Today I am delighted to be hosting the blog tour for a rather splendid picture book about looking at things from someone else’s perspective. May I introduce you to My Mummy Is A Monster written by Natalie Reeves Billing and illustrated by Lisa Williams.
Synopsis
The Monstrous Me series is a split perspective book looking at situations from another point of view to help children develop a sense of balance, roundedness and wellbeing. Readers can literally and figuratively, turn the story on its head, and look at the very same situations from different angles.
In this first book, My Mummy’s a Monster, an inquisitive little girl is convinced her mum is a monster. But, is she really? When we look through her mummy’s eyes, we see a very different story.
My thoughts
This is such an unsual and interesting picture book. Written in rhyme and surrounded with bright, colourful, fun illustrations this will be a super book to share with your little monsters.
The emphasis is on the fact that there are always two sides to every story and it encourages both children and adults to look at things from the perspective of others. Split into two stories we begin with My Mummy is a Monster with two long suffering children who have to deal with a mother who brushes their hair with spikes, makes them brush their teeth with ‘disgusting green paste…it tastes of old feet.‘ and who makes them carry their bags after school, amongst other very unfair things. Of course then mummy gets to have her say and we move on to book two and My Children Are Monsters. Now we get to see the day through the eyes of poor, tired mum. It’s a lovely technique and there is so much to talk about as you read through both stories in the book. There is also a spot the ‘Monstrometer’ which adds that element of search and find – always a great addition to any picture book.
Find out more by visiting the Lollipop Lodge website were you can find links to order a copy of the book, including a hardback flipbook version.
This looks like the beginning of a wonderful new picture book series.
Thank you so much to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in this Random Tours Blog Tour and thank you to Natalie for sending me a copy to review – it’s rather lovely and has been a pleasure to review.
About the author
Natalie Reeves Billing is a Liverpool lass with a dark sense of humour, which often spills onto the page. She loves to write spooky, fantastical stories for young audiences, and dabbles in poetry, contemporary fiction.
Natalie spent most of her early career in the music industry as a performer and professional songwriter. This lead, almost inevitably, to storytelling.
Natalie is an Arvon Foundation friend and is a student of the Golden Egg Academy. She is mentored under the Lloyds Bank SSE program, with her Bubs Literacy project. She is published in several anthologies with her poetry and flash fiction, including the Writing on the Wall, Read Now,
Write Now, and is involved in several collaborations with fellow writers across poetry, song, and scriptwriting.
Her new book, My Mummy is a Monster (part of the Monstrous Me collection) is available from March 2020 and Carry Love in June 2020.
You can follow Natalie on Twitter at @BillingReeves.
and on Facebook at @NatalieRBillingAuthor
and on Instagram at @natalie_reeves-billing
About the illustrator
Lisa Williams decided to be an illustrator whilst she was still in primary school. She has been illustrating children’s books, magazines and educational material for nearly 25 years. Whilst taking on commercial work, Lisa took a teacher training course, but since qualifying, her commercial success has been such she hasn’t had the time to teach!
Lisa is one of the talented illustrators for Team Author UK. This allows her to work with a variety of authors and the opportunity to develop an array of styles.
You can follow Lisa on Facebook at @lisawilliamsillustration
Tales Before Bedtime 
Huge thanks for the blog tour support Shelley x
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