My younger daughter has a passion for things in miniature- anything that's the right size to hold in the palm of your hand will have her squealing with delight, especially if it is some form of animal.
This makes vacuuming something of a nightmare- the sight of a tiny penguin whizzing round the transparent dust-container of my hoover with its teeny bemused face rapidly becoming covered in dust is one which still makes me shudder.
And of course you have to fish the darn things out otherwise it would definitely mean tears before bedtime as she realised one of her precious pets is missing.
Because they are like pets to their owners - cue the aptly named Littlest Pet Shop brand by toy makers Hasbro whose products can always been found in my children's Christmas stockings.
Of course we are nowhere near Christmas yet (insert hollow laugh here) but the good news is that to keep children entertained during the wetter days of summer there is a new movie out featuring a world of tiny marvels.
Littlest Pet Shop- Little Pets, Big Adventures was released onto Digital Download and DVD this month (August 2015) featuring Blythe Baxter and her dad Roger who move into a new apartment in Downtown City above the Littlest Pet Shop.
Remarkably Blythe discovers that can she can speak to the animals that live in the Pet Shop and beg her to help them save the Pet Shop from going out of business.
This makes vacuuming something of a nightmare- the sight of a tiny penguin whizzing round the transparent dust-container of my hoover with its teeny bemused face rapidly becoming covered in dust is one which still makes me shudder.
And of course you have to fish the darn things out otherwise it would definitely mean tears before bedtime as she realised one of her precious pets is missing.
Because they are like pets to their owners - cue the aptly named Littlest Pet Shop brand by toy makers Hasbro whose products can always been found in my children's Christmas stockings.
Of course we are nowhere near Christmas yet (insert hollow laugh here) but the good news is that to keep children entertained during the wetter days of summer there is a new movie out featuring a world of tiny marvels.
Remarkably Blythe discovers that can she can speak to the animals that live in the Pet Shop and beg her to help them save the Pet Shop from going out of business.
Blythe races against the clock to save the Pet Shop, not only for her new furry friends but also for the Pet Shop’s eccentric owner, Mrs. Twombly. Using her talents as a fashion designer Blythe organises a fashion show featuring the animals modelling her original designs.
Can Blythe’s fashion flair save the business? Well you'll just have to get hold of th movie in your favourite format and find out!
I can tell you that the DVD proved a big hit in our house entertaining children from age 4-10. My teenaged daughter watched it too but of course she is far too cool to admit she enjoyed it too! The story is told in episodes featuring different animals which means you can let the children watch for a short while if there isn't time for a full movie before bed/going out/dinnertime.
It proved particularly successful with my friend's almost 5 year old daughter who was frankly overtired and a bit whiny but within a minute or so of us putting the DVD on settled calmly down with her head on a cushion and watched enthralled until the end.
It was quite tempting to put it on again so we could carry on chatting in peace to be honest but her mum did take her home for an early night instead!
The special edition DVD we were sent to review came with a Littlest Pet Shop toy - a red panda in this case- which delighted my daughter. The great thing about the toys is it's easy to pop a few in a bag for easily transportable play in the car, on trains, on holiday or in restaurants.
Littlest Pet Shops- Little Pets, Big Adventures is rated Cert U and runs for 147 minutes.
Disclaimer: We received a free copy of the DVD for the purposes of this review. Views and Opinions remain honest and my own.