Why We Love: Fabulous Pie

We first discovered Fabulous Pie on CBeebies story time, where it was read by Nadiya Hussain. This funny, repetitive story appealed to my little girl straight away and we watched it every night that it remained on iPlayer. I was really excited when I found it on my next trip to the library, so we could continue to read it during the day. 

Fabulous Pie tells the story of a very bad bear, who bakes a very big pie. But what is he planning to put inside it? The berries, honey and fish collected for him by helpful woodland animals, or something much more sinister? 

Fabulous Pie is really fun to read aloud and for weeks afterwards, you'll find yourself quoting it every time someone mentions pie!

Why We Love: Archie

This one is a bit different to the sorts of picture books I'd normally get and was actually one my daughter picked out by herself. Archie doesn't have many words, leaving you to discuss the pictures as you go to tell the story. My husband's expression quickly changed from puzzled - when he opened the book and realised there was nothing to read - to dismayed when I told him he needed to talk about what he could see happening and discuss it with our daughter! However, I found it made a refreshing change,  as I sometimes feel like the rhythm of a story is so strong you can't keep breaking it to talk about the pictures. 

Archie is the story of an anthropomorphic dog who is sent a sewing machine and becomes an instant success as fashion designer for all of the other dogs (and their pets) in the area. By the end, he is exhausted and in need of a holiday, but on the final page he gets a call from a client far too important to refuse!

Why We Love: Nothing

Whenever Lila's mother asks her what she's up to, Lila replies 'nothing'. She might look like she's messing with a scarf and mittens, but she's really battling a sea monster, and when she's whizzing along on her scooter, she's actually a fearsome charioteer travelling faster than the wind. Nothing is a beautiful look into a child's imagination, and a brilliant reminder that you don't need fancy toys to have fun. 

This is our second Yasmin Ismail picture book, as we already have (and frequently read) I'm a Girl. The art work is very similar and the words have a familiar rhythm and flow. I think I prefer this to I'm a Girl as it's a bit easier to read aloud - I sometimes stumble over quite how I should be saying all the 'I'm a Girl's and would love to see a YouTube video of someone else reading it.  

Nothing is another library book we'll be disappointed to return. I have a horrible feeling our library trip is going to have turned into research for a big book order!