much of the advice should be things that come naturally to the vast majority of parents. But it's still a worthwhile read simply down to the amount of detail included for each age and stage, and it's certainly a book I find myself going back to again and again.

Programmes to watch on BBC4

2009-02-08T17:10:00.002Z

Really excited about a new series of programmes starting on BBC4 tonight. The first one is called Just Read and it's presented by the inimitable Michael Rosen (his presence alone guarentees something of interest), and shows him trying to get a group of primary school children excited about reading. Apparently, some of these children have never visited a library before, and Michael has to persuade the education authorities that it's worth interrupting normal lessons to get his book loving message across. How depressing to think that isn't seen as something crucial to primary school education. It's part of a season of programmes called Why Reading Matters, and I am hoping to write more about this later on.

Blog coming back to life...

2009-01-30T13:28:00.002Z

I've taken a lenghty break from blogging for a few reasons. Firstly, and mainly, I've been busy with work, with caring for Jessicat, and I have much less free time now her naps have become so much more erratic. Also, I was concerned that the blog was becoming just a list of books that Jessica and me were sharing, so of limited interest to anyone else. As the blog is about Jessica's reading adventures, I'm always going to want to reflect what books we have on the go, but now I'm planning to broaden our topics to include literacy related issues and parenting issues.

A lot has happened over the last 3 months. Jessica had her second birthday (and was very excited to receive a garage and a road mat), and of course, we have had Christmas celebrations as well. It was an utter joy this year to see her excitement about the lights, decorations, family visits and, of course, Father Christmas.

2009 will have a lot of challenges for us. First up looks to be potty training. Then there's the thorny issue of pre-school: both when to start it and where to go. I hope to do some more detailed entries in the future about Jessica's development, her social life, our family activities and provide some tips on how to promote a love of reading in children.

An eventful month

2008-10-03T13:19:00.002+01:00

Jessicat enjoyed our holiday in Weymouth this year. She liked walking round the harbour to look at the boats, the seagulls and the bridge, and she was fascinated by the sand on the beach, though not interested or brave enough to venture dipping a toe in.

We have started our Kindermusik classes, and they are going well so far. I still think Jess likes going on the bus and wandering around Bath spotting the painted pigs best though!

Some of our reads this month are:

Tractors - Felicity Brooks. From Usborne. I do like the fact that although this book is nominally about tractors, there's a lot more interesting things to look at and discuss under the flaps.

Buster Gets Dressed - Rod Campbell.

Elephant Small and the Splashy Bath - Sally Grindley.

Animals Aboard - Andrew Peters.

I'm Not Scared - Jonathen Allen. Sequel to I'm Not Cute.

It's Time to Sleep, you crazy sheep - Alison Ritchie. Great book. Lovely, rollicking rhyme and bright pictures of sheep doing daft things.

Tell Me About the Building Site - author unknown. A non-fiction book from Ladybird. Jessica is strangely fascinated by builder's tools, so this hits the spot nicely.

Jessica has developed a love of playing with little matchbox cars (particularly parking them and making them rescue broken down cars) and her fairy cottage (she instructs the fairies in a variety of activities, such as jumping, going to sleep, making a cup of coffee etc). She is beginning to show some - limited - signs of being able to play independently, and in the mornings, now ventures downstairs on her own to play with her toys whilst we are getting dressed.

Jessicat is 21 months old...

2008-09-06T15:57:00.003+01:00

...and such a full on toddler now. As I may have mentioned in previous posts, the daytime nap is showing alarming signs of disappearing altogether, and is down to an hour or so tops. Yikes! Other areas of development are more pleasing. Jess loves to sit in her booster seat at the dining table rather than her highchair, and has enjoyed making the transition from babygros to pyjamas at night time.

Thank God all our classes and groups have now started again; there is only so much trawling round supermarkets and parks I can take before I expire through boredom. Bath is becoming a new haunt of ours; we have discovered the egg cafe (I can't wait until I can take Jessicat to the theatre properly) and have signed up for Kindermusik classes on Mondays. You never know how she will take to a new activity, but I felt we needed something to do with our day in addition to St Luke's Toddler Group.

Autumn has really come early this year, with lots of rain and nights dark by 8pm if not earlier. I am probably the only person in England who appreciates it, but it's great to have the kind of weather that invites you to snuggle indoors in something warm and cosy whilst (pre-baby - drinking wine and watching films) playing tea parties or making Duplo Blok creations with Jess.

A few of the books we have on the go at the moment include:
When Poppy and Max Grow Up - Lindsay Gardiner
Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose - Julia Donaldson
Let's Go, Anna - Vivian French. An unexpected hit this. Jess loves the idea that poor Anna has an accident on each page, and of course, she is very familiar with the shopping experience!
Something for Daddy - Ted Dewan. A Bing book. Jessicat finds the concept of "goo" highly amusing.
At Home with Tom and Pippo - Helen Oxenbury. Collection of 6 stories; sheer class.
Peepo - Janet Ahlberg. This would always be in my top 5 books to read to Jess. In fact, it's so utterly brilliant, it would probably be one of my desert island choices (well, you never know....)
Noisy Poems - Jill Bennett. And Jessicat can say "I love that poem"!

Bank Holiday respite

2008-08-25T15:58:00.003+01:00

Dave has kindly taken Jessicat to Keynsham park, so I have an hour to myself with which to catch up with paperwork and update the blog. As Jess woke us at 3am last night (bad dream? too hot?), I am not feeling too sparky today, but I did want to update the blog to list the title of some of the books we are currently enjoying.

Ouch! I need a plaster! - Nick Sharratt. Jessicat enjoys the rollicking rhythm and likes to point to the appropriate part of the body that is injured as we turn the pages.

What's in the parcel Postman Pat? -Author not identified. Since I learnt that the National Literacy Trust use Postman Pat in some of their teaching/materials, I'm a lot keener. And reading the books and watching the TV programmes with Jessicat, I can see that they do spark off a lot of discussion about everyday objects and routines.

Is It Bedtime Wibbly Pig? - Mick Inkpen.

Lulu Loves the Library - Anna McQuinn. Sweet little story about a young girl's enjoyment of a trip to the library and the cafe with her mummy; just the right amount of detail for Jess to savour at the moment.

Say Hello to the Snowy Animals - Ian Whybrow. Jess enjoys this book, but not as much as the Wobble Bear series.

Elephant and the Bad Baby - Elfrida Vipont. A longer story than Jessicat is used to, but it seems to hold her concentration (whilst she is eating anyway). And given that we are at the stage of saying "what's the magic word?", it seems strangely apt.

Polly's Puffin - Sarah Garland. At first glance, her pictures can seem a bit wishy-washy and too vague to appeal to a toddler. But they are great; Jess loves to identify the detail and there is something very human in the way Sarah Garland depicts exasperated, tired parents and excited children. Always reminds me of the last picture of The Baby's Catalogue by the Ahlbergs.

Emergency Vehicles - Felicity Brooks. A winning combination of flaps to lift and detailed pictures of ambulances etc.

Harry Goes to Bed - Lydia Monks.

Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary! We are hoping to fit in a meal at Cafe Rouge and a trip to the cinema. I can't wait!

Some bargains...

2008-08-09T17:55:00.002+01:00

Managed to pick up a couple of excellent paper back picture books for Jessicat this morning, from Asda, at the unbelievable price of £1 each. They are:

Not So Loud, Oliver - Tony Maddox. A very sweet little story, with nice illustrations, and lots of animals to identify in each picture. One caveat - the storyline bears a striking resemblance to Cock a Moo Moo by Juliet Dallas-Conte.

Flora's Blanket - Debi Gliori. A writer/illustrator that we are familiar with and enjoy very much.

A day of never-ending rain put paid to our hopes of attending the Balloon Fiesta. Instead, we mooched around supermarkets (terrible if you need to do a shop and control Jess; lots of fun if you can follow her as she runs around, aiming for the toys, magazines and the flowers) and had a day of playing indoors - doing crayons, stickers, imaginative role play etc. I surprised myself by really getting into the spirit of it and enjoying myself.

New photos

2008-08-04T08:23:00.001+01:00

I'm in the process of adding some more recent photos of Jessicat, so watch this space...

Lots of frustrations and lots of joys

2008-08-02T12:49:00.003+01:00

The heading just about sums up our experiences of being parents at the moment. It is tiring and frustrating sometimes coping with Jessicat's oppositional behaviour. I do get annoyed with her constantly throwing her cup of juice onto the floor, running in the opposite direction from the way we want to go, and screaming if she does not get her own way. But, strangely, we are having the best times ever together as well. Her responsiveness to and enthusiasm about the world around her are infectious. She makes connections and I have to be constantly on my toes trying to work out what she means. For example, when she sees a picture of a windmill, she often shouts "Teletubbies" (one of her favourite programmes that just happens to feature a windmill in its title sequence. D'oh!)

Books featuring other toddlers or children going about their normal, day to day activities continue to be popular. Jess is really enjoying the Tom and Pippo series (Helen Oxenbury), which feature the perfect amount of text per page for her taste, and very simple storylines around subjects such as going out for a walk, or asking your parents to read to you. No gimmicks, no flaps, no noises, just lovely pictures and a simple narrative to share. Jessicat is also enjoying a Wobble Bear book (and loves to call out "yellow" when prompted), and adores looking at her Usborne Look and Say books. So, we have lots of reading sessions together throughout the day; from first thing in the morning snuggled up in the bed together and chanting nursery rhymes to last thing at night with a cup of milk. Magic.

Jessicat loves:
watching Peppa Pig on TV
Pinching crisps and chocolates from her parents
Playing seasides and shops in the back garden
Stickers
Being tickled and "rough play"
Going to the park
Stroking cats
Picking flowers

Jessicat hates:
the big bath (scared by the transition from baby bath to normal bath; we are hoping a non-slip mat and some bath crayons do the trick)
Thunder
Doing as she's told(!)
Strange people coming up close and saying hello to her

After Much Ado - Dad's first blog entry!

2008-07-20T16:55:00.002+01:00

Well, Jessica is now over 20 months old and due to a mix of peer pressure and desire to write something, I find myself moved from the position of chief commenter to 'blogger'.

Jess is an absolute joy at the moment. I love having a day off in the week with her although my work doesn't like my part-time hours too much - well you know what you can do with that don't you?
As I get older and see so many people 'married' to their jobs it makes me worry even more for the human race. Where are your prioirities? A child is by far the most important thing that will ever happen in most lives and work is somewhere down near the lower 98th centile...just below knitting your own yoghurt. I just don't get these people (who have kids) that think the best thing to do is give 'em what they want as long as it doesn't involve attention or nurturing. It makes no sense and smavks of having kids as fashion accesories rather than want to put in any effort to develop a free thinking individual interested in the machinations of the world.

I told Val it was risky giving me time as chief blogger! Anyway, off my orange box now....

Jessica is coming along in leaps and bounds. She has gone back to loving books. Even to the extent that we are distracting her with other things. Her speech is coming on in leaps and bounds and comprehension is even better. Jessica's first word of most days is 'book'. This occurs when I pick her out of her cot for some 'cuddle' time with Mum and Dad prior to work. We leave a few books in her cot and she won't leave them behind. There's a couple of ABC and picture books and a copy of Usborne's 'That's Not my Kitten' which she still loves.

Jessica loves to spend time outside in the garden. She started off just wandering but now she's wondering! She likes to look under stones at insects and play with her toy pushchair (no doll) and bouncy balls. She also likes to chase about (and be thrown in the air) and has recently developed an interest in inventive play - particularly 'seaside'. This is a game where Jessica invents seaside scenarios. She 'feeds' the horses and donkeys over the wall, goes on a boat 'row/row/row' by sitting on the wall and rocking and goes swimming by lying flat on the patio. She also paddles by sitting and stamping her feet in 'the sea' and enjoys her ice-cream.

As well as inventive play she is also stringing words together with frequency. these range from body parts 'Daddy's nose' to what she wants, 'back garden' and 'fruit flakes' being currently popular.

Anyway, enough about her development and back to one of the sources of it - books. She absolutely loves them. We are particularly enjoying 'Ten Out Of Bed' as it gives parents the ideal opportunity for discursive reading. Jessica also enjoys 'Bing' - more so that me it has to be said. She loves the rhymes and simple drawings - 'bunny rabbit!'. OK - It's a Bing Thing! It's also a toddler thing.
We are really enjoying the Usborne books with the little duck on each page and something unusual (sheep wearing glasses, pig in a flat cap etc). This is a lovely series and also aids communication between parents and children with lots to talk about and a feeling of great satisfaction when items are located. I think that there are a few in the series. We have 'Farm', 'Zoo' and 'Seaside' I think!

Anyway must trundle. Jessica is being Christened next weekend. We think she will throw a blue-hairy fit as she doesn't like being the centre of attention. In a way I hope she does - rebellion isn't such a bad thing, as long as you know what your rebelling against!
It will be lovely to see friends and family. My Mum and partner are down to stay for a few days so that will be nice.

See you again soon for another comment.

June reading

2008-06-29T18:01:00.002+01:00

Goodnight moon Brown, Margaret Wise
Hardback
Spot's baby sister Hill, Eric
Toddlerobics Newcome, Zita
Fizz the fire engine! Wojtowycz, David
Works 7: Classic poems Moses, Brian
Little red hen: a touch and feel book Randall, Ronne
My blanket is blue: sleeptime, dreamtime Offen, Hilda
Bedtime! Swain, Gwenyth
Chimp and Zee Anholt, Catherine
Goodnight me, goodnight you Mitton, Tony
Duck is dirty Kitamura, Satoshi
Go picnic Dewan, Ted
Doing the washing Garland, Sarah
Hello, little bird Horacek, Petr
My beak, your beak Walsh, Melanie
Five noisy ducks Claire, Page
Maisy's nature trail Cousins, Lucy
Picture this..... Jay, Alison
Come and play Mr.Croc Lodge, Jo
Monkey and me Gravett, Emily

This is the current books that Jessicat and I have out from the library and have been sharing together. Jess currently has a fascination for books about vehicles (to think I thought that having a daughter meant I would escape all the crappy Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise!) and books that depict everyday domestic activies.

Jessicat is 19 months old!

2008-06-22T17:44:00.006+01:00

It is a month since I last blogged. Things have been busy here, as we are arranging for Jessicat to be baptised on Sunday 27th July. We have planned to have a buffet and drinks in the White Hart afterwards (not sure if we have made the right decision with the venue, but it had the advantages of being close. Oh, and it was free!) Jessicat and I are immersed in our daily routines of work, toddler groups and housework, and often the days race by.

Healthwise, things have improved since Jess's terrible bout of gastroenteritis last month. Fingers crossed. I have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (probably related to stress - moi, a stress queen?!?!?), so I am trying hard to chill out and take life as it comes.

Jessicat is going through another stage of responding enthusiastically to books, though very much on her own terms. When Dave picks her out of the cot in the morning (on a bad day, as early as 6am, and on a good day, 7.10am), she immediately starts saying "book, book" and a read first thing has become as much part of our routine as dressing and breakfast. Jess continues to love to turn through pages and flick through books on her own, and I enjoy seeing her do this, even if her heavy handed treatment means some of the books end up damaged.

Her language development continues apace. She is showing intriguing signs of beginning to link words together, and can say "Mama's glasses" or "Daddy's nose" for example. Jessicat will even attempt a very basic conversation on the phone with her nanny, and certainly knows when to say "hello" and "goodbye".

Have recently managed to get back in touch with a good friend from school, Hanna Hedstroem. Hanna, if you're reading this, hello, and Axel is gorgeous! Hope you get some good tips on baby books from this blog.

Some books that Jessicat is really enjoying

2008-05-23T12:32:00.003+01:00

Big Red Bath - Julia Jarman. A rollicking rhyme that is a lot of fun to read. Jess is fascinated by the page that shows the bath flying round planet earth. Not sure she understands the story, but I think the repetition and the pictures help to hold her interest.

Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy - Sandra Boynton. A bizarre book that makes Jessicat giggle. Must work on some level that is only comprehensible to toddlers.

Colours - Shirley Hughes. Beautiful drawings and nice rhymes; a pleasure to read aloud, and I am so pleased that Jessicat loves this book.

Bing Make Music - Ted Dewan. Our first Bing book. Jess enjoys the repetitive refrain and giggles when we read this.

Oh Dear - Rod Campbell. Another classic featuring Buster and lots of flaps.

Baby's New Shoes - Dashka Slater. What I most enjoy about this book is the way Jess can join in when the baby says "uh oh" and mummy says "on no" and the repetition of "go go go". It's very much like We're Going On a Bear Hunt for encouraging children to join in.

This Little Chick - John Lawrence. Stunningly crafted illustrations in this book.

All of these books are enjoyable for Jessicat and me to share. Some of them are so beautifully produced that I would be happy to have posters replicating the illustrations to put up on my wall; they would look great next to Jess's Bookstart certificates. I feel fortunate indeed that there are such amazing books out there for children of Jessicat's age.

May update

2008-05-17T17:15:00.003+01:00

Jessicat now 18 months old. We have had a hellish week. She caught a nasty gastroenteritis bug that culminated in 4am trips to the NHS walk-in centre and a visit to Bristol Children's Hospital to get her rehydrated. She was vomiting for over a week. Definitely one of the worst experiences of her - and our - lives, and a time that I am glad to put behind us.

On a more positive note, Jess's language skills are really developing now. She seems to be able to say quite a few words, though cannot link any together yet. She surprises me sometimes with the words she has a go at. Yesterday, we were looking at a picture book together when she suddenly said - quite appropriately - "car seat". She still loves to identify and point at objects in her books, and I can see all this repetition paying off as she appears to understand and be able to label many things.

Daytime naps. Oh dear. Jessicat appears to have given hers up. For the last 3 days, she has been awake between 6 -6.30am and despite my best efforts, does not want to sleep until bedtime at approximately 7pm (when, admittedly, she is tired). So Dave and I have lost that little hour; an oasis of peace, lunching and wasting time on FB. That precious time will be sorely missed.

General Update

2008-04-30T17:36:00.002+01:00

Jessicat is now 17 months old! She is loving her new found mobility. Her favourite activity of the moment is to go outside and pick dandelions or daisies, or put pebbles in a bucket. When the weather is warm, this means I can sit outside with her and flick through a magazine whilst she amuses herself pottering around. Less enjoyable are the tantrums that ensue when we bring her back indoors, but you can't have it all....

I must confess that I have become very slack about letting Jessicat watch TV. I am ashamed to say that she probably watches about an hour of CBeebies a day. Favourite programmes include In the Night Garden, Teletubbies, Razzle Dazzle and Something Special. I hope I am slighty redeemed by the fact that we buy a lot of the magazine tie-ins for these programmes to spend time doing sticking and colouring together.

Jessicat babbles away to us now. It sounds like proper speech. She can say yes or no clearly, and has no problem in letting us know her mind! She attempts to say many words - eg bird, moon, bubble, fruit flakes etc - but often only manages the inital consonant. No sign yet of her beginning to link words together, but hopefully this is not far away now she is so talkative. She also seems much more cheeful and less shy at the moment; I just hope this carries on.

I am in the process of recovering from another nasty cold, which may account for the slightly downbeat tone of this latest update. I just hope Jess does not succumb. Back soon hopefully with more cheerful news.

Back to basics....

2008-04-13T17:32:00.002+01:00

...with a few simple but well crafted and enjoyable books aimed at babies and toddlers:

Bedtime - Tony Ross. My little madam enjoys reading about the little princess!

Going to Bed Book - Sandra Boynton. Very enjoyable for both of us.

Who's There Spot? - Eric Hill.

Busy Babies Go to the Gym - Jane Kemp. Jessicat seems to show less interest in animals now (once a favourite topic) and more fascination with the activities of other toddlers, so books like this which focus on the daily activities Jess herself participates in go down well. Bit dull for adults to keep reading though.

Baby Loves Peekaboo - at least this has sturdy cardboard flaps to withstand Jess's handling.

Toddlerdom hits with a vengeance

2008-04-11T08:26:00.003+01:00

As well as a highly mobile little girl, we have one who knows how to throw a tantrum! Aaargh!!! A typical flashpoint at the moment would be us telling Jessicat that she can't go out to the back garden for some reason. This leads to up to 30 minutes of sobbing and angry yelling. Gulp. But, Jess often manages to be totally adorable just a short while after. She looks so cute toddling around, beaming at people with pride in her own mobility (though desperately shy if they dare to come too close), and is so loving that she melts my heart.

So it's a time of contrasts at the moment. Reading is not high on Jessicat's agenda - there is too much exploring and emptying to be done. Our main times for sharing books now seems to be mealtimes. We still have a huge pile sat on the dining room table that we make our way through regularly, and when I am bored with these, I intersperse new books that we've picked up from the library. Nursery rhymes continue to be much loved, and Jessicat really enjoys joining in with the actions now.

Books (and a glass of wine or port and lemon) are still my salvation at the end of a fractious day. At the moment, I am devouring the Alice books by Susan Juby; I can only describe them as a sort of Canadian version of Adrian Mole. Shelved on the young adult section, they probably won't be noticed by a lot of people - what a sad waste.

Little Miss Mobile!

2008-03-29T17:45:00.003Z

Jessicat has - at last - really found her feet and is enjoying walking EVERYWHERE! It's great fun - so far - to watch her tottering round the library or the supermarket, and today we were able to meet up with friends at Bocabar whilst Jess entertained herself toddling around. What a fantastic development!

So all this action on the walking front means that books have taken a backseat in Jessicat's mind at the moment. Reading has to be fitted in in short bursts, and Jess is increasingly fussy about the books she likes. These listed below are proving popular this week:

One Big Building Site - Dubravka Kolanovic. Jess loves to be asked to identify the cranes or the cement mixers! Makes a change from books about animals or toddlers, and this can only be helpful for increasing her receptive vocabulary.

Meg's Car - Helen Nicoll. Meg and Mog fascinate Jessicat at the moment. The illustrations are bright and arresting, and I think this is why this is one of the few books that Jess will sit by herself and pore over at the moment.

Milton the Early Riser - Robert Kraus.

Bathwater's Hot - Shirley Hughes. Lovely book. Jess particularly likes the page with the traffic lights - another of her current preoccupations.

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings - Matthew Van Fleet.

Spring reading

2008-03-14T12:36:00.003Z

It's good to be able to blog and report that - touch wood - we are finally all getting over our various viruses. Jessicat is livelier than she has been for a while, and is back to waking up before 7am (grrr....)

Her concentration for books continues to be variable. She is much fussier about what we read together now, and will push a book away very forcefully if she's not in the mood for it. On the other hand, when we get the book just right, her response and her enthusiasm are just infectious.

Last Sunday, we had a family outing to a baby show, held at Ashton Gate. There, we managed to pick up 2 gorgeous books for Jessicat:
Bear At Work - Stella Blackstone. Yippee, a brand new bear book! This series remains quite possibly Jessicat's favourite of all time, and this is fabulous - lots of detail in the pictures to discuss and the usual jaunty rhyming text. Buying this book has coincided nicely with Jess's interest in letter boxes and posting things, which arose after we bought her her own post box from the Early Learning Centre.
Sparkly Fairies (Touchy Feely Board Books) - absolutely beautiful board book from the Usborne stable, full of glitter, sparkle and soft textures. Jess is already girly enough to be interested in the idea of fairies (she has the ELC Fairy Toadstool Cottage), and though the text if a bit naff, this is a beautiful book to flick through.

Hard to believe that it's Easter next week. Jess already has one egg, so there will be some serious rationing going on for my little chocaholic! Dot and Brian are coming to stay over the Easter weekend, and I am hoping that Dave and I may even get the opportunity to go out to celebrate his imminent promotion and transfer to the Planning Inspectorate.

Another week of illnessess...

2008-03-08T09:28:00.002Z

...this is just getting tedious! Jessicat is picking up slowly, though she continues to have a cough and runny nose. I have been ill myself and in hospital with a (fortunately, mild) case of viral meningitis. So with all this going on, reading has not been at the forefront of our minds this week. But in another way, we have been glad to escape into books as a getaway from all the other crap going on.

Jess and I have particularly been enjoying Snowman by Guido Van Genechten and Get Into Bed by Virginia Miller. Jess has already mastered saying "nah" along with Bartholomew as he refuses to follow yet another instruction.

I look forward to being able to post again soon with the news that we are all in good health.

Worried Mum

2008-02-29T17:57:00.002Z

Jessicat is still ill. The doctors are saying it's a virus, but I am worried, and hate seeing her so lethargic and off her food. This just doesn't feel right, and we are going straight back to the doctor on Monday unless things drastically improve over the weekend.

We are still making our way through a pile of brand new board books from Wick Road library. These include:

Chimp and Zee - Catherine Anholt.
Baby's Catalogue - Janet Ahlberg.
Joe's Dog - Angela Joy
Princesses - Fiona Watt
Splash, Splosh - Jo Lodge.

These are a great collection of books, but I just can't summon up the energy to enthuse at the moment. Until Jess is well again, nothing else seems that important.

The challenge of putting in eyedrops

2008-02-21T11:32:00.003Z

Jessicat has a severe cold and conjunctivitus. This means several times a day, Dave and I have to go through the traumatic job of attempting to get eyedrops in. Even the bribe of mini Cheddars to follow does little to stem the flow of tears, and all 3 of us will be glad when this never ending cold is finally over.

On a more cheerful note, our friendly librararians at Wick Road kindly put aside a consignment of brand new board books for Jessicat and me to share. We have had a nice time discovering some new writers together, including:

Love is a Handful of Honey - Giles Andrae. You wouldn't know from this book that he is also Purple Ronnie! Not too sure that Jess is keen on the rhyme, but she is fascinated by trying to find the 3 tiny mice hidden on each page. What a great way to hook an easily distracted toddler!

Bedtime Teddy - author unknown. Sweet little books that show a teddy going about his bedtime routine. Nice to share a book with Jessicat that so accurately reflects her experience.

Baby Noises - Verna Wilkins.

One Moose, Twenty Mice - Clare Beaton. I like her distinctive illustrations and think that Jessicat will enjoy looking for the cat on each page.

Wake Up, Little Rabbit - Debi Gliori.

Duck's Day Out - Jez Alborough. I love this book! It's full of fun and has a very basic story told in rhyme. An instant winner.

When It's Time for Bed - Nick Butterworth.

More steps...

2008-02-15T17:55:00.002Z

Progress on the walking front if slow but sure. Yesterday, I went to collect Dave from work and was able to walk into his office with Jessicat beside me holding onto one of my hands. This new found skill tires Jess out and does affect her concentration levels and interest in reading slightly, so we have spent a bit more time this week with old favourites rather than trying more new books. It's not all good news: Jessicat has become very resistant to being fed, and is taking all of my imagination and shopping nous to keep a steady and varied supply of finger foods on the go. She is 15 months old tomorrow, and on Sunday we are hoping to go out to celebrate.

Jessicat's first steps!!!

2008-02-07T12:13:00.000Z

Yesterday, Jessicat took her first tentative, bumbling steps! I was sitting next to her on the floor reading to her whilst she played her usual game of standing up and then letting go of my legs to balance herself. All of a sudden, she took two wobbly steps forward and fell into my arms, feeling very pleased with herself! Cue much pride on mine and Dave's part, and an immediate phone call to my mum to do some boasting.

I'm also trying to introduce paperback books now, as we've exhausted the board book collections at our local libraries. To start us off, we have:

Jungle Sounds - Colin Hawkins

There's Something at the Letterbox - Jez Alborough. An immediate winner, with Jess signing "more" as soon as I reached the end for the first time, and she is amused by the dad we meet on the final page swinging on his rope and pretending to be Tarzan.

Hello Lulu - Caroline Uff. Jessicat is still attracted to the bright pictures. She can now point to the text on a page when asked to identify which bits are words, and which bits are pictures.

Noisy Poems - Debi Gliori.

I'm now looking forward to seeing if Jessicat's new found mobility (well, a few steps is a start!) leads to a leap forward in her ability to verbalize and communicate with us. This is an exciting time to be a mum!

Busy days

2008-02-03T17:28:00.000Z

Jessicat and I have been sharing a mix of new books and old favourites so far in February. :

Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins. A book with almost no text, requiring some storytelling skills on the reader's part. Bright illustrations that Jess likes to look at.

Elmer's New Friend - David McKee. Did you know that he also wrote the TV series Mr Ben? I only found that out through an article in The Times recently about children's TV.

Cleo and Caspar - Caroline Mockford. Another treat from Barefoot Books.

What Can Rabbit See? - Lucy Cousins. Interesting to see a character in a book who needs to wear specs!

Meg and Mog Touch and Feel Book - Helen Nicoll. For some reason, Jessicat loves to point out the cauldron. Goodness knows what she makes of the concept of a witch!

Jess can now come downstairs by sliding on her tummy, and is rapidly becoming more confident at sliding backwards of the sofa. She had her MMR injections a few days ago, so I am a bit apprehensive about what that might lead to. She has been quite "full on" today, so I am looking forward to getting her off to bed shortly and sitting down with Heat and Private Eye.

Books and food

2008-01-26T17:39:00.000Z

Two of my favourite topics in one title! At the moment, we find Jessicat eats more and with less fuss if we recite nursery rhymes when feeding her, or read books together when she feeds herself with finger food. We have a huge pile of books threatening to topple over on our table, and a few collections of nursery rhymes as well. Regular reads at mealtimes for us include:

Kingfisher Collection of Nursery Rhymes - selected by Sally Emerson. A lovely anthology with many rhymes that can be sung. Jessicat's current favourite is "Hot Cross Buns".

Happy Dog, Sad Dog - Sam Lloyd. This book was given to us as part of Jess's first gift from Bookstart. She has loved it since she was a tiny baby, and I don't think I will ever be able to look at this book without being reminded of her babyhood. She also really enjoys the other Sam Lloyd title we managed to pick up cheaply in a second hand shop, Whose Tail?

I Kissed the Baby - Mary Murpy. Still makes Jess laugh out loud when I get to the page where I have to kiss her!

How Do You Feel? Mandy Stanley. Companion volume to the much enjoyed What Do You Say?

The Owl and The Pussycat - Edward Lear, with illustrations by Deborah Jones. Well, surely it's never to early to introduce this poem, though some very unworthy and immature part of me cringes inside when saying "what a lovely pussy you are". Ho hum.

Jess continues to be a TV addict, much to my embarrassment when I talk to other mums who eschew TV completely (what is their secret for getting things done?) Her programme of the moment is Something Special, involving Mr Tumble and lots of signing. I don't suppose I set the example I should, as when Jessicat is in bed, I love nothing more than sitting down with my port and lemon in front of So You Think You Can Dance or Relocation, Relocation. Her other much loved activity this week has been using the walker to go for a stroll up and down the drive and even up the road.

Rainy January days

2008-01-18T12:26:00.000Z

Elmer's Colours and Elmer's Weather - David Mckee. 2 more from the series that Jessicat enjoys. I just can't get over how camp the lion and the polar bear are in these books!

Bear's Busy Family - Stella Blackstone. The only one left in this brilliant series that we haven't yet read. These books are like catnip for babies. The illustrations are clear, bright and detailed, and accompanied by a short rhyme. Jess loves to pore over the books and point to all the objects she recognizes.

Otherwise, life goes on as usual. Jessicat and Dave are still enjoying their Wednesdays together, and are attending Starjumpers (gymnastics for babies). We are still sneaking cow's milk into her cup of formula milk with the intention of disposing of the formula all together over the next few weeks. Jess was 14 months on the Wednesday just gone. Still no sign of walking, though she is getting more confident using the walker to get around. I'm hoping when she finally does take off, she will be much less frustrated and clingy, as there have been some moments recently when I've been hanging in there until her bedtime!

Lots of books for Jess to choose from this week...

2008-01-13T15:01:00.000Z

...including some new ones from Lara Jones.

Davy Dinosaur: Favourties and Davy Dinosaur: Counting are 2 beautifully produced books with textures from the author of the much loved Poppy Cat books. Jessicat loves feeling the different textures, especially the sticky footprints. If I have one minor criticism, it is that there is very limited text, and now that Jess is gaining in understanding and comprehension of words, I think she is very for a (very basic) narrative.

Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell. Another old favourite re-visited as we found a pristine copy in the library with all the flaps intact.

Peepo - Janet Ahlberg. Deservedly a classic of baby's literature. Jess and I first shared this book when she was only a few months old, and I would read it to her whilst bottle or breast feeding. Then, she went through a stage in which the rhymes and the illustrations were just too subtle and detailed for her taste. But over the last few days, she has started to show an interest in this book again, and that gives me a chance to wallow in the nostalgic pictures and rhymes. A real treat.

All About Me: A Baby's Guide to Babies - David Salariya. Lots of photos of babies and a repetitive narrative. Good for encouraging discussion and recognition of body parts and basic actions.

See the Rabbit - Janet Ahlberg. Again, lovely pictures and Jess enjoys pointing to objects that she recognizes.

Noisy Poems - ed by Jill Bennett. Another old favourite. Anyone who thinks that poetry isn't for babies should try this book.

Getting my latest copy of Books For Keeps this week prompted me to check out Micheal Rosen's website:
http://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/. I'm really excited to hear that there's going to be an exhibition about the history of children's poetry at the British Library, and really hope this tours, as my chances of getting to see it in London with Jessicat in tow are pretty minimal.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T11:57:00.000Z

Jessicat is back into books with a vengeance at the moment. She must know that 2008 has been designated the National Year of Reading! Her favourite way of reading at the moment is to select a book, bring it to me to read to her, allow me to get through a few pages whilst she excitedly points to objects she recognizes, before rolling off me to select another one. Although it means our reading is done piecemeal, I can't help but get carried along by her enthusiasm, and am proud of her growing understanding and ability to point to objects on request.

Some of her favourite books from our current selection are:

One Little Farm - Dubravka Kolanovic. Lovely warm pictures; a basic counting book, but one that Jess really enjoys, so no doubt we will make our way through the whole series.

Lulu's Busy Day - Caroline Uff. Jessicat and I have read this book before. Lulu is a long established favourite now.

Ten in the Bed - Penny Dale (in board book format). We already own the paperback version, but that is not really able to withstand Jess's loving ministrations yet, so a board version is a great idea. Jessicat is amused by the noise the animals make as they fall on the floor. The drawings in this version are not quite as nice as in the paperback, so we will keep our book to look at when Jess is a bit older.

Who's Hiding at Home? - Julie Fletcher. A good find. Really sturdy flaps for Jess to manipulate; whoever produced this understands what toddlers can do to books!

Hoping for a more healthy year in 2008. Looking forward to Jess being able to walk and talk, and hoping for more sleep! As for the New Year Honours, really pleased to see Jacqueline Wilson and Eric Hill honoured.

Jessicat's second Christmas

2007-12-26T12:06:00.000Z

Well, it has all passed us by in a fog of exhaustion, to be honest. Jessicat has got ANOTHER cold, so has been sleeping badly. Dot and Brian are staying with us, and have kindly taken her out for a walk to give Dave and me a bit of a break to recuperate.

On the plus side, Jess has got lots of lovely new books as presents! I don't have all the titles to hand to record them, so will save that for another post. Just wanted to do a quick update for Jessicat to look back on. More soon....

More signs of toddlerdom...

2007-12-14T11:59:00.000Z

Jessicat is increasingly asserting her will and preferences and she does not do it quietly. She will be 13 months old this weekend, and toddlerdom is coming upon us quickly.

As I've written before, sharing books is both a joy and a challenge now. A joy because Jessicat seems to understand so much and be able to point to and identify so many objects correctly; a challenge because her concentration span is more limited now she is mobile and there are so many attractions to entice her to explore. One ruse we've employed to get her to sit still for brief periods recently is to ask her to "read" to one of her little plastic figures from In the Night Garden; I wonder if other people think I've gone mad if they hear me say "show Iggle-Piggle the pictures Jess"!

Some of our books of the moment are:

There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch - Clare Beaton (we've read this one before, and both of us enjoy the rhyme).
Spot Loves His Dad - Eric Hill. Nice to see a book featuring a dad spending time with his kids. Jessicat loves to study the pictures and point to objects for me to name.
Elmer's Friends - David McKee. Featurning the most camp polar bear and lion you will ever see in a book, ever. But Jess loves grabbing the book off me when we get to the page with the kangaroo on it, to make it bounce.
My Shimmery Glimmery Christmas Book - Selina Yoon.

Dave and I are really busy now getting ready for Christmas. Dot and Brian are coming down next weekend, and we have a lot of shopping to do first. We have got our 2 Christmas trees up in the front room, and Jess loves it when we put the lights on. This feels like our first Christmas in a lot of ways - last year's was a colicky blur - so we have some extra celebrating to do!

Christmas books

2007-12-07T11:57:00.000Z

Well, we are in December now, and Jessicat is excited by Christmas trees, Christmas lights and the decorations that are hanging up in the supermarket. So, there is a bit of a festive theme with our reading as well at the moment:

Dear Santa - Rod Campbell. Oh yes, a much loved book already.

Father Christmas - Fiona Watt. Big, bright book with cluttered pictures of Santa and his elves doing their business on Christmas eve. Now she is familiar with it, Jess loves it, and we pore over this book together to pick out the details and objects she recognizes.

Poppy Cat's Christmas - Lara Jones. Another big book, this time with pop-ups, so I do have to keep it out of Jessicat's reach, which is a shame, as she loves it. One of the best in the Poppy Cat series.

Some time ago, I also bought Jess a book entitled Christmas Baby by Fiona Watt, and I am looking forward to sharing it with her. We are planning to put our tree and decorations up tomorrow, though not sure how we will be able to Jess-proof them.

As always, lots of tiny developments in Jessicat all the time. She is now cruising round the furniture much more confidently, and has even tried to stand unaided, but is some way off doing this yet, I think. When we are feeding her, she is keener than ever to grab the spoon from us, and try to manipulate herself, though in reality, she would starve if left to her own devices. Yesterday, she signed for "more" when I asked her if she wanted me to continue reading to her, and she seems to be attempting to say "yes" and "there", although not clear.

Our new routines

2007-11-30T12:01:00.000Z

I have been back at work since the 20th November, so our time together has taken a different structure.

Mondays - might be Sing and Sign (though we are finishing this class soon) followed by St Luke's Toddler Group in the afternoons.

Tuesdays - I am at work and Jessicat is with her Nanny. There is a Toddler Group in the afternoon that she attends, where she particularly enjoys going on the trikes.

Wednesdays - from next week, Dave will be spending the day with Jessicat whilst I am at work. Jess and I usually attend a Baby Bounce session at the library and go to Stay and Play in the afternoons.

Thursday - another day with Nanny and another Toddler Group. Jessicat seems to need a full and busy day to tire her out.

Friday - hurrah, my time with Jess again! We usually attend a Storytime at Wick Road library, where Jessicat doesn't sit still for a second and Mummy ends up doing the craft activity. Afternoons often see us going to a soft play area, sometimes with our neighbours, Shelley and Rex.

The weeks are busy but satisfying. Jess still enjoys her books, though her concentration continues to wander as her main aim at the moment is to learn to walk. Something she does frequently now is to make connections between what she sees in a book and what she can see in real life. For example, if I point out that a character in a book wears glasses, she turns and points to mine. The same if I point out a fire, a candle, and lots of other easily recognizable objects she can see in our front room.

Some of Mum's reading as well

2007-11-23T11:48:00.001Z

Some of the books Jessicat and I are enjoying together at the moment include:

Mr Bear Says Let's Go Outside - Debi Gliori. Another one from the series we both love. Jess enjoys looking at the last illustration of Mr Bear in front of the fire, and pointing to our fire (sadly not a pine-scented log affair).

Follow the Fish - Mandy Ross.

Dear Santa - Rod Campbell. Well, it's nearly December!

"Where's the Cat?" Stella Blackstone. Jessicat loves this book so much that I am considering ordering some from the Barefoot Books range for her Christmas stocking.

Ghost - Luke Depondt.

I have an admission to make. At the moment, I am reading Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. I can't believe I left it so long, and can only plead that pregnancy and the rigours of motherhood kept me too busy to read much. This is one of the best books I have read, ever. I am genuinely frightened of Mrs Coulter and cannot believe that I am so absorbed and gripped by a fantasy novel - normally a genre I avoid. I am savouring the novel, allowing myself a chapter a night. It is like a fine wine to be sipped I think, rather than a drink to be gulped back. I wonder if Jessicat will ever want to read it?

Happy Birthday Jessicat!

2007-11-16T12:39:00.000Z

We are off to the zoo shortly, so just a very quick post to record for posterity that Jessicat has reached the grand old age of 1! And despite sniffles, PND (mine :(), lots of disturbed nights and lots of difficult days, there have been moments of such joy and love that they take my breath away. Here's to the next year being even better!

Jessicat's first birthday party

2007-11-12T12:21:00.000Z

We held Jessicat's party yesterday, though it is not her actual birthday until the 16th. All our close friends and family were able to attend, including Dot and Brian, who had been staying with us on their way back home from their cruise. Jess coped with a full house of people very well, enjoying the balloons and cake, and making me feel ridiculously proud when we all sang "happy birthday" to her.

As of today, we have substituted the early morning bottle for a cup of milk, and that went smoothely. It's more difficult to persuade Jessicat to drink cow's milk instead of formula, and I have to confess to giving her Frosties in lieu of her normal Weetabix to entice her to eat cereal with cow's milk. Hmmm, bad mummy. The next step is to began adding cow's milk to her remaining milky drinks, and swapping the evening bottle for a cup. One challenge after another, one step in front of the other.....

November's reading

2007-11-07T11:07:00.000Z

We've got some good books on the go at the moment. They include:

Ten Chuckling Ducklings - Sally Crabtree. Jessicat loves to press the sound chip to make the ducks quack, and enjoys looking at this book on her own, making the sign for "duck" as she does so.

Moo, Moo - Jo Lodge. Bright, clear and relatively uncluttered illustrations mean that this book triggers lots of chat and questions even though the text is very basic.

Happy Christmas, Lulu - Caroline Uff. Really this book is aimed at older children, but it's a nice way to start talking about Christmas with Jess.

Where is Maisy Going - Lucy Cousins. Jessicat loves Maisy, and we are always looking out for more in this series.

Ready for Bed-y-Byes- Helen Stephens. Another book with textures - putting her fingers on the sticky cake makes Jessicat laugh.

Dave and I are getting ready to host a little party for Jessicat this weekend. We have our family and close friends coming to help us celebrate surviving the year (surely you mean Jessicat's first birthday?!?!), and will be able to show off our front garden which is now newly converted to a driveway.

November already....first birthday approaching

2007-11-01T11:36:00.000Z

Unbelievable to think that Jessicat is now nearly a year old - only two weeks to go! Also scary to think that in 3 week's time, I will be back at work - a prospect I view with some ambivalence. Yesterday, Jess attended a birthday party for all the babies from my ante-natal cohort, and we are also planning a little family gathering for her nearer to the 16th.

Jessicat still continues to be restless, constantly pulling herself up onto her feet, but she is still enjoying being read to. We find it helps if we move around the room a bit with her, or simply continue whilst she wanders off, as she nearly always finds her way back to us; sheer nosiness means she needs to see what is going on!

Some of our books of the moment include:

Bathtime Peekaboo - Dawn Sirrett
I wish I were a dog - Lydia Monks. I'm pleased that Jessicat enjoys this book as there are no gimmicks - ie flaps or textures - so it must be a combination of the pictures and text that captivates her.
Poppy Cat's Farm - Lara Jones. A little gem of a book. The repetitive rhyme is fun and Jess likes to wave back to Poppy Cat on the final page. She loves this one!
Ready or Not, Mr Croc? - Jo Lodge. Another great read. The flaps and pop ups are fragile, so I have to watch Jessicat carefully when we read this book, but she loves Mr Croc jumping out at the end of the book. We will be looking for more books in this series.

Concentration levels gone AWOL

2007-10-22T12:17:00.000+01:00

Jessicat is more interested in getting mobile than sitting still and listening to Mummy (or anyone else) reading at the moment. This means that I have to employ every ounce of skill that I have to entice her to stay near enough to me to look at the pictures and listen to me reading. Often, I find that Jess will listen a bit longer if she is stood up leaning against the sofa, or I let her crawl all over me as I continue reading, and encourage her to look/participate during any particularly exciting bits. Obviously, I am looking forward to the day when Jessicat takes her first steps and my back and arms get a bit of a break, but I hope this milestone does not herald the end of our snuggly times together sharing books. I'm determined to find ways of keeping her connection with books strong, and am open to any suggestions about how this can be achieved.

Our books for this week include:

"Pretty Brown Face" - Andrea Davis Pinkney (as a result of reading this, Jessicat can now point to my chin and eyes!)

"Funny Face " - Nicola Smee. We like spotting the little insect or animal on most pages.

"Just Like Mummy" - Cecilia Johannson

"Zebra Clops" - Stephen Barker.

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Seeing grandparents

2007-10-17T11:50:00.000+01:00

Had a nice few days with Dot and Brian staying. Jessicat was a bit suspicious at first, but became confident in their presence much more quickly than I expected, though still not really content to sit on their laps for more than a few moments. But she did love the extra games of "peekaboo" and has been spoilt with advance birthday presents and some new clothes. Thankfully, she did sleep well for the duration of their stay; long may this continue.

Jessicat was 11 months yesterday, so I think it is ok to officially be excited about her first birthday now! The invitations are issued and some of the party food is already in the cupboard.

For posterity, I will record some of Jess's favourite things:

Reading with Mummy and Daddy (obviously)
games of peekaboo
Crawling from one side of the room to another to give us a kiss (altogether now - aaah!)
snacking on our food
"In the Night Garden"
Seeing the car boot being opened (!)
Anyone dropping anything and inadvertently swearing (this can lead to convulsions of laughter)
Petits Filous and biscuits
Being asked to point to objects she can readily identify, such as the moon, lights, noses, ears etc.
Successfully imitating actions to certain well known songs and rhymes.

Wot no sleep?

2007-10-12T12:15:00.000+01:00

Jessicat is still waking up around midnight and being difficult to settle back down. As a result of this, Dave and I are feeling pretty tired at the moment. Still, we are looking forward to Dot and Brian visiting, and hope they will be pleasantly surprised by how well Jess is doing (minus the erratic sleeping patterns).

We have been discovering couple of children's classics this week:

Goodnight, Gorilla - Peggy Rathmann. This book has made me realise that it's actually harder to read books that have very little text, as the onus is on me to provide the narrative and explain the illustrations to Jess in a way that she understands. Thankfully, the pictures in this book do lend themselves to lots of talking, repetition and animal noises - 3 things that Jessicat loves! And she does laugh at the page where I have to say "good night" in lots of different voices.

Goodnight, Moon - Margaret Wise Brown. Lovely rhymes make this book a joy to read aloud, though the pictures are very small for Jessicat to comprehend. One very tiny quibble - that balloon is not red, it is orange! I think it's important to get colours right when babies are taking everything in.

The best of times, the worst of times...

2007-10-08T11:45:00.000+01:00

Some good days and some bad days. Jessicat's sleep has been a bit disturbed of late by diarrhoea and rampant teething (looks like a molar is trying to push through), so Dave and I have been feeling tired. But her receptivity to songs and books continues to be a joy. She is beginning to imitate the actions to certain songs (Twinkle, Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Wind the Bobbin Up etc) and can manage a few basic gestures. Also, I have noticed that if we see a picture in a book of, say, a pair of specs, or a necklace, or an ear, she will turn round and point to my glasses, necklace or ear. All signs that her comprehension continues to develop fast.

A visit to the Central Library on Saturday (whilst Dave was busy re-painting our kitchen) yielded the following:

I Hear - Helen Oxenbury. Great book for prompting a bit of conversation.

ABC - Sarah Phillips. Jessicat loves to feel the different textures in this book, and is particularly fascinated by the pluckable strings on the violin.

One Little Home - Dubravka Kolanovic. Great pictures in this book, with lots of little details to discuss. I also like the fact the the pictures are not too cluttered, so Jess can immediately see and understand what I am referring to.

Find the Teddy - Claudia Zeff. And she can, I am so proud!

A week of illnesses...

2007-10-02T11:49:00.000+01:00

....for Jessicat and me. She has had a stomach upset (first ever episode of proper vomiting), and I have got a streaming cold. We are now both on the mend, and really enjoying the damp, autumn weather that makes staying indoors and snuggling up with our books so enticing!

Finding books for Jesssicat is challenging at the moment. She has gone past the stage of very first baby books, but is not yet ready for anything other than the simplest of narratives. Books with flaps, mirrors and textures continue to interest her, as do any simple, repetitive stories that feature animals and animal noises.

Some of this week's books:

Bedtime Poems, Moonlight Rhymes - ed by Mary Joslin. This works well as a book to read just before bedtime, and is nice for me, as it features more adult poems, including a great one called Silver by Walter de la Mare, but is really aimed at children 4+.

Happy Birthday, Lulu - Caroline Uff. Jessicat enjoys the Lulu books, and as her first birthday is now approaching, I am taking the opportunity to begin discussing birthdays with her. Another series that I want to share with Jess in its entirety.

What Do You Do? - Mandy Stanley. Love her pictures, and the way the basic text invites participation. Jessicat can't really join in yet, but she giggles when we get to the rocking beetle and I bounce her up and down on my knee.

Ten Stars Twinkle - from the Baby Einstein series. I'm disappointed with this. It's beautifully produced and Jess loves to feel the glittery stars, but the text is uninspired and it's hard to spend long over this book.

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? - John Butler. We only picked this up from the library yesterday, but as it features lots of beautifully drawn animals, I imagine Jessicat will come to love it (it sometimes takes a few readings now for her to really begin to enjoy a book).

Bear In Sunshine - Stella Blackstone. One thing I love about these books is all the small details in the pictures which lead to lots of conversations and questions about what is going on.

Daisy Says Coo - Jane Simmons. Not sure if Jessicat understands the comedy of a duck saying "coo" rather than "quack", but when she does, I think this will really amuse her!

Jessicat's Second Holiday

2007-09-23T12:22:00.000+01:00

We are just back from a week in Weymouth - hence the title. It was a lovely week, and most momentously of all, Jess finally managed to crawl!!! I would like to say that this has marked the end of a period of frustration for Jessicat and us, but first Dave and I have to get down to some serious baby-proofing!

More developments: Jess can say "mama", "dada" and "nana", though not always to the right person. She continues to enjoy blowing raspberries, stetching up high and waving on command. Pleasingly, despite her new found mobility, sitting on Mummy's lap for some books is still one of her favourite activities, and one of the few things that calms her when she is grumpy.

This week's selection includes:
Busy Airport - Rebecca Finn. Jessicat is attracted to the flaps and levers, but the pictures are too busy for her to take much in.
Teatime with Woof - Caroline Jayne Church. Lovely pictures, with a small amount of text, and the ever welcome different textures.
The Very Busy Spider - Eric Carle. At first, Jessicat was not interested in this, but after several readings, is beginning to show more interest.
Noisy Poems - Collected by Jill Bennett. An old favourite, with some poems that could sit equally well in an adult anthology.

Jessicat is now over 10 months old, and we are on the countdown to toddlerdom!

A frustrating period

2007-09-13T11:44:00.001+01:00

Jessicat is frustrated and a bit miserable at the moment. A lot of this seems to be down to her inability to crawl; she will not give up, and so we see the bum go up in the air, followed quickly by "WAAAAH" as she doesn't get anywhere. Jess also seems to be teething, or has a little bug of some sorts; either way, she is most definitely not her usual sunny self at the moment.

I took her to the baby clinic this morning for a general check up. Jessicat weighs 23 lbs, which I am told is perfect for her height. The health visitor advised me that now is the time to be thinking of giving up the bottles in favour of beakers, so as of today, Jess is down to 2 bottles a day plus one beaker of milk. Another challenge for my frustrated little daughter!

With so many changes and so much learning on the horizon, it's good that we are sticking to some old favourites where books are concerned. Yesterday, Dave and I were reading to Jessicat for over 30 minutes; she was whingey and tired all day, and this seemed to be the one activity that calmed and satisfied her for any length of time. Takes me back to the bad old days of colic and my trusty mantra of the time: this too shall pass.

When will summer end?

2007-09-10T11:44:00.000+01:00

We seem to be having a real Indian summer at the moment; frustrating for someone like me who does not like the heat and loves crisp autumn days. You can see the season's change in the darker, longer nights and the improved TV schedules though!

Some more books that Jessicat and I have perused this week include:

Busy Playtime - Rebecca Finn
Busy Beach - Rebecca Finn
Just Like Daddy - Cecilia Johansson
If You See A Kitten - John Butler

We have a huge consignment on order with the library as well, and are reverting back to some old favourites whilst waiting for these to come in, including Happy Dog, Sad Dog, Peepo Baby and Count with Maisy.

I'm reading - and greatly enjoying - Libby Purves's latest book, Love Songs and Lies.

New books for September

2007-09-05T12:14:00.001+01:00

On the go this month, we have:

Where is Maisy's Panda? - Lucy Cousins. I actually prefer this to Where's Spot?
Wibbly Pig Can Make A Tent - Mick Inkpen
Find the Puppy - illustrated by Stephen Cartwright. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Jessicat picked up the concept of this book; after just one or two readings, she was able to spot the well-disguised puppy.
The Runaway Train - a Ladybird touch and sing book
Touch and Feel Pets
Jack and Jill and other nursery rhymes - illustrated by Lucy Cousins.

Jessicat continues to grow and do new things. When we blow bubbles during her bath time, she often tries to imitate us in saying "pop". I think she also attempts to say "balloon", though the sound is not clear, so it is hard to be certain. Jess can say "dada" and "mama", but it is very difficult to know if this is said with meaning, even though she can point to Dave or me when asked to.

Her inability to crawl continues to frustrate her. She can move from a sitting position onto all fours, but then gets stuck. Jessicat is not yet pulling herself up. She does appear to have adjusted to the new nap regime, and - touch wood - continues to sleep well, though still waking before 6.30am.

All our activities have started again this week. We are going back to Stay and Play, and library singing sessions, but have abandoned Jolly Babies, as this happens too near to Jessicat's nap time to be viable. We are joining Sing and Sign in Emerson's Green at the end of the month, and I am excited about that.

2 adult books on the importance of reading to children

2007-08-30T12:16:00.000+01:00

Baby Read- Aloud Basics - Caroline J Blakemore and Barbara Weston Ramirex. Found this book in Borders, and absolutely love it. It's a detailed study of how you read to babies under 24 months in ways that grab and maintain their interest levels, and what babies gain from having books read to them from even a few weeks old. It sums up everything I feel about the importance of sharing books with babies, and should probably be given away free in Bounty packs. Some of the Americanisms grate slightly, but that's a small moan overall.

Give Your Child Real Learning Power - Barrie Wade and Maggie More. This is a British book looking at the importance of reading to babies, with specific reference to the Bookstart project. It's a bit less detailed and scientific than Baby Read-Aloud Basics, but the message comes across loud and clear. I do like the chapter advising parents what's in it for them by reading extensively to their babies, and can vouch that the benefits listed do indeed apply to mummies as well as babies. And daddies of course. One small moan. They cite the example of a baby called Zoe, whose mother shared books with her from birth, and Zoe's mother states: "Right from go, when she started holding a book herself, she has never had it the wrong way round". Really? Jessicat has been read to from being only a few months old, and loves to hold her books, but most of the time, they are upside down, and I do find myself a bit sceptical about this claim.

Looking forward to my 34th birthday tomorrow and a new term of activities starting for Jessicat and me next week. October 5ths is National Bookstart day, so I am expecting to see lots of posters and activities advertised for us to get involved with!

New photos added

2007-08-25T15:09:00.000+01:00

Have finally got round to uploading some more recent photos of Jessicat. It's a hectic weekend here; not only is it our wedding anniversary tomorrow, but I have a new MP3 player to distract me, and am trying to plan my birthday outing. I will be back soon to blog about Jessicat's latest books.

Tired Mummy alert

2007-08-24T08:37:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday night, Jessicat decided that she most definitely was NOT ready for bed at 6.45pm, and let us know by screaming for over half an hour. Yikes! Shattered nerves all round and nervous consulting of books ensued. I've come to the sorry conclusion that the halcyon days of 2 daytime naps are now over, so Jess will be having a lunchtime sleep only.

On the plus side, Jessicat can now clap (she seems to be learning something new almost daily at the moment). More posts later on our late summer reading.

Proud mummy alert

2007-08-21T08:48:00.000+01:00

Now, maybe I should be getting out a bit more, but I am so proud of Jessicat today. Yesterday, when Dave was singing "Twinkle Twinkle" to her, she began imitating the actions, opening and closing her chubby little starfish hands whenever we began the song. That made me feel that all the singing, reading and playing we do together is helping her to learn things.

Visited Emerson's Green library on Saturday, and managed to pick up the following books:

Wibbly Pig Opens His Presents - Mick Inkpen. Jessicat's favourite Wibbly Pig book so far; she seems fascinated by the concept of presents (well, who isn't?)

Busy Park - Rebecca Finn. Good sturdy book that Jessicat can actually manage to operate in parts.

I Like It When - Mary Murphy. I do like this writer! Jessicat and I read this, and I imitate as many of the actions as possible. Jess is even able to point to various objects when asked.

Let's Play, Alfie Bear - Catherine Walters. This book is really a bit too old for Jessicat at the moment, so I tend to skip the text and just talk about the pictures at this stage.

9 months old

2007-08-17T08:45:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, we reached the 9 month point. I am so proud of how well Jessicat is coming on. She can now: wave (pretty much to order), lean her face into ours to give us a kiss, put up her hand to shake hands or high five, turn pages of a book to order, point to some objects when asked (a bit hit and miss this), blow raspberries, babble and sing and scream, feed herself with finger foods, take her weight on her feet and participate enthusiastically in games of peekaboo. No sign yet of crawling, and despite my early excitement a few weeks ago, no readily recognizable words, though lots of approximations of "dada" and "mama", but mostly without meaning still I'm afraid to say.

In some ways, sharing books with Jessicat is more difficult than it used to be, as she is impatient to turn the pages, and nearly always wants to take charge, which means it is difficult to follow any kind of narrative. But, interestingly, when sat on the floor surrounded by toys, she nearly always makes a beeline for one of her board books, amusing herself by turning the pages and fingering the spine or "kissing" pictures of other babies.

I've spent this week listening to The Crane Wife by the Decemberists. I wouldn't normally go for this kind of folk-rock, but the strong melodies and lyrics of this band have captivated me. TV wise, I've watched The Taming of the Shrew from the BBC Shakespeare Re-Told series (I love them!) and I'm reading a collection of Boris Johnson's newspaper columns. Been a bit off colour this week, so I am definitely ready for a weekend with Dave and Jess!

New books on the go

2007-08-14T12:38:00.000+01:00

Some more new experiences for Jessicat this week: we took her to the City of Bristol Museum at the top of Park Street (great play area for little ones and she was very excited by the fish!) and for a browse round Border's bookshop (I will never forget the few happy hours I spent browsing in there oblivious to the fact I was in early labour).

Our latest crop of books from the library include:

That's Not My Bear - F Watts
Playtime Peekaboo - from the Dorling Kindersley stable
I Spy You - Jan Ormerod (raises a smile this one, just as Jan Oremerod's other book did)
Touch and Feel Fluffy Kitten - Rod Campbell
Lullaby Baby - from the Amazing Baby series.

Had Jessicat weighed last week. She is now 22lbs (and doesn't my back know it!) and is on the 91st percentile for weight and height - perfect. Going to be a strapping lass like her mummy!

We love Rod Campbell!

2007-08-03T12:42:00.000+01:00

My Presents is Jessicat's favourite book of the moment; nothing else comes near. She gets excited as I pause before lifting the flap to reveal the toy, and heavy handedly attempts to open them herself. Fortunately, they are made of cardboard, so able to withstand Jess's loving ministrations.

Other books currently on the go include:

Sing Along with Spot - Eric Hill
Mr Bear Says I love You - Debi Gliori (so far, Jessicat is not the biggest fan of the Mr Bear series, but both of us loved the compilation of nursery rhymes illustrated by Ms Gliori)
Feely Bugs - David A Carter. Great textures!
That's Not My Kitten - F Watt
Spot's Playbook - Eric Hill. We have been lucky enough to find a brand new copy of this in the Central library. I love the sensual pleasure to be gained from handling and smelling new books (is that weird?)

August is here

2007-08-01T12:21:00.000+01:00

A couple of new events for Jessicat over the last week. Last Sunday, she attended a birthday party for the first time ever; her friend, Gracie, from Stay and Play was 1. Jess enjoyed a short time in the ball pool and loved playing with Gracie's musical toys. It was a joy to see her enjoying herself; I am still haunted by memories of her early days when she was so unsettled in anyone else's house.

Today, Jessicat and I caught a bus together (another first!) to attend the singing session held at the Central library. This is a fabulous library for children, with a separate play area and extensive collection of board books. We will be going back! It was exciting for Jess and me to be in town together, as there is so much to look at. We popped into the cathedral, stopped to look at the fountains in the centre, and Jessicat was admired by lots of passers by (proud mummy emoticon).

Books - of course - continue to be a major source of entertainment and enjoyment for Jessicat. She still loves me to lie beside her on the floor at 4pm for a daily book session as a precursor to her tea. At the moment, Jess loves to turn pages, and often does not even want to wait until I have finished the page before moving on. She is becoming increasingly fascinated with books as objects, mouthing them, poking them, and studying the shape of them closely. I can forsee that chunky board books and "feely" books will be a major part of our repetoire for some time to come.

Quiet Times

2007-07-27T12:38:00.000+01:00

All is quiet both in this blog and in our lives generally. Many of our activities have stopped because of the summer holidays (don't people realise that babies need entertaining too?) I would love to be able to report that Jessicat is doing lots of exciting new things, but instead, we are going through a period of consolidating existing skills. Still, we did manage to attend our first Rhymetime for about a month today, and Jess still enjoys singing and rhymes as much as ever.

Some of our books this week include:

Amazing Animals - Dr Seuss. I can see Dr Seuss books becoming even more popular now children are taught to read using phonics.
All Fall Down - Helen Oxenbury.
Play With Spot -Eric Hill.
That's Not My Tractor. Fiona Watts. We are slowly getting through the whole series, which Jessicat loves.
Playtime with Woof - Caroline Jayne Church. A new discovery, this, and another touchy-feely book, this time with a simple rhyme. Another series that Jessicat and I will want to complete.
Hippety-hop, Hippety-hay -collection of rhymes for children under 3, edited by Opal Dunn and Sally Anne Lambert. I have been looking for a collection of rhymes that I can share with Jessicat, as I can't wait to share my love of poetry with her. We both love nursery rhymes, but hopefully this book will enable us to expand our repetoire of poetry for very young children.

In the library this morning, Jess was rolling on the floor chewing bits of jigsaw as I was browsing, when I overheard a mother saying to her (approximately) 12 year old son:
"Only choose one book mind. And nothing too thick otherwise it will take us too long to get through." And we wonder why some kids today struggle with the basics so much.

I am reading John Tusa's "Art Matters" at the moment. Plenty of food for thought here, especially at the moment, as in Bristol the Old Vic is temporarily closed, Wildwalk and Imax have gone and even populist theatres like the Hippodrome struggle to sell out. Music wise, I'm looking for some new stuff to get into. I've been advised to try the Decemberists and Bellowhead, so my order has gone in, and I will report back soon.

Some summer reading.

2007-07-22T08:42:00.000+01:00

Our new books for this week are:

My Presents - Rod Campbell. Similar format to Dear Zoo and one that Jessicat already seems to appreciate.

Come Here, Cleo! - Caroline Mockford. Our first encounter with Cleo, from the Barefoot Books stable. I like her, and will look out more books from this series.

One Gorgeous Baby - Martine Oborne. A counting book, with a sweet message. Have only read this to Jess once so far, so a bit early to gauge her reaction yet.

Boo Barney - Alex Ayliffe. The final page features Boo giving his teddy a goodnight kiss, and I can make Jessicat smile by giving her a resounding "mwah" on her cheek at this point!

My own reading - I have just started Engleby by Sebastian Faulks. It's much funnier than I expected it to be - but I have a feeling it is going to get nasty. Just why is he ashamed to think about his little sister? I'm only a couple of chapters in, and I'm already hooked. After a nice drink at Bocabar yesterday (what a civilised place, and I recommend the patatas bravas), Dave and I watched The Night of the Demon on DVD. I love the elegance and formality of these 1950s film, but I was a bit distracted by the rather obviously fake wild cat. Great to watch another film; in fact, a pretty nice day all round.

First words???? (Mummy hops on spot impatiently....)

2007-07-18T12:59:00.000+01:00

Jessicat is still waving at people, and is showing signs of perfecting this skill by attempting it with her other hand or when sat down. But, more excitingly, I think we may have our first word! This morning, when Dave was leaving for work and saying "bye bye Jess", she replied "ba ba", and did it again later when I prompted her. Now, I know this could just be coincidence, but I'm hoping it's the start of many a conversation between us. Will keep the blog updated on this.

But to balance this with some not so good news, Jessicat is becoming increasingly fussy about taking her milk. I'm concerned that maybe I'm filling her up too much with solids, so will discuss this with the health visitor. It's good that she enjoys solids though, and courtesy of Heinz's Global Tots range, has even tried her first curry today.

Continuing this theme of firsts, today Jessicat completed her first ever Bookstart Crawl challenge, and has been awarded a certificate, and a free book, Pooky Penguin (author unknown). The certificate takes pride of place in her Stay and Play scrapbook, and I am looking forward to us sharing a new book together.

Jessicat's first holiday

2007-07-16T08:40:00.000+01:00

Last week, we went to North Wales with Jessicat's Granny and Grandad for her first ever holiday. In spite of rain and Jessicat's teething (upper two front teeth are now making an appearance), we had a lovely time. She was excited by the donkeys and Llandudno beach, and was thoroughly spoilt by her grandparents, acquiring some new outfits and a lovely knitted dolly whom we have christened Beatrice (carrying on with the theme of toys' names being inspired by Shakespearean characters - who said kids are dumbed down these days?!?!)

We have come home to more dubious weather (oh I love it and what an improvement on last summer), and some cracking reads.

Sparkly Day - Helen Stephens. Have now read and enjoyed this whole series together.
Everyone Hide From Wibbly Pig - Mick Inkpen. Jess really enjoys this book, but I have to protect the delicate flaps from marauding little hands.
Cow Moos - Stephen Barker. Jessicat loves trying to do the actions herself. Unfortunately, all the books we have read so far in this series have come from the library and been in poor condition, often heavily sellotaped or torn, which does reduce enjoyment somewhat.
Colours - author unknown, from the Bright Baby series.
That's Not My Dragon - Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells. This is our favourite book yet from this wonderful series. We are going to order all of them from the library! Even more excitingly, Jessicat is now showing signs of being able to point to the little mouse hidden on each page when asked. Her comprehension seems to be really coming on each month.

Where's the summer weather gone?

2007-07-04T08:20:00.000+01:00

I have to confess that I am probably one of the only people in England currently enjoying this damp - and for July - cool weather. My hayfever is much improved and it's bliss being able to sleep comfortably at night time. Long may it continue....

This week's selection includes:

Wee Willie Winkie and Other Nursery Rhymes - Iona Opie and Rosemary Wells. Good, pocket size collection of rhymes, with a few less popular ones included. This would be ideal for carrying around in my bag to whip out during the checkout queue.

Mummy and Me - from the Baby Einstein series

Spot Visits His Grandparents - Eric Hill. I like the sheer unfussiness of the print in Eric Hill's books; Jessicat's eye can focus on the words without any distraction of colours and illustrations.

Little Duckling - Nicola Smee. A short and sweet little tale, and one that tempts me to look out the other books in this series.

What else to report? Well, Jessicat has already seen off her first Prime Minister, as Gordon Brown was anointed this week. When in her baby walker, she is discovering how to open drawers and get into places; Dave and I need to baby proof the house quite soon, I think.

I am re-reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I'd forgotten how amazing this book was, as it's 14 years since I last read it! It manages to be an erudite, elegantly written and rather chilling page turner. I want more books like this!

Summer Reading

2007-06-26T09:34:00.000+01:00

And on the go this week, we have:

That's Not My Puppy - Fiona Watt (I can see us reading the whole of this series, as Jessicat is still enjoying books with different textures)
Bedtime for Bunny and Bee - Sam Williams
Pickle and the Blanket - Lynn Breeze (the Pickle books are a new find for us. Jess loves the one about Pickle and his ball).
Peekaboo Baby - a Rhyming Flap Book - illustrated by Kate Merritt
Hat Off, Baby - Jan Ormerod. A very simple book, and one that at first I thought would not appeal to Jessicat - how wrong could I be? Jan Ormerod can do no wrong where Jess is concerned!
Can You Choo Choo Too? - David Wojtowycz

Jessicat can now wave and is desperately trying to crawl; it is so funny to see her with her bum stuck up in the air, going nowhere!

I have just read Can Any Mother Help Me? and was moved by how these brave and intelligent women supported each other through the war and some very difficult times. It was an early precursor to www.mumsnet.com , and makes me realise that despite all our technical innovations and new theories on child rearing, very little has changed really.

Good magazines

2007-06-22T09:26:00.000+01:00

Have managed to track down a couple of magazines devoted to the subject of children's literature: Carousel and Books for Keeps. Both of them contain a lot of useful information about how children learn to read, and more importantly, lots of reviews of recently published good books. This is especially useful at the moment as I am compiling a wishlist of books for Jessicat and me to share over the coming months.

Have also managed to create a page on myspace (does my technical genius know no bounds?!?), where I hope to be able to make more contact with people who share my enthusiasm for children's books.

http://www.myspace.com/valcobbin

Other than that, not too much to report. Jess can finally roll over both ways, and is now trying to crawl, but with no success so far. Still only two teeth, although to judge by the dribbling and biting, more may be imminent. She continues to persevere with lumpy food, and enjoys tit bits of our plates now.

Stressful week

2007-06-19T09:27:00.000+01:00

Not a great week. Jessicat has had diarrhoea and a painful nappy rash. She is now recovering slowly, but it has been upsetting to see her in discomfort. And to add to our woes, yesterday, I had my handbag snatched in Tesco's car park. That has led to much frantic phoning round to cancel and replace essential cards and items. It's all things that can be replaced, with the possible exeption of my diary, where I had recorded so many pivotal moments of Jess's first year.

Still, on the upside, we finally caught the mouse last night. No more unwelcome guests here! As Dave said, with the snap of the trap, and on the B of the Bang, our luck changed....

Lots going on...

2007-06-14T08:50:00.000+01:00

I've suscribed to Carousel magazine, which is the only magazine I know of that is devoted to children's literature. I found out about it by browsing the website of The Federation of Children's Book Groups. I would love to work for them! Whilst surfing, I also came across the I Can website. I Can is a charity that works on behalf of children with communication difficulties - a worthy cause if ever I heard one - and they produce some very interesting DVDs on how children acquire language skills and how the adults in their lives can support their developing communication skills. Dave and I watched one last night, and I found it fascinating. Wonder how many people know these are available for free (well, 99p P&P).

Some of our reads this week include:

I Kissed the Baby - Mary Murphy (makes Jessicat laugh)
We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen (ok, I know that Jess is a bit young to follow the story, but what better way to celebrate Mr Rosen becoming the new children's laureate?)
Goodnight Poppy Cat - Lara Jones
Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell (we are long overdue in acquainting ourselves with this children's classic).

Jessicat continues to do well. She is now venturing into lumpy food, so a typical day's eating goes something like this:

Breakfast - up to half a weetabix, followed by half a Frutapura
Lunch - something savoury and lumpy
Tea - something savoury, but less lumpy (mutual tiredness at this time of day means I take the path of least resistance - slummy mummy!), a yoghurt, followed by a rusk to practice self-feeding skills.

Jess continues to babble, gurgle and is now showing promising signs of being able to roll both ways. Life is so much better now than it was when she was a newborn; long may it continue.

More books...

2007-06-07T08:57:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Jessicat and I visited Filwood library and found they had a great selection of board books for babies. These are some of the ones we chose:

Good Night, Spot - Eric Hill
Night, Night Baby (from the Amazing Baby series)
Bard's Rhyme Time - Julie Aigner-Clark (I have to confess that up to now, I have not been the biggest fan of Baby Einstein products, as I don't like the idea of pressuring babies to develop intellectually or academically before they are ready, but Jess appears to like this book, and the rhymes are fun).
This Little Baby - author not stated. You just can't have too many surprise mirror endings as far as Jessicat is concerned!

I'm about to start The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which I have heard great things about, and have high hopes for. Have just finished and enjoyed Young Wives' Tales by Adele Parks.

Summer is here...

2007-06-06T13:01:00.000+01:00

I know that summer has really arrived when I need to crack open the Piriton, accompanied with a cool Zirtec chaser. Mmm....I'm not the biggest fan of summer.

However, it does offer the chance to savour life on our new patio, and Jessicat and me have been taking full advantage of this. Yesterday, we were outside and I was singing nursery rhymes (fortunately, all the neighbours were out), and reading Baby Goz by Steven Weatherill and a book from Rod Campbell's Look, Touch and Feel series. Jess loves being outside, and is amazed by the rustling leaves and ever changing sky.

Today we went to our first Baby Bounce and Rhyme at Wick Road library. Seeing how much Jess enjoys my singing(!) and nursery rhymes in general, I have become a vociferous advocate of the importance of rhymes for even the youngest babies. It's amazing how easy it is to learn them off by part - I guess the repetition and rhyme helps here - so that they can be recited at any time throughout the day.

Annoyingly, only limited progress on the rolling front. Jessicat can roll from front to back, but still seems to like a helping hand from Mummy or Daddy. Her second tooth is also coming through.

New month, new books...

2007-06-01T09:37:00.000+01:00

To coin a phrase from The Fast Show, this week we have been mostly reading:

Debi Gliori's Nursery Rhymes - with CD. I love the old fashioned rhymes included in this anthology, and the little facts that accompany most of the rhymes. The illustrations are great as well. I tend not to bother with the CD, as Jess would rather hear my voice (strange child!)

Peepo - Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Jessicat's introduction to these classic children's writers! Sadly, at the moment, she is too young to notice all the carefully crafted details that go into each picture, but it is lovely for me to read to her, as it makes me think of my grandparents' house and the good times we shared when I was a baby. One to revisit when Jess is older, methinks.

Wobble Bear Says Yellow - Ian Whybrow and Caroline Jayne Church. I love this cheeky toddler bear!

Messy Dressy - Helen Stephens.

It's Heaven Having You - Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban. Lovely rhyme with touching sentiment.

Elmer's Hide and Seek - David McKee

Ladybird Baby Touch Peekaboo Book - Jessicat is still at the stage where she loves to touch everything and she is fascinated by the different textures here.

I am really enjoying having Dave at home this week as well. We are getting better and more organized at going out; Jess has been to Bath and Broadmead for the first time ever this week. Frustratingly, she can still only roll one way - I CAN'T WAIT TILL SHE CAN ROLL BOTH WAYS!!!

Busy Lives

2007-05-25T09:22:00.000+01:00

This is now a typical week for Jessicat, aged 6 months and 1 week:

Monday - am - see Sarah and Sean. He is still her favourite boyfriend, little minx!
pm - Stay and Play

Tuesday - Could be Baby Bounce and Rhyme at Keynsham library, or a meeting with Nanny, or a trip to feed the ducks. At the moment, this is most likely to be our free day.

Wednesday - Mornings are free; afternoons are devoted to Storytime at Wick Road library. A story, a craft activity and some singing, all for free. Libraries are fantastic!

Thursday - as of yesterday, Jessicat now goes to Jolly Babies, a music and playing class for the under 1s. In my opinion, not as good as Rhymetime, but still fun, and Jess loves the bubbles! I also enjoy having a chance to go to a different library and look round the shops at Broadwalk.

Friday - Rhymetime, followed by a trip to the library to choose our new books. Afternoons usually consist of a trip to the supermarket, to stock up with goodies for Dave and me for the weekend.

Back to the subject of children's books. I'm thinking of compiling a list of the top ten books that no baby should be without, based on my extensive experience of reading to Jess over the last 6 months. The list will comprise books that fit the following criteria:

1) Enjoyable for the baby - absolutely imperative
2) Bold, eye catching illustrations
3) Interesting text to read, preferably rhyming
4) Bearable to adults to read again and again
5) Make us want to explore more by that author

Watch this space. If you are a visitor to my blog, please leave any recommendations; I make a point of following up every comment or tip. Thank you.

Massive collection of new books

2007-05-18T13:02:00.000+01:00

Ok, what have we got this week?

Hip Hip Hooray Helen Stephens
I Like Colours Barbara Jean Hicks
Peek-a-boo Jan Ormerod
Maisy Likes Playing Lucy Cousins
Shiny Seaside Helen Stephens
When I was a baby Deborah Niland
Where's Spot? Eric Hill
My Ladybird First Rhymes
Drift Upon a Dream - Poems for Sleepy Babies John Foster and Melanie Williamson

Plenty here for Jessicat and me to get our teeth into. This morning, I stumbled upon the website for Red House books. I am so tempted to go shopping, and given we are now down to one wage, this would be a bad idea. Common sense tells me we can get a fantastic range of books from our local library, but I know how lovely it is to have new books to hold, smell and savour. Will have a think over the weekend and decide if the purse strings can stretch to something that Jessicat might like to keep.

6 months and still surviving....

2007-05-17T09:16:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Jessicat was 6 months old! Weirdly, she not only seems to be surviving my care, but actually thriving! Don't know if I could say the same for me and Dave though. Yesterday, Jess and I attended our first ever library storytime, and made a paper crocodile. I'm so pleased that we can attend events like this now with Jessicat and that she actually enjoys them. Today we are getting ready for Joan and Bernard's visit.

My reading adventures: What Mother's Do by Naomi Stadlen, and How to be Right by James Delinpole.

Progress update

2007-05-15T09:54:00.000+01:00

Jessicat is cutting her first tooth: lower incisor! This might explain why she is hard to settle to sleep at the moment; I'm hoping this phase will pass quickly. Still not much progress with rolling from front to back. Strangely, all the books say that this should be easier for babies than rolling back to front. Hmmm...Jess clearly hasn't read the books! (Reminds me of how I used to read that newborns typically sleep for 16 hours plus a day. Yeah, right.)

Jess's favourite books this week are Emily Bolam's Peepo series. She actually anticipates the mirror ending, and begins giggling as soon as we reach the final page. Jessicat is really enjoying basic games of "boo" and "peepo" at the moment, so these books echo her interest, and luckily, we have been able to obtain the whole series from our library. When I give Jess her bottle, I am enjoying reading poems and nursery rhymes to her; it's funny how quickly you seem to memorise them.

On a serious note, like all parents, my heart and prayers go out to the parents of Madeleine McCann, let us hope for good news soon.

What about TV?

2007-05-11T09:15:00.000+01:00

Bit of a dilemma for me, this one. I enjoy watching a small amount myself (current favourites are Casualty, Peep Show, Have I Got News for You) and am not in favour generally of a blanket ban on things, as I think this can actually have the opposite effect to that intended. But, but...I've read plenty of articles indicating that TV is bad for babies, and can create an environment where obesity, academic underachievement and aggression can flourish. So what to allow Jessicat to do?

Well, I've decided to opt for the middle ground, and set a few rules for her. A small amount ie 20 minutes or so, in front of Baby TV to allow me to get some housework done is deemed ok. Jess does seem a bit mesmerized by it, and sometimes I need the breathing space to catch up with chores. But, no TV on in the background all day - we are usually too busy doing other things anyway - , no unsuitable TV that is aimed at adults or older children, and absolutely no TV in the bedroom. Ever. End of.

This week's reading includes:
Wee Willie Winkie and other nursery rhymes (illustrations by Lucy Cousins)
Maisy's Bedtime - Lucy Cousins (Jessicat loves the bold and colourful illustrations, and there just the right amount of text for a young baby)
The Gingerbread Man - a Ladybird Touch and Feel book
Spot Goes to the Park - Eric Hill (again, bold and clear pictures for young ones)
Wobble Bear - Ian Whybrow and Caroline Jayne Church (I love the rhymes)

Enjoying our books...

2007-05-08T09:10:00.000+01:00

We had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Jessicat is now the proud owner of a luminous pink stroller, which means more freedom to get around in the car, as it fits easily into the boot. We also bought her some blocks with letters and pictures on them. I would like to report that this led to an instructive and educational afternoon for Jessicat, but alas, Dave and I were mildly drunk and used them instead to see what swear words we could make. It's not big and it's not clever....

All three of us have spent lots of time reading. My latest book is The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory, who is one of my favourite writers, and with whom I must credit any knowledge at all I can claim about Tudor history. Dave is well into his Harlan Coben. As for Jess's books, well, she is continuing to love her textured board books, and we have ordered a load more by Emily Bolam and Helen Stephens to satisfy her obsessi0n. My love affair with the latest Divine Comedy and Amy Winehouse albums also continues apace; what a culture vulture I am!?!!

It's Friday so it must be new books day!

2007-05-04T12:06:00.000+01:00

Usual trip to library after Rhymetime to choose some new reading matter to keep Jessicat and me going over the Bank Holiday weekend. What have we got?

Eat Up Dudley - David Wojtowycz
Twinkly Night - Helen Stephens
Who Are You? Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter
Tickle Tickle - Helen Oxenbury
Boom, Baby, Boom, Boom - Margaret Mahy
Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones - Claire Freedman

A pretty varied selection here I think. Over the last couple of days, Jess has really enjoyed Peekaboo Jungle (Emily Bolam) and Funny Sunny Garden (Helen Stephens). She loves to feel different textures with a clumsy, open, starfish type hand, and it's lovely to be able to point to the bit on the page and see her place her open palm over it. Books with mirrors are also coming into their own at the moment, as this always makes her smile. And, as always, we have our nursery rhymes and songs to keep us entertained in checkout queues and other dull moments. I don't care if we attract funny looks from the other shoppers; I bet they just want to listen in...

Still no luck on rolling front to back, which is frustrating. But Jessicat is starting to babble, a new development as of today. So exciting to think that this is the precursor of proper speech.

Please say hello...

2007-05-02T12:16:00.000+01:00

Looking at the site monitor, I see the blog is getting a few more visitors than I expected, including some international ones! Please leave a comment to say hello, make a comment or recommend a book for Jessicat (or us!) I'm always on the look out for new books to read with Jess, and would particularly love to hear from more writers, illustrators etc.

Barefoot Books

2007-05-01T09:01:00.000+01:00

http://www.barefoot-books.com/uk/site/pages/home.php

Dave took Jessicat to the library last week and chose 2 books from the Barefoot range, There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch (Clare Beaton) and Where's the Cat? (Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter). These are both board books with bright, arresting pictures, and I like the idea of a book company that celebrates art and story and the sheer variousness of things (what's that Louis McNeice poem; is it Snow?) Yesterday, at Stay and Play, I picked up The Very Hungry Caterpillar for Jessicat. Nice book - but I can't help being put off it by knowing that this is Dubya's favourite book ever. Hmmm...............

Jessicat continues to do more interesting things. This week she has discovered she can roll from her back onto her tummy. Great - the only problem is, she can't roll back, then gets extremely frustrated, so Dave and I are up and down to keep turning her back. Sarah was kind enough to lend us a high chair, so as of yesterday, Jess now sits with us at the table for meals.

As for my own reading, well, the illnesses of the last week have meant that I'm yearning for a comfort, familiar read. So, hello Monday's Child by Louise Bagshawe, a great read for times like this.

Bookstart

2007-04-27T09:27:00.000+01:00

http://www.youbabybookmagic.org.uk/

Free books for babies - what a fantastic idea! I love the little bag of free books that Jessicat and I were able to pick up from the library. I wish there were more; she doesn't qualify for the next set until she is 15 months old. Thank God for libraries in the interim, or we would have to re-mortgage the house!

I am pleased to report that normality is slowly returning after our week of illnesses. My reading at the moment is The Faber Book of Love Verse and Sarah Bilston's Bed Rest (which I wouldn't mind a bit more of after Jess's poor sleeping over the last few nights!)

The view from my sick bed...

2007-04-25T15:16:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, what an awful week. Dave and I have succumbed to a nasty tummy bug that has left us feeling miserable and tired. Jessicat remains healthy; fingers crossed that she somehow escapes. So reading opportunities have been a bit thin on the ground this week for us all. But I did want to mention how one book we discovered in our libary: Hand Rhymes (collected and illustrated by Marc Brown). These are particularly good for Jess as they satisfy her current yen for rhymes and being able to watch Mummy's fingers moving at the same time...

At our Stay and Play session on Monday, the parents are encouraged to choose a book from a selection to read with the babies at home. Hurrah, more books to choose from! Our first selection is a little board book called There was an old lady who swallowed a fly; a classic kid's poem that I remember from my old childhood. Monday's at the Children's Centre now see us following a curriculum called PEEPs (can't remember what the anocronym stands for), but I know it's about encouraging parents in their role as their child's first educators. I'm excited to be part of this, with maybe just a slight feeling of concern; Jessicat is 5 months old - surely she can just kind of hang out a bit at this age? She's got the rest of her life to follow a curriculum! Anyway, the first session was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops.