When a boy, Otto, and his Mother, a renowned coat maker, arrive in the city of Hodeldorf, it's clear that something is a foot. The city is gripped by a perpetual cold so intense that people fear being frozen to death in their sleep while The Tattercoats, a gang of orphaned and aban…

The winter solstace may not be until next week but this beautiful book - The Shortest Day - is just perfect for reading with children as the daylight dwindles and we head to the longest night. Written for the theatre, this meandering poem explores the celebration of light, an…

This may sounds like the most obvious of statements but as you will have guessed, I am a massive book geek. We have hundreds of books in our house and I am a huge proponent of buying second hand as well as new, but I also love borrowing books from our local library too! Anything to get …

If you haven't already discovered Sarah Mackenzie's phenomenonally popular website and podcast - The Read Aloud Revival yet, I absolutely implore you to take a look. It is an absolute treasure trove of inspiration centered around reading aloud with children and packed with tips,…

When a small boy called Peter wakes to find the city has been covered in snow, he heads out to see what adventure he can find. From climbing mountains, making snow angels, watching snowball fights and creating tracks, Peter's day of play and imagination captures beautifully the exci…

This beauty of a book may be over 30 years old (and this particular copy well over 25) but its appeal is timeless. Heard it in the Playground is a fantastic collection of poems focused on the goings-on in primary school. It's funny, witty and sometimes poignant and a great way to ge…

If there is one book at the moment which is most requested at bedtime it just has to be the magnificent, Frog and Toad are friends by Arnold Lobel. A beautiful collection of five stories focusing on the friendship of the somewhat hot-headed Toad and the balanced and steadying Frog, it e…

Having read Sophie Andersons Castle of Tangled Magic last autumn, I was keen to read more and the multi award nominated The House with the Chicken Legs certainly didn't disappoint. With so many important themes running through this book - family and belonging; death and loss; the se…

I have been gathering up quite a collection of blue glass bottles lately and one of my favourite ways to reuse them is by making my own aromatherapy room and linen spray. Not only are they toxin free and super simple to make, they also smell amazing and impart all of the beautiful benef…