Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
I’m Emily. I live in London with my husband Gavin and our 16 month old son, Max. I’m mostly a nurse but whilst I was on maternity leave I started the restaurant review site for parents ‘Mama needs a Mimosa‘, so my son and I eat out quite a lot. I love being a mum but my aim isn’t to entirely sacrifice the person I was before I became one.
What is your son’s favourite book?
Right now I think Max’s favourite book is probably Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. A time tested favourite in most households about getting someone to try new food that they don’t think they will like. It has not, as yet, had an impact on Max’s fussy eating. He frequently thrusts it into my hands and shouts HAM, even if we have only read it 5 minutes before. He loves anything that rhymes and sort of does a little dance if I recite it all fast enough. We take a lot of books out with us when we eat at restaurants and his favourite changes pretty regularly.
Which book do you most like reading to them and why?
My current favourite book to read to Max is Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. It’s about the relationship between a Triangle and a Square and I like it because whilst it’s teaching Max about shapes, I also find it very funny and love the way it’s written. I think it captures being little and naughty really well whilst exploring consequences.
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
My favourite book as a child was Alice in Wonderland, so much so, that as an adult I have had several tattoos with an Alice theme. I love how difficult all the characters are and all the imagery. I can’t think of a more wonderful story or introduction into fantasy or a better way to develop an imagination. My grandfather gave me a complete works of Lewis Carrol when I was about 7 and I read it cover to cover many times.
What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your child?
When shopping for a new book for Max I’m often torn between the nostalgia I have for books I read as a child and things that I know Max will enjoy, as well as books that will hopefully be educational in some way. The most important thing I look for though, is humour. Max loves to have books read to him over and over so if I book isn’t funny in some way to me then repeatedly re-reading it would send me over the edge.
About Mama Needs A Mimosa
Mama needs a Mimosa is a restaurant review blog for foodie parents. Parents who want to maintain some semblance of the lifestyle they had before but aren’t sure where is going to be cool about their kid tagging along.
We review restaurants that are getting good press, the kind of places that might not be immediately obviously kid friendly, we also review places it’s worth hiring a babysitter for.
We host foodie family meet ups every month in street food venues, as well as exclusive parent and baby dining events called ‘Babies who Lunch’ in top restaurants across London making some of the finer places more accessible with additional highchairs and portable play spaces.