Milton Keynes mum finds novel way to get children to tell her about their school day

Like many other mums, Corrina O’Neill never got much response when she asked her three children the question: “What did you do at school today?”

Fed up with the responses of “not much” or “can’t remember”, she invented a cool trick with her youngest child Joseph, telling wild stories about her own day in a bid to get him to reciprocate.

She spoke about going to the shops or being at home – but used a little imagination to invent animal characters, such as a lion found in the supermarket or a gorilla who sat on the roof.

"Soon, Joseph and his friends on the school run would be asking me daily to tell them about my adventures – and in turn they would open up about their day,” said Corinna, who is a former MK Citizen journalist who lives in New Bradwell.

She recently started telling the same stories to my niece’s children and they loved them, asking her about the gorilla and the lion each time she saw them.

"I decided it might be a good idea to share them for others to enjoy too. The stories truly seem to capture the attention and imagination of young minds because they are situations that the children never expect to happen.

The first two in the series of six short bedtime stories to be published are ‘There’s a Gorilla on my Roof’ and ‘There’s a Lion in theSupermarket’. They are narrated by five-year-old Joseph and illustrated by Alex Crump, and will have children fascinated and captivated, while encouraging them to talk about their time at school.

Corinna said: “I’m particularly pleased that it’s a way for parents to encourage children to tell them more about their day, as each story puts across that message. Also, it shows children that parents aren’t as boring as they think, and we can have fun and adventures too!”

There’s a Lion in the Supermarket and There’s a Gorilla on my Roof are now available to buy on Amazon.co.uk for £4.99 each in paperback, or as an e-book for £2.99.