This indie-published title popped through our letterbox unannounced and though we usually get a bit grumpy about unsolicited books, we couldn't really be grumpy about "The Lonely Crow" by Paul Stillabower.

Ex-banker Paul has turned his talents to writing a rather touching and heartwarming story about a crow looking for somewhere safe to roost for the night. His wings are tired, his legs are old, and he just wants to find that warm snuggly spot to get a few hours sleep before the first rays of morning appear.

It's not as easy as it sounds, finding somewhere to sleep in the sprawling metropolis but flying over Regents Park, the lonely crow spies a nest.

Unfortunately a rather rude (and quite menacing) owl is already there, and does not take kindly to a crow crashing in on his pad.

Poor crow is forced to look elsewhere. Surely there'll be somewhere safe to sleep at London Zoo?

Wild animals convince the lonely crow otherwise, and it really does look like the poor feathered friend is going to collapse from exhaustion before he finds a comfy place. But there's one more option. Could this be the perfect snoozing spot? But just then, a dark shape hovers overhead...

This is a brilliant and accomplished piece of writing, and Paul's 'Disney-esque' artwork hits the spot nicely too. Charlotte loved the gentle rhymes and felt so sorry for the crow, but loved the way the book ends on a rather cosy note (we won't give away the ending, naturally!)

Charlotte's best bit: A lovely heartwarming end - which we'll keep quiet about, go read it and find out what happens!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Really nicely written, great illustrations, an indie treat!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Guild)

In our quest to feature brilliant books from independent and self published folk, we've come across a rather interesting series of books. Nils Johan-Jorgensen has tapped into stories from the four corners of the earth for a series of 'Wind' tales examining folklore and stories from all over the world.

In "West of the West Wind" (part 3 of an eventual four-book series including North of the North Wind, East of the East Wind, West of the West Wind and the upcoming South of the South Wind) I worried that the subject matter might be a little dark for Charlotte, dealing as it does with one of the most harrowing eras in modern history, the outbreak of the Second World War.

Johan-Jorgensen's sensitive storytelling and expertise in dealing with such a dark subject comes to the fore in this tale of a young book-obsessed boy. Hearing horrific tales of books being removed from libraries, books being hoarded and then eventually burned and destroyed by Hitler's troops, the brave young lad embarks on a mission to rescue some of the illicit stories before they're lost forever.

With great courage and pluck, his mission is a success but the poor boy is soon caught, and faces persecution for being in possession of forbidden texts.

Michael Avery's atmospheric drawings accompany the fabulous "Winds" stories

"West of the West Wind" is presented in a simple chapter format that's suitable for children who are just delving into their first 'big and proper' chapter books. I read aloud to Charlotte, and soon we found ourselves completely gripped by the story. It reminded me a little of "The Tale of the Book Thief" though perhaps purposely avoids some of the grittier subject matter you'd expect from a story about WWII - though not at the cost of providing an amazing engrossing and atmospheric tale, illustrated throughout by Michael Avery.

West of the West Wind by Nils-Johan Jorgensen is published by Book Guild Publishing on 27th March 2014; Price: £8.99; Hardback PPC; 49 pages. An E-book is also available.

For more information on West of the West Wind, and Nils' other books take a look at the Book Guild Website.

Charlotte's best bit: Thrilling and exciting though it deals with fairly dark subject matter (but is a great story to inspire children to explore the second world war in more detail)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Superbly atmospheric, and nicely short enough to be devoured over the course of a few bedtimes before settling your little ones down to sleep.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Book Guild Ltd)