Celebrate National Gardening Week (15-21 April) with Miffy's Garden by Dick Bruna (Egmont Books)

It's National Gardening Week this week and a good way to get your little ones thinking about the glorious sunshine, the sheer joy of getting completely covered from head to foot in rich brown soil, and growing your own little plants is to dive into a great little book all about a child's first garden.

Miffy is an enduring character, and indeed Charlotte's very first soft toy was a tiny little Miffy - so it's great to revisit the Dick Bruna books, that have entertained little ones for a very long time.

Dealing with topics as diverse as gardening, first days at school and even grief, the books are eye-catching, beautifully designed and bunnytastic!

We took a look at Miffy's Garden to celebrate National Gardening Week and in it, Miffy's dad decides that Miffy is now old enough to learn all about things that grow in the garden.

Raking, digging, sowing and growing, Miffy learns that the garden holds infinite possibilities to grow plants to eat, plants to share and plants of stunning beauty - just like your own garden!

Keep an eye on the Royal Horticulture Society's theme week as it develops, and just as the first sunny days of spring (I know, they're a bit late!) come along, there's never a better time to dive into your own garden and start thinking about seeds to sow! If you fancy kitting out your little ones with lots of Miffy gardening goodies, check out the official miffy store. www.miffyshop.co.uk

For parents with iPads, there's also a great "Miffy's Garden" app available from the iTunes store for £2.99.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/de-tuin-van-nijntje/id495662581?l=nl&ls=1&mt=8



Charlotte's best bit: A huge big basket of lovely juicy carrots for Miffy and family!

Daddy's favourite bit: Dick Bruna books have been loved by children for years and it's easy to see why, they're still as brilliantly told and designed as they always were.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Books)