Happy ‘National Read a Book Day’!

First up – ‘The Colour Monster’ by Anna Llenas – a favourite for Colin Moore and his daughter, to immerse. In this interactive pop-up book, we follow a charmingly confused, multi-coloured monster as he journeys through a range of emotions. Through lines like, “Blue: this is sadness, it’s gentle like a rainy day, it can make us cry. It’s okay to feel sad, I’m here to hold your hand,” space is made for parent and child to have conversation about emotions and self-expression in a fun and inclusive way.

Colin praises its “bright and playful nature, interactive pop-up designs, and whimsical art style – perfect for helping kids explore the world, and their emotions.” If you have a young reader (or explorer!) at home, The Colour Monster seems to be a must-read!

For something with a bit more bite, Brigid McMullen, our founder and MD highly recommends ‘The Egg and I’ by Betty MacDonald which was written in the 1940s. Picture a bitter, dark winter in Buffalo USA in the 1960s, when Brigid’s mother found solace and much needed laughter in this book. The author had a knack for transforming the truly dreadful into the hysterically funny, with sharp, ironic wit, plus, vivid – often unflattering – character portraits. From the larger-than-life, upside down corset-wearing, culinarily disastrous ‘Gammy’ to the hilariously mismatched neighbours – prim ‘Birdie Hicks’ and chaotic ‘Maw Kettle’ – ‘The Egg and I’ brims with unforgettable personalities. This book is more than just comedy, it’s about pioneering, strong women who overtly, and comically subverted the era’s expectations.

So, which book will you dive into today for some escapism or inspiration? Let us know!