Tom Fletcher talks his new book, reading to his children, and his favourite bedtime reads

Published on: 08 June 2017 Author: Robbie Hunt

We caught up with McFly frontman, dad and children's book author Tom Fletcher to talk about his new picture book There's A Monster in Your Book, bedtime reading, and having the same sense of humour as a three year old…

There's A Monster in Your Book (Puffin) is a bedtime story - were your own children's bedtimes the inspiration for this book?

Actually, no! I wrote this one before I had children, the same as the Dinosaur that Pooped series. I was writing those on the road with the band; they were all tested out on my bandmates who basically have the same sense of humour as small children!

Now that I have Buzz, though, who's three, it was brilliant to be able to test out There's A Monster in Your Book with him before it was published. It's a really interactive book and it's so rewarding to see him respond to all the actions and stuff. However, since having children, I've definitely realised how important it is to entertain the parent reading the book as well as the kids!

As a dad with two young children, what's your top tip for getting little ones to sleep? Do you do a bedtime routine?

Oh, yes, we have the same routine every night. They have a bath, then we read a book all together with a warm milk. Then we brush teeth and they get snuggled into their separate beds and they get a different story just for them. Buddy is one, so he likes slightly different books to Buzz, who's three. With Buzz I turn the lights off and we read in bed with a torch. It makes it really fun.

What are some of your current favourite bedtime reads?

Buzz is old enough to choose the books he wants at bedtime now, which is great. He really likes Jim Field and Kes and Claire Gray's Oi Dog! and Oi Frog! I do all the different voices. He also likes You Choose by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart and The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. He was asking me about Harry Potter too, so we just started reading the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I thought it would be too grown up for him but he listens really carefully and we talk about the pictures a lot.

Buddy really likes Winnie the Pooh and Guess How Much I Love You. We also have this Australian picture book called The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley, which has repetition and funny words, and he loves that.