Top 5 for Friday - Children's stocking fillers

Now that it's December I can formally mention the C word - Christmas is coming. The decorations are going up around the libraries and planning is well under way for a visit from the big fellow at Special Christmas storytimes around the area (more on that next week).

It's also the time when people come into the library looking for inspiration and advice for under the Tree. This week I thought I would start off with something for the younger crowd. So here's some of my favourite picture books that the kids might like to look at, read or have read to them (and the best ones are the ones that we enjoy reading to them).

1. Having toured around parts of Northland earlier this year with the irrepressive Donovan Bixley, I was looking forward to his new book The Wheels on the Bus. Yes, it's a familiar tale and it's been done before, but that is part of the joy of this Kiwi styled edition. The birds, mammals, reptiles and vistas of Aotearoa pop out of the pages and children will delight at identifying all of them, including the fantail who appears on every page. The bus travels from Cape Reinga through to Milford Sound stopping at iconic New Zealand spots to pick up a whole host of Kiwi characters. You can sing along as you turn the pages (as we did at Storytime on Monday) or if you want to sit quietly and read the book, you find lots of other things hiding in the pictures as well. This vibrant soft covered picture book will make an ideal stocking filler and is definitely top of my list of picture book purchases for the special kids in my life.


2. Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) has a new book out called Cave Baby. The illustrator is Emily Gravett. It’s a fun story about a cheeky baby who scribbles on walls (can anyone relate to that) and a hairy mammoth who takes him for a thrilling nighttime ride. It’s a great read aloud book (I’v tried it out at storytime).


3. Something completely different, and a little bit of a tear jerker for the soft touches amongst us is Potato Music by Christina Booth and illustrated by Pete Groves. Each night the family gather around the piano and sing and dance. Pa says the music “helps to keep our dreams and hopes alive”. But then the war comes, boots march by outside and everyone is hungry. Can the music keep them warm and stop them from starving? It’s sad but uplifting – ideal for quiet time with your child.


4. The highlight for me of To Market To Market by Anne Miranda is the stunning and hilarious illustrations by Janet Stevens. They fit the simple text so well with the animals and the shopper springing off the sepia background chaos. The book itself has been around for a while (1997) and has been honoured as both a whole and for it’s illustrations. If you find it, have a look and see if you agree with me.


5. The Mountain who wanted to Live in a House is Maurice Shadbolt's only known children's story. Published in picture book format for the first time with illustrations by Renee Haggo it is the story of young Thomas who saves the town from a wandering mountain, at the same time helping the mountain to achieve his dream.

Honourable mention must go to the Kiwi classics such as Hairy Maclary and the stories of people such as Margaret Mahy and Joy Cowley (some of which were re-issued this year), Yvonne Morrison's kiwi re-workings of the traditional christmas tales (e.g. The Night before Christmas), new releases such as Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam (Juliette McIvor) and the Kiwi Corkers (which also have a Kiwi retelling of the Christmas Carol just released). Do you get the impression I could go on and on? I could (I haven't even mentioned Wonky Donkeys or Piggity Wiggity yet). It's the child inside and it is never more evident than at Christmas time.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.