Gecko Press get off to a flying start with this gorgeously presented reprint of a classic book designed to help children overcome grief, and deal with the loss of a loved one - even if that loved one is furry, scaly, fluffy or nuzzly.

"All The Dear Little Animals" by Ulf Nilsson and Eva Eriksson takes a funny non-sentimental look at death from a child's perspective.

The story begins with young Esther's observation that despite the happy world we live in, death is all around us (every adult probably knows at least one death-obsessed child who makes this rather sombre statement from time to time).

This book beautifully caters for kids who mildly obsess about death and what it means. Esther's idea is to begin a funeral business called Funerals Ltd - along with her siblings they set out to ensure that all the dear (dead) little animals in bushes and hedgerows get a proper honourable send-off.

I don't think we've ever seen anything like this - a book that deftly treads between that oh-so-serious gallows-humour that kids possess sometimes, and what it feels like when something you've loved so much is lost for good and passes over.

Yet it's beautiful - not just to look at but to read aloud, as the story gently unfolds and Esther's 'wise beyond her years' approach to death begins to make sense.

Utterly fabulous and so glad to see it coming back for a whole new generation of readers.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A funny, whimsical and often quite sombre but sweet look at death from a child's perspective in a book like no other.

"All The Dear Little Animals" by Ulf Nilsson and Eva Eriksson is out now, published by Gecko Press (kindly supplied for review). 

We are always stargazing. We're lucky enough that on a cold dark night when the sky is clear, we can see quite a lot of the stars without too much light pollution (amazing considering we live in a busy town centre). Recently on holiday up in the Peak District we could really soak up the stratosphere as we lay in our hot tub (oooh, get us!) and sat silently picking out the constellations in our 'different' patch of sky.

And so, to this wonderful book celebrating stargazers everywhere. "When Dad Showed me the Universe" is a voyage of discovery for a boy who embarks on an evening adventure with his dentist dad.

Dad stops off for some supplies (he's a dentist so no sweeties, just a pack of chewing gum!) and the two of them head out into the best place to view the stars - the middle of nowhere!

Dad explains all about the amazing starscape laid out before them, and all the constellations - some of which may have already disappeared, but still visible to us because their light takes so long to reach us.

The story is wonderfully told and illustrated. Poor dad though, I definitely identify with his final annoyance in the story (this also seems to happen to us on far too regular a basis so we definitely sympathise!)

Charlotte's best bit: Poor dad needing to scrub his boots clean at the end of their eventful trip. We know that feeling all too well, sadly.

Daddy's Favourite bit: A touching story with an all-too-rare book dad that isn't just there for comedy value - which makes a very nice change in a children's book, I must say!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Gecko Press)

There's potential for a huge sprawling blog post about dads in children's picture books, a subject we're obviously very interested in. You see, the pattern for dads is usually that they're kind-hearted, slightly bumbling, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, ultimately second fiddle to mums when it comes to parenting.

We love books where the character dynamic reflects the dynamic on this blog, so when "Watch out for the Crocodile" by Lisa Moroni and Eva Eriksson came along for review, we wanted to see how the dad in the book measured up to the cliche dad we've seen so many times in other stories.

Dad decides to organise a camping trip with his daughter, to spend a bit more time with her. He's a bit inept, spends far too much time on his mobile phone (definitely NOT a trait that's exclusive to dads, ahem), and is a bit too obsessed with work at times (again, see previous point). But his heart is most definitely in the right place.

As they journey through the woods and the great outdoors, dad and daughter seem at odds at first. Daughter points things out to dad, dad doesn't see them - but eventually they start to bond, and let their imaginations fly - but watch out for the crocodile!

I'd like to think that if Charlotte and I replicated the scenario in this book, we'd probably both begin the trip soaking up the great outdoors with all our senses and seeing things that others miss. This book celebrates the dad-daughter relationship, but it's more effective at describing what it's like to have a vivid day-dreamy imagination whether you're an adult or a kid (and some of the best adults I know never had that 'grown up' gap in between where they wrote off all the kid-type stuff in favour of worrying about money, or what car to buy next, or whether they're progressing fast enough along the career path). "Watch out for the Crocodile" is sublime and is our book of the week simply because it's such a great message, not just for dads, mums or their children but for anyone who has lost the ability to daydream or imagine.

Charlotte's best bit: Lions on the plain! No not the plane, the plain!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A wonderful imaginative journey, a fantastic dad-daughter book, and a sharp message to never be afraid to dream or look beyond the obvious when you're looking at the world around you

(Kindly sent to us for review by Gecko Press)