A colouring book meets a picture book in a fantasy forest that is open to be reinvented by both children and adults alike. From the author of the global bestseller Secret Garden (over 12 million copies sold!) and Enchanted Forest (over 5 million copies sold worldwide!), Johanna Basford, Miniature Enchanted Forest is a small-scale edition of her classic colouring book. It can be used for…
Writer and entrepreneur, Virginia Mendez, has written a lovely multilingual picture book series Mika & Lolo covering diversity on her unexpected journey to embracing feminism. Each book comes in two languages. I have chosen English and Italian. The series is available from The Feminist Shop.
The story
Mika & Lolo are cousins who notice that they are sometimes treated differently just because…
Personally I want this pandemic to end as soon as possible and forget these challenging times once and for all. I certainly would not want to read about it or to listen to songs about lockdown. But there’s an exception to this: Together – published by Kyle Books tomorrow – is a beautifully illustrated book by Luke Adam Hawker that highlights all the meaningful connections we have made during…
We have recently celebrated mother’s day but I was puzzled when my son asked me, what would kids celebrate on this occasion if they have two daddies instead. A new picture book is available from 1st April 2021 to support this conversation: My Daddies! written by Gareth Peter and illustrated by bestselling, award-winning Garry Parsons.
My daddies! is a funny, heartfelt picture book…
Literature is a wonderful ‘device’ to immerse ourselves into worlds that would not be possible to explore. Thanks to new historical fiction novel, based on real events, Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton, published 8th March 2021 (International Women’s Day) I could go back in time to watch the lives of generations of strong Italian women unfold. Their stories and the…
I recently interviewed the nation’s favourite doctor, Dr Ranj, to discuss how parents can help teenage boys grow up happy, healthy and confident. Dr Ranj Singh is a real doctor but he’s also a medical expert on prime-time slots on ITV’s This Morning and CBeebies’ series Get Well Soon. I met him in person a few years ago at a private gig by Collabro and always hoped to have a proper…
My Mum Is Magnificent is a lovely new board book for children to celebrate mothers in a funny way like only Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake can do. It’s aimed at 3+ year old kids who are learning how to read their first books. It’s colourful, quirky and wonderful.
Roald Dahl was a spy, ace fighter pilot, chocolate historian and medical inventor.
Young Roald Dahl with his mother
The author…
London Mums’ book of the week is Rabunzel, a funny twist on classic fairy tale Rapunzel. It’s the first title in a brand new exciting picture book series called Fairy Tales for the Fearless by Gareth P. Jones.
The reinvented story follows a rabbit named Rabunzel whose mother tries to keep her safe from the dangerous hungry eyed creatures by keeping her locked up in an immensely high…
You don’t need to be a book worm or a fan of romantic literature to know some of the most famous literary lovers of all time. My personal favourites are Francesca and Robert from The Bridges of Madison County that is a wonderful book by Robert James Waller beautifully adapted to the big screen by Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. I also love the couple from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (also a…
Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the most famous painting in the world and has rarely left Paris for safety and security reasons after the epic theft that happened in 1911. An new children’s book Mona Lisa in New York out in March follows Mona Lisa as a tourist who experiences New York for the first time – finding art and inspiration in unexpected places. As a big fan of this iconic painting by…