Lily Lane Pet Parlour
Francesca Stich and Kim Martin

Simon and Schuster UK
29 September 2011 / ISBN 9781847389756
Juvenile
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

A world of girly fun awaits when you open the Velcro-fastened doors of the Lily Lane Pet Parlor. Inside, the floor comes down to greet you and out pops a sink and more – it’s a pop-up toy that can be played with for hours of make-believe fun. Flip up the canopy and inside is an envelope filled with fifty press-out pieces and a book. This tells the story of the Lily Lane Pet Parade, and Ruby and Violet the fairy twins have taken their kittens to the parlor to be groomed. There is too much for the proprietor to manage so they will be needed to help…

This delightful addition to the Lily Lane series had me wishing I were a little girl again because I would have loved it! From the pink carry handle to the wee windows glazed with clear plastic on the front it is certainly eye catching and attractive, and inside it opens up to become a neat little dollhouse complete with press-out double sided fairies, their pets, and 3D items to make up like seats and tables. There are even the grooming tools with cardboard hooks to enable them to be hung and items to personalize the front of the parlor. The card items are fairly robust and ought to withstand quite a bit of imaginative and creative play. I can imagine this keeping a little girl quiet for some time; enchanting and unusual.