We were lucky enough to meet David Melling at a recent Hugless Douglas book event in one of our local bookstores recently. I don't think he knew who we were though, but he was a very busy guy so we'll forgive him! Tucked into our library book bag was a copy of this very book (which we couldn't get him to sign because it was a library book!) and it's another brilliant story from David Melling's 'fairy tale' trilogy (including "The Kiss that Missed" and "The Three Wishes".

Once again the kingdom turns to a brave and gallant knight to do his duty, this time to ensure that a fussy princess gets a good night's sleep. She won't stop crying as she can't get comfortable, and so the knight must ride out into the sunset to find something warm and snuggly to fill her pillow with.

Bear hair? Oooh too scratchy by half!

Feathers? A bit crackly!

So what on earth can the knight find that will do the job? With his sturdy steed, he roams the countryside, fights hordes of creatures (or at least persuades them to donate their fur and fuzz to his noble cause) but will he make it back before bedtime? And what will the knight eventually choose?

As with all David's books, we sit for hours delighting in the delicious little details in each of his story panels. If there's a successful mathematical formula that contributes towards the perfect bedtime story, this man knows the secret, keeps it locked up in a safe, and brings it out from time to time to take it for a walk across the page.

Lovely. We look forward to reading "The Three Wishes" next!

Charlotte's best bit: Hilarious bear expressions seem to be something Charlotte always looks for in David's books (and there are some corkers in this one!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Love those tree creatures!

We think we've hit on a secret theory of being successful in children's books. Include wolves in your work! I'm serious, we have taken a quick look back through the blog and a heck of a lot of the books we've enthused about contain wolves or at the very least wolfish behaviour.

Perhaps this says more about us than children's books but hey, The Scallywags has a whole FAMILY of the blighters to contend with, and (in our humble opinion) they're some of the most loveable (if slightly flea-bitten) characters David Melling has ever come up with.

The Scallywags live together in a tumbledown old shack (and in the introductory pages you could probably spend a good year or two just picking out all the tiny little exquisite details David works into his panels).

They're a funny lot, and not exactly popular with the other animals they share their neighbourhood with.

Things come to a head when the rather rude and slightly abrasive Scallywags gatecrash a group photograph causing utter chaos and confusion.

The animals have had enough, and practically banish the Scallywags for good. A move that causes the wolfish clan to re-examine their behaviour, their lifestyle, their tendency to pick their noses and wipe it under their chairs - the whole kit and caboodle.

Perhaps, they muse, it's time for a change.

Of course, we'd be ruining the rest of the story for you if we told you what happens when a clan of crazy wolves suddenly decides to clean up their act, take lessons in good manners and etiquette and start dressing appropriately for dinner - suffice to say that this is a book of delights that has narrowly nudged out "The Kiss that Missed" as our all-time favourite David Melling book. We were very lucky to pick up a near-mint-condition copy from our local charity shop and it's been read and re-read frequently ever since.

Brilliant stuff Mr Melling.

Charlotte's best bit: She loves Knits (and her tiny baby wolves)

Daddy's favourite bit: The sort of ink and colour work I'd give my right arm to be able to do (though obviously if I gave my right arm to do it, I wouldn't be able to do it...!). Utterly brill!

Our quest to catch up with the David Melling books continues - and we luckily spotted one we'd been wanting to read for quite a while at our local library. "The Tale of Jack Frost" is probably one of David Melling's best known Non-Hugless-Douglas books, due in no small part to a televised version of the story broadcast a few years ago.

It's a delightful tale of a small boy, found in the forest by kindly creatures. No ordinary boy this, he has an affinity for cold and soon the animals dub him 'Jack Frost'.

Jack lives a charmed life in the magic forest, as mythical creatures and the sheltering trees take good care of him and keep an eye on him - until one day the mischievous goblins become jealous of the magic entwined in Jack's forest home, and want to claim it for themselves.

Thinking that a small child will be no match for the irresistible force of a bunch of greedy goblins, they vastly underestimate Jack's cunning and his own magic power - to freeze anything he touches.

We've said it before in reviews of David Melling's books, and we'll say it again. No one draws mythical creatures better than Mr Melling and, coupled with a way of gently weaving a stunning story, it's not difficult to see why "The Tale of Jack Frost" is such a massive hit.

Brilliant, and probably our favourite Melling book to date.

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte is completely and hopelessly in love with the unicorns!

Daddy's favourite bit: Such brilliant, tiny, exquisite little details tucked away in each page. Always feels like a fresh experience with every read as you spot things you hadn't noticed before. Lovely!

It's officially "We Love Hugless Douglas" week for Mr Melling but having missed out on all the hype, we thought we'd quietly take a look at our favourite DM book (at least our favourite that he's both written and drawn), The Kiss that Missed.

One night, at bedtime, a king speedily and rather carelessly blows a kiss to his little boy - but ohhh calamity, it misses.

The kiss flies through the window, and the king dispatches a brave (and slightly inept) knight to track the rogue kiss down and bring it back.

As we read this book, Charlotte enjoyed 'chasing' the kiss throughout the kingdom as it slowly weaved its way through the deep dark forest, turning slavering howling wolves into big soppy cuddly ones, or stopping a mythical dragon in its tracks.

The message is rather brilliant here. Don't rush bedtime, snuggle down with a bedtime story, and kiss your children goodnight - don't let your kiss miss!

As ever, I'm completely green with envy at Melling's ability to draw such perfect characters and weave such an involving tale. I keep hoping this will get the same treatment as Jack Frost (ie end up as a great little animated TV feature) but in book form it's nigh on perfect for bedtime reading. Mwahh!

Charlotte's best bit: The big soppy bears and bunnies.

Daddy's favourite bit: Great tight penwork and superb characters, the sort of thing we've come to expect from Mr Melling. Top stuff!

We're fast becoming fans of local boy David Melling's work. He's an absolute gentleman on Twitter, and here working with Hiawyn Oram, he has produced some lovely mythical creatures and beautifully coloured ink drawings for "The Totally Terrifying Three".

Three mythical monsters truly believe they're the scariest thing in the land. There's a warty witch who thinks her face could launch a thousand airline sick bags, and her spells could chill you to your very bones. There's a dragon who breathes fire and roars and there's a clumsy lanky giant who rides around in a rather cute car (and a very snazzy suit!)

When the three meet a little toddler who is not in the least bit scared of them, they're forced to re-evaluate their ferocity. Are they really as scary as they think they are? Or are they actually fantastic fun to play with?

It's a fantastic journey through the eyes of a toddler, but even for older children there's a great deal to love about this book. We'll definitely be looking out for more by Hiawyn Oram, and it goes without saying we'll still continue tracking down all David Melling's books until we catch up with a certain other children's book blogger :)

Charlotte's best bit: The witch was her favourite, and she'd love to zoom around on that broom!

Daddy's favourite bit: Where does the giant get his wonderful clothes! So sharp!

I'm not really sure how David Melling's books have managed to pass us by for so long. He's a bit of a Twitter star at the moment and seeing his tweeted drawings made me want to search out this book in particular. Hugless Douglas is the tale of a slightly dozy but extremely loveable bear who goes off in search of a hug one morning. Can he hug an owl? Can he hug a rock? A tree? Some sheep?

Unfulfilled, poor Douglas searches in vain for the perfect hug. But we all know where the best hugs come from, don't we?

Melling is that rare example of a children's writer who nails both the illustrations and the story perfectly (in fact I'm ridiculously envious of his drawing style, such simple little lines that convey such a huge range of expressions and emotions).

So glad we finally found Douglas!

Charlotte's best bit: Douglas with a sheep stuck to his bottom!

Daddy's favourite bit: Now that's a neat place to keep your breakfast cutlery!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A tiny puppy goes to stay at his Grandma and Grandad's house, kicking off a night-time adventure (and a cute story possibly reflecting exactly what happens when Charlotte goes to her Grandma and Grandad's house for the night). 

Alone in a strange bed, the young pup listens to all the sounds that go 'bump' and 'clonk' in the night. Naturally the pup doesn't merely listen, but makes a huge fuss and noise all of his own every time he hears something. 

A delightful little story and definitely one I'd recommend to any grandparents wanting to pick up a book for their grandchildren. Great fun and a rather neat little ending (which I won't spoil, of course). 

Charlotte's best bit: Radiator noises

Daddy's favourite bit: Rather enjoying the fact that the pup in the story snores like a walrus (rather like Charlotte!)

Rating: 3 out of 5