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Monday 4 February 2013

Ode to Books and Owl Babies review.

My Love of books and a review of Owl Babies plus some activities.


My First Love


It would be an understatement to say i love books. I honestly cannot live without them.

I get all antsy and anxious if i haven't got a book on the go. What would i do....talk to my husband? Really, you do that?

I have loved books for as long as i can remember. I grew up on an estate with a little library. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my older sister ( 11yrs my senior) going off on our own to spend time picking and reading books. We would then go to the park behind the library before taking ourselves off home to work through our books before doing it all again the next week. 

I can still see in my minds eye the library's squat prefab structure, dated 70's decor, orange carpet and laminate book shelves. The yellowed and torn books worn by many hands. I was gutted when it closed, to be replaced by a young offenders institute.

You'll be glad to know i didn't visit the building after that. ; )

When i found out i was expecting, it wasn't the cute little booties i rushed out to buy. It was books. Baby books mirrored and monochrome, children's rhyme books, even children's classics to build up a collection for 'Bumps' future reading.

I clung to what i knew, i provided books like most mommies provide blankets. Many and layered, a different one for different times, seasons or occasions. If i could make my baby well read then i could make him well loved or something like that, it was all a bit fuddled by pregnancy hormones but my baby NEEDED books.

Much to my great delight i have nurtured a book lover. It fills me with joy each time he brings me a book asking for a story and i love the way he remembers snippets of his favourite, repeating them in his play or when he needs the reassurance they offer.

Book Review


We love the book 'Owl Babies' by Martin Waddell, Illustrated by Patrick Benson.






Its a sweet simple story of three little owls who wake up in the night to find their Mommy has gone. The three owls have a good think about where their mommy is (all owls think a lot)and baby Bill repeats 'I want my Mommy', my son loves to put on his cry baby voice and say this bit.

After a nice snuggle up together on a branch to ease their anxiety, the baby owls see their mommy return and she reassures them that she had only gone to get them food and that they knew she would come back really.

N loves it when the owl mommy returns, squealling 'AND SHE CAME'
when she swoops across the night sky. He had some issues with separation anxiety and when i found this book i knew it was just the thing to help him.



All i need to say now if he needs reassurance when i leave him is, Think about the Owl Babies and he does, 'because All Owls think alot' and we agree that mommies always come back. He KNOWS this just like, Sarah, Percy and Bill did. 





Here are a few owl related activities I've found for you to enjoy this week.

  • Here is a site i stumbled upon which is full of great activities including a fun Owl sandwich, some colouring pages and a Owl finger rhyme.
  • Here you can find an O is for owl printable to sneak in a bit of Literacy.
  • Here, Hereand Here are my favourite of the many Owl crafts out there. Loo roll Owl anyone?
I hope you enjoyed my reminiscing and review. Thank you for reading.

I will be linking up with the 9th Kid Lit Blog Hop over at Mother, Daughter, Son Book Reviews. Please stop by to have a look at some other great reviews.Here

7 comments:

  1. What an interesting book. I am a hostess on the Kid Lit Blog Hop and I am happy to have found your site. You have an interesting site. I like the background print.
    I am now following you, by email.

    If you get the time, stop by my site http://kid-lit-reviews.com

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  2. Lovely to meet you-came via the Kid Lit Blog Hop. Great review of a beautiful book and so nice to meet like minded people. Look forward to following you! Redpeffer

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  3. Sue and Redpeffer thank you for your kind comments. I will be sure to stop by your sites. X

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  4. As a teacher I used to recommend this book to parents' of children with separation anxiety, it's a great book to tell children that Mummy will be back :)

    I found your blog through the kid lit blog hop, good to meet you. I blog about picture books at Story Snug.

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  5. What a sweet story! I think most children deal with a little separation anxiety at some point. The fact that your son can think of the owl babies and feel reassured speaks volumes about this book, and the power of children's books in general.
    Thank you for sharing this with the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

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  6. This is a wonderful resource for parents who have children suffering from separation anxiety (and we've ALL been there!) I loved your back story - I was like you. My baby had a full library before she was even born and I knew it was ridiculous but I sat by the crib in my rocking chair and read to my babies from the first night they came home from the hospital. No shock that I've bred two voracious readers! lol

    Thanks for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop Paula! :)

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  7. Lovely. Books are a very big part of our family life too :) We have this gorgeous book and although my kids are now far too old to enjoy it, it's one I will keep forever! Thanks for linking up to Oldies but Goodies.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment.