Ever since they were small, the boys have always had a bedtime story read to them. It’s part of their daily bedtime routine, and they take it in turns to choose a book each evening. It’s a great way to wind down before bedtime, and more often than not, E will continue to read a few chapters of his own book before lights are switched off.
We were recently contacted by Dilara Arin, a local writer and illustrator who asked us whether we’d like to review her books: Animal’s Book of Dance and Gogol the Golden Golem.
I always like to support small businesses where I can so we were more than happy to check these books out and let you know our thoughts on them.
About Dilara Arin
Dilara was born in Instanbul/Turkey and came to the UK to study Animation. She illustrated books for other authors before writing and illustrating her own. Animal’s Book of Dance and Gogol, the Golden Golem, are her debut books.
Animal’s Book of Dance
Animal’s Book of Dance is fun and engaging for children. They can join in with the animal dance party and follow their funky footsteps.
The boys loved trying to copy the moves and even ended up making up a few of their own too!
Gogol the Golden Golem
Gogol the Golden Golem, suddenly loses his gold colour which makes him sad so he is on a mission to find it again. Along the way, he ends up on an adventure with his friends. Will Gogol ever become golden once more?
I won’t ruin the whole story for you, but this book is beautifully illustrated and packed full of colour.
The detail in the illustrations are fantastic and the boys were completely immersed in the story. So much so, they asked for it again and again. Gogol the Golden Golem really inspired their imagination too, they loved guessing what adventures Gogol would have next. E was even keen to find out if there would be a second book.
Dilara also very kindly did a little Q&A for us too. E came up with the questions in blue and mine are the ones in purple – take a look below.
Q&A with Dilara Arin
Does the story or the illustrations come to you first?
All my ideas for books come from a single image. I draw a lot of illustrations for my own pleasure, and a story will sometimes come out of one. I drew a Gogol the Golden Golem picture years ago (I even named him then!) and the story has been brewing at the back of my mind since.
Did you sketch the pictures out on a piece of paper first?
All of the pictures were sketched out first. I usually do very rough sketches on paper, then more in detail sketches on the computer.
How did you come up with the idea for Gogol?
I love myths and legends of every culture, and I love fantasy literature and games too. Golem is a creature I’ve always loved the idea of, and a golden Golem creates a lot of story opportunities!
Are you going to make a second book of Gogol?
I don’t plan for another Gogol book but there are plans for a Gogol animation and puppetry show!
What kind of paints did you use for Gogol?
Gogol was done all on computer, using Photoshop. I use various digital brushes, some made by other people and some made by me.
What was your favourite book that you made? I like all the books I make but Gogol the Golden Golem is very special to me. There’s a little piece of me in all the characters I create but even more so in the characters in this book.
Being a local to Kingston (like we are), has there been anything in the local area that influences your story writing or illustrating?
I live very close to Richmond Park and this side of the park has a quite rough nature, especially in autumn and winter time, which has definitely been influencing my illustrations.
What are your plans for the future and what are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a new picture book and there is another one in the pipeline. A Gogol animated short and a puppet show are also amongst my plans.
Order your copies and receive 20% discount
Dilara is offering my readers a 20% discount on her books. Simply head over to her website and use the code: SuburbanMum20
*We received these books for the purpose of this post.
The illustration in these looks beautiful! (I’m so picky when buying early years books because I have to like the art in them.) I bet the animated short will be awesome. #KCACOLS
These books like beautiful and really unique. It’s so great to support local authors too. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
Hello and welcome to Suburban Mum!
I'm Maria and I'm mum to two boys - E who's 13 and M who's 10. This blog is about my little family, the ups and downs of being a working mum and everything in between. If you want to find out more about me and my family head over to our About us page.
[AD] We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we are Barracuda Ambassadors again this year.
With Easter just around the corner, the boys were sent the @barracudas_activity_day_camps new camp kit in preparation for the school holidays.
There’s a wide range of activities for kids aged 4.5 - 14 including Tennis, Archery, Basketball, Arts & Crafts and more.
If you like the sound of Barracudas, find out more over on their website. You can also save £20 a week or £4 a day, using my discount code: MARIA20
If you’re looking for something to do over the Easter holidays, why not head to @brooklandsmuseum? I’ve been taking the boys here since they were toddlers, and there is so much to see and do.
M is obsessed with aeroplanes, so we spent most of our last visit going on the aircrafts they have on display. We did the Concorde Experience too.
There’s also a wide range of motoring exhibits, and the London Bus Museum is here.
We plan on returning soon to see all the exhibits we missed last time.
I got our tickets through Buy a Gift, as you can save over £25 on a family entry to the museum (see the link in my bio)
Full details to visit Brooklands Museum below:
📍 Brooklands Drive, Weybridge Surrey KT13 0SL
🚗 Parking is free
🎟️ Adults £23, Children 5-18 £12, Family Ticket £57.50, Under 5s are free
🕐 Opening hours 10-5pm
☕️ Cafe and gift shop
[AD - Gifted]
Last weekend we were invited to try out @tsarettaspice’s new Bottomless Brunch menu and I can tell you it was thumbs up all round!
There’s a good choice tapas on offer from Punjabi fish fingers, Indo Chinese Chicken to Spiced Lamb Scotch Eggs and Manchurian Cauliflower (which was amazing!)
If you’re local to Twickenham and fancy giving them a try here’s are the details.
Tsaretta Spice Bottomless Brunch
⭐️£37.50 per head for bottomless Prosecco or cocktail of the day
⭐️£55 per head for bottomless Champagne
⭐️ Food included: 4 tapas selections and dessert or 2 tapas selections, a pav or naanwich and dessert
⭐️ Non-alcohol brunch is also available
Tsaretta Spice
55 Church Street
Twickenham
TW1 3NR
You can also read our full review over on the blog (link in bio)
[AD] What does family look like for you?
I am fortunate to be surrounded by strong, powerful women in the form of my mum, sister and mother-in-law (along with many others). With Mother’s Day just around the corner, @BootsUK want to celebrate all the different mums and mother figures we are lucky enough to have in our lives. They have a huge range of Mother’s Day gifts to choose from so we can show them how much they mean to us. (swipe to take a look at some of my choices)
If you want to express love and appreciation for the mother figure(s) in your life, head to Boots.com to find the ideal gift. They have a whole host of gifts, so you can be sure to find something to suit all tastes. Celebrate the #LoveForAllMums this Mother’s Day with Boots.
📚 Are you ready for World Book Day? 📚
[AD - Gifted] I don't know about you, but I have never made the boys a costume for #WorldBookDay. I just don't have it in me to be creative that way. Their costumes have always been bought or cobbled together with what we already have, and luckily, the school allow you to wear pyjamas to school, which makes things a lot easier!
M has been living in his @TheRealTomGates pyjamas recently, and I think he might wear these when his World Book Day dress-up day comes around (the school celebrate with Book Week rather than just Book Day)
The boys have been fans of Tom Gates for a while now. M has always loved reading books that make him laugh and contain humour - they tend to keep him engaged in reading.
Did you know that there are now 20 Tom Gates storybooks to get stuck into? Ideal for kids aged 6-12, the series consists of feel-good, hilarious books full of photos and stories about Tom's life at home and school. Best of all, you can read them in any order.
The latest book is Tom Gates: Happy to Help (Eventually), and along with the pyjamas, you can pick them up from @GeorgeAtAsda just in time for World Book Day!
There's also a range of Tom Gates items, including games, puzzles and greeting cards at major retailers.
It’s a bit niche but if you have kids that are into all things planes and aviation Gatwick Aviation Museum (@gamcharityuk) is worth a visit.
We took M there for his birthday and he was heaven. He spent his time running around not knowing what to look at first.
He loved geeking out at the live flight radar which shows you what planes are coming in and out of the airport in real-time. He also enjoyed testing out some of the old aeroplane seats and even pretended to be a pilot on the Islander Cockpit and touch all the controls inside a full size Robinson R22 helicopter.
The best part, however was being able to head to the museums very own viewing area which is near the Gatwick runway to plane spot!
Find out more over on their website https://www.gamc.org.uk/
Full details to visit below:
📍 Vallance By Ways, Lowfield Heath Rd, Charlwood, Gatwick RH6 0BT
🚗 Parking is free
🎟️ Adults £10, Children 6-12 £3.75, Family Ticket £24, Under 5s are free
✈️ History of Gatwick Airport, Aircraft displays, Experience Upper Class with Virgin Atlantic, Plane Spotting
☕️ Refreshments and gift shop
Surely November wasn’t the last time I posted on the grid?
Well as they say, time flies when you’re having fun - except replace having fun with “being a mum” and you’ll find that in the blink of an eye the baby of the family has hit double digits.
DOUBLE DIGITS How!?
In all seriousness, M hitting double digits is worthy of a place on the grid so I made this quick reel to remember his day.
Needless to say he had a fantastic day and was absolutely over the moon with his new phone!
[AD - Gifted]
We went to check out the newly opened @laserquestkingston last week.
Laserquest, VR Experiences and Arcades all under one roof means only one thing - bundles of fun and games for the kids at really affordable prices.
Laserquest games start from just £7.95 but you can also buy a Laserquest and VR Experiene combo pass.
You need to purchase tokens for the arcades (they’re all 1 token to play). Arcade tokens are 6 for £5 or 12 for £10
Feeling super lucky that this is practically on our doorstep and we will definitely be back again because Mr H came second in our Laserquest game and refuses to be beaten by E!
Do you have a Laserquest near you?
#Laserquest #LaserquestKingston #LaserTag #ActivitiesForKids #ThingsToDoWithKids #FamilyFun #IndoorActivities #Kingston #DaysOutWithKids #RainyDayFun #SurreyFamilyDaysout #SurreyMummy #SurreyDaysOut #SurreyLife #SurreyMums #FamilyDaysOut #LifeWithKids #LifeWithBoys #Familyof4 #Familydayout #Familyfunday
[AD] As Stay Active Ambassadors, the boys have been testing out another one of @CharacterToys products this month.
The Jump-It Wipeout is a musical jump challenge where you try to beat the rotating soft foam jump bar. The aim is to either jump until the time is up or until you Wipeout!
The boys have LOVED testing this out and it’s kept them busy over half-term.
⭐ Great for competing with family and friends of all ages, Jump-It Wipeout will test your timing, reactions, agility and fitness.
⭐ It can be used both indoors and outdoors, you just need a big enough indoor area for them to use while jumping. Although we’ve had very mild weather for October, the game is a good way to keep them busy active when it’s wet and miserable outside.
I’ve written a full review over on the blog: https://www.suburban-mum.com/jump-it-wipeout-review/
The Stay Active Jump-It Wipeout is suitable for children aged 6+ and is available from @smythstoys for £59.99
#StayActiveWithCharacter #JumpItWipeout #Wipeout #ActiveKids #KidsActivities #StayActive #OutdoorToys #IndoorToys #HealthyKids #HealthyMind #ActiveKidsAreHappyKids #ExplorerKids #letsgolittles #SmythsToys #FitnessToys #ScreenfreeTime #JumpingGame #IndoorGames #kidsfitness
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The boys had a lovely afternoon at @wahaca Southbank today. As well as munching on some delicious mexcian style street food, they also had the opportunity to paint sugar skulls ready for #DiaDeLosMuertos
Wahaca, Southbank is providing FREE sugar skulls and paints between 27th- 28th October when you dine in.
#DayOfTheDead #SugarSkull #DiaDeLosMuertos #Wahaca #DiaDeMuertos #SugarSkullPainting #HalfTermActivities #HalfTermFun #HalfTerm #MexicanFood #WahacaSouthbank #SouthbankLondon #MexicanTradition #VisitLondon #MyFamilyAdventures #SurreyFamilyDaysOut #SurreyMummy #SurreyDaysOut #SurreyLife #SurreyMums #FamilyDaysOut #ActivitiesForChildren #KidsCreativity #FunWithKids #KidsActivityIdeas #KidsActivity #kidsactivites
[AD - Press Tickets]
We had so much fun on the after-dark twilight trail @polesdenlaceynt last week. The boys loved carrying lanterns for part of the trail.
IGNITE at Polesden Lacey is a lovely way to spend an autumn evening. The trail was really well done and what really topped it for us was the relaxing music that accompanied the trail throughout. It would make a great alternative to Bonfire night and a lovely half-term activity to do with kids. (check out the reel I made to give you a taste of what to expect)
IGNITE at Polesden Lacey is on now until Sunday, 6th November.
📍 IGNITE at Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham, RH5 6BD
🚆Best to visit by car, nearest stations are 3/4 miles away (Boxhill & Westhumble, Bookham and Dorking)
⏰ Trail is 3/4 mile long
☕️ Cafe, food vans and gift shop
🎫 Admission prices from: Adult £16.50, Child £12.50, Family £56 (2 adults & 2 children). Free entry for carers and children aged 2 & under. Parking £7.00 per car or free for National Trust members.
[AD - Press Tickets]
If you’re looking for an after-dark twilight trail in Surrey - look no further!
IGNITE at @polesdenlaceynt is back for 2022! It’s an enchanting walk around the gardens, led by glowing tree tunnels and flickering flames, with beautiful light installations along the way.
I’ve written about our visit in more detail in a blog post: https://www.suburban-mum.com/twilight-trail-ignite-at-polesden-lacey/
IGNITE at Polesden Lacey is on now until Sunday 6th November.
#IgniteAtPolesdenLacey #LightTrail #IgniteTrails #AutumnNights #PolesdenLacey #Surrey #IgniteTrails #UKEvents #AutumnTrails #Ignite #Iluminations #SurreyTrails #NationalTrustUK #WinterEvenings #surreyfamilydaysout #surreymummy #surreydaysout #surreylife #surreymums #familydaysout #outdoorsandfree #outdoorsandhappy #whatevertheweatherkids #wheremywelliestakeme #takeyourkidsoutside #takeyourkids #whatevertheweather #outdoorsfamilylife
Another one from our visit to @garsons_esher. The boys are on half-term this week, we have a few activities planned alongside some chilled out days at home. They are looking forward to carving their pumpkins this week ready for Halloween - luckily they have an inset day on the 31st!
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The illustration in these looks beautiful! (I’m so picky when buying early years books because I have to like the art in them.) I bet the animated short will be awesome. #KCACOLS
LOVE THIS interview. Esp like that you have photos of the kids enjoying them instead of just the book. 🙂 cheers, kcd #KCACOLS
These books like beautiful and really unique. It’s so great to support local authors too. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
Interesting read and really good to have an interview with the author. I never knew about digital brushes, its great to hear more.
Mainy
#KCACOLS
This was fascinating – I’ve always wondered how children’s books come to be produced! #KCACOLS