Messy Mason by Yonit Werber and Neda Fuchedzhieva (Yonit Werber Publishing)

"Messy Mason" is a character most parents will instantly recognise (particularly us at the moment, if you've stood on countless Lego pieces or have sat there peeling stickers off a wooden floor too many times to count, you'll love this!) - a thoroughly messy little guy who lists tidying his room right at the very bottom of his priorities.

Despite some gentle cajoling from Mum, Mason just can't get motivated enough to tidy his room and on the rare occasions he does, it never stays tidy for more than a day or so.

An all too familiar scene!

So what's the answer?

Mum tries the usual parental standards (bribery, shouting etc) but sometimes the only way to learn a lesson is to learn it the hard way, and learn it yourself - as Mason finds out one day when a discarded tube of paint is trodden on.

Yonit's story is a good way to trigger off conversations about taking responsibility, or thinking of others - and Charlotte is at an age where we're slowly (but surely) getting past the shouting and tantrum stages towards her understanding and taking into account the feelings of others.

We still don't have the world's tidiest house but with the aid of Yonit's book, perhaps we can show her why Mason realised in the end why tidying was important to the others he shares a space with.

You can pick up the book via Amazon's Kindle Service.

Charlotte's best bit: She giggled when Mason got squished with purple paint.

Daddy's favourite bit: A great trigger for conversations about responsibility and motivation.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Yonit Werber)