Back in primary and middle school, the "Tintin" books were always the most sought-after titles in the school library. You had to put your name down on a waiting list for them, and when your turn came, you'd end up with the most dog-eared copies (tsk, some kids just don't look after books and treat them with the proper respect).

Georges Remi Herge more or less jump started my love of comics and graphic novels (a term that didn't even exist back when I first started reading these). Tintin, the boy reporter with a nose for getting into hot water, his poochy sidekick Snowy, and the tipsy (well, some of the time roaring drunk) Captain Haddock and their adventures were a real cinematic treat, with Herge's gift for perfect panelling, superior draughtmanship (I STILL marvel at how many real-world vehicles you can recognise instantly in his stories) and of course fast paced action.

It goes without saying that I wanted to introduce these to C at the earliest opportunity, and we were lucky enough that our local library was extremely well stocked with Tintin books (and of course we ended up buying a load of them as well). They may have dated in places, and some stories have had to be sanitised a bit to remove some of the less politically correct elements that crept into them from time to time, but they still remain an absolutely incredible series to get kids interested in comics and graphic novels, and we still can't resist digging out our copies and reading through them a few times a year, just to remind ourselves how talented comic creators across the channel are. Weirdly, Tintin only crops up on the blog twice (I have no idea why we didn't review all the Tintin books we own) and those reviews are included below.

Original review links: 

Tintin in America by Georges Remi Herge (Egmont Books)

The Adventures of Tintin - The Cigars of the Pharaohs by Georges Remi Herge (translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper)(Egmont Books)

We love dark books, we love books that also feature memorable villains - and could there possibly be a more memorable villain than Count Olaf?

Way back in the mists of time I picked up an anthology of "A Series of Unfortunate Events", not realising that the mammoth task of ploughing through all 13 volumes with C made our Harry Potter marathon look like a sprint in comparison.

However there's something completely intoxicating that draws you into the story of the Baudelaires, a happy go lucky trio of siblings who become orphans overnight as their parents perish in a fire at the family home. Lost and folorn, the oprhans are placed with their nearest living relative, the nefarious Count Olaf who has only one thing on his mind - the oprhans' massive inherited fortune, and how he can get his disgustingly unkempt fingernails on it.

Through the books, Count Olaf cooks up disguise after disguise, and some truly skin-creepingly grim tricks (even at one point trying to trick Violet Baudelaire into marrying him, ewwwwwww!) in order to secure the loot. But these plucky kids outwit him at every turn.

Whatever you might think about Handler, he can craft the sort of stories that keep you hanging on in there, at first because you feel that the orphans might find their happy ever after as each book draws to a close, and that Count Olaf might end up in prison, only for the reverse to usually occur as the slippery eye-tattooed miscreant evades capture once again.

C's favourite volumes are the ones that feature Olaf's equally unctuous sugar-bowl-obsessed partner in crime, Esme Squalor, a villainess to rival Cruella DeVille with the fashion sense to match. C also loved the Netflix show that arrived off the back of the books, lovingly crafted and brilliantly produced, and just like the books, a story that dwindles away to one of the most bizarre and unsatisfying endings ever captured in a popular book / tv series. Perhaps Lemony Snicket himself had the last laugh on us all, keeping us hanging on in there right till the bitter end...

Original Review Links:

Amazingly we never reviewed any of the books on the blog!

Comics can sometimes be a bit of a tricky thing to get right when it comes to the tiniest of teenies. Introducing your kids to comics isn't always easy, but there are some brilliant titles around for really little ones that pave the way for them to become proper comic afficionados.

We really love this series from Ben Clanton, featuring his two knockabout undersea chums, Narwhal and Jelly.

In "Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea" you'll meet Narwhal and Jelly in their "Origin story" and a brilliantly hilarious collection of comic mishaps as the two become firm friends beneath the ocean waves.

Narwhal is a bit of a bossy pants, but also a great friend, whereas Jelly is the more sensible of the two (we think!) and can often steer Narwhal on the right track. A fab introduction to the characters, and as we say, a really great intro to comics / graphic novels for the very young.

"Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea" by Ben Clanton is available now from Egmont. 

If your kids demand something a bit more super-powered, well Narwhal and Jelly have got you covered in "Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt" by Ben Clanton.

How do two pals become super heroes? Well you need a cape, perhaps a snappy slogan or two, but most of all you need super-powers, right? How on earth can two ordinary undersea denizens have those though?

You'll find the answer in another brilliant little comic short, full of japery and more than a bit of tongue-poking at other less-than-super heroes (we absolutely loved the alter-ego name Narwhal and Jelly come up with in this one!)

Brilliant characters, simple artwork but really fun stories, perfect comic capers for cool kids. Get on board!

"Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt" by Ben Clanton is also available now from Egmont. 

(both titles kindly supplied for review).

We're months away from our favourite season, in either direction but we still love the idea of swooshing through crackling brown leaves in the Autumn...

You can expect a LOT of children's books on the subject of "The Beautiful Game" this year and Egmont are publishing a real corker...

We're pretty sure that you're thinking ahead to this coming Easter Sunday, and all the chocolate you can eat. But how about including books in the mix? Sounds like a great idea right?

Here's a gorgeous and thought-provoking story for tinies that imparts a really valuable lesson about loving something enough to let it go, and let it be free...

We love books that go beyond a single theme and branch out into what we call 'fusion titles' - offering a little something for everyone...

We love clever books, and kids of all ages love a book that goes beyond the flat two-dimensional confines of a traditional book.

Egmont's two fantastic natural history titles "What's Below" and "What's Above" both written by Clive Gifford with illustrations and paper engineering from Kate McClelland really bring the world to life in a fantastic and innovative way.

Each diminutively-sized book packs a heck of a lot of information into each page spread, as well as the most glorious pop-up scenes showing everything from the underground habitats of bunnies, to the deep blue oceans of the world where whales and dolphins thrive.

We just love opening these books just for the sheer thrill of seeing how perfectly each little scene unfolds...

The lush green canopy of the rainforest, and all the animals and plants that live there.

These are just gorgeous. We really loved the final spread in "What's Above?" (we're not going to spoil it by showing you so definitely go and pick up a copy as soon as you can!)

"What's Above?" and "What's Below" by Clive Gifford and Kate McClelland are both available now, published by Egmont (kindly supplied for review). 

It's absolutely lovely to see this one reprinted again, so as it's Pancake Day and we'll all be flipping, sizzling, mixing and...in our case, picking all the bits off the floor and ceiling let's dive into Jan Fearnley's classic "Mr Wolf's Pancakes"...

I had to check my typing in the header of this blog post to make sure I hadn't typed in the wrong illustrator...

I remember the big hoohah that was made when the very first interactive books were published. I'm not even talking about the e-book or app phenomena, back way back in the history of computing when the educational benefits of computers vs books was a new debate to be had, computer-based books with interactive elements were deemed to be the future, seeing off print for good.

Some 30 odd years on print is still here, and better still, books like "The Adventures of Earth" are proving that you don't have to make silly noises or feature daft little animations to win kids over with interactive elements.

Dan and Sean have put together a flap-lifting wheel-spinning pop-up book that draws you in and serves up some utterly amazing insights into the planet we call home.

Through exploring through play, kids will swiftly learn why we sometimes refer to the earth as a jigsaw planet, how important the oceans are to the vital ecosystems and life as we know it and how the earth peels like an onion into layers, demonstrating how the planet was formed billions of years ago.

It's a truly stunning example of a non-fiction book that ticks just about every box you could wish for. It's great for a range of ages, it doesn't talk down to its audience, it's fun and makes learning fun and it's utterly and completely fascinating.

"The Adventures of Earth" is released today, 6th September 2016 by Egmont Publishing.

A powerful and topical message is dealt with in a sensitive child-friendly way. Here's Barroux's "Welcome"...

Sometimes inspiration for stories can come from unexpected sources but how about a stinky old mummy's toe?

The beloved "Railway Stories" by Rev. W Awdry have been loved by generations of children, and with the huge revival around the TV series from the 80s onwards, Thomas the Tank Engine is still going strong.

True story about the hero of today's pair of stunning "Book of the Week" entries - we share the same barber!

The Mr Men are back! And Forward! And winging it too! Here's a timely re-release of "Mr Men: The Rugby Match" by Roger Hargreaves for little ones tuning into the Rugby World Cup!

What are you scared of? Do you have an irrational fear of spiders perhaps? Hate mice? Go into writhing contortions of fear and disgust at the mere mention of bathtime?

Meet Danny Dreadnought, star of "Danny Dreadnought Saves the World" by Jonathan Emmett with illustrations by Martin Chatterton. Danny isn't your ordinary everyday boy, in fact his parents are slightly concerned about Danny. For Danny isn't afraid of ANYTHING!

Bundled onto the scariest rollercoaster, Danny just yawns and asks to go again (while his parents have to be practically peeled out of their seats!)

A night in a haunted house? Pshaw, who's afraid of ghosts? Not Danny!

But when nefarious alien invaders - the horrid stinky slimy Bugulons - threaten our planet, will Danny finally cower in terror?

I'm sure you can guess the answer!

Here's Jonathan showing off his writing props in a fantastic reading range from Egmont (Banana Books - this one at the "Blue Banana" level, perfectly pitched for Charlotte's age group at 7 years old). She rattled through this story at double quick pace thanks to its frenetic and exciting action - exactly the sort of book that Jonathan talks about a lot on his "Cool not Cute" blog where he raises a lot of very interesting points about engaging reluctant boy readers, and gender imbalance in children's picture books. Go check it out.

In the meantime, if your school's curriculum-based reading books could do with a timely refresh, check out "Danny Dreadnought" and the other fantastic stories in the Banana range from Egmont.

Charlotte's best bit: Wanting to spend the night in a haunted house!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great book for reeling out a whole plethora of gurgling slimy Bugulon voices! Awesome!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont / Jonathan Emmett)

Mr Men books have been staple fodder for a couple of generations of our family. I still remember the awesome animated TV series narrated by Arthur Lowe, and back when I was at primary school the Mr Men books were extremely popular, kids would draw them on their scrap books or pencil cases and there was even a brilliant range of plush toys (my sister had a Mr Bump complete with bandages!)

Along came the Little Miss books to join the male-dominated range, and now there are even more books than ever.

For our Booky Advent Calendar we've picked out one of Egmont's new stories with a christmas twist. It's time for the grand Christmas Party and all the Little Misses and Mr Men are invited. Mr Happy will be the genial host, and he soon sends out invitations to everyone.

One person is in two minds about coming along though. Little Miss Shy. She really wants to go but doesn't know if she can sum up enough courage to go along. What if she blushes and gets embarrassed? It's quite the quandary to be in!

Luckily on the day of the party it snows really heavily. Everyone is downcast and sad because it looks like the party will have to be cancelled. All but Little Miss Shy who doesn't have to worry about going or not going any more. But Mr Christmas has a fantastic idea. He's going to borrow Santa's sled to ensure everyone gets to the party on time, and it can go ahead! CATASTROPHE (for Little Miss Shy at least!)

So does she make it to the big yuletide bash, or does her shyness stop her?

You'll have to read this awesome little christmas story to find out. The Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as great as they ever were, and this story in particular struck a chord with Charlotte - who is quite shy herself. Maybe if you can gather enough courage to do the things that scare you, you'll end up having the most brilliant time ever! What a great message, not just for christmas but for any time of the year!

Charlotte's best bit: Mr Silly's amazing crazy band and their weird instruments!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great little message and it's so good to see that the Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as fantastic as ever they were!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Publishing)

When I was a wee whippersnapper, I had two sci-fi obsessed uncles who introduced me to the world of Star Wars (and other cool spacey stuff beyond the stratosphere). One year my uncle Chris gave me a huge black 'folder' labelled "Ralph McQuarrie Paintings" which contained a whole stack of work by the late legendary concept artist, for the movie "The Empire Strikes Back"

These huge paintings adorned my walls between the ages of 9 to...well into my late 20s. I just couldn't get enough of Ralph McQuarrie's amazing work.

So with anticipation building for Star Wars Episode VII next year - and paying due homage to the late genius himself, Egmont have put together a fantastic adventurous book for younger Star Wars fanatics based around one of the pivotal characters of the original trilogy (and if the rumours are true, quite a pivotal character in the next few movies too!)

Luke Skywalker. Most boys either wanted to be Han or Luke (must admit I always thought Luke was a bit of a whiny brat in the original movie but changed as the movies evolved into one kick-butt Jedi master!) and here we have a rather neatly written history of Luke from his earliest years on the desert planet of Tatooine to his eventual emergence as a powerful Jedi.

The book neatly uses a stack of McQuarrie's finished paintings from each of the original trilogy movies plus a whole ton of concept art. Kids who are currently enjoying "Star Wars: Rebels" on TV will probably recognise those early depictions of Chewbacca, and big grown up kids (like me) will be utterly dazzled by the fine work McQuarrie was capable of.

It's a fantastic idea to take the (sometimes stale) art and concept books and make them more kid-friendly like this. It's genuinely good to see kids growing up still loving Star Wars just as much as I did when I was younger (and yep, still do today!)

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loves anything with Princess Leia in it so she loved seeing the princess looking out for her brother in this.

Daddy's Favourite bit: Gorgeous paintings, an adventurous story, what better way to get your young Jedis (or, er, Sith) up and running with some Star Wars action!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Publishing)