No - this isn't some statement about the state of Ladybird Tuesday on this blog (although - maybe it should be!) but instead the question posed in the title of this week's Ladybird Tuesday book choice. What on Earth are we doing? is part of Ladybird's 1970s Conservation series (series 727). These books seem to have been published with two different cover versions, but I have to be honest and say that I'm not exactly sure which version of the cover came first. This title was published in 1976 and judging by the man on the cover of both versions I believe it to be just the covers that ... read more
Words and Your Heart – Kate Jane Neal
“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
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
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
Unicorn Day: The Unicorns of Blossom Wood #UnicornDay
Sometimes an email pops into your inbox and you know that something is just going to be a perfect fit for your family and that's exactly what happened when I was asked to take part in Unicorn Day today. Unicorn Day is celebrating the release of the last two books in the Unicorns of Blossom Wood series by children's author Catherine Coe. Catherine has previously written the successful Owls of Blossom Wood series which was really well received by children aged 5 - 8 and this series is aimed at the same age group. Just over a year ago Little Miss C had what they formally call a "development ... 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
Sleeping Beauty – a mid-century fairy tale
Sleeping Beauty has to be one of those Fairy Stories that everyone knows in some shape or form. It's been re-told in so many editions over the years and there have been film versions and even pantomimes of the tale too. What I wasn't expecting though was a 1950s meets sci-fi version, but that's exactly what you get with this new edition of Sleeping Beauty, re-told by David Roberts and Lynn Roberts-Maloney. Annabel lives with her two aunts Rosalind and Flora in the 1950s. As a child she loves science fiction books and often dreams about what the future might look like. What Annabel doesn't ... read more
Review: Shine-a-light books
I hate taking a long time to do reviews and for that reason I need to start this one with an apology. It was a long, long time ago that I was sent copies of the Shine-a-Light books On The Plane and On The Space Station to review and whilst Master C absolutely loved them I was struggling somewhat with how to review them. The thing is they're interactive books. Just writing about them didn't somehow seem sufficient, but I had a bit of a break from vlogging for one reason or another and it's only now that I've got round to actually talking about them properly. The magic of Shine-a-Light books ... read more