The Girl with the Birds Nest Hair by Sarah Dyer (Bloomsbury Publishing)

We're huge fans of Sarah Dyer's brilliant and funny stories. Charlotte could identify readily with the main character in this tale, a girl whose hair refuses to play ball - and who doesn't really like it when mummy (or daddy) tries to brush and fuss, style and tame her wayward hair (Charlotte's hair is naturally curly, and could probably play host to a whole flock of birds! I'm only jealous because I've got a shiny noggin that even an ostrich wouldn't want to nest on!)

In "The Girl with the Birds Nest Hair", a young girl's wayward locks attract a nesting bird one day. Mum tuts and disapproves but the girl loves her portable bird home, and soon more birds arrive to move into this tressy des-res.

Birds come in all shapes and sizes (there are some beautiful end-papers in this book showing off lots of different birds too) - so things are fine for a while as sparrows and robins move in, but what happens when a couple of turkeys or a swan want to take up residence? Eek!

I had hoped that Charlotte might take the hint from this tale, but nope - she still prefers to dodge the brush and comb. You know what though? I think her hair is wonderful just the way it is (at least I WILL think this until the first couple of woodpeckers show up!)

A very eventful trip to the zoo. Good job there weren't any Cassowaries in there!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Great fun, but alas Charlotte is still a dyed-in-the-wool brush dodger!