Sometimes I think we're emotionally unprepared to run a children's book blog, when you get books like this that utterly destroy you emotionally with just a few words...

Have you ever wondered what goes through your moggy's mind on a daily basis? An obsession with sleep, the sound of the tin opener, perhaps even scurrying mice gnawing and nibbling in the night?

Joyce Dunbar's fascinating light and dark look at feline behaviour in Puss Jekyll, Cat Hyde deliciously shows the contrasts in cat behaviour with every turn of the page. On one hand you have Puss Jekyll who curls up, purring in your lap and nuzzles for a cuddle. On the other hand you have the fearless semi-wild stalker of rodents and birds, who brings in lovely presents from the garden for your delectation.

Charlotte read this out to me with glee and delight. Joyce Dunbar's writing style is poetic, sometimes dreamy and yet when we're examining puss's dark behaviour, it's quite terrifying and menacing too! Eek!

All in all it perfectly encapsulates the dual personality that cat owners know their pets possess. Wonderful.

Charlotte's best bit: Cat stalking a poor little unsuspecting vole. I bet you can guess what happens next!

Daddy's Favourite bit: This is excellent fun to read aloud, shifting from a lilting poetic and dreamy style to a stark, jarring dark style as you make your way through the book and encounter the many facets of feline behaviour.

When you're little, there are those times when you're visiting relatives (or they're visiting you) and you just know that three things are going to happen

1) You're going to get your cute little chubby cheeks tweaked

2) You're going to get your hair tousled or stroked (I no longer have this problem but poor Charlotte does)

3) You're going to be on the receiving end of a big, sloppy, smoochy, lipsticky wet kiss! YUCK!!

It's an occupational hazard for a kid, and we absolutely loved Niki Daly's hilarious story about Bernard and his over-affectionate aunts. They cannot resist Bernard because he's so cute and adorable, but Bernard really could do without all the gross attention.

On Bernard's birthday things come to a head, and then the final straw - Bernard puts his foot down and boldly proclaims "NO MORE KISSES!"

His aunts are upset, and one really doesn't take Bernard seriously. There's upset and wailing, but Bernard is determined to stick to his guns.

Or is he? We'll see!

This story is fun and entertaining, and it's made me think twice about giving Charlotte a big soppy wet (and probably quite stubbly) kiss on the cheek as I'm tucking her up at bedtime. Maybe just a tiny one. (peck).

Charlotte's best bit: Bernard's aunties are lovely really, but even Charlotte drew the line at one with her triple-thick lipstick! Eeek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: This book brought back harrowing memories of being made to kiss (toothless) gransch, who chainsmoked and had a wispy tickly beard. AIIEEE!

We've been on the look-out for books that deal with difficulties at school. From time to time, Charlotte gets very teary-eyed in the morning and although she absolutely loves school, we're completely at a loss to figure out why some mornings are more difficult than others.

In our library trawl, we found this book - and although it doesn't deal with Charlotte's problem (which is that she gets quite homesick, and after a weekend - or a school holiday - where she's been with us or her grandparents, she can get quite nervous and agitated when it's time to settle down for a new school day) it does deal with a hugely important problem some children may face. Dyslexia can often go undiagnosed, and it's extremely difficult to find advice or books that tackle this tricky and sensitive issue.

Ella Hudson's "Hudson Hates School" stars a young boy who really, truly hates school. He isn't very good at tests, but in most other subjects he is fantastic. It takes an observant teacher to get to the root of the problem and soon Hudson receives special care and attention, and finds new ways to make learning more fun.

Ella's story is beautifully written and illustrated, and Hudson is a character that girls and boys can readily identify with. This is hugely important as there will undoubtedly be children they'll encounter in life and at school that will have dyslexia (Charlotte's uncle and auntie have it, and this book has helped us explain Dyslexia to her in terms she can easily understand).

Charlotte's best bit: Learning about Hudson's brain and how he sees and deals with things differently

Daddy's Favourite bit: Really excellent story and it's great to know that there are books like this out there, that deal with a tricky and sensitive subject so expertly.

We really enjoy Sarah Dyer's monster books! If you recall recently, we spent a happy "Monster Day at Work" finding out what monsters get up to in the workplace. Now we're investigating mysterious happenings as a sweet and charming little old lady starts to exhibit some very odd behaviour indeed!

"Mrs Muffly's Monsters" finds Mrs Muffly running around willy nilly buying the most mysterious things indeed. Assuming that she has a monster tucked up in her cottage, and is buying a huge amount of eggs (because monsters need eggs to soften their monstrous hair) and butter (to rub into monster's sore feet) and jam (because everyone knows that monsters like nothing better than a deep bath filled with strawberry preserve!) to keep the beast mollified, everyone fears the worst.

Even more so when smoke is seen billowing from Mrs Muffly's little cottage one afternoon. What can be going on? What hideous beast has her kidnapped and running around at their beck and call?

You'll have to dip into this delicious story to find out, though the more astute amongst you (including Charlotte) may know exactly what's going on as soon as Mrs Muffly's shopping trip starts.

We love monster yarns and Sarah Dyer knows how to spin a really good one!

Charlotte's best bit: Monster baths. We wondered what it would be like to bath in strawberry jam. Sticky!

Daddy's Favourite bit: What's that crawling under the table at the end? Is it a monster? Is it a monster?

It's absolutely wonderful to see the Little Tim books back in print from Francis Lincoln. Edward Ardizzone was always a bit of a hero of mine at school, mostly because he was the uber-talented inkscribe who provided the illustrations for that masterpiece of children's literature, Stig of the Dump by Clive King.

The Little Tim books are full of old-school adventure, thrills and of course as you'd expect from Ardizzone, fabulous inked drawings that perfectly capture the most exciting moments in the story.

In "Tim in Danger", Ginger (who is usually at the centre of any chaos or trouble) has run away to sea. It's up to Tim and Charlotte (needless to say, having a character called Charlotte in a book is an instant win for OUR Charlotte!) to try and track him down and rescue him.

Spotting Ginger departing from the docks on a ship, Tim and Charlotte give chase but soon find that they're press-ganged into working on a ship themselves. Adventures on the high seas are only just beginning, but when a terrible fog envelopes their ship and there's a huge accident, can the plucky duo rise to the challenge of a rescue at sea?

I wondered whether these books could be a hit with today's young audience. Are kids still interested in things like The Famous Five, The Secret Seven or are they a bit too old and twee now? Likewise, are the "Tim" books too evocative of an era long since past (I mean can you imagine three little kids leaving home to go and work on a ship today?)

As usual though, I vastly underestimate children's utterly delectable ability to suspend their disbelief. Why on earth SHOULDN'T children do these things in stories? They are stories, children can do anything - and they do here. For that reason, Charlotte consumed this story voraciously and was very excited at the prospect of finding more Tim and Charlotte (and Ginger of course!) adventures to read.

For me, the real draw is Edward Ardizzone's utterly wonderful artwork. I love working in inks, and it's given me the taste for trying again. Such simple strokes and lines, cross hatching and shading to die for, simple, understated, beautiful and a perfect fit for a thrilling adventure like this.

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte's expertise in all matters domestic and medical - which really would NOT go down at all well today (but hey, at least Tim was also made to scrub the decks on board ship!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Edward Ardizzone's art is timeless, perfect and makes me green with envy, I'd love to be able to draw like that!

It's almost a pity our place doesn't to "Bring your kids to work" days. If they were even a smidgeon as much fun as the day we read about in Sarah Dyer's "Monster Day At Work", they'd be so much fun.

A little monster is accompanying Daddy to work - so with a smart tie, and a bounce in his step, he's soon off on the morning commute (all morning commutes should be conducted on monster scooters!) and coping with the daily grind. Charts must be drawn, biscuits must be consumed at meetings (Monster offices obviously spend more on their biscuits than we do - I mean they get Doughnuts too!) and before long it's time for lunch!

A brilliant way of seeing the working day through the eyes of children - or at least a little monster child. I loved the bit where the monster says "Daddy has it easy!" because it's the sort of thing I'd imagine Charlotte would say ("All you do is faff around with computers at work, Daddy!")

There's a totally brilliant bit at the end of the book that mums will definitely identify with too.


Charlotte's best bit: Turning daddy's boring stats and charts into rockets and skyscrapers! Boom!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great little story with fresh and brilliant artwork (just loved that monster scooter commute!) and a knowing wink to parents who are office drones.

Debi Gliori is a lovely person to tweet to, and she let slip a few pearls of wisdom about "The Snow Child" that made us smile. I told her how Charlotte always wished for snow, and that the stuff we get down here "darn sarf" isn't the real thing as depicted in her book.

Debi told me that her agent said "The snow's a bit unrealistic in Snow Child, we don't get snow like that in London" which caused much rolling of the eyes for poor Debi. You see, her neck of the woods is the (frozen) north in Bonnie Scotland where you know you've had snow when you can't tell where your car ends and the kerb begins.

The other thing she told me about real snow was how your toothbrushes freeze! Eeek!

We think this book is lovely, first because it tells such a beautiful story about a lonely young girl who can't quite 'fit in' with the circle of friends in her neighbourhood. Try as she might, she always seems to be one step behind their games but she's lovely and kind, and we couldn't work out why the other children were so mean (Kids can be so cruel - any Simpsons fans are now imagining Bart saying "We can? Thanks mom!" and then running riot).

The girl decides to make her own friends one day after a heavy snow fall and so begins to make a snow child. A dumpy little snowman, kitted out with all the proper snowman accessories like coal eyes, a carrot nose and a cast-off hat and scarf.

As she returns to her home to grab some extra goodies to make another friend, she notices someone else has beaten her to it. In fact another girl has made a snowman right next to her dumpy little snowchild.

What happens next is beautifully told and a real heartwarming story - just the sort of thing you need on a day like today when the first frost sees off the last of your tomatoes, and the garden is full of birds making very good use of your bird feeders.

A lovely book. You might have to hunt around for it as it's fairly old, but we were lucky enough to spot this in our local library so jumped at the chance to review it.

Here's our very own snow child making her very own snow...er...thing the last time we had proper snow down here, in December 2010



Charlotte's best bit: "Proper snow Daddy, I really want proper snow!"

Daddy's favourite bit: Wholly identifying with the girl in this story, and such a beautiful story it is too.

Miss Fox, a charming supply teacher at a village school, couldn't POSSIBLY be anything but a sweet and delightful teacher - or could she?

This jolly tale of a teacher with a rather nefarious agenda, and her pupils including a rebellious young lamb, is excellent reading. Throughout the story, you're never quite sure if Miss Fox is all she pretends to be and though you can pretty much guess what happens when a fox is put in charge of a bunch of tender, delightful, cake-fed little animals, there's still plenty in this book to get your foxy fangs into. 

Charlotte's best bit - The lovely cakes Miss Fox feeds her devoted pupils


Daddy's favourite bit - Miss Fox's fate (not exactly sure this sets a good example for preschoolers by the way!)

Most children love playing with Play Doh or Plasticine, but what about dough? A child's flights of fantasy are triggered when his mum gives him a lump of chapati dough while cooking. The little boy busies himself making all sorts of animals and characters, until they get the better of him!

A big-print hardback book with plenty of illustrations (which can be used to teach children how to make their own characters - better still there's a very easy to make recipe for Chapatis at the end too!)


Charlotte's best bit: Making a cat

Daddy's favourite bit: Making a snake

Apologies for the short hiatus in reviews but now we've got over our colds, and have managed to get to Abingdon Library again, we're back in business. 

Starting off with a book that, by rights, should scare the pants off Charlotte, ghosts and monsters are delicately woven into this tale of a roving ghost. Visiting children in the town in turn, Jinnie Ghost peppers their dreams (and nightmares) with visions both surreal, menacing and serene. 

It's definitely not a book you'd want to read a toddler at bedtime. Too many instances of 'things crawling under the bed' and a reference to the Bogeyman which could make youngsters slightly squeamish. 

And yet...

Perhaps Charlotte does take after me a little, particularly given that her favourite film / CD soundtrack AND popup book of the moment is Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (much to the exasperation of my long-suffering wife!). 

There's something intriguing and attractive to youngsters in books of this ilk, where the fantastic, the slightly scary and the paranormal mix with normal everyday children and their lives. 

Of the six books we grabbed in our library trip this week, Jinnie Ghost has proved to be the most popular by far and that's partly due to the gently poetic story, and partly due to the superb artwork by Berlie Doherty. 

Recommended, but during daylight hours. 

Charlotte's best bit: Naturally, the fact that the first child that Jinne Ghost 'haunts' is a girl called Charlotte who wants to be a princess. 


Daddy's favourite bit: The dreamlike feel to the artwork and the lovely floaty Jinnie herself