Our Favourite Children’s Books of Educational Value

My two year old loves books. We read a few every night and have done since she was a few months old (I used to read my books out loud when she was tiny until I realised she started paying attention and was bored by the content of my non fiction scripts.

I have always felt that learning to read and enjoying books was one of the key focuses for me to try to encourage and teach her as it opens up a wealth of learning opportunities and encourages imagination and abilities to communicate eloquently.

Below are our quick reviews with links to the books and why we loved them (not in any particular order):

Listen Listen by Phillis Gershator This is a dual Russian and English Book and while I currently read it in English as he understanding of Russian language grows it will help expand her vocabulary in both languages. I am a big fan of dual language books on the whole but you do tend find the translation a bit iffy. It can be difficult to translate some words and meanings and we have found Spanish ones that are ‘directly translated’ but when read by a native Spanish speaker, they do not read how a native person would say it. This one however is good. It gets top marks from my two and a half year old who made me read it every night for at least a month until she was able to recite it end to end to me, using the previous sentence and images as prompts. Brilliant for learning the seasons and what changes during the year.

If You Were My Baby by Fran Hodgkins I love this, my little one used to want me to read it every night (until I hid the book) she would name and count all the animals. It exposes them to different animals and suggests what the mother might teach the baby of that species and ends with humans.

Who Ever You Are by Mem Fox I wasn’t sure about the illustrations when I bought this but my mini me selected it repeatedly for bedtime and the content message is wonderful. it artfully explains our similarities and differences with particular focus on uniting people from different backgrounds and ethnicity all around the world.

Baby Loves Quarks by Ruth Spiro It is safe to say it was not just my baby that learnt something with this book. It perfectly explains what the world is made of starting with Quarks – my baby’s favourite bit is describing the quarks as ‘holding hands’.

Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering by Ruth Spiro As above explains flight in a simple and easy way. Starting with ‘bird’ and ending with rockets. (Not quite as complicated as Quarks). Given how much we love the Ruth Spiro books we can not wait to read Baby Loves Thermo-dynamics and Baby Loves Quantum Physics new out since we purchased the previous two and currently on our Christmas list.

Non-Euclidean Geometry for Babies Sounds complicated but the layered approach to explanation makes it easy. I didn’t think the graphics would be that stimulating but my baby loves them, it is just lines and dots but it makes it really easy for her to engage and she loves the way the book asks her questions. We have added words like ‘perpendicular’ and ‘parallel’ to our 2 1/2 year old’s vocabulary and I love that. Bring on the STEM fields.

All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka Another delightful book using poetic descriptive words about the colour of skin and hair. Beauty comes in all variants.

Vera&Bob by Elizabeth P Burakevic I couldn’t do a book list for educational story books without adding my own some where. Introducing the concept of the science of learning, conditioning and behaviour observation (Learning theory) through a young girls journey training her rescue pony. It also mentions equine management (food and housing) and welfare. I have not yet read it to my baby… it is a bit long, aimed more at children who are able to read themselves or are about 7yo and up. It should be a brilliant way to introduce pony mad kids to what it takes to care for and keep a horse and enjoy a safe and enjoyable relationship.

Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty The rhyming in this is excellent. It is funny, clever and introduces historical architectural buildings and terms as well as a core message of following your dreams. We had to get it seeing as Daddy is an Architect and it did not disappoint.

Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty Encouraging girls in STEM fields, perseverance and not being deterred by a failed first attempt. All with the same funny and clever rhymes as the previous title. I notice my little one dancing around pretending she has a cheese spray hat on to protect her head from snakes so she clearly remembers and is inspired by Rosie’s inventions. I hope and assume that Beaty will write a story for every child in the classroom and I am looking forward to reading  Ada Twist Scientist  the third book in the series.

Peep inside the Zoo, Peep inside Animal Homes  & Peep inside the Garden by Anna Milbourne  are all lovely for children to lift the flaps and enjoy discovering animals, where they live, what they eat and more. Great for encouraging an investigative and exploratory approach to nature and life in general.

Pass the Energy Please by Barbara Shaw McKinney and Chad Wallace Excellent is the best way to describe this title. A little too long for my two and a half year old but she still enjoys it. Very well thought out rhymes and layered approach to educating the reader on food chains. Starting with photosynthesis as a 1 link chain and I believe ending in a chain of 6.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell A classic and I know why. This has been one of my girls favourites since the day we got it, especially as it allows for different character voices. She expresses concern and empathises with the owlets sadness and rejoices with them when they ‘jump up and down on the branch’ at the return of their mother. Every one should have this book.

The Otter who Loved to Hold Hands by Heidi and Daniel Howarth A story with a crucial message of independence and bravery. Explaining that it does not mean you are alone or that you can not ever cuddle and seek help. This was a crucial book for us given my little ones strong fear of one on one attention with people that are unfamiliar and when she was younger her reluctance to play on something new with out a parent.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen A fun exploration of sounds in nature, great when read with energy to add emphasis to the content. Encourages family time outdoors, exploration and environment. It is quite cute to be walking along with a toddler who recites passages from the book and describes things she finds the forest using reference to the book. ‘a river, we cant go over it, we cant go under it, we have to go through it’ is a sentence you will get used to hearing a lot.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aadema I love trying to find stories from different cultures and this one exposes your little one to a very different way of life and animals. Great for encouraging global acceptance and awareness.

Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones & Sarah Ogilvie Our latest purchase and impromptu discovery. It is much the same in principle as ‘Rosie Revere’ but it also introduces cross species compassion and relationships when Izzy takes home an injured crow and tries to give him a fulfilled life.

Little Changes by Tiffany Taylor A story of evolution. Brilliantly explains what causes things to evolve using these funny little made up creatures. A little long and complex for my little one at 2 1/4 years but by 3 I fully expect her to be well into this from start to finish.

Over in the Jungle , Over in the Ocean & Over in the Arctic by Marianne Berkes These books have great educational benefit and content. With counting being the most obvious. Introducing lesser known animal species, a behaviour they might do and the environment they live in. The Rhyme is set to a tune which is noted in musical format in the back so you could use as lyrics to instrumental accompaniment. Each ends with a hide and seek type page to improve searching skills. The books also have facts in the back like ‘how many babies they actually have’ and a section that shows the illustrators process. Meaning there is plenty of longevity in these books to grow with the child. The Artic one also has several small animals for the children to look back and find. Needless to say I have been made to read them repeatedly.

This list while it feels extensive really isn’t I feel like I have missed some but I have tried to include books that are of educational value either for knowledge, imagination or emotional growth. I am sure there will be others; post Christmas I expect a load more we want to share with you and I will be doing a short list of child friendly dvds with a good message so look out for that.

 

Life Sentence – FIV

Meet Thor. Rescued from a river bank at about five weeks old, alone and vulnerable. A few weeks later he went to a new home and quickly became ill – lethargic and floppy. After little improvement, weeks in the vets on a drip and antibiotics, the vet suggested we test for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (the feline equivalent to HIV); this wasn’t a standard practice as kittens can give false readings if their mother was infected. The quick snap test was done which was positive so to confirm a full blood sample was sent for a titer test to confirm the level of infection and rule out a false positive. Sadly he was confirmed to have the virus which in an instant changed his future and world.

Many cats in rescue centres do end up getting put to sleep with this virus as they are harder to rehome; some people worrying that they can be infected (not the case – it is species specific and harder to spread than you might think), they have to be kept indoors as an only cat (unless the other cats are also infected). The main reason for them having to be kept separate is their own health – they pick up infections easily and can get very sick. There is also a social responsibility to keep them away from other cats to reduce the spread of the virus.

Spread by mixing body fluids like blood in fighting, mating and in some cases saliva. It can also be passed to unborn kittens by the queen.

In Thor’s case he was in a multi cat household, attempts to rehome him failed for various reasons but mainly due to his attachment to his owner. He spent the first few years having the bedroom and ensuite to himself and later moved to a pen in the garden where he had more stimuli by way of sight, sounds and smells. He also could see the other cats in the house but at a safe distance.

He is a very loving and cuddly cat (although due to not growing up with litter mates he doesn’t understand not to play rough) statistically cats have six years of a-symptomatic life after diagnosis, so at nearly seven we know he may start having problems soon but he is currently bright and happy.

Many years ago I researched the virus and found some countries had a vaccine to prevent infection but due to the rigorous tests and standards to pass a drug in the UK it wasn’t available here. This was so frustrating as he could have lived playing with the other cats. Although it wont help Thor I hope that the vaccine can make it to the UK as it could change the lives of many cats in the country.

When life tells you a joke

I understand donkeys can not read (as we do) but this was one of those times I had to stop and have a good giggle to my self.

Reflecting on it now it raises the question of rules and regulations. Some people seem intent on defiance whilst others wouldn’t dream of the slightest little flexion in a rigid system.

For me following a moral compass is far more important than legislation (although many laws obviously are designed on the same grounds)

I hope to instill to my child core principles that mean doing ones best to avoid inflicting suffering on others (all species) both directly and indirectly. Be a considerate and contributing member of the world. Actively seek to protect and preserve the environment. Understand that all species should have freedom of choice and the right to exist without needing a human assigned purpose. Understand that you can only plant an idea in to someone’s thoughts; you can not force on them your ideas and beliefs, results are much longer lasting when the individual reaches the conclusion themselves.

Share if you agree.

Read Vera&Bob for free

Amazon customers can read Vera&Bob on kindle Unlimited for free.

Pathway to Wisdom

Our toddler created this line of ‘steps’ (as she calls them) through our hall. She loves to read, with different books favoured every few weeks, more and more her imagination grows and she amuses us daily with little phrases or calling the Paw Patrol to help her find daddy as ‘he must be in trouble’. I find reading really helps pronunciation. She learns to speak from all auditory sources and various accents or languages but when I read to her rather than just talk in conversation, every letter and word is present and clear not dropped or said in slang. Hopefully soon she will learn to read and can practice even more. Then these books laid in steps really will become a pathway to wisdom.

 

Our children’s book #Vera&Bob is now available at amazon all around the world. See post link Vera&Bob paperback now available (learning theory for kids)

Vera&Bob paperback now available (learning theory for kids)

*PLEASE SHARE* Vera&Bob Paperback now available on amazon (link below – also in kindle format)

Do you want your child to be safer around animals? this book promotes observation of behaviour and positive interactions as well as introducing basic learning theory principles that are transferable between species (including humans) and can help understand the way we ourselves learn. Vera’s story encourages readers to follow their dreams and uniqueness.

Vera&Bob on Amazon

‘Vera is a young bilingual girl who loves running barefoot around the garden and exploring nature. On her Seventh birthday her Mum (a behavioural scientist) surprises her with a pony called Bob, but there is a catch; he is a rescued wild pony who is not used to being close to people.

The story follows Vera learning about training techniques and behaviour, overcoming criticism and obstacles to train Bob using humane methods and compete and demonstrate what she has achieved, at equestrian shows.

The book contains a lot of moral life messages that are applicable and transferable to other scenarios. It introduces complex equestrian specific terms and psychological language with definitions and illustrations.

The book employs the well known mnemonic device of story telling to introduce a complicated subject. Ideal for horse mad children, young adults and those new to or interested in owning horses.’

Vera&Bob – Learning Theory for Kids

The time has finally arrived. In 72hours Vera&Bob should be available on Amazon Kindle etc. The Paper copy should be available in August.

‘Vera is a young bilingual girl who loves running barefoot around the garden and exploring nature. On her Seventh birthday her Mum (a behavioural scientist) surprises her with a pony called Bob, but there is a catch; he is a rescued wild pony who is not used to being close to people.

The story follows Vera learning about training techniques and behaviour, overcoming criticism and obstacles to train Bob using humane methods and compete and demonstrate what she has achieved, at equestrian shows.

The book contains a lot of moral life messages that are applicable and transferable to other scenarios. It introduces complex equestrian specific terms and psychological language with definitions and illustrations.

The book employs the well known mnemonic device of story telling to introduce a complicated subject. Ideal for horse mad children, young adults and those new to or interested in owning horses.’

Alternative Advent calendars

Alternative advent calendar for toddlers and children. You can put whatever you want inside that takes the interest of your child, this year ours is horses (they didn’t quite fit but it makes learning patience even more challenging) the toys are recycled from my childhood and one from my grandparents that was made in the 1950s

Exploration – Natural History Museum, London.

I love this museum, the building in its self is worth a visit for its sheer intricacy and beauty.

That said, we will not be going back with a toddler. The queue on a saturday was 40minutes, in the drissling rain with a toddler that did not want to sit in the buggy under the rain cover and insisted on being held. They check you bags which is great for security but causes the hold up.

There were masses of people inside, especially in the dinausaur exhibit and our toddler wanted to carve through all of them. She did love looking at exhibits away from people, the stages of evolution and relates primate sculls, the dinosaurs, elephant and whales as well as other animals she recognised, she also liked playing with the touch screen view of a fly which allowed you to see different layers and images if the inside of the insect.

My tip would be getting the train or paying the congestion charge and driving up in the week. There should be less people and queuing that way. There is a carpark less than 5minutes walk away. There are lifts inside but if you want to easily get around it is best to go when you dont need a buggy. They have a cloakroom where you can store your things. Visit the popular exhibits off peak.

 

 

Below, one of my favourite animals, the hardly known Pangolin – in fact the exhibit said it is at risk of extinction before many people have even heard of it.

We will definitely be returning when she is older and has more appreciation of what she is looking at or if she is learning biology and we want to it and draw or research something in more detail.

 

Educational resource -interactive periodic table

Follow the link to see an Interactive periodic elements table by wlonk.com

An excellent way to visualise what all the elements do or are used for and what how we interact and experience them all the time.