Why indeed! If anyone can solve the tricky riddle, the author of Sir Charlie Stinky Socks can!

Kristina Stephenson is back with a superb tale that asks that all important question...

"Why are there so many books about bears?"

The top bods at Mollusc College, Oxford (I laughed out loud at that bit, much to poor C's befuddlement) are deep in conversation about this particular question.

Is it because "Bear" rhymes with so many things?

Could be!

Is it because bears are just so adorably cuddly, cute and furry?

Perhaps!

But getting to the root of the issue is tougher than it sounds for the quirky characters who are set to study this tricky issue in this bouncy and engaging book for younger readers. Mainly because someone keeps knocking on the door to interrupt their trains of thought. BUT perhaps the mysterious new visitor has the answer they've all been looking for.

Let's take a look inside this hilarious book:

Working for the real-life University, "Mollusc College" did raise a titter!

We've always been huge fans of Kristina's books on the blog, and even now C claims she's too old for them, she still loves Kristina's brilliant storytelling style and her illustrations are top notch as ever!

The best brains in the animal kingdom bring their collective genius to bear (hah) on a tricky question

Sum this book up in a sentence: Fab, fun and original, a must-have for fans of Sir Charlie Stinky Socks who fancy a neat little animal tale.

"Why are there so many books about bears?" by Kristina Stephenson is out now, published by Hodder Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).

Who could've predicted that Pirates would rule the bookshelves, and not just the waves for the past couple of decades in children's books?

Sometimes inspiration for stories can come from unexpected sources but how about a stinky old mummy's toe?

A fantastic new mighty girl character with a brilliant doggy sidekick, happy launch day to "Molly Maybe's Monsters: The Dappity Doofer" by Kristina Stephenson. Let's meet Miss Maybe!

YAY! Sir Charlie is back, the pint-sized whiffy-socked but nevertheless brave and gallant knight hits the high seas!

When Sir Charlie discovers a mysterious note floating in a bottle while at the seaside, with just one word - "HELP!" - written on it, Charlie, Envelope and Charlie's gallant steed race off to the rescue. Who sent the mysterious note? What does it mean? Charlie won't rest until he's on the case but to resolve a seafaring mystery, you definitely need a ship!

Kicking off at a cracking pace, this seventh adventure for Sir Charlie is a piratical piece of perfect storytelling with a child hero who boys and girls instantly take to.

Charlie meets the rambunctious Captain BurntBeard, who mysteriously disappears into his cabin every night, prompting rumours of an evil curse. Charlie, Envelope and the good grey mare find the mystery full of twists and turns until one final clue drops into place!

We see a lot of pirate books on the blog, and we're always on the look out for neat new nautical twists. Sir Charlie's determination reaps rewards and we're all treated to a Great Buccaneer Bake-Off! Hooray!

Children are going to absolutely love this seventh adventure. Hop on board the black toenail and join the gallant quest!

Don't miss the book's wonderful trailer either, which we're delighted to share with you below!


..and pop by Sir Charlie's website for more fun!

http://www.sircharliestinkysocks.co.uk

Charlotte's best bit: The fab bit where Sir Charlie's socks attract mermaids (probably because they want to know what on earth could be so whiffy!) She also really loved the big foldout reveals tucked into the book, like giant 'lift-the-flap' sections! Cool idea!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Sir Charlie is an endlessly endearing character (basically we still think he's FAR FAR better than the rather annoyingly smug Mike the Knight!) and this piratical adventure is pitch-perfectly paced, huge fun and has a great little twist or two to the tale at the end. Sublime!

(Very kindly sent to us for review by the wonderful and supremely talented Kristina S herself!)

After reviewing "Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Tale of Two Treasures" we vowed to track down the rest of Sir Charlie's gallant adventures, so when we spotted "The Really Frightful Night" in the local library we grabbed it with both hands.

Once again Sir Charlie embarks on a perilous quest, with his gallant steed and Envelope, his faithful (if slightly scaredy) cat in tow.

There are strange goings on in the castle. The princess has lost her teddy and can't sleep, weird noises echo through the stone corridors, bizarre ghosts meander to and fro and - worst of all - there's a really disgusting pong which for once isn't emanating from Sir Charlie's rotten pongy feet!

All signs point to the cellar, the dark dank and horrible cellar. Can Sir Charlie bravely face the Cellar Dweller and retrieve the princess's lost ted?

As we said in our review of "Two Treasures" we love Sir Charlie, and we definitely loved this knightly romp which - once again - is fun and entertaining with lots of intricate little details for Charlotte to investigate as we read. Looking at the range, we think we're still about 5 books behind so we'll continue our own knightly quest to join Sir Charlie on more adventures as soon as we can!

Charlotte's best bit: Horrible cackling witches brewing up a storm!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Another cracking romp from Kristina for the world's premiere pongy-footed hero. Bring on the rest! Sir Charlie is definitely NOT a frightful knight :)

In days of old when knights were bold, and odor eaters weren't invented...a brave (if slightly whiffy) knight rode out on a gallant quest to unravel the enigma of The Two Treasures.

With an ancient map in hand, and Sir Charlie's faithful friend Envelope the Cat to accompany him, he sets out to bring back the treasure for fortune and glory. Sir Charlie doesn't realise that someone else has an eye on his quest though, and in fact someone else steals his sword and armour (and helmet) and decides to set out to nab the treasure first. Could a rather cool Blacksmith's daughter, that Sir Charlie meets along the way, have anything to do with the impostor?

Children love knights and medieval adventures - sadly mostly because of the intensely irritating Mike the Knight (sorry but there it is, we've really gone off him in a big way). Sir Charlie is a much better prospect, and Kristina's book series bounces along with jolly gallantry (we think there are now seven books in the series, phew, and we've only just caught up with this one so we've got a lot more catching up to do yet!)

Younger children will love the huge 'lift the flaps' reveals in the book, but the stories are entertaining and fun (for Charlotte's age group) and the inclusion of a much-needed female character in the book is a definite thumbs up.

Charlotte's best bit: The Blacksmith's Daughter, who turns out to be rather cool (but definitely needs a little more practice with a shield)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Knights of old, and tales so bold are definitely hitting all the right notes at the moment and Kristina's book series is a far more entertaining alternative to that other child-knight that's undeservedly grabbing all the glory. 

Amongst the presents for my recent 43rd birthday (maaaan I'm getting old!) was this book. The perfect snuggle-up book to read to a lovely daughter, I Love You Daddy tells the tale of a little toddler bear's first foray into the big wide world, ably assisted by his loving daddy. 

Little bear learns how to climb trees, how to bother bees and lots of other things in between. Kristina Stephenson's lovely cuddly illustrations are excellent. There are a ton of very similar books on the market but this one (from Marks and Spencer) is very charming and touching. 

Nice pressie mummy!

Charlotte's best bit: Toddler bear and the bees. 

Daddy's favourite bit: Daddy tickles!

Rating: 4 out of 5