A Belated Wednesday Book Nook

Happy spring everyone! Although it hasn't quite been springy over here yet.

Things have been pretty busy over the last week, as we've been working really hard to put together some prototypes for our upcoming Etsy shop (maybe we'll post a sneak peak in the coming week), so Book Nook is coming just a day late. We've got some good ones though, so we hope you'll forgive us!

Our picture book this week is The One & Only by Holly Hobbie, from the Toot & Puddle series. 

Ironically, we weren't going for a pig  theme -- it just happened that way! This is a really adorable little book though, and if your little one enjoys it, there are others to look into. Not to mention, if you head over to the Tood & Puddle website, there are games, videos, and printables! It doesn't get better than that, really.

The story follows Opal, who finds herself a bit frustrated when the new girl at school, Bubbles, decides to copy everything she does. It doesn't help that Bubbles gets all the credit, and everyone starts to absolutely adore her. It isn't until the girls of the class begin to rehearse their big chorus line for the end of the year party that Bubbles reveals her weakness -- she can't dance! Fortunately Opal can, and decides to be the bigger person, and helps Bubbles out. 

The only thing we wished had been included in the story, is a page or two that sums up whether or not Opal and Bubbles become friends (seeing as it's a picture book, we can assume that they did, but you never know). All in all though, this was a great little story, with a lot of excellent material to follow it up with.

Next is an old favourite, Awful End by Philip Ardagh.

This is one of those books that has a quirky, eccentric type of humour. If you or your kids liked A Series of Unfortunate Events, or if you're not quite sure they're ready for that series, this is a good one. It's a part of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy, and there is actually a second trilogy with Eddie Dickens if they really love it. 

As you can imagine, the main character is a boy named Eddie Dickens, and this first book in the trilogy follows him on some hilarious misadventures. It all starts when his parents catch "some awful disease that made them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly around the edges, and smell of old hot-water bottles". We kid you not, those words come directly from the first page of the book. Eddie is sent to live with Mad Uncle Jack, and Even Madder Aunt Maud (and her stuffed stoat) at their house, Awful End. 

This is a great book to read out loud if you like doing voices, because the characters are absolutely hilarious, and it's a bit more of an advanced read if your child is just getting into chapter books. It's divided into "Episodes" instead of chapters, as the author wrote these books in installments for his nephew in boarding school. Definitely gives it a bit of uniqueness, along with great chapter titles (ie. Episode 6 Orphanage - in which geese save Rome).

Happy reading!

~ Sonja & Joy