So Esther and William’s preschool career has suffered something of a false start.

Today though we got more good news as our preferred preschool emailed to say that they have a second morning available for us from November.

So I have 8 weeks left before Esther and William enter the world of early learning.

8 weeks to prepare them for becoming pupils at preschool.

The preschool that we have chosen has a wonderful settling in policy which includes a Meet and Greet morning with the manager and the twins’ key worker; one or two Stay and Play mornings where I can stay with them for a couple of hours to see what they will be doing and then a rolling start where how long they stay for in each session will be extended a little each time for as long as it takes to get them comfortable with being in the setting for a full session.

This start to their preschool time is gradual for them and for me and it has gone a long way to making me feel comfortable and confident leaving my children there. I actually think Esther and William will settle really well and relatively quickly as they have each other. But I think it might be harder for me, letting go.

Over the next 8 weeks we will be spending some time preparing for preschool and one of the things that will be helping us do this is a lovely little book about Miffy.

Miffy is a loveable bunny that I remember from my own school days. Created by Dick Bruna she features in a range of stories for young children that deal with issues such as crying, snow and new babies.

Miffy at School uses charming colour illustrations and simple text to talk about what children might expect when they first start school. I was very pleased to see that the book supports my idea of what a perfect preschool day should include!

Learning Letters

Numbers and Problem Solving

The book takes Miffy and her friends through their first day at school.

The simple rhyming text tells the story of her day from walking to school, to meeting her teacher and through each of her lessons and activities.

Tower Blocks

Drawing Time

The text and pictures provide a great starting point for talking about your child’s day at school or, as in our case, for preparing children for what they may do when they start at nursery or school.

We are going to read this book at breakfast time in the run up to starting preschool. I think it will help Esther and William to become familiar with the idea of school and routine and the kinds of things that they may be asked to do. It is also building a school related vocabulary so that they will know words when they hear them and have some understanding of what they mean.

It is also helping them to understand what mummy does when she goes to work. Though I do not work anymore I want my children to know that I am a teacher, a passionate one. It is something that is important to me, something I will return to when they are all at school.

As well as being a tool for preparing children for school Miffy At School is also just a simple story for young children to enjoy.

If you choose to use this book to prepare your little one for school then you can also buy this mini tote bag so that they can take the book to school for show and tell or to share with their friends. The tote would be great for carrying a reading book and a snack to preschool everyday. Or perhaps it could be used to pack a book bag for a teddy if preschool supplies book bags of their own.

Miffy Tote

The tote and book together would make a lovely gift for children starting school. And together they cost less than £10.

Esther and William love the book Miffy at School and Matilda does too. The simple drawings are in contrasting colours making them perfect images for a young baby to look at. Matilda is a big fan of Miffy!

Matilda and Miffy

As well as books Miffy has many other products and even her own website.

The Miffy website is a great place to learn more about this loveable bunny and her creator Dick Bruna. You can follow their history on an interactive timeline. You can learn about Miffy’s friends and which books they feature in. The website is styled with the same simplicity of the books and is a pleasure to browse around. There are some lovely activities for preschoolers too. We have been playing the xylophone!

We are enjoying our Miffy book and I am looking forward to reading more of Miffy’s adventures with Esther, William and Tilda too.

The books and products can be bought from Amazon or from Miffy’s very own shop where Miffy At School costs £4.99 and the lovely red tote costs just £4.

We were sent one book and one mini tote bag for the purpose of this review.