Handstand by Lisa Stickley (Pavilion Children's Books)

Though Miss C is definitely far too old for counting books, she's never too old to enjoy a fun and original take on counting books...
We were fortunate enough to have a lovely guest post from author / illustrator Lisa Stickley to celebrate the launch of "Handstand".

Now we've been lucky enough to take a look at the finished book itself and also lucky enough to meet Edith.

She's the star of "Handstand", a little girl who loves to view the world upside down, attempting to do the longest handstand she can.

She starts off by being able to hold position for one second, then two. As her story unfolds, Edith's acrobatics are interrupted - often by funny little happenstances that give this book its edge, a deliciously whimsical sense of humour to go along with the deliciously whimsical illustrations

A worm pops up out of the ground, causing Edith to topple over. Worm wants to know what this big pink 'hand' thing blocking his favourite exit hole was.

A bird is disturbed by flailing legs reaching skyward, and chooses Edit as a prime target for a well aimed plop, narrowly missing our girl hero.

Lisa's inventiveness leads Edith on to further acrobatic antics, as the book gently helps little ones count with a gigglesome story.

For the record, I think I managed to hold a handstand for about 2 seconds before my feet almost collided with the lampshade at home. Charlotte, however, managed a full 10 seconds but I suspect there was an element of trickery going on involving leaning against a wall!

"Handstand" by Lisa Stickley is out now, published by Pavilion Children's Books (kindly sent for review)