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

The very worst thing about being on a healthy eating kick is that you find yourself suddenly assaulted with gorgeous images of cake wherever you look. When we picked up "Ronny Rock Starring in Monster Cake Meltdown" from the library, we had no idea that we'd fall prey to the very thing that the book mentions in its first few pages. Rivers, nay oceans of drool as we read with mouths watering.

Ronny Rock is the rather cool-sounding hero of a book about a boy and a bakery. Imagine living with your dad in a bakery, knowing that all day every day the shop would be filled with tempting treats, sumptuous desserts and dreamy birthday cakes.

Ronny Rock's life is sweet indeed.

One night Dad opts for a night out at the cinema, and leaves Ronny's best friend (and slightly wonky teenage role model) Kieran to look after Ronny. While larking around in the bakery, the troublesome twosome find something that completely ruins their evening. A missing letter, requesting a birthday cake! Ronny's dad has gone to the cinema, and a monster cake absolutely MUST be delivered on time for the following day! Calamity!

But what can a boy and a teenager do? Can they possibly rise to the challenge of the great babysitting bake-off?

Trust us, you will need something to mop up the dribble as Bruce Ingman's gorgeous illustrations expertly mix with this entertaining story by Merryn Threadgould. All the ingredients are there for a bounteous book of the week. Cast your diet aside, and dive in!


Charlotte's best bit: The Red Racing Car Cake. Vroom Vroom!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fantastically original story, but those illustrations, arrrgh it's enough to make us throw off our diet and nip down to the bakery! CAKE!!!

We wanted this book as soon as we saw the title, and the (slightly scary) cover image. "Go To Sleep or I Let Loose the Leopard" is the sort of book that's destined to become part of a parent's bedtime routine - even if they aren't reading it!

We'll explain why in a moment, but first let's take a look at the story.

An exasperated babysitter is having a troublesome evening. Two children, Joe and Ellie, are determined that they won't be good and go to sleep. They're too full of energy and are too busy trashing their room, inventing new games, and pulling their beds to bits to even contemplate catching some Zs.

Try as she might, the babysitter can't get them to settle, and after umpteen trips up and down stairs, she has only one tactic left.

"Go to sleep, or I let loose the leopard!"

Joe and Ellie have scoffed at all her other threats, so why would a silly old leopard be any different? The kids aren't convinced until they hear the babysitter turn a key in a lock, hear a cage door swing open, and a low roar and the soft foot-padding of paws on stairs.

THE LEOPARD!!

There's an art to reading this book aloud, and it's such a hugely fun tension-building book that's perfect if you love to ramp up the excitement with every turn of the page (This is something that silly dads like me do when really they should be settling their children down, not making them even more crazy and over-excited when reading bedtime stories!)

Of course we're not about to tell you what happens next, oh no! We'll let the book's title lure you in just as it did us, and let the promise of Steve Cole's fabulous tension-building story and Bruce Ingman's fantastic illustrations add extra spice to this highly recommended book.

As to why it's become part of our bedtime routine even when we aren't reading it? Well, every time we hear Charlotte playing with her torch, or complaining that her pillow is funny, or that her sheets are untucked, guess what we now shout up the stairs?

Charlotte's best bit: We won't spoil the ending but the leopard, aieeee!!!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Such a fantastic twist, and the sort of premise and title that you can't help wanting to investigate further. Read it, Daddies (and mummies!)

(Kindly sent to us for review by Random House / Jonathan Cape PB Ltd)

Though this is a golden oldie, it's a classic book that doesn't get nearly as much hype and love as Bruce Ingman's other titles. But this tale of the secret life of a cat and what he gets up to when his owner goes to school is hilarious and timeless in equal measure (though these days, rather than read the cat news, moggies probably go onto their own version of the internet and visit CatTube to watch pictures of cute humans doing stupid things instead).

Fantastic, funny and with Ingman's trademark child-like drawing style tapping straight into a kid's psyche, this is marvellous storytelling married to simple visuals to conjure up a day in the life of an ordinary house cat.

Charlotte's best bit: The cat's piano recital

Daddy's favourite bit: The shifty door to door salescat hawking his wares

Rating: 4 out of 5 paws

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