Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family

Hello my name is Sam, I’m founder of Balance the Load, parent of a 3-year-old firecracker called Sally and a 10-month-old meatball called Frank. We live in Nottingham but are originally from the south where houses cost too much for us. My partner and I are attempting to split childcare right down the middle – especially now we are on lockdown – which is making for some interesting conversations and challenges but also means we’re getting a lot of quality time with the kids and plenty of time for reading together.

What are your children’s favourite books?

My daughter Sally absolutely loves Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. Julián’s daydreams of being a mermaid are made reality when he smears on his grandmother’s lipstick and tears down her curtain to use as a tail. The beautiful watercolour illustrations and fantastic character designs captivate Sally each time we read it together. It also helps that she’s as fanatical about mermaids as Julián is.