Apologies for the sporadic updates to this blog of late but Charlotte has been doing her best impression of a braying walrus. For those parents who have toddlers or youngsters with a chest infection, you'll be only too familiar with the horrible noise kids can make when they...

Following in the footsteps of several other successful children's authors, the new Children's Laureate is Julia ("The Gruffalo") Donaldson.  Glasgow-born Donaldson is one of the biggest-selling children's authors for preschool books and her work features in just about every 'top...

A tiny puppy goes to stay at his Grandma and Grandad's house, kicking off a night-time adventure (and a cute story possibly reflecting exactly what happens when Charlotte goes to her Grandma and Grandad's house for the night).  Alone in a strange bed, the young pup...

Oh dear. This book was clearly a case of a hit-and-hoper. Picked out as part of our library grab this week, "Please don't torment Tootsie" encourages children to be kind to their pets through a series of rhymes and illustrations.  I thought this would be an instant hit with Charlotte,...

Reviewing a book without words is tough, but in the case of Polo and the Dragon, a book without words can often unlock a child's imagination in a more powerful way than something that has a clearly defined story.  The 'Polo' series of books by Regis Faller are cute comic-strip-style...

Did you know that all dragons are secretly terrified of mice? This charming tale (with some absolutely stunning dragon artwork by Chris Wormell) reveals the deepest darkest secrets of the mythical creatures that once ruled the world.  The dragon in this particular tale is red,...

  I'm often chastised by my long suffering other half when I bring home books about monsters, but this tale doesn't set out to scare little girls and boys - rather teach them a valuable lesson about tolerance, and treating others as you would be treated yourself.  Adults will...

"Step into my Parlour" said the Spider to the Fly.  Even if you don't know Mary Howitt's original dark poem warning of the dangers of falling for a silver tongued devil, you must have heard it paraphrased so many times in popular culture. This book takes the text of...