I Don't Want To Go To School by Stephanie Blake (Random House Children's Books)

Here's a book with a subject that's very close to home at the moment. Children often have anxieties about school and Charlotte has a whole ton of them, ranging from concerns about swimming to worries about whether she's got all her reading books with her. Often the tiniest thing can be built up in a child's mind until it reaches monstrous proportions.

So Stephanie Blake's latest book was very well received. We love Simon, the bunny star of brilliant books like "Poo Bum", "Stupid Baby" and our personal favourite "A Deal's a Deal". In the story, Simon absolutely DOES NOT want to go to school and makes no bones about telling everyone. Over breakfast, he's adamant. while getting dressed he's stubborn, and even when being walked to school by his dad, he's determined. He does not want to go to school and that's that!

Amusingly Simon, like Charlotte, soon realises that once you're there and sat down, and immersed in all the things that happen in class, school doesn't seem so bad after all - but what happens when it's pick-up time? (Pretty much the same thing that happens with Charlotte - we have the devil's own job to drag her away from the place!)

Stephanie Blake's humour in both her storytelling and her illustration really makes her books stand out. They're cheeky, irreverent, and Simon is like a bunny version of Bart Simpson - a wee bit naughty but you can't help but like the little fellah.

Another fantastic addition to Stephanie's Simon stories! We can't wait for the next!

Charlotte's best bit: Simon's wonderful artwork in class

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love this book and it came along at a time when C has been having lots of anxious moments at school. Funny and a wee bit cheeky, pretty much how we'd imagine Stephanie herself to be :)

(Kindly sent to us for review by Random House Children's Books)