Tag: childrens books

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Exploring Stories With Pizza Express And Puffin Books

by thejoyoffive7 Comments on Exploring Stories With Pizza Express And Puffin Books

If a poll was taken with my family on which was their favourite restaurant I know that Pizza Express would win hands down!

The children love the delicious food that is served quickly to quash those all to familiar ‘I’m starving’ moans and as a parent I love the family friendly vibe that you get in each and every restaurant. The hustle and bustle means I don’t feel I need to be continually asking the kids to be quiet and with the great activities that are always on offer there is actually not much chance for fidgety bums and fingers to get restless.

It was in fact an exciting new activity pack and competition that Puffin Books have created for Pizza Express that saw us making our way to one of their Brighton branches last week.

We were taken to our seats by our super friendly waiter that handed the children their activities packs and they got started on them straight away. The Story Explorers Adventure Journal was full to the brim with activities and games inspired by different books and it really got the children’s creative juices flowing.

After trying to create their own Grey Huffley from their favourite series – Diary Of A Wimpy Kid they feasted on a starter of dough balls and vegetable crudités while I indulged in some delicately battered calamari that I had to keep Izzy away from!

Actually if you are a fans of Diary Of The Wimpy Kid too then there is a brilliant competition you can enter where you can design your own book cover and submit it online for your chance to win a family portrait down for you by Jeff Kinney, the author of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid himself.

As we waited on our mains we were treated to a visit from caricaturist Sean Savage who created a fantastic portrait of us all. The kids absolutely loved it and found the size of my teeth hilarious!

With our special memento safely tucked away we ate a delicious selection of pizza and pasta that didn’t fail to disappoint.

Aside from being so family friendly another highlight of Pizza Express for us is the way they cater for Frankie and his multiple allergies. The kids menu can be adapted perfectly which always makes him feel inclusive rather than having to have something completely different which can happen in so many other restaurants.

We had a quick break between courses where it was Izzy’s job to make up the chatter boxes that came in the activity packs. These are always a hit with us and they played for ages asking each other questions to unveil the final answer.

A meal out isn’t complete without desert and at Pizza Express you really are spoilt for choice. The children dived into ice cream sundaes and brownies whilst I went for the mini biscoff cheesecake dolcetti which I told myself was a lighter option!

Full to the brim and bursting with ideas on stories they were going to create and illustrate when they got home really meant that Pizza Express has been a feast for our minds as well as our bellies and we highly reccomend a trip there soon so you don’t miss out on all the fun!

*Collaborated post

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, Learning, Memories, Parents, Reading, Reviews, Surrey, Theatre, Toddlers

What The Ladybird Heard At Rose Theatre Kingston:Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on What The Ladybird Heard At Rose Theatre Kingston:Review

We all have a favourite books from our childhood; one that brings back memories and even into our adult life can evoke feelings from times and places around that very story.

The beauty of finding your favourite book in this day and age is the fact that many of the classics are adapted for the big screen or stage, allowing you to enjoy the story in a completely different way.

A favourite in our house at the moment, especially with Frankie is What The Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson. Frankie first came across this fantastic book whilst covering it at school and was lucky enough to play a part in the school assembly that we all loved watching.

You can imagine his excitement when I told him we would be going to see the show on stage at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.

The Rose Theatre is a new discovery for us and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to the super friendly staff in a lovely bright and spacious reception that lead onto a cafe full of scrummy treats and a small play area that was perfect to keep restless fingers busy.

After a quick look around we made our way to our seats inside the theatre. It had a really laid back feel to it and the children were invited to grab a cushion and take a seat right in front of the stage or settle in their seats if they wanted. Actually as sad as this may seem the seats were a pretty big highlight for me as they were the usual retractable kind but came in a double seat which saved the continual chair banging throughout the show!

The colourful set had the whole audience of little people gazing at the stage with anticipation of the start. It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and the charters took to the stage. The tale of the two cheeky robbers who were out to steal the farmers prized cow started to unfold and with the use of extremely clear props…my favourite was the goose made from a watering can, catchy tunes and bundles of audience participation the children were keeped engaged for the whole 55 mins which is no mean feat when there is such a young audience.

During the show the children were encouraged to join in with animal noises, sing and mimic the actions to songs and try to spot the elusive ladybird which seemed a favourite with them all. There was also plenty of slapstick style comedy thrown in which is always a hit with my lot!

The characters were warm and friendly and really drew the children in and made a great connection with them. Frankie took a real liking to the naughty robbers whilst Oscar was pretty taken with the jolly farmer.

At the end of the show we were lucky enough to be able to take to the stage for a chat with the characters and the children got to try their hand at using some of the amazing props.

Frankie was over the moon the meet his favourite character ‘Lanky Len’ and Izzy was in her element to get five minutes on stage as this is her absolute dream.

We had a fantastic afternoon and highly recommend this show as a half term treat for all the family.

Children, Families, Family Life, History, Kid Bloggers, Kids Days Out, Learning

Breakfast With Dame Jacqueline Wilson At The Foundling Museum

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on 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.

Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Cinema, Families, Family Life, Reviews, Reviews

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt Screening

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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

Books, Children, Children's Books, Education, Families, Family Life, Learning, Reviews

The Mysterious Apples Book Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on The Mysterious Apples Book Review

A while ago Swankypants Books got in touch with me to review the first of their new series of books A Little Owl Called Hooty.  We were really taken with it and we’re really pleased when we were asked to review the next book – The Mysterious Apples.

My youngest two still love board books and were really taken when I showed them the shiny, new book with Yasmin and Yo-Yo, two super cute squirrels on the cover.

They throughly enjoyed reading about the adventures of this two cheeky squirrels that came across a beautiful apple tree that were perfect for them to harvest and  store for the long winter ahead of them.  The problem was neither of them had bargained on what was going to happen next!

Why don’t you take a read to find out the mysterious tale to this great story!

We were given this book for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions. 

Books, Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Reviews, Reviews

We’ve Been On A Bear Hunt

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Armed with our teddies and a copy of our favourite book ‘Were Going On A Bear Hunt’ we made our way to The Secombe Theatre in Sutton to watch the live stage show of the adaptation of the wonderful Michael Rosen children’s book.

The familiar characters took to the stage and guided us step by step through each part of the story just as we were turning a page of a story book.

We travelled with them through the swishy swishy grass, splashed and sploshed through the deep, cold river and squelched and squerched through the oozy mud.

The children were captivated from the off and loved being able to second guess what would be coming next.

Although this is a familiar story to many Sally Cookson has managed to deliver a truly wonderful interactive show that the whole family will love.

The children loved being able to join in with the songs and were super excited to see members of the cast coming down into the audience, but the top moment was getting more than they were expecting when passing through the deep, cold river!

This is a fabulous show that the whole family will love.  It really has bought one of our favourite story books to life and will be remembered for many years to come.

We were gifted tickets to this show and these are all my own honest opinions.

Books, Children, Children's Books, Crafts, Education, Families, Family Life, Imagination Play, Kids Days Out, Learning

Bear Hunting At Discover Children’s Story Centre

by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Bear Hunting At Discover Children’s Story Centre

We’re going on a bear hunt.  We’re going to catch a big one.  What a beautiful day.  We’re not scared!   Michael Rosen

I’m sure there are not many parents out there that have not shared these words from the much loved children’s book Were Going On A Bear Hunt.

At the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford the story book has been bought to life in a fabulous exhibition which mixes the adventures the family all went through on their bear hunt with rooms to explore that inspired Michael Rosen to write his story.

   
   

We swished and swashed through the long grass, splashed and sploshed through the river and eventually found the big bear hiding in his cave!

   
    
    
 
Once we had completed our bear hunt we were then left to explore all the rooms that had been set up to give the children an insight into Michael Rosen’s thoughts.

They loved playing in the school room, preparing a spot of lunch in the kitchen and sitting down to watch some TV in the living room.

As well as the bear hunt exhibition we also took part in the story time session for under 3’s based around another fabulous story, Snore.

We all walked bare foot into a small room decorated with flowers and fairy lights and scattered with cosy cushions to settle down on.

The story teller caught the children’s attention from the minute he began the session that was filled with songs, and stories that the children can interact with.

At the end of the session blankets are handed around to cosy up with and my lot found this so relaxing they even dropped off to sleep!

  


Although this was aimed at under 3’s even number three was taken with the whole experience.

Aside from these set sessions the centre itself has so much to see and do.

The indoor trail allows them to climb and slide to their hearts content, they can create spoons at the craft area, dance on the light polka dots, dress up in wonderful costumes and much more.

   
    
    
    

 
Outside in the story garden they can make beautiful music on the wooden instruments, climb aboard the pirate ship or launch into space in a huge rocket.

   
    
    
  
In between all this fun we managed to grab a bite to eat in the cafe that served a small selection of very reasonably priced lunch items and hot drinks.

  

This is the ultimate place to ignite your child’s imagination whilst keeping them active too.  With a range in age from 2-9 I was a little sceptical it would be suitable from them all, but they have all come away truly happy with the whole experience.

It had been the perfect end to our half term and we will be back very soon to create some more memories.

We were given tickets for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions.

 
  

Books, Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, London

The Gruffalo Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on The Gruffalo Review

  

A week before Christmas I was a little sceptical about taking the kids into town to fight through the Christmas shoppers but we had a surprising good journey and arrived at the Vaudeville Theatre relatively stress free.

We had a bit of a nightmare getting our massive buggy up the flight of stairs to the buggy park but once it was stored away we made our way to our seats to be greeted by the beautifully designed staging that had been made to look just like you have stepped into a page of the much loved story book of The Gruffalo.

Number five decided to have a melt down about the lack of satsumas in my bag but was promptly stopped when the lights went down and the performance started.

The cute character of the mouse was the first to take to the stage as she sets off on her journey through the woods cleverly outwitting the cheeky cockney fox, wise old owl and the super camp snake as she goes until her final encounter with the Gruffalo.

The audience are encouraged to join in with counting, singing and answering panto style questions which is perfect to keep the predominantly young audience engaged. At the end the big, bubbly character of the Gruffalo even comes down into the audience much to the delight of the children.

I had an age range of nine to a year with me and they all throughly enjoyed the whole show.  They even added a few adult friendly jokes in to keep the parents amused.

I loved that they had added a Christmas twist to the end with the mouse wishing everyone a merry Christmas under a shower of pretty snow.  For me this would make a wonderful Christmas treat for the whole family and something they will remember for years to come.
We were given tickets for the performance for the purpose of this review.  They are all my own honest opinions.

Books, Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Education, Families, Family Life, Gifts, Learning, Reading, Reviews, Reviews

Magical Christmas Books By Red Shed

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Magical Christmas Books By Red Shed

One of the best ways to get your children’s imagination running wild is through reading and Christmas time is a wonderful time to share the magic with a book.

We were asked to review some books from Red Shed and were over the moon when our parcel of beautiful books popped through the door.


The first one number three picked out was a heart warming story called ‘Socks For Santa’ about a little boy who was desperate to share his Christmas cheer by getting a present to Santa.  His journey was not as easy as he had hoped for!

The illustrations were bright and cheery and she loved sharing the story with her younger brothers.


Next up was a book that explains the true meaning of Christmas in a fun way that younger children will be able to understand.  With number four taking part in his first nursery play this book was perfect to help him get to know the story of the Nativity.


I love the addition of the pop out stable at the back of the book where the children can set up and play with their very own nativity scene.

My favourite book from our bundle though was ‘The Little Christmas Tree’.  The beautiful story of the animals from Emerald Wood coming together to decorate the last forgotten tree is bought to life with a spectacular pop up Christmas tree.


My usually boisterous three year old sat patiently with me adorning the tree with all the pretty decorations and bringing the characters to life with the little cardboard animals.


This one is going to be a favourite that will be bought and and loved for many Christmases to come!

A book really is a gift that keeps on giving and any one of these would make a wonderful present that any child would love.

 

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, London, Reviews, Reviews

The Tiger Who Came To Tea Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on The Tiger Who Came To Tea Review

One adult and four children in a theatre!  I have to admit I was wondering what was crossing my mind as I boarded the train on Sunday morning to go and watch The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

We arrived after a relatively pain free journey to be greeted at the doors and lead to out seats at the beautiful Lyric Theatre.

With our tiger souvenirs in hand and snacks at the ready the show began and the children’s attention was immediately drawn to the stage.

The older ones already knew the story and could preemt the arrival of each lovable character as they appeared; and the younger two were glued to the stage to see what was going to happen next.

The story of a mother and daughters day at home that is turned upside down by the arrival of a tiger making a visit for his tea is kept to throughout the play with some catchy songs and dances added to make the production even more special.

There was lots of interaction with the audience and mine all loved joining in with the catchy songs, counting down on the clock until each visitor arrives at the door and taking to their feet to join in with dancing.

I had a range of ages from thirteen to nearly two and they all thoroughly enjoyed the show.  My biggest worry was my youngest who normally can’t sit still for more than five minutes but I needn’t have worried at all as he watched and joined in with the whole show without a murmur.

The show is only running until the 10th January and I would highly recommend giving your little ones a Christmas treat to remember by taking them along to experience the wonderful adaptation of a real children’s classic.
We were gifted these tickets for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions.