Day 4 of our #Booky100Keepers articles sees a pair of books that have achieved legendary status here at ReadItDaddy Towers. We picked these up in a '3 for two' deal (along with another keeper we'll talk about later on in this list) and C fell instantly in love with both of them.

Even to this day these still get read as a bedtime book and we still love the frenetic energy and fun characterisations in both.

Starting with "The Runaway Dinner" by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, we begin with the tale of a seemingly ordinary little boy (amusingly) named Banjo Cannon. Banjo loves a sausage for his dinner but on one fateful day, the sausage decides he doesn't want to be scoffed, and does a runner - swiftly followed by the rest of Banjo's dinner, his cutlery, plate, chair and table!

A grand chase ensues as we begin to find out a little more about each character from the speedy soss to the cute peas (all of which have their own names, don't you know!)

It's a brilliant, brilliant romp and kids can't resist the fun details that segue in from Al and Bruce's other books. In fact if you look very carefully you'll spy a bit of intermixing between this and...

"The Pencil" which we also absolutely have to include in our list of keepers.

This time a pencil begins to draw a world, but soon the characters in that world demand changes! There's only one thing for it, the Pencil needs to draw something very special - a rubber!

BUT the rubber goes on the rampage, and gets far too carried away rubbing things out. The pencil is desperate to save the day, but what on earth can defeat a rubber?

We won't give away the ending! But in researching for this I realised we'd somehow missed "The Pencil" from our review schedule back when we were first starting out but it'd be an instant book of the week if we had, so go geddit buster!

These two books are treasures and we can't recommend them highly enough, both are absolute works of genius and Allan and Bruce are amongst our favourite PB creators of all time, their work is just so glorious.

Original Review Links:

The Runaway Dinner

The Pencil - N/A (why on EARTH didn't we review this one?!)

Our second book of the week this week comes from a duo who are no strangers to our book of the week slot. Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman's latest book is a riot!

Ahhh the best laid new years resolutions about healthy eating and a change in lifestyle. You know what though? Very little can match the sheer satisfaction of tucking into a really fresh crusty slice of bread, hot from the oven, slathered in butter and jam (or in Charlotte's case, a good dollop of chocolate spread).

"Hooray for Bread" is the latest collaboration from a supreme children's book team, Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman's books are quirky and sometimes surreal but in this tale the humble loaf of bread shares its journey from oven to table and beyond. How many uses are there for a loaf? How many people (and animals) can share a slice?

The story flows beautifully like a drizzle of honey atop a granary slice of toast, the illustrations are in Bruce's trademark simplistic but hugely effective style and a seemingly simple comestible becomes a book superstar right to the very last crumb!

Charlotte's best bit: Feeding the ducks a slice or two

Daddy's Favourite bit: A simple idea made into a wonderful tale of imagination and wonder. Hooray indeed for bread!

(Book borrowed from Abingdon Library for review)

Like this? We think you'll love these too!

"The Runaway Dinner" by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman

"When Martha's Away" by Bruce Ingman

"Ronny Rock stars in Monster Cake Meltdown" by Merryn Threadgould and Bruce Ingman

Regular ReadItDaddy readers will know that we practically worship the ground Allan Ahlberg walks on. Regularly appearing in our Book of the Week nominations, Allan has a knack of weaving a brilliant tale.

With a whole series of the "Happy Families" books now being republished by Puffin Books, you can now marvel at a series that's over 30 years old but still feels as fresh and brilliant today as it did back in the 80s.

Introducing Charlotte to the books was brilliant. Particularly showing her how fantastic Joe (What A Mess) Wright's illustrations are. Detailed, funny and lending themselves to the story really well, it's easy to see why the Happy Families books have been popular with early readers for as long as they have.

In this tale, we meet a mysterious family who travel by caravan (with no one driving!) from town to town. Posters appear in the town announcing "Mr Cosmo is Coming!" and soon the man himself, and his lovely family, are standing in the town square announcing that tonight there will be a free show!

Mr Cosmo's children go to school just like any other kids, but also learn how to saw their mum in half (don't get any ideas Charlotte! I like her in one piece!) and how to pull rabbits out of hats.

Soon the show begins, and as the lights are turned down low, the whole town holds its breath...

The reprints of these books are nicely pocket sized (remember when you used to roll your books up and shove them in the back pocket of your jeans? I bet you wouldn't do that now!) and all the vibrancy and detail of the original illustrations is still in place.

Brilliant stuff! So glad to see these again!

Charlotte's best bit: The amazing appearing (and disappearing) rabbits! Hooray!

Daddy's favourite bit: A cameo by a certain rather scruffy dog. Dang, I really need to hunt down the 'What a Mess' books again.

(kindly sent to us for review by Puffin Books)

Oooh it's controversial, but when the 'boss' of this blog says something is so, it is so. And so (and sew and sew) it came to pass that on the first week of July, 2012, we ended up with two books of the week here on ReadItDaddy. Charlotte absolutely could not choose between "I Want A Dog!" and this little tome from way back in 1977. Allan Ahlberg, children's literary genius - and his illustrator wife Janet came up with this - way back before parents were demanding that libraries threw away any books likely to subvert their little cotton-wool-wrapped darlings.

It's probably just as well our local library doesn't go in for any of those ridiculous shenanigans, because Burglar Bill is such an excellent book.

It tells the story of a burglar (no!) named Bill (really?) and his nightly antics as he makes his way through the little street behind the police station, burgling people's houses.

Right about now, liberal wishy washy parents are probably lying in a dead faint, so we can carry on without offending them. Burglar Bill is the epitome of a loveable rogue, returning home every morning to enjoy his stolen fish and chip supper, a stolen cup of tea, sitting at his stolen table on a stolen chair before snuggling up in his stolen bed with his (stolen?) cat.

Burglar Bill's life changes completely when he steals a big brown box with holes in the lid. With his trademark cry of "That's a nice (something or other), I'll have that!", he makes off with the box.

What happens next? Aha you think I'm going to tell you? You think I'm going to ruin one of the best children's books ever written by giving away the major plot points and the endings? Hah, think again - suffice to say that this is a book that deserves to be listed right up there amongst the Gruffalos, along with the Bear Hunts and right next to The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It might sound slightly unsavoury, and obviously it's alright to write books about pirates and zombies, bogie-picking trolls and nefarious witches but not Burglars, OK?

Charlotte's best bit: Boglaboll!

Daddy's favourite bit: Burglar Bill's favourite phrases, "That's a nice (something), I'll 'ave that!" and  "Well Blow Me Down!"

Rating: 5 out of 5 sacks of loot, Joint Book Of The Week!

An absolutely bonkers, crazy and chaotic tale (which is actually true, by the way, well sort of). Allan Ahlberg's tale tells of a young boy named Banjo Cannon who spends an eventful day chasing his dinner around the local park. The flow of the text is as higgledypiggledy as the artwork by Bruce Ingman (who, like Picasso, must've spent a lifetime working out how to draw like a child and he's nailed it perfectly) but it's a thoroughly enjoyable book that should appeal to sausage lovers everywhere. 

Charlotte's best bit: The ill-fated pea brothers

Daddy's favourite bit: The Wimpy Bar / Greasy Spoon Cafe-type ketchup bottle that is on Banjo's table. 

Rating: 3 out of 5