Monthly Book Roundup - What we have been reading in February

My Monthly Book Roundups are back. It is a post that I do love writing about each month because both me and Lily are big book fans. 

With it being World Book Day today, it seemed like the perfect day to get writing about what we have been reading for February. 

I still read to Lily each night without fail. It is usually only 2 books now because as she is getting older, the books are getting longer. But I still introduce around 3 new books a month for her to read. 

It is crazy, but I did count over 250 books on our book shelf, which some we have just kindly donated to school. We love books but 250 of them is a big much. Its pretty much our own library haha.

So, Here is what we have been reading lately - 

1. That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child 

I will admit, this book has sat on our shelf for quite a while and Lily has never been inclined to choose it. Not sure why, maybe the front cover just wasn't encouraging her to want to read it. But this month she picked it out and we sat down and finally read it. We was pleasantly surprised as it is actually a really good story. It is all about a rat that really wants to become a pet. He talks about all the other animals that he knows who are pets and have owners, and talks about how they get special treatments, though in some cases he isn't too sure about the things they have to do, like dressing up for an example. In the end he puts out an advertisement to be someones pet and someone picks him, but only because they actually think he is a cat. He doesn't care though and is happy to be called a cat if it means he gets an owner. The story is full of comedy, and also is a cute little story about an animal that is generally disliked, simply wanting to belong. The illustrations are very scetchy, I quite like the style of this, but it may not be for everyone.  I would definetly give the book a try if I was you, and not leave it sat on a shelf for as long as we did. You can pick the book up from online. 

2. Spot and Stripe by Anna Shuttlewood 

This book is all about a tiger and a zebra who are best friends. They love doing everything together and they have the exact same interests and they both help each other do things. For example spot shows stripe how to chase birds like a leopard does, and stripe shows spot how to cross a river safely like a zebra can. They very much believe they are 2 of a kind. Until one day they see their reflection and notice they both look compleatly different. This disappoints them and makes them question their friendship, could they really be best friends when they look so different? They then have an idea, they cover themselves in mud so they look the same but then they realise they are still the same person on the inside, and actually miss the way each other looks and so decide they can be best friends looking different. It is a really good story about friendship and is a super happy story to read before bed. Plus the illustrations are super colourful taking up the entire page making it a really attractive book to read. I got this book from the works, but you can buy it online too. 

3. What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson 

Another story by one of our favourite authors. This story Lily chose out herself when she has £10 to spend in Tesco. I think she was very attracted to the shiny front cover and the colourful sparkly ladybird on the front. This story is all about a farm yard, where lots of farm animals live including the ladybird. The ladybird is very quiet compared to the other animals on the farm and happily sits and observes everything that is happening. One day she over hears some robbers saying they are going to steal the prize cow and she has to tell everyone. She whispers in everyones ear what she heard and so they decide to make a plan to catch the robber. The great thing about this story is the amount of rhyming in it. It really flows off the tongue and is great to read. There is lots of repetition in it which is always great for kids as they love to help read along. Overall its a really fun tale that is super enjoyable to read. As always the illustrations are done really well, with lots of colour and are pleasing to a child's eye. You can pick this up in most book shops. 

Which of the above books do you think sounds the best?