The more you do it, the better it will feel and your child is most certainly not a critic, they love the sound of your voice.

She is drawn to themes of identity and belonging in her books and aims to deliver big feelings with humour and tenderness 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. 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. 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 of the book!We’ve had lots of fun in workshops making our own little Pet Stars – caring for them and making beds for them to sleep in with little fabric scraps. Illustrator Rosalind Beardshaw has also designed some fabulous drawing guides to help you draw one. But for some parents, reading aloud causes a crisis of confidence. It might be fears about stumbling over the words or hearing your voice. We might avoid it all together or race through at such a speed just to get it over and done with. The expert advice is simple – fight your inner critic and do it anyway! Full of warmth and heart, this read shines as brightly as the star which heals. A beautiful bedtime story that will have readers dreaming of their own pet star. My Pet Star” is a rhyming picture book that contains a lovely little story about a loving child and her love for a star.

This book is all about loving something without needing to ‘own or have’ it. It’s cute and quirky and the tone and rhyme are great. Highly highly recommend. When Mum walks him to nursery the next day, she explains that people show their feelings in different ways: the mean old man on the park bench is telling the stray …

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. Draw your characters on to a piece of cardboard. You could draw a Pet Star, other night-themed characters, or anything you want to take part in your story. As well as the story representing how well you should look after any pet, there are teaching points about the star too including how it enjoys sleeping all day as it’s time to shine is the night sky. If you feel like you need warming up for storytelling duties, picture books offer the simplest way: just study the illustrations together... ‘What’s this?’ ‘I wonder where she’s going?’ ‘Look at that house, what colour is the roof?’ 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!

Colour in your characters with paints or pencils. You could even add glitter, ribbons or pom poms if you like! Rosalind has very kindly put steps together so that you and your little poppets can have a paper pet star of your very own. My Pet Staris a sensitive rhyming text that offers young children lots of play opportunities and rich language. This document offers planning inspiration that teachers can adapt to work for their children in their class.Rhyming text and gentle storytelling help make this the perfect book for bedtime or snuggling up with; it feels like a really special story and is a joy to read. 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… 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.

Make a table that shows things that are alive, were alive or have never been alive. You could use this resource to help. She is the author of Joy, Hope, Sorrel and the Sleepover, The Boy on the Bench and Floss the Playground Boss, with a further three titles publishing in 2021. 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.Here's how you can make your very own suncatcher to help brighten up your windows and make stars that will sparkle in the daylight...