Bubble Trouble by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury Publishing)

Bubbles! Virtually as soon as the first rays of sunshine hit the patio, we're out in the back garden with as much bubble mixture as we can rustle up, blowing soap bubbles (usually what happens is that I blow the bubbles, and Charlotte chases them, pops them and giggles like a drain!) So why don't more children's picture books feature this carefree activity?

Here's Tom Percival to redress the balance with a fabulous new book - out on Thursday 11th September by the way - that celebrates the simple art of bubble blowing.

There is a twist though, the two friends in this story, Reuben and Felix, get a little competitive and carried away in their bubble blowing antics and come up with lots of ingenious ways to out-do each other.

Their friendship wobbles a little as they keep coming up with amazing machines to blow bubbles for them (we loved Tom's steampunk-esque bubble-blowing creations here, such gorgeous art!) They decide to settle things with one final bubble blowing contest to see who really can blow the biggest bubbles ever. But will the contest test their friendship beyond its limits?

A charming and whimsical book, building on Tom's knack for fine tuning a story so that the moral message doesn't hammer home, is gently delivered by his sublime animal characters. As with "Herman's Letter" the book is such a feel-good read that it's bound to put a big bubbly smile on your face. If it's not raining where you are, grab some bubble mixture, head out into the garden and blow a few bubbles in honour of Tom's fantastic new book. You'll feel all the better for it!

Charlotte's best bit: Instantly recognising cameos from "Herman's Letter" and also loving the crazy bubble machines! (Ours is from Tesco and is a bit rubbish in comparison!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fantastic feelgood story about friendships and how sometimes even the best of friends don't see eye to eye. Bubblicious!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Bloomsbury Publishing)