The Perfect Picnic by Ciara Flood (Templar Publishing)

Nothing tastes better than a glorious picnic! The thought of eating outdoors is one of the best bits of the summer...
In "A Perfect Picnic" by Ciara Flood, Mole and Squirrel obviously agree! They're the best of friends, doing everything together. They paint together, ride their bikes together and love baking together so it doesn't take long before they whip up a glorious feast, and pack their bags ready for a grand adventure!

Mole is carefree and doesn't mind going with the flow (Right you are, squirrel!). Squirrel is a little bit of a prissy madam and likes things just so. No butter on her sarnies, and everything has to be perfect - including the picnic spot.

But there's a disaster on the horizon. Poor short-sighted mole hasn't noticed that before they've even started out on their search for the perfect place to eat, their picnic bag is torn on a bramble and they're slowly losing all their lovely grub! OH NO!!!

Love these houses. Charlotte said she'd rather live in Squirrel's because of the swing!

The discovery isn't made until they find a lovely grassy hillock to sit on. There's a brilliant frame where Squirrel realises what's happen (Edvard Munch fans will giggle their socks off. I certainly did!)

Squirrel and Mole are the best of friends but can their friendship survive a picnic disaster?

Thankfully the picnic is saved - as Squirrel and Mole's new friends manage to track down all the ingredients and even though there's now bruises on the apples, and sand in the sandwiches, sharing with a whole new stack of buddies is the best thing ever!

There's so much to love about this book. We both loved the characters and the fact that even though they're very different, their friendship is strong and true. We REALLY loved the artwork, it's so perfect and detailed, making you want to leap right into the book and join in the picnic fun.

Ciara is an awesome talent and this will definitely hit all the right spots. Tell you what, take it along with you next time you go on a picnic. But watch out for holey bags!

Charlotte's best bit: Squirrel's awesome cake making skills, and wonderful "Oak Lodge" house.

Daddy's favourite bit: That "Scream" reference slayed me! Adorable story, brilliant artwork, a perfect picnic feast indeed!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing).

"The Perfect Picnic"

Written and Illustrated by Ciara Flood

Published by Templar Publishing

Publication Date: 1st March 2016