Little gosling was having a particularly challenging day some weeks ago. He wanted all these things he could not possibly get or do, was crying disconsolately and there was no way to soothe him or find a middle ground. It was just one of those occasions when we all turn into little hedgehog-like spiny balls.
I suddenly remembered I had this little pretty board book saved for some time and asked him “Shall I sing you a special song?” He paused, intrigued, nodded and quickly climbed into my lap to see the book I had pulled off the bookshelf.
I gave a most imperfect and off-key rendition of Louis Armstrong “What a wonderful world” and… he loved it 🥰. He gently caressed each page with his cute little fingers as I sang, pausing longly on the pages with the children holding hands and the kid diving in the ocean amongst the fish (“where is the baby, mummy?!”) and then asked we did it “encore” and “encore” and “encore”…
The book is a joyful, lyrical, amazing pairing to the song and it is so happily coloured, like all Tim Hopgoed’s books. We love it. Little gosling forgot all about his troubles and was back to his playful, cheerful self. Now, he occasionally entertains his very sleepy (and annoyed) dad at 5.30 a.m. singing the song and corrects me sternly when I get a line wrong. Mea culpa, I keep forgetting “the bright blessed day” and improvise.. 😅