Toddler art work

Ellie came home from day care and proudly pulled a wrinkled piece of paper from her bag to present to me.

I know I'm a nerd because my first thought was to admire the paper and fondly recall the days when reams of the stuff spooled from dot matrix printers everywhere... ahem.

Then I focused on her drawing and asked her to tell me about it.



E: Mama, I made you a picture! The blue one is you mummy. See, that's your legs and your hair and you're smiling mama! And that's a sun, see how it's shining. And daddy is a banana. And the green one {under the 'banana'} is baby Jimmy mama.

M: But Ellie, where are you?

E: I didn't feel like being in my drawing mama. It's for you! Put it on the fridge please.

Oh I love the whole thing, picture, conversation and interaction! And I was not about to argue with daddy being a banana because for once, I am the tall one in the family and just look at my gloriously long legs!

Too Busy Sleeping!

Too Busy Sleeping is a children's book written by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Anna Pignataro, and published by Little Hare, 2015.

What I first noticed about the book is the lovely cover art, full of patterns, hues and smiling new baby illustrations. Next, the inside cover, a fabulous double spread of colours, textures and cupcakes. This reflects beautifully the illustrative use of watercolours and collage throughout the pages - all great for visual literacy and discussions ("and cupcakes, mama, cupcakes!"), and we haven't even started reading yet!

The story of Eleanor, who longs to play with new baby brother Reuben on his first day home. It's one that I can surely relate to. I remember well telling my toddler "I need to feed him and then he needs to sleep again" more times than I can count. My toddler Ellie kept exclaiming, "poor Eleanor!" as we read, and talked about what it was like when her own brother Jimmy came home.

We tried lots of things to prepare Ellie for being a big sister, but nothing compares to the reality. I think I'd assumed that my older child would have a hard time and feel jealous, but honestly, she was just excited to meet the baby. In fact, first day home, it was me who was frazzled and worried about coping with two children!

The combination of Louise and Pignataro is perfect - Louise tells a story that many toddlers and second time mothers can relate to with sensitivity. Pignataro's illustrations show poignant emotion and include so many interesting treasures and details that my toddler insisted on reading the book over and over to check for things she might have missed.

I personally was chuffed that there was coincidentally an illustrated toy in the book very similar to one that Jimmy was given when he was born!

Too Busy Sleeping is a beautiful story, full of the excitement and frustration of bringing a new baby home and introducing them to siblings. It's a great book for new and experienced mothers alike, brimming with gorgeous illustrations, loving words, and most importantly, a fun and enjoyable read!

*Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book by the author to review, but all opinions are my own.