Breakfast With Dame Jacqueline Wilson At The Foundling Museum

Dame Jacqueline Wilson has been a part of our family for many years with her books being a source of great pleasure over the years. In fact my eldest who hardly ever picked up a book would often be found engrossed in the adventures of Tracey Beaker which always bought me such delight.

A new generation of fans is now coming through in the family with Izzy and Frankie finding a love of her books.

When we were asked along to The Foundling Museum have breakfast with her I knew this was an opportunity not to be missed and the children…and myself were super excited at the prospect.

The Foundling Museum in West London is currently home to the Hetty Feather exhibition that is showing how the history of the Foundling Hospital has been bought to life through the character of Hetty Feather in Jacqueline Wilson’s top selling book that has since been won awards as a fabulous stage show and extremely popular TV series.

The interactive exhibition at the museum allows the children to see historical artifacts from the days of the Foundling Hospital and try on period costumes which allows them to get a real feel for how things would have been in this era.

Izzy and Frankie also loved putting pen to paper and creating a menu of food they would love to eat and comparing it to the bland and basic meals the poor Foundling children would have had to have eaten.

After exploring the exhibition the children all settled down for Jacqueline Wilson to tell us a little more about the museum and read an excerpt from the Hetty Feather book that the children all listened to intently. 

They then all queued patiently to get there copies of Hetty Feather signed and to have a chat with the wonderful lady herself.

We came away with wonderful memories of meeting such a humble and inspiring lady and highly recommend going along to see the exhibition yourselves which is on until the 3rd September.

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt Screening

Sometimes you can open a book and immediately get lost in it; It can capture your imagination with every word and you can become completely immersed in the whole story.
This is what ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’ by the fabulous author Michael Rosen has done for each and every one of my children…well I should include myself too really!

I’m sure there are not many parents out there they haven’t squelched and squirched though the mud at bed time or wadded through the swishy swashy grass whist keeping a little one occupied in the doctors waiting room.

This book has truly been a saviour to me on many occasions, and over my nineteen years of parenting this is a book I have never tired of.

When we were asked along to the screening in Leicester Square of this timeless classic that is due to hit our screens on Christmas Eve I’m not sure if it was the children or me who were more excited!


The animation that has been produced by the masterminds behind the Snowman and The Snowdog started and within the first few minutes I knew I was going to be hooked.


The siblings are left at home by their parents under the supervision of their eldest brother, and after getting a little restless set out on a walk to try and discover a grizzly bear, encountering all the familiar obsticals along the way.

There is the same hurried journey back home, but this time little Rosie forms a bond with the friendly bear and finds it hard to say goodbye.

To turn this short story into a thirty minute long adaptation the story has or course been added to a little but has in no way detracted to much from the original story.

With the enchanting storyline, magnificent illustrations and fabulous music dare I say this could be set to become a festive favourite and even knock The Snowman off of its pole position for me!

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt will be showing on channel 4 at 7.30 on Christmas Eve and repeated again on Christmas Day at 5.25pm