Story Time

We've always taken pleasure in reading to Eliot and, now that he smiles at the pictures and helps turn the pages, he enjoys story time almost as much as his Mamas.  Between the abundant selection at the library and the books we've been generously given, we've discovered many favourites that we're sure to read hundreds of times in the years to come.

To label The Gruffalo as delightful, charming and ingenious doesn't begin to do it justice.  In melodic rhyme, Julia Donaldson tells of a clever mouse who outsmarts his predators by describing the fictitious Gruffalo, who turns out not be so fictitious after all.  An original, magical tale with fantastic illustrations, this book is a must-have for all children's libraries.

Little Blue Truck contains a multitude of textual sound effects that make it great fun to read (if you're willing to abandon all self-consciousness!).  The book teaches about animals and the noises they make and even contains a lesson about cooperation: "Now I see that so much depends on a helping hand from a few good friends."