9 things to remember (and one to forget) by Alison Binks

9 things to remember (and one to forget) is a thoughtful and touching story about enjoying nature and how it can provide us with the simplest of pleasures. The book begins with a child waking to bird song and ends with a child on the other side of the world doing the same. The reader is taken on a gentle journey through the beach, the desert, the forest, the polar lands, the ocean and the night.

Each double page, beautifully painted in water colour, offers the reader a simple fact and a reminder to remember. When the tide turns out, dip your toes in the warm water of rock pools. Remember to look for squiggly lines in the sand. A shell, creeping along on her soft foot, has made the squiggle. Only one foot and still she can carry her house on her back.

This is a perfect story to share with children of all ages. A truly lovely read which will evoke memories of childhood past.

Themes: Nature, Wonder, Beauty, Remembering.

Kathryn Beilby