Again we look at the subject of loss and grief and another rare jewel amongst children's books, a book that deals with the subject not just sensitively - but actually quite joyfully too.

"Rabbityness" by Jo Empson is one of those books we've recommended to so many people over the years, and still continue to do so to this day.

It begins as the happy story of a rabbit who loves to do lots of rabbity things, but also loves to do quite a lot of distinctly un-rabbity things, like paint, or play music, or dance.

Mid way through the book there's a thud - the sound of your heart breaking as the rabbit passes on - but leaves behind a legacy for its fellow rabbits - a huge collection of all the non-rabbity things for them to discover themselves.

That way they'll always remember their rabbity friend and all their wonderful non-rabbityness too.

There's such a lot of layers to this book, and the way it can be used to help children understand loss and grief, but also to help them remember loved ones - even pets - they've loved and lost.

Jo set out here to produce a book that did away with the usual sombre messages you'll see in any books that deal with the death of a loved one, instead imbuing her glorious artwork and beautiful storytelling with huge dollops of joyful colour and a real vibrancy that makes this book stand out, and feel way ahead of its time even now.

We'll go on thinking about Rabbityness any time anyone asks us for a book on this subject. Geniunely one of the most amazing books we ever got to cover on this blog.

Original Review Links (with some more excellent work from Jo): 

ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 26th February 2016 - "Little Home Bird" by Jo Empson (Child's Play)

Chimpanzees for Tea by Jo Empson (Picture Puffin)

Never Ever by Jo Empson (Child's Play International PLC)

Charlotte's Book of the Week - Rabbityness by Jo Empson (Child's Play International Ltd)

The practicalities of being a book blogger and living in a modest sized house mean that our #Booky100Keepers sometimes get stowed away safely in a cupboard or in storage only for us to rediscover them some years later.

That was the case with the utterly sublime "The Flower" by John Light and Lisa Evans.

It's the story of a young boy named Brigg who lives in a dark dystopian world. Brigg works at the library, looking after the 'forbidden' books, but one day discovers a book filled with the most amazing designs.

The book calls them "Flowers" and Brigg has never seen anything so colourful or amazing before. He sneaks the book home and can't stop reading it.

He searches his dark, dank world for a glimpse of one of these amazing things, but none are to be found anywhere. Until one day he chances by an old secondhand shop and spots a flower design on a strange little packet, nestled in the window of the shop. He has to buy it - and soon discovers that it's a packet of tiny seeds. Dutifully following the instructions, and patiently waiting, Brigg's heart's desire is realised - but some things are just not made to last...

We've always admired books that break all the usual (horrible) picture book rules / tropes, and if there's a publisher out there who can be relied on for publishing picture books that don't just break the rules for the sake of it, but do so in order to provide the most engaging, enchanting and poignant stories, it's Child's Play.

Brigg's world is dark, grey, polluted. Not a plant in sight.

...but our hero is going to do something about that...!

We were delighted when John Light got in touch with us to talk about this book, how Brigg's world came about, and how the story evolved (you can see his reply in the comments of the review - and also check out his website and work, it's stunning!)

Another overlooked classic but one that you absolutely need to have.

Original Review Link: 

https://readitdaddy.blogspot.com/2012/11/daddys-book-of-week-flower-by-john.html

Sometimes, author / illustrator teams can being a well-loved traditional tale to life in such an engaging way, that it outstrips and out-performs any other version of that story.

We have seen this many times with classic fables, and it's definitely the case with this version of "The Talkative Tortoise" by Andrew Fusek-Peters and Charlotte Cooke.

It's the story of how Tortoise became the biffed-up slow-moving creature he is today - but it wasn't always like that. Once Tortoise was a rather braggardly fellow, proud of his shiny shell with a motormouth that just wouldn't quit.

One winter, Tortoise's two best friends, in this case two extremely patient geese (their patience regularly tested by their mouthy friend) are set to migrate as the cold weather arrives.

Tortoise doesn't like the idea of being on his own, so has a massive tantrum - and in the end the geese agree to try and take tortoise with them.

They come up with a plan - if Tortoise can grip onto a stick with his mouth, they can carry him aloft - but he absolutely MUST NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH while they fly over the countryside.

Tortoise thinks this sounds like an absolute doddle. But you know Tortoise...and you can probably imagine what happens part-way through the story when Tortoise thinks the people below are laughing at him as he flies past with his winged pals.

Child's Play have been one of the publishers who have contributed so much to C's enjoyment of stories, with such a huge selection of fantastic stories from across the world, covering subjects that are quite often tricky to deal with in children's books - and you'll see them crop up several times in our retrospectives. This is a fine example of a fable done right, brought to life stunningly by Andrew and Charlotte.

Original Review Link: 

The Talkative Tortoise by Andrew Fusek Peters and Charlotte Cooke (Child's Play International Ltd)

Opposites attract, or so they say, and in "Max and Xam" by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar, the two titular pals are the very best of friends.

Well, until they're not. You see, even the best friends fall out from time to time, and Max and Xam are no exception.

Most of the time they play together, have fun together, and enjoy each other's company. But when they begin to argue over who is the most popular, they fall out big-time - and have a spectacular row.

But, like all true friends, sometimes it takes just one thing to make them realise that they're destined to be the best of pals despite their differences. After all, how boring would the world be if we were all the same?

Sum this book up in a sentence: A playful look at friendships and what happens when we fall out with our besties, injected with wry humour and filled with colourful illustrations and awesome characters.

"Max and Xam" by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar is out now, published by Child's Play (kindly supplied for review). 

Sometimes I really do feel sorry for our daughter. Even before she was born we (OK, I) had a nickname for her. We called her Filbert because when we first saw her she was the size of a hazlenut (on an early scan).

Later when she was born I used to call her Doidy (because she used to sip from a Doidy cup), and later on I started calling her "Trubshaw" after "The Trubshaw Baby" in Boxtrolls. Poor kid. It's a wonder she's not traumatised.

In "I'm not a mouse" a little girl called Olivia is mighty sick of her mousey nickname. It leads to all sorts of trouble and misunderstandings, because Olivia really isn't like a mouse at all. She's brave, brainy and tries to think up as many ways as possible to stop her mum from using that hated pet name.

Evgenia Golubeva comes up with a thoroughly original way to show how children deal with self-identity and self-worth, in a book that has many wry observations, subtle gigglish moments and a scene-stealing cat that just wins us over every time.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A fantastic book for kids who perhaps struggle with their own sense of identity, particularly as they're growing up and yet parents still insist that 'they're their babies'

"I'm Not a Mouse" by Evgenia Golubeva is out now, published by Child's Play (kindly supplied for review). 

Sometimes it's not easy for kids to understand why their parents aren't their normal chirpy selves and in "Up and Down Mum" by Summer Macon, the story sensitively deals with what it's like to live with folk whose moods aren't always predictable.

A little girl knows that living with Mum is a bit like a roller coaster ride. At times, Mum is happy and fun, full of energy and get-up-and-go. 

Spring has definitely arrived! The birds are chirping, and we've even had a few gorgeous sunny days to spend lazing under our favourite tree with a selection of brilliant books.

Child's Play are definitely producing some of the loveliest picture books at the moment and we've been lucky enough to catch up with a trio of tempting titles to tickle your little one's reading tastes with.

First is "Hide and Seek" by Polly Noakes, the sort of brilliant sunshiney book that you just can't resist at this time of year.

Join a group of best friends as they venture out into the meadow to play a game of hide-and-seek on a beautiful summer’s afternoon. 

Thank goodness children's books like this exist. At first "Child of St Kilda" by Beth Waters gave us cause for a double take when it first arrived. I assumed it was something published by Flying Eye NoBrow, simply because of the way it looked but finding out it was from one of our favourite go-to children's publishers - Child's Play - was quite a revelation, and proves that this innovative publisher still knows how to surprise and delight us in equal measure.

It goes without saying that once you dive beneath the covers, this isn't just your ordinary everyday children's picture book. This is rich, visual and utterly glorious storytelling steeped in history, and revolving around one of the most fascinating locations in the British Isles.

Perhaps it's just me, but I've always been attracted to the idea of living on a remote island - and in "Child of St Kilda" you'll meet a character who did just that.

Norman John Gillies was one of the last children ever born on St Kilda, five years before the whole population was evacuated forever to the British mainland, leaving behind a snapshot of a way of life that seemed completely incompatible with the modern world. 

We're catching up with one of our favourite publishers specialising in children's picture books for younger children...

Here's a book that took me right back to my childhood, and also made both of us think how lucky we are to have green spaces around us nowadays...

Here's a fantastic and fun tale teaching children the value of working together to solve a problem. In this case a rather big red problem...

With a corking cover that instantly makes this book feel like a classic, it's time to wake up to "The Very Long Sleep" by Polly Noakes...

Ooh now this we like! A poignant, thought provoking and ultimately joyful story with a soulful message of hope...

One of the most important habitats for a huge diverse range of species, the Rainforest is definitely something that children will love learning about from a really early age.

Ah, the perfect bedtime hug, is there any better accompaniment to a perfect bedtime story?

Child's Play have a fantastic reputation for publishing gloriously original books that draw you in and make you wish you could 'live' in that bookworld...

Our second Book of the Week this week is so chock full of atmosphere and wonder that we couldn't resist its charms. The stunning "Little Home Bird" by Jo Empson

It's not easy being an older sibling. I should know, having both a younger sister (4 years younger) and a younger brother (10 years younger) who both exhibited some distinctly squid-like behaviour during their formative years...

Sometimes the simplest ideas can be turned into the most charming and wonderful children's books...

Can you imagine how cool it would be to take a moment of happiness and be able to keep that moment forever, or share it with others? One little girl has this very idea in "The Jar of Happiness"...