Imagine being Jon Snow as a boy...well OK that's a bit of a stretch, but in "The Boy Who Knew Nothing" by James Thorp and Angus Mackinnon you'll meet a young boy who truly doesn't know anything at all.

From the day he was born he was always told his head was an empty vessel, but when the boy meets a new friend living in his wardrobe, he's determined to find out just what his new friend is.

Not even his parents know (and right there is the real crux of what this book is really about, there's a rather nicely subtle moral about how much attention we - modern parents - are NOT giving to our kids) so the boy and his new pal both set out on a grand quest of discovery!

James and Angus work together so well, delivering a bouncy rhyming slice of surreality that feels like a 1960s trip-fest (we've previously likened their books to the animated Beatles "Yellow Submarine" movie), with superb character designs, a great little twisty tale, and of course a ton of originality and charm. Superb!!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A great story that reveals where knowledge truly comes from, and a nicely subtle kick in the pants for helicopter parenting!

"The Boy Who Knew Nothing" by James Thorp and Angus Mackinnon is out now, published by Templar (kindly supplied for review). 

Every now and again it's great to see children's books dabble with surreality in such a cool way as with this one...

The strange and whacky surreality of The Weasel Puffin Unicorn Baboon Pig Lobster Race tickled our fancy a while ago, and now James and Angus - crazy psychedelic geniuses behind that book - are back with something new.

Everyone wants to be special, and even more so in the dog world. Dogs are amazingly diverse. Some are tall, some are short, some are fabulously glamorous and some are downright slobbery. But medium dog is...well medium, nothing special, a little hairy but definitely not outstanding in any field.

Medium Dog isn't happy with this situation. Not at all, and while his friends look on, Medium Dog hatches a plan. Disappearing into his shed he bangs and clatters and saws and chisels and makes the biggest pair of stilts you've ever seen.

Medium Dog is no longer Medium Dog. Medium dog is now...DOG ON STILTS!

Marching through the land, Medium Dog feels special for the first time in his life. His mischievous sense of humour comes to the fore as he strides around playing tricks on folk but sometimes there's a distinct disadvantage to having your head in the clouds. How do you nibble a bony biscuit from your dish? How can you play with your friends?

What happens to Dog on Stilts in the end is both comical and surreal, but this is another cracker from James and Angus who seem to have a gift for weaving together awesome stories with completely hatstand visuals to produce wholly original children's books.

Charlotte's best bit: Dog spots the juiciest apple on the tree but it's just out of reach. What happens next?

Daddy's Favourite bit: Superbly original and completely surreal, a great little doggy tale of an ordinary everyday dog trying to be special but realising he was special all along. Lovely!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Digital Leaf)

Digital Leaf are definitely a publisher we've not heard of before, but if the quality of their books is anything to go by, they're a publisher you're going to be hearing a lot more of in future.

When we heard the title of this book, we had to take a look. With an eye for the surreal, we really wanted to know how you could bring together such a diverse bunch of animal characters and weave a story out of them.

Taking its cues from the classic "Hare and Tortoise" fable, with the strong message that cheaters never win (I know this, I learned all I need to know from watching Droopy cartoons as a kid) let the great Weasel Puffin Unicorn Baboon Pig Lobster race begin!

"One Pinky Morning" is when it all began. On your marks!

With lyrical rhymes that intentionally play with words (and refreshingly bend some of the rhyming rules we've come to know and love), the tale begins as the WPUBPL (you knew I was going to get tired of typing out the full title, right?) line up and take a tour round each other's 'gardens'.

I'd like to be...under the sea...in a Unicorn's garden, in the shade.

The artwork really reminds me of a cross between the Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' cartoon, and possibly even Crystal Tipps and Alistair (whatever happened to them? Surely with the current trend for reviving old children's TV they're about ripe for a reboot?)

As the race enters its frenetic later stages, children will enjoy rooting for their favourite animal (Charlotte firmly pinned her colours on the unicorn "because she's so cute!").

We'll leave you to discover who wins. "The Superharies" (as James and Angus are collectively known) have twirled their wands of surreality over this pacey and fresh feeling book. Who would YOU choose to win? "The Weasel Puffin Unicorn Baboon Pig Lobster Race is out now from Digital Leaf and all good indie stockists.

Loving the perspective in these illustrations. Very groovy, Superhairies!

Charlotte's best bit: Unicorn Land, which is indeed as fabulous as you'd imagine a Unicorn's garden would be!

Daddy's Favourite bit: It's crazy, surreal with a mouthful of a title and some serious nose thumbing at "The picture book rulebook" but who couldn't love it for that!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Amanda at Digital Leaf)