7th - 14th February Marriage Week

The week before Valentine's Day is designated Marriage Week. Once I would have thought that wasn't of interest to students under 8, but how wrong would I have been? A while ago one of the preschool classes spent a whole week planning, preparing for and conducting a wedding and reception in their room and the playground. They were so involved. They made invitations, decorations, placecards, the script for the celebrant and designed the outfits using the dress-up box clothes. I even got an invitation to the wedding so I made a gift and went along. The teacher asked me for some books to share with the children so I went looking in the library. We had some but not a lot, so I have added a few more since then. I especially love The Rabbit's Wedding but some of the newer ones have people as characters rather than animals. How to Get Married, by Me, the Bride and Lilly's Big Day will make you smile. The Perfect Flower Girl  is a good choice because it is the story of a Lebanese Muslim wedding and Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding will give you a Chinese perspective. The others cover things that are important to the children, such as being a flower girl or what to do at a wedding. I have quite a display being planned in my head for the end of this week, Love, Kisses, Hugs and Weddings ... so many great picture books to choose from, just as soon as Pancake Day and Umbrella Day are over.

1st October Julie Andrews Edwards (1935)

Julie Andrews Edwards is an author of children's books , but she is also Julie Andrews, the singer and actress responsible for hit movies such as The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Together with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton she is the author of a series of picture books about Dumpy, a dump truck and more recently what appears to be a series of books about Geraldine, a small girl who is convinced she is a fairy.

Dumpy the Dumptruck, is the first of a series about the tractors and

trucks on Merryhill Farm. These stories for truck-loving readers have worthwhile themes, even if you aren't enamoured with the illustrations and slight predictable plots. In this first story the themes of loyalty, co-operation and collaboration and respect for the elderly shine through. The boys in my library who like the Benny the Breakdown Truck series by William Smax and Keren Ludlow also enjoy Dumpy.

The newer books, The Very Fairy Princess and The Very Fairy Princess Takes the Stage, both illustrated by Christine Davenier appeal to my girls who are besotted by Pinklicious, (Victoria Kann) Princess Poppy (Janey Jones) and The Adventures of Pinkie (Maddy Rose).