Author: Susie Cameron & Katrina Crook. Written by Sue Cant

Publisher: ABC Books

Format: Paperback
Review:
Small Fry: Play is a treasure trove of ideas for creative and craft time play with your child and is a fantastic resource for ways to stimulate and encourage that artistic side within. Even for a craft-challenged person like myself, with Small Fry: Play on my bookshelf I feel confident that I can be a facilitator of art and craft with my child.

At first I was worried that the suggestions would be too ambitious for the likes of the average parent but I found the ideas simple and easy to follow - it’s like having a Playschool presenter sitting in your home showing you how to transform a simple toilet roll and paper into a tree or a hand puppet. The book's focus is on fun activities that spark the imagination process of a youngster, but there’s more than just craft ideas. You'll also find suggestions for things to do while out and about in nature and even travel game ideas for those long car trips. You'll also discover many tips from Cant on how to make a safe environment for your children and an overview of the stages of childhood development giving you an idea of what activities are best to focus on. The activities are suitable for children aged from 2 up to early school years.
After you’ve read Small Fry:Play the creativity seed will be planted, and the journey begins by collecting an assortment of household items for the creations you make. You’ll never look at empty cans, scraps of paper and buttons the same again.  A wonderful way to learn to play with your child, this book will help form the basis of home-time creative fun.

Sunny Days is giving away 5 copies of Small Fry: Play. Click here to enter.

Author: Margaret Sasse

Publisher: Exisle Publishing

Format: Paperback

Author and creator of GymbaROO, Margaret Sasse provides an easy-to-follow guide to the development of babies and children aged up to 5 ½ years.  While many parents associate physical development with GymbaROO, Sasse emphasises that exercise is essential  to “stimulate neurological responses and coordination and enhance (kids’) capacity for learning when they reach school age.”
Smart Start provides a step-by-step programme for each year, beginning with basic activities for babies such as tummy time, right through to tumbling exercises for older kids. Sasse also provides reassuring advice for parents who are anxiously waiting for their children to reach milestones such as crawling and walking, stressing that every stage is vital (especially pre-walk ‘creeping’) and should not be rushed.

Author: Roddy Doyle

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardcover

Siobhan was three when her mother died. Now she’s ten and lives alone with her dad who is very quiet and very sad. Siobhan can remember her mother’s hands and her voice but she can’t remember her face. One day a beautiful woman visits Siobhan in the park and shows her a way to remember her mother. She also has a special message for Siobhan’s dad. This is an incredibly special picture book. Delving into the realms of love, loss and memory it also has much to say about the continuum of family. The subversion of the traditional fairy-tale ending in the line “Siobhan didn’t live happily ever after, but she lived a long, long life and was happy a lot” gives this book a depth which complements its subject matter, but its sweet humour prevents it from being morbid. However, I would suggest reading this book alone before introducing it to the kids. I sobbed as I struggled to read it to my kids at bedtime. But it did open up a beautiful discussion about death - something we might avoid because of its sensitive nature. This book shows that death is never an ending.

Author: Sarah Smith and Claire Gordon

Publisher: Sarah Smith and Claire Gordon

Format: Board Book

Playtime Hometime is a simple board book for preschoolers. Designed to ease the transition between home and child-care or kindy, the book walks a child through the routine of a day at pre-school. Bright photos and simple text make this book an easy one to read to little ones with short attention spans. Simple tips for starting child-care are included at the back.

Sunny Days has 5 copies of Playtime Hometime to give away. For your chance to win click here.