Mellany Robinson’s Book List
Mellany Robinson lives on the South Coast with her two children. Having worked in the creative industries (advertising, photography) and with various museums including the V&A and The National Gallery she decided to set up a children’s publishing company with her childhood friend Annabel Bennetts. By Parents For Children encourages parents to make the stories they tell their children a reality just as Mellany and Annabel (pictured above) have done with their first book Millie’s Mayday part of a new series of stories from Haven Harbour.
Here is her list of favourite children’s books …
I have compiled a list for you (in no particular order) of inspirational books. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it — it brought back some lovely memories!
Happy Owls
I bought this for my son’s first birthday and I hope he will keep it always. It has really strong, bold illustrations typical of Piatti’s work. Also, the story is one with a pure and beautiful message: that we have the ability to live in peace together, if we choose to.
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
This one I picked up as an eight year old at my school jumble sale. I was attracted by the illustration of the man on the cover and wasn’t dissapointed. This story has a a strange undercurrent running through it and completely caught me up in a world where past, present and future meet. Alan Garner is an overlooked writer and I would urge anyone with an interest in the unusual to seek him out. His other stories, such as The Owl Service and Red Shift are classics too.
Ratsmagic – Wayne Anderson
Sublime imagery — very gothic and executed with extraordinary attention to detail, and all pre-computers!
The Tyger Voyage
Again, whisks you off to a different world (as all good books should!). I got lost in its pages as a child and the illustrations served as starting points for my own imagination. They were all painted with frames around them and I liked to imagine what was beyond their boundaries…
The House at Pooh Corner
I remember my Mum reading this to me at bedtime. The language in the Winnie-the-Pooh books is so playful and inventive and my own children really appreciate the singular humour too. E H Shephard’s illustrations are masterful, I love studying the tiny illustrations and wonder at his draughtsmanship.
Masquerade
This is such an innovative book that caused a real craze when it was published. Truly interactive in its blending of fantasy and reality – I really believed that I would discover the golden hare buried by the author and spent happy times trying to work out the riddles in the book with my parents. The illustrations are wonderfully decadent.
La Corona and the Tin Frog
I liked the cleverness of this as a child. The story is based around a tin frog who falls in love with a princess in a book and manages to squeeze through the printed pixels to join her in the story.With more wonderful illustrations from Nicola Bayley.
The Secret Garden
A really poetic book which creates a magical world. Although very much of its time, with some antiquated views, it is brilliantly imagined and the characters are very well realised.
Watership Down
I was absolutely mad on this (I also loved the film and ‘Bright Eyes’ by Art Garfunkel – they had me hook, line and sinker!) Quite complex in its description of the different characters and with a lovely, mythical element woven through.
anything by Richard Scarry
I used to spend hours looking at these and marvelling at their detail. I still seek them out as gifts for children now: the best books really do span the generations!
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Salmonella and other reasons why I am afraid to eat anything ever again….• Sparkle and Spin
Made by Joel it ain’t…
I absolutely adore those fantastic blogs that share such inspirational ideas of great things to craft with or for your kids (think ‘Made by Joel‘, ‘Inchmark‘, ‘Hip Hip Hooray‘). In fact I’d go as far to say I have a slight addiction to said blogs. I gaze at their beauty, gawp at their good ideas and sigh at the pretty photography. All the time thinking how I must try harder to be perfect.
The sad reality is though that I’m not perfect (is this therapy?). And when it comes to crafting with my kids I’m anything but. I’ve always wanted to be good at arts and crafts and since having kids I can hardly pass a craft shop without popping in for some googly eyes or transparent paper for our bulging craft cupboard. So the enthusiasm is there and the desire is there, so how come my shoe-box aquarium (above) looks nothing like Joel Henriques’? (more…)
Leo Timmers’ book list
Leo Timmers was born in 1970, in Belgium and still lives in Brussels with his wife and two daughters. Trained as a graphic designer he soon began to illustrate children’s books. In 2000 he wrote his first story Happy with Me
There isn’t a Leo Timmers book in our house that doesn’t have VERY well-worn pages — I think Derek the Deep-sea Doctor
Almost all these books are written and illustrated by the same artist. I think that they have a perfect balance between text and illustration. They are made by brilliant visual storytellers. Stories written with images is what picture books should be for me, and that’s what I try to do. It was really difficult to choose just ten — there are so many more books I wanted to include but I tried to find a mix between classic and contemporary books.
Frog is Frightened
I love all the frog strories, but this one is just so perfect. I can read it over and over again.
Where The Wild Things Are
A classic and a work of genius although not so popular with my kids.
The Three Robbers
Great story and artwork in blue and black.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
I think its a modern classic. Very original and funny idea. Simple but effective drawings.
Pippi Longstocking
Pipi is the absolute hero of our 5-year-old daughter. She wants to be just like her! I love her too.
Fish Is Fish
I love many books by Lionni, but this one is his best I think. This message is very dear to me : we are what we are — don’t try to change yourself.
Duck, Death and Tulip
Elbruch’s drawings are always masterful, just think of ‘the little mole who went…’
He also wrote this story and it’s about a duck who encounters death in person. So moving… for me it’s a masterpiece.
In the Town All Year ‘Round
The ultimate look-and-search book!
The Giving Tree
A story about unconditional love, so beautifully told with a minimum of text. (Also read Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back
The Arrival
No words, impressive imaginative pictures and a beautiful heartbreaking story. A real tour de force!
To see other book lists, click here.
Andrea Beaty’s book list
I love this new series on Babyccino Kids (I hope you do too!) and every time I write up someone’s book-list I think through what would be on mine … it is SUCH a difficult task and almost impossible to narrow down to just 10 books but I’m absoutely sure (no shadow of a doubt) that Iggy Peck, Architect
Andrea was raised in a small southern Illinois town, where her family ran a tiny grocery store. When she wasn’t roaming the nearby fields with her brothers and sisters, she was reading Nancy Drew mysteries up in the branches of a maple tree. Andrea now lives outside Chicago with her family. She is the author of When Giants Come to Play
Here are her top ten Children’s Books ….
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
My favorite of all the Seuss books. I read it year around. The rhyme is unbeatable and I love a villain with a heart – especially one that’s two sizes too small.
Where The Wild Things Are
Shows that there is space in the universe for imagination, silliness, anger, friendship, loneliness, and love. I never really appreciated the language of this book until I started writing.
17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore
The art and the text are perfectly matched and the main character is true to herself. She makes me laugh out loud. One of my very favorite funny books ever.
Miss Spider’s Tea Party
I love the rhyme and the tender story. This was my favorite book to read to my kids when they were young.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
I would let the pigeon drive the bus just to see what happens when the cops catch him. I’m bad like that.
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
The language is very musical. A perfect read aloud book.
Go, Dog. Go!
This was absolutely my favorite picture book as a kid. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent looking at that dog party in the tree and wishing I was there!
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit
This was a staple of my childhood. I adore the illustrations and always imagined myself exploring an English garden when I read this.
The Polar Express
The text is warm and lyrical and the illustrations are mysterious and full of anticipation. I love that there is nothing saccharine about this story or the illustrations. Simply beautiful.
Weslandia
I love stories about kids who do their own thing (like Iggy Peck and Doctor Ted) and who change the world instead of being changed by it. Brilliant text by Paul Fleischman and equally brilliant illustrations by Kevin Hawkes. (Side note: Not long after I discovered Weslandia, I learned that Kevin was chosen to illustrate my first book, When Giants Come to Play. Thrilling!)
(To see other Top Ten lists, click here.)
Matthew Porter’s book list
Matthew Porter is a children’s book illustrator and writer living and working in Seattle. He has published five books including the much loved (in our household) Count the Birdies
Presenting Matthew’s top ten favourite children’s books …
Meg on the Moon
This is the only book I can remember picking out of the book catalogue at primary school. I recently found it at my parents’ house and it still brings a smile to my face.
The Jungle Book
Kipling’s home is close to where I grew up and in one of the rooms hang some prints by the Detmold brothers. It was seeing these prints that really got me interested in illustration.
The Animal Fair 
I found this book at a thrift store soon after I moved to Seattle and fell in love with it immediately. It’s full of stories and poems and lively illustrations.
The Color Kittens
This time a single story written by Margaret Wise Brown who also wrote Goodnight Moon.
Cautionary Tales for Children
Mischievous poems for mischievous minds.
I Can Fly
Bright and playful illustrations that look fresh and modern even though they were produced over 60 years ago.
Up and Down New York
Imagine that you are a bird flying around New York in the 1920s. I don’t know how he managed to capture the city so well from above. He must have had a very tall ladder.
Charley Harper’s ABC’s
I first became aware of Charley Harper when we were both in a top ten list in a magazine. I have since checked out his work and it’s really lovely. Elegant and graceful. Modern and ancient.
A Children’s Treasury of Milligan
Stories and poems by Spike Milligan. I love listening to old radio shows when I’m painting and the Goon Show has long been a favorite. This book is stuffed full of silly words and pictures.
I Am a Bunny
The pictures in this book are beautiful and make you feel like everything in life is lovely even though it’s raining on the front cover. Reading this book will make you want to curl up for a snooze.
Julia Eccleshare’s top ten book list
To kick start our new feature we couldn’t think of a more perfect person to ask than the lady who compiled 1001 Children’s Books: You Must Read Before You Grow Up
Julia has probably read every children’s book out there, so I’m particularly excited to present her top ten ….
The Baby’s Catalogue
Close observations of beautifully drawn babies sleeping, dressing, eating and playing make this a wonderful insight into the world of the very young. With only a few words of text, the pictures say everything eloquently and affectionately.
Mister Magnolia
Exuberant humour infuses this sublimely anarchic story about the cheerful Mr Magnolia who seems to mind little that he has only one boot. Quentin Blake’s rhyming text and his vigorous illustrations make this book memorable.
Mr Gumpy’s Outing
Elegant illustrations in soothing greens and creams capture the watery landscape of this delightful story as it builds to its satisfying climax. The bad behave of the animals who cause the boat to tip is fun and the resolution of a comforting tea is delightful.
Ug : Boy Genius Of The Stone Age
A reflective picture book which celebrates Ug, a boy living in the stone age who wants to live a better and more comfortable life. Ug yearns for soft trousers, a soft football, to give flowers to his mother and many other things we take for granted. Ug’s enquiry is both entertaining and thought provoking.
Where The Wild Things Are
How Max, sent to his room because of his bad behaviour, joins the Wild Things for a ‘rumpus’ is a wonderful adventure which, without spelling it out, also captures the dynamics of a child’s temper tantrum and how it tests a parent. Glorious illustrations allow Max to explore his feelings with only a minimum of description.
The Shrinking of Treehorn
Treehorn knows he is shrinking but his parents think he is making it up. The result is a wonderfully funny story in which readers, siding entirely with Treehorn, believe him while the parents have a very different story of their own.
Charlotte’s Web
How a spider leads a campaign to save the life of Wilbur the pig is a touching story of friendship. E. B. White captures the spirit of the farmyard while also giving his animals the power of speech and the ability to make good decisions.
Tom’s Midnight Garden
How Tom, living nowadays, meets up with Hatty, a little girl who lived in the house many years earlier, is a beautiful story about friendship and play in childhood which makes the point that growing up is a good too.
Warrior Scarlet
Rosemary Sutcliff had an exceptional ability to bring the past to life; in Warrior Scarlet it is the Bronze Age. Drem needs to kill a wolf to become a man of the tribe. How he first fails and then succeeds in doing so despite his withered arm is a moving story about overcoming adversity.
Northern Lights (His Dark Materials)
It is impossible not to be inspired by Philip Pullman’s rich cast of characters Lyra, Will, Mrs Coulter, Lord Asriel and the armoured bear Iorek Byrnison as they play their various roles in this mighty story about good and evil and the search for understanding of the mysterious Dust.
Top Ten Book Lists
One of the many things Courtney and I bonded over when we first met was our love of children’s books. Whenever we went round to each other’s houses we would scour the bookshelves for any new ideas to read. Recently I was chatting with another fellow kids book lover over a coffee and we got onto the question — what would be your top ten? We found it really difficult to choose. For me it was clear The Happy Lion would be in my Top Ten but I equally love the stories The Happy Lioness and The Happy Lion’s Rabbits – but I couldn’t take up 3 spots with one series, there just wasn’t space! As you can imagine the conversation was a long one and we even took it back up on e-mail later that day.
I find it so interesting hearing other people’s lists and so we, here at Babyccino, decided to put the question out to people from the world of kid’s books to find out which books would make the grade for them. Each week we will be publishing a top ten list from a children’s book author, illustrator, publisher or reviewer. I can’t tell you how exciting I find this and hope you enjoy them too.
-Mo. x
Jamie at Winter Wonderland
As children are starting to break up from nurseries, kindergartens and schools for the Christmas holidays, a typical London holiday attraction to visit is Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. We went last weekend and whilst crazy busy I was really impressed with the fairground — lots of really beautiful old-fashioned fairground rides, mixed up with more crazy modern ones. Also there is Zippo’s circus and an ice-rink and of course a German Christmas Market to browse around.
Jamie Oliver even has a presence there (for those of you who don’t know Jamie — he is the UK’s culinary cheeky chappy). He has taken over the band stand to offer some proper outdoor winter cuisine — Jamie’s Fabulous Feasts offers hot pork rolls, polenta chips and much much more, all of which looked delicious.
But the best bit of Jamie’s presence was the ‘decorate your own gingerbread man’ bit, set up for children. For £5 my son and I gave it a go. We got a naked man and tree and an egg box filled with various decorations — dolly mixture sweets, white and milk chocolate buttons, cranberries, apricots, dessicated coconut and an icing tube (to act as glue). We had a lot of fun jazzing our biscuits up and I have to admit, when we finally felt we had admired them enough, they tasted pretty good too.
Winter Wonderland is open in London’s Hyde Park until the 4th January.
A Christmas Pink Martini
My husband and I have uber-opposite music tastes — it is one of the subjects we get really annoyed with one another about. However for many years now, one of the Albums we both agree is brilliant is Pink Martini’s Sympathique
Their new Christmas album, Joy To The World
-Mo
Outdoor ice baubles
I picked my son up from his kindergarten today and these were hanging on the trees outside — what a ‘cool’ (get it?) idea! Yesterday, the children had chosen leaves and set them on plates covered in water with a loop of string hanging over the edge. Overnight the ice had frozen into these beautiful baubles to hang on the tree. So I think I have found something positive to come out of the freezing temperatures we’re having here!
-Mo. x
Paper bag advent bunting
I’m sorry the picture isn’t great… but this is such a quick, simple and (I think) effective idea that I had to tell you about it.
Advent for us starts officially this Sunday, but of course the first doors on the advent calendars will be opened on the 1st. To jazz up our hallway I made this simple Advent paper-bag bunting. And it was so easy you could even make this with the kids.
- Some plain white paper bags (mine were bought in Germany but these look similar) folded over at the top and punched with a normal hole-punch.
- Each one stamped with the numbers 1 – 24.
- Then some christmas string threaded through the top.
Mine are currently just decoration but I think I will fill them with a few treats so the kids can open them up as the days tick by.
Mo. x
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Last chance to win!• Get up, stand up
• Broer&Zus, cute kid’s clothes from Amsterdam
My daughter’s favourite toy — Baby Dolls
Again, no surprises here — my 22-month-old daughter loves ‘baby’ (currently it doesn’t matter which one). We have two babies in our house. On your left you will see Winnie (the winker). We bought Winnie from the Early Learning Centre for my son about a month before my daughter was born to get him into babies (which seemed to work quite well). On your right you will see Polly Dolly (for ease I have called most of my daughter’s soft-toys ‘Polly’ – we have a Polly Parrot, a Polly Princess, a Polly Polar (bear) and of course Polly Dolly). My husband bought Polly Dolly for Lioba the Christmas before she was born.
Polly Dolly is a Kathe Kruse Bade-Puppe (bath doll). Kathe Kruse is a wonderful German brand famous for dolls (but a brand I personally love for all their baby toys and music boxes*). (more…)
My son’s favourite ‘toy’
For this theme week I asked my son, Elias, what his favourite toy is. Elias is 3 (nearly 4) and so it will come as no surprise to most mums with a 3 (nearly 4)-year-old boy that he answered, “my scooter”. Elias loves his blue Micro scooter and goes everywhere on it. A boring trip to the shops can be turned into an exciting adventure if his scooter comes too.
However, the unoriginality of this choice brings me to tell you about another of Elias’s favourite toys (if it can be called that). Elias likes his ’stuff’ — everyday he carries around with him 3 – 4 random objects and can not be with out these ‘things’, whether they are tied to him in some fashion or stuffed in his pockets or in his back-pack. He is lost without them, he goes to bed with them and they are always the first things he asks for the next morning.
I did find the whole ‘thing’ obsession a little strange for a while, but now I love it about him — all his ‘things’ form so many ideas for games and imaginative play throughout his day. So what are his typical ‘things’? Well I just checked his pockets (see picture for proof) — this is what I found: (more…)
Lemon Curd
Back in the Summer (doesn’t it feel an age ago?) we had a BBQ party and I used lemons in vases as decorations. The day after, as my head pounded, I looked at the 40 lemons and remembered a friend of mine mentioning she had a good recipe for lemon-curd. I do love a preserve so I gave her a ring to get it, and it came with a sweet story…
Constance is a German living here in the UK. Her father was a GP and treated the same lady patient for many years. This lady (who happened to be a big fan of all things British) would make a jar of Lemon Curd every year for Constance’s Dad and would leave it on his doorstep at Christmas time. The whole family loved it. Unfortunately, the lady got cancer and sadly died. Imagine then the surprise when at Christmas time that year Constance’s family still received a jar of Lemon Curd on their door-step. The lady’s two sons had decided to keep up their mums’ tradition of distributing lemon curd around. They continued to do so for many years. One day they turned up to tell the family that they were both moving away from the area. Constance’s mother responded with a “so no more lemon curd? then you must leave us with the recipe”…
And that is the recipe I share with you today. It is great on toast or with granola and yogurt or even, maybe, as a Christmas present for someone? (more…)
A bonfire craft…
Things I love:
- Outdoor fires
- Fireworks
- Mulled wine (or cider)
- Sticky sausages in soft floury rolls
- Mugs of slightly spicy soup
- Wrapping up warm when its cold outside
- My husband
So for all of the above it seemed fitting that my husband and I married on the 5th November (for all those non-Brits the 05/11 is when we have fireworks and bonfires to commemorate the date of Guy Fawkes’s failed attempt to blow up our house of parliament).
Things I don’t like:
- Doing crafts with my kids!
What?! I hear you cry. Yes I know this does not sound like me at all but I have had some really disastrous attempts recently. The painted pine-cone mobile incident ended up in me banishing them to watch TV whilst I finished it off and the potato stamp houses got dumped for a game of “let’s paint ourselves (and our clothes!) instead”. So you can understand I have been feeling disheartened. However, this bonfire-night themed idea might well have saved me and my relationship with kids-crafting and I think I have learned some lessons for future projects with 1 – 4 year olds:
1. Do NOT be too ambitious
2. Have an idea which can be completed in 15 minutes
3. Stick to one (maybe two) techniques (i.e. sticking or cutting or painting or drawing)
This idea was so simple and quick and we were all really proud of the result. We found great flame-like Autumn leaves and bought some sparkly pom-poms, then all we had to do was stick, stick and stick until we had a bonfire pic to remember, remember the 5th of November!
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Babyccino birthday — Personalised gift tags• Babyccino Birthday — Djeco Stacking Game
Decorating a Kid’s Room — More posters
I really don’t want to become boring with my posts (you’d tell me wouldn’t you?) but I just keep finding great ideas for posters for kids rooms. My latest finds are these fabulous vintage ‘Trooping the Colour’ posters from the (quite brilliant I must say) London Transport Museum. I have long known about the wonderful archive of posters held by London Transport (I personally love this poster advertising the ‘Summer Sales‘) but I came about these in a funny way. I spotted 4 different Trooping the Colour prints used on a gift-box of espresso cups and immediately thought that posters of the same would look great on my son’s bedroom wall, so I looked them up on the London Transport Museum poster website.
This poster from 1923 is my absolute favourite but I also love this one from 1922 and this one from 1930 — they’d make a great set together. (more…)
Silhouettes
I recently visited a cafe in Berlin which was designed by my friend, Maria — it was great. One thing she had used (which I’m really into at the moment) was silhouettes, so I asked her how you do them and decided to do my husband’s family tree as a birthday present for my mother-in-law.
I can’t confess to the idea being an original one — I actually read about it on Inchmark, the wonderful journal of Brooke Reynold’s, a while ago. She gives a good description of how to create a silhouette and some fab ideas of how to use them (see here). However, Brooke is clearly more of a natural graphic designer than I am — I don’t have Adobe Illustrator on my computer (as she used) so I used my trusty Photoshop Elements, which are very basic. However an even simpler way to achieve your silhouettes (as my friend Maria explained) is like so: (more…)
My 5 year apple chutney
Have I told you that I love Autumn? It is 100% my favourite season, the colours, the crisp air, fires, how hearty food tastes amazing, and… apples!
Do not fear, this chutney does not take 5 years to make. However it is my 5th year of making it so I think I can officially call it a family-tradition, and I love it, especially because for the last 3 years it has been made with the apples from our garden (I can’t think of anything more wholesome – lush!). This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Spiced Apple Chutney, found in her eponymous book, How to be a Domestic Goddess: (more…)
Personalised Key-rings
Yesterday I got home late from a day in the park to a pile of seemingly boring bills on the floor. However, there hiding in the pile was a hand-written, slightly bulging envelope (oh! how I love real post). There inside was a little gift from my friend Marisa, this gorgeous hand-made key-ring with a picture of my son on one side and my daughter on the other. I was so moved to receive something from a friend in the post but also how lovely to have such a personalised gift. (more…)
What do you say, dear?
There are some books that you just know you will love before reading the first word. Maybe it is the front cover? The illustration style? The title itself? Or maybe the author or illustrator’s name gets you? This one got me on all levels — a beautiful front cover, an intriguing title (with an equally appealing sub-title: “A book of manners for all occasions”) and with Maurice Sendak illustrating there was little that could keep me from rushing to the till, copy in hand. (more…)
