The search is on for the UK’s Favourite Children’s Book Character

Renaissance Learning, has launched a search for the Nation’s Favourite Children’s Book Character in the run up to the launch of the 2012 What Kids Are Reading report on World Book Day on 1st March.

To coincide with the launch of the competition, initial research has been released that identifies the ‘most read’ children’s characters in a study of almost half a million schoolchildren since 2009. The top three positions are dominated by Roald Dahl characters, with Mr. and Mrs. Twit from The Twits in first place, followed by Charlie Bucket from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in second, and George Henry Kranky from George’s Marvellous Medicine in third.

Dirk Foch, Managing Director of Renaissance Learning comments: “Reading is at the heart of every child’s education, and it is something that provides enjoyment throughout our lives. Our search for the Nation’s favourite children’s book character has been undertaken to encourage children to discover the pleasure provided by reading. Sharing their best-loved literary characters provides the first step in enabling them to think about what it is that they enjoy about reading.”

“However, the search is not restricted to children. We’d like parents and teachers to nominate their own favourites so that whether it's the Gruffalo, the Hungry Caterpillar or another figure remembered from childhood reading, we’d like to know which your most popular children’s book characters are or were.”

To enter, simply go to the website: http://www.readforpleasure.co.uk/. The nomination form can be found within the ‘Nation’s Favourite Book Character’ section by simply clicking on the orange box “Let us know your 3 favourites’. The closing date for the search is 24th February and all entrants will be put forward for a prize draw to win an Amazon Kindle.

The final results will be announced on the website and will coincide with World Book Day on 1st March 2012 and the release of the annual What Kids Are Reading report.

Dirk Foch concludes, “A key component of the Accelerated Reader Advantage software is engaging pupils and in so doing motivating them to read more suitably challenging books. Our search for the Nation’s favourite children’s book character provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the books available and encourage pupils to have confidence to try new titles.”

Cherizena Salted Caramel Coffee Review

Cherizena is already a favourite coffee in our house, we tried the Christmas coffee and were wowed, you can read about it just here

So we were quite excited to get a sneak preview of the new salted caramel flavoured coffee launched for Spring 2012

Combining the rich flavour of caramel with a zingy twist of salt, Cherizena’s salted caramel arrived and the aroma before we had even opened the packet was tantalising. As we waited for it to brew the aroma was sweet and heady. The whole house was filled with a toffee scent.  Alfie our pup even howled a behaviour usually reserved for chicken or salami!

I was wondering if the salt would put me off, but on taking my first sip, the salt flavour was evident but it added to the overall taste and somehow improved on any ordinary caramel flavour.

A lovely sweet without being sugary coffee.

It is the latest in a range of more than 20 flavoured coffees produced by Cherizena, which also offers around 30 single-origin coffees and blends via mail order from www.cherizena.co.uk

“Salted caramel coffee is now very popular in America and we’re delighted that we are now adding our own version to Cherizena’s range of flavoured and speciality coffees,” said Kate Jones, who runs the family-owned Leicestershire-based firm.

“Flavoured coffees are increasing in popularity, especially among young coffee drinkers, and our latest one tastes great and has a wonderful aroma.”

Just like all of the coffees in Cherizena’s flavoured range, the salted caramel flavour contains no syrups and no coatings.

Cherizena, based near Melton Mowbray, is a leading UK specialist producer of coffee and sources premium, rare and speciality coffees, as well as creating its own range of superb flavoured coffees.

The salted caramel flavour coffee is being launched shortly on www.cherizena.co.uk and costs £3 for 125g. It is available as beans or ground, regular or decaffeinated.

CLOSED WIN INSTANT NAIL GLAMOUR FROM NAILENE Giveaway Ends 27th February

I love this colour, phrases such as Scarlet lady, Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind spring to mind and despite this being nothing to do with Valentines the scarlet colour of hearts and roses .

Its a shade of red not for the faint hearted, it is bold, a little daring and if you wear it, prepare to get noticed.

My Granny always used to make me laugh, if she noticed I had this colour on my nails. She would say 'Hmmm  is that a bit  over confident?' It made me laugh as she said she preferred subtle pale nails and lips on me. Its true red can give a sense of confidence, an almost instant boost to esteem.

I also am reminded of a Hollywood style glamour, maybe stars from my disapproving Granny's generation.

I used the Ultra Adhesive tabs to apply, they just make adding the nails easy and then when you want a change  they slide off as easily. Then just peel the tabs off.

What do you think of the deep red? Do you yearn to wear it, is it your choice of colour, do you believe in flaunting 'it!'

**************************************************

Well for five of you you will either get to try a bolder look or already be born to the blaze of crimson and like the idea of not having to paint your nails.

Each winner will receive a set of the nails and tabs to apply.

A Follow my blog via Google Friends connect over on the right.

B Leave a contact either twitter name or email address

C Tell me something about you, a nail tip, a rant, a joke (these have been quite popular) just say hi if you like. Just don't say "Enter Me" it sounds so very wrong!!!.

Extra Entries

1. Comment on any other reviews or posts. Up to five allowed.

2. Follow me on Twitter

3. Become a friend of Nailene UK on Facebook and say Hi, I'm entering the giveaway on Given To Distracting Others.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nailene-UK/170771996320941?ref=ts&sk=wall

4. Tweet the giveaway

Here is one I prepared earlier.

Win 1 of 5 sets of glorious red Nailene nails and adhesive tabs. Follow the link for easy entry. http://tinyurl.com/6qyd7j4

RULES

UK only

Ends midnight 27th February

Prize must be claimed with 7 days or will be redrawn after I have made every attempt I can to tweet or email.

 Please allow 28 working days to receive your prize.

Good Luck

ZUMTHING FOR YOUR FURRY FRIEND

Well my  puppy certainly can pong a little and he has taken to loving horses, now if it was the horse itself, this would be a good thing,  but to put it delicately its more about what the horse leaves behind on their morning canter! He steps in it pounces on it, sorry if you are squeamish but he does enjoy a nibble too. Whats left is a stinky hound that nobody wants to go near.

I have to be careful with what I wash him in as he was a rescue pup and came with sore patches on his skin, every part of him seems sensitive  inside and out what I put on him and what he eats can give him problems (apart from the horse delicacies it seems). So when Zum told me about their  natural, handcrafted products for dogs I gladly hold my nose while I typed yes!

Alfie and I trialled the Zum Yum Wash it contains Citronella, Lavender and Cedarwood pure essential oils. Made with 95% organic oils.

I love the description and had to share with you a pic of Alfie on only his second bath in his new home and it looks like he was ready for it.

It smells yummy and was easy to apply, made a nice lather that did not take an age to remove. I had a fresh smelling puppy in minutes and he enjoyed the experience too.

For inbetween baths as he is getting quite large to lift, the Zum Yum Mist Doggy Spritzer is a great chance to spruce him up, again all natural ingredients means I am not spraying him with anything that will irritate his skin, if he licks at it, it will do no more than maybe tatse a bit funny. He has not tried to lick the spritz off and for Alfie that is pretty unusual.

Here's a little insight into the mind of a dog. "Oh look, there's some trash...I should go dig in it. Hey, is that squirrel poo? That would be especially awesome to roll in..." Hence, the Y.U.M. (Your Untidy Mutt) line!

                                                                    
Mixed and mashed with 100% pure essential oils and other dog friendly jujulicious ingredients, Zum won’t settle for anything other than 100% natural, 100% zumlicious and each dog cleansing product is perfect for pampered pooches with sensitive skin.

Yum Bar Doggie Soap

Coats shine from this bars' goats milk, while fleas and ticks run from the

essential oils of Lavender, Citronella and Cedarwood.

bar contains saponified 100% food grade olive, coconut, palm and oils,

goat's milk, aloe, goat's milk, aloe, citronella with other pure essential oils.

Zum Yum Mist Doggy Spritzer £10.95, 4 fl oz

Yum Mist slobbers on stinky dogs and rids rooms of that wet dog smell. Infused with Lavender, Lemon and Patchouli essential oils, purified water, aloe and vegetable glycerin.

Zum Yum Glow Doggie Candle - £13.95

With a 30 hour burn, this soy wax candle keeps your house from smelling like the doghouse with the aroma of Lavender, Lemon and Patchouli essential oils.

The ZUM range is available now from

 www.naturalorigin.com

FIREFLY LOVE POTION REVIEW - GET FRUITY THIS VALENTINES

GET FRUITY THIS VALENTINES WITH FIREFLY LOVE POTION!

Last year I was wooed by the Firefly Love Potion read about it JUST HERE it was  a fruity delight of Passion Fruit and  Blueberry with  Damania herb (a natural aphrodisiac) and angelica.
I loved the flavour, it really refreshed me but being a greedy soul I gulped it whilst alone.

This year, the bottle is decorated  with luscious lips, I love the almost retro look of the design.
I like too, that a brand puts itself out to celebrate different events, I know people say its aall too commercial and a way to make money for the shops.  For me its the day I got engaged in Paris and i love to celebrate a good day and memory, in fact Valentines Day is my favourite holiday!

Because of this I'm always on the look out for themed products.
Firefly is  perfect for sharing with a Valentine sweetheart over lunch or after a romantic stroll. (If like me you are greedy then buy two bottles).  One because of the look of the bottle but more because of the contents and obviously the taste.

The contents are all natural and taste fabulous, but will it get those pulses racing, I really wanted to know.

Reading up on  passion fruit. They call it Parcha in Puerto Rico believing that it lowers blood pressure , well I was looking for raising that a little, but handy to know for health benefits. 

Ah after googling madly I find it, its said that if you eat enough of the fruit you can fall in love with the person sitting next to you, one look in their eyes and you are hooked. I think I was lucky then last year, as I drank mine and the postie was possibly the next man I saw!!

Natures naughtiest botanicals are snuggled in this fruit drink and I had a look to see what a few of them do!

Rosemary said to be named after Aphrodite/Venus increases circulation (OK no sniggering in the cheap seats)
Angelica said to increase  blood flow, I can still hear the sniggers!

Jasmine Ah this is less snigger inducing, its said to be warming and stimulating revitalising...oh wait increases spermatazoa and creates deep penetrating emotions!
Blueberry contain sexually enhancing vitamin C (good for sex hormones) and E well known as  the sex vitamin

Ahem think I will move on ....I'm off to order a crate full!

Happy Valentine's

Love Potion is a juicy blend of Passionfruits and Blueberries spiced up with natures naughtiest botanicals like angelica and chocolate - Mother Nature’s aphrodisiacs! Fruity, delicious and Firefly’s boldest bottle design yet!

Hurry though Firefly Love Potion will be available for a limited time only, from January 2012 in Harvey Nichols, Wholefoods, Harrods and quality independent outlets. RRP £1.69

Smoky Bacon and Lentil Soup

Soup making and lets face it eating is a  thoroughly satisfying past time.

A great way for me of feeding my family with a warming tasty and very healthy ( well unless you start adding cream) meal.

Like a casserole, I feel I've in some way really cared for the family, not to mention my own tummy. You can halve this recipe if you have less mouths to feed or not enough space in the freezer. It makes a lot of broth , we love the taste so its a bonus.

This also works well blended to a smooth soup, just cut the bacon smaller before.

We like the chunkier texture and for us it can be eaten as a main meal and as I type I realise with potatoes added it certainly would.

Vegetarian option omit the bacon and use paprika for the smokey taste.

400g red lentils

250g rashers of smoked bacon cut into small pieces

2 onions finely chopped

2-3 clove garlic crushed

150g mushrooms chopped chunky and small

Frylight

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon of  chilli flakes

2-3 pint of stock (I made using Knorr ham stock cubes)

Over a med-low heat, gently cook the onions and garlic until soft , I use frylight in my Crafond, any large frying pan will do if you have a good saucepan and making half the amount,  you do it as a one pot job.

Add the bacon  and cook for a couple of minutes adding the mushrooms after a minute or two. Keep stirring until the bacon is cooked.

At this stage if you are making the double portion I've made, add the meat mixture to a large stockpot or pressure cooker sized pan.

Add in the lentils, tomatoes, two pints of the ham stock, chilli and add some black pepper.

Cook on a low heat for around 20 mins til the lentils are soft and the soup is thick and tasty! I found I had to add about half a pint more ham stock a little while before the end. I used the remaining to add a little liquid the following day.

Now all there is to do is enjoy!

Showcase your talents at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2012

Showcase your talents at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2012

13 – 17 June, NEC, Birmingham

BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2012 in association with the Royal Horticultural Society are searching for up and coming garden designers with a twist in two brand new competitions they announced today.
Career Changing GardenThis is an open competition for all designers who’ve taken the leap from one career into the exciting world of horticulture as a garden designer, with a prize giving you the chance to showcase your talents at the Show in Birmingham this June to tens of thousands of garden lovers.
Whatever your background, whether you’ve been an accountant, an air hostess or an auctioneer, if you’re now discovering the rewards of a second career in horticulture, we want to hear from you. We’d like to receive designs illustrating the journey from your previous profession to your new one as a garden designer – conceptual designs are welcome. A successful submission will attract funding of £6000 towards your garden at the Show and there are four places in this exciting competition – the perfect platform to introduce your new design skills to a huge audience.
Closing date for submissions is 2nd March 2012.
On Your Marks, Get Set, Garden!This competition is open to both amateur designers and established designers. BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the Royal Horticultural Society are searching for gardeners with a keen eye or established designers who think they have what it takes to create a garden that’s a cut above the rest. What if you had the same set of materials as three other designers? Could you use your sense of design innovation to push the boundaries and be the best? In this groundbreaking competition at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2012, with multi-award-winning designer Andy Sturgeon at the helm, four designers will be tasked to stand out from the crowd, given a set of construction materials plus £3k for plants and production costs. This totals approximately £8k’s worth of funding per garden. So rise to the challenge and get your name on the BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2012 leader board in our On Your Marks, Get Set, Garden Competition.
Closing date for submissions is 30th March 2012.
Both competitions will also make you eligible to enter for a prestigious RHS medal to be judged at the Show.
How to applyPlease email exhibitorapplication@rhs.org.uk for details with the competition name as your subject line.

RETURN OF THE SELF DRIVE HOLIDAY - FIFTH GEAR’S VICKI BUTLER-HENDERSON SUGGESTS THE TOP 10 DRIVING HOLIDAY ROUTES

RETURN OF THE SELF DRIVE HOLIDAY

FIFTH GEAR’S VICKI BUTLER-HENDERSON SUGGESTS THE TOP 10 DRIVING HOLIDAY ROUTES

• 63% planning or considering a driving holiday this year
• Over 80% of Brits still going on holiday in 2012
• Over a third attracted to driving while on holiday, as it gives us freedom to get around
• 44% like to get off the beaten track whilst on holiday

 New research* commissioned by Insurance4carhire, the UKs largest provider of vehicle rental excess protection, has revealed that almost two thirds (63%) of Brits are either planning or considering a driving holiday in 2012 – whether at home or abroad. Interestingly it appears empty nesters are most keen, with 41% of those aged over 45 making up the largest group planning or considering a driving trip

The study of over 1,000 Brits highlights that despite the economic climate, holidays are still very much on the agenda with over 80% of the British public still intending to get away in 2012. However, it appears that the nation is now seeking more freedom to explore (65%) and the opportunity to get off the beaten track (44%) - the most appealing factors to those considering a driving holiday.

Insurance4carhire, the car hire excess insurance specialist, also reveals that 77% of Brits had never taken out car hire excess insurance; with just under half (47%) aware of what car hire excess protection is. The revelation means that many Brits are leaving themselves exposed to potentially high excess charges in the event of an accident.

Motoring expert and Fifth Gear presenter, Vicki Butler-Henderson, comments: “Driving is one of the best ways to take in the scenery through some of the most beautiful routes around the world. However, it is important to plan ahead - from selecting the right vehicle for the terrain, to reading up on the local road laws and signs to researching routes. While we don’t plan for mishaps, it is equally importantly to ensure you have sufficient insurance and excess cover as a small prang, could end up costing as much as the holiday.”

Gary Webb, Business Director at Insurance4CarHire comments: “Hiring a car gives a great deal of freedom to explore but it is important to know what you are signing up for. We don’t like hearing horror stories from holidaymakers who have taken policies that exclude damage to windows, tyres, the undercarriage and roof – which can potentially cost the driver thousands of pounds in liability claims. Excess cover protects against just that – providing a safety net and peace of mind so that you can concentrate on discovering the hidden gems you might have otherwise missed.”

Vicki Butler-Henderson’s Top 10 driving holiday routes in the UK and abroad:

1. Dordogne region, France - a long time favourite for camping holidays, the beautiful Dordogne region is around a day’s drive from Calais, so consider breaking the journey up with an overnight stay. The region’s stunning scenery represents the best of rural France, with plenty to see and do.

2. The Peak District, UK - The Peak District National Park is the oldest national park on the British Isles. It is also thought to be the second most visited national park in the world, only after the Mount Fuji National Park in Japan. It is highly accessible but offers some spectacular scenery whilst driving.

3. Route 66, Chicago to Los Angeles – An amazing 2,448 mile journey through eight states and three time zones. The drive should ideally start from Lake Shore Drive passing through Illinois covering some of the USA’s most famous landmarks including, The Sears Tower, Navy Pier, Ozark region, Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon National Parks, Meteor Crater, and The Strip in Vegas.

4. The Garden Route, Western Cape, South Africa - incorporating the picturesque stretch of coastline between Mossel Bay and Nature's Valley, the Garden Route is aptly named for its greenery and the vast Tsitsikamma Forest. The coastal route includes the towns of Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and Nature's Valley - each with their own attractions.

5. Tuscany, Italy - Val d'Orcia in Southern Tuscany has some of the most beautiful countryside in Europe, making a perfect driving holiday destination. There are various villages en route that make great stop off points, giving you the chance to venture off around dirt roads and explore fantastic walking routes.

6. Cornwall, UK - with so much history and beautiful costal landscapes, Cornwall makes for the perfect UK driving holiday with great options for surfing, hiking and general sightseeing.

7. Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada – Drive through the mountain scenery whilst passing through Banff and Jasper National Parks, taking in the breathtaking scenery of forests and glaciers.
8.  
9. The Col de Turini, Monte Carlo - an iconic twisting piece of tarmac that cuts across the Alps, and is also one of the most hallowed stages of the legendary Monte Carlo rally. There is no better work out for a road car.

9. A82 towards Glencoe, Scottish Highlands  - Approach the beautiful Glencoe Glenn from the south, via the A82 road and experience the rolling slopes and enthralling scenery of the Scottish Highlands.

10. Flower Route, Netherlands - Experience the plethora of Holland’s blooms and its aesthetic beauty. Pass along the route from Haarlem to discover the flower auction houses, public gardens, museums and private gardens that are rich in colour and beauty.

Insurance4CarHire offers a range of competitive excess protection policies in addition to innovative solutions such as Just Text HELP, a multilingual emergency assistance tool. In the event of an accident abroad, customers can simply text the words HELP and the country e.g. HELP Spain and a multilingual assistant will call back and speak the language for you, anytime of the day or year.

Cartmel creates a range of Superpuds! Review

 I love to cook and will often cook a nice lunch as well as dinner, I rarely find it a chore, but I don't always bake cakes or puddings as often as perhaps the family would want.


I was therefore delighted to receive a couple of the new individual Cartmel Superpuds to review.
The sort of puds that have me hearkening back to childhood, winter days and school day desserts such as Jam Roly Poly and my Granny's apple crumbles.


Cartmel have created a range that will have you hooked and the taste coming back for seconds.

I tried the Lemon Drizzle pudding (yes my citrus addiction was sated again!) I adored it, perfectly zesty, the sponge was incredibly light, the taste of lemon perfect. The sauce was enough to cover the sponge, not too much that it drowned the sponge.
The only downside to the experience was I asked Chris to share it and on reflection I should have kept it to myself.


The next pud was the Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble, I make this a fair bit and often choose it if I spot it on a pub menu, usually the good inns that serve local food and great British fare.
The Cartmel pud ranks high amongst those I have tasted, it was gooey, warming despite being a sticky toffee it did not get too sickly.

I now am keen to try the Black Forest pudding too.
I found the puddings to be great tasting warming and good for evoking good family dinner memories of how puds used to taste.


The lovely people at Cartmel Village Shop have broken the pudding mould and created a new range of Superpuds to bring some well known, traditional family puddings bang up to date.

Inspired by pudding heroes that have taken pride of place on dinner tables for generations, Cartmel has added a modern twist to a few old classics, turning them from pudding hero to Superpud. The new range includes:

Black Forest Pudding
A twist on the classic 70’s Black Forest Gateau, Cartmel’s Black Forest Pudding is a combination of rich, juicy cherries and soft chocolate sponge, covered in a velvety chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chocolate pieces. Available in 500g servings priced £5.25.

Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble
The traditional apple crumble remains a firm family favourite but this British pudding has been given the Cartmel Village Shop treatment thanks to the inclusion of the velvety Sticky Toffee Sauce that made them so famous. Available to buy in 120g individual servings priced £1.50 and 500g family sized servings priced £3.85.

Lemon Drizzle Pudding
Best known in cake form as a traditional tea time treat, the lemon drizzle has been given a Cartmel makeover. A tangy Lemon Drizzle Pudding combining soft sponge with zesty lemon and buttery undertones. Available to buy in 500g servings priced £4.25 and individual 120g servings priced £1.50.

Cartmel Village Shop puddings are available to buy from the Cartmel Village Shop in Cartmel, Cumbria and online at www.cartmelvillageshop.co.uk as well as branches of Waitrose, Booths, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason, and independent fine foods shops. To find your nearest stockist contact the nice people at Cartmel Village Shop on 015395 58300.

Disclosure:  My post is based upon material provided free of charge for review purposes. I have not been paid or otherwise compensated to promote the topic, product or service reviewed in this post.

Bananagrams Review

Now I am hooked on a fabulous new word game, luckily Chris is too, he has been really suffering in pain with his shoulder injury. This game has lightened the evenings a little, he finds it hard to watch TV or sit for long periods. So moving to the kitchen and playing a game that is not too lengthy has been ideal.

On the surface of it this may sound odd, most evenings we have been unpeeling our banana skin and turning over lettered tiles. Sounds bizarre, it reminds me of the wordplay of Scrabble, the fast and furious pace that Boggle always brings but is totally unique.

What I love is there is no board, no score sheet. just a bag of letters and a few brain cells required.

The premise is to use all 144 letter tiles, turn them all over, choose 21 if there are two of you, (more if not) and make words you, when you have used them all up, you take another tile and this forces your opponent to do the same.

This is the fun part as Chris and I found the pressure on you if you were struggling to use your 21 tiles  and your opponent shouting 'Peel!' every few seconds make it frantic to try and add in the letters.

Chris and I are pretty juvenile laughing out loud at the word 'dump' the term for putting a tile back if you cannot use it  and picking up 3.

We  love that its fast moving or can be once you start picking more tiles, (which forces your opponents to do the same).

It can be played anywhere with any age and number of players.

We liked that whatever the level of age of a player, the odds of winning are even.  It can be the luck of the tiles picked that makes a winner as well as brains. We have a great Scrabble dictionary word list for those tricky two letter words, this was one of my wins below and Chris challenged lots of these, but with a smug smile even as I type I can say I thrashed him!!

10/10 in this house.

I'm keen to try out a few more of the games mentioned below.

BANANAGRAMS® (RRP £14.99) – the global word-play phenomenon is the ideal gift for kids aged seven to 107: a fast and fun anagram game that’s perfect for bringing the family together and banishing Boxing Day boredom. Requiring no pencil, paper or board, Bananagrams comes in a small portable banana-shaped pouch and was named Toy Fair 2009’s “Game of the Year”. Created by the word game-obsessed Nathanson family of three generations, ranging in age from seven to 75 years old, Bananagrams is a labour of love that that has quickly become an international hit, selling millions of copies worldwide and attracting celebrity fans including Scarlett Johansson, Kelly Clarkson and Cindy Crawford.

FRUITOMINOES® (RRP £14.99) – for players aged 5+, it features 28 beautifully crafted fruit-emblazoned dominoes in a compact pouch. It’s a fresh, fruity and colourful twist to the classic game of dominoes.

ZIP-IT® (RRP £14.99) – the perfect gift for the jet-setter in your life, Zip-It is a two-player crossword race that can be played anytime, anywhere in as little as 20 seconds. For players aged seven and up, Zip-It features 24 high-quality letter cubes packaged in a unique cloth pouch with scoring zippers. The ability to play compactly on an airplane or train tray make Zip-It the ultimate travel game.

APPLETTERS® (RRP £15.99) – originally designed with younger players in mind and features three levels of play to amuse children and challenge adults. The game comes in an apple-shaped cloth pouch containing 110 ivory-like tiles. In addition to the version for a younger audience, the game also includes instructions for more adult play - APPLE TURNOVER™ for an extra challenge and APPLESCORE™ for word lovers who like to have fun with palindromes and semi-palindromes.

PAIRSinPEARS® (£15.99) – a word construction game for children aged 6+, where players race to make pairs of connecting words in matching patterns. The pear-shaped cloth pouch contains four full alphabet sets in four distinct designs and the game provides a great way for children to develop memory and cognitive skills while learning the alphabet, pattern recognition, vowels, vocabulary, rhyming and more.

The games are available to buy from all good book and toy stores on the High Street or online from www.bananagrams.com.

About Bananagrams
Bananagrams®, Inc., is the family-owned Rhode Island company behind a range of innovative word games, including the international phenomenon BANANAGRAMS - the fast, fun anagram game that will “drive you bananas!” Currently available in 31 countries and multiple languages, original Bananagrams has spawned digital versions on Facebook, the iPad™, iPhone™ and iTouch™ and a series of books. Bananagrams, Inc. also offers the award-winning Appletters®, Pairs in Pears® and brand-new ZIP-IT® and Fruitominoes®. All the games feature attractive cloth pouches and need no board, pencil or paper - ideal for children and adults aged seven to 107 who enjoy witty word play, at home or on the go.


For more information visit: www.bananagrams.com
Check out our all-new Bananagrams blog @ www.bananagrams.com/peels
Like us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/bananagramsgames
Follow us on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/bananagrams_uk