We had to make our "Book of the Week" slot a double header for Flying Eye / NoBrow - simply because both the books we recieved for review from them recently are just SO GOOD!

This one, in particular, feels like the book we've been waiting on for the last 10 years of our book blogging career.

"Shy Ones" by Simona Ciraolo has a story theme that we've begged people to write a children's picture book about, and though we've seen one or two that don't quite nail the point we've covered so many times in our ReadItTorials - that quiet kids deserve every bit as much attention and as many chances to shine - as noisy outspoken confident kids - this is the best picture book on the subject of shyness that we've ever seen.

C is a shy kid, but just like the gorgeous little octopoid in this story, when no one's looking she shines. Throughout the book Simona captures perfectly what it has felt like for us as parents as a shy kid, knowing our daughter's true worth but seeing her come a cropper again and again in school when teachers always add the tiresome snipe at the end of each school report. "She's too quiet in class" or "She never speaks up for herself despite her work being brilliant" (teachers, if you do this, I really don't know what to say to you, it's one of the worst things you can possibly say to a shy kid, or the parents of a shy kid - particularly if you're using that as a measure of their academic worth let alone their worth as a person).

So here it is, a book that spins the beautiful tale of a shy kid who finally finds an equally shy friend, and comes out of her shell a bit. When you see that happen in the story, just like when you see it happen as a parent who is proud of their kid, it's a moment to treasure.

Thank you for this Simona, this is really something truly special.

Sum this book up in a sentence: At last, a fanfare for the quiet ones, the shy ones, and about blimmin' time they had their chance to shine too!

"Shy Ones" by Simona Ciraolo is out now, published by Flying Eye Books / NoBrow (US)

(Book kindly supplied for review)

Wow! I mean you had us at "Witch" but we hadn't expected the perfect halloween book to drop into our laps before August is even upon us. But let's face it, there's never a bad time of year to read a brilliantly researched and gorgeously illustrated book all about witches, is there?

"Season of the Witch: A Spellbinding History of Witches and Other Magical Folk" by Matt Ralph and Nuria Tamarit is the sort of book that grabs your attention the minute you spy the cover.

We all probably imagine witches as those green skinned pointy-hatted broomstick riding cat-befriending folk, scudding through the dead of night atop their brushy rides, ready to strike terror into the hearts of everyone. But Matt and Nuria have brought together the perfect witch's brew of historical facts and figures about witches, mages, magicians and Wiccans that will give you food for thought.

A lot of the content here made our hearts sing with joy, purely because you rarely see books that strike the perfect balance between imparting a ton of facts without diluting them for kids. In fact for most kids, this may be the first time they've ever realised that there is a real-life history to witches and magic, and it's certainly going to be the first time that a lot of kids read anything about the Witchfinder General, or the Salem trials - or for that matter how many witches and other mystical beings show up in myths and legends.

Our favourite bits were definitely learning more about magical folk in Ancient Egypt, and also the amazing Japanese legends about witches, monsters and mythical beings.

We couldn't get enough of this, and it looks like you won't have long to wait until it's released, which is fab news. As you'd expect from Flying Eye the sheer amount of effort that has gone into this book's illustrations and presentation make it more than worth the entry fee, and it's certainly one of the most unique "non fiction" titles (though are witches REALLY fictional?) we've seen this year.

Sum this book up in a sentence: An absolutely belting book filled with all manner of strange witchiness, mystical magic and tons of real-world facts and stories to bring its subject matter to life in a wholly engaging way.

"Season of the Witch" by Matt Ralph and Nuria Tamarit is out on 1st August 2020, published by Flying Eye Books / NoBrow (US)

Some creative pairings are legendary from the moment they put pen to paper, or cursor to word processor. In the case of Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin, the creative gods were definitely smiling down on us all when they began to collaborate on their brilliantly funny comic strips, bringing "Akissi" to the world and being a huge part of what convinced my daughter that comics were well worth investing her reading time in.

"Akissi" tells the story of a little girl living in Africa, largely based on Marguerite's own childhood before she moved to Paris.

Akissi is a kick-ass ball of energy who doesn't seem to sit still for more than 5 seconds, is usually up to mischief, usually drives her parents and teachers completely crazy, but quite often relies on the help of her friends (and her cute monkey sidekick Boubou) to get her out of mischief.

The first collected volumes of stories were translated by Flying Eye Books back in 2013, and we had a long wait for more - but it was well worth it (a further third volume of Akissi stories is coming from Flying Eye this year, and we just can't wait - in fact we may come kicking and screaming out of retirement just to talk about it if it arrives after we've gone!).

So what makes these strips so good?

They're so BUSY for starters. Full of movement, detail, brilliant (and extremely funny) dialogue, and characters that stick in the memory from Akissi herself to her long-suffering parents, her (teasing) brother Fofana and her school pals.

What we weren't prepared for was how immersive these stories were. You really do feel like you're seeing a piece of African township life in every strip. How people live day to day, what kids do at school, what they do for fun - but brilliantly entertaining and rib-ticklingly funny. We just can't get enough of them and like many of our #Booky100Keepers - particularly on the comic side of the house - these are brilliant if you have a reluctant solo reader who wants the added impetus of fantastic stories to draw them into a real love of reading. Forget the classics, this is where you need to start them off!

Original Review Links: 

Akissi by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin (Flying Eye Books)

ReadItDaddy's Comic / Graphic Novel of the Week - Week Ending 28th June 2019: "Akissi Volume 2: More Tales of Mischief" by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin (NoBrow / Flying Eye)

Five fantastic comics to get your kids interested in reading!

25 Comics and Graphic Novels that are a perfect jumping-in point for your kids - Part 1: Early Years and Middle Grade

You might be wondering why comics / graphic novels haven't fetched up in our #Booky100Keepers list up till now. The simple answer is that we could easily fill an entire set of 100 blog entries recommending comics to you, but wanted to try and cover as many different books from our shelves as possible.

BUT some comics / graphic novels are just too good not to feature in this list, so Luke Pearson's sublime and peerless "Hilda" series had to be here.

I actually bought "Hildafolk" (later renamed and rebranded as "Hilda and the Troll") on a whim while visiting a comic shop. I leafed through it and knew right then and there that this would be the comic that would be the perfect introduction to this amazing means of storytelling for my daughter, who was a tiny mite at the time and hadn't progressed to the stage of solo reading yet.

As any parent will tell you, reading a comic out loud to a bouncy toddler isn't the easiest thing to persevere with - but as soon as she started to read on her own, the "Hilda" books were the ones she sought out.

"Hilda and the Troll" sets things up quite nicely, introducing the girl herself, her long-suffering mum and all manner of weird and fantastic creatures living in and around Trollberg, including the menacing trolls themselves. Hilda loves to chronicle her findings as she roams the glorious countryside picked out by Luke's amazing eye for illustrative detail. It's an idyllic life but as we follow the book series, Hilda's life changes completely with a move to the city...

What we like most about the series is that the shift to a city-based life doesn't change the girl, nor the strangely surreal weirdness she encounters almost on a daily basis. She makes new friends, faces new dangers, even ends up turned into a Troll baby herself - but throughout each book you are given a beautifully observed slice of a young girl's life and the delicate interconnected relationship she has with her mum (a single parent) and her best friends (most of which are very weird creatures she 'collects' throughout her adventures.

It's not hard to see why Luke secured himself more work on brilliant shows like "Adventure Time" as a storyboard and intro artist. and like all good things, the Hilda books have now come to an end. However the stories live on as a Netflix show (with series 2 incoming very soon) and a series of middle grade novels (to be honest, we don't like these but much prefer the original graphic novels, luxuriously presented and absolutely immersive rewarding experiences that they are).

No better way to get kids reading comics. Nuff said.

Original review links: 

ReaditDaddy's Book of the Week Part 2 - Week Ending 3rd May 2013 - "Hildafolk" by Luke Pearson (NoBrow Press)

Taking another look at the brilliant "Hilda" books, reprinted and reissued by Flying Eye Books in sumptuous new bindings

ReaditDaddy's Book of the Week - Week ending 31st May 2013 - "Hilda and the Midnight Giant" by Luke Pearson (Nobrow Press)

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 8th November 2013. "Hilda and the Bird Parade" by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)

ReadItDaddy's Graphic Novel of the Week - Week Ending 30th August 2019: "Hilda and the Mountain King" by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books / NoBrow Press)

ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 21st March 2014 - "Hilda and the Black Hound" by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)

ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 9th September 2016 - "Hilda and the Stone Forest" by Luke Pearson (NoBrow / Flying Eye Books)

25 Comics and Graphic Novels that are a perfect jumping-in point for your kids - Part 1: Early Years and Middle Grade

What can we say about "Topsy Turvy World" by Atak.

Funny?

Hilarious?

I got C to sit alongside me while I was typing this one up as this is one of her favourite books of all time, yet it's one we have a slight difference of opinion on. She loves it, I mean really loves it - to the point where even though she has spent hour after hour looking at all the surreal little details Atak works into his artwork, she still finds new things to make her giggle.

The premise of the book is flipping the roles of various creatures, characters and 'things' so that they're - well - topsy-turvy. As you can see from the cover image of a clown jumping through a fiery hoop while the lion holds it up (rather than the other way round) you're in for a bit of a strange acid-trip of a picture book where nothing is quite as it seems. I can't really describe it, it's probably just better to show you some of the spreads inside.

Hunted becomes hunter!

As you can see, the images are painted in a crazy trippy style that's almost child-like but still rammed to the gills with tons of detail.

Wait, what the heck is going on with that goat?

Some spreads just leave you thinking "What the heck am I actually seeing here?"

C's own favourite spread just has her cackling like a drain every time she sees it...

You can understand the appeal of this one for tinies seeing the tables turned on mum

Every time we have a massive book clearout, C's mum will pull this one out for the disposal pile and there will be a massive tantrum about getting rid of it. So it's in our keepers. I have a strange love hate relationship with it myself, not really understanding why I like it at times I find myself lost in gazing at the weird imagery and smiling to myself about the various famous characters and art references that crop up in some of the pictures.

It's quite frankly topsy turvy but if your kids love a good belly laugh at the thought of a world where everything's flipped on its head and roles are interchanged, they'll love it to bits.

Original Review Link:

Topsy Turvy World by Atak (Flying Eye Books)

Spring is most definitely in the air, and as the fantastic sunshine fills us with hope (and hopefully tops up our much maligned levels of Vitamin D) imagine a world filled with the colourful beauty of flowers and plants.

"I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast" by Michael Holland FLS and Philip Giordano is a glorious and colourful celebration of our amazing and wonderful plant life.

From the tiniest green shoots to the tallest sunflowers, this book is perfect for tinies who are already loving exercising their green fingers and thumbs by growing awesome plants.

Michael and Philip also cover the less well known members of the animal kingdom. Did you know there are plants that eat insects?

Did you also know that there's a fantastic giant nut called the Coco De Mer that looks an awful lot like a gorilla's bum?

In this light hearted exploration of the plant kingdom, we're left daydreaming of a time where we can emerge from our isolation, back out into the beautiful world to soak up the sights and smells waiting for us as the world begins to be filled with blooming gorgeous colour all over again.

Sum this book up in a sentence: An absolutely beautiful book filled with plant life from across the world, just the ticket and a very much needed book-shaped tonic at the moment.

"I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast" by Michael Holland and Philip Giordano is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review). 

We absolutely LOVE Owen Davey's range of natural history books as he takes an expert look at the animal kingdom, in a truly dazzling visual way.

This time it's the turn of our eight-legged ocean-dwelling pals in "Obsessive About Octopuses" - taking a closer look at an animal that is absolutely fascinating on many levels.

Most kids will know that octopuses have eight legs and live in the sea, but did you know that Octopuses are highly intelligent, and in some cases can even use tools to manipulate their environment?

Did you know that they have multiple hearts, just like Doctor Who?

Did you know that they can adapt their skin tones as camouflage to terrify would-be predators, or to hide out of sight amongst the rocks and sand?

Octopuses are truly amazing and Owen takes a closer look at the many species that exist around our planet, from the scary Giant Pacific Octopus to the clever and adaptive common octopus. These amazing creatures really do come in all shapes and sizes, and Owen depicts them fabulously here.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A truly fascinating book for animal fans, dishing up a ton of amazing facts on Octopuses big and small and showing that this amazingly adaptive creature is more than just a leggy sea-dweller.

"Obsessive about Octopuses" by Owen Davey is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Our Picture Book of the Week once again demonstrates that non-fiction books can be just as vital a part of a child's reading journey as fiction - in this fascinating glimpse beneath the waves with an awesome slice of scientific brilliance.

"Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage" once again teams up Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman for a truly amazing look at our oceans.

How did our oceans form?

How did life evolve in the deepest, darkest and coldest depths of the sea?

With truly glorious illustrations, and fabulous facts woven into each page spread, it's great to see this series going from strength to strength, covering a subject that we have seen many times before in children's non fiction books but in a new and totally attractive and engaging way.

The Prof and his awesome crew set sail in their fabulous research ship to find out all about the oceans. Teeming with life from mighty blue whales to fierce sharks, wibbly-wobbly jellyfish and amazing octopuses, there's so much to take in that it's a book that will keep kids completely immersed and occupied for ages.

It's also destined to become a classroom favourite, perfect as the basis for class projects about our oceans - and of course also brilliant for the ways it talks about the damage we're doing to our seas, from microplastics to pollution, and the death of our coral beds due to tourism and global warming. Utterly brilliant, and a welcome addition to the Professor Astro Cat series.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A non-fiction book of the highest quality, brilliantly produced and presented by the dream team of Dr Dom and Ben, with a host of engaging characters showing us what lies beneath the choppy waves of our oceans.

"Professor Astro Cat's Deep-Sea Voyage" by Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review)

Kids are busy, always busy rushing around and seemingly full of energy. Some kids have difficulty switching that off at night, and all parents will be all-too-familiar with the bedtime ritual of 'dragging it out' - when kids seem to find a zillion and one excuses to avoid settling down for a restful night's sleep.

"The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories - Calming Tales to Read at Bedtime" by Academic and Sleep Expert Professor Alice Gregory, children's writer Christy Kirkpatrick and illustrator Eleanor Hardiman is the perfect set of stories to soothe kids into dreamland in a restful and calming way.

Purposely designed to be visually soothing, as well as restful to listen to when an adult with a soothing voice (not me!) reads them aloud, these stories cover themes in a way that's designed to calming, hopefully ensuring your little ones nod off in no time at all.

We often used to find that C demanded stories with action and pace, so it might not work for all kids - but it's definitely worth a try, and it's certainly beautifully presented and gorgeous to look at.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A gorgeous set of stories designed to lull your little ones to sleep but be warned, it works on adults too!

"The Sleepy Pebble and Other Stories" by Professor Alice M. Gregory, Christy Kirkpatrick and Eleanor Hardiman is out now, published by Flying Eye Books / NoBrow Press (kindly supplied for review). 

We've seen a fair few amazing adaptations of "The Legend of Monkey: Journey to the West" and other Monkey chronicles, but none as gorgeous as "Kai and the Monkey King" by Joe Todd-Stanton.

In fact it's almost unfair to describe this as another Monkey chronicle, because it's really the tale of a mighty girl and her adventurous mother who end up with a most difficult quest - to defeat a gigantic monster that intimidates a local village every year.

Kai is restless and feels she's ready for battle, but Mum is far more sensible - and instead of heading straight to the armoury, Mum goes to the library.

Kai doesn't realise that sometimes you need to do a bit more than run into battle, a bit of research is required but she soon becomes restless - and when her mum banishes her to the other side of the library so she can concentrate, Kai discovers a mysterious tome that speaks of the captured Monkey King.

This undefeatable warrior is currently imprisoned, so Kai decides to free him and enlist his help in defeating the gigantic fiery beast.

Monkey is arrogant and full of himself, so eventually Kai realises that perhaps this rather aloof simian might not be that much help after all. Will Kai somehow have to defeat the monster alone, or will someone else leap in and save the day at the last minute?

We've not read previous adventures in Joe's amazing "Brownstone Mythical Collection" but we very much want to, now we've devoured this amazing book. Once again it's clear that Flying Eye / NoBrow not only has a knack for finding the most amazing artistic talent on the planet, but they produce some of the most gorgeous picture books - that stretch the medium to the very limit, truly lovingly produced and crafted.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Again, as with Luke Pearson's "Hilda" series, if you're looking for picture books to bat someone around the head with when they assume that PBs are "for babies", this will do nicely.

"Kai and the Monkey King" by Joe Todd-Stanton is out on 1st October 2019, published by Flying Eye Books / NoBrow Press (kindly supplied for review).

All good things come to an end. Sometimes the greatest things, and if you're the sort of person who doesn't like it when our "Book of the Week" reviews go in a bit heavy with the praise, you might just want to bail out now.

Because "Hilda and the Mountain King", the final graphic novel in Luke Pearson's mesmerising and absolutely vital series is drawing to a close in possibly the most perfect way possible.

We're anxious not to spoil anything for new fans who might have just joined in with the Hilda love, off the back of the hugely successful and universally acclaimed Netflix "Hilda" series (which was, to be quite honest, absolutely a zillion times better than we could have possibly hoped for). But in the last book we were left on one heck of a cliffhanger.

Spoilers ahead folks...if you haven't read "Hilda and the Stone Forest" time to look away....NOW!

Right at the end of the last book Hilda woke up dazed, but realising something rather strange had happened. Hilda was no longer human - in fact Hilda had become...a TROLL!

In her new-found body Hilda is at first horrified, but soon realises that being a Troll isn't all that bad after all - in fact it's almost like getting a whole new raft of superpowers. She feels strong, she can leap tall pine trees in a single bound, and her roar fills the forest.

Most importantly Hilda begins to realise that Trolls aren't just the lonely denizens of the mountains and forests. They have a whole community, and that community is under serious threat.

Meanwhile her poor long-suffering mum has to put up with a rather strange house guest, a baby troll who is even grumpier and moodier (and far more destructive) than Hilda herself!

As you've probably come to expect from Luke, this is a deliciously dark tale, and we're soon introduced to a new set of antagonists - there are forces afoot led by the mysterious arch-mansplaining Ahlberg (a fantastic character who feels like the comic embodiment of every Brexit-voting Gammon you've ever had the misfortune to run across on Twitter) who absolutely will not stop until he and his 'safety patrol' have wiped Trolls from the face of the earth once and for all - including any Troll-shaped girls who just happen to get in the way.

It's up to Hilda to save the day!

We've read this. We've read it again. We've read it so many times just savouring every single morsel, clinging on to it, trying to stave off the inevitable - and the end of a story that, without any exagerration, has become the graphic novel series that I shove in the face of anyone (teachers or otherwise) who claim that comics and graphic novels aren't "proper" reading.

We will, of course, have the second series of the Netflix show to look forward to - giving Hilda a whole new world to play in and expand in, and perhaps there may be the promise of new exciting stories kicking off in the accompanying middle grade novels. But with this, the very last and easily the best of the Hilda graphic novels, we really will have a huge Hilda-shaped hole in our lives if there really aren't to be any more.

Then again, there's the prospect that we have whatever Luke cooks up next to look forward to. Seeing his sterling work and involvement with "Adventure Time" fills us with confidence that, whatever he does, it's going to be awesome. For now though, the Hilda series stands as one of the best ways to show kids that comics aren't just about prat-falls and pies in the face. They can be truly inspirational, glorious and just so durned vital too.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Absolutely unmissably essential reading, and if you've never read or encountered a Hilda book before, we almost envy you, get started with book one and work your way through to this and you'll be experiencing some of the best comic book action on the planet - for kids or grown ups!

"Hilda and the Mountain King" by Luke Pearson is out on 1st September 2019, published by Flying Eye Books / NoBrow Press (kindly supplied for review). 

As ever, we cast an envious eye over the sheer glory that is the Belgian and French comics scene. Today's comic / graphic novel of the week hails from the creative pen of Max De Radigues, a Belgian author-illustrator who has quietly been building up a colossal and well deserved highly respected reputation as a comic creator for all ages.

Though you might have seen some of his more grown-up stuff translated into English, we're delighted to see NoBrow / Flying Eye Books bringing the first of his collected Stig and Tilde adventures in translated form over the channel / Atlantic (with more to follow, SQUEEEE!)

In "Stig and Tilde: Vanisher's Island" two intrepid and adventurous twins hop on a dinghy and head to a desert island, as part of a rites of passage.

Traditionally kids would set off every summer at a certain point in their lives to spend an entire year fending for themselves.

For Stig and Tilde though, tradition has turned into a month away at a summer camp on an island - one that even has Internet! Wow!

Unfortunately for them, their journey takes an unexpected turn as they both end up locked in the under-deck of their tiny boat during a storm, and soon they end up shipwrecked on the wrong island.

An uninhabited island.

Or so they thought...

Soon though, Tilde is surprised to find a boy there, a strange boy who claims to have been stranded there years before, but as the two begin to form a close bond, Tilde realises this is no ordinary boy...

I have to stop myself from spoiling too much of this utterly fantastic graphic novel, suffice to say that right here is a prime example of how the Belgians and the French are making us look like complete amateurs over here when it comes to producing "dark" children's books.

We know full well that kids are drawn to darker stories, particularly ones where it's blatantly obvious the writer is setting out with the intention of creating something truly memorable (perhaps for some kids a bit too memorable, even C, fairly tough when it comes to dark themes, had quite a few moments where she gasped out loud reading this. "Did they really just do that in this book? WOW!")

Ultimately, in the grand tradition of other works of Belgian genius like Tintin, this is absolutely rivetting stuff from the get-go, with an original and thrumming pulse that at first recalls the stories of Arthur Ransome or Enid Blyton, but then drenches this relatively simple but utterly fantastic tale in a lovely coating of dark black, like a glorious bar of Belgian 100% chocolate (and just as addictive).

It probably sounds like we're going a bit over the top with the praise, but miss this one at your peril.

We're really hoping that all of Max's books are eventually translated (we already know a second is on the way, this time with our twins once again shipwrecked - but surrounded by wolves! Eeek!)

Move over Hilda, it's time for Stig and Tilde!

Sum this book up in a sentence: The perfect adventuresome and beautifully dark comic read, absolutely brilliant in every way and totally refreshing after a diet of sickly sweet 'kid' comics.

"Stig and Tilde: Vanishers Island" by Max De Radigues" is out now, published by NoBrow / Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review). 

We need joy in our lives right now. Pure unbridled joy, whether in book form or not. "Akissi: More Tales of Mischief (Akissi Volume 2)" by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin provides a heck of a lot of joy, with the newly translated volume of Akissi's extended adventures now available for the first time from NoBrow / Flying Eye.

My French isn't that great, I can just about parse a French graphic novel (just about) but poor C lags behind a little bit (mostly because schools here are absolutely rubbish at teaching foreign languages - she gets a single French lesson per week and no French homework, GAH!)

Anyway, joy - yes joy - the joy of observing the comic adventures of a fizzingly energetic young African girl living on the Ivory Coast, and finding something new to get into every day.

Alongside her long-suffering parents and siblings, Akissi and her pet monkey Bubu are once again getting up to all sorts of mischief.

Akissi is no stranger to scrapes and shenanigans, and this time, she has to keep herself from drowning, stands up to a bully, makes peace with her arch nemesis--the prettiest girl in school, and even manages to evade a witch doctor's weird potions.

Our Second Book of the Week sees us FINALLY catching up with a colossal talent in children's picture books...

"A Mouse Called Julian" by Joe Todd-Stanton is the sort of picture book that feels like it's been in your collection for donkey's years, oft read and loved to the point where its pages are faded and well-thumbed.

...And yet this is a brand new book, harking back to an era when children's stories weren't always about solving issues or confronting real-world problems, but just about exquisitely crafted storytelling, glorious characters and perhaps a tiny pinch of a moral in there just to add the pepper to the sauce rather than overpowering the whole thing.

We've not seen ANY of Joe's books before, which is something we're absolutely going to rectify now, but "A Mouse Called Julian" was a brilliant introduction. Starting off with a rather timid little mouse who doesn't actually mind a solitary life. Julian has become expert at avoiding other people, which is just the way he likes it as he curls up comfortably in his too-adorable-for-words little hole-home (which is decked out so beautifully, like a scene from "The Borrowers" but with a distinctly mousey feel to it, just lovely!)

Such an adorable little network of homes, and Julian's is well placed to avoid his rather obstructive neighbours

When Julian ventures out into the wide world he's also scurrilous and quick, very good at avoiding the farmer and her dog, or cats that would make a meal of Julian.

But the titular mouse doesn't realise he's being watched...

If there has ever been a more accurate and delightful depiction of a fox in a children's book, we've yet to see it!

A wily fox rather fancies dinner at Julian's place - with Julian being the dish of the day. Luckily for Julian the plan doesn't quite pay off as planned, and after being forced to spend a little time together, Fox and Julian reach something of a mutual agreement that Fox won't scoff Julian if the little mouse can somehow free him from being trapped in Julian's front window.

Here's where there's a shade of "The Mouse and the Lion" but Joe doesn't just adapt that familiar tale, there's an absolutely breathtaking twist as the book draws to a close (which we won't spoil!)

Oh no! Poor Julian!

It was one of those moments in a book that stopped C in her tracks, something she didn't anticipate or see coming when she can usually give me constant side-eyes through the course of a picture book, knowing exactly what's going to happen as the plot unravels.

The surprise is great though - just a tiny piece of a story that works so beautifully at every point. Joe crafts the story so that it's textually minimal, to let those stunning visuals take over and flesh out the story - the mark of a brilliant picture book in our opinion.

What an immensely talented fellow and what a truly gorgeous book.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A book that feels familiar, comfortable, but exquisitely crafted and yet so original and delightful with an absolutely killer twist.

"A Mouse called Julian" by Joe Todd-Stanton is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review). 

Here's a right ribbiting read that we're toadally in love with. Spawned from the fantastic creative mind of Owen Davey, let's take a dip in the deep dark pond of "Fanatical About Frogs".

Owen's natural history / nature books are a real treat, and we've enjoyed him enthusing about apes, going batty about beetles, and sizzling on about sharks.

But now it's the turn of one of our favourite amphibians. As a miscreant youth who used to raid a local farmer's pond for frog spawn, before bringing it home and watching those wriggling little cells develop first into tadpoles, and then into croaking frogs, I've always loved 'em and I'm glad to find that C loves them just as much too.

Owen takes a trip around the world to show us many of the fascinating species that dwell in just about every environment you can think of.

From poisonous brightly coloured frogs who nestle amongst the leaves in rain forests, to wrinkly warty jumpy little fellows that you can probably find in water sources and ponds near you.

Sum this book up in a sentence: With Owen's trademark beautiful and clean lined illustrations, and simple but informative text to keep little ones immersed in the subject, this is a real treat.

"Fanatical about Frogs" by Owen Davey is out now, published by Flying Eye Books (kindly supplied for review). 

This week's double-header Book of the Week winners kick off a gorgeous series from Carles Porta. Welcome to the Hidden Valley!

It's time to jet off into the stratosphere with that intrepid knowledgable fellow Professor Astro Cat!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if characters in a children's book broke the 4th wall?

We're taking a trip to an incredible destination with intrepid Professor Astro Cat and his crew. But this time we're not jetting off into space...more like Inner Space!

Strange bouffant hair. Sharp suit. "I want it all" attitude and prone to childish tantrums? No this isn't a biography of POTUS, it's actually a very funny christmas book for our Booky Advent Calendar Day 14.

It's the run up to Christmas and if there's one thing Morris is sure of, it's that he wants his presents this year to be even more amazing than last year's!

So on the 12 days of Christmas, Morris' long suffering parents begin to pull out all the stops, ensuring their spoilt little diddums gets exactly what he wants.

The first present is small. That simply won't do.

The next present is larger, but Morris is sure his parents could do better. MUCH better.

So the chaos builds, as his poor mum and dad try every day to impress this fussy little 'prince' (yes, that's why he has a "P" on his badge, it's got nothing to do with being the president or anything. Oh nosirree).

By the end of the book you're wishing something rather unpleasant on this fellah - and you'll get your wish (though we were both a little disheartened to see that there's an almost happy ending).

Charlotte's favourite bit: Morris almost gets his comeuppance. Almost!

Daddy's favourite bit: Joshua knows how to write a storming slow-build of a book that rapidly descends into complete chaos as Morris' demands are met. An awesome idea, and yes we loved Amelie's rather cheeky 'homage' for sure!

(Kindly supplied for review)

"Morris Wants More" by Joshua Seigal and Amelie Faliere is out now, published by Flying Eye Books.