Good old-fashioned baking is enjoying something of a well-kneaded revival, shaking off its stodgy roly-poly pudding associations and emerging like a gleaming tarte au citron thanks to the likes of divine cupcakes first made famous by the Magnolia Bakery in Sex And The City and mo...

) "One of my favourite school games that we just never seemed to get tired of. Although it was mostly the girls that played, you could guarantee that when the boys joined in they would try to show us who was best!”Partner GamesThese just use a regular

Every girl needs a little shower powerMonnalisa Umbrella £54.60 by Boymeetsgirl

Miffy At The Gallery by Dick Bruna (Egmont, £4.99)Bruna's ever adorable bunny-girl takes a trip to the gallery and wonders if she, herself might become an artist one day in this gentle and simple read. A perfect introduction to  the concept

Smile! Starring Sunny McCloud by Leigh Hodgkinson (Orchard, £5.99)Seen through the eyes (and loopy scrawls) of an adorable little girl, this is the story of how Sunny McCloud misplaces her smile and must trawl every nook and cranny of her house

I Want A Pet by Lauren Child (Frances Lincoln, £5.99)Lauren Child's tale of an animal loving little girl and her not-so-keen family has typically witty rhetoric and inventive, sketchy illustrations. Children who find their demands for a menagerie

Even pampered princesses must sometimes weather stormy seas, so what do you buy to cheer up the girl who has everything? How about an armful of soft toys by luxurious Junior Design Award winning brand Steiff. Young mademoiselle Cruise has been

to give them a liberal sprinkling of glitter: ‘Tis the season for glitz and glamour after all.2. Peg doll soldiers are easy and fun to create for little girls and boys. Simply take an old fashioned wooden peg, paint on his jacket in a festive red and draw

are unearthing hidden treasure.3. Collecting crittersWhile slugs and snails can cause untold misery for gardeners facing a patch of holey lettuce, many little boys and girls love to play with creepy crawlies and will be more than happy to collect errant wildlife

, managing only hazy recollections of the competitors such as, “The girl holding the union jack around her shoulders” and “The boy who does diving.”Even those who did have a hunch about who was representing Britain were often rather wide of the mark with one