Stafford mum writes picture book inspired by late father

Emma Phillips's picture book, Daddy and Me!, is inspired by the bond between her and her father, as well as her daughter Mia's relationship with her own dad.

Emma, who has three daughters, said: "The initial spark for this book came following the death of my own father a few years ago. This book is dedicated to his memory.

"The images in the book are based on my youngest child and her daddy - she is super happy about this!

"My eldest children are definitely past the picture book stage - Monique is 25 and Carmen is 18 - which is why I have enjoyed watching Mia’s relationship with her Daddy which is so precious."

Daddy and Me! is about a girl who feels sad when her mummy goes to work, so it is up to her daddy to create a magical day and cheer her up.

From pretending to be a dinosaur, through to enjoying a tea party and then time spent together watching the big TV, this daddy and daughter tale captures the joyful relationship between parent and child at its best, with magical illustrations by Ricardo Rose.

Emma was asked to run a Father's Day workshop about Daddy and Me! at the Stafford Library, with children taking part in craft activities for Father's Day.

Emma added: "I was asked to run a Father’s Day workshop at the library following a successful book launch as a part the recent Stafford Litfest.

"The idea was to run a fun workshop based around the themes and images in the book.

"The children attending made Father’s Day cards, envelopes and also chose some fun activities to take home to complete together with their daddy on Fathers Day itself.

"These activities were taken from the newly released Daddy and Me! Activity Book, the perfect accompaniment to the Daddy and Me! Picture book.

"Lots of children came through and a number of books were also purchased by happy customers.

"It has been so wonderful to have the support of my local library. Their support for local authors is just fantastic."