Marion Gillooly's Reading List

"Sleep Tight Very Hungry Caterpillar by World of Eric Carle This one is by the publisher, on the theme of The Very Hungry Caterpillar . I chose this book because it’s a little book, based on a classic character. Many people are familiar with The Very Hungry Caterpillar , which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. This one, although it’s not the original text, has got so much in it. In terms of age, this book would be for children who are turning one . It’s a lift the flap book, which little ones always love. It opens up so many opportunities. There’s that whole peekaboo to the animals that are behind the flaps and the physical interaction with the book. Yes, so you can have fun with that. And that repetition that young children love, the flap lifted up again and again on the same page until it becomes soft and begins to fall apart. And you can count the owls in the tree, you can look at the colours, you can discuss – even without reading the story – what’s on the page. So it incorporates that interactive game with the person reading the story to the child, it introduces them to different animals, all sorts of things. And you can spot the caterpillar on each page as well and do that whole thing of, ‘Can you see the caterpillar?’ So a whole range of ways of engaging with a child with that little book. Yes, it just kind of encapsulates so much of what the Imagination Library is about, about children having fun learning, learning without knowing they’re learning, through really enjoying the book. And it’s a nice size, a tactile book for a small child. It’s a really nicely done adaptation."

"Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang This is a terrific way of introducing children to the diverse families that exist and to that whole notion that there is no such thing as a typical family. It’s presented in the way that every page is a family photograph, a framed photograph. And then towards the end, it’s like photos that are stuck on a page. The pictures are engaging, and they draw you in. It’s such a gentle way of explaining to children that you might live in a family that has one parent and one child. But look at that: some families have lots and lots of children in them. And some families have two dads, some families have a mum and a dad. Some families have step brothers and sisters… For children to really experience and think about this book can open up a conversation about all sorts of blended families and different family composition in a really fun way. It’s funny, it’s a bit quirky, and it’s beautifully presented. It is. And that final page there “…if you love each other, then you are a family”, that’s such an important message for children to receive. I love that."

"How to Be a Lion by Ed Vere This is a beautiful, kind of sensory experience, with a textured paper on the cover. It’s a great book about challenging people’s perceptions. It’s a story of acceptance, a story of respect and encouraging children to think for themselves and be themselves. That whole thing about how we make assumptions about what a lion is, and what a lion should do – Leonard the lion is not like that. And his friend Marianne, the duck, is not a friend that you would expect a lion to have. They teach each other, they learn from each other. And they’re gentle, and accepting, and brave – brave in a very different way. Yes. If you were going to set out to write a book about challenging people’s perceptions, and encouraging children to have the courage to be themselves, I think it’s so creative to take this notion of a lion and a duck, who together work out how they’re going to convince people that it’s okay for them to be themselves. I think it’s a very clever book. This book is for children turning four . There are more words on the page than there are for some of the books for the younger ones. But it’s still a book that is driven by the illustrations. Ed Vere does a lot of draw along sessions . His illustrations are really easy to replicate and he works with children to do it for themselves. He’s a really engaging author. I love the theme of the book and I love the colours, and it speaks to what the Imagination Library represents. Yes, so simple, and yet, there’s so much in it. It’s a really multifaceted book. Yes, that whole thing about leaving it open-ended to talk about with the child is really important."

"Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola This is just a great book, because it has themes around dreaming, being what you can, what you want to be, dreaming big, having ambition and being excited about what’s important to you. Rocket, the main character, is excited about space and she engages with her community to try to get them all to come along to the park to look at the meteor shower. Yes, and you can almost imagine her movement through the book, the way the book is illustrated, it’s a really dynamic illustration. Her enthusiasm jumps out of the page at you. And I love the depiction of her brother, who’s got his nose in his mobile phone the whole time. And so that kind of dual meaning of look up in the title: Rocket wants everybody to look at the sky. But she’s also said to her brother and to the other people around, you’re missing so much by not paying attention to what’s around you. That message around get outside, go and look at what’s there and dream about what you might do, is fantastic. And then towards the end of the book when everybody else has gone home because they think the meteor shower isn’t going to happen, her brother suddenly sees what she’s trying to do, empathises with her, puts his phone down, and they experience the joy of watching the meteor shower together. It’s about sibling love. It’s about dreaming. It’s about helping people see the world around them. There is so much in this book. And it’s very current. I just think it’s a beautiful book. That was a real favourite with the book selection committee when we saw this one. Yes, she’s a girl you’d like to have around, an appealing character."

"Just Imagine by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt This book is now published as part of the You Choose series. It’s not published for retail anymore as Just Imagine , but it’s still published specifically for the Imagination Library with that title because of the connotation of Just Imagine and the Imagination Library. And so every child turning five, this is the last book that they get. In the USA, the final book is Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come! Our partners in Ireland were very keen to have a book by an Irish author as the graduation book. They selected The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde . “ It’s important for the children to feel that it’s about them” I love Just Imagine because it’s so full of colour. It allows the child to take what they want from each page. You can take one picture from any page in this book and create a whole new story. Or talk about your own experience, or talk about which one’s your favourite. Although this book is for children turning five, much younger children love this book as well because it’s so accessible. It’s funny, it’s quirky, it makes them think, it has variety and gives the child control over how they use this book, how they enjoy it. You can pick up this book every day and see something different in it. Yes. And if you particularly wanted to help a child learn about colours, it’s there. Transport, it’s there, animals, flying in the sky and living in the sea, all of that stuff, there’s so much in it. And it’s all so appealing and so accessible. Yes, you can take it wherever you want to take it. And the child can take it wherever they want to take it. I have a four year old granddaughter and this is definitely one of our favourites. We spend a lot of time with this book. She just loves it. She can’t read the words on the page yet, but she can talk to me about what’s happening. There’s one where we choose our favourite shoes and outfits and stuff like that. It’s just an enjoyable book. The mission for our programme is to inspire a love of reading. This book inspires children to really love delving into a book. And for me, it’s the perfect final book to get in the Imagination Library programme. But it’s also fantastic for sharing with younger siblings and friends, and adults love it too. It holds a child’s attention. It’s great to dip into, and it’s special. Thanks so much. And thank you for your interest in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Sign up here for our newsletter featuring the best children’s and young adult books, as recommended by authors, teachers, librarians and, of course, kids."