Following the fun we had from last year’s Book Advent, we’ve decided to do another book advent for this year. As mentioned previously, this isn’t because we’re anti-chocolate advents (he also gets a little chocolate coin) this is because we’re simply book mad in this house and like finding any excuse to add more to his collection.
For those of you interested in doing your own, but are concerned about cost, this doesn’t cost us much at all. We often start collecting the books throughout the year, either by scouring charity shops, garden centres, etc. or looking online at places like The Book People or The Works who often have good deals on book bundles.
Week One
This year, we thought about doing a Christmas or winter themed advent, but not only was it incredibly difficult to find 24 Christmas / winter themed books, but we actually want to re-read the books throughout the year, meaning any Christmas books will feel odd in the height of summer!
If you fancy following what T finds in his advent week-by-week – especially if you need some fresh book inspiration – I’m going to share the books as soon as the week finishes – give or take a few days!
Here’s what he found on week one:
Saturday 1st December
Puff The Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow & Lenny Lipton.
Originally a song written in the 60’s by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, Puff The Magic Dragon is a short story about a magic Dragon and their friendship with a little boy called Jackie Paper.
It’s a beautifully illustrated book and even without the song in mind it has a lovely folk-music feel.
Sunday 2nd December
The Cow Who Climbed A Tree by Gemma Merino
Tina, the Cow, wanted to show her sisters that there was more to life than chewing grass, and this book does just this by taking the reader on an adventure with Tina as she defies nature (and gravity).
This is a really fun book, so much so that we’ve already read this book twice! The artwork is very expressive and colourful, and actually reminds me of the artwork from Charlie & Lola (although not linked at all).
The author, Gemma Merino actually has another book; the Crocodile who didn’t like Water, which we will be sure to add to the list for next year.
Monday 3rd December
Little Red Riding Hood – illustrated by Monika Filipino
Surprisingly, we haven’t got round to collecting older classics like Little Red Riding Hood, so we thought we’d make a start when we spotted this bright and colourful version of the timeless classic in The Works.
This version is incredibly bright, and the illustrations are as if someone has drawn them with pencil (as opposed to graphics). There’s lots going on in each page and the font is easy to read for reading later on.
Tuesday 4th December
Big Blue Train by Julia Jarman & Adrian Reynolds
There’s no way we could get away without a book featuring at least one train, and this one is a really fun one. Join Ben and Bella and their Big Blue Train, which embarks on a journey through different regions picking up furry passengers along the way – eventually arriving at their final destination; a party!
Another one with bright and colourful pages that takes the reader on a fast-paced adventure.
Wednesday 5th December
Say Hello to the Animals by Ian Whybrow & Tim Warnes
Unbeknownst to us, this book is actually one of six books. We collected the first book last year; Say Goodnight to the Sleep Animals, and had no idea until this year that there are five others to collect. This one is about Puppy, and his morning routine saying Hello to all the farm yard animals.
Despite probably being one of the more basic stories in comparison to others, this story is still a sweet book and allows the reader a bit of fun at the end of the day by allowing them to do a few farm yard noises!
Thursday 6th December
See You Later, Alligator by Sally Hopgood
Our Favourite from this week
One day, a friendly tortoise decides to set off on an adventure. But first, he must say goodbye to all his neighbours at the zoo. Annoyingly, there are a lot of animals at the zoo, and tortoise doesn’t want to miss anyone out. Travelling along with poor Tortoise, you eventually find out whether Tortoise makes it out of the zoo.
I absolutely LOVE this book and genuinely laughed at the end.
Friday 7th December
Who’s Afraid of the Dark? by Melanie Joyce & David Creighton-Pester
This book was probably one of our first purchases when creating our advent, mainly because T has recently picked up a slight fear of the dark. It’s nothing to be concerned about, but one day he decided he needed a light on when going to sleep. We, of course, obliged, but we wanted to get him something that he could not only relate to, but also help later on.
Without directly talking about the dark, this story takes you on a journey about nighttime and all the noises you’ll likely hear, and how everything looks different when the sun goes down. Using all the animals that will likely be out and about – through the eyes of a city Fox – this creative books makes the dark a little less scary.
So that’s week one! I’d love to know if you’re doing a book advent this year. If so, where did you source all your books? What are your favourites so far? Have you read any of the ones featured?
