#ReadItMD13 - "Songs and Stories - A musical Interlude"

"I'm a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow" by Anne Kubler (Child's Play)

The earliest books we enjoyed with Charlotte were books where song and rhyme were key to enjoying the stories. For a long time, my usual choice of music in the car was replaced by all manner of story and song CDs (Mr Tumble, I think I know your songs better than most 4 year olds) and again at home we'd continue the theme.

It's always more enjoyable when your children start to want to sing along themselves, or join in with rhymes. Children are brought up on a whole range of popular nursery rhymes that have stayed more or less the same (despite various attempts to "politically correct" some like Baa Baa Black Sheep), and Child's Play's brilliant range of sing-a-long books are utterly fantastic. Big bold illustrations, chewable versions (not sure what Child's Play put in the 'recipe' for their card books but babies seem to love the taste of them) and even some that introduce sign language for added fun.

As Child's Play say themselves on their site, singing along with children as well as reading to them helps develop a strong parental bond, and even if you think you have the singing voice of a squashed crow, your child really won't mind (at least till they're 5, then they'll just tell you that you're rubbish but don't take it personally :)

Another book that was regularly demanded, mostly for its sing-a-long qualities was "Pants" by Giles Andreae and Nick Sharratt

New Pants, Blue Pants, One, Two, Three

Even now this book is a firm favourite (along with its sequel More Pants). We never quite got the hang of socks but both 'Pants' books are excellent for a bit of crazy sing-a-long action - particularly if you pick up the version with the musical CD accompaniment, by Lenny Henry. Ever sung about undercrackers in a reggae stylee? No? Well he has!

Books that feature music and characters that love music are also big hits. "Mr Big" by Ed Vere tells the tale of a hulking great big Gorilla in a gangster suit who just happens to play the sweetest music you've ever heard, winning over the folk who usually avoid this rather daunting looking character. 

If music soothes the savage beast, it might well work on your toddlers. Give it a try!

Have you got a particularly groovy musical recommendation? Drop it in the comments box below, thank you!