Ellen's Book Nook #2 The Pigeon Needs A Bath by Mo Willems

The pigeon has been a part of our lives for some time now. He is in fact my daughters favourite choice for bedtime. It all started when we picked up a strange book in our local Waterstone's with a funny title"Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus". When bedtime came that night Ellen cuddled up under her She-rah bedcovers with her faithful bunny Snuggles happily waiting for her daddy to read that night's bedtime story. I have never heard my daughter laugh and interact so much with a picture book or any book for that matter. Our usual book was The Gruffalo or the hungry caterpillar and while she clearly loved both of those books and would smile and laugh occasionally at a funny part or join in on the bits she knew, nothing has ever made her react or light up the way she does with the pigeon.

The Pigeon Books are written and illustrated by the marvellous Mo Willems. This Pigeon is hilarious, stubborn, he try's to convince you into letting him get his own way, he even try's to bribe you and  throws a tantrum occasionally. All while you tell him "NO".

There is a video on You Tube of Don't Let The Pigeon drive the bus. I have posted it at the bottom of this blog post. However, Ellen does not like it. She doesn't like his American accent. Don't be offended though Mo if you by some strange turn of events find yourself reading this. She doesn't like to hear it in my voice either. Only Daddy's voice will do. It's their thing. I think in Ellen's eyes Daddy is the Pigeon.

The books has become specail to them. So much so that my husband recently got a tattoo of the pigeon with Knuffle bunny tucked under his wing. Knuffle bunny is another of Mo's creations and looks an awful lot like our very own Snuggles which is a lovely coincidence. Ellen is convinced that Knuffle and Snuggles are somehow related.

Anyway here's over to you kid. This is what Ellen had to say about The Pigeon Needs A Bath by Mo Willems:

"The Pigeon Books are fun. You get to say No! to him. Which is so much fun. He's really funny. He's also very naughty and a bit cheeky and I love him. My Daddy is the best at reading The Pigeon books. He does the best voices. There is a video of Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus but I prefer the way Daddy does it. The Pigeon Needs A Bath is really funny too. He's being very stubborn and won't take a bath. He keeps trying to get out of it but you just keep telling him No!. In the end he gets in the Bath and loves it so much that he doesn't want it to end. He's so funny like that."- Ellen

Ellen is now 9 but still enjoys reading and picking up the latest 
pigeon book. I think that will give you some idea of how important these books are to her.

My Husband even tattooed The Pigeon and Knuffle bunny onto himself because it means so much to himself and Ellen and has become such a huge part of thier relationship.

There are lots of Pigeon Books to enjoy - Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late, The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog, The Pigeon Wants A Puppy, The Pigeon Has Feeling's To. There is even a Pigeon Activity Book and A Pigeon App.

Check out Mo Willems Website it's great http://www.mowillems.com

Here is a video of Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus 

We hope you enjoy these books as much as we have.

http://www.mowillems.com

Happy Hobbit Day!!!!!

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is one of my all time favourite books I own at the moment 7 different copies of the book. This one was bought for me by my husband last year and is by far my favourite copy. It is filled with the beautiful illustrations of Jemma Catlin which just adds to the magic of the story.

I read The Hobbit at least once a year. It is my favourite of all Tolkien's works. The story just seems to flow from the page almost as if it were music. Every time I read this book I still feel excited even though I know the story like the back of my hand now. It just never gets old and if I'm honest I feel the older I get the more I enjoy it. As Tolkien's good friend and fellow inking C.S Lewis once said - "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again", and I feel that now, especially I enjoy fairy tales more than I ever did as a child.

For me opening up The Hobbit is like opening the door into The Secret Garden or Falling Down The Rabbit Hole. I feel wonderful, warm and safe surrounded in my own little world. I think as we get older as adults the magic gets taken from the world and is replaced by the harsh realities of life. Don't get me wrong life isn't all bad but as adults it's harder and harder to escape from the harsher side of life as children we are usually shielded from such things by our innocence, our imagination and our parents. Books are a way of escape, especially fairy tales and fantasy novels. When I was younger I wanted grown up stories I wanted true life tales of tragic dramatic lives but now as I'm older I'm not as pushed on those things anymore. My reading time is precious and in a lot of ways it's my only escape from my own worries so I'm less inclined these days to pick up a book about somebody's true life experience of immense suffering and more inclined to reach out for something I can escape into and forget everything if only for a while. 

The Hobbit for me has everything I could want in a book. It has the unlikely hero, far off lands, a dragon, strange creatures and bucket loads of adventure. Don't get me wrong there is darkness in it and tragedy but I think the fact that it is so far away from reality is what makes it so appealing. 

As I'm writing this I'm at home in bed with the flu. I can smell chicken soup simmering away in the kitchen and I have The Hobbit sitting beside me awaiting to be read again. I know by the time I drift off to sleep tonight despite being ill I will be happy and content and really isn't that the mark of a wonderful book.

Graphic Novel #2 Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Emily Carroll is a 31 year old comic writer from Ontario. Up until now Emily's comics have mainly been published in anthologies. Through the Woods is her first book. She studied at and graduated from Sheridan Colleges Classical Animation Program. According to Emily,s website she lives with her wife Kelly Craig and their very large cat.

Through the Woods seemed to call out to me from it's display at my local Waterstones shop in Drogheda. The books cover made me think of Edward Gorey or Tim Burton.

They say never judge a book by it cover but I most definitely judged this one.  The book comprises of 5 beautifully haunting tales. The conclusion is absolutely brilliant. This is the first time I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on Carroll's work and I will most certainly be back for more.

I must admit however that I did not find it in the least bit scary but to be honest almost 30 years of devouring everything supernatural has undoubtedly de-sensitised me. I did find it very enjoyable to read and I love her style and use of colour. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys all things Burtonesque.  

You can find out more about Emily and her work on her wonderfully creative website.

http://www.emcarroll.com

Roald Dahl Day

Today September 13th is Roald Dahl Day. The Roald Dahl Foundation have been gearing up to also celebrate 50years of Charlie And The Choclate Factory this month which is probably without a doubt Dahl's most loved book. It has ignited the imagination of children and adults alike for five decades and I'm sure it will continue to do so for many years to come. Recently there has been some controversy about the new "Adult Cover" of this beloved classic and it seems that the majority of people much prefer the beautiful childrens version illustrated by Quentin Blake for obvious reasons.

This year The Roald Dahl foundation asked everyone who loves Charlie And The Choclate Factory to Have A Charlie Party. So myself and my 9 year old daughter got our paintbrushes out and this is what we came up with. Ellen baked choclate muffins and made some yummy marshmallow dipped choclate treats.

Ellen loves Roald Dahl. Having struggled with reading Ellen attends Learning Support at her school. This was very disheartening for all of us as reading is a big thing in our house both myself and my husband are bookish and our house is filled with books. We've always read to her from a very early age so we couldn't understand what it was we were doing wrong. The answer was that it wasn't anything we had done wrong or anything we failed to do. Some children just have difficulty and it takes longer for it to click. Last year halfway through the school year Ellen's wonderful learning support teacher gave her a Roald Dahl book to take home and as if by magic her attitude towards reading drastically changed. Before this she hated reading for homework because she struggled so much with it she seen it as a chore. The only reading she looked forward to was her bedtime stories. Roald Dahl books ignited the passion for reading in her we had for so long struggled to find ways to encourage. She is now obsessed with this amazing author and we are absolutely thrilled.

We would have read Charlie for this weeks blog post but we had read it very recently so we have read Matilda instead. We shared book time, I read it when she was at school and Ellen read it when she got home. We both love Matilda! It had been a very long time since I'd read it so I was thrilled when she asked me to buy it for her.





Matilda is the story of a very bright little girl born into a family who don't appreciate or even love her. Mr & Mrs Wormwood are not very good parents or to be honest very nice people. They think of Matilda as an inconvenience and do not see how very clever and wonderful she is. They are much more interested in themselves, slobbing out in front of the TV, Bingo and dodgy dealings. Matilda finds solace from her home life in books from a miraculously young age but her family especially her father don't treat her very well. She decides to punish them with hilarious consequences. Shortly after she discovers her Powers. Matilda can do things with her mind that others can't.  These powers come in very handy at school too. Matilda attends Crunchem Hall where herself and her classmates are terrorised by the nasty headmistress Miss Trunchbull.

Roald Dahl books usually follow the pattern of the bad guy getting what they deserve in a hilarious fashion. They are always witty and always magical to read. We look forward to celebrating Roald Dahl every year.

This is our Mini Charlie Party from earlier this evening with lots of Chocolate Goodness :) 

National Read A Book Day

Today unlike National Book Lovers Day is about getting everyone reading it's more about those that don't read on a regular basis than bookworms like myself. Unfortunately many people are still under the illusion that books are boring. My advice is that you haven't found the right book for you yet. Maybe in school the books read as part of the curriculum weren't your cup of tea. Read what you like. If your into celebrity gossip and fashion magazines try something in your area of interest. For example if CSI is your thing a crime novel might be just what the doctor ordered.

Why bother I hear you ask when you could just watch a tv program about fashion or a crime drama?
Reading actually has lots of benefits. Just 15 minutes a day reduces your stress levels. Studies have also shown that mental stimulation such as reading or completing puzzles actually slows down the progression and maybe even prevents Alzheimer's and Dementia. Your brain is like any other muscle in your body it requires exercise to stay in tip top shape. Reading improves your memory. It also improves focus and concentration. In today's society most of us are scurrying to get five things done at once this causes stress levels to rise and lowers productivity. When we read all of our attention is focused on one thing instead of five, the story playing out in our head as we read the book.

Reading improves your vocabulary and writing skills. The more you read the more words you are exposed to. Inevitably your vocabulary improves. Reading a well written book will in turn improve and influence your own writing.

Books unlike your TV are a free source of entertainment. I'm not saying throw out your TV I myself enjoy watching a variety of shows and movies. I just try to keep a healthy balance. Books can be expensive (although I value books so much I would spend vast sums of money on books and not care) your local library is a great source for books especially if you don't want to end up like I fear I one day may become on an episode of Hoarders drowning in a sea of books. I regret nothing btw. Or if you like classics a lot of classics are free to download to your tablet via the Kindle App. I myself own a kindle but still prefer to buy real books. For me I like the whole experience of reading. The smell and feel of a book is much more appealing to me than the coldness of technology.

Usually 99% of the time the book is better than the movie. If like me you love movies and TV shows this may be a good place to start your reading journey.

Try some of these books that have been adapted for the big screen over the years...

Or if you liked HBOs True Blood you may enjoy The Sookie Stackhouse Series it started out fairly close to the books in the first season and then deviated from there on out so lots of surprises and characters that didn't even make it onto your television set.

If your a fan of the worlds greatest detective Sherlock Holmes you may like ....

If your a fan of CSI, Broad-church, Castle and similar program's you may like...

Whatever you choose make sure it's something you have an interest in. It's great to try new things but when you want to get into reading I think it's best to go with what you like not what you think you should be reading.

Happy National Read A Book Day!!!!!!!!