Oh my, these books! SUCH FUN! We were lucky enough to meet Teresa and Sue, Author / Illustrator respectively of the truly awesome "Very Little" series of books with a cake-fuelled launch event at Blackwells in Oxford a few years ago. Two utterly lovely creatives who form such a brilliant partnership for these books, drawing together a brilliant set of observations of toddler behaviour, with some really fab depictions of classic fairy tale characters we know and love - again with that toddler 'brush' applied.

We started out with these books with "Very Little Red Riding Hood" (still C's absolute favourite) and the initial draw (as well as them being hilarious) was getting C to join in reading the lines for Very Little Red Riding Hood herself whenever we read it together (I would very much recommend doing this as a parent if you're reading aloud to your kids, let them have some early involvement and it boosts their reading so much!).

Little Red Riding Hood is off to visit Grandma, as the story starts out following the classic tale. But on the way she meets a wolf (who she gleefully calls "Foxy!") who rather likes the sound of going to tea with Grandma - but will Red and Granny end up as Foxy's tea instead in the classic way? You'd better read this one to find out. Teresa fantastically taps directly into toddler language ("LELLOW BOOTS!") and Sue's characters are just so utterly perfectly depicted (snotty bawling toddlers brilliantly rendered in her trademark perfect watercolours!)

When we read the original book, tucked into the inner cover was a map of the "Very Little" Land with far more characters mentioned than just Very Little Red Riding Hood - so we were delighted when Teresa and Sue followed up with more books, including the equally awesome "Very Little Sleeping Beauty" - again brilliantly capturing the essence of the original tale with a ton more fantastically observed toddler bits brought into the mix (and some fab cameos from other 'very little' characters too!)

These are just delightful in every way and we've kept all the ones we have (including "Very Little Cinderella" and "Very Little Rapunzel". Even now when we read them together C still does the little voices, and I still read the rest. Happy, happy book memories indeed!


Original articles and review links:

ReadItDaddy's BIRTHDAY Book of the Week - Week Ending 21st February 2014 - Very Little Red Riding Hood by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap (David Fickling Books)

A grand Booky outing to Blackwells Oxford, to celebrate the launch of "Very Little Cinderella" by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap (Random House)

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 27th March 2015 - "Very Little Cinderella" by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap (Random House)

ReadItDaddy's Picture Book(s) of the Week - Week Ending 30th June 2017 - "Very Little Sleeping Beauty" and "Very Little Rapunzel" by Teresa Heapy and Sue Heap (Red Fox Picture Books)

This week's Chapter Book of the Week has been hotly anticipated by all of us at ReadItDaddy Towers.

We read Liz Flanagan's fantastic "Dragon Daughter" way back in 2018 and instantly fell in love with Liz's amazing worldbuilding, awesome characters and of course her brilliant dragons.

Now it's time to catch up with that world again in "Shadow Dragons" and though our copy looked like it'd been mauled by dragons, we could still dig in and read it. In fact little miss devoured this book in the space of a few night's reading (I didn't get a look in until some time afterward as she likes to read books she loves through a couple of times - but it was worth the wait when I did finally get hold of it!)

This time the story begins with a young boy named Jowan who dreams of one thing, and one thing only - having a dragon all of his own. 

Once again it looks like those fantastic "The Phoenix Presents" roll-up compilations from the glorious comic are going to dominate our "Comic / Graphic Novel of the Week" slot in 2020.

It's the turn of the mightiest chef in the universe this week as James Stayte's utterly fantastic creation Gorebrah smashes through our kitchen wall, rustles through our ingredients cupboard and cooks up a hilarious rib-tickling soupçon of scintillating sizzling comic strip action.

"Gorebrah: The Mightiest Chef in the Universe" lightly pan-fries the initial run of strips from The Phoenix Comic, deftly served up with additional content for would-be trainee Barbarian chefs in a cookbook sublime though we think it's worth pointing out that eating Zombie Lasagne might have adverse side effects and a sudden craving for brains.

James' strips are always blimmin' funny, brilliantly drawn and he has a knack for working in hilarious references that grown ups might titter at, while they sail right over their kids' heads (a certain rootytooty saxophone scene still sticks in the mind as one of the funniest refs I think I've ever seen and couldn't resist calling James out about on Twitter).

It's also one of C's favourite strips in the comic, but sadly doesn't seem to have inspired her to help me out with cooking the dinner on a busy evening!

So here it is then, another fabulous gateway into the world of The Phoenix Comic if you've yet to discover the awesomeness yourself, and a truly fantastic wrap-up of Gorebrah's mightiest early moments. Also a good excuse to dive into the weeklies as well at the moment as Gorebrah's back in those too!

Sum this book up in a sentence: Like a manic cross between Conan and Gordon Ramsay (but thankfully with a lot less swearing and nastiness), Gorebrah reigns supreme and this collection is absolutely brilliant and hilarious.

"Gorebrah! The Mightiest Chef in the Universe" by James Stayte is out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Our Comic of the Week this week is a fantastic collection of a strip that took a decidedly different tack to the usual 'superhero' stuff you see in comics.

"Claire: Justice Ninja" by Joe Brady and Kate Ashwin first appeared in The Phoenix Comic some time ago, and instantly felt like a breath of fresh air.

Not just because its chief character is a BAME force to be reckoned with, a girl, and possessor of a strong moral compass - but also because it covers the sort of subjects that drive most of us (adults AND kids) absolutely barmy when we see others behaving like the receivers of said justice in the strips.

Folk who let their dogs crap everywhere? Yeah they get served.

The bully at school? Oh you just know they're going to get their comeuppance at the hands of this pint-sized purveyor of solemn justice and her hapless sidekick Nigel. She's more than just your friendly neighbourhood Ninja-girl, she's chronicling and dealing with horrors that you hope and pray others might recognise in their own behaviour, and do something about before Claire comes a-knocking.

This strip was a huge hit with C, a girl with her own strong sense of right and wrong, and one who (like me - though not quite in the same "Victor Meldrew" moany old way) will root for characters like Claire all the way.

Absolutely fantastic stuff from Joe and Kate!

"Claire: Justice Ninja" Book 1 is out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Your Honour, the accused stands in the dock, charged with that most heinous of crimes. Making a normally quiet and sane 11-year-old laugh until snot bubbles exploded out of her nose.

Further to the above charge is the additional minor charge of making the aforementioned 11-year-old run around the house, shouting bizarre surreal phrases such as "RUN, RUN UNTIL DE FARTS COMES OUT!" as well as "Me Bebbeh! It's Coming!"

"Looshkin: The Big Number 2" has once again had exactly the same effect on ReadItDaddy Towers as the crazed, chaotic lunatic moggy has on his own peaceful household in Jamie Smart's hilariously funny strip, once again ripped from the pages of the mighty Phoenix Comic, stuck together with a couple of old pritt sticks (you know the ones, those ones that never quite stick things properly, the ones your teacher always gives you ever since that unfortunate incident where you ate all the copydex) and presented in a satisfying single volume.

So what does Looshkin get up to this time? Shoving his bum between a courting couple so that they kiss his bum instead of each other? Check! Using a nefarious sock puppet to perform evil deeds, claiming they are the puppet's idea? Check! Generally trashing entire neighbourhoods, personal property, comestible items and of course pants - lots of pants and bloomers? Check Check and treble check!

The accused cannot deny the charges. Once again he has produced this piece of subversive comic fiction, destined to turn the nation's youth into giggling maniacs, unable to communicate with their adult wranglers other than via guffaws, sniggers, chortles, giggles, and downright loud and braying belly laughs.

Guilty. Guilty as charged.

"Looshkin: The Big Number 2" by Jamie Smart is out now, published by David Fickling Books. Hold your children close, pray for them!

I know what you're thinking. This is the chapter book of the week slot, so what's that saucy young scamp Jamie Smart doing languishing in it?

Well, Jamie has made the move into middle grade with his first awesome adventure for a dynamic duo par excellence.

In "Flember: The Secret Book" you'll meet brilliant hero Dev: inventor of the insanely smelly cheese-powered rocket boots, the washtopus, bee energy and many more things that drive his mum and brother crazy!

Dev's crazy contraptions and connivances get even more out of control when he finds a secret book, filled with even more insane instructions. Drawn into a crazy world of bizarre characters including Fervus the Goat and Boja the giant bright scarlet robotic bear, Dev must try and rectify the complete chaos he's wrought before the mysterious force of Flember disappears from his home forever.

Crafted with the same sort of insane genius chaotic lunacy as Jamie's regular strips in "The Phoenix", this is the sort of middle grade book that can win over reluctant readers, and performs the rather neat trick of not being quite like anything else out there at the moment (something that must've driven PR and marketing folk absolutely stark staring mad, with their penchant for describing nearly every funny middle grade book as "The Next Dahl" or "The Next Walliams").

C has long been a fan of Jamie's comics, and couldn't wait to dig into this one. We described her reaction as "Snirts" - sort of a cross between sniggers and snorts as she read through this, before bestowing "Book of the Week" honours on it, and demanding that Jamie writes more middle grade, as this is an absolute winner.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Crazy, chaotic, inventive and completely nutso, filled with the sort of characters Jamie excels at creating, a masterful move into middle grade from a comic genius - definitely time to get Flembered!

"Flember: The Secret Book" by Jamie Smart is out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review). 

DFB add another brilliant title to their "First Names" series with the awesome "First Names: Malala Yousafzai" by Lisa Williamson and Mike Smith.

This is the story of a young girl who wanted something that most of us pretty much take for granted. Malala wanted to go to school.

In her home country of Pakistan, girls were expected to stay at home, raise families and be rarely seen and definitely not heard but Malala and her mother and father had other ideas. Her parents wanted the very best for her, with her father setting up his own private school for both boys and girls.

With the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan, Malala's world completely changed, becoming unrecognisable from what she'd known her whole life, as harsh laws were imposed, and women were even more subjugated than they were before. Malala's strength of spirit and tenacity came to the fore, as she was adamantly defiant of the harsh regime in her country, and strove to change things. When she was shot for the mere 'defiant act' of wanting to go to school, her story became known internationally - and it wasn't long before Malala used her intelligence and bravery to do the very thing she'd always dreamed of - to start making changes for the better not just for the girls and women of her country, but for all children, ensuring that their basic rights to an education and to comfortable living conditions were recognised more widely.

This is a truly brilliant and highly detailed account of this young girl's life to date, her influences and heroes, her acts of kindness and bravery, and her amazing undaunted spirit.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A really excellent addition to DFB's brilliant "First Names" range, filled with amazing details about Malala's awe-inspiring struggle to raise the profile of human rights worldwide.

"First names: Malala Yousafzai" by Lisa Williamson and Mike Smith is out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review).

It's the welcome return of blog favourite Adam Stower, and his latest greatest creation, the awesome King Coo!

In "King Coo: The Curse of the Mummy's Gold" the tiny but mighty girl with the impressive golden beard is back for another superb adventure.

Ben Pole is languishing back at school. Life is boring, so boring in fact that Ben could almost nod off in class.

But his ennui doesn't last for long as Ben is soon back in a whole heap of trouble! 

When it comes to animal books we're rapidly getting to the point where C needs something...."more" from non-fiction titles that talk about various animal species, their habits and habitats, lives and er...yes, even loves.

So we're overjoyed to see "Lesser Spotted Animals 2" by Martin Brown. The sequel to smasher "Lesser Spotted Animals" but more than that, another chance to find out tons about animals that aren't the headline-grabbing superstars of other animal books, but nonetheless are cute, cuddly and in some cases downright pongy!

Discover more brilliant beasts you never knew you needed to know about from the Altai Argali to the yellow-throated marten and everything in between. 

Our stunning pair of books sliding into our Book of the Week slot this week are from a range that really wowed us when it first appeared last year, with two fantastic "First Names" books about Elon Musk and Emmeline Pankhurst.

We're pleased to see two followup books on the subject of two more amazing people, one a natural showman and another a genius pilot.

Starting with "First Names: Harry Houdini" by Kjartan Poskitt and Geraint Ford, find out more about one of history's greatest showmen ever.

Harry Houdini the brilliant escape artist thrilled the world with his death-defying stunts and awesome showmanship.

Find out how he was inspired by a man with no head, why he kept asking to be put in jail (and how he got out again) and why he dangled upside down from a crane 120 feet up in the air.

Get to know Harry on first name terms in this highly illustrated and brilliantly written new addition to the First Names range.

"Harry Houdini" by Kjartan Poskitt and Geraint Ford is out now, published by David Fickling Books.

The second book is "First Names: Amelia Earhart" by Andrew Prentice and Mike Smith, covering the amazing life and career of Amelia, who fell in love with flying at an early age, at a time when pioneers of the air were usually male not female.

Amelia became a world-famous daredevil pilot who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 

It looks like "The Phoenix Presents" series will once again dominate our "Comic / Graphic Novel of the Week" slot if this particular entry is anything to go by.

"Mega Robo Bros" is one of our favourite strips in the mighty Phoenix Comic. It's a strip that veers between providing blistering action-packed story arcs that take its robo-protagonists Alex and Freddy from their ordinary lives as robo schoolkids in the not-too-distant-future, to Agents of R.A.I.D, fighting for justice against a weird, wonderful and sometimes deadly range of robo-foes.

In this latest collection of stories taken from the pages of the Phoenix weekly comic, Alex and Freddy face off against their most deadly opponent yet but this isn't your ordinary everyday robot, this is Wolfram, one of the first creations of their mum, Dr Sharma. A deadly robot who is absolutely hell bent on revenge.

We won't go too far into spoiler territory, suffice to say that a certain blogger makes an appearance in this collected edition of the fantastic MRBs - and that once again we've been treated to a strip that perfectly fuses science-fiction kick-ass mecha-action with some pretty neatly observed insights into what it's like being parents to a couple of ordinary everyday young lads who just also happen to be super-powerful robots.

As this particular story arc draws to a satisfying close, rest assured that there's still plenty of action to look forward to in the weekly Phoenix comic with Mega Robo Bros - so don't be too downhearted when you reach the end of this.

It's inclusive, but not at the expense of just ticking boxes. Characters in the strip are there because they BELONG there, they work beautifully there, and danged if we wouldn't give our eye teeth to see that happen a lot more in comics (and kid's books in general, to be honest!)

With some superb new artwork (just look at that cover) this is a treat even if you do own the original strips in their comic form. We've said it quite often on the blog, Neill is a massively talented fellah and this is some of his best work yet.

C's best bit: Well obviously it's a certain cameo! It didn't go to her head though, nosirree!

Daddy's favourite bit: Once again, as ever with the MRB stuff, I just can't get enough of the dad's hang-dog expressions (usually when Freddy has destroyed something expensive yet again!)

"Mega Robo Revenge" (Mega Robo Bros Book 3) is out now, published by David Fickling Books.

Our first Book of the Week this week should come with a paper bag to hyperventilate into, if you find yourself laughing until you can barely breathe...

HEY YOU! Yes, you at the back surreptitiously picking your nose and wiping it on the underside of your chair. Pay attention! Its "Comic of the Week" time...

Our Chapter Book of the Week this week is a book we were lucky enough to nab a signed copy of all the way back in June...

Our Chapter Book of the Week this week is a book that...oh my, evoked such a powerful set of childhood memories it genuinely took my breath away.

Far from summoning a zombie army to do his very bidding, comic chat show host Adam Murphy has a different mission in mind...

If there's one preoccupation most littlies go through in their formative years, it's a preoccupation with pets...

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Our first book(s) of the week this week are the first two titles in a fantastic new range from David Fickling Books.

The new "First Names" series aims to introduce famous figures who have excelled in their chosen fields, or inspired generations of men and women to get behind important movements and campaigns.

Starting off with Elon (Musk) and Emmeline (Pankhurst) the books are fantastically engaging, brilliantly written and attractively illustrated - taking you through the life and works of famous people.

Starting off with Elon (Musk) you'll learn how this innovative entrepreneur put his mega-mind into play, coming up with some of the most revolutionary inventions and ideas of the 21st century.

Elon Musk is a firm believer that humankind needs to make better use of the planet's natural resources to power us through the next era of our development. Endorsing the use of solar power, electric vehicles and even pioneering voyages into space to perhaps one day colonise other planets, he's an amazing inspirational character that kids will love learning about.

Emmeline (Pankhurst) hardly needs any introduction at all.

She fought a tough battle to win the vote for British women and inspired others around the world to do the same. In her early life you'll find out why she hated school, how she had to take lessons in stone throwing, what she thought when her daughter spat at a policeman and an awful lot more besides.

Get to know Emmeline  and Elon on FIRST NAME terms!

The books are truly brilliant, full of amazing facts and information delivered in a way that will pique children's curiosity and hopefully inspire them to become the next Elon or Emmeline themselves.

"First Names: Elon (Musk) and Emmeline (Pankhurst)" are both out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Our second picture book of the week remembers that just about everyone will have (or have had) a favourite toy that went absolutely everywhere with them...

Our Comic of the Week this week is like a nitrous boost for those of you who have yet to experience the stupendous Phoenix Comic...