...well, because it's just utterly divine and we can't possibly let books like "Franklin's Flying Bookshop" by Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett slip by without lauding them with the highest praise possible.
This glorious book fuses together so many of our favourite elements in an utterly disarming, charming and wonderful way that it was destined to be a book of the week more or less as soon as it hit our doormat.
Franklin is our sort of chap. He loves stories and loves reading stories to people too, but everyone is too scared to even look at him. You see, the thing is, well Franklin is a Dragon! A rather large, rather scary looking dragon (it matters not that he's a gentle and engaging creature - most people are too terrified to approach this scaly book-loving behemoth).
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| As lovely as Franklin is, he's pretty flipping terrifying, don't you think? |
But one day he meets a brave little girl named Luna who, far from being scared, is fascinated to meet Franklin, having recently read all about dragons in one of her books.
Luna and Franklin strike up a friendship based on their mutual love of books and stories, and their animated discussions about stories ranging from roller skating adventures, to epic tales of knights on horseback remind me of the sort of conversations we have with other book lovers. You know what it's like, don't you book folk? When you could happily sit and talk about books and stories well into the wee small hours with your favourite booky pals!
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| This scene looks an awful lot like our lounge at ReadItDaddy Towers! |
Luna and Franklin want to share their love of books and stories with others, and come up with the perfect plan - they will build their own bookshop - Not just any bookshop, but a flying bookshop strapped to Franklin's back!
It's no easy feat, let me tell you, to concoct a children's picture book story. It's an even tougher feat to produce something that not only flows in form and story, but looks so utterly and completely gorgeous as "Franklin's Flying Bookshop". Jen and Katie are such an amazing team - and there's better news to come as Franklin and Luna will be back in September with another amazing adventure. If you're anything like us, you're already getting a preorder in.
C's best bit: Franklin and Luna's chaotic planning for their flying bookshop par excellence
Daddy's favourite bit: We've said many times that certain books just absolutely nail it right out of the gate, instantly feeling like future classics in the making. That's what you get with "Franklin's Flying Bookshop" - that glorious and instantly comforting feeling that this book was made with a lot of love, and will glue itself into your hearts and minds for many many moons to come. Perfect!
"Franklin's Flying Bookshop" by Jen Campbell and Katie Harnett is out now, published by Thames and Hudson (kindly supplied for review)