Celebrating 25 years of the most adorable stories featuring a character that has been loved by children of all shapes and sizes, we're delighted to catch up with "Maisy Goes to Bed" being re-issued in a special 25th birthday edition.
I sincerely expected this book to pass through Charlotte's hands in double-quick time, but I reckoned without the power of Lucy Cousin's exquisite book design skills and knack for wringing an entertaining story out of ordinary everyday situations.
If anything, that's probably why the Maisy books are such a roaring success. Kids recognise themselves instantly in that awesome little mouse.
In "Maisy Goes to Bed", Maisy is preparing for a snuggly night's sleep. All the important duties must be performed first of course. A bedtime drink of milk, a lick of the flannel and a good 2 minutes with the toothbrush.
The delightful "lift the flap" elements are what drew Charlotte in, along with some great little 'working' bits that allow you to move paper levers back and forth to make Maisy glug her bedtime drink or actually move her brush forwards and backwards over her pearly white gnashers.
I'm always amazed to find that books have been around for a lot longer than I imagined, but it's no surprise whatsoever that Maisy is one of the most enduring and continually successful characters in children's literature. A testament to Lucy's amazing skills as an artist and a children's writer. May Maisy celebrate many more anniversaries to come!
Charlotte's best bit: Brushing Maisy's teeth. 2 mins please!
Daddy's favourite bit: What an utter delight this book is. If you've got little ones (or a slightly larger one who still adores lift the flap books with awesome paper mechanics) then this is an essential purchase.
(Kindly sent to us for review by Walker Books)
"Maisy Goes to Bed (25th Anniversary Edition)"
Written and Illustrated by Lucy Cousins
Published by Walker Books
Publication Date: 2nd June 2016