We haven’t done very well with our picture book reading this week because for bedtime stories we’ve branched out to Milly Molly Mandy.
Smallest is loving it. The repetition of the family (grandpa and grandma, father and mother, uncle and aunty), the independent days of Milly Molly Mandy herself, the ever so gentle adventures (blackberrying, little-friend-Susan’s sleepover) all of this seems to be about perfect for her. She doesn’t seem to have noticed the lack of cars or phones, although we’ve talked about the money a little.
When Big was possibly a little bit older than this, we did Milly Molly Mandy home education. There’s lots you can learn from it. I think I’ll try it again, with some baking, and cress growing and knitting and so on, and we’ve already spent lots of time on the map. The pictures are wonderful, lots of detail to discuss.
Have you read Milly Molly Mandy? Or do you have any other first chapter books to recommend?
Midlife Singlemum says
I loved MMM as a child and I’ve read it to pupils recently. England’s answer to Little house on the Prairie. I could never remember what the Molly was for (I can now). In some ways she was so unsophisticated in her activities but on the other hand, she was so much more independent than any child gets to be today.
Jax Blunt says
Yes, it’s quite thought provoking in those ways, looking at how childhood has changed over the past century.
jo says
We LOVE Milly Molly Mandy – H went as her to school last Friday in Book Character Week. We’ve got a paperback and a collection of the stories, both quite long, but H as a new reader (4.5 in reception) can sit and read them herself as the language is nice and plain and simple, not too many tricky words. I love it!
Jax Blunt says
Gosh, H is doing well! Smallest isn’t anywhere near reading them for herself. The chapters are pretty much perfect length for bedtime stories I find.
jan says
🙂 Love MMM
Tech says
I grew up on MMM and all of mine have loved the stories too.
Julian says
I read MMM as a child (we had my mother’s copies of the hardback books) and a while ago go them out of the library for Mr Bounce. As you say the chapters are a nice lenght for bedtime stories. Over the Easter break we had one morning where MrB made himself a nest on the floor at the end of my bed and spent a whole morning reading the first book to himself. I wonder how much it resonates with him due to KW experiences as it’s certainly very different to his daily life.