All the stories we shared with families at our Stay and play sessions this month.  For loads of great story inspiration keep reading... Press Here by Hervé Tullet. Hilarious fun pressing dots and gasping in awe and wonder as the dots grow or multiply on the next page. Brilliant. Published by Chronicle Books and  Abrams & Chronicle Books Find out more here - https://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/products/9780811879545  Oh No George by Chris Haughton.  What will George get up to when his humans are away for the day?  Published by Walker Books.  Fin ..read more

Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson and illustrated by the award-winning Tim Hopgood. Thos is the first in a new series from Magic Cat Publishing called Picture a Poem, introducing little ones to the world's best loved poems, brought to life in pictures to inspire conversation, curiosity and a love of language. I absolutely love this - Tim Hopgood is one of my favourite picture book illustrators and expanding the reach of poetry is one of my goals for 2024.   Emily Dickinson was an American poet known for writing about love, death and nature. She wrote ov ..read more

Story Café is a stay and play  session with a focus on Communication and language development, with an emphasis on the benefits of sharing stories together. We share a story with props, play and explore around the story with activities, enjoy a healthy snack and finish with songtime. Each child takes home a free picture book and a sticker. Story Cafe sessions are FREE, including all activities, picture book and snack for children and adults, and led by our teacher / Communication Champion.  This month we shared... Barbara Throws a Wobbler by Nadia Shireen.  Published by Pe ..read more

All the stories we shared with families this month.   Read on for more... Sharing stories with families at First Steps Norwich CIC. Part of the NR3 Stories for families project, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and Norfolk's Early Childhood and Family Service.  Blog | www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk Facebook | www.facebook.com/itsallaboutstories/ Pinterest | uk.pinterest.com/allaboutstories / Instagram | @nickyhudson2436 ..read more

These sessions have a focus on Communication and language development, with an emphasis on the benefits of sharing stories together. We share a story with props, play and explore around the story with activities, enjoy a healthy snack and finish with songtime. Each child takes home a free picture book and a sticker. Story Cafe sessions are FREE, including all activities, picture book and snack for children and adults, and led by our teacher / Communication Champion.  Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson. Published by Walker Books. Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.or ..read more

Sharing stories with families at First Steps Norwich CIC through stay and play sessions and special Story Cafe sessions, and with local childminders at our Childminder Support Group.   Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara If you're happy and you know it by Jane Cabrera Polar, Polar bear what do you hear? by Bill Martin KJr and illustrated by Eric Carle Angelica Sprocket's Pockets by Quentin Blake Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett Where's Mr Astronaut? by Ingela A. Arrhenius Zoom to the Moon, a Space Baby pat-a-cake book illustrated by Kat Uno Blog | www.its ..read more

Room by Emma Donoghue. A student is abducted and locked in a room. She has a child, Jack, and they are locked in Room together. Told from Jack's viewpoint, this is a book you will start and then want to finish in one sitting. Published by Picador Find out more here - https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/emma-donoghue/room/9781529077247 The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree by Tove Jansson.  A lovely little gift edition hardback with a pretty dust jacket filled with Tove Jansson's illustrations. Two stories perfect for sharing at Christmas featuring the Moomin family and all the ..read more

  2023 saw the launch of our Childminder Support Group at First Steps Norwich CIC.   We had wanted to do something specific for childminders for a long time.  As a qualified teacher (I used to teach science a long time ago), now qualified in Early Years, I have had various roles in early childhood, including as chair of my local preschool for 15 years, and as a childminder's assistant to for 11 years, so understand the issues facing childminders.  I am a Communication Champion, a Wellbeing Champion, and am passionate about reflective practice, and continuing to learn ..read more

  My selection of fiction, nonfiction, children's picture books and more ... from 2023 ... in pictures. Board Book - That's how much I Love You bu Julie . Rudi and Tiphanie Beeke (Graffeg) Children's Picture Books - Hello, a counting book of kindnesses by Hollis Kurman and Barroux (Otter-Barry Books), Lily and Myles : The Torch by Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding (Graffeg), and The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Penguin) Professional Early Years Book - Slow knowledge and the Unhurried Child by Alison Clark (Routledge) Non-fiction - The 1932 Kinder Trespass ..read more

  Today we shared Aliens love Panta Claus bt]y Claire Freedman and Ben Cort.  The children all love space rockets at the moment so this is a lovely choice with a Christmassy take on the Aliens love Underpants stories. Here's what we did in pictures... Story Cafe is a stay and play session for families and other carers with children aged 0-4, inspiring a love of stories and picture books, encouraging story-sharing at home, and promoting children's early communication and language development. Story Cafe is funded in 2023-2024 by Norfolk County Council Early ..read more