Mom’s Favorite Kids Zone by Sylva Fae

Mom’s Favorite Kids Zone

By Sylva Fae

My own little monsters loved bedtime stories. They’d pick out their books, often the same ones over and over, and take it in turns to sit on my knee – the optimum position for interacting with the illustrations. Then, they’d snuggle in bed, I’d turn the lights low, and finish on a ‘Mummy story’. Mummy stories were usually guided by my rascals, for example: “Mummy, can we have a story about monsters, but cute ones, and it has to include a rainbow, jam and jumping in puddles?” I would then have to improvise a story incorporating their random requests. Later, they asked for pictures to go with the stories and helped by drawing pictures of the characters. Rainbow Monsters started as a Mummy Story, but is now an award-winning picture book, published by Hatchling Press. My Rainbow Monsters present to you, some of our favourite stories, with maybe a few Mummy stories thrown in.

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0742M12MV

copies. As you can probably guess by the title, each one contains fifty items to find while out on a walk or a car journey. They cover animals, birds, the countryside as well as towns and villages. The lower numbers are usually easy to spot things, building up to something rare for number fifty. As well as the interactive aspects of the book, they are beautifully illustrated. As a child, I frequently used the illustrations as reference pictures for my

Violet’s Choices: Find 50 series Published by Hamlyn Aimed at children of all ages (and fun for grown-ups too)

As it is our 50th celebration edition, I remembered the Find 50 books of my youth. These pocket-sized books were originally published in the 1980s but are still just as relevant today. I collected most of them and still have my well-read

own artwork. They also inspired many of the treasure hunts I did for my own children while out and about – ideal to keep a child entertained on a long car journey. Sadly, I think these are no longer being published, but you can still pick up second-hand copies from many online stores and charity shops –definitely recommended if you spot them.

The Littlest Owl’s Christmas Rescue Written and illustrated by Sylva Fae

Aimed at ages 6 – 10

The farm is all locked up for Christmas Eve and the animals are snug and warm in their sheds. Loly is ready to go, but her car is stuck in the snow! How will she get home to her family?

The littlest owl knows her friend needs help, but how can an owl move a car? The only way to get Loly back home in time for Christmas is with some teamwork and a sprinkling of magic. The Littlest Owl is based on a real place, a beautiful farm in North Wales, that looks down to the sea. It is a working farm and also home to the Owls Trust. Some of the characters in the story are real too –maybe you’ve been there and met the real littlest owl. This is a story of how unlikely friends can work together to help someone in need. It carries a seasonal feelgood message of friendship and kindness.

Mindful Wanders – activities to do when you go for a walk.

As winter sets in, go on a walk in the countryside, or even just around your garden. Make sure you take a bag to collect the interesting things you find. Look: Can you find 50 different things on your walk? It might be easier to split it up. Find 10 animals or insects Find 10 birds Find 10 different trees Find 10 different plants Find 5 different mushrooms Find 4 signs that people have been there Find 1 burrow, sett or hole that an animal lives in Listen: How many different noises can you hear on your walk? Count them, can you hear 50 different noises? It might seem difficult at first but once you start to really listen, you’ll be amazed at just how many things you can hear.

Elf on the Shelf and Friends

Puzzles by Sylva Fae and Naomi Tayler In my Christmas story, Messy Christmas, it tells the tale of an elf on the shelf and his friend, the cat on the mat. In honour of Mom’s Favorite Reads 50th edition, here are fifty elf on the shelf like puzzles. Can you guess all fifty?