New books

Its all very well just getting presents at Christmas and on birthdays, but sometimes it is very exciting to get an unexpected present. While in a joke book shop (the sort that sell mainly very similar cookery books with the recipes disguised to look like new ideas), Aunt Nimmy stumbled on something rather wonderful.

Last year, she happened across Tremendous Tractors, a book about tractors and the things that they do. Now I wasn't the biggest fan initially - I don't really like the style of the pictures, and I'm not a great one for anthropomorphism of animals (the tractors are driven by a mouse, a rabbit and a freakishly overweight green bird). But the whole book is in rhyme, and it is good, convincing and reliable rhythmic rhyme. And the content is superb! We've learnt all about the harrow and the different parts of a seed drill, and what in order all the bits of equipment are used. Its a great little book.

So there was much excitement when Aunt Nimmy produced a series of these books housed in a cardboard truck. We've not been dissapointed - Nathaniel has learnt useful words like articulated lorry, and understands how points work on railway tracks. And we haven't even opened Super Submarines or Roaring Rockets!

This morning, Nathaniel climbed onto the sofa with a warm towel from the radiator and his book truck and anounced that he was reading a bedtime story. He then sat, totally engrossed, for about 15 minutes, reading 5 of the books, his little lips silently whispering something.



Then he put the books away, declared that bedtime story was over and that he was now going to sleep.



Marvellous.