One Little Baby by Richard Dungworth and Jane Massey

I was sent this book for Rosie to share with her baby sister and we liked it so much I thought I'd do a blog post on it.

It's a simple picture book of a day in the life of a baby from waking up and getting dressed to going to the park, having tea and going to bed. There are the obligatory moments that every parent will recognise, the falling over with a bump and needing a cuddle, the tea on the head (spaghetti trailing down baby's face anyone?!), although this baby seems to go to sleep straight away. I'm going to read it straight away again to mine and see if they'll take the hint. All in all it's very very cute!

I love the delicate illustrations and how they stand out so beautifully on the page. The line work is fantastic and the restrained use of colour means it makes a lot more of an impact. The text is gently rhyming, almost how you would talk to your baby throughout the day (if you were a super-parent!) and compliments the illustrations beautifully.

It's a really nice first picture book to share with a baby or as we did with a toddler and a new baby.

Rosie's Magic Horse by Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake

I picked this book up partly because it's a Quentin Blake and - well you know, he's amazing! And I also picked it up because it had Rosie in the title. When I read it I was struck by the story and how imaginative it is. Since my Rosie has turned three her imagination has leapt ahead and I am consistently surprised and delighted by her crazy, wonderful games which she acts out with all kinds of weird and wonderful props and with a constant stream of consciousness burbling from her mouth!

It's a story that takes a lollipop stick that has been abandoned and turns it into a magic horse which a little girl uses to find treasure and rescue her family's fortunes. It's wonderfully told, the text is poetic and beautiful. The illustrations, as you'd expect, are spectacular and really work so well with the text.

This is a book that we will keep reading for many years and I hope that amongst the reams of toys that Rosie seems to have accumulated it will maybe remind her that you don't need much to find a story. A simple lolly stick will do!