On Saturday 19th May, poet Dommy B will bring his latest one-man show to Z-Arts in Manchester and I have a family ticket for 4 people, plus a copy of Dommy B's poetry book, to give away to one of my readers!


Dommy B is a spoken word poet and has been on BBC’s Rhyme Rocket. He's also the 2017 Glastonbury Poet In Residence, and has released several poetry books for young independent readers.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh Dinosaurs! takes you on an amazing adventure with a young troll girl. Dinosaurs threaten the safety of her town and it is up to the youngster to defend and protect the inhabitants and their homes.

She teams up with an unlikely band of helpers, including a fire-breathing dragon and a goblin wizard, but can they save the day?

Huge high five all round to everyone who came, smiled, laughed and generally had a great time. I think BlogOnX was my favourite one yet, although I didn't get to a single session, missed afternoon break and could sleep for a week. I did make babies giggle, hug people I admire, laugh with many friends and meet loads of the names I have previously only spoken to online. It was a good do.


I took part in the pre-event 'introduce yourself' linky, and although I'm shattered just now, it's been a pleasure to join in with the post-event linky. Please add your posts, it's awesome to see what everyone else thought, especially what you enjoyed and what you took with you.


To kick off, the #PaladoneParty in Heaven - and it lived up to it I thought! Cocktails, games, prizes and excellent company. Cheers to the folk from Paladone for laying it on - and thanks for the win of the infinity light - my lads love it!  It was amazing up there watching day turn to night over Manchester...

Last night we were guests of the The Lowry to review the opening night of The Jungle Book, which will be playing until this Sunday 6th May - so you still have time to book! Presented by the Children’s Touring Partnership and Royal & Derngate, this adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 1894 classic children's Jungle Book tales was excellent, we all thoroughly enjoyed it.


The performance is a musical, with lots of singing and dancing, including several numbers with a large ensemble cast. The actors also played accompanying instruments, all while climbing around on a huge rotating set. It was loud, bold, but also very funny, with lots of laugh aloud moments for the whole audience. Baloo particularly was the lighter relief, he was very sweet and made my boys laugh and grin all the way through.

The Nokka is an excellent read which whisks you away to the land of the fairies. It does it very cleverly too, as it's very modern and easy to read, but has a classic feel and really could be set at any time...and in any woods...


The Nokka tells the tale of Jenifer and Jory, two youngsters living in Cornwall. Their names annoyed me, partly because of the spelling I'll admit, but I soon got over it as they are both intelligent and likeable youngsters. They have just enough bravery to get through the story, while still showing their own weaknesses. Jenifer's 8 year old brother Tristan features heavily too, and even he is a nice lad who you wish no harm to.

Jory's father went missing many years ago, so he lives with his mother, while Jenifer and Tristan live with their parents and Grandmother. Jenifer's late Grandfather told wonderful tales about little people living in the woods, and claimed to have even rescued one which had become caught in a snare. The little man dropped his bag, which Jenifer's Grandmother still has, and it contains 2 special stones and a riddle.

Wild Rumpus are brilliant at bringing a bit of magic to our lives and this year they are launching a brand new festival for families in the heart of the country. Feanedock in the National Forest, just south of Burton-On-Trent (and very close to where I grew up) will play host to Timber: The International Forest Festival. Running from 6-8th July 2018 it promises adventure for everyone...


We've been invited to review and I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity. My young boys, just like their siblings, can create a day's worth of amazing pure fun given only a bit of woodland and some freedom to explore and imagine. It should be a weekend off for everyone...


Unlike other festivals, Timber is about music and art, but also philosophy and sustainability. It will be carbon neutral and powered by 100% renewable energy. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about their environment as well as play in it, joining discussions and workshops with thinkers and scientists.

BRIO aren't a company I thought I'd work with again now that my children are bigger, yet they're one of my favourites, so I'm delighted to bring you this review of their classic Labyrinth Wooden Ball Game. Wooden toy manufacturers since 1884, this Swedish company make toys that last, educate and allow children to practise the developmental skills they'll use their whole lives.


Labyrinth was first introduced in 1946 and over 3 million have been sold. It arrives in a simple cardboard box, with the only plastic packaging being around the balls. It's protected inside, which is a good job as my postal service weren't careful at all. Inside there are the box-shaped maze and 2 small metal balls.

Next month the Children’s Touring Partnership and Royal & Derngate will be bringing their adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's 1894 classic children's tale The Jungle Book to The Lowry Theatre in Manchester. The performance will be showing from Wednesday 2nd until Sunday 6th May.


We'll be attending the press night for review and I'm really excited. Even better, I have a family ticket to give away to one of my readers at the end of this post.

i-SPY books have been around for a long time. I remember diligently filling in my copy of i-SPY Butterflies as a child, although I mainly used it for reference as these fact-filled pocket-sized books have big, clear illustrations and concise descriptions. They also have a completist, competitive aspect as you try to tick off as many of the objects or animals as you can, score 1000 points and become a Super-Spotter, earning a badge and certificate.


We've been sent a bundle of 4 of the new i-SPY books  to review - At The Shops, Garden Birds, In The City and with plenty of nostalgia for me, Butterflies And Moths. They're very much the same as they were 40 years ago, with a wealth of information packed into a tiny book.

National Geographic and their younger publications from Nat Geo Kids are renowned for being reliable, sensible and educational, and their series of How To Speak books really does back that up. How To Speak Emoji, How To Speak Dog and How To Speak Cat are fabulous books which have really taken me by surprise and captured the attention of everyone here.


We've been sent all 3 of the books to review and I didn't realise just what gems they were going to be. These aren't simply lists with definitions, they're full of facts and really fascinating.

The people behind Pal have asked me to take a look and write about their app. Pal is a free app which enables you to meet people, make new friends and join in with or create activities and events. A tool for locating like-minded people within your local area, it can be useful to anyone.


Pal isn't like other apps for meeting people. You can use Pal to find new friends, discover what's happening near to you, gather teammates or exercise partners, fill your coffee morning with new faces, the list really is endless.