Through the Forest by Steffie Brocoli and Catherine Bidet (Thames and Hudson)

Wow! Once again Thames and Hudson really seem to have a knack for publishing wholly original book ideas...
"Through the Forest" by Steffie Brocoli and Catherine Bidet instantly brought back waves of nostalgia from my own childhood, when on any given day you'd find me with a copy of one of those "Choose your own Adventure" paperback books tucked into my back pocket. "Deathtrap Dungeon" or "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain" were faves, and in some ways "Through the Forest" is like a modern more child-friendly equivalent of those books.

You're encouraged to embark on an adventure of your own making, as the book opens and you quickly realise that it's up to you to make your own way through the story. At the end of each page you're presented with a choice - Take one route or another, in order to meet all the amazing animals that live in the dark woodlands.

The book is presented with an attractive format, each page can be easily flicked to using a set of coloured tabs along the right hand side of the book pages, making it absolutely easy as pie to use even for younger readers.

Safe again, but for how long! Eep! Quick, turn to page 10!

The book builds up an amazing level of anticipation as children can't wait to flick through to see if they've made the right choice at each page end.

Hang on a minute, are those cuckoos following us?

Don't worry, no grisly deaths or danger await you in your forest quest as this is strictly a child-friendly book. But what a great idea! The perfect example of how books can compete with apps on a level pegging, and still provide a level of excitement and interaction that feels wonderfully involving.

"Through the Forest" is out today (14th July 2016) from Thames and Hudson