Birds Fish and Water Babies
Unfortunately, we have been informed that this will be the last book review from Vanessa Badroodien. We would like to thank Vanessa for all the wonderful new reads she has introduced us to over the past year, and hope that our readers have found inspiration to read more with their children. We wish her good luck with her new ventures and hope to hear more from her in the future!
Last week, with a little time to kill, I popped into the local library. It was meant to be a 30 minute respite from my children who were at the park with their nanny. I met a wonderful little girl called Grace, who sat me down and asked me to read a story to her. She had attitude in buckets and her brother Liam was very sweet. The story I read, which she requested, was Little Fish by Guido van Genechten……. It is a wonderful little board book about a fish that gets separated from its mother. She knew the book by heart and laughed each time the question was posed “is this his mother?. As someone who has had to respond to questions in interviews about children and reading habits, I left feeling confident that books still provide much joy to children.
I promptly placed an order for it via Kalahari to add it to the pile for my littlest one. It was a magical 30 minutes and I left with a smile on my face along with a tattered illustrated copy of The Waterbabies by Charles Kingsley as well as a copy of Brian Wildsmith’s Birds. It is probably suitable for 3-4 year olds and again for when little ones start learning to read. 
While Birds does not have a story as such, it introduces some very cool collective nouns for birds. You’ve heard of a flock of geese, but what about a “wedge of swans” a siege of bitterns” or a “stare of owls”? This book is for a lover of birds and a lover of words. The bird illustrations are really whimsical and sweet with explosive colour. And the writing… I have discovered that there is one on ANIMALS too, so, I have to go out and find it soon. I will post some additional pictures on the blog… pop over sometime. This morning, in my garden, I spotted a little flock of Cape Sugarbirds. I only knew this, after looking it up via the internet. Very pretty! When last has anyone been to the World of Birds – is it suitable for visiting with children? Drop me a line as I would like to take mine during the holidays.
The Water Babies is a much underrated and neglected gem of children’s writing. The imagery is delightful and inventive and Charles Kingsley writes with a deft, simple elegance that makes for very easy reading. There are moments of truly exquisite poetry such as when Tom sits alone on a rock, listening to the sounds of the countryside animals in the cool night around him. It’s an extraordinary novel and well worth rediscovering. I think children aged 8 and above will enjoy it.
Enjoy the library over the holidays, it’s a magical space.
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