Smart Baby Clever Child
This is one of the best books I’ve read since my firstborn was a baby and if people ever wondered how she has become so clever (since she seems far cleverer than the Hubs and I combined!), I must say that it must be this book.
The book is written by Valentine Dmitriev, an expert and pioneer in baby and early childhood learning and starts firstly by explaining to you the psychology of how babies think and learn. Once you give your newborn the best start in life, he is set for life.
The book is divided into sections which is age led (almost week by week, whatever is relevant anyway) and then explains each development milestone as the child grows. Lots of interesting games and exercises are explained that you can initiate with your baby and then toddler as she grows up. It even gives you a daily activity schedule that you should practise with baby each day. Stuff like that. Almost like a weekly meal planner except that it’s for your child’s development. I have to run now but I must say, I highly recommend this book!
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
This book has entertained Tee since she was 8 months old and right up to now, when she can read it herself at 4.5 years. Sandra Boynton is just THE best children’s author, one that Tee totally relates to with her crazy, jazzy style of funnies.
She writes in rhyme and makes it easy for toddlers to catch on to, they even dance to her rhymes, as Tee did many a time. After getting one book, Tee couldn’t get enough of her books and we went out to get the entire collection. Not at one go but eventually……
The Barnyard Dance is a boppy story about farm animals having a party and dancing away. Too fun!
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Life of Pi is an award winning fantasy adventure book simply because of it’s sheer originality by Martel, a Canadian author, who makes you believe in how far your imagination can really go.
The protagonist of the story, Piscine Molitor Patel or more fondly known as Pi, is an Indian boy from Pondicherry who has a maturity beyond his age. He is stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after a shipwreck and befriends some animals that were being transported on the way to a new zoo. After a while though, there comes a point where food runs out so what does Pi do? What do the animals do?
This book is graphically written but I found it a tad slow at times. Nevertheless, a worthy read because it takes you places you’d never have been.
The Other Boleyn by Philippa Gregory
I read the book before watching the movie and I’m glad I did that because the movie cut out so many details and even manipulated the story to become more Hollywood saleable. There are so many versions of King Henry and his many wives and one day, I’d really like to read them all. To know what really happened.
Although I’ve always wanted a sister, this book exemplifies why I’m glad I don’t have one because sisterly rivalry can get ruthless. It is about sweet Mary Boleyn, who is pawned to the King so her family gains wealth and how her entire extended family makes such decisions for which girl is to sleep with the King in order for their own material gain. Once Mary no longer makes the King happy, the other sister is pawned off instead. Unfortunately, one sister is truly in love with the King whilst the other is manipulative and only seeks power. Amongst all the betrayal and deceit, lies and scandal, which sister gets to have the last laugh?
OUT by Natsuo Kirino
I never would have picked out a book by a Japanese author myself but a friend recommended this to me so I read it.
SPOOKY!!!
But so interesting!!! It really makes me wonder what goes on in the mind of a Japanese brain! This story tells the eerie tale of an unhappy Japanese housewife who gets abused by her husband and one day, she snaps and the impermissible happens. What does she do with the help of her four best friends at work? And how far do her best friends actually go in order to help her? You really know who your true friends are when you’re really in trouble. But seriously, would you go that far in order to help your best friend, let alone family? A chilling ‘black’ novel for those who like suspense and thrillers that make the hair on your back stand.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
An absolute MUST READ for every woman after thirty.
The author journals her life after leaving the trappings of the high corporate life and an unhappy marriage, a devastatingly difficult thing for most women to do. Yet, she found this courage and ultimately found herself.
Her year journey to eat, pray and love; tells the stories of her passions of food and love in Italy, her passion for travel thus solo trips to Italy, India and Indonesia (coincidentally all starting with the letter ‘I’) and her search for spirituality, praying in an Ashram in India and befriending a ‘bomoh’ (Malay medicine man) in Indonesia.
The author writes in such a delightful tone in that her humour is drastically funny and her honesty cuts to the core of our very female bones.
If you’re a woman over thirty, read it. I’m saying thirty because I feel you need to at least have gone through a bit of life first in order to truly appreciate the book’s essence.
The Cat in the Hat Dictionary by Dr Seuss
Recently, my 4.5 year old daughter had a worksheet from school that required her to look up a dictionary. The exercise was meant to teach her how to start using her first dictionary and The Cat in The Hat Dictionary is really the perfect first dictionary for every child.
It is brightly illustrated with classic PD Eastman cartoons and each word in the dictionary is depicted in a fun way. Some words have an accompanying phrase or sentence to further reinforce the word. It sure is a great way for reinforcing your child’s vocabulary! In fact, I’m going to see how many words out of the entire 95 page dictionary she doesn’t know!
ISBN: 0-00-713368-5
Sesame Street Let’s Count by The Personality Factory
Allow me to introduce you to the Personality Factory where they customise stories and songs for your little ones so much so that it is such a big THRILLLLLLLLLLL…………….for them when they receive such a gift.
We bought some products including the above from Perth for about AUD20 (a bit pricey but oh, so worth it!).
It basically has a selection of story books where you can customise your child’s name into it and also your children’s friend’s names or whoever they wish to be in the story, or you can add it in youself.
Watch your child’s eyes light up when they read or are read to, stories that have their own names and people they know inside!!!
Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
This book written in a diary format has so little words, you could finish it within half a day. Although I liked the familiarity of a busy divorced Mom with cancer struggling to bring up her teenaged daughter, I found the book incredibly predictable and boring. Perhaps the synopsis of the book should not have been so telling, as it is an old cliche that if we don’t make enough time for those we love, we may lose them some day and regret it.
Nevertheless, it was a book whose part profits probably proceeded to help some cancer organisation. I’m guessing.
ISBN: 978-0-230-71139-6
The Big Preschool Workbook by School Zone Publishing Company
We bought this in Perth last year and I also bought the Big First Grade Workbook which Tee is now working on as she has completed this issue. Unfortunately, it is an old edition so you can no longer get the same but you can get the updated version now renamed the Big Kindergarten Workbook, which is equivalent to the above.
What inspired her to complete the workbook so quickly (within a month!) was the certificate at the end of the book and the mad rush to start the next level up. My daughter is just very determined that way.
The book is wonderfully illustrated with bright coloured pictures and lots of fun exercises for any preschooler. Many skills can be obtained from it and what more, there are little snippets of suggested activities that one can do around the home to reinforce the learning that you’ve just practised.
Tee loved it and I highly recommend it.
ISBN: 978-1-7418-1568-9
