Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
I’m Becky, one half of Small & Wild – a recently launched range of yummy herbal teas blended especially with little people in mind. I’m also mum to Amelie, 4, and Monty, 2 and wife to Phil. We live in lovely Nunhead in South East London.
What is your son/daughter’s favourite book?
Oo, this is always changing. We’ve had many favourites along the way.
A current hit is Quentin Blake’s Three Little Monkeys, which is beautifully illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark. It tells the story of Hilda Snibbs and her three little monkeys.
‘Now, some people have dogs, and some people have cats, but Hilda Snibbs – Hilda Snibbs had three little monkeys. Their names were Tim and Sam and Lulu…’
Both of my two enjoy hearing tales of the mischief the three little monkeys cause whilst Hilda is out running errands. Poor Hilda always returns home and despairs at her house having been turned upside down. (My 2-year-old likes stomping around the bedroom at story time re-enacting some of the chaos they cause!) But one day Hilda comes back, the house is spotless, and her little monkeys are nowhere to be seen and she quickly realises that despite all their trouble-making she can’t bear to be without them. I imagine the story reminds my two a little of life at home and how they can wind me up no end but at the end of the day I will always love them to pieces!
Which book do you most like reading to them and why?
I have a few favourites to read to them. The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright is a brilliant story for my larger-than-life, noisy 2-year-old and my neat, quieter 4-year-old.
It’s a lovely story of a tiny, quiet mouse who wants to become a little more ‘Lion’ so he plucks up the courage to visit the lion at the top of the rock and ask him to teach him how to roar…
We all enjoy doing the lion ROARS and the mouse squeeeeaks together and I hope they pick up some of the underlying messages: for my 2-year-old – you don’t always have to be loud to be heard and for my 4-year-old – there are more important things in life than being the loudest and the biggest. And for all of us – that difference and team work are good things.
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
I have very vivid memories of always requesting I want to see the moon by Louis Baum. I loved that the key relationship in the book was between child and the dad (I think so often it is with the mum). I haven’t read it for a good number of years, but I remember the dad attempting to distract Toby from his request to see the moon when he can’t sleep with a visit to the toilet, a drink, playing with blocks… And I thought the dad was so very brilliant finally letting Toby go out into the garden to see if he could spot the moon at night time. The illustrations were also beautiful, and I can still picture the image of the moon breaking through the clouds.
Do you have a favourite children’s bookshop? What makes them great?
I regularly use three. I love SmallPrint – I’ve not actually been into the physical shop in Forest Hill but have bought a few brilliant presents from there online – for my own kids and friends – I love their beautifully curated selection. Rye Books in East Dulwich has been an absolute staple for me & the kids – we used to go to Bea’s Baby Bop there and often buy a book a new book on Alistair’s suggestion afterwards! I also love Village Books in Dulwich Village for their dependability and because I grew up locally and have fond memories of family trips down there to pick out books for holiday!
About Small & Wild – happy herbal tea for kids
Becky Coletto co-founded Small & Wild with her business partner Kate Towers – two mums with a love for tea! Keen to share this passion with their small people, Kate & Becky set about creating herbal blends especially for little taste buds.
Small & Wild tea is full of brilliant ethically-sourced ingredients, carefully placed into large, biodegradable, pyramid bags so all the yummy flavours are easily released. It is naturally caffeine-free and 100% natural with no added sugar or nasties. The tea is available to buy from independent delis and cafes and also online.
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