My top 10 favourite books are a mix of books I have shared with my own children and the children at nursery, some I searched out for in more difficult times and a collection of some classic favourites!

Love from the Crayons – Drew Daywalt
This book is a great starting point to talk about feelings. Relating them to colour, each crayon explains why love is their colour and I really do love how children can relate to each part of the love emotion. Reading the book with my children gave me the opportunity to talk about many aspects of love in a very relatable and understandable way.

Giraffes can’t dance – Giles Andreae
This was a book I started reading to children before I had my own when I began teaching and it’s still one of my favourite books to read to children. The book’s message surrounding individuality and ‘dancing to your own beat’ is something I’d want every child to hear!

Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent and Respect – Jayneen Sanders
This book helped my children to understand their sense of self, the importance of using their own voice and how to be respectful of others. I bought it for my pre-schooler before he started school but have read it with all of my children to help with their understanding of themselves and others.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
With iconic illustrations, repetition, sequencing, numbers/counting, days of the week, healthy and unhealthy food, natural cycles. This book is full of learning opportunities for young children so will always have a place in my top 10!

The Day the Sea Went Out and Never Came Back – Margot Sunderland
This book was one I shared with my own children when going through loss as a family. It helped to share the process of grief and loss; finding words to explain what we couldn’t at the time.

There’s a Monster in your Book – Tom Fletcher
This is one of a series of Tom’s books that get our children at nursery up on their feet and laughing with delight! This is a great book for children to join in and try and ‘shoo’ away the monster in the book. Reading it with our Adventurers children (aged 16m – 2y) recently I have never seen them so engaged as a group!

Just one of those days – Jill Murphy
The main thing I love about this book is the familiar nostalgia of the bear family in Jill’s books, this story is completely relatable to the day to day ups and downs of family life and celebrates the simple pleasures in life and family. Warm feelings all around!

The Runaway Pea: Washed Away – Kjartan Poskitt
I’ve never met a child who doesn’t love the Runaway Pea! This book is a follow-up tale and is another fun-packed adventure that has my little one squealing and laughing.

Smartest Giant in town – Julia Donaldson
This fun upbeat rhyming repeating story is a favourite of many children and staff here. This story features a giant that wants to be smart to fit in but when his acts of kindness mean he ends up scruffy again he soon realises it’s not appearances that are important but that his friends love him just as he is. It’s in my top 10 as it’s a firm favourite with a great moral story!

Barbara Throws a Wobbler – Nadia Shireen
A perfect story for anyone with a toddler facing big emotions! The ‘bad moods guide’ gave me a chuckle – making light of what can be an intense time for parents!

For most parents, choosing a nursery leaves them feeling worried about moving on to the next stage of their life. At Muddy Boots Nurseries, we provide early years childcare you can be completely confident in, knowing your child is thriving in a nursery you both love