The best kids’ book of 2016 – The Little Book of Imagination

Every now and again I come across a children’s book as a parent that I WISH existed when I was a kid. The Little Book of Imagination, created by Arthouse (and with the seal of approval from the legend that is Jacqueline Wilson) is one such book. In fact, I’m going to out on a limb here and say that, in my opinion, it’s the best kids’ book of 2016.

Let me tell you why.

1. It’s written BY children FOR children

The Little Book of Imagination has been compiled using a selection of winning children’s stories. Kids from all over the UK entered a creative writing competition and the winning stories from each category were chosen to feature in the book. Creative writing competitions are nothing new – and neither are stories written by kids – but the reason this book is different is that none of the stories are edited. You get to hear each story told in the exact way it was intended, through the voice of the child. I love that.

2. It’s beautiful

As someone who’s a sucker for an aesthetically pleasing scene I’m really drawn to the graphics and illustrations in The Little Book of Imagination. The children’s characters are brought to life with a mixture of the actual wallpapers which inspired the stories and the team’s own in-house illustrations. Both my girls loved looking at the pictures and it’s testament to the quality of this book that they keep returning to it again and again.

3. It promotes creativity

Right after we read this book for the first time, Frog sat down and wrote her own story. Inspired by the other kids who’d written stories featuring in the book (the book includes a photo of each child author – something Frog was fascinated by), my six year old got to work with her own creation. Seeing that other children could make up such brilliant stories really spurred Frog on to have a go herself. Anything that boosts a child’s interest in creativity and encourages them to get lost in their own imaginary world for a while is a winner as far as I’m concerned.

4. Every penny of the book goes to charity

The book only costs £8.99 – not a tall price to pay for such a lovely thing – but all the cash from the sale of the book goes to Rossendale Hospice, a hospice which cares for patients and their families living with cancer and other life limiting conditions. At this time of year it’s so easy to get caught up in the trap of BUY BUY BUY (I’m just as guilty of stockpiling presents as anyone else) but to know that at least some of your Christmas present money is also going to a worthy cause is incredibly satisfying – especially if it’s something you’d buy and happily give anyway.

If you’re still not convinced watch the video below (complete with a toddler tantrum, natch) to see us reading – and discussing (!) – the book recently…

HOW TO BUY THE BOOK

The thing that makes this book even more special is that there’s an element of limited edition excitement around it – i.e. you can’t just wander into your local bookshop and pick up a copy. Instead, you need to order it online or over the phone – and the good news is that if you quote VLOG in your order you’ll get postage and packaging completely free. The order form is HERE or you can phone 01706 239600.

 

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Thanks to Arthouse for working with me on this post and video. All opinions, photography, words and footage remain my own. For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page.

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