Gosh, my girls are such bookworms! We can read a good 15 books a day with ease, as soon as we finish the one, they’re ready with another one and I don’t mind at all. It’s very difficult for me to resist buying them new books and we’re also very lucky to be sent a few here and there which I thought I would share with you, I always find it helpful to have a running list of “books to buy” especially in the run up to birthdays. So, here’s what’s new on our bookshelf… and an age old favourite.

The Mr Panda range: This is a 4 book set by Steve Antony and we have loved adding it to our bookshelf – thank you to Book Bugs who sent it to us. The overall theme in these books is teaching manners but in a fun and humourous way that your children will just love, mine definitely do! The four books are:

Good Night, Mr Panda: It’s bedtime but all of Mr Panda’s friends (hippo, sloth, skunk and sheep) have forgotten to do something. Along with Lemur, Mr Panda helps them to remember all the things that they need to do before it’s off to dream land like brushing their teeth and putting on their pajamas.

Thank you, Mr Panda: Mr Panda is so excited to give all of his friends a gift, but when they open their gifts, they aren’t what they needed and they are very ungrateful. Luckily, Lemur is around to remind them that it’s the thought that counts.

Please, Mr Panda: Mr Panda has baked a batch of delicious donuts and goes to offer some to his friends penguin, skunk and whale. The problem is that they all forget to say please. Who will remember the magic word and receive a donut?

I’ll Wait, Mr Panda: Mr Panda is busy making something and everyone is becoming incredibly impatient to see what it is… except for one one of his friends who knows that patience is important.

Aria is very into the princess phase, and while I have absolutely nothing against it, I was really excited to find these next two not-so-princessy princess books recently and both of the girls have loved them!

Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke: Princess Isabella is tired of being a princess, not being able to climb trees, smiling all the time and being waited on hand and foot. When she won’t put her crown on, one of her punishments is to go and clean the pigsty… but it backfires! Isabella loves being with the pigs, learning new things (like the fact that pigs are incredibly smart) and getting dirty. This is a really lovely and funny story with a heartwarming ending.

*I haven’t been able to find a link for this, please let me know if you do!

The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie: Princess Sue has been waiting for her prince for ages and she is getting fed up about it. When he finally arrives, she is shocked to find out that she will be spending her days in a castle, with no fun in sight. All of a sudden she spots a fearsome dragon with flashing eyes coming towards her but instead of being afraid, Sue befriends the dragon and together they go off on an adventure. Sue may be the worst princess, but she certainly is the most fun!

The Girls by Lauren Ace: Oh I just adore this book so much and I was thrilled when I found it in a bookshop one day. It follows the life stories of four little girls who meet under an apple tree. The form an unbreakable bond that sees them through life’s ups and downs, heartache, accomplishments and self discovery. Through good times and bad, regardless how different their paths are, they know that they can always count on each other. An incredibly heartwarming story focusing on the importance of friendship.

The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl: Ah, this is such a classic and I’m so glad that my girls love it as much as I did when I was younger. I’m a big Roald Dahl fan, his wit and slightly dark humour really appeals to me and it comes through wonderfully in this book about an enormous crocodile who wants to munch on some children. Follow him through the jungle where he meets some animals and tells them about their plan. They are not pleased with him and all each come up with a plan to put a stop to his secret plans and clever tricks. Admittedly, this story is not suitable for all children but it does have a happy ending and as always, the illustrations by Quentin Blake are fantastic.

While there have been many, many other books that we have read this month, these few were definitely the most requested by Aria and Maia. If you’re on the lookout for some books, definitely pop Book Bugs a DM as they can source for you as well as give you recommendations on what your child would like. You can also use my code mascara10 for a discount on your purchase.

What books are your kids loving at the moment?