Kali Stileman(Doubleday) Every baby should receive a nursery rhyme anthology, whether it is to celebrate their birth, their naming ceremony (or religious equivalent) or their first Christmas. They are an essential part of language development as well as developing an ear and love for rhyme and stories.There are many wonderful nursery rhyme anthologies on the market and …
songs
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Jane Ray(Orchard Books) The Twelve Days of Christmas, my all-time favourite Christmas song, is beautifully brought to life in this new picture book by Jane Ray, who manages to convey the joyfulness and slight eccentricity of the classic tune. The colour scheme used is what I noticed to begin with when I first came across the book. The warm …
I’m a Happy Hugglewug
Niamh Sharkey(Walker Books) Meet the Hugglewugs, a lovely colourful family from a brand new species and follow as they go about their everyday lives: having breakfast, going to school, playing at the park, having dinner. All this in the happy, singing Happy Huggle way! This bright picture book will be a winner with preschoolers. It …
Christmas Carols
Sandy Nightingale (illustrations)(Macmillan Children’s Books) Rather than a christmas story, this is actually an anthology of traditional Christmas Carols and Songs. From We Wish You a Merry Christmas to I Saw Three Ships, a double-spread is dedicated to each song and includes the words, the musical score as well as beautiful, timeless and festive silhouette illustrations by Sandy Nightingale. There …