At this stage your child will still be enjoying picture books of all kinds to share with you, but will probably start bringing home simple decodable books from school too. Decodable books are designed for your child to read and practise phonics. So, here are a few tips to make sure you make the most of all these different types of books.

Tip 1: Read together every day

Try a short reading time when you are reading (newspaper, magazine, book, on?screen) and your child is too. It’s good to start this habit of quiet reading time early, however short to begin with!

Tip 3:Talk about the book before you begin reading

Before reading a book together, always talk about the title, the pictures and the information on the cover (front and back). If it’s new, ask what your child thinks the book might be about. If it’s an old favourite then talk about the bits you love most! Don’t worry if some books get chosen again and again!

Tip 4:Read with different voices

When reading aloud use lots of expression and try different voices for different characters. Get your child to join in with bits too, such as, ‘They pulled and they pulled!’ and ‘Fee, fi, fo, fom...’. See if your child can copy you!

Tip 5:Ask each other questions

Talk about the stories and information books when you’ve finished reading together and ask questions. What did you like best? Why did the tiger let Floppy go? Have you ever played a trick on any

ChickPea turns five tomorrow. Five! It feels like she has always been here and despite her daily stomping, roaring and screaming she makes us laugh everyday with her quirky take on life. She is currently adding big words to her vocab and using them in pretty much every conversation. My mum had ChickPea yesterday afternoon and said, ‘your child is trying to include the word unfortunately in every single sentence’.

There is a family birthday party for the five year old on Sunday and this year it is unicorn themed. We’ve now had a cranky ladybird party and two dinosaur parties for the roaring, stomping one…and she requested another dinosaur party this year. After much reading of books which do not involve dinosaurs…ChickPea announced one morning at breakfast that she now liked unicorns and ‘Thelma the Unicorn’ was her favourite book in the world.

And so we have a unicorn party. Book themed parties are my favourite as the theming is done for you, many books mention food and the story provides a focus for the party. You can see a list and link to all our book parties at the end of this post.

I’ll upload photos of the party (really more a family lunch!), but in the meantime – the following gifts are wrapped and ready for the birthday girl – from various family members. I’ve linked where possible to items – in case you also have a unicorn loving child. There is also a Fairy Door on it’s way – but I can’t show a photo of this as the fairies deliver this one via Aunty Amy – who has super close connections with the tooth fairy (see here). The books are all ones that I’ve ordered for her – some are for older readers but the older sister

My first child has a lovely baby book, full of anecdotes, photos and locks of hair. Second child has an empty baby book…totally empty. Not a thing.

Fortunately ChickPea is a resilient second child and come on, look at the photos she has thanks to my dear friend Simone Carter, who snapped these before ChickPea turned into the reflux baby from hell (I am still recovering). Whilst ChickPea may not mind her lack of baby book at the moment..her brand new, never been opened baby book has been traumatising me for years and every so often I stumble upon it while looking for something else and write myself a note to ‘do baby book’. Never do it. But I write the notes and feel the guilt.

Enter ‘The Day You Came Into the World’ by Frances Lalor and Erin Beachy. I stumbled upon this book through a Facebook friend and oh my wordy I owe the creators a debt of thanks as my baby book guilt issues are now no longer. I’ve just this week popped the original, never-used baby book in the Vinnies bin – and I’m sure some other mother is going to love it sick and make it gorgeous. While they make the other one gorgeous, I’m all smug with my copy of ‘The Day You Came Into the World’.

Lalor and Beachy have created the most gorgeous and gentle picture book, and it finishes with a page of details which a parent can fill in with their own story of the day their baby came into the world. One page?! Even I can do that. This is a story that can be read for a lifetime – as a reminder of the very special day that a child came into the world. It will inspire memories, laughter and possibly some tears. I’m so very, very pleased to be able to give ChickPea a beautiful book with a

Boom! ‘The Little Prince’, presented by Monkey Baa Theatre Company and Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry STARTS TODAY! Still hoping to be magically transported to Sydney for this! Next time I am in Sydney I am making it a priority to visit Monkey Baa Theatre Company as I only ever hear brilliant things about them!

Are you going to see ‘The Little Prince’? Do you have your tickets yet? Do let me know how it is. There really is nothing better than performances based on books or stories, for young and old alike. For young audiences, a pre-reading of the book can help with understanding the narrative structure of the theatre production and bring the book to life in a way that is magical and will stay with them forever.

With its timeless message about the importance of friendship, The Little Prince is an adventure story that celebrates the richness of human feeling and imagination.

One of the most widely read books in history – 140 million copies sold worldwide and printed in more than 250 languages and dialects including braille – Saint-Exupéry’s exquisite tale tells the story of a curious prince who leaves his tiny home planet and journeys across the universe, discovering that adults have very strange ideas about the things that really matter.

Associate Director of Spare Parts and director of the production, Michael Barlow, said that The Little Prince is an imaginative and vivid work, continually reminding us of the magic of the imagination.

“The work speaks strongly about what really matters in life. It isn’t expensive or flashy thin

Reading is a fundamental part of every child's life. Whether they are being read to, looking at pictures or reading a book themselves, kids should have as many experiences with books as they can. However, presenting kids with any old book simply won't do. Depending on age and developmental level, there are certain types of books that kids should enjoy.

Babies

Babies and toddlers between 1 and 2 years old will enjoy looking at books with bright colors and large pictures. Plastic, vinyl or cloth books are appropriate for children of this age because they are easy to hold and can be washed if they come in contact with kids' mouths. Infants and toddlers like to look at books that include pictures of babies and familiar objects such as a type of animal living in the home, favorite types of toys and foods and familiar items such as bottles and blankets. Older toddlers may also enjoy looking at sturdy board books including photos and pictures of familiar objects and children doing familiar activities such as sleeping or playing.

Kids between 2 and 3 years old like to read picture storybooks that include vibrant, detailed illustrations that support the story line. Since kids of this age are becoming more aware of language, books that include rhythmic patterns, rhyming and repetition or predictable text provide them with opportunities to memorize stories to tell to others. 2 and 3 year-olds will also enjoy books that they can interact with including pop-up books and touch-and-feel books.

Kids who are 4 and 5 years old love to m