Villeroy & Boch has created some lovely new designs for crockery for children, including two new collections called Farm Animals, from £4.50, and Funny Zoo, from £3.95. They are beautifully illustrated and would make great gifts, and can even

appeals to the trainspotting collector in me. You know: collect 'em all!So you buy a heap of collectible action figures, with funny faces and cool names like Tree Rex and Prism Break (funny, no?), then pop them on your portal of light and you're ready

in full swing since March 13), with a mass of tri-coloured flags and funny hats already on display as we drove through the city to our hotel. We were staying at The Merrion, an award-winning five-star hotel on the edge of Merrion Square. The luxury hotel

, humus and raw carrots.If you could invite anyone to a picnic, who would you choose?I’d invite Stephen Fry – he’s a funny man and so intelligent.What are your style influences?I love iconography and I’m obsessed with symbols on old beer bottles

Farm Centre in Oxfordshire. Animal lovers will adore the free farm zoo, adventurous types can take on the giant maize maze and foodie families can pick their own strawberries then enjoy the fruits of their labours in the picnic area. Pirate Day August 5

?” 9 Dear Zooby Rod Campbell Campbell, £4.99 (first published 1982)When he came up with the idea of “lift-the-flaps” to reveal surprises in Dear Zoo, the pace and humour introduced a whole new way to enjoy books with preschoolers. “Children enjoy