Favourite Children’s Books of the week… I’m going to make it a series. Weekly? Friday favourites? Some old, some new, some classics and all marvellous? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Growing up as a kid in the days before iPads and smart phones, I took a book and little box of chocolate raisins everywhere I went. That’s all I needed to go about my life. While fairytales had my head swirling with future romance (boy was dating an unpleasant shock as a teenager who had spent an entire childhood with her nose a book) Matilda felt like home. It was a battered, dog-eared comfort blanket – pages that washed away bad days and reminded me that magic lived in our world, not just in distant lands of Neverland and Hogwarts.
For that reason, I have read to my children since they were just bumps I stoked softly while I spoke words of my favourite authors, dizzy with excitement that I would soon be feeding them the words of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit. It feels like giving them the best part of myself.
Now I share our favourite pages online with you, whether they’re new discoveries, often reached for or long forgotten, and it’s a community that gives me that same sense of home the Matilda always did. Isn’t the internet wonderful in that way?!
So, without further ado, here’s this week’s favourite children’s books:
Mouse’s Wood: a year in nature, by alice melvin
While I’m sure that I’ve read that you should keep your best until last to keep your reader invested, I’ve always been one to eat dessert before dinner. It was love at first sight, and I will be keeping this book to read to my grandchildren. It’s just something special.
Mouse wakes in his cosy bed during a chilly January, and starts on a journey through the woods that he calls home. He walks through the year, with each page turn taking him into the following month to appreciate it’s charms. Mouse meets many friends along the way, until he takes a moment to soak up the arrival of the new year.
Between the stunning illustrations, the cut-out details, the flaps and the celebration of words and nature – there’s nothing about this book that didn’t need to be on our bookshelf… it was the something that we never knew was missing. I promise I won’t swoon so thoroughly over every book this much, but I’m quite in love with it, and the children have reached for it for every bedtime since we got it. It was hard to resist photographing every single page to show you!
Purchase Mouse's Wood: A Year In Nature by clicking HERE
Moose’s book bus. by inga moore
It’s safe to assume that I love a good woodland-themed book! This story is the definition of cosiness, with the added benefit that it focuses on sharing the love of reading.
Full of sweet cottage core vibes, we join Moose and his family in their house in the woods. Every evening, Moose tells his family stories of this and that, until one day… he realises he’s run out of stories! He visits his neighbours to borrow a book from them, but none have any – so Moose heads to the library. As he reads to his family and word spreads of Moose’s glorious story-times, all of his woodland friends decide to squeeze into his house to listen… but it becomes too squashed. Moose needs to find a way to bring the joy of reading to others, which is where the bus comes in!
This has been a favourite children’s book of ours for some time now and our copy has been very well loved – highly recommend for a cosy bedtime read. The illustrations are beautiful and we notice something new every time.
Purchase Moose's Book Bus by clicking HERE
Joy, By Corrinne Averiss
I can’t imagine not falling head over heels for a story by Corrinne Averiss. I really appreciate books that focus on the relationship between Grandmother and grandchildren, and this book does it in such a lovely way. We’re very lucky and my children are very close to my mum, so seeing the dynamic of a little girl nurturing her Granny in this story makes my heart ache in the most grateful way.
Fern adores her Nanna – the Butterly cakes she bakes, the details of her home and, most of all, her smile. But one day, Nanna’s smile has gone and Fern just doesn’t understand why. She sets upon a mission to capture some whooshes of joy to bring Nanna’s smile back, and appreciates the little details in life that adults often forget to notice.
It’s just lovely. Lovely. I think we, as adults, can forget to find happiness in the simplest of things when life gets a bit much. This book is an important reminder.
Purchase Joy by clicking HERE
The Story Thief, by graham carter
A book about books – my absolute favourite kind! My eldest two children – now eleven and sixteen – are committed bookworms, and I credit that largely to a healthy diet of books about books and reading about those who have a love for reading.
In this story, we meet introverted Olive (I feel a kinship already) who hardly ever leaves her house – except to visit the library with her dad. On the boat trip home, one of the books – horror upon horror – falls overboard and into the depths of the ocean, where it’s discovered by a strange creature. The creature is quite fascinated by the book, not knowing what it is or what to do with it, or why the townspeople are regard their books as precious. In a bid to understand, the creature steals every single book in town!
My 3 year old, Killian, has reached for this as his bedtime story at least once a week for as long as I can remember – he finds it hilarious. It’s well loved, a little wonky and slightly battered in places (as all favourite children’s books are) and I have given this tale of redemption as a gift more times than I can count!
Purchase The Story Thief HERE
The Forgettery, By Rachel IP
This is another story that focuses on the soft, kind relationship between grandparents and grandchildren… only this one makes me cry. In the best possible way, though!
Amelia’s Granny is forgetful. Sometimes the little things that don’t really matter… like where she keeps her socks. But sometimes the far bigger things, like special memories. Amelia understands, because she’s far too busy daydreaming and exploring to remember things! One day, while they’re out exploring together (and far too busy to remember to go home for dinner) they stumble upon The Forgettery. Now, only true believers can find The Forgettery – a place which houses everything you’ve ever forgotten (including, in Amelia’s Forgettery, an entire box of forgotten Pleases and Thank You’s!)
It’s an enchanting book about the magic of memories, adventure and love. The illustrations by Laura Hughes have the same kind of charm as those of Rebecca Cobb, and the ending of ‘Granny smiled. “I have one more thing for you to remember… I’ll always love you.”‘ gives me a lump in my throat as I read.
Purchase The Forgettery HERE
I hope you find something to love and to share with some little readers!
Let me know what you think of me doing our favourite children’s books as a series – weekly… monthly?
Love, Helen
Something else you’ll love: Greatest Children’s Books OF All Time
*Disclosure: Some items may be gifted and links within this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through the links, I earn a small commission though this is at no expense to you. As always, I appreciate your support and would never recommend a product we have not tried, tested and loved.
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