Books about Love for Little People

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I'm reminded of one of Culturetot's favourite themed sensory baskets: an extremely simple to produce love-themed mixture that has been resurrected for two years in the run. I found a set of heart-shaped measuring cups and threw in a base of Risotto rice and tiny pasta stars, foil and satin confetti, dried flower petals, feathers, wooden hearts and - the absolute winner - pom poms of various shapes and sizes. Culturetot really enjoyed scooping and pouring, sorting the items, collecting the pom poms and stacking the cups. All great for sensory awareness, fine motor development and colour matching practice. The last basket stayed around for months.


Over the last twelve months or so we've also read a host of brilliant new books on the theme of love and I've been saving them for a round-up like this. There are no traditional marry-a-prince tales in this selection. Rather, I've chosen a set of books that speak to our little ones in different ways about the nature of love - from friendship, to sacrifice, the journey of belonging, to a passion to improve the world for others. You'll find many others of this nature in one of our most popular posts Books to Change Children's Thinking. Here are a few more thought-provoking numbers both new and vintage.

The Classics

No list on love would be complete without the classic tale from McBratney and Jeram which coined that gorgeous phrase "I love you to the Moon and back" and to celebrate 20 years of Guess How Much I Love You there's a lovely shiny new hardback version just been released this Spring. It's a beautiful, simple little story about a small rabbit's endeavour to explain to his Daddy quite how much he adores him. Whether to the ends of his toes, as far as he can stretch, or even to the Moon, his Daddy's love is able to stretch even further.

Next up, and first published in 1963, Fly Away Peter by Frank Dickens and Ralph Steadman has been republished for today's children by Pavilion. Jeffrey is a downhearted Giraffe; his neck is too short and he is unable to play with his peers. One day he stumbles across a kindred soul; a bird who cannot fly. Neither have friends and they find solace in each other's company. Through their friendship and care for each other, and a surprising game of hide and seek, they each find help and their hearts desire.

I recently watched the film of The Velveteen Rabbit for the first time with the girls, and, my goodness, what a heartbreaking and inspiring story. It isn't a book I knew well as a child, but even discovering it more recently, I can still relate to the childhood soft toy as an extension of one's self and the immense fear and sadness of losing a precious old companion. First published in 1920, this beautiful classic reminds us of the truth that it is love that makes us real. I particularly love this quote, and reading it with my girls and my threadbare old bears Mishoo and Edward still looking on, there is little that captures the first loves of our childhood so well, or the real message behind Valentines Day:

"Weeks passed and the little rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much. He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off, and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown spots faded. He even began to lose his shape, and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more, except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter."

Next a little classic from my childhood Just For You by Mercer Mayer, which I'm delighted to see is still available. It's a hillarious tale of a little creature who wants desparately to show his mum how much he loves and wants to help her, but unfortunately everything he attempts goes wrong. "I wanted to not splash in my bath just for you... but there was a storm." The pictures are fantastic, the troubles endearingly funny, and of course, as is the case for every little person trying to do their best, a moment of love and huge toddler effort erases anything that has gone before.

Finally in the classics, a new offering from the eternally brilliant Shirley Hughes Alfie and His Very Best Friend. We've encountered Bernard many times before. Annie Rose likes him, he is funny and makes big art. He and Alfie are different - they don't always behave in the same way or like the same things, but they are best friends - and that's what matters. My favourite part of this lovely book features a scooter race for the under 5s. Alfie scooted as hard as he could, but Bernard who was excellent at scooting was much faster. Then disaster - Alfie skidded and fell off his scooter, hitting the ground with a big thud. Seeing what happened to his best friend, Bernard stopped, lost his lead and went to help his friend. In the end someone else won the race and Alfie and Bernard came in later, crossing the finishing line together. This image really reminded me of my Bernard. She is called Kate. We were both pretty hopeless at running and we had a fundamental objection to being forced to run the 3000 metres because nobody else wanted to do it. We jogged one lap, walked the next and linked arms to cross the finishing line together. She's still a best friend and I cannot think of one time she has ever let me down. "You are a true friend" Dad told Bernard when the race was over. If my little women can be friends to others like that, I'll be immensely proud, and I hope they too find their Bernards and their Kates.

On Sharing and Sacrifice

There are some great books around on sharing and the greater importance of having a friend than material possessions, and one of the most brilliant is We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen. In the simplest of tales, two tortoises discover a hat, but there is only one hat. It looks good on both of them, and they both want it. "But it would not be right if one of us had a hat and the other did not..." How will both parties deal with this difficult decision? Quirkily illustrated and extremely perceptive, this picture book teaches a crucial lesson to even the tiniest of readers.

 A couple of other great titles include the simple and effective Two Can by Smriti Prasdam-Halls and Ben Javens. Using only very few words and striking images, the book plays with the word 'can'. I can swing alone, you can't (too small). One can build a sandcastle, two perhaps cannot. But two are required to see-saw, two can be friends and two can encourage the other when they can't go it alone. It's a simple message for little people that playing together and sharing is much better than being alone.
Two final, extremely cute additions to the sharing pile are Crunch by Carolina Rabei - a tale about a ravenous guinea pig who refuses to share his food with his new friend Cheddar at all costs. A hug in exchange for a morsel of food? You must be kidding! But then he turns his back and his friend disappears  - Crunch pictures Cheddar starving and alone, and realises that he kept his food but lost a friend. He sets out to find his pal and learns the important lesson of how to say sorry.

 

We love Emma Chichester Clark's gorgeous illustrations and the girls enjoyed her tale of rivalry between cat and dog Plenty of Love to Go Round. Perfect to share with siblings, or to prepare an older child for the arrival of a baby (see many more recommendations on this theme here) this story focusses on the message that a heart (and indeed cat basket) can expand to include those who may appear at first glance to be our rivals.

On Forgiveness 

Two lovely new reads on the theme of forgiveness are The Lonely Giant by Sophie Ambrose and Frog and Beaver by Simon James. A giant, keen on bashing, smashing and mashing the environment around him becomes sad and lonely when the forest an all its animals begin to recede and all becomes quiet and still. He remembers the beauty of birdsong, and one day sighting a little yellow bird, he captures and cages it - hoping it will sing for him. The bird grows sadder and sadder and can no longer sing until the giant sets her free, saying how sorry he is, and she flies away. He wonders what he can do to bring back the forest, the plants and the animals and sets to work mending all that he has broken; planting, sowing, mending mountains. Then he watched and waited and, after much patience, the forest bloomed again. His joy had returned, and with it, the little bird.

Frog and Beaver are friends, but beaver is frankly too enthusiastic with his dam-building. He will take no advice and ruins the habitats of those around him, who are forced to move. Frog takes matters into this own hands and tries to convince his friend to listen - still no hope. Eventually Beaver's dam becomes so enormous it collapses; destroying homes and almost killing him. Frog saves his life and even the twice-displaced animals forgive him. The girls seem to love this story and it has a great environmental message too.

On Bringing Beauty to Those Around You

A stunning new book from the Fan Brothers The Night Gardener is the most stunningly illustrated we've seen this year. An old man and expert in topiary arrives in a dull village where everyone seems to be going through the motions. He sets to work transforming their environment and providing a focus for rejoicing. His stunning creations are closely observed by young orphan William, who discovers a real sense of wonder and excitment. Something was happening on Grimloch Lane. Something good. One night as William heads home, he stumbles across the night gardener at work and becomes his apprentice. And then day comes, the park is transformed, the gardener is gone - but he leaves a legacy  - a young boy with a new passion and a set of shears. This stunning book speaks on so many levels, of the transformative effect of creativity and joy, the crucial legacy of stimulating a love for something in a new generation and how selfless and positive intervention will always leave the world a better place.

Birgitta Sif is one of my favourite contemporary illustrators and here, her collaboration with Alicia Potter has resulted in a simply beautiful little book about the lovely Miss Hazeltine, who runs a home for timid moggies. Miss Hazeltine's Home for Shy and Fearful Cats is a gorgeous tale about the loyalty and love that can come from a relationship with someone who is truly patient and kind, and works with our flaws and fears; loving us through them. The loveliness of this picture book not only reminds us of this, but that often more importantly those we aim to save will ultimately save us in turn.

On Simple Love

Finally, a trio of simple books about love. Firstly one for the very young - This is the Kiss by Claire Harcup, is a simplest illutration of the beauty and joy of the love of a parent - from a wave to a cuddle to a snuggle a goodnight kiss. It is a great early bedtime book.

The second is one of our favourites from last year Oskar loves... by Britta Teckentrup. With beautiful lyrical language and description, and the loveliest of illustrations, adorable Oscar sets out what it is in life that he really loves. From the the smell of spring to sweet red cherries, losing himself in books to the silence of snow. And of course his favourite pebble, which Culturetot was delighted to receive the the post from Oscar and proudly displays on her fireplace. This book reminds us so effectively to stop and look around - and take delight in the beauty and simplicity of the world through the eyes of a child.

Finally - the quirkiest of our Valentines selection, Zurine Aguirre's The Sardines of Love. This originally illustrated and unusual tale from Childsplay publishing is a funny story about an old couple, Lolo and Lola, who are stuck in their ways. Lolo loves to fish and adores sardines. Lola sells and cooks them for him daily - but she hates them. One day Lola sells all the sardines in the shop, and wanting to be sure Lolo doesn't go hungry she goes out fishing alone and calamity strikes -she is swallowed by Jeff the giant Octopus. Faced with no other option she sets up home there and realises that actually she rather likes the only food available - sardines. Lolo, increasingly sad and desperate without his wife floats out to the ocean on a river of his own teams to find himself reunited with his Lola. This is certainly one of the more original books of the last couple of years...




Disclaimer: Many of the newer books were sent to us over time for the purposes of an honest review. I only select the books I particularly like. 
 

Victorious Victoria and Albert

We've just returned from one of those sorts of afternoons that reminds me why I never want to move far from London, or its mind-blowingly brilliant museums. Yet again, it is time spent in a museum that might not always be a first choice for parents, that has yielded one of the most inspiring days for our young rabble. The Victoria and Albert was crowned Museum of the Year in 2016 and rightly so. It is a treasure trove of interesting, exquisite and unexpected things; a rabbit warren plunging straight into Wonderland. It's one of our favourite spaces and on every occasion we discover something new. I've written about it before, years ago, when we first discovered London's best kept secret toddler sunny day playground in the form of its courtyard. With a shallow central pool, which children are welcome to paddle in, lawns and a little cafe, it is a haven from the bustle of London and harbours rather an appropriate fin de siecle air of jolity and festival. We've also covered its great little educational backpacks in a post about animals in art (here).

Today's more wintery visit was rather unplanned. We showed up with a vague list of things the children wished to see, but we were rewarded with a Christmas-themed trail which took us on a tour to discover 12 objects and facts about Christmas around the museum. The beauty of this simple and hugely effective activity was that it directed us away from our normal well-trodden routes to look at items nestled within a huge range of collections. Starting from the central Christmas tree, we were signposted through the stunning Renaissance Galleries via an unusual Naplese crib, to the exquisite glass galleries  where we learned about the genesis of Christmas baubles (apparently once strings of small glass beads draped on German trees). We were then led past Trajan's column (much to the delight of Clara Button fans) and through to a display of Victorian Christmas cards. We learned that the first Christmas card was sent by the then - far too busy to write a traditional letter - Director of the V and A itself; an idea that in time caught on. We discovered mistletoe-themed Art Nouveau jewellery, St Nicholas hiding amongst a collection of biscuit tins and the partridge from the pear tree in silverware.

In the brilliant theatre galleries amongst the costumes and sets, we learned about the origin of crackers and that pantomimes come from ancient Rome when festivities allowed roles to be reversed and hierarchies subverted. Finally, we toured the picture galleries, where we were tasked with finding a family of carolers, located a Christmas dining set in the vast ceramics study collections and ended at a Christmas tree somewhere in the Tudor period.

We emerged with a better spatial awareness of the museum's vast corridors and new favourite areas for a return visit. We were also rewarded with a wonderful festive surprise - a performance of The Nutcracker for families. Abridged and danced by a young troupe from Highgate, supported by adult Nutcracker and Sugarplum Fairy, we were treated to a refreshingly interactive and intimate performance. Children were invited to dress the tree at Clara's party, dance with the ballerinas and meet the cast. It was an entirely joyful and bewitching experience for all involved.

The V and A is one of those museums where a small item can lead to huge inspiration, or you can focus on an era, a theme or follow a simple story around the vast collections. We've also read our way around the museum and gathered a range of books to bring the objects alive. Here's a selection of picture books to accompany a visit to the V&A - from costumes, tutus and home decoration to ceramics and 20th Century design.




First up; an interactive fashion guide so beautiful we wrapped it up for Culturebaby's recent birthday. Using photographs and archival information from the V&A's own collections, accompanied by illustrations by Daisy de Villeneuve, Fashion Mash Up contains timelines detailing the development of items from skirts and trousers to shoes and coats. It contains 75 press out clothes to add to a selection of stand-up models, backdrops for fashion shoots, stickers for accessorising, and a selection of unusual items for mix and matching and play.

Following the success of a jewellery history game using a £3 pack of V&A postcards (see here for how to create this activity), I'd intended to amass a dress version for the girls, who love this part of the collection. Happily this clever book does the job for me. The press-out garments can be lined up, examined and ordered. It's a brilliant addition to our history shelves.



Alongside this book I'd also recommend the simple but beautifully illustrated The Story of Costume by John Peacock.

Still on the topic of the fashion collections in the museum, there are few story books as exquisitely illustrated with details from a museum collection and as effective as the V&A's own Clara Button series by Amy de la Haye and Emily Sutton. We own Clara Button and the Wedding Day Surprise, which showcases a selection of bridal wear from the collection and extols the virtues of creativity and adaptation, and (the favourite) Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day. This gorgeous picture book usually comes with us on trips to the V&A, as it contains gorgeous illustrations of a range of spaces in the museum (including the exquisite cafe), as well as some iconic items for the children to spot. The story follows a creative little girl Clara who, on requesting a hat-themed day, is taken by her mother to the V&A. She takes with her a precious vintage hat (broken by her naughty brother) in the hopes that someone at the museum can help her fix it. She's rewarded by a behind-the-scenes hat extravaganza, and her brother (busy pretending the whole experience is tedious when in fact he's having a whale of a time) finds inspiration amongst the weapons and cast galleries - encountering the fabulous Tipu's Tiger and monumental Roman Trajan's Column.

Earlier in the year we received a thoroughly inspired fairy tale series, perfect for the little historian. With the best will in the world, multiple readings of fairy tales can border on the dull, but this brilliant little set from David Roberts and his sister Lynn Roberts-Maloney aims to re-invent classic tales in the style of various periods. Cinderella is retold in glorious Art Deco glamour with 30's costume, gramophones and Clarice Cliff pottery. Rapunzel is a '70s readhead, clad in platforms and bell-bottoms and imprisoned at the top of a brutalist tower-block with a collection of vinyls and a permanently broken lift.





Then there's the most recent (and cleverest) title: Sleeping Beauty: A mid-century fairy tale. Beginning in the 1930's at a Christening, and stretching to the 1950s for the 16th birthday, the illustrations are brimming with period detail. Protected from needles by her adoring aunts, Annabel dreams of seeing the future. Her wish unexpectedly comes true when she pricks her finger on the stylus of a record player - a gift from the evil Morwenna. Refreshingly the tale takes a twist and Sleeping Beauty is not rescued by a prince but by a girl 1000 years into the future named Zoe who has a passion from the past and scours the library for evidence of why a giant thorn-tree is found amidst a futuristic high-rise landscape. The aunts equally take on a delightful role as protectors who ultimately sacrifice themselves for their beloved ward. It's a great re-telling anyway, but the period details confirm this picture book offering as a 20th Century historical tour de force.

One more title worthy of mention for its stunning illustration and period details is Alice Melvin's beautiful Grandma's House from Tate Publishing. The inspiration for this simple story about a girl's search for her grandma throughout the old lady's beautiful house, was Alice's own childhood memories of such trips. A decade on from her Grandmother's death, the intricate details of items around this beloved destination show keen observation and great love. "Even now, over a decade since she died, I can close my eyes and retrace my steps with ease: moving from room to room, knowing exactly what I will see as I do so: the cow milk jug with the tiny bell around his neck; the little porcelain wren that lifted up to reveal three small bead eggs; the wooden apple with the tiny wooden tea set hidden inside; the garden path winding past the pear tree..." Both a tribute to a beloved family member and a great lens through which to view the objects before us in the museums cabinets, this simple books shows with ease the way in which each object is both imbued with a host of meanings and emotions and provides a new angle for us to search through the collections for items with a similar meaning for us too.

A lovely title I picked up in a charity shop recently is another great story about the decorative arts, and in this case one single object - a Delft Blue vase. Ingrid and Dieter Schubert's Delft Blue: a Vase for the Princess is from the Gemeente Museum in Den Haag. Lin, a Chinese mouse finds himself a stow-away on a shop bound for Holland - a country he finds utterly different from his home. He is befrended by a local mouse from the 'best potters in town' and introduced to Lin's tea ritual in a tiny Chinese porcelain set. Following some competition between the mice about the quality of Dutch vs Chinese ceramics, chaos ensues as a vase destined for a princess is broken. The mice set about using their joint expertise to create an amazing replacement. This is a gorgeous book and a great way to enable a child to access a genre of the decorative arts they may not have encountered properly before, and to encourage the close examination of a single object.

There are so many appropriate books to take in your bag for a trip to the theatre galleries at the V&A, and we regularly cover these on the blog, such as this brilliant series from James Mayhew on the a little girl Ella's adventures within the classical ballets, and Merberg and Bobber's Dancing with Degas, an introduction to depictions of ballerinas in art reviewed here. Here, I've selected two further titles - firstly a musical version from Usborne of Swan Lake, illustrated by Anna Luraschi. This is a favourite with the girls (alongside its sister version of the Nutcracker) as it offers six buttons to press with excerpts from the ballet to press as you move through the tale. It's a perfect title to explore in front of the stunning black swan tutu found in the galleries. I've also selected a recent pop-up edition of The Nutcracker from Walker Books by Niroot Puttapipat. For children of all ages, and indeed any adult, this simply told version of the classic story is gorgeously illustrated with characters in silhouette set against stunning skies and with splashes of coloured decoration. There is a final, exquisitely crafted, pop-up scene of the land of sweets. These theatrical images throughout the edition were inspired by the sets from the original 1892 production performed in St Petersburg. The descriptions are also simply beautiful. In this land snowflakes taste of rosebuds and raspberries, peppermint and honey; oceans are flecked with gold and "lollipops grew in the flowerbeds, lemonade flowed from the fountains, and a sherbet path twisted off into marshmallow mountains." The descriptions are sumptuous, lyrical and spellbinding. It's a great books to use as a basis for exploring the various stage sets featured in this gallery.

A big hit from our literary advent calendar this year was a beautifully bound edition of the Twelve Days of Christmas from Puffin Books and the V&A. The Museum has had a long association with Christmas festivities, seen in our tour of the collections. from the first Christmas card to the Christmas tree, which is commissioned from a well-known designer each year. This lovely edition is created from the Museum's collections of the work of Arts and Crafts Pioneer William Morris, and developed with illustrations to bring the song to life by Liz Catchpole. It's a stunning volume and one we will treasure well beyond childhood.


Finally, two great books on the joy of museum visits more generally are worth a quick mention. Firstly, the 2016 release of The Museum of Me by Tate Publishing is a clever book, which takes us on a canter through the types of museums and explores questions about why we collect and preserve objects. I've done a full review here, with extension activities about creating your own DIY museums at home.

We've also enjoyed the quirky Mi and Museum City by Linda Sarah. This unusually illustrated tale of Mi, who is a resident of the dull and uninspiring Museum City - full of boring museums about uninspiring things. Fun was banned, museums should be about important and grand things, said Mayor Boouf. Mi knew what made him happy and he set out to change things; to convince the authorities to allow the inhabitants to open museums about all the objects and activities that inspired them. From the weird to the wonderful (just like the V&A there were "museums about clothes you can wear and clothes you almost can't..." from the interesting and useless, to stackable and staircasey museums) there was something brilliant for everyone. It's a great book about value and the wonder thinking outside the box can create.

Disclaimer: We bought a good few of these titles, but we are grateful to Puffin Books for the Fashion Mash-Up and 12 Days of Christmas, to Phoenix Yard for Mi and Museum City, Walker Books for the Nutcracker and Pavilion for the fairytales. As always, all views are entirely our own.