When You Were Small / When I Was Small by Sara O'Leary and Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)

These two beautiful books are such a perfect fit for our #readitmd13 theme week of 'Parents Telling Stories to their children' - a happy coincidence that they plopped through our letterbox with utterly perfect timing.

When You Were Small / When I Was Small follow the theme of a mummy and a daddy telling their little boy what they were like when they were so tiny they could bathe in a cup, or a whole raspberry became an entire feast.

The books are very reminiscent of the sort of books I grew up with - full of delight and impact from a combination of gentle whimsical storytelling and utterly lovely ink and colour illustrations that are just my cup of Earl Grey.

The best part of all is that Sara's writing stimulates just the type of conversation we love at home, when we tell Charlotte what she was like when she was a baby and I could almost fit her into the palm of my hand, and when she looked so completely lost like a tiny little pea pod in her cot.

(she doesn't believe me, of course - but it's true!)

Beautifully presented with canvas-bound spines (again, lending them a 'classic' feel), the sort of books you'll want to keep so your children can pass them on to their children.

Charlotte's best bit: The little girl riding the family pets like a horse.

Daddy's favourite bit: So many lovely little touches, beautifully presented, wonderfully written and illustrated, completely fell in love with these.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Simply Read Books)