Under the sea...
Kids love getting wet. Blake especially loves getting wet. Exhibit A…
With the summer in full swing and many a happy day spent in the fountains at the Olympic Park or splashing about in the paddling pool in his grandparents’ garden, Blake has been spending a lot of time soaking wet recently.
Which got me thinking about all things aquatic, and thus far, this week’s newsletter is dedicated to those creatures. The best books from under the sea…
Tiddler
Another appearance from the G.O.A.T of children’s literature and it’s one of her best.
Tiddler is a daydreamer, a fish obsessed with telling stories about his adventures, so much that his classmates at Miss Skate’s school no longer believe a word he says, which is awkward when he finds himself swept into an errant net and off on a real adventure.
As you might expect with Julia Donaldson, the rhymes are tight, the pace is very quick and there’s a real warmth on every page.
A tiny fish with a short attention span and an obsession with stories, so it’s no wonder Blake has found a kindred spirit in this delightful tale.
Don’t Worry, Little Crab
Blake’s Mum picked this out about 18 months ago and it’s really stuck around in Blake’s reading rotation.
It’s a simple story. Little crab doesn’t want to go the sea, so his dad has to coax him, but once he gets there, he loves it. A nice parable for any nervous swimmers out there, especially in the height of summer.
The illustrations are a bit different from most, they’re most abstract and less detailed, but they do provide a nice companion to the words.
The Whale Who Wanted More
This book asks the big questions, namely, what’s the point in having stuff if it doesn’t make you happy? It sounds rather high-minded, but it’s done via a whale who keeps collecting treasure without ever thinking about the rest of the ocean and life within it.
We follow Humphrey the whale on this journey of realisation, and while this book probably skews a bit older and gets rather philosophical, Blake has really taken to it. So we’ve read it a lot.
Thank you very much for reading. Next week, it’s a big one, the best books about feelings…
If you like this, please tell your friends, even the ones without kids…
And, if you want catch up on all the books I’ve recommended in previous weeks, here they are: