“Sticks and Stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” As a child this is the mantra that we were always taught to respond with if anyone every said anything nasty to us at school or in the playground. But the truth is that words can hurt. A lot. Words and Your Heart tries to turn that around and make children see that the words they use, especially when talking to others, can have an effect. Words can affect your heart, and that’s the “bit inside of you that makes you, you!” Words and Your Heart looks at words and the power they have. It’s aim is to make children stop and ... read more
Evil Pea Rules! Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
It feels a bit weird to think that when I first discovered Sue Hendra Little Miss C was tiny and only just starting to discover picture books, yet now here I am enjoying her books with Master C as he comes to the end of his first half term at "proper school". Where has time gone? Sue Hendra still delights me as much as it does him though, and I still love sharing picture books like hers with the kids. Supertato has become a bit of a star in our household and when I opened up the package containing Evil Pea Rules! there was a shriek of delight from both kids. In this latest book Evil Pea ... read more
Maurice the Unbeastly – Amy Dixon
When you think of a beast, what do you imagine? Probably some ugly creature who roars and stomps around, creating havoc wherever he goes. Maurice could not be further from that image if he tried. Maurice instead is gentle and kind. Sings beautifully and looks incredibly photogenic in pictures. He's also a big fan of organic snacks. Maurice's parents are worried that he needs to learn to be less civilised and so enrol him at the Abominable Academy for Brutish Beasts where they try to teach him to behave improperly. Will they succeed though? Or will they see that being different can be a good ... read more
Bedtime stories with The Book People and WIN a bundle of picture books
When I first discovered I was pregnant with Little Miss C one of the things I really looked forward to was being able to snuggle up and share bedtime stories with a little one. I've always loved books, and remember loving them as a child too and so wanted to share that with a child of my own. That happened and I'm delighted to say that LMC now loves books and reading about as much as I did when I was a child. It was wonderful seeing how in awe she was to meet Jacqueline Wilson recently and made me so happy to see her getting that pleasure from meeting an author. Little Miss C may now be 7 ... read more
Say Zoop! – Herve Tullet
As I'm sure regular readers know, one of my hobbies is collecting vintage children's books. There are so, so many things I love about them, but at the same time I also celebrate just how much children's books have moved on since my childhood. Back then books were just stories or factual. If your parents read you a bedtime story it was usually quite a old fashioned thing where they read and you listened. There were a few noticeable exceptions and I always remember the story my mum tells me about reading Wind in the Willows and how that book taught her about the sound of words. The use of ... read more
Hetty Feather at the Foundling Museum
It's hard to remember a time when Little Miss C wasn't a bookworm. Even as a baby she loved being read to, and then since she learnt to read independently (sometime in Year One at school) there's been no stopping her. Her bedroom is full of books. As is her bed. I struggle to understand how she manages to get a decent night's sleep as she's usually got her head next to a pile of books with others all around her and under the duvet and her pillow. As someone who loves a good book myself, it's something that I'll happily support and encourage as I clearly remember how much pleasure I used to get ... read more
Unicorn Day: Where my Characters Come From #UnicornDay
As part of Unicorn Day, I'm delighted to welcome to Being Mrs C Catherine Coe, author of the Unicorns of Blossom Wood series so that she can tell us about the amazing characters that she created for the series. When I first started writing the Unicorns of Blossom Wood, I knew I wanted a new cast of girl characters who had different personalities and backgrounds. In the Owls of Blossom Wood, the three main characters were best friends who were also next-door neighbours – Alex, Katie and Eva. In the Unicorns of Blossom Wood, I thought it would be nice to give the three girls a different ... read more
Wide-awake Hedgehog – Rosie Wellesley
Is it totally wrong of me to say that I've got to the stage of the year where I'm actually starting to get a teeny bit excited about autumn coming around again? I guess I like every season really, but I also always seems to feel ready for the next one to roll around and there's something about autumn that I really enjoy. Walks in the crisp air. Leaves changing colour. Snuggling up under a blanket on the sofa on a dark evening. I also find that it's the time of year when we get some very cute children's books coming out and Wide-awake Hedgehog is a great example. Many children will have ... read more
Autumn Fun with Superworm at Wendover Woods #weloveforests
Autumn has to be one of my favourite times of year. There's just something about the colours of the trees that I love so much and that always make me feel strangely emotional. I didn't therefore need much encouragement to head up to the gorgeous Wendover Woods with the family the other weekend to investigate the Superworm Trail that was there until the end of October. The Superworm book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffer is one that has strangely passed me by until now. I'd heard of it and seen in bookshops, but just not read it until now, although it seems both kids are very familiar ... read more
Norman the Slug Who Saved Christmas – Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet
Halloween is over so I'm now declaring that we're officially allowed to start talking about Christmas - one of my favourite times of the year. Despite the kids singing Jingle Bells since before Little Miss C's birthday in June, I kid you not, I'm actually really excited about this year. At three years old Master C really seems to get it this year, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him getting caught up in all the magic that goes with Christmas. It's a few weeks now since Norman the Slug Who Saved Christmas arrived through my letter box, but I was thrilled to see it as we are huge ... read more