All You Need is Love (And A Good Book!) - 10 Books About Love
6 Books About Love for Children and 4 About Building Positive Relationships for Practitioners.
Love is all around us this month and has inspired our booklist.
We know building positive relationships is an essential part of our role and our list represents love in its various forms - family, friendship and professional love.
We have included links if you would like to buy any of the books (these are not affiliate links - just there to help you find the ones you are interested in).
As always, we would be delighted to see your recommendations - please add your favourites in the comments.
Books for practitioners
The first four books in this month’s list are for you.
We have included books which will support you to deepen your knowledge of research into areas such as attachment, relationships and children’s development. The first three books also explore how this theory can be put into practice in early years settings.
The articles about relationships and behaviour which we published in September might also be useful if you are reflecting on relationships in your setting.
Developing a Loving Pedagogy in the Early Years: How Love Fits with Professional Practice - Tamsin Grimmer
Most of us see care as central to early years education, but many people are still reluctant to use the word love when talking about their professional practice.
In this book, Tamsin Grimmer explores the research that supports the argument for a loving pedagogy and gives reflection points and practical suggestions so you can put this into practice in your setting.
Working with Babies & Children. From Birth to Three - Jools Page, Ann Clare & Cathy Nutbrown.
This book brings together research and practice, including exploring attachment and the key person relationship. The importance of positive relationships runs through the whole book.
Relationships are explored in depth in Jool Page’s final section entitled ‘Permission to love them’. In this section, she explores the place of professional love in childcare settings and argues that love is essential for our youngest children’s development and learning.
Key Persons In The Early Years - Peter Elfer, Elinor Goldschmied & Dorothy Selleck.
The second edition of a book that many consider to be a classic text in early years - previously published as Key persons in the nursery - has been extended to consider the key person approach throughout the early years foundation stage. This book helps you to understand the difference between a key worker and key person approach, and to reflect on why this matters.
This book is valuable if you are considering how you can strengthen your key person approach, or how this may look in practice at different points in the EYFS. The practice for two year olds may be a little different to that for your reception class - and this book will help you to explore those differences and think about how to develop positive relationships throughout the EYFS..
why love matters: how affection shapes a baby’s brain - Sue Gerhardt
The second edition of this book begins with the impact of a baby’s environment during pregnancy and then focuses on the first two years of life. While many of us might not work with babies and toddlers, this can help us to understand the impact of early experiences on children’s development.
Understanding the impact of these experiences before children join your setting, will support you as you reflect on your practice as you consider what each individual child may need.
Books for children
Moving on to children’s books, I have selected books about different aspects of love - family, friends and loving the world around us.
Love makes a family - Sophie Beer
This is a lovely, simple book which could prompt conversations about family. The message in this book is clear, families are all different and it is spending time together and building strong bonds that make a family.
Questions and prompts
Do you think the grown ups like being woken up by a drum?
I wonder why they’re having a cake?
Show me the teddy.
Do you like jumping in puddles? Does your grown-up like it too?
I wonder why teddy is wet..
Which song would you sing for your grown-ups?
What happened to the ice-cream?
What do you enjoy doing with your family?
So Much - Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury
This is a delightful book that captures the joy of family visitors, including aunties, uncles, cousins and grandmas. Each family member arrives and greets baby with excitement. They also each have their own special way of saying hello, which you find out through the pictures and rhythmic text.
This book, with its flowing story and beautiful illustrations, is an ideal starting point for a chat with children about all the people who love them!
Questions and prompts
Can you see the baby’s teddy?
How does Auntie Bibba feel about seeing the baby?
Who comes to visit you at home?
How do you say ‘hello’ to them?
Show me Nannie and Gran-gran’s umbrellas.
Is the baby really fighting with the cousins?
Why do you think everyone came round that day?
Who do you see on your birthday?
Do you think baby wants to go to bed?
Who loves you?
So Much a book by Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury.
The Kindest Red - Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali, & Hatem Aly.
This is a sequel to The Proudest Blue, Faizah’s class are thinking about the world they want. As the day goes on they find ways to make a kinder world, but when it is time to take sibling photographs, can Faizah’s friends help her to match her sister Asiyah?
This is a lovely story, which could prompt conversations about helping others and what we mean when we talk about being kind.
Questions and prompts
Why is the red dress special?
How do you think Faizah feels about wearing the dress?
What kind of world would you like?
What do you think a unicorn world would be like - what would you see?
Can you see the kind things people are doing in Faizah’s picture?
Tell me about something kind you have done…
Clean Up! - Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
Rocket is going to see her family in Jamaica, and is looking forward to swimming in the ocean. But when she arrives she finds that animals have been harmed by plastic, which is washing up on the beaches. She decides she must help organise a clean up and help to reduce pollution in the future.
This is a hopeful story with wonderful illustrations. It could be the starting point for conversations about how we can all take steps to love and protect the planet.
Questions and prompts
What makes you feel excited?
Can you see a tortoise?
Have you made a sandcastle?
Where should the plastic go?
How do you think everyone feels about clearing up together?
What can we do to show we love our world?
Clean Up! a book by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola.
Meesha Makes Friends - Tom Percival
Meesha makes lots of things, pictures with numbers, songs, and sometimes both. But, making friends is more difficult, she does not know what to do or when to do it. She realises she can use her craft skills to make her own companions and is happy playing with them. Then one day she goes to a party, it is noisy and unpredictable, so Meesha finds a quiet place to sit and craft some new friends. When she notices someone nearby there is an opportunity to share an interest and find a friend.
This book is perfect for helping children think about how they can involve others in their play and understand that people make friends in different ways.
Questions and prompts
What animal has Meesha drawn?
What would you like to do with Meesha?
How could the other children help Meesha to make friends?
Do you have a special toy you like to play with?
Do you like going to parties?
What is it that Meesha does not like about the party?
What do you like doing with your friends?
When do you like to be on your own?
Meesha Makes Friends: A Big Bright Feelings Book
Wherever You Go - Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
As their children are getting ready to start ‘big school’, a group of families reflect on how they have grown and on their love for them. They promise the little ones that wherever they go and whatever they do they will be loved.
This is a book about unconditional love and pride. It could prompt conversations about times of change, and the continuity of family relationships. Children may also enjoy remembering how they have changed and grown.
Questions and prompts
What have you learnt to do?
What makes you feel proud?
How do babies tell us what they want?
What are you excited about learning next?
Who looked after you before you came to school/nursery?
Who is proud of you? (help the children to think about all the people who love and care for them at home and in your setting)
❤️ It’s great to see Tamsin Grimmers’ book here ❤️