In "Baby's First Bank Heist" baby Frank loves animals, and dearly wants a pet more than anything else.
Parents (being parents) with all that 'adult wisdom' and 'boring sensibility' tell Frank that in no uncertain terms he's far too young to look after a pet and that's that...
Or is it? You see Frank isn't daft, he's very cunning in fact - and dreams up a grand plan to get himself enough moolah to buy a pet - or two - or perhaps even seventyhundred pets!
Stealthily acting out his plan on a visit to the bank one day, Frank sneaks into the vault undetected, stuffs his cute burglar-striped babygro full of cash and makes a clean getaway (while mum, oblivious and on her phone, completely fails to notice her baby has put on a few pounds).
Once he's back at home Frank goes a little doolally. He doesn't stop at ordering just one pet on the internet, he ends up with an entire menagerie.
But soon the bank are bashing down the door asking for their cash back. They've realised the pint-sized robber has made off with their loot but when there's nothing left in the kitty Frank and his family hit on a better scheme to make a bit of dosh on the side. They open a zoo (much to the annoyance of their neighbours. Honestly, Frank's mum and dad are the WORST!!!)
It's a caper par excellence and not a half bad introduction to Baby Frank (who, we believe, may be going on to more adventures in what's intended to be a series of books). I think Jim and Stephen could've gone even more nutso with this than they did, but as it stands it's an entertaining story and we can't wait to find out what Baby Frank cooks up next.
C's best bit: The big fat rotund baby perched on his mum's lap on the bus (because he's stuffed full of bank notes and moolah!)
Daddy's favourite bit: Quite an original idea to marry a book about a nefarious crime with children's abject love of animals. It almost felt like the story could've spun on a little longer than it did but it does leave the door open for more capers from Frank.
"Baby's First Bank Heist" by Jim Whalley and Stephen Collins is out now, published by Bloomsbury (kindly supplied for review).