My Mummy is a Monster: My Children are Monsters

This is such a quirky book which will definitely appeal to both children and adults. I love the concept behind the book and the powerful message it is portraying, that there are two sides to every story and that we cannot always see things objectively. As a primary school teacher and a mother to a 7 year old this is exactly the book I want my class/child to read. Learning through books is such a powerful tool and this book encourages and promotes children to see that situations will look differently to different people. This opens up a great discussion point for the children to explore, promoting empathy, fairness, and general awareness of other people's feelings.

The book features rhyming couplets which makes reading fun and pacey. The illustrations add to the story making it accessible for younger children who can follow along with the reading by using the picture cues to support. What I particular love about the book is that the author uses everyday situations, such as brushing your teeth, walking to school and bath time which every child can relate to. This helps provoke empathy towards the characters and allows them to reflect upon their own lives.

The hardback version of this book, I'm told, actually flips over at the midpoint to explore the next narrative. This extra feature sounds divine and would add an additional air of excitement and wonder to this physical book. There are also free downloadable activities on the website: www.lollipoplodge.com.

As this is the first picture book in the Monstrous Me series I cannot wait to find out what else Natalie Reeves Billing has planned, I for one will be collecting the future releases.