5 Christmas Treats For Mini Bake Off Fans

5sweetcakebooks.jpg

It’s been a few weeks since this year’s series of the Great British Bake Off left our screens but as the winter nights draw in, surely baking and reading are two of the cosiest ways to spend our time. At this time of year, I particularly like baking Christmas ginger biscuits and icing them as if they are baubles. A lovely thing to do with the little ones.

I also love buying books as Christmas presents and have put together a list of baking themed books that will make a cosy addition under any Christmas tree this year.

1. Little Mouse and The Big Cupcake by Thomas Taylor, illustrated by Jill Barton
This is such a cute little board book. Little Mouse finds a HUGE cupcake that is too big for him to carry home. He asks his friends for help and is happy for them all to try a nibble. Once they have each enjoyed a little bit of cake, it is small enough for him to carry. Such a sweet message about how sharing means everyone wins.
Click here to buy.

2. I Really Want The Cake by Simon Philip, illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti
I Really Love This Book! The rhyming text tells the story of a little girl who just can’t resist the cake that is sitting on the table. She tries to be strong. She tries to distract herself. But she just can’t help herself. (We all know that feeling!) The illustrations are so full of fun, movement and energy. You can really feel her frustration. You’ll have to read it to find out what happens next!
Click here to buy.

3. An Amazing Alphabet of Cake, written and illustrated by Kirstie Rowson
A little cheeky to include my own book but this is a super sweet way for little ones to learn their ABC. Full of fantastically fruity fairy cakes and incredibly impressive ice cream cakes, curl up to discover twenty six tasty tongue-twisters, then dream up dozens of your own delicious delights together! This is a fun, indulgent and colourful ABC picture book with 44 different characters including lions, tigers, cats, wizards, a mini dachshund, boys, girls, a flamingo, badgers, a bear, a fox and even Father Christmas there's a whole world of cuteness and cake to explore and enjoy.
Click here to buy.

4. Nadiya’s Bake Me A Story by Nadiya Hussain, illustrated by Clair Rossiter
A lovely treat of a book which combines the comfort of reading a story with the cosiness of getting in the kitchen to make one of the recipes together. Nadiya has such a homely style and the illustrations are really vibrant and entertaining. Any little baker would be pleased to receive this.
Click here to buy.

5. Cakes In Space by Philip Reeve, illustrated by Sarah McIntyre
Being of a certain age, obviously the first thing the title of this book makes me think of is the Muppets’ Pigs In Spaaaaaace and I can’t help saying the title in that voice. But! For slightly older readers, who are progressing on to chapter books this is so much fun. Astra finds herself alone on a spaceship infested with crazy cakes. Such a delightfully bonkers premise from a brilliant writing / illustrating partnership.
Click here to buy.

Inspiration - Writing A Children's Book with Jen Campbell

I love hearing about other's experiences of publishing and seeing projects take shape. This video from writer, poet and vlogger Jen Campbell gives a lovely insight into her experience of working with illustrator Katie Harnett to create Franklin's Flying Bookshop.  Having worked with Kristyna Litten to create Angel's Great Escape and now putting together my own illustrated picture book, it's comforting to see that I'm approaching it in the same way. I'm intending to share a lot of detail about how I work soon but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this inspiring treat.

Angel's Great Escape Available On Amazon!

Today, I am very excited to announce that my first self-published picture book Angel's Great Escape, illustrated by Kristyna Litten, is finally available in print! For those who have followed my progress you will know that this has been quite a journey that has taken more than four years to complete. And quite a bit longer than that when I realise I first had the idea over ten years ago!

I will write a detailed blog post soon about my self-publishing journey but for now I wanted to celebrate the fact that a long-held dream is now a reality and I'm so excited to finally be sharing my little Christmas story in print! I really hope that you and the little ones in your life enjoy it this festive season!

Click here to buy your copy today!

And don't forget you can also download a fully narrated version of the book on your tablet from iBooks or Me Books. Narration is by West End superstar David McMullan and the Me Books version even has additional character voices which you can hear a sneak preview of in the video below!