ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 5th April 2019: "A Mouse Called Julian" by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye Books)

Our Second Book of the Week sees us FINALLY catching up with a colossal talent in children's picture books...

"A Mouse Called Julian" by Joe Todd-Stanton is the sort of picture book that feels like it's been in your collection for donkey's years, oft read and loved to the point where its pages are faded and well-thumbed.

...And yet this is a brand new book, harking back to an era when children's stories weren't always about solving issues or confronting real-world problems, but just about exquisitely crafted storytelling, glorious characters and perhaps a tiny pinch of a moral in there just to add the pepper to the sauce rather than overpowering the whole thing.

We've not seen ANY of Joe's books before, which is something we're absolutely going to rectify now, but "A Mouse Called Julian" was a brilliant introduction. Starting off with a rather timid little mouse who doesn't actually mind a solitary life. Julian has become expert at avoiding other people, which is just the way he likes it as he curls up comfortably in his too-adorable-for-words little hole-home (which is decked out so beautifully, like a scene from "The Borrowers" but with a distinctly mousey feel to it, just lovely!)

Such an adorable little network of homes, and Julian's is well placed to avoid his rather obstructive neighbours

When Julian ventures out into the wide world he's also scurrilous and quick, very good at avoiding the farmer and her dog, or cats that would make a meal of Julian.

But the titular mouse doesn't realise he's being watched...

If there has ever been a more accurate and delightful depiction of a fox in a children's book, we've yet to see it!

A wily fox rather fancies dinner at Julian's place - with Julian being the dish of the day. Luckily for Julian the plan doesn't quite pay off as planned, and after being forced to spend a little time together, Fox and Julian reach something of a mutual agreement that Fox won't scoff Julian if the little mouse can somehow free him from being trapped in Julian's front window.

Here's where there's a shade of "The Mouse and the Lion" but Joe doesn't just adapt that familiar tale, there's an absolutely breathtaking twist as the book draws to a close (which we won't spoil!)

Oh no! Poor Julian!

It was one of those moments in a book that stopped C in her tracks, something she didn't anticipate or see coming when she can usually give me constant side-eyes through the course of a picture book, knowing exactly what's going to happen as the plot unravels.

The surprise is great though - just a tiny piece of a story that works so beautifully at every point. Joe crafts the story so that it's textually minimal, to let those stunning visuals take over and flesh out the story - the mark of a brilliant picture book in our opinion.

What an immensely talented fellow and what a truly gorgeous book.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A book that feels familiar, comfortable, but exquisitely crafted and yet so original and delightful with an absolutely killer twist.

"A Mouse called Julian" by Joe Todd-Stanton is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review).