Maybe it’s because I’m turning 30 later this month (yikes!) but I’ve been quite introspective lately. Here I introduce you to 5 best loved books from my earliest years and which are now on my kids’ bookshelves. I wonder if you can you guess my favourite animal?!
Peep-Bo Kitten by Helen Piers (Methuen, 1986). Photographs of a tabby kitten with various objects, such as a teapot, umbrella, hat and teddy bear. This sturdy concertina-folded board book has no words inside. It doesn’t need any because… kittens.
Sid the Kitten by Mark Foreman (Macmillan, 1990). A beautifully illustrated picture book about a kitten who leaves home because he doesn’t fit in. He stows away on a boat and saves a children’s party from disaster by scaring off a swarm of rats. The book ends with him given a home and the hope that one day he won’t be so tiny.
Oscar Cat-About-Town by James Herriot (Macmillan, 1990). James Herriot is well known for his many stories for children and adults, based on his experience as a vet in Yorkshire. This picture book, with gorgeous nostalgic illustrations by Ruth Brown, tells the story of a cat nursed back to health and who entertains the villagers with his adventurous spirit.
Cat (Blackie and Son, 1987). Simply a 12 page cloth book introducing the things a cat does, this is bright, cuddly and also ‘washable and non-toxic’. The cat waves goodbye at the end, which is ideal for teaching a child to wave goodbye too. I wish the illustrator was credited because I completely adore the style.
Holiday in Catland by Alice Goyder (Bodley Head, 1978). This quaint story is about a family of cats who go to the seaside. The setting looks Victorian or Edwardian. I researched this author a few years ago and I think she lived during that time, with her work rediscovered and published later on. She wrote two others, Christmas in Catland and Party in Catland.
This isn’t the last you’ll hear about me turning 30… look out for my list of top 30 books later this month!
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