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Ada Twist Scientist

Ivy’s Guest Book: Bridget Da Silva, Owner, Lulu Loves

Lulu LovesTell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hello I’m Bridget and I’m a mummy to one strong-willed, independent 4 year old called Lulu (Lucia). We live in North West London. I run Lulu Loves, making headpieces for any occasion and other crafty stuff including children’s wear and accessories.

What is your daughter’s favourite book?

At the moment we have two favourite books – ‘Ada Twist, Scientist’ by Andrea Beaty and ‘Hans and Matilda’ by Yoko Shima.. Lulu loves reading ‘Ada Twist, Scientist’ because of the clever way the story is told through rhyming text. She also loves ‘Hans and Matilda’, the anticipation leading up to the unveiling of Matilda by shouting out very loud ‘MATILDA’ gets her every time

Which book do you most like reading to her and why?

I love reading  ‘Ada  Twist, Scientist’ to Lulu as it’s a great book with great illustrations. Ada is a role model for young girls and especially for girls of colour. It is very important for my daughter to see positive images like these being represented. Ada is also a scientist, which as we know can be quite a  male dominated field. She embraces her hunger for knowledge through questions and thinking and reassuring us that it is OK to question things no matter how big or small. By building self confidence with supportive parents by her side and embracing her uniqueness, she is ready to face the world of science.

What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your child?

I tend to let Lulu choose first then oversee if it is appropriate or not. She always tends to go for books with some sort of animal on the front cover. I do look out for books that have a positive message and are confidence building but not too serious. They also have to be quite short as she tends to get a bit bored toward the end if there are too many pages.

What would you like to see more of in kids’ books today?

I would like to see more of a representation of mixed children and families in books as my daughter is mixed race. Growing up as a mixed race girl and a black girl  in this present time (with social media about) can be quite difficult as there will always be issues of not ‘fitting in’ to different groups or not ‘looking’ a certain way. The pressure is on young girls to fit in so if they see positive reflective images in children’s books from a very young age this will help them eliminate self doubt in the future and embrace self love

Lulu LovesAbout Lulu Loves

Lulu Loves was created  from my love of carnival, which I have been doing for over 21 years. The beads, the feathers, the gems, the jewels, the vibrant colours – I absolutely love it and thought I will create all this glamour and glitz on a smaller scale through my headpieces so people can enjoy all year round.  This is followed closely by my other love – pom poms. I enjoy making them and find it very therapeutic so I incorporated these onto jumpers, t shirt’s, swimwear, and socks. They are so quirky for children and adults.

You can find me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lululoveslondon_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivy’s Guest Book: Ceci De Benedictis, Director, Toy Box Tots

Toy Box TotsTell us a little bit about yourself and your family

My name is Ceci, short for Cecilia and I am half of Toy Box Tots, renting out boxes of super fun toys to preschoolers across the UK. I have boy girl twins who will turn 3 in the summer and a wild and crazy kitten called Harry. We live in East Dulwich with my husband Marco, having relocated from the UAE 18 months ago.

What are your children’s favourite books?

This changes on a monthly basis! At the moment it’s ‘Lottie Potter wants an Otter’ by Jeanne Willis and Leonie Lord . Every couple of weeks we go up to the local library and chose about 10 books to take home and there is always 1 that gets singled out and has to be read at least 10 times a day until we all know it from memory!  They always love books where someone or something is naughty or there is some drama or scandal that we can talk about.  It’s brilliant for me as I’m always looking for new books to base our toy boxes around so constantly having new books on the scene is great research.

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Ada Twist, Scientist
by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts

Ada Twist, ScientistLittle Ada drives her parents to distraction because she refuses to talk. Whilst all the children around her are starting to spout their first words, Ada just silently observes the world around her. Then she turns 3 and suddenly everything changes. She starts to talk and she just can’t stop. She wants to know why? when? where? how? and she needs the answers right now!

Ada’s endless need to question everything means that she is a perfect mini scientist. She devises experiments and builds hypotheses, trying to work out how everything she encounters works. This causes new problems for her parents however, as Ada pushes them to their limits with her constant questioning and tinkering.

One days she smells something horrible whilst playing in the garden and vows to track down the source. Can she puzzle it out? And how will her parents react when she starts experimenting on the cat and scribbling equations on the walls?

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