Welcome to my latest blog post. This piece is part of a blog tour for a brilliant picture book My Pet Star . Thank you to Hachette publishers for inviting me along. Once you’ve finished reading the book,why not continue the story with these colourful shadow puppets and make your own adventures? A star has fallen from the night sky and – bump! – landed underneath a tree, where a kind and caring small person finds him. Concerned about his lost glow, she takes him home, cleans him up and introduces him to her world and the things she loves, from books and hugs to ice cream in the park.

I dedicated this book ‘To all the carers, big and small.’ And would like to add now - our most heartfelt thanks. My Pet Star is told in rhyme and the words are like a big, warm hug. It is a beautiful book about being kind and when the time comes, letting something go. The girl knows that the star will eventually have to return to the sky, but when it does it doesn’t disappear from her life as it shines down from the sky watching over her. Colour in your characters with paints or pencils. You could even add glitter, ribbons or pom poms if you like!Looking for something fun as a family? Enjoy storytime with our free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test your knowledge in our book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters. If you have any leftover tissue paper or ribbon lying around the house, you can turn your crafts into shooting stars by gluing thin trails to the bottom of your creations. This change will allow us to provide our members with new features and capabilities. So things may change around As the story progresses we see how kind the young girl is. She treats the star as if it were a pet, doing all the things that one would expect and more. She cleans the star, feeds the star, reads to the star and shows so much love for her pet. A beautiful friendship is formed.

The little girl and the star forge a beautiful friendship and this will be a great book for those who love stargazing and those who are keen on having a pet. Beautiful story, lovely rhyming, which doesn’t feel forced like some books, and really lovely pictures. She is drawn to themes of identity and belonging in her books and aims to deliver big feelings with humour and tenderness

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This activity would be a lovely way of completing some bookish play after reading My Pet Star and my girls looks forward to making more stars. When children read to animals, they gain confidence and a cuddly companion while the animals get some much-needed attention." Although it certainly wasn’t known at the time of its selection – My Pet Star's themes of illness, kindness, nurture and getting well (or letting go) are incredibly relevant to what we’re all experiencing. I hope it helps you to talk about these things in a positive context. If it’s a clear night, you could take a look at the night sky and ask your little one if they think they can see Pet Star? If you can, wave hello to him! Make the context appealing as well as the book. Tell your child you’re going to be reading about a star that fell from the sky into a little girl’s garden! Imagine that...!

We want everyone to join in the fun of with this wonderful book, so we've put together a collection of activities, rhymes, storytime videos, craft ideas and lots more to help you celebrate My Pet Star and the magic of bedtime stories. Rosalind Beardshaw has always enjoyed drawing and her favourite subject at school was art. She worked on many books including her own book Grandma’s Beach and others she has illustrated for including the Lulu series which my girls and I think is great. I have previously reviewed Lulus Pet Cat. Take a photo of your pet's face. For the best results, take a photo of your pet with your dog or cat facing forward with his/her eyes open and mouth closed.We're giving copies of My Pet Star by Corrinne Averiss and Rosalind Beardshaw to families across the country through food banks, refuges and more - and we want you to join in the fun! When a young girl finds a star under a tree, she knows it does not belong there. So she takes him home to look after, her own pet star. As the star regains its health and sparkle, it will soon be ready to return to the sky and the girl will eventually have to let go…