Harry (the hog) and Lil (the shrew) are back in their third children's picture book. So what are our two friends up to now?

We loved "The Hog in the Fog" very much indeed - in fact if you peek inside the cover of this, the second book in the "Harry and Lil" series, you'll see a recommendation from us! Fame at last!

But you know what? We loved this second book even more - Harry the Hog and Candystripe Lil (the most adorable shrew ever!) are back for a second adventure - this time centred around a very restless night for our bristly buddy Harry.

There's a strange noise going on, and poor Harry is a tiny bit scared. Luckily his best friend Candystripe Lil sees this as a great opportunity to offer her friend some comfort, and stop by for a sleepover too. Tucked up in bed, the two can hear the gentle breeze but the night is also full of odd noises as nocturnal creatures come out to play. Who can we find snuffling around the forest at night? Who sings a gentle lullaby down by the pond as dusk falls?

There are stories that are perfectly put together for snuggledown bedtime reading and "The Hog, The Shrew and the Hullabaloo" is just such a book. Wonderful pitch-perfect rhymes and adorable detailed illustrations not only make us want to read about Harry and Lil's world, and their adventures, I think we'd quite like a holiday there too (but we'd definitely take Lil's cue and pack some earplugs!)

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loves the rhymes and adores picking out all the tiny little details in the illustrations (we loved Harry's Tennis-ball-topped curtain rails!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Snuggly, cuddly, pretty much perfect!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Faber and Faber)

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The Hog in the Fog by Julia Copus and Eunyoung Seo (Faber and Faber)

Take a smidgeon of "The Gruffalo", add a tiny pinch of "Foggy Foggy Forest" and some truly charming artwork, and you're half way towards imagining how great "Hog in the Fog" is. With the perfect pairing of a rather bristly but loveable wild boar (hog) called Harry and a cute and winsome shrew called Candy-Stripe Lil (who has a penchant for pink and white striped clothing), you're ready for adventure as the mists swirl one day.

Lil has laid on a rather scrumptious spread for tea, and has invited Harry round. Delicious delicacies await (Nice squishy and crunchy slugs anyone?) but Harry is unfashionably late. Soon Lil realises that she ought to go and see where her bristly chum has got to.

The fog descends silently, and it soon looks like poor Harry is lost in it somewhere. Thankfully Lil meets lots of animals who seem to have seen...something in the fog, but it doesn't sound much like Harry the Hog.

(I hadn't intended to write this review in rhyme, it just seems to happen - from time to time).

There's a trick to reading this one to Charlotte. She demands that it's read in slightly hushed tones, with that flat funereal near-silent whisper that lends itself so well to a foggy foggy day. So we snuggled up under a blanket and read it just so.

A lovely story, and Eunyong Seo's artwork is truly beautiful. Really hoping to see more of Harry and Candy-Stripe Lil very soon!

(Edit: Candy-Stripe Lil is of course a shrew not a mouse! Hence the cute nose. Thank you Julia for pointing that out, we're happy to correct).

Charlotte's best bit: A teatime spread fit for a hungry hog and a matronly shrew. Fabulous!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A rather lovely story that demands to be read somewhere cosy. Preferably while armed with a mug of hot chocolate. Scrummy!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Faber and Faber)