Dim's Write Stuff

A huge number (pardon the pun) of counting books regularly cross my reviewing line of sight, some fun, some novel, some nonsensical. The thing that sets Counting Creatures by the ineffable, Julia Donaldson and illustrator extraordinaire, Sharon King-Chai, apart is the exquisite presentation and thoughtful use of content. This is decidedly more than a counting book. It verses children in the prerequisite 1 - 10 then continues in multiple of fives which prolongs the enjoyment and exercises young brain muscles. A forest, tree top and meadow full of interesting creatures lurk, fly and float in a wonderful wildness of stunning colour and detail.  Children are invited to count these creatures and then venture a guess as to how many babies they might have; a bat has one for instance but who has more babies than that? The most exuberant thing about this counting and naming book is the gorgeous arrangement of flaps and fold out pages each hiding the answer and a surprise or two.  Comb...

I’ve been indulging in (almost) daily posts, savouring some of my standout reading recommendations for Christmas this year but like any Christmas feast, the time has come to harness gluttony and reduce mouthfuls to meaningful bite-sized tastes. So here is a super quick, but delicious, sample of some more cracking good reads to cram into your kids’ stockings this year. They sure beat lumps of coal! There’s A Zoo InMy Poo The title alone entices further inspection. But as we all know, or should, poo is life and maintaining a healthy gut system is key to happy poos and happy YOU! This book explores the microscopic stew of your inners, examining up-close and personal the zoo of bugs your gut harbours and how and why they are super critical for good health. As head zookeeper, it’s a tricky job keeping every bug happy but this nifty guide for youngsters is brilliant for explaining what to feed your bugs (recipes included!) and how to keep them strong and diverse. Explicit and excellent, ...

The Twelve Days of Christmas with Roald Dahl This redunculusly good collection of festive activities to make and do by one of the world’s favourite story tellers, Roald Dahl is more fun than Dim’s Christmas Countdown. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a nifty little novel-sized compendium broken into twelve chapters that celebrate the most scrumptious and jolly best bits of the silly season. And you know there’ll be a fair amount of silly with Dahl at the helm of this particular sleigh ride. Each chapter is a line out of the beloved Christmas carol and highlights a classic Dahl title; One Matilda in the Library ; Two Smelly Twit s… Five Golden Tickets …and so on. Everybody’s favourite characters get an airing and each chapter relates in some obscure, tricksy way to the novel’s theme. Cleverness aside, this book is a genuine cache of Christmas craft and art, gob-smacking recipes (you must try the Chocolate and Brussels Sprouts pie ) , puzzles, pranks, gift ideas and mind-benders de...

Get out your Easter bonnets and fluff up your cotton tails; it’s time to hit the Easter Egg trail again. While Easter, like Christmas, holds different significances for different people, one thing remains true. It is a time for gathering together around loved ones, celebrating new life and continued hopes for joy and peace. Sharing the pleasure of reading together is an excellent extension of this notion, one I whole heartedly encourage you to do this Easter (with appropriate sanitation procedures in place of course!). This clutch of Easter inspired board and picture books are guaranteed to make snuggle times as sweet as any chocolate egg. Enjoy and Happy Easter! Little Bilby’s Aussie Easter Egg Hunt I admit I love a bit of glittery foil bling at Easter time. Little Bilby’s Aussie Easter Egg Hunt features sufficient sparkle and bling to make it a tactile and visual feast. Mes’ eggcellent Australian fauna infused picture book inspires interactive story time sessions encouragi...