In this rushing modern age, childhood, especially for girls, seems to fly by so fast. Already my four-year-old daughter Beatrice is nagging me to paint her toenails for her (the answer is an emphatic no, by the way), and the modern media, in particular television and advertising, seem to be doing everything in their power to push little girls ever faster towards adulthood.

Rosemary and I wrote The Great Big Glorious Book For Girls as a bit of an antidote to all that. Although both of us had very different childhoods (Rosemary grew up in Ireland; I spent my childhood in Italy), we found that as girls we had shared many of the same experiences: playing Chinese elastic, making (rather bad) clothes, fishing for tadpoles, performing low-down tricks on our brothers and sisters. I, for one, had a childhood that, while not perfect, was nevertheless full of activity and creativity – and not confined to a computer screen, or dominated by Barbie dolls and sparkly make-up. We both thought, what a shame no one does this stuff anymore – because it really is a lot of fun. So we wrote a book about it.

The point of The Great Big Glorious Book For Girls, then, is not to tell girls how to live their lives, or to push a “girlie” agenda. Boys can read this book too if they like, and I know several who have. It may have recipes for fairy cakes and stuff about ponies in it, but it will also tell you how to deal with an aggressive dog, or how to write your own play, or how to cope with spots, or how to make sneezing powder. At its heart, this book is about having fun – whether it be on your own, with your best friend, with other girls or with the boy next door. We really hope you enjoy it.

Get stuck into these activity sheets from The Great Big Glorious Book For Girls

How to palm read

How to make pom poms

Halloween party games - sheet 1

Halloween party games - sheet 2

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