The blog

About reading aloud, photos, gifts and books where the children are in the story themselves.

How to take the photo that gives the best likeness, even of a child who won’t sit still

The whole book is drawn from a single photo, so that photo matters a great deal. It doesn’t have to be a nice one. It needs to be sharp, show the face straight on and show the child as they look on an ordinary day.

Reading aloud: why it matters, and how to make it happen on an ordinary Tuesday

Reading aloud gives words, closeness and a quiet moment in a day that is otherwise full. Most people know that. The hard part is making it happen when dinner was late, someone refuses to brush their teeth and you are nearly asleep yourself by page two. Here is what the research says, what reading together can look like at different ages and how it can find a place in the day that lasts.

A personal present for a birthday party: six ideas that won’t end up in a drawer

At a party with ten children the pile of presents is torn open in five minutes, and three of the parcels contain the same building set. A personal present doesn’t have to be big. It should show that someone has thought about this particular child. Here are six ideas, and you can do most of them without us.