Hi Nell! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
I’m Nell. I’m originally from Birmingham but Edinburgh became my home 9 years ago. I now live in an old mining village just outside Edinburgh with my husband and 3 children aged 7, 6 and 3 years. I own the newly launched children’s clothing brand Tatty Rose. I adore reading and my happy place is snuggled up reading to my children.
What are your children’s favourite books?
My eldest son is a fantastically independent reader who has a real love of curling up with a good book. By far his favourites are from the DogMan collection by Dave Pilkey. I love the sound of him giggling away as he reads his hilarious books.
My daughter who is 6 is growing in her confidence reading alone and I will find her still awake reading at night. Her favourite book is The Day The Crayons Came Home.
My youngest son is 3 and his favourite is Oi Frog. We do have Oi Dog also but Oi Frog has remained the firm favourite. It’s such a fun rhythmic book, what’s not to love?
Which book do you most like reading to them and why?
I love reading all the ‘Mog’ books by Judith Kerr to my children, Mog was a part of my childhood and I love that Mog has become part of their childhood too. The books are from the 70’s and this is quite clear with the roles of Mr and Mrs Thomas (Mog’s owners) but there is simplistic joy in getting to know Mog and the conundrums she finds herself in. I love being snuggled up with my gorgeous children as we all shout “BOTHER THAT CAT!”. More recently I have purchased ‘ Goodbye Mog’ but this isn’t one I have brought myself to share with them yet!
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
Quentin Blake – ‘We All Join In’ I still have the very loved and dog eared book that my Dad read to me as a child. I now read it to my children and they love it as much as I did. I don’t need to see the words as I’ve known it by heart since I was tiny so my kids love that they can hold the book when I ‘read’ it to them.
Who is your favourite children’s author and why?
I join the millions of other parents when I say Julia Donaldson. She’s awesome and we all know it. My all-time favourite book is one of Julia Donaldson’s lesser known books – Freddie and the Fairy. It’s a lovely story about a boy and a fairy he meets who has a hearing loss. I myself have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids. This book has been a natural addition to our collection as it has helped my children understand more about my hearing loss. It gently shows children how to be more mindful about how they communicate. WELL DONE Julia!
Who is your favourite illustrator and why?
Oliver Jeffers‘ illustrations are simply gorgeous and gentle. His illustrations are perfect for bedtime stories as they are beautiful and calming. He’s also very generous with his illustrations. Did you know he has lots of FREE craft and colouring activities? You can find them here: https://ojstuff.com/collections/free My daughter loves colouring and painting and she has painted all of the pictures on his website.
What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your child?
I need to enjoy reading to my children. As a mum of 3 I read an insane amount of books. My youngest has been gifted lots of Paw Patrol books and Disney books and my heart sinks whenever he clambers on my lap gripping one of these offending books!
About Tatty Rose
Want simple playful kids clothing? Tatty Rose launched September 2018. We believe in letting children be children, to get messy and have fun.
The days may be long, but the years are short. Tatty Rose was born to celebrate the wild abandon childhood truly deserves. Hours of hide and seek, afternoons of playground glee, grazed knees, ice-cream covered chins – Tatty Rose collections are designed to see them through it all. Playful, hard-wearing, comfortable clothes for children encouraged to ‘be children’.
Every Friday I share a new book that my children and I have been enjoying over on social media. I also share fun outdoor and craft activities you can do with your little adventurers over on the Tatty Rose Blog.
www.facebook.com/hellotattyrose
www.instagram.com/hellotattyrose