I have continued to read to my nephew via FaceTime, although at this point, I think it’s more for me than for him. This time we moved onto Rabbit’s Nap by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, who are probably best known for The Gruffalo which Donaldson wrote and Scheffler illustrated. It’s a book I’ve yet to read and its on the list for this year as I gave it to Toby for Christmas. It’s a paperback though and as we’re still struggling with the reading with our eyes not our mouths element, we have decided to leave it to later in the year when he doesn’t feel the urge to eat everything.
First things first, this is a lift the flap book, something I hadn’t realized when I opened it, even though it says so on the front cover. An eye test has been booked, and I’m not driving much at the moment so no-one should fear for their safety just yet. I’m ashamed to say it got worse when I couldn’t actually open the first flap. There may have been swearing, which is obviously inappropriate when reading to a child, but the thing was really stuck. The quality of the workmanship in the book should not be underestimated, it has been beautifully put together and although Tobes was quite delicate with it this time round, I do fear for the flaps in the future.
Like Each Peach, this book has limited text and a better balance of text to illustration for both me as the reader and for the child you are reading to. I was genuinely excited to see who and what was behind each flap, as this is my first exposure to the characters for Acorn Wood. Since the pages are rhyming couplets it makes it easier for you read in a clear fashion that lets the child know when to turn the flap over. That’s if the swearing weren’t a clear enough sign.
This has proven to be a favourite for both of us, and I’m now sourcing the other three titles for us so we can learn more about Pig, Fox, and Postman Bear.
Lest anyone should think I’m taking the mickey, since I’ve posted six reviews and half of them are children’s books, let me be clear. By the end of this year, I shall have lived half my life in this century and half in the last. I’m excited by these, not just because I get to interact with my nephew in a fun way, but because I’m either discovering some new stories that were written long after I left childhood, or because I get to re-visit books, I’d long forgotten. I can’t wait to see what else we get to read together.
