ReadItDaddy's First Picture Book of the Week - Week Ending 13th October 2017 - "Hide and Seek" by Anthony Browne (Picture Corgi)

Our first Picture Book of the Week this week restores our faith in there still being deliciously dark books to warm our cockles as the cold weather draws in...
Anthony Browne is an absolutely mesmerising storyteller and illustrator, and his books have been a huge hit with us whenever they've cropped up on the blog. They veer from the fun and whimsical "Willy" series, to the dark and scary "The Tunnel" - A book that we still talk about as being the yardstick for truly dark and spooky children's books.

So it's great to see Anthony come back with "Hide and Seek", a book that has that same crisp autumnal pre-halloween atmosphere about it, even though at its heart it's not really supposed to be a scary story.

It features a brother and sister, Poppy and Cy, who have lost their beloved dog. In order to try and cheer themselves up they decide to go into the woods to play a game of Hide and Seek. It's Cy's turn to hide first, and he's come up with the perfect place to hide - somewhere Poppy will never find him!

As time passes, Poppy begins to walk further and further into the woods - and Cy starts to wonder if his sister will ever find him, even getting a little scared as he waits in his woodland shelter made of old branches.

Will Poppy ever find her missing brother?

As fans of Anthony's work will know, this is one of those fabulously illustrated books where even the most innocent looking tree seems to hide another shape or object entirely, and as the story progresses, Anthony once again plays those wonderful tricks on your eyesight as you try to spot various things hidden in the woods (don't worry, Anthony gives you some hints at the back of the book if you really get stuck!)

Your eyes and your mind can play tricks when you delve into an Anthony Browne book!

We lapped this story up, mostly because once again Anthony has put together not only a simple but entertaining tale, but charged it full of the most delicious atmosphere. It's not quite as darkly dazzling or scary as something like "The Tunnel" but it's certainly one of the most gorgeous and immersive books we've had the pleasure of wrapping ourselves around for a long time.

Charlotte's best hidden object spot: A strange dismembered leg with dainty shoe?

Daddy's best hidden object spot: The odd little boy's face that pops out from behind a tree.

(Kindly supplied for review)

"Hide and Seek" by Anthony Browne is out now, published by Picture Corgi.