BookBug Sessions with Ewen’s Room

BookBug with Ewen’s Room

Bookbug is Scotland’s universal early years book gifting programme which supports families to read, sing, and play with their little ones from birth to give them the best start in life. It is provided through the Scottish Book Trust, a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. The programme includes regular free Bookbug Sessions, where families can enjoy stories, songs and rhymes with their little ones. Sharing stories, songs and rhymes with babies and young children has many benefits including supporting children’s language, learning and social skills. It’s fun, free and simple, and the benefits will last their lifetime. These sessions take place in libraries and community settings across Scotland.

Ewen’s Room are supporting The Scottish Book Trust and Highland Libraries by delivering regular Bookbug sessions through an outreach programme in a number of nurseries throughout Lochaber. All Bookbug sessions are led by a SBT trained Bookbug Session Leader and follow the same structure, using visual interactions, play, repetition and rhyme in a way that helps develop the connections in a child’s brain that promote emotional development, thinking, language and literacy skills.

Stories are part of these sessions, and are chosen with the Bookbug aims in mind. Some examples are below, and most will be available in your local library.

Comforting and soothing books

• This is Owl by Libby Walden and Jacqui Lee (Little Tiger, 2020)
• Snug by Carol Thompson (Child’s Play, 2012)
• Extraordinary by Penny Harrison and Katie Wilson (New Frontier, 2020)
• Good Night Like This by Mary Murphy (Walker Books, 2015)
• Tuck me in! by Dean Hacohen and Sherry Scharschmidt (Walker Books, 2013)
• Yawn by Sally Symes and Nick Sharratt (Walker Books, 2011)
• Wow Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood (Pan Macmillan Children’s Books, 2012)

Books that are also a song

• Car, Car, Truck, Jeep by Katrina Charman and Nick Sharratt (Bloomsbury, 2018)
• The Dinos on the Bus by Peter Millett and Tony Neal (Ladybird, 2021)
• What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele, George David Weiss and Tim Hopgood (Oxford University Press, 2015)
• Hey Diddle Diddle illustrated by Annie Kubler and Sarah Dellow (Child’s Play, 2020)
• Old MacDonald Had a Phone by Jeanne Willis (Andersen Press, 2021)
• Poo Poo Bum Bum Wee Wee by Steven Cowell and Erica Salcedo (Ladybird, 2021)

Books with actions, sounds and repetition

• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (Macmillan, 2007)
• The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb (Pan Macmillan, 2016)
• No Matter What by Debi Gliori (Bloomsbury, 2015)
• My Cat likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd (Puffin, 2010)
• Farmer John’s Tractor by Sally Sutton (Walker, 2014)
• Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh and Ben Mantle (Walker, 2020)
• Jack and the Flum Flum Tree by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts (Macmillan, 2012)
• A New Home for a Pirate by Ronda Armitage and Holly Swain (Puffin, 2007)
• The Foggy Foggy Forest by Nick Sharratt (Walker, 2010)

Other Session book recommendations

• Maybe by Chris Houghton (Walker Books, 2022)
• Monster! Hungry! Phone! by Sean Taylor and Fred Benaglia (Bloomsbury, 2002)
• Doing the Animal Bop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner (Oxford University Press, 2015)
• Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz (Orchard Books, 1998)
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (Pan Macmillan, 2016)
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (Walker Books, 2014)
• Peepo by Allan and Janet Ahlberg (Penguin Books, 2011)
• The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr (Harper Collins, 2008)
• Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt (Penguin Books, 2020)
• The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright (Orchard Books, 2015)

In addition to the above, Ewens Room Bookbug leaders may also read from a selection of feeling / emotions type books, which again follow the SBT programme structure. Some examples below.

Books about Feelings

• Cowboys can be Kind By Timothy Knapman (QED Publishing, 2013)
• The Stompysaurus by Rachel Bright & Chris Chatterton (Orchard, 2022)
• The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright (Orchard Books, 2015)
• The Squirrels who Squabbled by Rachel Bright & Jim Field (Orchard, 2018)
• The Drama Llama by Rachel Morrisroe & Ella Okstad (Puffin, 2022)
• The Colour Monster, by Anna Llenas (Templar, 2016).

There is lots more information about Bookbug on the Scottish Book Trust’s website. You can also download the free Bookbug App, and enjoy Bookbug at home.