We're back at the museum, or to be more precise, the Planetarium with two new editions of the fantastic book from Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium" is a completely gorgeous and immersive book that will give kids a truly stunning introduction to the wonders of outer space, and our solar system.

A planet-by-planet guide, there are tons of facts about the history of space exploration, and of course loads of amazing info about each planet. What would it be like to live on Mars? (Clue: Colder than living here!) What is Neptune primarly made of?

All these answers and more lay within this gorgeous book, now newly available as a smaller compact "kids" edition.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell is out now, published by Big Picture Press.

....and if you can't get enough of space, there's also an activity book based on this amazing title too!



The activity book is the perfect accompaniment for space-crazy kids who love testing out their knowledge, or taking part in loads of different activities and fun puzzles. Again, in a smaller format, this one's perfect for taking with you on holiday to brush up on your space knowledge and astronaut skills.

"Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium Activity Book" by Raman Prinja and Chris Wormell is also out now, published by Big Picture Press. 

(Both titles very kindly supplied for review).

Our first Picture Book of the Week this week performs an impossible feat, cramming the entire universe into a book...

Our second Picture Book of the Week is a colossus, a huge book filled with some of the largest creatures to ever stalk the earth. We're joining the blog tour for Dinosaurium!

Oh my, what a brilliant little book this is. Feral children seem to be a bit of a 'thing' on the blog recently. We reviewed the utterly beautiful "Wild" by Emily Hughes last week, and now it's time to take a look at a distinctly different wayward waif in Chris Wormell's utterly brilliant "The Wild Girl".

Growing up, I think I almost read the print off my copy of "Stig of the Dump" by Clive King and Edward Ardizzone and "The Wild Girl" reminded me of all the things I loved about that book.

A tiny little girl and her utterly brilliant little dog eke out a living in the middle of nowhere. They run, they jump, they fish and feast. But as winter closes in, even the wildest wild girl, used to sleeping under the stars, must find shelter.

The Wild Girl and her doggy companion build a nest from twigs and comfortable foliage in the back of an old cave. It's warm and snuggly (though the pair are often plagued by itchy scratchy fleas, eek!) and the perfect place to spend the winter.

One day though, the girl and her dog return to the cave to find the nest completely trashed, sticks scattered all around. Who would do such a thing? Or rather, what would...

It's tricky to know how much to tell you about this book because we really don't want to spoil it for you. Charlotte delighted in the girl's lifestyle. Imagine the lure for a child of having a life where you could do what you wanted, when you wanted to, go to bed when you wanted, always have your snuggly pet to cuddle up to at night without anyone telling you off. Being able to gaze up at the stars, or swim in the river. Utterly intoxicating stuff to Charlotte and so brilliantly told and illustrated in muted tones and pallettes (Chris's dog drawings are so utterly spot on).

The tale reaches a turning point about mid way through and it's that bit we don't want to spoil for you, suffice to say that the moral of the story and the twist is so nicely executed.

If your little girl or boy like making dens, curling up in tents, imagining life out in the deep dark woods or the wilderness, then they'll be drawn to this like moths to a flame. Beautiful stuff Chris.

Charlotte's best bit: The final lines and illustration in the book which are so cute!

Daddy's favourite bit: Take a walk on the wild side with a brilliant little girl hero and her dog. Sublime stuff!