As you'll probably remember, we love a good monstery book here on ReadItDaddy particularly when there's a grand rumpus involved. In "Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters" there's plenty of rumpus indeed as we bounce along with brilliant rhyming text to scenes of little monsters doing what they (and indeed our own little monsters) do best!

Jane Yolen's book is brilliant to use as a way of indulging in a bit of romping, stomping and indeed jumping, splashing or sliding. It's a nice fit for this week's #ReadItMD13 theme of movement (and monstery dancing too!).

The true acid test of any monster book are of course those monsters themselves, and Kelly Murphy has come up with some truly fabulous creations as we follow each page spread and scene as it unfolds. A romp, a stomp, a monstery whomp!

(Don't miss our review of Creeping Monsters, Sleeping Monsters by Jane and Kelly!)

Charlotte's best bit: A monster-eyed lolly to be licked in the park!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Monster kids behaving badly, but saying sorry afterwards, aw bless 'em!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Walker Books)

Chinese myths and legends are rich and adventurous, and a fertile place to seek out stories to re-tell to a whole new audience.

The legend of Peach Boy, here retold by Alex Frith with illustrations by Kelly Murphy, is a tale that will feel familiar and one that you'll probably recognise as being 'westernised' in various ways and in other stories.

The original tells the tale of an old couple, never blessed with children, who one day find a giant peach floating down the river. Hauling the giant succulent fruit back to their table to carve up and eat, they're surprised to find that - instead of a giant stone inside, there's a small boy.

The boy soon grows big and strong. He's an excellent fighter, and can turn his hand to anything. They call him Momotaro - "Peach Boy" and when a local village is raided by mountain trolls, Momotaro sets out to fight the trolls and retrieve the village treasures stolen by the rotten horde.

He carries with him peaches to eat on his journey and as he travels to the troll's hideout, Momotaro meets various animals along the way and enlists their help (in exchange for a ripe juicy peach, of course!)

We'll leave you to discover the rest of the story yourself, including the fabulous climax.

As part of Usborne's excellent early readers range, "Peach Boy" is nicely paced and adapted from the original tales - and the illustrations are beautiful to look at, retaining a lovely fuzzy Chinese painting feel.  If you fancy a change from the usual fairy tales or fables, "Peach Boy" feels fresh and adventurous, great for both boys and girls, and a fabulous introduction to slightly more complex and meaty stories for early readers.

Charlotte's best bit: Peach Boy's brilliant animal friends pitching in at the end of the book.

Daddy's favourite bit: Atmospheric and inviting, lovely fuzzy and beautiful artwork, and a great rollicking finish. Not to be missed!

Monster books aren't always my first choice for bedtime reading but as you probably all know by now, Charlotte is a voracious consumer of all things monstrous so this was an instant hit when we borrowed it from Abingdon Library.

The main reason was the sheer variety of monstrous little characters that crop up in Jane Yolen and Kelly Murphy's lovely little book. Fat ones, thin ones, some as big as yer 'ead. If you loved Monsters Inc and marvelled at just how many weird and wonderful creations Pixar came up with, Kelly Murphy topped the lot with her beautiful and detailed illustrations for this book.

It's a lullaby, and it's hard not to read it in a gently sing-song voice (which sort of goes against the grain for a monster book I guess). It might just be the perfect tonic to send your own little monsters off to sleep, so it's definitely recommended.

Charlotte's best bit: Even little monsters need monster teddies or something to cuddle at night

Daddy's favourite bit: The huge variety in monsters in this, particularly in the playground scene. Really inspirational stuff.