Books that invite you to read along each day as Christmas approaches have long been a part of the publishing landscape. In 1955 Puffin released The Yuletide Cottage by John Harwood. The idea was that readers would push out a new piece every day until they had built their own Christmas house. It proved to be a … Continue reading
You know you’re in for a treat when a book comes with a glossary that consists almost entirely of new and delicious sounding food. In the House With Chicken Legs, Sophie Anderson offers up many delights Beghrir: ‘a spongy pancake soaked in honey’, Chak-chak: ‘deep fried balls of dough, drenched in honey and left to … Continue reading
Stanley Lambchop, one of the more unusual heroes in children’s literature, first appeared in 1964 when he was flattened by a falling notice board in his slept. Flat Stanley saw him exploring the world from the unique perspective of someone who suddenly found themselves living a life in two dimensions. The original book was illustrated … Continue reading
I began homeschooling my daughter this year, escaping the stress of SATs test madness of year 6. It’s not something we ever planned to do, and it is by turns exhilarating and overwhelming. So it’s been good to listen to the advice of the new Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child, who advocates more gazing out of … Continue reading
‘Fictional food’s not reliable,’ says Alexei, a character from Katherine Rundell’s third children’s novel The Wolf Wilder. This incorrect assertion is something Rundell disproves again and again in her delicious books. ‘I think food grounds a story: gives realism to the maddest plot, gives breathing space to the wildest action, brings comfort and humanity to … Continue reading
Some lovely person recently nominated me for a parent bloggers award, and looking down the list there are a lot of us. Checking some of these super prolific children’s book bloggers I noticed that many featured heavy contributions from their children. They’d read together, dress up as their favourite characters, create book inspired works of … Continue reading
Are your kids complaining they’re bored, despite the mountain of ruddy toys they’ve conveniently forgotten about? Well look no further than Tygertale’s handy selection of things to make and do as you hobble through the last few days of the Christmas holidays. The Ladybird Book of Things to Make, is full of delights, like this … Continue reading
