Thursday 14 November 2013

My Busy Being Bella Day by Rebecca Patterson (Jonathan Cape PB Ltd)



My Busy Being Bella Day

Written and Illustrated by
Rebecca Patterson

Published by Jonathan Cape PB Ltd

Rebecca Patterson's "My Big Shouting Day" is one of our favourite books, and it's also a hugely entertaining book to read aloud to children - getting them to join in with Bella's shouting and bellowing is immense fun!

In Rebecca's sequel to "My Big Shouting Day", called "My Busy Being Bella Day" we find out what happens when Bella spends the day at nursery while her utterly cute and delightful little brother Bob is at home.

Bella imagines that Bob is having a really easy day while she's having such a busy one. While Bella has to colour in a number 2, Bob is licking cappuccino foam with mum in the cafe. While Bella is playing dressing up, Bob is having amazing fun at the indoor play park.

Bella just can't shake the thought that Bob leads quite a charmed life for a toddler - so what happens when Bob and mum come to collect Bella at the end of her busy "Being Bella" day?

Mum, Bob and of course Bella are brilliant characters and Rebecca Patterson once again manages to tap into a child's psyche to produce an utterly fantastic and funny story. I still get a huge guffaw from Mum who can carry the look of sheer toddler exasperation so well (as can Bella's teachers and most of the other adults in the book!)

Though it's a tough thing to capture lightning in a bottle twice, and though we didn't quite go as crazy for this story as we did the first Bella book, it's still brilliant and funny - and we just couldn't resist adding it to our heaving bookshelves.

Charlotte's best bit: Bella singing "I'm a little teapot" louder than anyone else

Daddy's Favourite bit: We love Bob so much, he's utterly and completely adorable (and yes, I guiltily admit that I used to let Charlotte lick the foam off my cappuccino when she was a tiddler too!)