Only five sleeps to go until the big day! Which means it’s time to concentrate on stocking fillers, and you can’t beat a good book. Or app book (yes, there really is such a thing). These are my top three:

Bar Hunt1) We’re Going On a Bar Hunt: A Parody by Emlyn Rees and Josie Lloyd  (RRP £9.99)

Think ‘we’re going on bear hunt’ for adults, and instead of daddy carrying baby on his shoulders, he’s got a squiffy mummy instead. Hilarious for anyone with kids who likes a drink (or two). The classic lines ‘We’re going on a bear hunt, we’re going to catch a big one, what a beautiful day, we’re not scared’ have been aptly replaced with ‘We’re going on a bar hunt, we’re going to find a cool one, the babysitter’s booked, we’re not old’. Need I say more?

Simply Novelli

2) Simply Novelli Quick & Easy French Classics by Jean-Christophe Novelli (RRP £20)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a celebrity cook book. This one from Michelin starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli is packed with everyday French classic suppers such as Mediterranean fish stew and beef in claret sauce. It’s also peppered with handy tips including ‘boil cabbage in vegetable stock for extra flavour’ and ‘fry with extra virgin rapeseed oil – it’s high in omega 3 and has much less saturated fat than olive oil’. It even comes with a panel in which you can write the name of the recipient in the inside cover.

The Day A Comet Came To Tea

3. The Day A Comet Came To Tea by Guy Lachlan (RRP £1.29)

You can always rely on a dad to come up with a good story. Father-of-three Guy Lachlan wanted to introduce his kids to astronomical science, so drawing inspiration from ‘comet of the century’ Comet Ison, which lit up the skies during November and December (turns out it didn’t survive its trip around the sun…) he came up with this app book for pre-schoolers. With a bang a comet arrives at the house of a boy and his daddy and joins them for tea. Available on iPad, Android and Kindle, The Day A Comet Came To Tea is a great concept for any inquisitive child. You can download it here.