With Easter Sunday only a few days away, there will be lots of parents looking for alternatives to chocolate for their children and, while the hubs and I are partial to a bit of refrigerated Easter egg ourselves, we want to avoid that with C. So, I thought I'd share the a few ideas to help if you're looking to do the same.
At such an inquisitive age where a toddler's imagination is growing, I really don't think you can go wrong with picture books so, when I was offered the chance to review two Spring-themed books, I jumped at the chance (if you excuse the pun!).
Rabbits Don't Lay Eggs!, by Paula Metcalf and Cally Johnson-Isaacs, follows Rupert the rabbit as he tries to find his place on the neighbouring farm. As the story continues, we get to meet lots of farm animals and learn what their jobs are, while Rupert desperately tries to work out what his skill is. Each page is bursting with colourful illustrations sure to catch the attention of your little one and I love the fact that the story is substantial enough to entertain toddlers who are beginning to understand what you're saying. Of course, it helps us parents too if the story is an interesting one and Rabbits Don't Lay Eggs! will have you creating different voices for the many characters and narrative.
Next up is Hooray for Hoppy! by Tim Hopgood which tells the story of Hoppy the rabbit as he waits for Spring to arrive so he can explore the world using his senses. It's such a delightful story, full of bright colours, bold font (with words emphasised so you can begin to get your little one involved) and I can imagine it inspiring a hours of fun with older toddlers, recreating the pictures in the book or exploring in the garden using their senses.
Both books, published by Macmillan Children's Books, are printed in board book and paperback form so you can choose which suits. They're ones that we'll definitely be coming back to repeatedly as our 1 year old begins to learn more and, as a parent, I think that's pretty crucial.
To go with the books, we couldn't resist adding a couple of Jellycat soft toys and settled on Spring themed animals that fit in with both stories. I love the gender neutral colours of the medium bashful bunny and lamb which means that, when his sister arrives next month, C will have no excuse not to share! The small grey bashful bunny isn't a new one, but is too cute not to feature!
I hope you've enjoyed reading my Easter/Spring themed From the Bookshelf. It's a new feature on the blog and, although there are already a few posts up, there will be lots more to follow.
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