As wonderful as the summer holidays are, keeping the kids busy day in and day out is slightly exhausting to say the least. I’ve found that reading to Aria can keep her occupied for almost two hours, she just gets so entranced by the pictures and the words that she understands. And even though I still have to read to her, its still a decent chunk of time that I’m not running after her which I always welcome with open arms. We were recently sent five publications from Pan MacMillan and they are all fab for keeping the kids busy these holidays. Make sure to read all the way to the bottom for a little suprise and don’t forget that you can shop online with Pan MacMillan as well, making life even easier.

If you have a little one that just loves their princess fairy tales, this three dimensional fairy tale theater that tells the tale of Cinderella should be number one on your list. Jane Ray did an excellent job with not only the way the story is told, but with the three dimensional scenes as well, our favourite is the one with the pumpkin carriage. The illustrations are beautifully classic making this a book that will have a special space on your child’s bookshelf.

Next up is Fish Dream of Trees and Other Curious Verses adapted by Roger McGough. When I first read the quick and witty poems in this book I thought “these are quite odd”, but I think to an older child, maybe around 7 or so, would find them fairly humourous. Frantz Wittkamp, a famous German poet, wrote all of the literature originally and McGough, one of the UK’s best loved poets, really did a fab job of adapting it to suit his intended audience. Axel Scheffler who is probably best know from his illustrations in The Gruffalo series, also illustrated this book so you can expect stunning visuals, as you have come to expect from Scheffler. With child-eating plants, and hiccuping elephants, this book is a lovely way to really get your child’s imagination to go wild.

Diamond in the Snow by Jonathan Emmet is the sweetest tale of Mole who happens upon a magical diamond one day while he is out exploring. When the magical diamond disappears right out of Mole’s hands, he calls on his frinds Hedgehog, Rabbit and Squirrel to help him find out what happened to his little piece of magic. Not only is this story ridiculously heart-warming, the illustrations by Vanessa Cabbon are absolutely dreamy. This is an ideal “just before doo-doo time” read.

One of the most heart-warming books that I’ve read in a long time is On the Night of the Shooting Star by Amy Hest. It tells the story of Bunny and Dog who live on the opposite side of the fence and tall grass. They see each other every morning but neither has the courage to say hello. But one night, both of them see a bright shooting star, and this becomes the catalyst for their friendship. I love how this book encourages children to reach our to someone and say “I can be your friend”, because let’s face it, the world can do with a little more kindness.

Saving the best for last (in my opinion at least), The Gruffalo and Friends 2018 Annual is an absolute must have this holiday season! It has 64 pages packed full of activities for kids, including mazes, quizes, colouring in as well as some short stories, all featuring everyone’s favourite characters from Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler. If there is one book that you need in your “keep the kids busy” arsenal, it’s this!