Who Lives Here by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

 

It is always fun when someone invites you to visit but what would you do if they only told you the street name and not the exact address.

"The houses in South Street all stood in a row. But which how was Dan's house? I just didn't know."

So, the child ventures along the street, with their parent standing by, investigating each house. Number one - no, Number two - no, Number three - no, Number four - no. Does Dan live at Number Five?

Look at the team who have produced this book - Julia Donaldson master storyteller and wrangler of perfect rhyming texts and Rebecca Cobb who does nostalgic, sweet, detailed illustrations and draws the faces of children with so much emotion. Bonus - this book has lift the flap pages, fold out pages and it is made from sturdy paper so it can survive young hands who will read and re-read this treasure.

Julia Donaldson has created another original and entertaining read in rhyming verse and regular rhythm for reading aloud. It has the element of surprise that children love as they lift the flaps or try to guess what could be hiding there. Kids' Book Review

A gently reassuring jaunt, great for those starting school and making new friends, it suggests Donaldson’s knack for catchy rhymes and deeply resonant themes shows no signs of waning. Long may she reign over bedtime. The Guardian

Do you need a Christmas gift for a young child (aged 3+) - go out and grab this book - it is perfect. Take a look at my recent post about Julia Donaldson. 

Very sadly one of our excellent independent bookstores here in Sydney, Australia is set to close before the end of this year. This means all of their stock is now on sale. I have had Who Lives Here on my book wish list for the last few months. Hardcover picture books have become quite expensive but this one was only AUS$28 less my 20% discount. I now have to decide if I will gift this book or keep in on my own shelves.

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest of picture books that features houses and homes. Companion books:

Squeak Street (See the full original series here).

It could also be fun to include this book if you are working on a theme of Happy Birthday stories. You could talk about all the details that need to be included on a party invitation. 

The Birthday Invitation

The Birthday Invitation by Lucy Rowland illustrated by Laura Hughes

Ella is having a birthday party. She writes her invitations and sets off to deliver them but one invitation falls out of her bag. Ella has no idea about the journey her invitation takes until everyone turns up at her house for the party!

Everyone - a wizard; some pirates; a parrot; the princess; a knight; a pilot; and finally it reaches her friend. How did all of these characters end up reading the misplaced invitation?

If you read this book with a young child there will be a lot to discuss beginning with the information Ella did not include on her invitation. Here is it what it says

"Invitation - Please come to my birthday part love Ella."

Putting the missing details aside this is an imaginative story with a happy ending.

The Birthday Invitation is one of those magical books that makes you smile and feel happy inside. With a fabulous story and impeccable rhyme, I highly recommend adding this one to your (or a friend's) storybook collection. Kids' Book Review

Here is an activity pack from Bloomsbury to use with this book. Laura Hughes from Hastings UK, has a delightful illustration style. I have a Pinterest collection of Birthday books. Here are some favourites:

The Secret Birthday by Rosemary Wells

I was delighted many years ago to meet little Yoko. Now I discover there are ten 'spin off' titles featuring Yoko and her classmates. In this book the main character is Nora. We met her first in Noisy Nora. 

Sadly the ten books from the series Yoko and Friends School Days are quite old and so they out of print but you might be lucky, as I was, and find one or two in a public or school library.

The dilemma in The Secret Birthday will be recognised by many children. Who do you invite to your birthday party?  Especially when you simply cannot ask everyone in the class. This issue has become quite serious at Yoko's school and so the topic of birthday parties is banned -  "no birthday talk at school" is the rule.

Nora's mum is keeping the birthday guest list a secret. She delivers the invitations and does not tell Nora who is coming. BUT this secret is just so distressing for Nora. She can't wait three days until her party she wants to know NOW just who is coming so Nora breaks the rule and the day before the party, while they are in the girls bathroom, she quietly asks her friend Yoko did she get an invite. Nora does not realise Grace has overheard this conversation. Word of who is and who is not coming to the party quickly spreads around the class.  Nora is miserable. She is a sensitive girl and all of the aggression and nasty comments about her birthday are really hurting her. The Franks even make up a teasing song on the bus.

Luckily, the next day, Nora has a conversation about her problem with bus driver Henry. Driving past the local hospital Nora has a brilliant idea. Kids in hospital have birthdays too. The hospital has a large cafeteria. Is there a way to invite everyone to the birthday party? 

The party foods link perfectly with the foods you may have seen in Yoko. Henry drives his bus on Saturday and picks up everyone:

"First he picked up Nora and her mother. They had birthday cakes.
Then he picked up Timothy. Timothy had fifteen bags of chips.
Claude was next. He had jelly beans.
Yoko's mother had made special sushi. 
Charles bought ice cream.
Fritz had chocolate sauce.
Doris lugged squeeze cheese and crackers.
The Franks' dad had cooked up a pot of franks and beans."

These are perfect little easy chapter or beginner books for a newly independent reader with the bonus of a very satisfying story and very sweet illustrations.  Here are some of the other titles in this series Yoko and Friends School Days: