Don't Leap Larry by John Briggs and Nicola Slater (Pavilion Children's Books)

That whole thing about lemmings leaping off cliffs reminds me of a couple of things...
One is the startling revelation that lemmings don't actually do that - the entire idea of lemmings committing mass suicide was allegedly cooked up by Disney for one of their wildlife films in the 1950s.

The other thing it reminds me of is how much of my misspent youth involved playing "Lemmings" on the Atari ST, trying to save those green haired little critters from certain doom.

I'm pretty sure that John Briggs spent a lot of time on that game too because "Don't Leap Larry" features a couple of plot devices that feel like a knowing nod to that game. Essentially though this is actually a really strong moral tale of a lemming named Larry who strives to be different.

For starters, he's given himself a name - a definite no-no when it comes to Lemming-dom.

Larry's also not shy of bucking the trends. He's not content to just hang around with his cliff-jumping chums, he loves to roam the land meeting other animals and finding out a bit more about his own habitat (while dressing extremely stylishly, to boot!)

Larry soon realises that his fortunes lay elsewhere. After a disastrous attempt to live with the seals (they're so NOISY) and the puffins (they live on CLIFFS?! You can see why that's not a great idea for a lemming!) he begins to think about how awesome it would be if other lemmings followed suit. Be an individual, be yourself, and have a great time!

Larry has some serious style! Just look at his groovy hats!

The core message though is repeated as a line throughout the story. "Would you jump off a cliff if your friends told you to?" - This is one of those parental phrases we find ourselves repeating to Charlotte far too much (isn't it funny how you do end up parroting things your own parents used to say to you like "Don't run crying to me if you break your leg" or "Stop making that face, the wind will change!")

We want to live in a lemming burrow! It looks so COSY!

We both enjoyed this story immensely, with loads of great opportunities for read-aloud fun, and some seriously CEEEE-YOOOOOOT lemming art from Nicola.

Be yourself! Have fun! Don't run with the crowd just because you feel you have to.

Charlotte's best bit: Larry's superb dress. Well, why shouldn't boy lemmings wear dresses?

Daddy's favourite bit: A neat moral message, a crackingly entertaining read, and glorious illustrations. Gotta love Larry the Lemming!

"Don't Leap Larry" by John Briggs and Nicola Slater is out now, published by Pavilion Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).