Reading Time

The book lover in me thinks that one of the perks of having a child is the excuse to get more even more books, especially beautifully illustrated picture books *be still, my beating heart* I don't remember having that many picture books when I was Bub's age though we'd heaps of hard cover slim Ladybird books which had equally gorgeous drawings in them.

Apart from staples like Eric Carle, Julia Donaldson and Emily Gravett (thank you Borders and MPH), it's difficult to find good picture books in Penang and given the high prices, it's not that surprising. We rely a lot on bookdepository.com to get our picture book fix but I find that shipping can be unreliable at times. When my Mum was coming back from Singapore, I immediately asked for books for Bubs and she didn't disappoint!

David Wiesner is a recent discovery and even Hubs, who likes all things arty, found The Three Pigs to be bloomin' brilliant. It took a while for Bubs to understand how the pigs "escaped" out but the clever use of space, drawing techniques and wit quickly made this a favourite read. I can't wait to get more David Wiesner books!

Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is the kind of book parents will either love or loathe. I thought it was the perfect example of unconditional love and I choked up over some heartbreaking bits in the book - which Hubs thought I was being overly reading too much within the lines :p Bubs probably didn't really understand the story much but this is definitely a keeper ... and a guilty reminder that I didn't pay my parents back for the books ... opppps ....

I get a quiet glow in seeing Bubs going over to his bookshelf to pull out a book by himself and lose himself in the pleasure of pouring over the pictures, flipping through the pages, talking about the story aloud