Octopus’s Garden with CD written by musical luminary Ringo Star and illustrated by Ben Cort.
Based on the lyrics of the world famous Beatles song, this glorious picture book follows five children on a magical journey through the Octopus’s garden. The playful Octopus takes them on a wondrous underwater adventure – riding on the backs of turtles, playing pirates in a sunken city and sheltering from a storm in the octopus’s cave. The book comes with an accompanying CD which includes an exclusive reading by Ringo Starr and a never–before–heard version of the song.
Octopus’s Garden, written by Ringo Star and illustrated by Ben Cort, is a brand new release from Simon & Schuster.
Available where all good books are sold in hardback for $19.99.
Any book that captures a child's attention and has the ability of them willing to read it or having it read to them is a great book in my eyes. This book is extremely imaginative, cleaver and so very colourful. The CD is an added bonus and it was enjoyed by child and adult alike. Well Done.
I bought this book as a result of reading these reviews.
I loved the drawings and the book is delightful. The added bonus of a CD was a surprise and the kids loved that!
I decided that I would buy this book for Christmas presents for many of my family friends and teachers and children. My niece and nephew loved their gift. My teacher friends loved the idea of a book to add to her library to read to their students. I bought three for the school library as a donation from our family. The school loved this gift.
I reviewed this book with my son and decided to take it to his playgroup to see how the other kids liked it. They were just hooked on the illustrations and the story then enjoyed dancing to the song afterwards. Another massive thumbs up for this book!!!!!
I really liked this book. It's very colorful and kids loved it too. Books are kept safe like treasure in our house and this book has become an important part of that treasure. We read it almost every week and kids love looking at the pictures by themselves. It's a total win, love this book
What a fantastic book My 5 year old daughter loved it. Its now her favourite and I enjoyed it too.The illustrations are amazing and it is very engaging for children with the bright colours .The cd was a major bonus we sang and danced around the house .My daughter wants me to read it everyday to her now which is fantastic. I would recommend this book to all parents as its a pleasure to read .
My 5yr old and I absolutely love this book. Being bright and colourful and very engaging had my son completely spellbound. My son tends to sing song books he reads so to come across a book that is a song was the bees knees. Kept us entertained for an hour. Reading through it and discussing the pictures and then going through the CD was so much fun. Recommending this to everyone I know and is on the nieces' and nephews' Christmas presents list.
I loved reading this book. My Dad loved reading to my son, they both are big reader's (even though my son is 2, he still loves a good book). I had learnt he was learning about the ocean at Kindy. So I bought the book in so all the kids could use it. I honestly found it hard not to sing the song after I'd read it to him.
We read this on a daily basis and listen to the CD often my son loves this book so much the pictures are amazing and the song is just plain cute!! My son knows all the words and can sing the song. This book is a favourite in our house
I bought this book for my curious toddler.. who hasn't got the ability to sit still if his life depended on it. He also had a fear of octopus's... thanks to some (Tv show) he saw of a scary Octopus. THIS book restored his calmness in loving not only the octopus.. but all things under the ocean. Every night.. he says.. "Mummy read opoppus". So it's a great read before bed. My son also now.. wants to ride on turtle backs.. every time he see's a turtle in a book..lol too funny! LOVE books that enrich children's imaginations.. the colours in this are bright and perfect! Would totally buy this for a friends child.. however.. I would wait till they are a little older.. so that their attention span can sustain the CD..lol (We have to speed read it.. every night) . Awesome book!
I thought the Octopus’s Garden, written by Ringo Star was a really great book! I loved the big, colorful illustrations and the kids seemed to really like them too. Play the cd, as it is included with the book, and it will get you singing to or with your kids. Well done, I've enjoyed reading this kids book.
Octopus’s Garden, written by Ringo Star, is a lovely bright colourful book, the will keep the littlies entertained. My 7 year old loves reading it to her younger cousin, so I'd say she's also enjoying the book! For any parent who is familiar with this song, you'll find it hard not to start singing as you read along!
I borrowed Octopus's garden from our local library as my sister was visiting with her little one. What a fun book! Lots of bright colourful pictures and of course wonderful lyrics. My sister and I had so much fun that we ended up singing the book to my nephew. Very enjoyable, very entertaining for everyone!
I loved reading this book. My Dad loved reading to my son, they both are big reader's (even though my son is 2, he still loves a good book). I had learnt he was learning about the ocean at Kindy. So I bought the book in so all the kids could use it. I honestly found it hard not to sing the song after I'd read it to him.
This book has lots of colors and its really pretty to look at. My child enjoyed it and I enjoyed reading it to her as well. Its a fun and imaginative story that she loves to re-read again and again and again. Loves to flip over the pages and just looks at the pictures and the colours with such amazement and wonder in her eyes. Definitely will recommend to play groups and other moms who wants to encourage reading to their kids
I really liked this book. It's very colorful and kids loved it too. Books are kept safe like treasure in our house and this book has become an important part of that treasure. We read it almost every week and kids love looking at the pictures by themselves. It's a total win, love this book
Both my boys loved this book. Such a fun colourful and interactive read. I took it to work and read to my playgroup who were all engaged and enjoyed how bright and colourful the pictures were.
We read this on a daily basis and listen to the CD often my son loves this book so much the pictures are amazing and the song is just plain cute!! My son knows all the words and can sing the song. This book is a favourite in our house
I bought this book for my curious toddler.. who hasn't got the ability to sit still if his life depended on it. He also had a fear of octopus's... thanks to some (Tv show) he saw of a scary Octopus. THIS book restored his calmness in loving not only the octopus.. but all things under the ocean. Every night.. he says.. "Mummy read opoppus". So it's a great read before bed. My son also now.. wants to ride on turtle backs.. every time he see's a turtle in a book..lol too funny! LOVE books that enrich children's imaginations.. the colours in this are bright and perfect! Would totally buy this for a friends child.. however.. I would wait till they are a little older.. so that their attention span can sustain the CD..lol (We have to speed read it.. every night) . Awesome book!
Any book that captures a child's attention and has the ability of them willing to read it or having it read to them is a great book in my eyes. This book is extremely imaginative, cleaver and so very colourful. The CD is an added bonus and it was enjoyed by child and adult alike. Well Done.
Great book to share with your little ones let you imagination go!
I recently brought this book for my little man mainly for the fact that I love the song and because of the illustrations on the cover of the book. My son really enjoys the book, except for when i try to sing the words! In which I get "mummy no singing". We also make up our own story giving each of the little people in the books names talking about their magical underwater adventure!
I bought this book as a result of reading these reviews.
I loved the drawings and the book is delightful. The added bonus of a CD was a surprise and the kids loved that!
I decided that I would buy this book for Christmas presents for many of my family friends and teachers and children. My niece and nephew loved their gift. My teacher friends loved the idea of a book to add to her library to read to their students. I bought three for the school library as a donation from our family. The school loved this gift.
My little one enjoyed being read too, And her Big brother and sister enjoyed taking over story time just to read the book themselves. It is the first book that has kept my little girl interested to the end. The adventures and fun in the book and the vibrant colours made it fun to read to her. This is one book that will be coming of the shelf time and again to dive into adventure and absolute fun!
My three year old loved the pictures - vibrant colourful sea creatures and friendly little kiddies swimming around and loved the song. What is great about this is we all know the tune and song so it is a great and easy to introduce to the kids. The only drawback is, when reading it is hard not to sing the words and if you are not confident with singing, can feel a bit odd, but the kids don't care about that. There is also the Ringo cd as well. My boy was up and dancing like a crazy octopus after only reading it twice and listening to the song.
We loved reviewing Octopus Garden with my daughter. She is almost 4 and this book was perfect for her. Loved the characters and the big pages size. The colours were lovely too, very bright. My daughter loved learning about new sea creatures and pointing the ones she already knew. Was great having the CD, too, especially created by one of the greatest musicians of the 20 century. Overall it was a great experience, but I would prefer to have a solid cover because the paper one tears off quickly with the little ones.
I never got chosen but my younger children had heard me talking about this book and how fun it would be with the readalong cd as you do not see many of these books with cds anymore.........so I went and bought it for them.Not the cheapest book Ive bought but it definately has had its value for money.Little miss 4 took it to kinder for the teacher to read&she was so happy with herself when she got home as the teacher&her classmatesloved it :-) The teacher was happy as it was different to their usual storytime and as it was raining they had the cd on .........Ive read this greatbook somanytimes that the children nearly know all the words.Its alovely colourful book and Im sure itl get alot more reads.The kids laughed when I was singing the song as Id told them I used to love this song too but their had been afew changesmade so I sang some wrong they thought that was funny that mummy/nanny got it wrong and they know the words.So glad I ended up buying the book as we all love it :-)
My daughter loved this book. She wasn't really struck at first, but got into it quickly, especially when I put in the accompanying CD, with read-along version, song and intrumental. By the end of the night she was singing the song back to us, I can only hope that they turn a few more songs out, great way to bring old classics to a new audience!!!!
I am a Pre School Teacher so as well as reading this to my children ( my eldest enjoyed reading it to his little brother and they loved the music CD) I read it to my class. The group sat captivated by the book ( and it isn't always easy to get them to sit!) and we loved learning the words to sing along with the CD.
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Article
“My Floor Has Never Been So Clean”: The Mop That’s Winning Over Mums
Mopping isn’t exactly the chore most of us look forward to, but like most mums, for Katrina Macilroy, it’s unavoidable.
With three teenagers, a husband, a dog, two cats and timber flooring throughout most of her home, there’s plenty to keep her mop busy.
“I thought the toddler stage was hard, but teenagers take it to a whole other level,” Katrina told Mouths of Mums.
She describes herself as a ‘full-time Uber driver’ for her three kids, but when she’s home, she may as well be a full-time cleaner.
Her husband is a concreter, the family has plenty of sand coming inside and, with teenagers touching everything, the floors quickly show the evidence of a full family life.
“I have to mop like every second day because the floor gets marks,” she said.
So when Katrina was given the chance to try the Vileda Easy Wring & Clean TURBO Mop & Bucket Set, she was keen to see whether it could actually make one of her least favourite cleaning tasks any easier.
“I didn’t have high hopes for it to start with, because I’ve used spin mops before and I’d been disappointed,” she admitted.
But it didn’t take long for her to change her mind. One of the first things Katrina noticed was just how easy the mop was to use.
The foot pedal made wringing the mop quick and simple, without having to stop and fiddle with anything.
“It was so easy to spin it,” she says. “It wasn’t like you’re spinning it for hours or anything.”
She was also impressed by how quickly the mop itself could be put together, and the simple button that releases the mop head for washing.
“That simple press notion, everyone can do that. So I love that.”
It’s The Little Things That Add Up
For Katrina, who regularly finds herself cleaning up after a busy family, these little details made a surprisingly big difference. She also loved the triangular mop head, particularly when it came to getting into the corners and edges that her previous mop struggled with.
“The triangle design makes it easy to get into all the little corners,” she says.
But ultimately, the big question was whether it actually cleaned her floors. Katrina’s answer was an enthusiastic yes.
“My floor has never been so clean,” she says.
Katrina was also surprised by how light and manoeuvrable the mop felt, because at just 4’11”, she says mopping can sometimes be an uncomfortable job.
“I’m not a tall person, so trying to mop is always just a horrible experience.”
But she found the Vileda Easy Wring & Clean TURBO Mop & Bucket Set easy to move around and able to go in different directions without feeling heavy or awkward.
And it wasn’t just the mop itself that won Katrina over. She says the bucket design solved one of her biggest mopping frustrations: accidentally tipping the bucket over.
With timber floors, getting too much water onto the floor is something she tries hard to avoid. “The amount of mop buckets I’ve tipped over and just gone everywhere,” she says.
That can turn a simple cleaning job into another mess to deal with, particularly when you’re suddenly scrambling for towels and a dry mop head.
But Katrina says the Vileda bucket feels much more stable because of its design.
And for someone who mops as often as she does, she says that has saved her time. “This thing has saved me so much time, I can’t get over it.”
The Only Mop You’ll Need
Katrina also admits that she’d previously convinced herself she needed a steam mop. She even bought one, only to discover that plugging it in every time she wanted to clean wasn’t exactly appealing.
“You have to plug it in like a vacuum. Like, that’s not fun, I don’t want to do that.”
After trying the Vileda, she says she’s no longer convinced she needs one.
“Why do you need a steam mop when you can get this one?”
For Katrina, the combination of being lightweight, easy to wring, simple to manoeuvre and able to get into those awkward corners has made mopping feel much less frustrating. And despite going into the trial with low expectations, she’s now very happy to recommend it.
“I’m not trying to sell you a product, but I’m just saying that I’m very impressed with it. It’s really good.”
Her final verdict?
“It’s been really, really good. Recommend!”
This Real Story was provided as part of a paid sponsorship opportunity. Katrina was chosen to share her story because she was sent out and tried the Vileda Easy Wring & Clean TURBO Mop & Bucket Set, and genuinely loved it! And Vileda is so confident they’ve made the best spin mop ever, they’re backing the new & improved Easy Wring & Clean TURBO with a 5 Year Guarantee.
This mop so good and the views all are positive so I just purchased one on milkrun through Woolworths and it come with 2 mop head refills. Can’t wait to use it.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. The Vileda spin mop is by far my favourite mop for a good thorough clean at home. I even got the landlords to purchase one for the holiday house I clean to make cleaning a breeze and get the job done properly. I always grab a spare when they’re out for half price.
Ah, I received a ‘you’re a finalist’ email from MoM for this fantastic mop but didn’t receive anything beyond that. I was looking forward to giving this a try to compare the three existing options I have but alas. Looks good, fingers crossed I can try it in the near future!
Omg! Yes! With 4 dogs and 4 teens AND the guests they bring home with them LOL our timber floors and tiles don’t stand a chance! I would love to see them add some wheels to the bottom of the bucket so that you don’t have to carry the bucket around with you.
This sounds like an excellent mop that makes cleaning so easy! I love a product that not only is as effective as advertised but makes a job less grueling. I gotta say though, a steam mop that plugs in sounds like an awful idea. I have a tineco floor mop, which is cordless and charges at a base, and it’s incredible on my white tiles.
5:58 pm
Colourful, imaginative and so much fun.
8:59 am
My Book of the year for Children under 8.
I loved the drawings and the book is delightful. The added bonus of a CD was a surprise and the kids loved that!
I decided that I would buy this book for Christmas presents for many of my family friends and teachers and children. My niece and nephew loved their gift. My teacher friends loved the idea of a book to add to her library to read to their students. I bought three for the school library as a donation from our family. The school loved this gift.
5:24 pm
A hit with playgroup!
4:29 pm
absolutely the best childrens book
12:19 am
Love this book
4:11 pm
Wonderful Book Loved it
2:59 pm
Bright and beautiful book full of joy!!
11:17 pm
Fun Read
11:18 pm
Fantastic book with amazing pictures
1:29 pm
My Son's fear is GONE!
7:25 am
Colourful and bright
12:30 pm
A lovely bright colourful book!
8:09 pm
Loved by all
11:17 pm
Fun Read
6:04 pm
An enjoyable cute read
12:19 am
Love this book
7:17 pm
11:18 pm
Fantastic book with amazing pictures
1:29 pm
My Son's fear is GONE!
5:58 pm
Colourful, imaginative and so much fun.
4:10 pm
Great book to share with your little ones let you imagination go!
8:59 am
My Book of the year for Children under 8.
I loved the drawings and the book is delightful. The added bonus of a CD was a surprise and the kids loved that!
I decided that I would buy this book for Christmas presents for many of my family friends and teachers and children. My niece and nephew loved their gift. My teacher friends loved the idea of a book to add to her library to read to their students. I bought three for the school library as a donation from our family. The school loved this gift.
7:57 pm
Fun book for children of all ages
2:58 pm
Great colourful book with a tune we all know
8:43 pm
Great kids book but prefer a solid cover.
11:04 pm
Octopuses Garden great read and lots of fun :-)
10:25 am
Fantastic!
10:37 am
9:40 pm
Great introduction to classic music
5:29 pm
Kids loved it and I loved singing along!
Thanks so much!
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