Our second Picture Book of the Week is like a brilliant travelogue of one of our favourite places to visit.

Italy is a beautiful country, and though we've never visited Rome, we have made it our business to plan a trip there once the world gets back to normal.

But this isn't just the story of Rome, this is the story of an amazing little pooch.

"Paolo: Emperor of Rome" by Mac Barnett and Claire Keane is a glorious little book that begins with a dog's daydreams of escape. Most of the time he's stuck in a busy hairdressers, staring out of the shop door as the world passes by.

Paolo sees enough of the busy world out there to know that he wants to be a part of it, but every time he tries to go outside, his owner (who is a bit harsh on her poor pooch) pushes him back indoors.

But one fateful day, a little old lady visiting the salon leaves the door open - just long enough for Paolo to make a break for it..!

Paolo dreams of the world outside but can't get past his grumpy owner

Out in the wild streets of Rome Paolo discovers an amazing world full of excitement, and danger. Though Paolo gets into a few scrapes, he soon discovers that his tenacity and bravery serve him well, and he begins a grand adventure amongst some of Rome's most famous landmarks.

Dreamy spires and amazing rooftops in Rome's gorgeous city streets

Mac and Claire weave an amazing story where you can almost smell the amazing smells of Rome's famous pasta dishes and pizzas, hear the roar of motor scooters, the coo of pigeons gathering around the Trevi Fountain, and experience all the wonders in this ancient and amazing place.

It's a beautiful book. Claire makes it feel instantly like a well loved classic and now it's made us more determined than ever to go back to visit Italy.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A brilliant original poochy tale that's as much a fab travelogue of Rome as it is the story of a brave little dog who finds his place in the world.

"Paolo: Emperor of Rome" by Mac Barnett and Claire Keane is out now, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers (kindly supplied for review). 

Oh yes indeed, we all remember this phase of our little darlings' lives, right?

That phase (that, even for C, shows no signs of ending) where every single question is met with that huge clanger of a word that can stop a parent dead in their tracks...

"Why?" by Adam Rex and Claire Keane pits a nefarious supervillain against one of the mightiest forces in the known universe - a questioning toddler.

The little girl in the story meets Dr X-Ray as he begins his first steps towards world domination - but soon falls foul of the girl's inquisitive nature. She just wants answers, but Dr X-Ray drags out everything from a nagging sense of imposter syndrome, a huge shadow of self-doubt and even daddy issues - before realising the error of his ways.

It all began with an asteroid collision on the good doctor's car port...

The story works itself up into a frenzy as poor Dr X-Ray does his best to patiently explain each of his reasons for taking over the world, and the girl blissfully responds each time with...

"WHY?"

Uh oh, this doesn't look good!

It makes for a very, very funny and original take on a story that we may have seen several times before, but not quite delivered with such style and aplomb. Adam's hilarious story couples brilliantly with Claire's superb comic visuals.

Dr X-Ray's daddy issues are very funny indeed!

Sum this book up in a sentence: The power of a toddler's curiosity versus a nefarious super-villain brilliantly depicted in this thoroughly original and stylish book.

"Why?" by Adam Rex and Claire Keane is out now, published by Chronicle Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).