"Billy and the Beast" by Nadia Shireen (Jonathan Cape PB)

Cor, it feels like it's been AGES since we had a really great monster book...
So Nadia Shireen's totally excellent "Billy and the Beast" is a welcome new addition to our book shelves.

Billy and her scene-stealing moggy sidekick Fatcat are off for a stroll in the woods.

The woods are quiet. Eerily quiet in fact, and neither Billy or Fatcat can understand where all their adorable bunny friends have gone.

The answer arrives in the hideous grumpy and hungry form of a big hairy beast who loves nothing better than turning cute woodland critters into a rich soupy broth.

So it's up to brave girl Billy to do something about that. After all, big bully monsters usually have a far worse bark than their bite, right?

This is a beautifully crafted tale that manages the neat trick of feeling familiar and classic, yet wholly fresh and original too (how do you DO that Nadia?) Billy is the sort of brave girl we love in stories, and the Beast is magnificent (if a bit naughty - well, OK VERY naughty!)

Kidlets are going to adore this one.

C's best bit: The beast himself. She always seems to like the baddies in stories best (worryingly)

Daddy's favourite bit: FatCat's ability to completely steal a scene without saying a word.

"Billy and the Beast" by Nadia Shireen is out now, published by Jonathan Cape PB (kindly supplied for review)