Cuckoo by Fiona Roberton (Hodder Children's Books)

Fiona Roberton's fantastic "Wanted: The Perfect Pet" is such a fantastic little book, and we also loved "The Perfect Present" (the sequel). We were so excited to see Henry and Dog/Duck/pup turn up in "Cuckoo" with some fantastic cameos - but let's stick to the story and talk about Cuckoo itself.

Cuckoo is born, and it's immediately apparent that he's not like his brothers and sisters. They tweet, twirp and chirp but he cuckoos!

Poor Cuckoo is a bit of an outcast, so he embarks on a journey to find someone who will understand (and of course love) him.

Fiona's story is a touching exploration of being different, struggling sometimes to fit in even with those closest to you. It's not a story that wrings its hands with woe, but it's touching and there's such a warm fuzzy glow at the end of the book that we fell in love with it, and Cuckoo himself.

Gentle storytelling, and Fiona's knack of drawing expressive and delightful characters combine into a lovely little tale. When you hear the first cuckoo of spring, don't forget to pick up a copy of this wonderful little book.

Charlotte's best bit: Cuckoo and Sheep. Baa-ckoo?

Daddy's Favourite bit: Delightfully told, and great cameos from Henry and pals. Lovely!

(Kindly sent to us by Hodder Children's Books)