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!

Once Upon A Time Book Bundles

We were delighted to be contacted by Kelly from Once Upon A Time Book Bundles to review a bespoke book package. Kelly has recently set up her online book service to provide children's book bundles for all ages. Her customers include parents, as well as, childcare providers and businesses. She offers a variety of book packages but ensures that each bundle is suitable for the recipient's age, interests and reading ability.

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...

One Silver Summer: A modern fairytale for teens

One night last week I stayed up especially late to finish One Silver Summer by Rachel Hickman. Now although this modern fairytale for teens is not the usual type of book I review, as it is aimed at children much older than my own, I felt that it really deserved a special mention. So as my five year old would say "here is the blurb..."

"After losing her mother, Sass is sent to live with an uncle she barely knows. Far from her native New York, the rocky Cornish shoreline seems an unlikely place to hide her grief. Yet when she stumbles across a silver horse in a sunlit meadow, Sass feels a surprising sense of peace... only to have it broken by a boy with a secret."

Books to Beat the Bedtime Blues #BathBookBed

Sleep deprivation has to be one of the hardest things to deal with as a parent and, with three children of my own, it is safe to say I have endured plenty of sleepless nights over the past 5 years. When we have had a bad night, parenting the next day seems so much harder. In fact everything seems so much harder! My patience levels hit rock bottom and I end up on autopilot fuelled by tea and biscuits.

In my sleep deprived state I have been known to drive to the wrong place, to find my car keys and phone in the fridge and I have even discovered (half way through the day) that my clothes are on back to front AND inside out! A sleepless night also means grumpy, tantrum prone children and the morning school run becomes a battle of wills. So a good night's sleep not only benefits the whole family but also anyone else that is unfortunate enough to encounter us the next day!