Dog on Stilts by James Thorp and Angus Mackinnon (Digital Leaf)

The strange and whacky surreality of The Weasel Puffin Unicorn Baboon Pig Lobster Race tickled our fancy a while ago, and now James and Angus - crazy psychedelic geniuses behind that book - are back with something new.

Everyone wants to be special, and even more so in the dog world. Dogs are amazingly diverse. Some are tall, some are short, some are fabulously glamorous and some are downright slobbery. But medium dog is...well medium, nothing special, a little hairy but definitely not outstanding in any field.

Medium Dog isn't happy with this situation. Not at all, and while his friends look on, Medium Dog hatches a plan. Disappearing into his shed he bangs and clatters and saws and chisels and makes the biggest pair of stilts you've ever seen.

Medium Dog is no longer Medium Dog. Medium dog is now...DOG ON STILTS!

Marching through the land, Medium Dog feels special for the first time in his life. His mischievous sense of humour comes to the fore as he strides around playing tricks on folk but sometimes there's a distinct disadvantage to having your head in the clouds. How do you nibble a bony biscuit from your dish? How can you play with your friends?

What happens to Dog on Stilts in the end is both comical and surreal, but this is another cracker from James and Angus who seem to have a gift for weaving together awesome stories with completely hatstand visuals to produce wholly original children's books.

Charlotte's best bit: Dog spots the juiciest apple on the tree but it's just out of reach. What happens next?

Daddy's Favourite bit: Superbly original and completely surreal, a great little doggy tale of an ordinary everyday dog trying to be special but realising he was special all along. Lovely!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Digital Leaf)