Mummy's on Her Phone Again

Some books teach children their letters. This one gently teaches grown-ups something too.

Across one ordinary day, a child tries to share the small things that matter — a drawing, a grazed knee, a story before bed. And every time, the answer is the same: Mummy's on her phone again.

It's a feeling almost every modern family recognises, and almost no one says out loud. Mummy's on Her Phone Again says it kindly. Written in warm rhyming verse and illustrated in soft watercolour, the story moves through breakfast tables, school runs, supermarket queues and bedtime — before turning towards something hopeful: the moment a parent notices, puts the phone down, and looks up.

The illustrations deliberately show families of many cultures, skin tones and homes, because the ache in this story is universal. Children everywhere are waiting for the same thing.

It isn't a book that shames parents. It's a book that opens a conversation — and ends in a hug.

Written by Christon Taylor. Edited by Tevona Purcell-Matthews. ISBN 978-1-83709-826-2.