Five Favourite Books about Dogs

Mini Reviewer, Theo (3), seems to gravitate towards books about dogs at the moment and he has even put in his own request for a puppy! So when we realised that Chinese New Year will be celebrated this Friday and 2018 happens to be the Year of the Dog, we thought now was the perfect time to share Theo's Five Favourite Books About Dogs.

New Books for Little Heroes

The Mini Reviewers have always loved to dress up and they have certainly come up with some imaginative outfits in the past but recently it seems to be all about crime fighting heroes and pesky bad guys. So when we saw The Rainbow Factory were holding a Superhero Extravaganza this summer, we had to book tickets. 

Five Favourite Books about School

The summer holidays have flown by and as August ends our thoughts turn to the start of a new school year, an exciting time but also one that can be uncertain and nerve-wracking for so many. Here the uniform has been purchased, tried on and (almost) labelled and Mini Reviewer, Izzie, is raring to return to school. However when Izzie started school last year, we all had our fair share of nerves! So if you have an apprehensive school starter or a child that is a little reluctant to go back to school, don't panic! There are lots of books out there offering gentle reassurance and showing that school can in fact be lots of fun!

Five Favourite New Books for 2017

Hello July! The first six months of 2017 seem to have whizzed by and the summer holidays are quickly approaching, so I thought it was about time I shared a round up of some of the amazing new picture books that have been released so far this year. Perhaps it will even inspire you to pick up a new book this summer...

Five Favourite Colourful Books

This week we've been considering our favourite books about COLOUR prompted by our #top5friday twitter chat with The Happy Book Club and Acorn Books, boy do we have some amazing titles to share with you!

Five Favourite Train Stories

Mini Reviewer, Theo (3), likes anything with wheels but he really, really LOVES trains. We are incredibly lucky to live close to the National Railway Museum in York and we have made many a trip to look at the "giant wheels". On Theo's second birthday we even managed to see "The Flying Choo Choo" otherwise known as the Flying Scotsman!

Loads of books to make you ROAR (like a dinosaur)!

This week we are joining The Happy Book Club along with some other book lovers on Twitter for #top5friday and we are discussing the best dinosaur books around. We thought we'd share our top five choices as selected by Mini Reviewer and dinosaur fan, Theo (3). We hope these get you roaring...

Five Favourite Winter Reads

The evenings are growing darker and the air chillier. Winter is certainly on the way.  Now is the perfect time for an "after school hot chocolate" (yes, that is a thing in our house!) and snuggles under a blanket with, of course, a good book.

We've picked a few of our favourite winter reads to share with you. As always we've tried to include a mix of brand new titles and some better known books. We hope you enjoy our recommendations.

Books about Delightful Dragons

The Mini Reviewers really enjoy stories full of adventure and nothing compares to the tale of a fire breathing dragon. However, we have already learned that not all dragons are scary, in fact most seem to be very friendly, delightful even. Here are five endearing stories featuring some of our favourite scaly friends.

Why do I read to my baby?

OK, so at nearly 8 months old Poppy may not be able to follow the plot of a story, but reading to her is about much more than just the words.

Five Brilliant Books for 2 Year Olds

Mini Reviewer, Theo, will tell you that being two is extremely exciting but sometimes very unfair! There's a whole world out there to be explored - puddles to jump in, furniture to climb on and so many places to run or, even better, to scoot! Unfortunately, all too often, there is someone there to say "Don't do that," "Get down from there" or "Slow down... Wait... STOP!" At these times Theo's frustration overwhelms him. There is a lot of foot stamping, shouting and the grumpiest look you have ever seen!

Are you in need of a giggle? Five Favourite Funny Books

People often ask me what my life is like with three children under five. Well, to be honest, most days I feel like a zoo keeper or, at best, a referee. My two eldest have just entered the dreaded squabbling phase and now our lives are full of dilemmas such as, who gets the "Frozen" plate? Or, who needs that piece of red Lego the most? I admit that sometimes the bickering seems relentless!

One of my solutions to these situations is distraction and there is no better distraction than reading a funny book together. So the next time you're having "one of those days", try reading one of our top five choices to lighten the mood and get you giggling...