Summer is here, we're in the midst of a heatwave, and our thoughts turn to the seaside. But what's worse than sitting down on the picturesque quayside only to be pestered by those winged annoyances, the seagulls! ACK!

But stop, ponder for a moment. Not all gulls are cut from the same cloth. Meet "Max" the star of this utterly adorable tale of friendship (and chips). Max is a polite, well behaved seagull who frequents a rather lovely little Fish and Chip shop nestling on the pier of a sleepy seaside town. Max befriends Bob, the chipshop owner and as Max greets the customers, Bob always saves a few chips for him at the end of the day as a special treat (We were wondering how Max keeps his svelte seagull-like figure with all those chips!)

Sadly, fortunes are on the turn. Bob's shop isn't making any money and during a particularly quiet summer, Bob shuts up shop for the very last time and when Max returns to greet his friend as normal at the end of the day, Bob isn't there.

Max waits, and waits, and waits - but eventually realises Bob has moved on. But where is Bob??

Will Max be reunited with his old friend?

We won't spoil things too much for you - because we really want you to read this fabulous book.

Max searches for Bob. Will he ever find him again?

Funny, yet touching in places - it's the sort of children's book that has you surreptitiously sneaking off for another look once your little ones are tucked up in bed (hopefully dreaming of fish and chips and seagulls, and lovely seaside adventures!)

Marc Martin is definitely a chap to keep a firm eye on, his books are fast becoming classics and this is yet another fabulous story that will, deservedly, bring him a ton of attention.

Charlotte's best bit: The swooping sweeping wings of Max as he flies high above the cityscape, looking for Bob

Daddy's Favourite bit: A simple tale of friendship, fish and chips but so wonderfully told and gorgeously illustrated that it just HAS to be read again and again!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)

What's got eight legs and can turn my lovely other half into a gibbering screaming wreck in two microseconds flat? A spider! So I'd hoped that the second book in the fabulous "Once-Upon-A-Slime" range might help her address her fears.

Sorry Spindler, but it was not to be. Never mind though, Charlotte and I loved reading all about Spindler the Spider - and you will too!

We reviewed "Slitter the Slug" from the once-upon-a-slime range a little while ago and we also interviewed Slitter and Spindler's fab co-creator, Fiona Woodhead who, along with her dad Howard Bouch, have created a superb range of minibeast books for you and your children to enjoy.

Max is exploring the shed today, and inside the dusty garden store lives Spindler the Spider. He might have a slightly wonky leg (soon fixed with a bit of silk jetted gracefully from Spindler's bum!) but he's always ready for adventures!

Did you know spiders can fly through the air on a length of silk, using it like a kite? There are many interesting spider-facts in the book (and a rather handy magnifying glass so that you can join in the minibeast hunt, and take a closer look at the insect world). As Charlotte spends a lot of time at school on nature rambles and observing minibeasts in their own habitats, this book was an absolute win!

Spindler's adventures soon lead him into Max's house - but is a house the safest place for a spider to be? (Certainly ours isn't, though we do try to make sure any spidery guests are gently sent on their merry way back outside rather than squishing them!)

We won't spoil Spindler's adventures too much for you, suffice to say that Max is always on hand to help his insect chums out (good job too!)

Join the minibeast hunt with Max and Spindler, and check out all the fabulous insect-based activities on Fiona's fantastic website.

Once Upon A Slime Website

Charlotte's best bit: Spindler's groovy way of 'bandaging' his wonky leg

Daddy's favourite bit: A wholly engaging and fun book for children with some great learning activities and facts to perhaps change the way you look at your insectoid neighbours.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Fiona Woodhead)

Our book of the week this week is something rather special, and not just because it's a dual language book - mainly because it is the absolute polar opposite of Disney's saccharin version of the Hans Christian Andersen "Little Mermaid" story.

After being firmly told off by The Strolling Mum for sounding a little bit too much like Buzz Lightyear in "Spanish Mode" as I read the story to Charlotte, I reverted to reading the English text rather than doing both.

The Little Mermaid grows up under the sea in a loving family environment, but at age 15 her sisters are allowed to go and explore the world as a rite of passage.

Sirenita, The Little Mermaid is the most beautiful mermaid of all, and can't wait to turn 15. Finally the day arrives, but the Little Mermaid is not fascinated by the wonders of the world, she is fascinated by the world of the surface dwellers. When a stricken ship breaks up on the rocks, The Little Mermaid saves a sailor prince, dragging his body to the beach so that he can be rescued.

From that day on, Sirenita is irrevocably changed by the experience, falling deeply in love with the Prince, pining away for him.

She is offered the chance to join the Prince on land by The Great Sea Witch, who trades a spell to turn Sirenita human in exchange for her beautiful singing voice. There is a catch, if she cannot make the prince fall in love with her she will die and be turned to sea foam.

The rest of the story is yours to discover. The main reason this made "Book of the Week" was again because of the electrifying effect it had on Charlotte. She's a girl who really loves her Disney Princesses - but when something more darkly tinged comes along that tells the original tale in a far more satisfying way, free of the fluff and cutesy characters that are stock-in-trade of any Disney re-treatments of classic stories like this, she is completely engrossed.

The other main reason we loved this so much is due in no small part to Max's artwork. Enigmatic and almost impossible to google for, the art is reminiscent of Herge's sparse but utterly brilliant clean lines - and is such a great fit for this book, almost lending it a woodcut look.

I've struggled to find out what famous book series Max contributed to, but if any readers know, I'd really love to see more of his work.

Charlotte's best bit: The rather sad fate of Sirenita. Awww.

Daddy's favourite bit: An utterly perfect retelling of a classic Hans Christian Andersen story, like tasting the purest Agave honey after wolfing down the refined sugar Disney version. Lovely.

Coinciding with a weekend where we got out into the countryside to look at all the creatures that crawl through the undergrowth (we were actually looking for fairies but found a lot of snails and slugs instead) comes this great little self-published book from Fiona Woodhead.

Fiona's own "Read It, Daddy", her dad Howard, originally came up with the stories of a slimy slug and his pals. Fiona has taken those stories and turned them into "Once Upon a Slime", a story featuring Max (her son) and three slug buddies.

We took a look at the e-version over the weekend and it's brilliantly funny - and just the sort of self-published title we love to see, and a great fit for this week's #readitmd campaign theme of self published books.

Slitter, Slatter and Slutter (!) are surprisingly engaging characters considering they're, well, they're slugs though we think we'll never go as far as Max and fancy puckering up for a big sluggy kiss!

Fiona's excellent website is well worth diving into for more on the three slithery pals. You can also buy the print version of the book from the site:

http://onceuponaslime.moonfruit.com

We loved the blog too, particularly the Facebook gallery of sock slugs kids got together and made. Awesome!

Charlotte's best bit: Slatter licking his eyes clean. EWWW!

Daddy's favourite bit: Such a cool little book, loads of boy appeal (but also great for girls like Charlotte who love slimy creatures and bugs too!)