If Little A is about to have a new experience or we are up to something exciting or different from our day-to-day life, I always turn to the classic children’s books starring twins Topsy and Tim to give Little A a steer on what to expect.  We have Topsy and Tim… Go to a Wedding (perfect to prepare for his page duty at the end of the month!) / Go on an Aeroplane/ Have a Birthday Party and best of all I have bought Topsy and Tim: The New Baby.  I am not sure that Little A is entirely au fait with how life will change once the stork visits our house in the summer but these two books have been fab to help with the preparation.

What we are reading this month….

For Princess:

Having just got back from a wedding in Cape Cod, I cannot wait to start this debut novel from Liza Klaussmann set in Martha’s Vineyard.  Narrated by 5 different perspectives, Tigers in Red Weather promises suspense, passion and an intriguing plot.

Tigers in Red Weather, Liza Klaussmann
£12.99 for the hardback

For Little A:

The perfect book to be kept at Granny’s house.  When the family secret is revealed follow Granny’s swashbuckling jaunts and pirate tales.

My Granny is a Pirate, Val McDermid
£5.99

This month we are reading…

For Princess…

Holiday reads in my view should be easygoing and light and after putting down the mandatory Shades I moved onto Me Before You.  Wow what a roller coaster of a read. The narrative follows an unlikely love story between Lou, a girl adrift in the mundane confines of small-town living and Will, a successful businessman whose motorcycle accident changes his life forever. Finished it in two days but make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, RRP: £7.99

For Little A…

We were given this by a friend and it makes a lovely present.  Superb illustrations with a simple but heart warming story about friendship.  This book is a real keeper.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers,  RRP: £5.99

For Princess…

I have to admit that I have already wolfed through this over the Jubilee weekend.  A friend recommended it and whilst it’s not new if you haven’t read it give it a whirl.

Set in the 1920s, the book charts Ernest Hemingway’s marriage to Hadley Richardson. As Ernest’s career begins to flourish amongst the literary glitterati of Paris it has complex repercussions for his home life.

The Paris Wife, by Paula McClain, click to buy
RRP: £7.99

For Little A…

A really fab and beautifully illustrated book.  Follow Duck’s delight when he finds an egg of his own to look after.  The question is exactly who will hatch out of it?

The Odd Egg, by Emily Gravett, click to buy
RRP: £5.99

What we will be reading this month…

For Princess…

With the Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist newly announced I have picked up one of the contenders:  Cynthia Ozick’ s novel Foreign Bodies.  Set in the 1950s, the narrative examines the contrast between America and Europe post World War II through the eyes of Bea Nightingale, a heroine whose life takes a new direction when she sets off to Paris to retrieve a nephew she barely knows.

Anyone already read it – what did you think?  Comment below!

For Little A…

Little Mouse’s Big Secret by Eric Battut is this month’s treat.  On first look the book may seem artistically a little sparse with only one sentence and illustration per page, however the didactic message is strong as Little Mouse learns to share.  Beautifully illustrated but copy light this is a short but delicate read.

What we will be reading this month…

For Princess

PURE by Andrew Miller.  Set in eighteenth century Paris, the protagonist Jean-Baptiste Baratte is tasked by the King of France with the mission to demolish the city’s oldest cemetery.  It proves to be a huge undertaking and one that has repercussions not only for those that surround it but for Barette himself.

Sceptre Books, £8.99

For Little A

A BIT LOST by Chris Haughton.  The adventures of Little Owl who falls out of his nest, will he find his mummy again with the help of his forest friends?

Walker Books, £6.99