Overall, 'Well Done, Mommy Penguin' is a must-have for any family with young children. It's a beautiful book that both parents and kids will love to read together again and again. So go ahead and add it to your library - you won't be disappointed! Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. I didn’t like the way it waspresenting the dad as going out to sea while the mum stayed at home so I swapped the genders around. The gender swapwas interesting though. When the joke was on a disastrous dad itall seemed funny, but when it’s a disastrous mum it’s somehow not very funny at all,its actually quite alarming. There has been a conversation about how dads getpraised for doing the bare minimum while mums often do the work day in and day out without credit. Thisgender reversal really seemed to underline it. Credit where credit is due. There’s no question that books from Chris Haughton’s pen (stylus?) are modern children’s classics, like the wonderful A Bit Lost (2010) and 2014’s Shh! We Have a Plan. The London-based Irish illustrator and author’s blend of humour and his distinctive style is always a joy. His latest offering Well Done, Mummy Penguin - an ode to resilient mammies and the lengths they go to for their families - is another gorgeous string to his bow.

But there’s one last hurdle that Mummy must conquer before she can reach her family. A group of big, sleeping seals is all that lies between her and family. Mummy will need to use her skills and – of course - be very, very quiet… Seat in rows A-GG have 20cm (73/4“) of legroom in front of each seat, with restricted legroom in rows A-D. As I mentioned,I’d been working on a VR project, Little Earththe previous year. VR is an incredible medium but its almost too immersive. You lose all bearings and sense of reality andso scale and distanceis not something you could show with VR.I had spent the dayplotting the solar systemalong the river and that evening I went for a walk in the same area…Ilooked downatgoogle maps to get my bearings… and saw the very same map Ihad been looking at all day.I had an idea! Augmented reality could work really well with the project! It wouldadd a completely different dimension to the project. Seeing theplanets mappedto the map is what makes it tangible. Mummy Penguin is going out and leaving Daddy Penguin and Little Penguin, but where is she going, and will she return? In this simple and joyous story, Daddy Penguin takes on the role of looking after Little Penguin while courageous Mummy Penguin hunts for dinner. But her task is not without its dangers, all watched by Little Penguin and Daddy Penguin. This is a simple narrative, reminiscent of classics like Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Martin Waddell’s Owl Babies and the more recent Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max. The ending is wonderful, a question which suggests that Mummy Penguin’s work is not yet done.

More books for age 3+

If you grew up in Ireland, you’re probably familiar with many of the fabled myths and legends that comprise our cultural identity. But what about the unsung heroes? Author Ellen Ryan re-imagines some of the female-led tales of goddesses and warriors for a new generation, shining a light on the overlooked figures from Irish legends - from Eithne the supernatural scholar or Fand the shape-shifting eco-warrior. A brilliantly empowering book for all ages.

Chris Haughton is a digital artist with a distinctly recognizable and engaging style. I’m fond of his work, having previously written about OH, NO, GEORGE and DON’T WORRY LITTLE CRAB. I think many of his loveable, digitally-rendered characters and spreads would make great wearable art. Perhaps one of the most celebrated Irish children’s authors and illustrators out there, Oliver Jeffers hits the mark yet again with his latest book - which stretched his storytelling canvas in a multitude of ways. Beautiful artwork accompanies the Belfast native’s trademark wit and wisdom in this "brief history of the world and a guide to the universe", as a dad takes his two kids on a cosmic adventure to gain perspective on the Earth and its history. Stunning stuff. Since 2013, myself and another unnamed illustrator have been working on a scale model of the solar system. It began with a conversation one evening in Spain. I was working on a book about scaleat the time which zooms from a tiny mouse all the way out to the planets and the stars and a conversation was had wondering if any scale modelsolar systems had been made. The models on google all looked quite uninspiring and it was decided to make one ourselves. Amidst the snowy Antarctic landscape, Mummy Penguin is off to find a fishy dinner for her family. Daddy and Little Penguin watch in suspense as Mummy swims through the icy waters, climbs the perilous cliffs and tiptoes past some grumpy, just-awakened seals. Can she do it? Well done, Mummy Penguin!Beautifully illustrated in cool shades with contrasting orange accents, Haughton's picture book depicts the exhausting triumph of raising a child without coming off as preachy. With a nod to the fascinating nature of penguin parenting, Well Done, Mummy Penguin is a brand new stage adaptation of the latest picture book from award-winning writer and illustrator Chris Haughton, and an irresistible ode to family bonds and incredible parents everywhere. Learning about history, geography and culture can often be an overwhelming and frankly, a dull experience for little people. Not on Myles Dungan’s watch, though. The well-known Irish author, historian and broadcaster’s history of our little island encompasses everything from the Celts, to the Famine, to the 1916 Rising - all presented in child-friendly chunks and accompanied by fabulous illustrations courtesy of Alan Dunne. From a distance, Daddy Penguin and Little Penguin watch Mommy Penguin as she gets dinner. While gliding through the water looking for fish, she waves her wing at Little Penguin. Despite the fish being really fast, Mommy Penguin catches one.