Children’s books about books and reading

I was reading The Tickety Tale Teller to LaLa last night and it always gives me a warm glowing feeling, because at its centre are reading and books and being read to and how wonderful these all are. Then I wondered what other children’s books there are about reading and books and I realised there was one we got from the library and RoRo had really been enjoyed, which was about books and reading and writing stories, even – Don’t Read This Book. So, then, I tried to think of others and came up with a couple more – Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book and Excuse Me But That’s My Book – but I’m certain there must surely be more, and am hoping you’ll be able to point me to some.

The Tickety Tale Teller by Maureen Haselhurst and Barbara Vagnozzi

The Tickety Tale Teller is a QED story book (I have to admit I didn’t realise they did story books, though they have some brilliant non-fiction books that have really engaged RoRo and LaLa) by Maureen Haselhurst and illustrated (beautifully) by Barbara Vagnozzi.

The Tickety Tale Teller lives in a tall tower (called Tall Stories) full of books (I really, really want to move in) and every every evening, the children of the town put out flags asking for different kinds of stories (a dragon flag for a fairy story, a star flag for a space story, a ship flag for a pirate story…), and the Tickety Tale Teller comes and reads them the stories.

After a while, though, the Tickety Tale Teller becomes overwhelmed, because so many children want stories at the same time, so she comes up with different ideas to tell a story to everyone at once, but none of them go down well (change is difficult, isn’t it?). In the end, she hands over the job to the parents – giving out bundles of books, and inside each book was a label: “Read this tale to the children – until they can read it to you.” And then, not only to people start reading to their children, but they start writing their own stories and placing them in the Tall Stories tower and the Tickety Tale Teller heads off to find another town to fill with stories and books.

Don’t Read This Book! by Jill Lewis and Deborah Allwright

Don’t Read This Book! is an Egmont UK Limited book by Jill Lewis and Deborah Allwright.

The book is fun for children because it breaks the usual rules. The writer starts talking to you and then so do the characters. The characters argue with the writer (specifically the King, who wants a story with himself at the centre and in which he appears in a very good light). The story stops and starts as the writer and the King try to come up with a title for the story and find the writer’s lost notes.

Lots of familiar characters appear through the book, such as Red Riding Hood, the wolf and the beanstalk. They manage to tell the story in the end on one double-page spread, and the King manages to finagle a few lines that show how wonderful he is.

The book starts and ends with the King telling you not to ever read this book. Which really made RoRo laugh.

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book is a PanMacmillan book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (an author and illustrator pairing that many will be very familiar with).

I love pretty much every Julia Donaldson book I’ve read (including the Songbirds books she’s written for the OUP), but I do have a particular fondness for those that are illustrated by Axel Scheffler. And Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book has to be my absolute favourite. Because it’s all about books and reading.

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book comes with Julia Donaldson’s usual stunning rhyming verse that makes her books a pleasure to read aloud and also gets the children ‘reading’ it before they actually can. It starts with Charlie Cook sitting in a cosy armchair reading his favourite book – and then the next spread jumps into that book, which is about a pirate and he’s reading his favourite book and it continues thus through the whole book, taking you from one favourite book to another, until the circle completes and you end up in a ghost’s favourite book – “About a cosy armchair, and a boy called Charlie Cook”.

But Excuse Me That is My Book by Lauren Child

But Excuse Me That is My Book is a Puffin book by Lauren Child and one of the many Charlie and Lola titles available. We’re quite fond of Charlie and Lola here, though sometimes the comical childish grammar can bug us a bit, because it has been known to make our children use incorrect English when they wouldn’t normally. But it’s still funny.

This particular title resonates with me a lot, because we are always having to renew library books again and again until we get to the point where we’re not allowed to any more and then there will be tears. In But Excuse Me That is My Book Lola wants to get out her favourite book from the library again and is distraught when she can’t find it. Her big brother, Charlie attempts to distract her with other books, but she is not to be allayed. Until, finally, she does pick another book.

As well as the familiarity of not wanting to return a book to the library, there is the whole issue of trying to be quiet in the library. While it’s not as necessary in the children’s library, even there running at full force and screaming at the top of your voice while you do so is generally frowned upon.

We love the library and visit at least a couple of times a week, and the girls usually have the tickets close to full most of the time.

 

 

So, can you think of any other children’s books about books and reading? I’m sure there must be lots and lots. I’d love it if you’d leave a comment with any you can think of. And while you’re at it, any adult novels about books and reading?

 

 

The Oh No, George! global blog tour

And, if you like children’s picture books and great illustration, you should come back here on Friday when we’ll be taking part in Walker Books’ Picture Book Picnic blog blog tour with Chris Haughton’s new book Oh No, George! There will be a review, a trailer, an interview and a chance to win a copy of the book. Then on Sunday 25 March we’ll have a very special Oh No, George! giveaway, which you won’t want to miss. Here’s the full schedule for the blog tour – be sure to follow Chris and George round the world:

13 March, US, Not Just for Kids
14 March, UK, Playing by the Book
15 March, AUS, Christ Church Kids
16 March, UK, WAHM-BAM!
19 March, US, There’s a Book
20 March, AUS, My Little Bookcase
21 March, US, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
22 March, UK, Being a Mummy
23 March, AUS, The Book Chook