Peapod’s Book Advent Week Three

It’s been lovely seeing Peapod really starting to understand and get excited about Christmas this year, and he’s loving all our Christmas books. He gets one a night from his “Advent bag” – you can see what we read in weeks one and two here and here.

This week we’ve read:

Day 15 –

Oh, Christmas Tree! by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet We’ve written about this one before, here, but it raises even more of a smile now Peapod’s a bit older. He likes seeing the tree riding a bike best!

Day 16 –

Emily Brown and Father Christmas by Cressida Cowell This was our introduction to Emily Brown a couple of years ago, and we’re all mow big fans. Peapod likes re-enacting the bit where Santa’s sleigh breaks down and they have to find some reindeer instead!

I promise he was more impressed than he looks😂

Day 17

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Alex T Smith This is a new one for this year and is a really fun take on the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas song, with increasingly extravagant and outlandish gifts from Grandma being delivered.

We sang it, complete with dramatic pauses, super speedy bits and silliness and Peapod thought it was hilarious!

Day 18 –

Lucy and Tom’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes I make no apologies that our book advent has been somewhat dominated by Shirley’s books as we love them. You can read our original thoughts on this one here.

Day 19 –

And speaking of Shirley Hughes, here’s another new one for this year, and without doubt Peapod’s favourite of the week – Dogger’s Christmas.

It’s Christmas and Dave has lost his favourite toy Dogger (again!) Everyone has helped search but they can’t find him anywhere until Bella has a great idea anj just in the nick of time!

The combination of Shirley Hughes’ writing and illustration, which Peapod always likes, a lost toy and bin men cemented this a favourite and we have read it and acted it out endlessly since we first opened it!

Day 20

Mince Spies by Mark Sperring and Sophie Corrigan This is another we’ve written about before, though as predicted Peapod did get more out of it this year. Its a great fun read, perfect for fans of Sue Hendra

Day 21 –

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

We live the Bear books and this was no exception. Bear should be sleeping, but he’s trying extra hard to stay awake to spend Christmas with his friends.

Warm, cosy and full of the joys of celebrating simply with friends, this is a gorgeous rhyming read and has gone straight into our favourites.

I have been awful at getting photos this week, but it’s been another great week of Christmas reads here!

Have you been enjoying a book advent or any favourite Christmas picture books?

Peapod’s Book Advent Week Two

Welcome to our round up of the books we read during week two of our Christmas Book Advent.

You can see what we read in the first week of December here.

Day 8 –

We read Aliens Love Panta Claus by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. I thought Peapod would love this because, well, pants! He did enjoy it, but it’s not one that’s really captured his attention.

Day 9 –

Okay, he actually got two books tonight as I added in How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens after he loved How to Hide a Lion at Christmas last week (and pretty much every day since).

But tonight’s Christmas Book was Alfie’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes. He LOVES it. We’re reading it multiple times every night and we have to play Alfie when we go outside too!

He’s fascinated by Alfie finding his scooter but being unable to go straight out in it (“no shoes on! Got jammies on!”) and by him speeding away from Great Uncle Will later on, so this is re-enacted repeatedly in our garden!

I love it as it really feels like a snapshot of a family Christmas!

Day 10

We read The Very Busy Day and The Very Noisy Night by Diana Hendry and Jane Chapman earlier in the year and he loved them, so I ordered this Christmassy Big Mouse and Little Mouse tale – The Very Snowy Christmas – months ago ready for Christmas and it’s proved just as popular.

He’s enjoyed playing this with our pretend snow (packing foam bits!) and toy mice too, so we’ve taken this one downstairs!

Day 11

“SUPERTATO TO THE RESCUE!!” It’s safe to say Peapod is a Supertato fan so he was very excited to find Supertato: Evil Pea Rules by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet in his advent bag today (though of course it did mean bringing the original book in too – unquestionably his favourite of the series!)

He loved this seasonal supermarket adventure too though – “Evil Peeea!!!” Such a, great series which always, makes us giggle.

Day 12

The Tree That’s Meant to Be by Yuval Zommer. We reviewed this more fully last year but it was a big hit this, year too. Peapod enjoyed spotting all the animals and birds, and was particularly taken by the two children reading under the tree at the end and I always enjoy Yuval’s, illustrations and depictions of nature and the seasons.

Day 13

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht and Jarvis. This is another we talked about last year and another favourite. I always, leave this one til we’ve put up our tree and Peapod has really enjoyed it this year. We read it repeatedly back to back yesterday as I managed to coerce him into a nap (bkniwung we’d be out late and he’d need it but also knowing it’d be a big ask to get him to have one!) and it was a, lovely, cosy story to read as he gradually settled and snuggled and slept.

Day 14

Peapod doesn’t watch much TV, 10mins a few times a week maybe, but when he does Postman Pat is his go to choice. He loves it because of Peter’s tractor, especially when he, has to clear the roads of snow or mud and help or when he gets it stuck.

So I knew he’d LOVE last night’s book – Maisy’s Christmas Eve by Lucy Cousins – as Eddie gets stuck in the snow and Maisy gets her tractor to pull him out.

Well, I was right. We read it repeatedly last night then as soon as we got up this morning then three more times before nursery, and squeezed in a quick rescue of Eddie from the snow (the vacuum is the tractor. Obviously.)

So it’s been another great week of Christmas books here!

Have you read any of these? Are you doing a book advent? Which Christmas picture books have you chosen/would you choose?

Peapod’s Picks – Book Advent Week One

We’ve done a book advent with Peapod both last year and the year before, for his first Christmas, but this year is the first year he’s really been aware of what’s happening and excited about it.

It’s lovely to see him all eager to open his “advent bag” each night, and of course to see him loving the stories that are inside!

I’ll be posting each week with the Christmas stories that we’ve found hiding inside!

Day 1 –

I had to cheat here and pop two in! Countdown to Christmas by Adam and Charlotte Guillan, illustrated by Pippa Curnick was always going to be the first book in the bag…until Peapod came home from nursery asking for Father Christmas Needs a Wee by Nicholas Allen which I knew we didn’t have as I’d foolishly given our copy to nursery last year because I’m not a fan but knew they’d enjoy it…didn’t think about Peapod seeing it there then wanting it though! So I ordered a new copy and that went in the day one bag too!

Peapod was very pleased to have his own copy of Father Christmas Needs a Wee again and has decided we’ll tell Father Christmas he can have a wee at our house on Christmas eve if he needs one.

I’m mostly enjoying his retelling of the end which sees FC dash home to relieve himself, ending WITH the line “merry Christmas we hear him roar” which becomes “open door…run upstairs…shut door…ROOOAAAR!!”

I’m really pleased though that Countdown to Christmas has become a firm favourite that we’ve been reading every night. Peapod loves to pretend to be Mouse poorly in bed – “I’m poorly…stay in bed” – and seeing her get the star for the tree at the end, as well as opening all the advent calendar doors at the end of course!

Day 2 –

Mog’s Christmas by Judith Kerr We love Mog in our house, so this was always a safe bet. Peapod thinks the “tree walking” is hilarious and tells everyone all about it (the women in the green grocers were rather bemused!) This is another that we re-read most nights.

Day 3 –

Little Robin Red Vest by Jan Fearnley. This was one of my favourites from last year and we all enjoyed it again this year – Peapod especially likes all the birds and animals in it.

Day 4 –

I didn’t manage to get any pics of him this eve, but he was thrilled to find Winnie in his advent bag and we had to go and get his other Winnie and Wilbur stories to read with it too!

It’s also had us singing “When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney” all week!

Day 5 –

How to Hide a Lion at Christmas by Helen Stephens. This has probably proved Peapod’s favourite so far. He’s straight up and into his playroom each morning to set it up and act it out with all his toys! He especially likes the part where the lion joins the carol singers round the tree – “shalalala!” but retells pretty much the whole story with relish!

Day 6 –

Paddington and the Christmas Surprise by Michael Bond. Paddington is another favourite of ours, so we knew this one would go down well too. We read it about three times in a row yesterday and he loves the part where they lose Paddington who has gone off to repair the lighthouse in the department store’s Winter Wonderland, so our trip round tesco yesterday mostly involved me ‘losing’ him and him then ‘reappearing’ having fixed some lights!

Day 7 –

Ten Little Elves by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickety I really rate this series for young children – rhyme, counting, bright colours, bold images, action, humour… – and thought he’d be all over this too. He did enjoy it, but it didn’t grab him the way the longer, more traditional style stories have.

And that’s it ’til next week!

Are you doing a book advent?

Have you read any of these Christmas books, or got any favourites to recommend we include?

Peapod’s Book Advent Days 19 – 22

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

Playing catch up again! Friday was another night where Peapod crashed out before we’d even looked at a book, but on Saturday we read

My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards, illustrated by Shirley Hughes

Yes, Shirley Hughes again! Although she didn’t write this one!

I loved My Naughty Little Sister when I was little so it was lovely to revisit this story in picture book form with Peapod.

I still got that thrill of disbelief and laughter that My Naughty Little Sister biting poor Father Christmas elicits and she still brings back fond memories of my own little sister, who also disliked Father Christmas for a short spell (though she never bit him!!) and also took such a shine to a doll that had to be hers that she stole it from playgroup!

For his part, Peapod was fascinated by the illustrations of the Christmas tree and especially of My Naughty Little Sister – painting to her face and body parts for us to name them and finding his!

Yesterday, we went for something much more modern and silly, but it’s another we really enjoyed last year…

Mince Spies by Mark Sperring and Sophie Corrigan

All the tasty Christmas treats in the supermarket are under attack, but who could be behind it? The mince spies are here to find out!

With a fuzzy, warm Christmas message at its core, this has enough humour – both in the story and visually – to still be lots of fun and not at all a ‘message’ book.

Peapod really only cares about the reindeer at the end, but just like with Oh Christmas Tree, I think its one he’ll enjoy more as he gains understanding in years to come.

And I’ve missed a day but I can’t figure out what I’m forgetting so it’ll have to stay missed for now!

Peapod’s Book Advent Days 18 and 19

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

On Wednesday, we read

Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht and Jarvis

We read this last year and absolutely loved it, so I decided to make it the book we read on the night our tree goes up!

It’s a gorgeous book all about choosing, taking home and decorating the tree with a very strong theme of togetherness and being with those you love, it’s full of joy and Christmas spirit.

Last night, we didn’t read anything – Peapod was asleep in minutes (unfortunately for what felt like only minutes too, but that’s another story!)

Last few days now!

Peapod’s Book Advent Days 16 and 17

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

Two very different books in a row here!

Lucy and Tom at Christmas by Shirley Hughes

Another we read last year, and very much along the same lines as Alfie’s Christmas that we read a few days ago, this is another astute and nostalgic portrayal of a family preparing for and celebrating Christmas.

Peapod spent ages poring over the illustrations in this one, which is no surprise with the amount of detail and life Shirley packs into them. He especially liked the pictures of the Christmas tree and of Tom mixing pudding and looking out the window!

Oh, Christmas Tree! by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet

This one is new this year from the creators of Supertato, and is full of the rhyming humour you’d expect from them.

Peapod wasn’t as enamoured with this one but I think it’s one he’ll love when he’s a bit bigger and can understand a little more of the story.

We thought it was a funny idea, cleverly done and had a good chuckle at the ending!

Peapod’s Book Advent Days 13, 14 and 15.

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

I’ve got a bit behind with posting, so it’s three days at once today!

On Friday, we read

Mog’s Christmas by Judith Kerr

I love this one. Poor Mog is entirely befuddled by the whole Christmas thing (and quite frankly who hasn’t felt like that at one point or another?!)

There’s humour and the chimney scene is of course superb, and like with the Alfie books, I like the everyday-ness of Mog.

Peapod enjoyed it too – he had a good look at the cover before listening while he has his milk and dozed off!

On Saturday, we read

Kipper’s Christmas Eve by Mick Inkpen

Peapod loves his Kipper books at the moment – mostly because he has one that’s a box you can open and tuck a toy Kipper up to sleep in, so our poor Kipper gets put down to sleep and woken up a gazillion times a day (a bit like someone else around here!)

Anyway, I digress! Peapod is really into Kipper and was excited to see him in a new book (OK, we got it last year but he doesn’t remember that!) He really enjoyed pointing at things in the pictures for us to name.

I really like the Kipper books too so I’m pleased to see him enjoying them!

And last night we ended up reading two Christmas books! First was

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas Eve by Eric Carle

A lovely lift-the-flap book with dog, cat and mouse hiding in the house and a special visitor at the end! With simple rhyming text, lots of clues for who might be coming and a caterpillar on every page, this will be one I think we’ll go back to a lot over Christmas.

and, since that was short we followed it with another short one –

Humphrey’s Christmas by Sally Hunter

There are elements of these books I’m not bad on – it’s a very gender stereotyped, ‘traditional’ family set up (if they weren’t elephants I’d get on them being white) and, while it’s only a small mention of Baby Jesus and the rest, I’m not mad on books that bring in the religious side of things (yes, I know technically it’s a religious holiday, but that was stolen from the pagans and appropriated and it’s as secular as it is religious these days so I don’t see a problem with celebrating it in a non-religious way as we do).

That said, this is a heartfelt and tender look at a family Christmastime, simply told with really sweet, warm illustrations that Peapod liked looking at and pointing to, so I can get past my minor irritations!

Just ten days to go now! Going to have to make some final book advent choices!

Peapod’s Book Advent Day 12

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

Last night we read…

Alfie’s Christmas by Shirley Hughes

This is another we read last year and another we’re likely to bring out every year – as much because of Peapod’s Dad’s ongoing teasing that they’re boring when really he quite likes them now as anything else!

True to form, there was a theatrical eye roll and a secretly pleased “oh, it’s Shirley!” when we opened this last night. He then went on to read it, every so often slipping in his own version of events – Dad’s response to the missing batteries on Christmas Day was a bit different shall we say?! And ended with “Nothing happened again!”
Of course, it did – Christmas Day happened. Stories of Christmas adventures, disasters, magic and mayhem are brilliant and we love lots of them, but this is a book that is about the magic and treasure that is a ‘normal’, uneventful family Christmas.

Cosy, nostalgic and gently told, we (all!) love the Alfie stories and this is no exception!

Peapod’s Book Advent Day 10

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

Last night we read…

Little Robin Red Vest by Jan Fearnley

This is one we received and reviewed last year, but I was very happy to get it back out again today and enjoyed it even more this time around.

It’s absolutely over-flowing with Christmas spirit as Little Robin shares his vests with the other animals to keep them warm before being found by a rather jolly man and his wife who make him a special red vest to keep.

Peapod loved looking at the front cover for ages, then looking at the animals in the story and signing bird for the Robin as we read through, even while semi-distracted by milk!

Peapod’s Book Advent Day 9

You can find out more about our Christmas Book Advent here.

Last night, we read…

How to Hide a Lion at Christmas by Helen Stephens

I have to admit I have only flicked through the others in this series and not read them in full (we’ll be rectifying this!), but I knew this had to be part of our book advent thus year as Peapod loves to “ROOOOAAR” when he sees a lion.

Sure enough, this book was greeted with grins and roars and much pointing at the lion so it was a hit before we’d opened it really!

It’s a warm story with funny moments to raise a smile. I love it when the humour is shown through the illustration, and as we see Lion trying to blend in with some carol singers or be wrapped in Christmas paper, that really is the case here!

Peapod dozed off during this last night, but as soon as he saw it on his bookcase this morning was pointing and roaring to read it again, so we got it back down and he was fascinated from start to finish as we read it to his lion Lionel (who he lay down to sleep when the lion in the story fell asleep!)

I suspect this will be getting many outings over the Christmas period this year. Luckily, it’s a lovely story to read so I’m more than happy with that!