Miffy's Birthday Review

A belated "Hoppy" Birthday to Miffy, the sweet little bunny, who has very recently turned 61.  I’m sure you will all agree she is looking very good for her age! The stories written and illustrated by the Dutch artist, Dick Bruna, have been translated into over 50 languages and still delight children worldwide. But what is it that makes these books so special? 

Well for me it is the simplicity of both the illustrations and stories. I think this gives them a universal appeal. However, Izzie will tell you it is because Miffy is "just so cute” and I think she makes a very valid point. Miffy is very sweet and lovable and I have never met anyone who doesn’t appreciate Bruna’s colourful drawings.

We have already included “Miffy’s Birthday” in our 366 Books in 366 Days reading challenge. In this lovely little book, Bruna’s classic bright images are combined with a short rhyming story about Miffy’s special day. You find out how she celebrates and you even see her open her presents. The small square book is the perfect size for little hands to hold and turn the pages. The story is short enough for even the most fidgety children like Theo! Miffy’s Birthday would make a perfect gift for special little birthday girls and boys everywhere.

You can read along with this story and others on the Official Miffy Website. Also why not tune in to Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small? It's on Tiny Pop every day at 7pm.

A photo posted by Kate (@kate.eccles) on Jul 8, 2016 at 4:13pm PDT

Until next time... Happy Reading! 

Kate & the Mini Reviewers xx

Disclaimer: We won our copy of Miffy's birthday from Miffy's Official Twitter page and we have permission to give away a second copy and goody bag. As always, all opinions are my own, unless otherwise stated.This post contains Amazon Affiliate links, you can read more about what this means here.

Word of the Week: Kindness

Since starting our family blog just over two weeks ago, I have been asking myself whether I would ever discuss Theo having Ectodermal Dysplasia (E.D). I always thought my answer would be a resounding “no”, simply because it is such a personal issue. However two things happened this week which have prompted me to share a little about the condition.

A Brave Bear - Written by Sean Taylor and illustrated by Emily Hughes

This beautifully written picture book gently depicts the relationship between a little bear and his Dad. Told from the little bear’s perspective, the story is full of adventure but also great tenderness. Follow the duo as they travel to the river to splash and cool down on a hot day. With grassy parts to cross, bushy parts to push through and rocks to jump from, their journey is far from straightforward. When little bear is decides to show his Dad a big jump, things don’t go according to plan. Little bear no longer wants to go to the river. So his Dad helps him, waits with him and then offers to carry him as they continue on their way. What will the little bear do?

My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton (A book for BREXIT?)

The events of the past two weeks have left me, like so many, stunned and extremely saddened. The country's decision to leave the EU certainly surprised me, but the sudden and dramatic outpouring of intolerance has truly upset me. I firmly believe, in time, we will be able to make things work for our country. We simply have to. My real concern is what the UK will look like for our youngest generation. Can we protect our children from the current negative rhetoric? Will they be allowed to grow up knowing and celebrating the beauty of diversity? I really do hope so.

My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes - Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd

"Look at all these clever cats,

cats from Spain, Brazil and France,

cats from Greece, Japan and Norway,

cats who sing and fly and dance..."

This is taken from my favourite childhood picture book, "My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes" by Eve Sutton. It seems very appropriate to share this one with you now as it subtly champions diversity.

The book celebrates individuality by featuring cats from all over the world and highlights their special talents. The simple rhymes together with strong rhythm and lots of repetition make this a fantastic book for young children. It is very easy to join in with and will help build language skills. The illustrations are by Lynley Dodd, who is better known as the creator of the infamous Hairy Maclary. Dodd's pictures are bright, bold and highly stylised. Each cat is portrayed doing their special skill and, in most cases, wearing some element of national costume. With pictures that delight and text to chant out loud, this is a one to read over and over again.

Word of the Week: Proud

So I'm stepping away from the bookish posts today and I'm going to do something a little bit different. As my poor Facebook friends already know, this week I have been trying to get to grips with my new blog and, to be honest, I feel like a fish out of water!

One thing I have learned so far (on my very short blogger journey) is that apparently we like linkies. Now for quite a while I have followed a number of fantastic blogs but, until this week, the existence of linkies seems to have passed me by completely. After a quick search, I found that The Reading Residence, a brilliant blog I already follow, hosts a "word of the week" linky. So this is me linking up for the first time and my word of the week is "PROUD".

Yesterday I took Izzie to visit her new school. She is growing up so fast and I can hardly believe we are at this stage already. I have to say I had been fairly calm about the whole school application process but maybe that is because it was, for us, very straightforward. We picked two schools, we got our first choice and we were happy. However, as the school visit neared, I had started to question whether we had chosen the right school for Izzie.