Read and Write Rhyming Words by Harriet Ziefert and Yukiko Kido (Blue Apple Books)

As Charlotte starts to read and write more, it's great to find books that blur the boundary between being a "School Book" and a "Home Book" - Making the learning process fun and engaging enough to feel like they're playing, not working.

"Read and Write Rhyming Words" by Harriet Ziefert and Yukiko Kido successfully does just that with a series of K-1 standard exercises wrapped lovingly around some brilliant and cute illustrations. There's a ton of activities in the book ranging from simple 'fill in the missing word' puzzles to more complicated rhyming exercises.

Children have an ear for rhymes so it was a lot of fun to hear Charlotte coming up with a mix of real words and her own silly made up stuff. We rather liked the idea that the first thing this book tells you is to 'break the spine' (Owch) and make it easier to use (and you will need to do that, as children have little patience for a book that's clunky or clumsy to write in). Thankfully the book is sturdy enough to stand up to a bit of punishment, and if you use a pencil you can write directly into the book and rub out / start again to give it a little more of a lifespan.

A fun and engaging book that compliments the sort of things Charlotte is currently learning at school, and far more easier for her to get to grips with than her writing journal has been this Easter holiday, for sure!

Charlotte's best bit: Coming up with rhymes for "Pig"

Daddy's favourite bit: Great cute illustrations and nice page layouts to make children feel more like they're having fun than doing school work

(Kindly sent to us for review by Blue Apple Books / PGA)