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Have you ever thought about reading aloud to your baby bump? It’s an often-overlooked but profoundly impactful way to bond with your baby before birth. While the thought of reading to a baby who has yet to be born may seem unusual, there are huge benefits for both parents and baby.

Halloween is just around the corner and the five books about Samhain I’ve reviewed here are great if you’d like to teach your children about the origins of Halloween, paganism and/or Celtic culture. Not many adults are aware of the history behind the celebrations we associate with Halloween and I actually found it quite hard to find any books at all about Samhain for children. But I’m very interested in myths and legends generally and I love a challenge so I kept going and eventually found five fantastic books about the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. 

If you’re looking for the best Halloween board books for toddlers and babies, this book list is for you. I’ve compiled a list of really fun Halloween-themed board books for you to buy or to look for at your local library so you can include the youngest members of the family in the excitement of Halloween.

Wondering about the experiences of Aboriginal soldiers who served in World War I? Aboriginal soldiers did serve with the Australian Imperial Force in World War I but, until recently, little was known of their experiences and still less had been written about them. We know that an estimated 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in World War I but it’s difficult to establish exact numbers for sure because the enlistment process did not require a person’s ethnicity to be recorded.

Looking for a corporate gift for a new baby? We know how hard it can be to find a special gift that’s just that little bit different to celebrate a newborn or a baby that’s soon to arrive. Add in the need to meet the budget you’ve all agreed on and finding the perfect gift can end up being time-consuming and fraught with doubt. Congratulate a work colleague, client or staff member on the birth of their new baby with one of our gorgeous book gift baskets or Little Book Gifts.

I’m often asked to recommend books for 1-year-olds. I’m also asked, from time to time, whether it’s really “worth” reading to a 1-year-old. The short answer is, yes, reading aloud to small humans – even 1-year-olds – matters and there are some things you can look for to help you choose books that your one-year-old is likely to enjoy. On this page I’ll also share my list of the 10 best books to buy for 1-year-olds. These are the tried-and-tested, absolute favourite books of 1-2-year-olds around the world.

Do you have a child starting school in 2025? Starting school for the first time is a huge step in a child’s life and one which will inevitably bring worries and stress with it. There are a few things you can do to help your child feel a bit more comfortable about starting school but my absolute favourite way to help prepare little ones is to share picture books about starting school with them.