A mother always has to think twice - once for herself and once for her child. This simple truth hides an amazing world of imagination, fantasy, and inventiveness. Being a mother is an art: it involves far more than the routine tasks of washing, feeding, and tending your little ones. It means that you become an impromptu entertainer; a singer of songs, reciter of poetry; a spell-binding teller of fairy tales; a present-giving genius at birthday and Christmas; a counsellor in times of tiny crises; a tactful diplomat to soothe squabbles; and a wacky inventor of decorative ideas - whether they're for great cookie toppings or dress-up costumes for school. Mother and Child Companion invites you to share all the secrets, wisdom, ideas, and pleasures that mothers have stored up over centuries - ranging from the joys of getting messy with paint, playing finger games; giggling at silly jokes; chanting nursery rhymes; singing gentle lullabies; making toys and decorations, inventing fun snacks or just jumping for joy with the kids. You'll find endless ideas and inspiration in these pages - as well as wonderful extracts from literature that express every aspect of how it feels to be a mother.