Tag: cathy phelan

I’m Glad You’re My Dad, a new title in the ‘I’m Glad…’ series from Black Dog Books, is an interactive book designed to be completed by a child and given as a gift to Dad. Full of affirmations and ways that love is shared, there are opportunities for a child to draw and write about their relationship with their Dad. From riding Dad’s shoulders, to playing sport in the back yard, there is something for every child/father.

I’m Glad You’re My Grandpa features a grey-haired bespectacled Grandpa with just a few wrinkles. As with the others in this series, it is designed to be personalised by a child and given as a gift. There are opportunities to detail the things built with Grandpa and the funny things that Grandpa does. Although some ‘Grandpa’ activities are listed, there is plenty of room to add the unique features of a particular Grandpa/grandchild relationship.

I’m Glad You’re My Dad and I’m Glad You’re My Grandpa follow the format of previous titles in this series. The books are small and almost square, soft-back and strongly coloured. Illustrations are stylised and engaging. Children can express the love for their particular father/grandfather in whatever way suits them best, in colouring, drawing, writing or all three. A great keepsake, and a novel way to capture memories. Recommended for 4-7 year olds.

I’m Glad You’re My Dad, Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN:9780742030470

I’m Glad You’re My Grandpa, Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN: 9781742030487

I’m glad you’re my friend because you like to do the same things I do.

I’m Glad You’re My Friend is a new ‘interactive’ title in the ‘I’m Glad You’re My…’ series from Black Dog Books. Each title focuses on a particular relationship in a child’s life and offers the opportunity to share and articulate their feelings. Each opening has an affirmation and an activity. Children can choose to write, draw, colour how they feel about their friend after reading the affirmation. They can record memories in pictures and words, and speculate about the best part of having a good friend. It might be laughing together or playing for hours without being bored, or missing them when on holidays.

Each title in the ‘I’m Glad You’re My…’ series is keepsake-sized, a small square paperback. Colours on the affirmation pages are warm pastel while opposing pages range from outlines for colouring-in to lines for guiding writing. Some children may fill in every page, others may choose only to illustrate/write in a few pages, but the sentiment remains the same – the sharing of what a friend means to the writer. These books are designed to be given to the friend (mother, father, gran etc) once completed. The front cover depicts a boy and a girl as does the opening page, subsequent pages depict girl playing with girl, boy playing with boy. There are a range of play experiences from picnics to sleepovers to parties. Recommended for preschool to early-primary children.

I’m Glad You’re My Friend, Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN: 9781742030654

With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, parents will be thinking about end of year gifts for classroom teachers. After all, there are only so many boxes of chocolate or shortbread that one teacher can eat, yet youngsters love to present a gif to their teacher and teachers do love to receive them.

I’m Glad You’re My Teacher would make a perfect gift for any teacher. This small format paperback is designed to be completed by the child, with pages to draw favourite activities, write about the things they enjoy doing at school, and so on.

This is a unique gift idea and one with a very personal element, with no two children likely to complete the book in the same way.

I’m Glad You’re My Teacher, by Cathy Phelan & Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books, 2008

I’m Glad You’re My Granbegins with a picture of Gran on the cover. Gran is grey-haired but quite funky. Her haircut is modern and her glasses are too. This Gran could be any age really, reflecting the diversity in the Grans of today. The first page features a trophy for ‘Greatest Grandma Ever’. Each opening has one colour page with an affirmation, eg ‘I LOVE doing special drawings for you’. The opposing page provides the opportunity to personalise the book with drawings, words or colouring an image. These activity pages are guided, eg ‘Draw a picture of your Gran telling you a story’ and ‘I am happy when we…’ There is a boy and a girl, sharing activities with Gran. The final image shows both children hugging Gran.

I’m Glad You’re My Gran is one in a series of ‘I’m Glad You’re My…’ interactive books from Black Dog Books. Other titles include I’m Glad You’re My Mu’ and I’m Glad You’re My Dad. I’m Glad You’re My Gran is a small format paperback, with appealing bright pastel colours throughout. The characters are warm and loving, and the shared activities wide-ranging. The relationship between grandparent and child can be a very rewarding one for both, particularly in pre- and early-school years. I’m Glad You’re My Gran provides a way to capture that time in an almost pocket-sized keepsake. Recommended for 3-6 year olds.

I’m Glad You’re My Mum, Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN: 9781742030371

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Most Mums enjoy hearing they are valued, and I’m Glad You’re My Mumis designed to help children say just that. This small 24 page paperback from Black Dog Books encourages and supports children in expressing their love and appreciation for Mum. Affirmations sit side-by-side with pictures to be coloured, blank pages for masterpieces and lined pages for stories. Cathy Phelan’s words offer examples on one side of the opening, and the other side is available for a child to express their personal experience. Danielle McDonald’s pastel illustrations are simple, colourful and appealing.

Very young children may need assistance (from Dad or a grandparent?) to complete the pages in I’m Glad Your Mum, but older children will manage easily on their own. Mums will treasure this gift particularly when children grow and may be less overt in expressing their love and appreciation! Recommended for 3+ aged children.

I’m Glad You’re My Mum, by Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN: 9781742030364