Colin McNaughton is one of our book heroes, tickling our funny bones with absolutely everything he writes and draws. "Good News, Bad News" is a bit of an old classic but we were absolutely delighted to find a pristine copy nestling amongst the library stacks. So how could we possibly resist it?

"Good News, Bad News" starts off with an ordinary little boy (who we think looks eerily like a young Chris Evans) starting off his day as most little boys do. The bad news is, it's time to get up for school! Good news is that there's no school today! Hooray! Bad news though, it's time for a trip to the dentist!

The boy's day is a rollercoaster ride of good news and bad news from then on. He's mobbed by a bunch of nasty girls (ew!) he's rescued by aliens, but the aliens pong like stinky nappies! EESH! And so the day goes on, with hilarious consequences at the turn of each page.

There's a bit of repetition in this story but it's another classic, so if you do ever spot a copy tucked away in a secondhand book shop (we think it's sadly out of print now, awww!) or as we did, in your local library, grab it and giggle along with us!

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte sagely pointing out that the boy in the story looks like one of her classmates, and he too gets mobbed by the girls (including Charlotte!) - I genuinely feel sorry for the poor lad!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A hilarious hoot, Colin is such a talented fellah and we've never met a book of his that we didn't like!

(Borrowed from the awesome Abingdon Library for review)

Like this? We think you'll love these too!

"Suddenly" by Colin McNaughton

"Boo!" by Colin McNaughton

"Guess who's just moved into our street" by Colin McNaughton

Colin McNaughton is well known in children's literature circles for his cheeky and irreverent (and downright rib-tickingly funny) books. We have loved every single thing of Colin's, and "Giant" is no exception - though this time Colin has his semi-serious hat on to impart a rather touching eco-tale.

The giants of legend, those much maligned beasts, once roamed the world freely. Each country and continent had their own giants from the frost-covered mountain giants, to the squelchy bog giants. Our tale tells the story of a young native boy who, while out hunting, senses that something is lurking in the rainforest. Something is watching him.

A giant, a huge leafy woodland giant, has taken up residence in the rainforest, spurned by man and almost hunted to extinction by a supposedly brave knight who vowed to rid his home country of the giant menace (for not all giants were kindly souls, some were trolls and troublemakers).

The giant in Colin's story made good his escape, swam the seas and ended up hiding out in the rainforest. But is it the safe haven that the giant thought it would be?

The boy and the giant become friends, and as the boy learns more of the giant's sorrowful story, it changes him for the better. But will it change you?

An eco-tale with an achingly beautiful heart, and though it might not be what you'd normally expect from cheeky Colin, it's a truly lovely book. I can't believe we missed it first time around - thank goodness for libraries!

Charlotte's best bit: Colin's fabulously detailed map of the world with all the types of giants who live in it

Daddy's Favourite bit: An enviable art style, a way of imparting stories with such care and attention to detail. Colin McNaughton really is a hugely talented man indeed, a giant amongst children's author-illustrators!

We love Colin McNaughton's books but somehow this 1991 classic (now, hooray, reprinted this year with a fab new cover) evaded us until now. How glad are we that we've finally 'met' "Have You Seen Who's Just Moved In Next Door To us?" (bit of a mouthful of a title, no?).

As you'd expect from Colin, it's a superbly detailed rather cheeky and irreverent little children's book that layers on the laughs as we progress through a story of chinese whispers. A house is up for sale and someone's moved in - but who?

All the characters in a really bizarre street are lining up to catch a glimpse of the new neighbours. King Kong cadges a glance, Tarzan and Jane swing through the treetops for a peep, even Mrs Nasty at the hat shop has a squint through her glasses at the newcomers.

The rhyming text is perfect, but the real hoot comes from all the tiny bits of dialogue Colin works into each frame as all the characters chatter and gossip about the new neighbours (there's an absolutely delicious reference to one of our all time Janet and Allan Ahlberg books early on that should give you a nice giggly glow).

We always try to ensure that our book of the week choices are books that are demanded again and again (often consecutive readings are demanded, which is fine by me as there's so many tiny little hidden details in this that you won't get first go).

There's a moral too, perhaps Colin predicting the downfall of 'neighbourhood' and the segregation of folk who live in close proximity? Don't struggle too hard to read between the lines though, this book is a riot in all the good ways possible.


Charlotte's best bit: Unfortunately it's the rather cheeky and rude bit where a Doctor Doolittle wannabe is teaching his exotic bird collection how to say extremely rude and naughty things!

Daddy's Favourite bit: "My Hero!" - LOVED that bit.

We love Preston Pig, in fact Colin McNaughton's "Suddenly" is one of those books that Charlotte latches onto in the library, and always insists we bring home with us - despite us borrowing it so many times.

We hadn't seen "Boo!" before, and though the belly laughs don't come quite as thick and fast as they do in "Suddenly", we loved the classic comic-strip humour in this tale of a rather naughty Preston Pig roaming the neighbourhood, superhero mask fixed firmly to his piggy little face, ready to make mischief amongst characters we've known and loved from the other Preston Pig adventures.

Spooking his teacher, the man who works at the supermarket. Er, swiftly avoiding the wolf's house (probably just as well, considering what the wolf is up to when he passes by). Preston is out for larks and pranking - and no one can stop him.

No one, except perhaps his dad who falls foul of Preston's naughtiness and decides on a plan of action. After all, what use is a good old fashioned scary "Boo!" if you can't "Boo!" someone back!

Colin McNaughton's books are always full of exquisite details, lovely laugh-out-loud moments, and of course that porky essence of misbehaving and fun that children just cannot resist.

Charlotte's best bit: Preston plays a trick on his teacher. What a rotter!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Preston getting one up on the bully. Hooray for Preston!

We have three recommendations for you before you dive into this fabulous book:

1) Don't start reading it while eating a mouthful of Cream Crackers!
2) Make sure you have your best dancing trousers on, you will not be able to sit still while reading it!
3) Try some tongue-loosening exercises before you begin. You will need them!

"Have you Ever, Ever, Ever" is a book that celebrates the very reason we are here writing this blog. We love stories, we love brilliant characters and we absolutely love our libraries, so it's fantastic to see something that so deliciously pays homage to those things in such an original and inventive way.

The sing-song verse plays with traditional nursery rhyme and story characters to ask a child whether they've heard of the wildest and whackiest things. A piper picking pickled peppers? A diddle diddle cat with his fiddle? Surely there's no such thing and no place you could find all these crazy characters gathered together under one roof. Or is there?

Emma's illustrations are full of energy to accompany the jolly and bouncy verses (as usual, Charlotte politely told me that "she was" the lovely fiddle-cat's wife - she always picks a character in a book to adopt!)

Great fun and it's really not hard to see why this book won Emma a nomination for the Kate Greenaway Award Longlist. Fantastico!

Charlotte's best bit: The fiddle diddle cat and his fiddle-diddle wife

Daddy's favourite bit: A glorious celebration of our rich storytelling heritage and our utterly fantastic library services, and of course our super-talented authors and illustrators too!

Colin McNaughton's 'Preston Pig' books are firm favourites back at ReadItDaddy Towers, and we hadn't come across 'S.W.A.L.K' so it was a delight to find it in our local library. Preston receives a mysterious letter with S.W.A.L.K written on the back. His mum knows exactly what that means, sealed with a loving kiss, but Preston doesn't realise it's from his sweetheart, the lovely girl he met on holiday. He reads the letter and decides to write back to Max and tell her all about his life.

As ever, the best bits in the Preston Pig books are all the tiny little details and asides that go on in the background (usually involving a rather daft and completely luckless wolf who rather fancies bacon burgers for breakfast, dinner and tea).

It's a sweet little tale that reminds us of the funny stories about Charlotte and her "Prince Charming" at preschool (actually, recently she's switched allegiances from Prince Jacob to Prince George - women eh? Fickle, the lot of 'em). Colin McNaughton's formula works so beautifully once again, we love it.

Charlotte's best bit: Preston painting portraits of Max in art class

Daddy's favourite bit: The wolf bits of course, he's about as successful as Wile E. Coyote (and about as clever).

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

---

---

A strange circular book that is instantly eye catching, which was why Charlotte latched onto this at the Library and wouldn't let it go. The squirty squelchy aliens inside are a motley bunch of nefarious extra-terrestrials who are intent on enslaving mankind. Only you can stop them - literally!

The book's eye catching artwork continues inside, with all manner of alien beasties lining up to strut their funky stuff. McNaughton's bold and colourful illustrations are slightly gross and icky but let's face it, kids love that stuff so they will absolutely love this book. Bouncing rhymes and a superb pay-off at the end make this a great little read for you and your children. 

Charlotte's best bit: Alien table manners

Daddy's favourite bit: The Dice Planet

Rating: 4 out of 5