Oh plums, the best laid plans of mice and men (and book bloggers) - Our competition could only have 5 winners, but we had six entries...! WHAT TO DO!

In the interest of fairness, there was only one thing to do. Rely on Mr Random, Skeleton Jack and a certain little girl to help out.

So to pick our five winners from the six people who entered (and you're all fantastic, thank you for taking the time to enter our first comp!) We wrote all the names on slips of paper, popped them in Skeleton Jack's head, gave them a good shake and..

Draw Number 1 coming up...!

Jack is primed and ready!

Give him a shake and pick a piece of paper out, Charlotte...!

Winner Number one is...(drum roll)

Number two is proving elusive...

At Read It Daddy we've taken a look at the innovative 'Signed Stories' app for iPad previously but we thought we'd let the Signed Stories team guest on our blog as part of our #Readitmummiesanddaddies2013 campaign. As more and more parents and children start to use storytelling apps, and the potential for reaching parents who can't read to their kids is realised, apps like this become vital to extending the book world into the technological one. 

Over to you, Signed Stories Folk!

Keith on the Signed Stories App telling the story of 'The Three Little Pigs'

Mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone are opening up huge opportunities for accessibility and inclusion for children who are so often excluded from fun and important childhood activities.
I probably don’t need to tell readers of this blog how important reading is to children, whether it’s sharing stories and adventures with friends and family, curling up with mum and dad at bedtime or learning words at school.
But what you might not realise is how many deaf children miss out on these experiences because stories are not readily available in sign language, and for many deaf children English is their second language.
Official attainment figures make for grim reading - only a third of deaf children achieve five GCSE grades A-C compared with 60% of hearing children, and poor literacy is a huge factor in this.
iPads are perfect for presenting visual information like sign language - and you can see how amazing our Signed Stories look on the iPad. Although of course they’re amazing on the website too (!) it’s the device that enables us to do so much more with it - the sign language and subtitles can be turned on and off and the subtitles can be customised to make them easier to read. And we’ve extended the stories with two interactive games that reinforce the sign language and a sign language dictionary to help children and adults learn new signs.
But the real inclusion opportunities come because the iPad is a cool device, and using it doesn’t mark children as different.
All the stories on our app are also told with voiceover and with subtitles meaning that all children can use the same app on the same device, creating positive shared experiences within the family and between classmates.
And of course sign language is not just for deaf children. I recently spent time with a five-year-old boy with limited speech because of cerebral palsy and his family, who are just starting to use sign language as a means of communication. I watched him tell his sister he was thirsty - one of the first times in his life, his mum said, that he had initiated communication.

Peter on the Signed Stories app (we know this face all too well!)

Apps like Signed Stories are raising the profile of sign language and enabling people who have never considered the benefits of sign language to easily get access to it. For example, hearing children with no special needs can benefit from learning to sign - it develops motor skills and helps them become confident communicators using body language and facial expressions and can help improve IQ. And also it’s fun - just look at how Peter/Keith brings this story to life!
The Signed Stories app is free to download from the App Store (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) with one free book ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’, two interactive games and ten words in the dictionary.
Click here if you’re in the UK: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/signed-stories/id550966811?mt=8
Click here if you’re in the USA/Canada: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/signed-stories/id550966811?mt=8

We're always on the lookout for authors and illustrators who think up new and exciting ways to reinvent classic fairy tales. So we were pleased as punch when Child's Play sent us one of their new range of "Secret Scrapbook Diaries" - with one of Charlotte's favourite fairy tale characters - Cinderella - as the subject.

For quite a while now (well, since watching the fantastic Pixar film "Up"), Charlotte has kept her own secret scrapbook called "The Adventure Book"...

It's nothing special, just a hard-back lined book decorated with various bits and bobs we found in our crafting kit. The main aim of starting it was to give Charlotte somewhere to keep all the things she collects from various days out, or postcards from relatives who visit far-flung places. Or just a place to stick all sorts of stickers, notes and maybe do a few cool drawings.

"My Secret Scrapbook Diary" works in a similar way, and Child's Play does a range for other classic fairy tale characters like Red Riding Hood and Jack & the Beanstalk.

The books are laid out like a miniature scrapbook and in this case, all the bits and bobs Cinderella gathers together to tell her tale. Photos of her (late) father and mother, cool stickers, tickets to the ball and even a rather amusing postcard or two.

Charlotte loved this idea, and Kees Moerbeek's Cinderella might have a fairly sad life to begin with but soon shows she's made of strong stuff, and with a little help from her Fairy Godmother, she's soon well on her way to wowing everyone at the ball.

As an activity idea, making an "Adventure Book" or even making your own "Secret Scrapbook Diary" costs very little, and most children will probably be able to think of and find a whole ton of things to stick down into the book.

Like Cinderella's secret scrapbook diary, Charlotte will hopefully look back through her book and remember all the fun times we've packed into what has felt like a whirlwind four and a bit years, and with our memories like a pair of sieves, it's a great thing for The Strolling Mum and me to take a look through from time to time along with all the photos we've taken.

Charlotte's best bit: Cinderella's postcard to her stepmother and sisters.

Daddy's favourite bit: Rather admired the end of the book which bucks the usual 'Cinderella / Princess' marrying off thing quite nicely.

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Child's Play Ltd)

As we mentioned in our "The Flower" review, we simply could not choose between two books so we've rather slyly chosen a book each for "Book of the Week" this week. Again, this book came as a recommendation from Beth Cox (who is either going to develop a big head or a complex if we keep mentioning her but she is awesome!) after a discussion about a worry that inclusive books would be a bit 'grey and boring'.

The description 'grey and boring' couldn't be further from Rabbityness. Though it starts off fairly monochrome, with some lovely inky drawings of a Rabbit doing - well - rabbity things, it soon explodes into an ocean of colours as we discover that our rabbity friend loves doing unrabbity things too.

He paints, he dances beautifully, he plays music, and he soon fills the forest where he lives with beautiful colours and sounds.

It's infectious stuff so all the other rabbits soon discover that they love what he does too!

Then one day Rabbit disappears. No one can find him, all that is left is a deep, dark hole...

At this point in the book - when we first read it together - Charlotte stopped, and a look crossed her face that I'd never seen before. A look of absolute and complete sorrow. As parents we're probably quite used to seeing our children upset, crying, having tantrums - sometimes over the most trivial things, but I hadn't seen this - it was actually fairly upsetting and made me cuddle her close as we continued with the book.

I feel we're meandering into spoiler territory here so please - stop right now if you want to experience the book unsullied by our review or our opinions - but we should carry on and tell you that Rabbit doesn't just leave a deep dark hole - he leaves a legacy behind, a legacy of sharing his unrabbityness, his delicious infectious enthusiasm for colour and music and fun and laughter with his friends in the forest.

We've seen a few books that deal with loss and grief in a fairly rudimentary (and sometimes outright clumsy) fashion, but nothing that deals with it as delicately but also as triumphantly as Rabbityness. It is quite unlike anything we've come to expect from children's picture books but I'll let you into a secret - this is exactly the sort of thing that Child's Play do, and make it look so durned easy too.

Charlotte's best bit: The one frame where Rabbit is tucked up snugly having a snooze. So...rabbity!

Daddy's favourite bit: That moment where the book's tone momentarily changes and the impact (and I do mean impact) it had on Charlotte. Even when we re-read this, it had a similar effect - simply because to a child that feeling can be so wholly unfamiliar and seeing how she dealt with it was absolutely amazing.

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Child's Play International Ltd)

Child's Play International have put us in the sort of really difficult position we love to be in here at ReadItDaddy, where both Charlotte and I love two books to the point where we really can't divide them down the middle to pick one as Book of the Week. So, sorry folks we're going to have to double up today and the way we're doing it (thanks to The Strolling Mum's suggestion) is to pick a book each. Stay tuned for Charlotte's, coming up next...

Both of our picks have been read, re-read, re-read again, discussed and have both been such thought provoking books that we're just happy to be able to share them with you.

So first up, my pick - The Flower by John Light and Lisa Evans.

Brigg is a super hero. He doesn't wear a cape. He doesn't even fly, melt steel with his heat vision, nor is he able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Nevertheless he's a super hero.

If you passed him on the street, you'd pay him no attention at all. But Brigg works in a library in a grey dusty city, looking after "forbidden" books.

Quite why or how this situation has arisen doesn't matter nor needs to be made clear. Like "The Lost Stars" which we reviewed earlier in the week, you don't need to over-egg Brigg's story because it is simple but has the impact of a freight train hitting you in the gut.

Brigg discovers one of the forbidden books to contain some of the most amazing things he's ever seen. Flowers. So he smuggles the book home and basks in the wonderful images of flowers and plants within.

While browsing a junk shop in a forgotten part of town, Brigg finds a picture of a flower nestling amongst the bric a brac. But it's not just a picture. It's a packet of seeds. With instructions on how to grow your own flowers...

We'll leave you to discover the rest of the story yourself but in Brigg's dark world, the tale takes some heart-wrenching twists and turns. Beth Cox (A Freelance expert on inclusive books and an absolute treasure trove of knowledge about the best children's books on the market at the moment) described The Flower as "1984 for kids" which is pretty much a back-of-book quote right there. It's dark but so beautifully told and so wonderfully illustrated that it can cross age gaps and generations with ease. In fact, I'll admit it, I have read it quite a few times on my own just to keep it fresh in my mind.

Charlotte's reaction to "The Flower" was to ask a lot of questions. How did Brigg's world get into such a state? Why were the books forbidden? And many more that would spoil or reveal too much of the book and we're desperately keen that you discover it properly yourself by reading it. It's a very important picture book and deserves to be clamoured about. Definitely deserving of a book of the week.

Charlotte's best bit: Brigg's initial discovery of the forbidden book in the library.

Daddy's favourite bit: Brigg's dark and dystopian world, like a visual depiction of the static hum on an old LP or the greyness of a cityscape under a leaden pre-stormy sky. Utterly mind blowing.

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Child's Play International Ltd)

I'm pleased to note that children still love traditional animal stories, including Aesop's Fables and also the rich cultural stories of animals that are gathered from around the world. Child's Play produces a range of these stories, retold by poet Andrew Fusek Peters, and lovingly illustrated by Charlotte Cooke.

"The Talkative Tortoise" is a traditional Himalayan folk tale that tells us how tortoise ended up being a rather quiet, rather slow little fellow with a crusty cracked shell. He wasn't always like that, you see. Once, Tortoise was the life and soul of the party, a complete chatterbox with the most beautiful polished and shiny shell you've ever seen.

Tortoise loves his two best friends, two extremely patient geese. But when the geese have to migrate for the winter, Tortoise starts to worry that he'll be left behind, lonely and forlorn.

We'll let you discover the rest of the story for yourselves but it's an amusing retelling of a traditional folk tale with great characterisations and some real laugh out loud moments.

Charlotte's best bit: Tortoise having a HUGE tantrum when he realises his friends are going to migrate and leave him all alone.

Daddy's favourite bit: Trying to explain to Charlotte what a Yurt was. Much scrabbling around in encyclopaedias to try and find another picture of one but we managed it in the end, phew!
(It's a wood-frame felt-covered and rather large tent btw).

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Child's Play International)

Last night, on a frosty bonfire night, despite the smoke and sulphur from countless fireworks, we could look up at the night sky in our locale and see the beautiful stars. Charlotte's a little space cadet and has inherited a slightly geeky interest in space from her lovely mummy and me (The Strolling Mum was lucky enough to go to Florida and the amazing NASA Space Centre there, I'm so jealous!)

So we loved this book and also loved the message it conveys.

Hannah Cumming has expertly woven a tale that describes how the people of the world are so wrapped up with a love for bright lights, new technology and gadgetry that they stop noticing the dazzling display the stars perform each night. Tired of being unappreciated, the stars decide to disappear, to see if anyone notices - and at first no one does...

So what happens next? We won't spoil it for you but this is a lovely (and non-preachy) tale of how easy it is to take things for granted that are ours for free.

It'll be a cold night tonight again. Stop for a second if you can, even if you're in the brightest busiest city, and see if you can spot those tiny twinkling lights in the sky. Give them a nod and a wink, just to let them know that you still look occasionally.

Charlotte's best bit: The way the stars creep up their ladders every night to 'go to work'

Daddy's favourite bit: A great message conveyed with thought and care. Fantastic illustrations and cityscapes as the people bustle and busy themselves with their day.

(The Lost Stars was kindly sent to us for review by Child's Play International Ltd)

I can't remember the first time I realised that Child's Play were behind some of Charlotte's favourite early books. Back when we paid more attention to the content and the title than the publisher, we used to regularly borrow and buy Child's Play's excellent range of nursery rhyme and sing / dance along board books like "If you're Happy and you Know It".

We were recently re-introduced to Child's Play's books through Beth Cox (who used to work for the company and still, quite rightly, champions their approach to producing thought-provoking, educational and inspiring work). We think that Child's Play are worth shouting from the rooftops about too, so we thought we'd take a closer look at the company and some of their book ranges.

Child's Play - 1976. Dig that funky fashion!

Founded by Michael Twinn back in 1972, Child's Play celebrates its 40th year with a fantastic range of books, audio-visual materials and projects linking the publishing house to larger companies like ITV (for the CITV Signed Stories series featuring some of Child's Play's best loved storybook titles), and also to some of the best and brightest talents in children's books.

Child's Play's focus on diversity and equality aims to reinforce the rich tapestry woven by stories from around the world, from different cultures and wholly embracing the ethos that children from all wakes of life, regardless of their age, nationality, disability, gender or culture can learn from and enjoy great books and materials produced to the highest standards.





Here's just a selection of the various book ranges that Child's Play publish:

Child's Play Baby Books 


Durable board books that are great to read and sing along with. Colourful illustrations, great rhymes and sing-a-long bum-wiggling fun. It's never too early to start reading to your babies, or getting them to join in and these are a fantastic place to start.

Baby Signing








We're great believers in baby signing, Charlotte was encouraged and taught to 'sign' from a very early age long before she began to speak properly, and the Child's Play Baby Signing books follow the widely recognised British Sign Language standards. The books cross a wide range of subjects encouraging parents and their children to learn common signs and have fun and play while they learn.

Flip Up Fairy Tales








New child-friendly retellings of classic Fairy Tales, with interesting lift-up panels (and accompanying narrated CDs) to enjoy anywhere, encouraging children's natural curiosity and thirst for adventure and excitement. Classic tales in this range are often retold to encourage children to think of traditional stories in a whole new way, free from the usual heavy merchandising and commercialisation of other brands that tap into the same rich fairy tale traditions.

Information Books








Factual books for when your children are a little older and want to learn more about their world (and indeed their universe!) Child's Play information books are packed with interesting facts, and are beautifully presented in various formats to help children begin their learning journeys.

Children's Picture Books








Thought-provoking, inclusive and engaging picture books that gather together some of the most talented authors and illustrators in children's books to contribute to a fantastic range of the highest quality. It's a brilliant range covering diverse subjects, from the joyous and mischievous to the sometimes dark and moody.

This is just a small selection of Child's Play's book selection. More can be found at the Child's Play Website.

Please also visit Beth Cox's Editorial and Advisory Site at http://www.withoutexception.co.uk/

We've got a veritable cornucopia of wonderful Child's Play books to share with you this week but we're going to break things in gently with this fabulous and fun story of a little dog called...now wait a second, there seems to be some confusion here.

The dog's name? Well the dog thinks it's "No!" because every time he tries to do things to please his 'humans', they say his name.

When he digs up the garden, they shout "No!"

When he rather thoughtfully warms up their beds for them (after digging up the garden) they scream "No!"

When he tries their dinners for them just to make sure they're OK, they bellow "NO!!!!"

So what's a poor little dog to do? Marta Altes' book is such fun and whether you're a dog owner or not (or certainly, whether you've seriously considered renaming your children "No") you'll love this book. Great bold doggy illustrations and text that's a boon for early readers beginning their sounding out and phonics, there's a neat and satisfying twist in the tale (or should that be 'tail') at the end.

Charlotte's best bit: When the dog snaffles people's dinners sneakily.

Daddy's favourite bit: The great little doggy characterisations on the inside front and back covers (which Charlotte also loved because - well - there's a couple of things there that dogs do a lot of that children find eminently hilarious. You'll see what we mean!)

(Kindly sent to us by Child's Play International Ltd for review)

I can't remember who sung that really cheesy song "Everything is beautiful in it's own way" but that's the message behind Claudia Boldt's "Uugghh!" (That's two u's, two g's and two h's if you're using Amazon's search, which completely ignores this book for some reason, gah!)

A poor slug dreamed that it would grow into a beautiful butterfly or at the very least a shiny-shelled snail, but the reality of life as a slug is that...well, people just don't like you really. They'll try and pour salt on you or cover you in beer in the mistaken belief that you'll stop eating their prized Sweet Peas. The slug in the story finds an unlikely ally in the shape of a Spider. Similarly much maligned and misunderstood, Spider helps Slug understand the true nature of beauty - that it comes from within.

At least one other member of the animal kingdom thinks Slug is beautiful. And tasty! Find out who in the book.

Claudia Boldt's text is a bit clunky and clumsy in places, but the illustrations - done in a weird 50s ad style of flat colour and bold linework - really makes this book unique and worth checking out.

Charlotte's best bit - Slug imagining himself/herself as a beautiful butterfly

Daddy's favourite bit - Nasty children reading "50 ways to kill a slug" (which is an actual book btw, and comes up in an Amazon search way before you'll ever find this book!)