Shopify Vendor: Dawnay, Gabby

Snuggle up together and enjoy this collection of charming and engaging stories written by Gabby Dawnay and selected especially for four-year-olds by literacy experts. Meet a host of colourful characters and join them on their adventures in this fantastic collection of stories, tailored to suit four-year-old readers. From the garden hijinks in the Slug Olympics, to the delicious story of The Yummiest Cake in the Whole Wide World, to the touching rhyming story The Boy and His Teddy Bear, these stories, some original, some adapted from fairytales around the world, will enchant and enthral in equal measure. This beautiful book contains original, inclusive and fun stories about animals, dragons, pirates, nature, vehicles, music and much more, so there will be something for every young reader in this rich collection. The stories in A Treasury of Tales for Four-Year-Olds are arranged in order of complexity so that the child listening or reading will increase their confidence as they make their way through the book. Most children may not be able to read independently by the age of four, but they can start to prepare for this by building a foundation of literacy skills. For example, many can recognise letters, understand that print carries a message and know that sentences are read from left to right. Some may even be attempting to read. The luxurious package with sparkling foil and ribbon marker will make this a must-have gift for the birthday of any four-year-old and Heidi Griffiths’ charming and engaging illustrations will mean that the child will cherish this book even as they grow older.

Our protagonist Zach develops a love of reading thanks to the stubborn efforts of his friend Ro, who reveals the imaginative power of books. Zach isn’t convinced that books are for him – they’re too long, they’re boring and he would rather watch TV. But thanks to his friend Ro’s stubborn efforts, Zach falls for books hook, line and sinker, and loses himself in a world of dinosaurs, princesses, pirates, football and rocketships – anything and everything the library has to offer. The benefits of reading for pleasure are well researched. As well as being linked to academic attainment, reading for pleasure can increase empathy, our understanding of our own identity, and improve mental health. These outcomes are most likely when reading takes place out of free choice. Through lively rhymes and dynamic illustrations, The Library Book helps early readers understand the plethora of books available to them through their local library and encourages parents, guardians and teachers to help children find books that appeal to their personal interests. Written in a catchy rhyming style by bestselling author Gabby Dawnay, The Library Book will trigger a love of words in readers of all abilities, while Ian Morris’ inventive watercolour illustrations – which are reminiscent of two British illustration greats, Quentin Blake and Chris Riddell – make Zach’s emotional journey come alive. The combination is a picture book that will inspire a love of libraries, reading, books and words in even the most reluctant reader.

A boardbook edition of this magical book in the award-winning If I had a… series. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have a unicorn for a pet? Besides being much less angry than a troll and far more conveniently sized than a giant, unicorns only ever eat ice-cream for breakfast AND… every time you get upset they feed you candyfloss! In this humorous, energetically rhyming tale, a little girl experiences exactly what life would be like with a magical creature for a pet – from sprinkling stardust on grumpy parents to sliding into football practice on a rainbow. This book celebrates the magic of unicorns in a way that will appeal to children who are allergic to pink.

As read by David Schwimmer on CBeebies Bedtime Story, now available as a board book. In this charming trip of the imagination, a little girl delights in experiencing life at a slower pace as she shares her day with a sleepy sloth who moves so slowly, moss grows in his fur! This sloth may be sleepy but it’s a champion on the jungle gym, thanks to its super gripping skills. And climbing trees has never been so easy! But the little girl’s hairdresser is less than impressed to find not just moss but also moths in its fur – and by the time our sleepy sloth has finished its morning walk, the day is almost done. Through rollicking rhymes and bold, graphic illustrations, If I had a sleepy sloth imagines the positives and negatives of having a sloth for a pet and provides a welcome alternative to the fast pace of modern life by creating the time for readers to simply b-r-e-a-t-h-e.

Now available as a board book: the award-winning illustrated bedtime story about a little girl who imagines what it would be like to have a dinosaur of her very own. As read by Eddie Redmayne for CBeebies Christmas Day Bedtime Story WINNER of the ‘Best Preschool Book’ – Made For Mums Awards 2018 A little girl dreams of having her very own pet. But what kind of animal would make the best companion? A mouse is too small; a cat is too ordinary; and a fish is too… wet! As she plays with her toy dinosaur, inspiration strikes. What about a real, live dinosaur? She could ride it to school. It would need lots of food to eat, a swimming pool to drink from, and a dino flap so it could come and go. At the end of a day spent busily imagining, the girl trudges up to bed with her little plastic dinosaur. As she falls asleep, the dinosaur from her daydreams stands in the garden with its head poking through the bedroom window, making her dreams come true.