Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Bella & Bentley >> Book Review



Introducing a new baby... to the dog!


I've said before about our love of books, reading with the children is super special, the perfect end to even the most chaotic of days and a perfect time to relax in bed and wind down. Our collection is forever growing and we are adding new favourites all the time.

We were kindly sent a brand new book to try out called 'Bella & Bentley', the first in a series of gorgeous books all about a little girl named Bella and her little dog Bentley. The characters are a real part of the author Suzanne Lees family which I adore. We always make up 'Peggy dog stories' about our own dog at bed time so these books are a great match for us!




My first thought was how soft and pretty the illustrations are right from the front cover. They instantly pull you in, they are really sweet and perfectly capture the feeling of the story. The story itself is all about Bentley and how his beloved Mummy and her slowly growing tummy, finally introduced a new little friend, a baby called Bella.

The story shares the story of bringing a new baby into the home but from the dogs perspective, what a great twist! As we have cats and a dog, I can really relate to the story and how Bentley cosies up to the bump feeling the baby move, knowing his little world is going to change, sensing that change but having no clue what is happening. 

Bentley's world changed one night when his Mummy went to the hospital and Nanny came to stay. The story tells us how he is worried, can't sleep, but finally gets to meet a wriggly new baby and isn't quite sure what to do. Bentley just wants his Mummy but she is too busy now and he feels a little left out. There are lots of new noises and smells around and it's a bit of a sad time for Bentley.

Soon though, everything settles and of course his Mummy is soon ready to give him more time, get back to walks and best of all - introduce him properly to his new best buddy Bella, his new partner in crime for lots of adventures to come!


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Our kids have an amazing love of animals, they see the pets as part of the family and seeing the dog curl up on their laps (she is tiny!) or the cat snuggle up in Alf's bed really makes me happy, this is why I love this book. It's lovely to have a story like this from the animals perspective as I'm sure they do sense a huge change in their little world when babies start arriving. I also think that this would be a really good book to read to kids expecting a new baby sibling as it very subtly lets them know that although things will change it will all be OK and I think maybe with it being based around a pup, they might let it sink in a little better.

We really enjoy reading this book and it's a welcome addition to our collection. If you'd like to hear more of Bella & Bentley, you can pop over to the author Suzanne Lees website. There are lots of adventures to come for these two and we can't wait to read more!