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Monsters Love Underpants Review

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Monsters Love Underpants Review A Mum Reviews

Monsters Love Underpants Review A Mum Reviews

Monsters Love Underpants Review

This book is the seventh collaboration from the bestselling and award-winning duo Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. The team have previously written and illustrated the popular books Aliens Love Underpants, Dinosaurs Love Underpants, Aliens in Underpants Save the World, Aliens Love Panta-Claus, Pirates Love Underpants and Monstersaurus. The books have sold really well and have been published in over 20 languages.

Monsters Love Underpants Review A Mum Reviews (3)

Monsters Love Underpants is about monsters… who love underpants! There are all kinds of monsters of all kinds of shapes and sizes but they all have the love of pants in common. This is the first book from this series that we have read and we love it!

The text is the perfect length for each spread and it rhymes which makes it even more fun to read. The book is funny, interesting and very cute! The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and so entertaining! The style is brilliant! The drawings of the monsters are so detailed and beautiful. Kids can spend ages looking at all the unique monsters and their funny underpants. I’m sure it will make most kids aged 2-8 laugh out loud.

Monsters Love Underpants Review A Mum Reviews

The book is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and other good book shops. Watch the trailer for the series here and find out more about the books on underpantsbooks.com or on their Facebook page. Over here, you can also win a bundle of books and toys from the series!

We were sent a copy of this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Monsters Love Underpants Review appeared first on A Mum Reviews.


Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review

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Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review A Mum Reviews

Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review A Mum Reviews

Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review

“A delightfully illustrated story that is both entertaining and informative. Life in an ant colony is portrayed by Arnold Ant who is nearing the end of his life as the colony’s father and grandfather. The importance of positive behaviours is emphasised by the ordered hierarchy within the ants’ family. A story that engages a wide age range of children.”

The book starts out with a sweet and informative story about the life of ants. I like that it’s not too childish but contains words that are more advanced too. Children love learning new things and will find this story very interesting and fascinating. The illustrations are simple but quite cute.

Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review A Mum Reviews

After the story bit comes the activity book part which is full of fun and challenging tasks to do. These are well suited for children who have recently learnt to read and write. There are lots of different activities and as a mum and someone who works with children, I can say that they are both fun and eductational. I love them! It’s like a school book, but way more fun!

Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review A Mum Reviews

The book is a great way to get children interested in nature and to encourage learning whilst having fun. Arnold Ant was published in March this year and is available to buy as a paperback book or a kindle book from Amazon.co.uk.

Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review A Mum Reviews

We were sent a copy of this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Arnold Ant Activity Book by Alice Horwill Review appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review

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The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review A Mum Reviews

The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review A Mum Reviews

The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review 

This is a sweet but adventurous modern take on the classic story about the little mermaid. This book by Abie Longstaff features The Fairytale Hairdresser Kittie and shows her interactions with her mermaid friend Coral. Coral is a beautiful mermaid and a wonderful singer but she’s sad that she’s not got legs and can’t get to the boy she loves. Kittie tries to tell her that he (the prince!) will love her just the way she is but Coral doesn’t believe her and makes a desparate visit to the witch who promises to give Coral legs, which she does, but she also steals her voice.

The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review A Mum Reviews

After reaching out to Kittie back on land, they both go back down under water together to tackle the witch and get Coral’s voice back. The friends manage well and Coral gets her voice and her mermaid tail back. Kittie was, of course, right and the prince loves Coral just they way she is, as a mermaid with a beautiful singing voice. They live happily ever after and make their relationship work by sometimes living under water with the prince in diving gear and sometmes in the palace with Coral in a swimming tank. This very sweet!

The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review A Mum Reviews

I thought this book would be a bit too girly for me with its theme of mermaids and hairdressers but these girls are quite tough at the same time and I really like the book. I like a modern take on an old classic story and in this book you’ll also be able to spot lots of characters from other fairytales which is a lot of fun, too.

The illustrations by Lauren Beard are really cute and very detailed. You’ll spot something new in the background or a new detail every time you read a book and I remember loving books like that when I was little and today’s kids are the same.

Below, you can see a youtube Q&A session with the author of the book, Abie Longstaff.

There are many more books about The Fairytale Hairdresser where she meets other fairytale characters like Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Sugar Plum Fairy and even Father Christmas! You can buy this book and all the others via Amazon.co.uk.

Share your love of fairytales:

Today, Friday 5th June, the sun will be shining, fairies will be flying and there will be lots of happy-ever-afters! We would love to join in with our #ShareAFairytale day. The aim is simply to pass on the love of stories and storytelling, and have a lot of fun in the process!

Dig out your best fairytale ball outfits, dust off that pumpkin and allow us to be your fairy-godmother! We want to see all of your great costume ideas. Join in the conversation now by using the #ShareAFairytale hashtag, copying in @RHKidsUK on Twitter – we’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions for holding a great event!

To get you started, here’s a step-by-step guide to Fairytale Hair. Read more about the #ShareAFairytale day here.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post The Fairytale Hairdresser and the Little Mermaid Review appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Dork Diaries Drama Queen

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Book Review Dork Diaries Drama Queen (Book 9) (1) A Mum Reviews

Book Review Dork Diaries Drama Queen (Book 9) (1) A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Dork Diaries Drama Queen (Book 9)

Drama Queen is the new book in the phenomenally popular book series Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell. The series has been in the New York Times bestseller top ten non-stop for over a year and has sold over 13 million print copies worldwide. Book Review Dork Diaries Drama Queen (Book 9) (1) A Mum Reviews

If you’re not familiar with the series, they are the personal diaries of a 14-year-old girl called Nikki Maxwell and they show drawings, doodles and comic style strips to document her life alongside more traditional text diary entries and dialogues. There’s lots of drama and fun!

Rachel Renee Russell gets her inspiration from her own experiences from school as well as those from or own two daughters Nikki and Erin. The older one, Erin, helps with the writing of the Dork Diaries books and the younger one, Nikki, helps with the illustrations. I think that’s wonderful and it makes sure that the books suit today’s kids’ style and taste. Rachel Renee Russell is actually an attorney but she prefers writing books for tweens because it’s more fun! Book Review Dork Diaries Drama Queen (Book 9) (1) A Mum Reviews

They style is definitely what many kids like! I would recommend this book to children from around age 9 to 13. It’s the kind of book that you want to sit and read in one sitting because it’s fun, exciting and quick to read but you can easily dip in and out of the book too. Perfect for today’s busy kids! The Dork Diaries series is similar to the Wimpy Kid books in the way that it’s written but Dork Diaries is girly and there’s more drama.

Find out more on DorkDiaries.co.uk, connect with Dork Diaries on their Facebook page and buy the books from Amazon.co.uk.

There’s also a fun competition running where you can upload your adorkable pictures to the Dork Diaries Facebook app. The best ones will win the chance to feature in a dorktastic trailer and win loads of Dork Diaries prizes!

I was sent a copy of this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Dork Diaries Drama Queen appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure – Win All 3 Books!

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Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure - Win All 3 Books! A Mum Reviews

 Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure - Win All 3 Books! A Mum Reviews

Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure – Win All 3 Books!

Timmy Failure is a book series about Timmy, founder of the “best” detective agency in town Total Failure, Inc. The books are perfect for kids who are fans of book series such as Wimpy Kid and Barry Loser. The books have lots of illustrations to go with the text, making them extra fun and interesting. Kids love these books and praise them for being really funny and making them laugh out loud.

 Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure - Win All 3 Books! A Mum Reviews

So far, there are three books out in the series and the fourth one is being released in October this year.

The books are:

  1. Mistakes Were Made
  2. Now Look What You’ve Done
  3. We Meet Again
  4. Sanitized for Your Protection

 Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure - Win All 3 Books! A Mum Reviews

In Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, confident Timmy has big plans for world dominiation. His plans involve making lots of money to make sure his mum becomes rich and can pay all her bills and also plans to defeat Corrina Corrina, “The One Whose Name Shall Not Be Uttered”. She’s not going away though!

In Timmy Failure: Now Look What You’ve Done, Timmy is about to crack the biggest case of his generation! This is a school competition and the goal is to find a stolen globe. But there’s someone who’s cheating… Timmy, his lazy polar bear partner Total and Timmy’s new ally, Great Aunt Colander, take matters into their own hands and try to avenge this and defeat injustice and also try to obliterate Timmy’s arch-nemisis, The WEDGIE (Worldwide Enemy of Da Goodness In Everything). Can he do it all?

My almost 10-year-old test reader thought the books were hilarious and he loved all the illustrations. He’s now read the first two books whilst laughing a lot and the third one has been ordered for him. As a parent and someone who works with children, I love it when books get kids excited about reading! This series does just that.  Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure - Win All 3 Books! A Mum Reviews

Find out more at TimmyFailure.com and buy from Amazon.co.uk.

Win All 3 Books!

For a chance to win all three books that are out, enter via the Rafflecopter below. Terms & Conditions apply. The competition ends on the 22nd of July 2015. UK entrants only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were sent these books for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review & Giveaway: Timmy Failure – Win All 3 Books! appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel

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Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel A Mum Reviews

Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel A Mum Reviews

Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel

The Parent Agency is David Baddiel’s first book for children. Previously, he has written and performed in a series of highly successful TV comedy shows (including The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned) and written three novels for adults.

This books is a brilliant and funny novel that is an “epic wish-fulfilment adventure for every child – and for the child in everyone”. It’s about Barry who, for the third time, wishes he had better parents. Barry is not happy with his parents for 3 reasons:

  1. because they’re boring
  2. because they’ve named him Barry
  3. because they’re always tired

As he makes this wish, everything starts to shake…

There might be a solution to Barry’s problem. A world, not far away, where parents don’t have children and children get to choose their parents. Is this a dream come true? Maybe, it’s not that simple.

Watch the trailer for The Parent Agency below:

This book is great! It’s such a perfect yet unique topic to explore. Most children are unhappy with their parents at some point and might wish things were different but do they really want different parents completely? Most of the time, the answer is probably no.

The Parent Agency is really funny, exciting and interesting. It’s a clever story full of adventure and emotions and I think adults would enjoy it very much too. I think children aged somewhere between 8 and 12 would love to read this book on their own. Younger kids could read the book with their parents, too, which would be a perfect way for mums and dads to get a chance to read this wonderful story too. Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel A Mum Reviews

There are illustrations by Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner, Jim Field, throughout the book. Kids love this aspect, and I do too. It’s alwasy nice with some funny drawings in children’s books.Buy this funny book from Amazon.co.uk or any other good book shops. Or enter my Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of the book! Terms & Conditions apply. The competition ends on the 22nd of July 2015. UK entrants only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review & Giveaway: The Parent Agency by David Baddiel appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review

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Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review A Mum Reviews

Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review A Mum Reviews

Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review

This book is my first contact with Disco Duck, which is originally an award winning funky pre-school dance programme available nationwide. The programme was created by Amanda Hughes who is an experienced professional dancer and dance teacher, among other things.

The benefits of dance to children are immense and Amanda’s Disco Duck classes help increase self-esteem, co-ordination, balance and poise, concentration and, most importantly, are lots of fun! Young children have a natural rythm and are often not afraid to let loose and dance in front of other people and therefore really enjoy it.

Wakey Wakey Disco Duck is Amanda’s and her company’s first illustrated story book and the illustrations are by Gemma Temple. Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review A Mum Reviews

The book is an imaginative story aimed at pre-school children and it tells the story about how an ordinary farmyard duck becomes a magical dancing sensation! It’s an enchanting book that children will love and what is so special about it is that it encourages children to be active and dance along with Disco Duck as they listen to the story.

The book includes the signature song of Disco Duck and the simple and cute illustrations show the dance moves. I find the book really charming and sweet and I love the healthy message of being active whilst having lots of fun. Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review A Mum Reviews

This is the first book in a series and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next. This series is of course extra interesting for children who have attended/are attending the Disco Duck dance classes but it’s definitely fun for the rest, too, and might encourage them to find and attend their local class. Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review A Mum Reviews

The format of the book is a thin paperback which is perfect because it means you can easily take it with you when you go out or travel to have fun with the story and Disco Duck then too. It will easily fit in a changing bag, handbag or toddler backpack.

Find out more at about the classes at disco-duck.co.uk, buy the book from Amazon.co.uk and don’t forget to like Disco Duck on Facebook to stay up to date with all the news.

I received this book at The Baby Show for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Wakey Wakey Disco Duck! Review appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie

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Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie A Mum Reviews

 Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie A Mum Reviews

Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie

This is the brand new book for young adults by bestselling and award winning author Sophie McKenzie who has written loads of popular books since her multi-award winning debut novel Girl, Missing in 2006. Her other books include Blood Ties and sequel, Blood Ransom, The Medusa Project series, and the Luke and Eve trilogy. She’s also written psychological thrillers for adults, among them Close My Eyes and her very latest novel Trust In Me.

All My Secrets is about Evie, a 15 year-old girl who one day gets a visit at her house with some amazing yet devastating news. She’s told that in a few months’ time, on her 16th birthday she will inherit ten million pounds. The devastating news is that the money is from her biological mother who died years ago and who Evie never even knew about. Evie thought the woman married to her dad that she knows as “mum” was her real mother but it turns out her dad and “mum” have been lying to her for her whole life.

Her dad refuses to tell her much about her birth mum but Evie needs to know more about her. The fact that her dad is so quiet about the whole thing just intrigues her more. What is he hiding? Who was her mum?

Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie A Mum Reviews

Evie manages to find out some information about her online and tracks down her birth mum’s brother Gavin, Evie’s uncle, and runs away to visit him in Scotland. After being collected by her dad and being at home for a while, her uncle comes to visit. Together they decide that she should go to a kind of youth institute on the island of Lightsea, a place for troubled teenagers. Evie agrees to this to try and sort out her feelings and thoughts about the news she’s had.

The island is mysterious and there’s a rumour saying that it’s haunted. Evie can feel a presence and her gut feeling tells her something is not right… What’s going on on this island?

I really enjoyed reading this book even though it’s aimed at a much younger audience (12+)! I feel that you can tell that Sophie McKenzie writes for adults too because it feels a bit more grown up than most YA books. The book is an entertaining page turner and it’s fast-paced and exciting with lots of creepy and shocking twists all the way through. I highly recommend it to young adults and older adults who fancy a quick and exciting read.

You can buy All My Secrets from Amazon.co.uk and other good book shops.

Sophie’s #1 Super Fan

“On 2nd June we launched a search for Sophie’s #1 Super Fan on Facebook. Each week we’ll be posting challenges on our Hashtag Reads page, inviting fans to share artwork, reviews, videos, social media posts etc. relating to the themes, and tagging any content with www.facebook.com/sophiemckenziebooks and #allmysecrets. Each week one winner gets a signed advance copy of All My Secrets, but the fan that demonstrates the greatest love for Sophie throughout the competition will be crowned Sophie McKenzie’s #1 Super Fan, have a character named after them in her next book and win a year’s subscription of fantastic new books from Simon & Schuster. Award-winning blogger and self-confessed Sophie McKenzie super fan, Vivienne Da Costa of Serendipity Reviews, will be judging the entries.”

Win a copy of All My Secrets

For a chance to win a copy of this book, enter via the Rafflecopter below. Terms & Conditions apply. The competition ends on the 27th of July 2015. UK entrants only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review & Giveaway: All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie appeared first on A Mum Reviews.


Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes

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Book Review & Giveaway: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes

Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes

This is the brand new Alfie book all about the outside world by the amazing storyteller Shirley Hughes who has written lots of children’s books, many of which feature Alfie.

The story is about Alfie’s outdoorsy adventures and is a celebration of all the things that children love about playing and exploring outside. Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes

In the book, Alfie is out in the garden with his dad, learning about how to plant seeds to grow carrots for Alfie’s friend. They also a visit the garden centre, feed goats, play with the water hose and much more.

The book is gorgeous and very charming and one that kids and parents will love reading together. The illustrations and the style of the book reminds me of the books I read when I was a child. The look and feel is traditional and classic. The images are detailed and hand drawn and both the story and the drawings give you plenty of things to talk about with your children. Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes

The book is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and all other good book shops.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Alfie Outdoors by Shirley Hughes appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book

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Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book A Mum Reviews

Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book A Mum Reviews

Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book

Penwizard is a company that specialises in personalised books for children starring your child by implementing his or her name into the story. They make story time even more special and also make great gifts. There are many different types of stories to choose from and you’ll definitely recognise some popular children’s book characters in the selection.

It’s really easy and quick to order your personalised book. For this The Snowman and the Snowdog book, I added the name I wanted to use and personalised the girl in the book to look as much as possible like my little girl. You can also add an introduction if you wish. Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book A Mum Reviews

I’d actually not read the popular book The Snowman and the Snowdog before receiving this. I’ve seen it in book shops a lot though and know it’s very loved. It’s a very sweet book that’s beautifully illustrated and having my little one in the book makes it even better! Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book A Mum Reviews

She loves it, too! As you can see, she wouldn’t even let me take a picture of it without her near it.

Visit Penwizard to make your own personalised book. There’s so much choice! The personalised potty training books are definitely something that I’ll get when we start potty training.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Review: The Snowman and the Snowdog Personalised Book appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3

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Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3

Nathalia Buttface and the Most Embarrassing Five Minutes of Fame Ever is the third book in the laugh-out loud Nathalia Buttface series aimed at girls aged 8+.

We’ve not read the two previous books, Nathalia Buttface and the Most Embarrassing Dad in the World and Nathalia Buttface and the Most Epically Embarrassing Trip Ever, but they have received great reviews online. Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Nigel Smith is back with another hilarious story about the Nathalia and her dad, who is the most embarrassing dad in the world. In this book, Nathalia finally gets her 15 minutes of fame but it’s not the right kind of attention… Her dad posts a really embarrassing video of her online as a joke and of course it goes viral! Nathalia finds herself in the centre of attention of the nation with even the prime minister imitating her.

Dad convinces her to use her new-found celebrity status to raise money for a local care home for pets that is in need of help. She does what she can but her fame is not very glamourous and school life changes for the worse when you’re all over the internet, too. Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3 A Mum Reviews

I had a quick read of the book and it’s full of the kind of fun and excitement most young girls love. I love that there are some illustrations in the book, too, that’s always nice.

My test-reader for this book was a friend’s nine-year-old daughter and sure enough, she thought it was great and really enjoyed reading this during the first few weeks of the school holidays. Lots of giggles and laughs according to her mum!

Nathalia Buttface and the Most Embarrassing Five Minutes of Fame Ever and the other books in the Nathalia Buttface series are available from Amazon.co.uk and other great book shops.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Nathalia Buttface by Nigel Smith, Book 3 appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3

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Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3

How Harry Riddles Got Nearly Almost Famous is the third book in the Shoutykid series by Simon Mayle. The first book How Harry Riddles Made a Mega-Amazing Zombie Movie and the second one How Harry Riddles Mega-Massively Broke the School were both very popular!

The funny series is recommended from age 8+ and I think it’s suitable for kids up to the age of around 13. You get to follow Harry’s life’s (ups and downs) told through laugh-out-loud letters, emails, texts and illustrations a very modern way of storytelling that kids will love. Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3 A Mum Reviews

Here’s the blurb for book number 3:

“Hi there,

So I’ve joined a band with Jess and this new kid, Kevin, who is pretty annoying but also a REALLY talented guitar player. We’ve got a good shot at winning the Battle of the Bands competition for our school as long as Kevin doesn’t get expelled first. But here’s the thing, my dad has this crazy idea to take me, my mum, my EVIL sister and my twin brothers sailing round the world. For TWO years!!!! Swimming with dolphins, and scuba diving would be pretty cool, but how am I meant to reach rock stardom if I’m stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean?

Good luck and have fun.

Harry Riddles”

Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3 A Mum Reviews

My test reader is a boy, 10 years old, who really enjoyed the first two books. He said the third book was just as funny and that he loves the different types of text and the drawings. He also said the book made him laugh a lot and that he wanted to stay up late reading it.

The Shouty Kid books are available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and other good book shops.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Shoutykid Book 3 appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson

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Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson A Mum Reviews

Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson A Mum Reviews

Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson

The brilliant duo of prize-winning children’s author Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo and What the Ladybird Heard are some of her bestselling books) and picture book artist Lydia Monks is back with a sequel to What the Ladybird Heard.

Once upon a farm lived a ladybird,

And these are the things that she saw and heard.

In What the Ladybird Heard Next robbers Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are out of jail and heading back to the farm, ready to cause trouble again. They’ve been stealing eggs from the hen but now have bigger plans to steal the hen herself. The clever ladybird is on to them and she and her friends from the farm have their own plans. Join the ladybird and her friends the cow, the goose, the horse, the sheep and the cat on their adventures in this funny and exciting children’s book. Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson A Mum Reviews

The amazing, sparkly cover gives you a good idea of the inside of the book. The pages are filled with colourful and beautiful illustrations with glittery, textured details on every page. Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson A Mum Reviews

My daughter and I love this action packed, fun and bright book. My girl loves animals and points out the ones she can say. She recently learned to say ladybird so that’s perfect for this book!

Other stories from the Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks collection include The Singing Mermaid and Sugarlump and the Unicorn.

These books are available to buy from Amazon.co.uk and other good book shops.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork

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Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork

The queen of the dorks is back in the latest instalment of the internationally bestselling series Dork Diaries. The series written by Rachel Renee Russell has sold over 13 million copies and is very popular among young ladies.

In this book, Nikki has bumped her head and has a strange and wild dream where her best friends Zoey, Chloe, herself, her crush Brandon and notorious mean girl Mackenzie all end up playing the roles of familiar fairy tale characters. Is it a dream though, or a nightmare? Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork A Mum Reviews

The writing style is fun and there are plenty of illustrations, too. Kids of the age 8+ will love this exciting story and the fairytale aspect is a great idea. As I mentioned in my review of Dork Diaries Drama Queen, the series is quite similar to the Wimpy Kid series but with more drama and it’s definitely more girly.

Find out more on DorkDiaries.co.uk, connect with Dork Diaries on their Facebook page and buy the books from Amazon.co.uk.

I was sent a copy of this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Dork Diaries Once Upon A Dork appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

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Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

This is a spectacular book written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The award-winning duo has previously created the book Extra Yarn and have also written/illustrated lots of amazing books separately. Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is a book full of humour and adventure! The story is about Sam and Dave who are on a mission to find something spectacular. To do this, they decide to dig a hole. They keep digging and digging and find nothing at all. The day is still quite spectacular, though and so is this book! Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

The witty and extraordinary story is so simple yet perfect. It’s got all the words it needs and the text works beautifully with the mellow coloured, gorgeous illustrations (with important details!). The typography and layout of the book are well executed too and match the story perfectly. The books is a pleasure on the eyes for adults and children and it’s a lovely story for parents to read with their children. Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is truly original this is one of those books that children will remember when they have grown up, I’m sure. This book will be a classic! It already has a special display place in my daughter’s book collection.  Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett A Mum Reviews

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk and all other great book shops.

Check out the trailer for the book below and…

… this fun window display created by illustrator Jon Klassen to promote the book.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett appeared first on A Mum Reviews.


Book Review: Molly the Mole – A Truth & Tails Story

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Book Review: Molly the Mole - A Truth & Tails Story A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Molly the Mole - A Truth & Tails Story A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Molly the Mole – A Truth & Tails Story

Molly the Mole is the first book from Truth & Tails. Truth & Tails aim to eliminate prejudice, encourage acceptance and aid understanding by addressing hard-to-deal-with concepts through simple, sensitive and beautiful stories featuring lovable characters. The books are mainly aimed at ages 4-8 but younger and older children can of course enjoy them too.

All the books are self-published and hand-illustrated. Book Review: Molly the Mole - A Truth & Tails Story A Mum Reviews

How Truth & Tail was born:

“We started talking about our own favourite children’s books and how fantastic it would be if there were a straightforward, sensitive, easy way to explain difficult concepts like feminism, racism and sexuality to kids; or the reasons behind important historical events; or even complex scientific theories.

The more we thought about the idea, the more we realised that we didn’t just want to write stories that were educational. We wanted to become a crucial part of creating a culture of acceptance and understanding that far too many media publications are preventing – whether intentionally or because of deeply ingrained, now outdated beliefs.”

The books are created by Phoebe Kirk (illustrator), Ben Galley (publisher) and Alice Reeves (author). The name Truth & Tails was chosen because the team believe in being honest with children as soon as they’re young enough to understand and be inquisitive about issues and the tails part is because each story is told using animal characters. Book Review: Molly the Mole - A Truth & Tails Story A Mum Reviews

Molly the Mole is about a mole called Molly who has lots of friends but sometimes feels sad because she’s not as clever as her friend Owen the owl, she doesn’t have long legs like her friend Daisy the deer and she’s not as colourful as her friend Belinda the butterfly.

She confides in her friends and they reassure her that that’s not what matters at all and reminds her about all the nice things she’s done for them. Molly is a very kind, patient and helpful character and that’s what really matters. Book Review: Molly the Mole - A Truth & Tails Story A Mum Reviews

It’s a very sweet story that covers important topics like how it’s important to be a good friend, to be proud of who you are and that it’s the inside that counts.

The illustrations are cute and I love that they are hand-drawn. Most children’s books nowadays seem to be illustrated digitally. That can look great too, of course, but it’s nice to see more traditionally made illustrations that often have more character.

We look forward to reading more books by Truth & Tails.

Read more here and buy the book as an e-book here. Paperback copies will be available soon, too!

We were sent this e-book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Molly the Mole – A Truth & Tails Story appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay

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Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay A Mum Reviews

Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay A Mum Reviews

Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay

The Twits was first published in 1980 and is about a pair of horrible twits. Mr Twit hates his wife. Mrs Twit detests her husband. They like nothing more than playing wicked tricks on one another. Sooner or later, things are going to go too far…

Though the story is about characters that are not very likable, the book contains one of the most famous Roald Dahl quotes that is rather nice:

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely”

Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay A Mum Reviews

Roald Dahl was never a fan of men with beards in stories or in real life. He found them suspicious and thought that they must be hiding something. Mr Twit has a beard and it’s very dirty with bits of old food sticking to is. His wife, Mrs Twit, is not very nice either but the book will show that there are a few characters who might have found a way to outsmart this horrible pair!

All Roald Dahl books have become classics and should be part of every child’s library, in my opinion. His stories are special, unique and so interesting. They can be enjoyed by children and adults. Since I grew up in Sweden, they weren’t part of my childhood but I’ve read most of them as an adult and I’ll be introducing them to my daughter when she’s a bit older. Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay A Mum Reviews

We were challenged to make a dirty beard with the stickers from the book but my toddler would not let me put anything on her face so we decorated the hard back book that has a 3D hairy beard. The stickers are actually smelly!

Roald Dahl was born on the 13th of September and every year it’s Roald Dahl Day on his birthday with lots of fun events and activities around the date. Find out what’s happening here and how to get involved in celebrating Roald Dahl Day.

There’s also a new app the first ever Roald Dahl app called Twit or Miss, available now from the App store and Google Play. Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay A Mum Reviews

The books are available from all good book shops in store and online from Amazon.co.uk.

We were sent these two books for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: The Twits by Roald Dahl + #RoaldDahlDay appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed

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Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed A Mum Reviews

Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed A Mum Reviews

Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed + New Sound Book

Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter (from McBusted) are back with a new The Dinosaur That Pooped… book illustrated by Gary Parsons. Their previous books are hugely successful! You can read my reviews of them here.

In The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed, Danny and Dinosaur want to watch telly but Mum will not allow it until they’ve tidied up their room. Danny has a plan to easily and quickly make the mess go away just get Dinosaur to eat it all!

What goes in has to come out, though, and just as they think they’ll get away with it all, there’s a rumble in Dinosaur’s tummy and a much bigger mess... Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed A Mum Reviews

Old fans and new readers will love this funny new addition to the series. It’s perfect for kids going through that phase all kids go through when they think poo is absolutely hilarous! I find that for most kids this is around age 3-6. Some older kids still think it’s very funny too, though. I say, let kids have fun and enjoy a bit of silliness. These books let them do just that.

The illustrations are lovely and fun and I like the details of the typography, too.

Buy The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed from Amazon.co.uk or other good book shops.  Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed A Mum Reviews

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet is one of the older books but very soon there will be a brand new version out a sound book! Kids love sound books as they add an extra element of fun to the story and they get to be involved in the storytelling by being in charge of pressing the correct button as the adult reads the story. Younger kids, like my toddler, love just pressing the buttons over and over and listening to the fun sounds.

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet Sound Book will be available from the 24th of September and is available to pre-order now from Amazon.co.uk.

We were sent these books for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: The Dinosaur that Pooped the Bed appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas

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Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas

LEGO Awesome Ideas is a brand new idea book that quickly builds up your LEGO knowledge and expands the way you build. It’s full of really amazing ideas that inspire creative building and lots of fun. You’ll definitely learn lots of new things from this book! Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

There’s really something for everyone in this book. It shows cool and beautiful worlds and then details of how to build different elements. The book doesn’t tell you step by step what to do but it gives you the idea so that you can explore yourself.

There are chapters about space, about houses, everyday objects and even food! Plus much, much more. Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

The whole family loves this book. As soon as you open it up, you want to start building. At the moment we only have some old LEGO from my husband’s childhood so there weren’t that many things that we could build from the book with our limited supply of LEGO. Nowadays, there are so many specialist pieces too that didn’t excist 20 years ago. The book shows fun ways of using these new pieces though and shows that they can be used for other things than they were orignially designed to be part of. Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

We choose to build a space ship inspired by the Zyon Shuttle (above) from the book as those pieces were the most similar to the ones we have. Below you can see the result! We had fun creating this and the book really inspired us and gaves us lots of ideas for how to use different kind of pieces. Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas A Mum Reviews

We now need to buy a bunch of new LEGO bricks so that we can continue building from the book. Our little girl is nearly big enough to move on from Duplo to regular LEGO so that’s perfect.
Buy this amazing book from Amazon.co.uk or other great book shops. I would make a wonderful gift for LEGO fans of all ages.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: LEGO Awesome Ideas appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

Book Review: Molly Maybe’s Monsters – The Dappity Doofer

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Book Review: Molly Maybe's Monsters - The Dappity Doofer A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Molly Maybe's Monsters - The Dappity Doofer A Mum Reviews

Book Review: Molly Maybe’s Monsters – The Dappity Doofer

Molly Maybe’s Monsters – The Dappity Doofer is a new book by Kristina Stephenson who is known for her bestselling Sir Charlie Stinky Socks books. The book is about Molly who lives in a small town where not much happens. Molly has a an extraordinary tree house, though, and one day when she’s up there, she spots her neighbour finding something peculiar in his garden.

A few days later there are lots of strange holes in the neighbour’s garden and Molly spots a huge purple claw coming through one of them. A monster!

Molly’s tree house has a special device the Mundervator that can take her to a magical monster world below and she goes there with her dog Waggy to find out what’s going on and why the monsters are digging up her neighbour’s garden.

It’s a fun book full of interesting drawings, problem solving and adventure! Book Review: Molly Maybe's Monsters - The Dappity Doofer A Mum Reviews

We really enjoyed the book and especially like that it’s a monster book featuring a tough and smart girl. It’s refreshing to see something different than all the pink princess books. Young boys and girls don’t need different books and this is one that everyone can enjoy, definitely.

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk and other great book shops.

We were sent this book for this review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Book Review: Molly Maybe’s Monsters – The Dappity Doofer appeared first on A Mum Reviews.

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