"Lisette's green Sock" by Catharina Valckx (Gecko Press)

Sometimes the simplest children's stories can whip up creatives into a frenzy of inventiveness and characterful storytelling, and in "Lisette's Green Sock" by Catharina Valckx you'll meet titular Lisette.

While out walking, this happy little duck finds a single green sock on the ground. She decides it looks fantastic and puts it on straight away but those mean bullies Tomcat and Timcat tease Lisette, making her realise that a sock isn't really much good if you've only got the one.

Lisette spends the rest of the day searching in vain for the lost sock. Even a little fish tries to help but all he's found is a strange rake and a very odd coffee pot (actually a comb and a watering can).

Lisette trudges home rather dejectedly and her mum kindly offers to wash the sock.

He best friend Bert thinks the sock would actually make a fine hat, but once again those rotten cat brothers Timcat and Tomcat tease Lisette, having found the missing sock - but they're determined she's not going to get her hands on it - and throw it in the river.

Poor Lisette! Thankfully Mum is on hand with a plan to cheer up her daughter.

This is a charming little book, beautifully translated and as we said at the top of the review, a simple story that has loads of lovely little touches.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A cute and characterful tale of a simple duck and her lucky find, that even a pair of rotten bullycats can't ruin.

"Lisette's Green Sock" by Catharina Valckx is out now, published by Gecko Press (kindly supplied as a digital ARC)