So this is the book that started Dog's wonderful journey of discovery across three very succesful books. We were very lucky to spot this at our local library so grabbed it with both hands.

We did things in a slightly higgledy-piggledy order (first reading "Dog Loves Drawing" and then most recently "Dog Loves Counting") but this is our favourite by far.

Dog is a happy-go-lucky little fellow who just happens to love books more than anything else. Best of all dog loves to share them so one day Dog decides that the best way to do just that would be to open his own bookstore.

With books a-plenty in stock, Dog busies himself one breakfast time and gets ready for work. The shop opens, and Dog prepares himself for customers...

...and waits

...and waits.

Poor Dog. Thankfully the greatest thing about being in a bookstore is that you're surrounded by lots and lots of books, so while waiting for legitimate customers to turn up (and I had to laugh at the first few he gets, particularly the woman asking for tea, because it reminded me of the lovely Hedgehog books and their tales of woe of tricky customers!) Dog escapes into the bookworld! Hooray!

As with the other 'Dog' books, the masterful way Louise Yates draws Dog helps build on a fantastic story - with lots of lovely references to books and how sharing them is one of the best feelings in the world. It's why we do what we do here, after all!

Charlotte's best bit: Poor forlorn dog when he realises the shop isn't quite buzzing as it should

Daddy's favourite bit: Loving his first proper customer, an inquisitive little girl very much like one who contributes hugely to this blog!

Ahhh Dog, one of our favourite Children's Book Characters, is back once again to delve into a subject that I personally shy away from. Numbers. But children love numbers as much as dog, so in Louise Yates' latest 'Dog' book, the inquisitive little fellah embarks on a journey of discovery, as a whole host of animal friends help him find out more about numbers and counting.

For Charlotte, the most enjoyable part of any Dog book is the character himself, with his beautifully drawn expressions and his sheer joy as he discovers how easy it is to get completely wrapped up in the world of counting.

"Why is Dog so happy, Daddy?" - Dog is happy because he's discovering something new.

People sometimes ask us why we blog about books, and there's your answer right there. Books help us discover new worlds, keep our brains popping, inspire us to ask questions and stimulate us to break outside the boundaries of the pages (just as Dog does) and go off and find out more about a subject.

At a time where we, as parents, are playing the fine tuned balancing act of bringing what is learned at school home, and vice versa, books like "Dog Loves Counting" gently educate without feeling like a school book, and encourage children through Dog's discoveries, that a little knowledge is a wonderful and solid foundation to build a lifetime of learning on.

Charlotte's best bit: The Dodo! Her favourite character (other than Dog himelf!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Louise Yates' gentle pencils and colours are simple yet beautiful, and her animal characters are wonderfully crafted. Dog's world really comes alive as you make your way through the book. We can't wait to track down and read "Dog Loves Books" as it's the only one we've missed so far!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Jonathan Cape Ltd)

Being small can be annoying sometimes. People barge you out of the way, you always struggle to find clothes in the petite section - and even the simplest action like tying your own shoelaces can be a bit of a pain.

Thankfully there are also lots of advantages to being small, as the delightful little rabbit in Louise Yates' book "A Small Surprise" expertly demonstrates.

You can hide practically anywhere. You can fly through the air with the greatest of ease, and you can win the love and respect of animals that could probably swallow you whole without needing a glass of water to wash you down. The terrifying crocodile, the powerful gorilla and the ginormous giraffe!

What we love most about this book is the flow. The story effortlessly sails from page to page as the tiny rabbit dashes around with such frenetic energy that you'll feel worn out by the end of the book. Normally we're not great fans of the slightly disjointed text formats this book has, but Louise seems to have a knack of making a book feel like an enjoyable journey, so when we get to the (rather funny and cheeky) conclusion, we feel like flicking back to the start and beginning all over again!

Wonderful and effortlessly charming. Look out for it!

Charlotte's best bit: Rabbit being swallowed whole. That's a really cool trick!

Daddy's favourite bit: Rabbit's final hiding place. Eeek!

Charlotte loves drawing. No that's not the name of a book, it's a simple statement. She loves drawing so much that I have ended up buying an electric pencil sharpener just to keep up with the amount of pencils she can get through in a single sitting!

So when we received "Dog Loves Drawing", the sequel to Louise Yates' wonderful "Dog Loves Books" we couldn't wait to see Dog drawing up a storm.

Dog loves books very much, so much so that he opened his own bookshop but when Dog's lovely Aunt Dora sends him a blank book one day, Dog is puzzled!

But not for long. Dog soon realises its time to get out his pencils and draw a story of his own.

Dog draws a magic door, and escapes into his sketchbook. He also draws a stick man, and soon the stick man helps Dog draw a fascinating cast of characters ready to set off on a fantastical journey of discovery and derring-do.

With brilliant child-friendly illustrations (and some utterly fantastic dog-like behaviour from our hero) Louise Yates instils in children the same sense of wonder she did with her first 'dog' book. Charlotte loved the idea of drawing up her own story once we'd finished reading this (so that's exactly what we did!) and she thought dog was extremely cute (he is too!)

Brilliant inspiring stuff, crack out your crayons, pick up your pencils, pull out some paint and join dog in some crazy creationism! But watch out for...(Wait! No spoilers! No spoilers :)

Charlotte's best bit: She laughed out loud at the bit where the characters are all fighting over who gets to drive the train (dog's expression is perfect!)

Daddy's favourite bit: A sublime homage to scribbling, doodling, drawing and colouring - our most favourite thing in the world (other than books, of course!)

(Kindly sent to us for review by Red Fox Picture Books)