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Why 'Good Ideas' is a MUST HAVE on every parents bookshelf

I don't very often read how-to parenting books. They can leave me feeling frustrated when I try to put into practice their advice but it ends up backfiring, leaving me with bad-tempered children and wondering where I went wrong. But Michael…
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Which kids' book inspired one man to cycle across the globe?

SuperCyclingMan, currently in Germany I have a friend I went to university with, Will Hodson, who is currently at the start of a five year cycling journey that will take him across all seven continents. And not only that, but he is cycling…
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Book Review: Under the Spell of the Moon

Under the Spell of the Moon is self-described as 'Art for children from the world's great illustrators.' I would amend this title to 'Art and Poetry.....Great illustrators and poets'. For this book is a visual feast in more ways than one,…
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Book Review: The Gift

  Poetry, above all, is a series of intense moments - its power is not in narrative. I'm not dealing with facts, I'm dealing with emotion. Carol Ann Duffy  I have long been a fan of both Carol Ann Duffy (renowned poet and the first…
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Book Review: Patrick

I think I must be on a Quentin Blake roll at the moment because in my last blog I talked about an activity I did with my creative writing club based on Angelica Sprocket's Pockets. Blake's first published drawing was for Satirical magazine…
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Having fun with Angelica Sprocket's Pockets

  Angelica Sprocket's Pockets is an infectiously fun story book written and illustrated by previous children's laureate Quentin Blake. The wild-haired, eccentric Angelica Sprocket continually pulls one surprising item after another,…
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Book Review: The Story of Ferdinand

Written by the wonderfully named Munro Leaf and lovingly illustrated in black and white by Robert Lawson, The Story of Ferdinand, set in Spain, was first published in 1936, the same year that the Spanish Civil War (subject of my first novel,…
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Madeline in London

Really, what's not to love about Madeline? I discovered this book in a charity shop years ago when my kids were still really little and was drawn by the fabulous vintage drawings (Bemelmans published his Madeline books between 1939 and 1961),…
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A First Book of Nature

I do so love this book. Written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, A First Book of Nature is a celebration of nature and all the colours, textures and beauty of the British countryside and the changing seasons. Hearld's…
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The Girl with a Brave Heart

The Girl with a Brave Heart is an Iranian folk tale, penned by Israeli singer and writer Rita Jahanforuz and illustrated in bold, evocative shades by Vali Mintzi (who has been influenced by Bonnard, Hockney & Matisse.) Its opening is…