Thursday 14 October 2010

That Rabbit Belongs To Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton (Hodder Children's Books)

This Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown

Written by Cressida Cowell

Illustrated by Neal Layton

Amazon Link: £3.99

Published by Orchard Press


Emily Brown, space exploring hero, seafaring adventurer and schoolgirl. After enjoying "Emily Brown and the Thing" but being gently told off by my other half for bringing home a book with a "monster" that goes to sleep under Emily Brown's bed, I made doubly sure that "This Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown" didn't contain anything scary or horrific. Apart, that is, from Queen Gloriana the Third's behaviour - which is downright dirty and exceptionally naughty. 

Emily Brown and her beloved rabbit Stanley embark on a series of adventures, constantly interrupted by the ruling monarch's repeated requests that Emily Brown gives up Stanley so that he can become the official royal plaything.

As you can imagine, Emily Brown is not at all keen to lose her favourite toy. Nested between the lines is quite a neat little tale of the consequences of not always getting what you want, no matter who you are and how much money you've got. I actually prefer this to "Emily Brown and the Thing" as does Charlotte, it's slightly less disjointed but still has some excellent flights of imagination and fancy told from the perspective of a little girl. 

Charlotte's best bit: "Big fat pink Stanley looks sad!"

Daddy's Favourite bit: The queen's "Special Commandos" (who are basically just the same characters you encounter throughout the book, but with masks on!)

Rating: 5 out of 5