a selection of 'freedom' books to celebrate 9 November—the day on which the Berlin Wall fell

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a selection of 'freedom' books to celebrate 9 November—the day on which the Berlin Wall fell

When Jesse was about 8-years-old, listening to Joan and I reminiscing about watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on television, she lamented: “I wish I lived in interesting times". That wish has come true, hasn't it!

But, even with the seminal events that have happened since that conversation, the fall of The Wall in 1989 still shapes the way we think about history and our hopes for the future. Its stories are deep and complex, with political undertones that are as important as the grassroots swell of demand for liberty—and so worth celebrating.

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reading with grandchildren who live far away – Imogene’s Antlers

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reading with grandchildren who live far away – Imogene’s Antlers

ages toddler to 5-years
Ridiculously, 4 of our grandchildren (including newborn Ezra) live in Cairns and 2 are in Tasmania. That’s pretty much opposite ends of the country and at least a two hour flight each way.  So weekly or even monthly visits just aren’t an option. But Samantha suggested this great app—Marco Polo. It’s probably not the original intention, but it works really well for reading stories.

I record a story (dodgy lighting and shuffling pages are no big deal), it uploads, and the grandkids look at it whenever their parents are ready to give up their phones for a few minutes.

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celebrating the wonders of being a year older!

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celebrating the wonders of being a year older!

a series for 1- to 5-years-old
Finding the 'just right' birthday book can be tricky, but it's worth the hunt—there's something wonderful about getting a special book for a special occasion.

This year, one of those 'just right' books turned up for Angus—he was given You’re One!. It was perfect—a sweet relatable story that celebrated the magic of being a whole year older.

'Look at You! You’re one already!
It’s not long since you were as small as Teddy.'

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exploring the delights of home, the blessing of a natural environment, and the strength in compromise

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exploring the delights of home, the blessing of a natural environment, and the strength in compromise

ages 0 to 8 years
Books about happy homes speak to our need for security, love, generosity and kindness. Books about happy homes that are different to our own also offer the comforting idea that in the midst of tremendous diversity, there is more that connects us than separates us.

The Tree does all of that while extending those same ideas, thoughts and feelings 

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a simple and colourful yarn web + 4 magical books to keep the mood going

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a simple and colourful yarn web + 4 magical books to keep the mood going

ages 3 to 12 years
We have a wonderful old lemon tree in the back yard. It needed some pruning and love when we first moved in but it was worth it—not because of the lemons but because Ivy loves playing in and with it so much. It's just the right size for a 4-year-old to test her limits, and has been a castle, a boat, a unicorn, a great friend and unlimited food for the imagination.

Ivy decided that her friend the tree needed decorating, so we made a colourful spider web for it

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gentle creatures carry children to sweet slumber and peaceful dreams

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gentle creatures carry children to sweet slumber and peaceful dreams

ages newborn to 8 years
It’s nice, especially on cool, dark nights, to think about how wonderful it is to dream. To dream about our friends and fun, or dream about places we have never been, or about our hopes and dreams. Dreams that beckon and entice us to a deep and peaceful sleep.

Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey is just the book for that kind of night.  Arrays of ‘animals from long ago’ come to help children on the way to their dreams.

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