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The Secrets of Midsummer Cottage by Rosie Green #Review #LittleDuckPondCafe Book47

Welcome to Book 47 in the Little Duck Pond Cafe series!  The Secrets of Midsummer Cottage   is the latest novella by Rosie Green and was published on July 31st. When new girl Ivy starts working at the café, Maddy suspects she might be hiding something. But when Ivy’s secret is finally revealed, it’s more heart-breaking than anyone could possibly have imagined. My Thoughts Life in The Little Duck Pond Cafe is as lively as ever with some familiar faces appearing, giving us an insight into their lives. Ivy is the newcomer with an interesting backstory. She lives alone in an isolated cottage but you soon pick up that she has some issues she is covering up and parts of the house she wants to keep private. The Little Duck Pond girls however are not put off and try their best to offer support and friendship.  I always enjoy how the cafe seems to expend and take on new ways of incorporating new characters. This time, Ivy has been hired to staff the new bakery which Ellie has op...
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The Julia Donaldson Story Collection

 


Today on the blog I have the Julia Donaldson Story Collection. These picture books will appeal to 5 - 7 year olds. The beautifully illustrated rhyming books are long standing favourites with many families. Of her numerous books, The Gruffalo is the most well known and has been translated into 43 languages.

You can order the collection here: Books2Door

Titles in the Collection

  
 


   The Gruffalo

    The Gruffalo's Child

    The Snail and the Whale

    Room on the Broom

    A Squash and a Squeeze

    Cave Baby

    The Paper Dolls


    Charlie Cook's Favourite Book

    The Smartest Giant In Town

    Tyrannosaurus Drip

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts

This is a lovely collection of picture books which many young children will recognise as old favourites. They all bear the hallmarks of Julia Donaldson's rhyming stories which are so suitable for reading aloud. They are tailor made for sharing and there are so many opportunities for language development and empathy. Packaged in a colourful book bag, they are perfect to carry along especially with the summer in mind.

    My particular favourite is Charlie Cook's Favourite Book which has a wonderful cyclical structure as it moves through different genres of stories. There is plenty to notice in the illustrations and as this photo of a double spread from A Squash and a Squeeze shows, even the youngest child will appreciate the humour in the stories.

 

About the Author

 
Julia Donaldson is an extraordinary author of children stories, prior to Donaldson releasing her first book, she was in fact singer / songwriter for children shows. The song Squash and a Squeeze was then changed into a book with pictures in 1993, during this time she actually collaborated with the amazing illustrator Axel Scheffler, 6 years later Donaldson published the famous The Gruffalo. Julia Donaldson has made a strong impact in the world of children's publishing, being a Children’s Laureate between the years of 2011 and 2013. Julia Donaldson has written over a massive amount of books of more than 180, some of which includes the Songbirds books as part of the Oxford Reading Tree series.

 ISBN: 9781509801251 

Book link: Books2Door

Thanks to Books2Door for a copy of the collection. 

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