Doughnut go gently into that long night. OK I'm misquoting here, but in "The Doughnut of Doom" by Elys Dolan it's time for a particularly sweet hero to step into the breach, showing that anyone can be brave if they put their mind to it.

It's another ordinary day in Food Town and Alison McNutty (hah, I like that name - now where have I heard that before?) peanut butter sandwich and rookie reporter, desperately needs a big break. 

Opening the door of our Booky Advent Calendar on Day 11, it's time for "Santa's Wonderful Workshop" by Elys Dolan.

Christmas is a time for giving gifts, snugging next to a warm fire with a warming cup of hot chocolate, or perhaps writing a list to Santa.

This year Saint Nick thinks he's got everything under control. But disaster is on the horizon!

Santa's workshop only seems to make rotten old toasters.

There's a rampaging polar bear on the loose - and a whole stack of pesky visitors from the South Pole who keep getting in the way. What on earth will Santa do?

Well, we won't spoil things too much for you, suffice to say that this is Mr Santa Claus we're talking about, and even with the stress of trying to get presents together for every one of you, he can handle things in his own inimitable and magical way.

A brilliantly entertaining read, with the penguin visitors stealing practically every scene they're in!

"Santa's Wonderful Workshop" by Elys Dolan is out now, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books (kindly supplied for review)

Oooh now this is definitely something fresh, exciting and original. A book about evolution for tinies? Picture Book of the Week fare for sure...!

Hello there Easter Bunny. You're a little early aren't you, we're barely washing down the last of our Christmas cake!!

Max is always getting into trouble, his crazy clockwork inventions aren't well received and soon poor Max finds himself out of a job, wondering what to do next.

Max's village lives under constant threat from a huge fire breathing nasty dragon. The dragon rules the roost and in conjunction with Lizzie - the blacksmith's daughter, Max comes up with a stunning plan to rid the village of the menace once and for all. He will build a gigantic clockwork dragon!

Max's plan is dizzyingly fiendish, and with Lizzie's help they clamber into the tin belly of their clanking beast ready to face off against the real Dragon. But what's the one problem clockwork things suffer from? What happens when your marvellous invention starts to run down mid-battle!!

Can Max's ingenuity and Lizzie's mechanical expertise save the day?

This is a rollicking and thoroughly entertaining story with pint-sized heroes at its heart, taking on a big bully by using their brains. We love the inventiveness of this, coupling Jonathan's pacey and exciting story with Elys Dolan's wonderful creative illustrations.

Charlotte's best bit: Reading out the mechanical dragon's lines in a big booming voice

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fab and original story putting a brilliant brainy pair of kids front and centre in the midst of the excitement. Brilliantly entertaining!



(Kindly sent to us for review by Jonathan Emmett / Oxford University Press)

Catching up with this critically well received book courtesy of our local library, we couldn't resist the combination of crazed megalomania and cute furry critters.

Elys Dolan's "Weasels" offers us an insight into what Weasels actually get up to all day. While we may imagine that they'll chase around the undergrowth eating nuts and shoots or bothering badgers and rabbits, Weasels are a little more savvy than that. In fact they have but one goal in mind from day to day. WORLD DOMINATION!

Yes it's true, and the weasels have been working hard to create the ultimate machine that will help them achieve their goal. Fuelled on frothaccinos, busy as beavers (Poo! Beavers suck!) the countdown to the big switch-on has begun.

Only, there is a problem...the machine doesn't work. They've poked it, prodded it, kicked it and even tried the old IT fallback of 'switching it off and on again' but to no avail. The machine is in an error state, and the weasels look like they'll just have to stay as cute furry critters rather than the dominant species on earth.

Perhaps though the answer to the machine's malfunction is simpler than it first appears!

This is a crazy riff on a number of excellent sources. We loved the various nods to James Bond films, including one particular Weasel baddie and his pet white mouse (a cat would probably be a bit impractical for a Weasel Blofeld).

Chaotic, fun, quite tricky to read aloud (but you always have the option to let the Nosy Crow app take up the slack and read to you!)

Charlotte's best bit: What happens when the lights go out! Eek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Crazy and chaotic stuff, we are ready to serve our weasel lords and masters! Ny-EEK!