Our Book of the Week this week definitely covers something that's a bit of a sore subject with both of us (but in a VERY funny way)...

As you've probably worked out by now, we're huge fans of detective stories on the blog. If there's a mystery to solve, we're there! We love originality too and when "Captain Coconut and the Case of the Missing Banana" popped into our inbox, we couldn't resist its charms.

Tara Books have a distinct knack for producing the most beautiful and original books, so we knew that this was going to be a treat. Imagine a hectic and energetic mix of a truly original protagonist suffused with Bollywood musical numbers (yes, exactly!) and you have "Captain Coconut and the Case of the Missing Banana".

There's a number mystery to solve here, with the aid of the rather eccentric (and paisley-nosed) Captain Coconut - ace detective. His keen elephant-like brain works logically through any problem, so when the captain receives a mysterious teary phone call, he's soon on the case.

Speeding off to the scene on his moped (once he's started it, of course) the captain soon meets Mrs Y, the mysterious phone caller. She informs Captain Coconut that some of the bananas she had purchased the day before have gone missing!

With his keenly observant eyes, and use of unflappable logic, Captain Coconut is drawn deeper into the mystery - after a song of course (and you can BET we had fun singing Captain Coconut's various sing-a-long interludes! What a genius idea to include these in the book!)

Will the Captain solve the missing 'nana mystery? We won't spoil the end for you but you are in for a heck of a treat with this book, it's utterly hilarious and brilliant!

Charlotte's best bit: Captain Coconut's rather dashing song "He's a Rock!"

Daddy's Favourite bit: It's funny, it's quirky, it's wholly original - you'll never have read a detective story as brilliant as this! Hooray for Captain Coconut!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Tara Books)

Now the summer is here, our thoughts turn to summer holidays. We'll be glamming it up in Somerset and Wales this year - but we'd truly love to be the little mouse in this story. After Auntie returns home with the most amazing sewn quilt, detailing her adventures in India, a child dreams that they've become a jet-setting mouse. Arriving in a strange country, the local customs seem strange but the cityscape is alive with colour, and the flora and fauna dazzle and delight.

The story playfully allows us to delve into the child's imagination as they travel the landscape, encountering different characters who dilly dally and shilly shally whenever our child-mouse asks where they are. Hence the title of the book!

Anushka Ravishankar's rhymes play with your senses as much as the book's stunning sewn-together visuals (by artist Anita Leutwilet). A beautifully descriptive book that will make you want to travel to one of the globe's most colourful countries in search of adventure. As with all the Tara books we've encountered so far, this is a treat for the eyes as well as the tongue when read aloud!

Charlotte's best bit: Racing around in a Tuk Tuk. Hold on little mouse!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A truly beautiful book full of vibrant colours, fun rhymes and such a brilliant landscape to explore in wonderment.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Tara Books)

Tara Books have reissued a real classic, a fantastic animal book that has a fairly simple story with simple artwork - but with so many brilliant little moments both heartwarming and delightful that make us glad it's coming back to bookshelves.

"Elephants Never Forget" is a fish out of water (or is that "Elephant out of Drinking Hole") tale of a baby elephant who ends up separated from his tribe. Left all alone in the hot sun, poor baby elephant doesn't have much of a chance of survival, but he's no dumbo, he manages to find the most unlikely allies. The buffalo love Elephant and his 'joie de vivre'. The young buffalos especially love the fact that elephant loves to play, particularly in the mud and water.

Look at his face! Now that's an elephant who LOVES having fun!

As elephant grows bigger and stronger, he becomes such an important member of the buffalo tribe that they are inseparable. He defends them against attack by the nasty tiger, he showers them every morning to keep the ticks at bay - and he's still the best playmate in the world. But what will happen when elephant once again meets his own kind? Will he choose to stay with the buffalo or will he go back?

Anushka's rhymes are wonderfully sing-song (she is described as India's "Dr Seuss" which is definitely apt). Christine Pieper's illustrations look like fairly simple line work but she has an astonishing knack for imbuing her characters with flowing movement and the most wonderful expressions (we can't get over how funny some of elephant's faces are when he's having fun).

It doesn't get any better than having a good wallow in the mud!

"Elephants Never Forget" is reprinted on 1st June 2014.

Like everything Tara publish, it's nigh-on unmissable!











Charlotte's best bit: Elephant wallowing with lots of baby buffalos using his tummy as a trampoline!

Daddy's Favourite bit: An entertaining story, fabulously told with flowing rhymes and a really heartwarming end. Loved the artwork too, it's brilliant and simple.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Tara Books)