Storytime

International Women’s Day is here once again (9th March) and to celebrate I thought I would share some of my favourite female authors who had surprising and very inspirational back stories. Overcoming financial adversity, escaping Hitler, becoming the family breadwinners, winning legal battles which in turn shaped copyright laws, campaigning for women’s rights, dealing with family tragedies and battling with mental health, these ladies were certainly inspirational trailblazers. Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924) Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-born American novelist and playwright. She is best known for... Read More

With World Book Book Day fast approaching this can be a high pressure time for any parent to an excitable child with big dreams! We know sometimes there just isn’t time to spend hours making a costume for your little one, so we’ve pulled together a list of quick and easy costumes that you can pull together without too much sweat. When is World Book Day? World Book Day is on 5th March 2020 and each year is the first Thursday of March. 1) The Paper Bag Princess by Robert... Read More

“…I wanted to inspire children to pick up books, and even start their own storytelling…”  At The Children’s Furniture Company it’s no secret that we love reading! We love the adventures that books take us on, the beautiful worlds that are created in our minds and illustrated on paper, and we love that they help to teach our children the most important life lessons. We’ve been lucky enough to spend some time speaking to Kirstie Watson, a local author from Milton Keynes, and the author of The Witch’s Cat and... Read More

With Christmas officially around the corner, we start our Christmas countdown with a few of our favourite festive books for children. From classics by Charles Dickens to more recent tales from Matt Haig, we have plenty of suggestions to help get you and your children into the Christmas spirit. Is your favourite on the list? Let us know what you think we’ve missed!  10. The Dark is Rising Susan CooperSuitable for children aged 10 plus This book evokes a real sense of wintry wilderness. A magical story that takes the... Read More

Meet the brilliant artist behind The Lost Words and the author of dozens of books including the new The Unwinding… “…I loved the thought of tigers, snow leopards, the shapes of wild things…” At The Children’s Furniture Company we love books – especially ones with striking and beautiful illustrations. The pictures we see in childhood stay with us for life –  so we thought it would be fun to meet the people who are making those memories for our own kids.  Our latest ‘Meet the Illustrator’ Q&A is with Jackie Morris, who has... Read More

From Harry Potter’s cupboard to mattress mountains, children’s literature is full of extraordinary beds. Which of these fired your childhood imagination? Perhaps it’s not surprising there are some many famous stories that feature notable beds. After all, sleep is so important for children’s development: they grow and gain strength in a cozy dream state.  It goes all the way back to the Bible and the story of Moses. His mother hid him amongst the bulrushes in an attempt to save him from the evil Pharaoh. To this day, parents still... Read More

Meet the brilliant artist behind The Truth Pixie and the fabulous new edition of The Iron Man… “…the things I remember that I loved in childhood were imagined things… I remember my childhood in stories…” At The Children’s Furniture Company we love books – especially ones with striking and beautiful illustrations. The pictures we see in childhood stay with us for life –  so we thought it would be fun to meet the people who are making those memories for our own kids. We often know the images really well, but know nothing... Read More

You know their pictures, but do you know their names? Here are 12 contemporary children’s illustrators we love – some very famous, others who deserve to be. Which is your favourite? by Misti Traya Some children’s illustrators are extremely famous – you see their work the world over, emblazoned on bags, posters, lunchboxes ….even books. Pick up a Korean edition of Roald Dahl for example, and the Quentin Blake cartoons will mean it’s immediately familiar. See also Axel Scheffler’s pictures for Julia Donaldson’s books. But about 10,000 new children’s books are published... Read More