ReaditDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 22nd July 2016 - "The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer" by Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud (Chronicle Children's Books)

Our first Book of the Week this week - what do you do when you're put on the spot on that first day back at school...
...and your teacher says to you "So what DID you do over the summer holidays?"

Charlotte is usually set some homework during her school holidays to keep a diary and she dutifully does so. It's about the only time we get to take off on holidays so hopefully she doesn't have to invent too many crazy situations like the hero of our story.

You see summer can be a bit...dare we say...boring? When you've got 8 weeks to fill you go through phases. Initially there's the elation of not having to get up for school, eat dreadful school meals (or daddy's curly sandwiches, hooray!), do maths homework or wear an itchy scratchy uniform. But your friends and your teacher will expect you to fill your time in the most interesting ways possible so this book pokes a mirthful finger at the things our hero gets up to during the long summer vac.

Where to start? Well there was that one time in Egypt when he inadvertently brought down the wrath of Ra...!

(oops)

Then there was that whole Deep Space thing...

(yikes)

Oh and then...

(well we all know how that ended up, don't we?)

Davide and Benjamin have come up with an utter winner of a book, humorously written and utterly brilliantly illustrated (we really couldn't get enough of that hilarious constant companion of Dog who wears the most adorable expressions as he gets up to his own mischief during the course of the book).

Perfectly pitched for summer, brilliantly timed, we adore this book!

Charlotte's best bit: Who knew Egyptians could be so grumpy when woken by a crooked crook thief!

Daddy's favourite bit: Hugely inventive, imaginative and exciting - just the sort of hilariously tall tale you can well imagine a child cooking up to cover up a boring summer hol!

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

"The Truth About my Unbelievable Summer"

Written by Davide Cali

Illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

Published by Chronicle Children's Books

Publication Date: 5th July 2016