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It’s really, really hot here today and we are trapped inside. Ned and I have enjoyed this little book trailer immensely and we will probably watch it a couple more times before the day is out. It looks gorgeous animated so it will be really interesting to see the book.

The author/illustrator, award winning designer, Michael Hall includes 300 hearts in his stunning illustrations and readers are encouraged to try and count all of the hearts at the end of the book. It is due to be published in Australia next month and you can see inside the book more on the Harper Collins website.

Also have a look at some deleted scenes from the book on the newly created blog Under the Greenwillow devoted to celebrating the publishers 35th birthday - this will be a blog to watch.

Thanks to Fuse #8 for pointing me in the direction of this great book trailer. Also check out their review of Cosmic, an intermediate novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce - one of my all time favorite authors.

Also discovered today is this awesome new blog, this is definitely going to be one that I am going to be addicted to. A whole blog devoted meticulously to ‘recommended inappropriate books for kids’. The research, the writing and the images are just incredible and will give you a giggle as well as providing some incredible info.

My introduction to Australian poetry was via this volume of verse by one of Australia’s most famous poets, C.J.Dennis.

C.J.Dennis was a turn of the century writer - and was most famous for his verse novel, The Songs of the Sentimental Bloke, published in 1916 - one of the highest selling verse novels ever published in Australia.

C.J.Dennis’s poetry for children, A Book for Kids, was published some years later. He and his wife had no children of their own, but he wrote his first story for children for a friend’s son who was in hopsital.

My volume contains 16 of the poems, and when I read them now, I can hear them being recited in my mum and dad’s voices. There must have had many, many readings… There is definitely a sense of nationalism that comes through the verse, and I imagine this is one of the things that made the poetry of C.J.Dennis so popular at the time.

One of my favourites was The Triantiwontigongolope:

There’s a very funny insect that you do not often spy,
And it isn’t quite a spider, and it isn’t quite a fly;
It is something like a beetle, and a little like a bee,
But nothing like a woolly grub that climbs upon a tree.
Its name is quite a hard one, but you’ll learn it soon, I hope.
So, try:
           Tri-
                     Tri-anti-wonti-
                                 Triantiwontigongolope. 

The illustrations are by Lee Whitmore. I adored the colourful artwork and all the little details. I must have spent many hours looking at the cover itself, as when I look at it now, I almost feel like I have been to that fun-fair, and slid down that slippery-dip!

Like Lou showed last week, with her fabulous illustration of Clifford, one of my artistic endeavours was inspired by this book. I did my own version of an illustration of The Dawn Dance - very strongly influenced by Lee Whitmore’s version - for a melamine Pictureplate in 1984…

I know Lou reviewed a Berenstain book for When We Were Little Sunday last week, but a golden photo opportunity this evening means a repeat mention is required.

The book is Old Hat, New Hat by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It was, I am told, my very favourite book as a toddler - one of those ones that I knew every word of and could tell straight away if a page was skipped (which means, of course, that I made my parents read this book over and over ad nauseum…) Although I don’t remember this experience in detail, the book held fond memories for me, and it was one of the first books I bought when I began working in a bookshop.

The book tells the story of a bear who goes hat shopping, entering a store with his ‘old hat’ and surveying a display of new hats. The shop assistant provides a range of many hats to try, and models showcase still more, but every hat has a problem.

The repetition and rhyme are great fun and as a read-aloud it lends itself to indignant tones, at an increasing pace, as the bear becomes more fussy and the shop assistant more and more exasperated. I think one reason toddlers love this book is because it allows them to imagine being able to refuse and complain as much as they like! In the end, inevitably, the bear realises that sometimes a new model can’t replace trusty old favourite.

At dinner with my mum and dad and two sisters tonight, we were discussing Dr Seuss and Berenstein Bear books and I brought out my copy of Old Hat, New Hat. Rowan had it read to him for the first time. I think he enjoyed hearing it almost as much as I did as a toddler, but not quite as much as much as my dad enjoyed reading it again. That was, until the fourth reading, after which Rowan still called out, ‘Again!’

A guest post by Nicole, first-time mum to Charlotte, 22 months.
At about 7:30pm every night Charlotte and I (and sometimes her Daddy) sink into her bean bag and read some books before she settles into bed with Dolly. Charlotte heads straight to her book shelf and starts pulling books out for Mummy to read to her that night. She has a couple of favourites that always need a once over before bed.
Continuing the music theme from Trudy’s guest post, one of Charlotte’s favourite books is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. On the front cover you press a section which starts the nursery rhyme and lights up the sky with tiny twinkle stars. The twinkling stars mesmerised her as a baby. (It was always a good book to have on hand when she was unsettled.)
We never seem to get past the front cover of the book, once the song is over and the lights stop flashing, Charlotte says, “MORE, MORE” and we start the nursery rhyme again. Along with flashing lights, Charlotte also performs the actions to the nursery rhyme, very cute…

Once we get pass the front cover, the book is brought to life with some beautifully illustrated drawings. Five little creatures of the night take us on a journey to find out what twinkles in the bright night sky. It is very much a book that can be enjoyed over and over again.

The other book is Rabbit Ears by Amber Stewart, which Charlotte got for Easter from her Granny. Hopscotch is a very determined little rabbit who knows exactly what he likes and what he doesn’t like. Sounds a bit like Charlotte and most other two-year-olds. What Hopscotch knows for absolute certain is that he does not like having his ears washed. Charlotte can relate to Hopscotch, as she knows for absolute certain that she does not like having her hair washed…

Hopscotch’s big cousin Bobtail comes to stay overnight. While eating some extra-chocolaty chocolate cake, Hopscotch inquires as to when he too can go and stay at Bobtails. Daddy replies when you are a big Hopscotch. While Hopscotch and Bobtail are in the bath, Hopscotch notices that bobtail is washing his own ears. This is where Hopscotch realises that maybe if he washes his own ears this would make him a big Hopscotch and he would be able to go and stays at Bobtails house.

Laura Rankin’s illustrations are exquisite and along with the story it makes for an every enjoyable read.

A guest post by Trudy, 30-something-year-old first-time mum to Oscar, 15 months.

Oscar and I go to Nanny’s house every Thursday night as Matt plays tennis and his parents love having us (that is Oscar) for dinner.

I have noticed over the last month or so that within five minutes of arriving, Oscar crawls to the toy box in the back room, and opens the lid. His face just lights up with excitement as he surveys the array of toys that are inside.

Much to our amazement, the first thing he always gets out are three books, all with a musical theme and they keep him (and his cousin Charlie) entertained for ages.  Reader warning: having all three musical books out together can drive you crazy within 5 minutes.

I asked Nanny if we could borrow the books so we could contribute to the weheartbooks.com family.  This post is the first of three guest posts I will make over the next week.

Incy Wincy Spider is bright, it’s fun, it’s interactive and above all else it seems to be entertaining Oscar no end.  The front cover has a hole at the bottom right hand corner, which is also the bottom of the water spout.  When you press the button it plays the tune, Incy Wincy Spider.  Oscar knows exactly where the button is and also knows if he opens the front cover of the book, the music becomes louder.

Once you open the cover of the book there is also another small button with a cartoon spider on it.  You can only press this once the music has finished, Oscar hasn’t quite mastered that element of the book yet!  When you press this button it makes a special sound effect which I just cannot describe in words but is something like “rip-raw”.

As you work your way through the book it tells the story of Incy Wincy Spider and has interactive pull tabs along the way. (Don’t forget the music button can always be pressed again for more singing…)

The “out comes the sunshine” page is one of our favourites.  It’s got the biggest brightest sunshine with a blue bird popping out.  You also get the opportunity to start the Incy journey up the spout again.  There a few other animals along the way too which are as equally bright and happy.  There’s a dog, or as Oscar refers to him, a “woof woof” and there is also a fat pink pig.

The illustrations and pop outs are so clever.  We also like the page (illustrated here) which has Incy climbing across a thin piece of string which represents his web.

By this stage of the book we have hit the song four times and the other rip-raw sound at least twice.  The final page in the book is just too exciting for words and you can see by the photo that Oscar is so intrigued as to how the legs are free and dangly. 

I tell Oscar it’s a special book and we have to take care when reading “Nanny’s special books”.  Nanny says it’s fine (as most Nannys would) but we want poor old Incy to last a few more years yet.  When he saw the books at our house today, his face was one of total surprise and joy.  There may be tears tomorrow night when we take the books back and leave them at Nanny’s house…

1) My dog breaking through the electric fence and attacking a dog that was walking by.

2) My dog with bleeding eye and paw

3) Having to spend the afternoon when I *thought* I'd be writing my political column at the vets.

4) Waiting anxiously for the other person to tell me if their dog is ok and wondering if they are going to sue me.

5) Having the vet tell me that I should call the doggie shrink.

6) Thinking - "Holy Cr*p! I'm in therapy. My kids are in therapy. Now my freakin' DOG is going to be in therapy!"

7) The $350 vet bill.

8) Wondering how much the doggie therapist bill will be.

9) Going to the drive through Dunkin Donuts for an iced coffee and deciding to order myself a pumpkin muffin for emotional eating purposes.

10) Finding out they are out of pumpkin muffins.

11) Ordering 4 chocolate Dunkin munchkins as substitute emotional eating fix. Driving away and realizing that they've given me five non-chocolate Dunkin' munchkins.

!2) Wanting to bang my head against the steering wheel and burst into tears because my Munchkins are the wrong flavor.