Tales From Muggleswick Wood by Vicky Cowie is a charming collection of five children’s tales. It is perfect bedtime reading for children aged five years and over.
The whole book is beautifully and simply illustrated by Charlie Mackesy.
All the tales are written in rhyme. Each story has a lively rhythm to it, which will make young and old alike, smile.
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Maddie’s Magic Christmas by Sam Maxfield is the most charming contemporary children’s Christmas novel for ages eight years and over. Whatever your age, this is a really delightful read.
Sam Maxfield has perfectly captured the essence of Christmas. This is a book that will warm your heart and make you smile.
The characters are wholesome and kind. They are an eclectic mix from ten-year-old Maddie to Bavarian-born baker Mr Steiner. All will take up residence in the reader’s heart.
Maddie has a heart of gold that looks for the goodness in others. She helps out wherever possible, spreading kindness. She is well loved by all who know her – but Maddie is missing her father. She believes he is out there somewhere and did not just abandon them.
We can empathise with Maddie as she fears snow – she believes the snow took her father away and she fears losing anyone else. We witness her trying to overcome her fear.
Others have experienced loss. Mr Steiner’s wife died a year ago. Preparing his baked goods for Christmas merely empathises his sense of loss. Maddie sees his pain and is determined to help.
There is survivor’s guilt. “He almost felt guilty for it, as though without Betty, he shouldn’t be able to feel pleasure.” It is okay to learn to smile and to live again.
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The Unextraordinary Life Of Sophie Simpleton by P.G James is the most beautiful Christian childrens novel that I adored. It is suitable for ages eight years and over but whatever your age, this is a book that you will enjoy.
As I read the book it reminded me of Milly Molly Mandy (first published in 1925) which I read as a child, I read to my children and I read to my granddaughters. The Unextraordinary Life Of Sophie Simpleton is a book with a timeless appeal. It is a book to read to each generation. It is a book that will last forever in a memory. “Stories are for telling.”
Sophie Simpleton is nearly nine years old. She is small in stature with a huge heart. Her heart connects with the hearts of others. She is pure in spirit, always speaking kind words that bring life, even when others do not deserve her kindness.
Life has had to be overcome for Sophie Simpleton. Her older brother is often ill, meaning she is passed over and ignored. She also has a lazy eye so her good eye is patched (my daughter had the same so I knew what Sophie Simpleton was going through). And she is the victim of many bullies at school. “Sophie’s teacher seemed oblivious to the suffering… Her classroom felt more like a jail than a place of education.”
Sophie Simpleton seems to be invisible but there are those who ‘see’ her. Mrs Templestowe is kindness personified. She teaches Sophie Simpleton many life lessons. The Captain, though he is partially sighted also sees Sophie Simpleton. And Jesus sees her as she has an encounter with the living God. We are reminded that Jesus wants us to be like little children and come to Him.
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Rodasauri The Dinosaur’s Trip To London by Lainey Dee is a charming book for the under fives. It is perfect for any time of year but especially at Christmas as this is the setting for the book.
Young children can marvel as Rodasuri meets Father Christmas. We see that life is for giving, and that one good turn deserves another.
The lights of London shine brightly in houses, shops and on London landmarks. There is festive food too.
Each page is beautifully illustrated by Chrissie Yeomans and provides a starting point for discussions with our children. There are tiny details in each picture that you may miss if you do not study the pictures closely.
The book has a message of caring, sharing and kindness.
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