Oh my, the cheek of it! In both cases, these books used to cause a cacophony of giggles with little miss  and very quickly became oft-demanded faves for bedtime reading.

The sheer irreverence of "The Queen's Knickers" and the deliriously brilliant storyline - of Her Maj going through a day in the life of carefully choosing her undercrackers to suit particular occasions, and one little girl's whispered reassurances to the monarch when she's feeling slightly uncomfortable are just the stuff that kids can't get enough of.

For some reason though, it wasn't the knicker-based shenanigans in this book that used to make C giggle the most. It was the mere mention of the Queen's long-suffering maid Dylis, charged with the duty of ensuring that the queen's pants were packed properly before tootling off on royal assignments. Absolutely loved this one.

Likewise, "Cinderella's Bum" gives fairy tales the same treatment, with the story of a young girl feeling slightly concerned about the size of her bum in her swimming costume.

It seems that Cinderella was also once concerned about the size of her derriere so the girl's younger sibling tries to make her older sis feel better with a bum-based variation on the classic story, before older sis actually realises that the reason she can't squeeze into her favourite swimming cossie is that she's put the wrong one on, and is actually trying to squeeze her bum into the younger sib's cossie instead!

Cheeky as hell with such a fantastic set-up, this is Nicholas' trademark and though we never got round to reading "Santa Claus Needs a Wee" we feel that one of these days we're going to have to go track that one down too. Brilliant, brilliant stuff both!

Original Reviews: 

The Queen's Knickers

Cinderella's Bum

Nicholas Allan is the master of cheekiness, particularly when his books lovingly poke fun at the Royal Family - but in the best possible taste, of course.

We missed the original release of "The Royal Nappy" but couldn't resist it when we spotted it in the library. Predicting that the new royal would be a boy was pretty canny. In a similar vein to his other slightly cheeky royal book "The Queen's Knickers", here Nicholas Allan delves into the none-too-fragrant subject of the royal baby's nappies.

With a different one for each occasion, and lots of clever emergency gadgets tucked into the folds should any explosive poo accidents happen when foreign dignitaries are having a sleep-over at the palace, it's giggle-worthy stuff - particularly if your child shares Charlotte's sense of humour and finds poos, wees and bums the funniest thing ever.

We're left wondering what Nicholas Allan is going to turn his talents to next. The Queen's Walking Frame? Prince Harry's Hangover? The possibilities are endless!

Charlotte's best bit: A nappy for all occasions!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A royal baby spin on a well-loved theme. Ploptastic!

Oh no, the floodgates are open on the christmas books now, but this one is a heck of a lot of fun, so we'll let it slip through the net.

Bottoms, Royal Knickers and a Santa with a rather full bladder! Nicholas Allan doesn't shy away from being extremely cheeky (and very funny) about subjects that children will be in fits of laughter about. So in some ways "Jesus' Christmas Party" is a bit of a departure as it's a rather sweet book that doesn't prod or poke fun at the little fellah in the manger or his mum and dad, and doesn't require you to be particularly religious to enjoy the story either.

An innkeeper is rudely awoken from his blissful and comfortable slumber by a knock at the door. A couple want a bed for the night, but there's only one place they can possibly squeeze in - the Innkeeper's stable. They're very grateful and make themselves comfortable, and soon the Innkeeper is heading back up the wooden hill to Beddington. Ahhh!

But this is just the start of a night of disturbance for the poor Innkeeper as Shepherds, wise men, angels and soon the whole town gather to find out what exactly is going on in the Innkeeper's stable - and who that wonderful little baby is, nestling in the manger!

This is a book that stands up well to a bit of a daddy "performance" and reading the exasperated innkeeper's bits is great fun as you stomp up the stairs, try to sleep, stomp back down the stairs and deal with the next interruption.

Charlotte is already familiar with the story, of course, most children are - but she loved the way the subject of the nativity is dealt with in a fun way. Whether you believe in the big fellah with the halo or not, you'll love children's reactions to this version of the tale nonetheless (and I'm sure Jesus would definitely have approved of anything that made kids chuckle!)

Charlotte's best bit: The poor innkeeper. Would he ever get a wink of sleep?

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love the fun way the story is told, and Nicholas Allan's lovely cosy art.

Written in conjunction with The International Children's Heart Foundation, here's a book with a huge thumping heart full of loveliness. Nicholas Allan (who we normally associate with slightly cheekier book fare like the superb "The Queen's Knickers" and "Cinderella's Bum") has woven a gorgeous tale around Babette and Bill, two inseparable friends. Nicholas, having grown up with a heart condition, is backing a campaign to raise awareness of congenital heart conditions, and offer the same standards of care to children in other countries. A fantastic and noble cause indeed!

Babette and Bill do everything together. Babette loves to run in the park (and drags a sometimes-reluctant Bill along for the journey). They're always ready to enjoy a game, a gastronomic feast or perhaps just some quiet book-time (Hooray!)

But when Babette falls ill one day, and ends up in hospital, poor Bill is at a complete loss.

None of their usual games are as much fun when you're on your own, nor is cooking up a feast for one.

Fortunately Bill and Babette share a bond, a string of hearts - and the strength of love that links them together. So Bill is at Babette's side as she recovers in hospital, and gets stronger and stronger every day until one day they can enjoy their fun and laughter together once again.

Gentle, touching, beautifully told and wonderfully drawn in Nicholas' trademark style, it's a book treasure this - and with a fantastic cause being supported, there's a huge amount to love about "The Big Hearted Book". The book will be released on 1st August 2013.

Find out more about the International Children's Heart Foundation here.

Also, if you fancy something rather special linked with the book, join in with The Big Hearted charity auction with some of the biggest names in children's books contributing to special heart-themed works of art (the list of names reads like a "who's who" of our favourite people!)

Charlotte's best bit: Bill being grumpy about getting up in the morning (we know the feeling!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Beautifully told, beautifully drawn and with no pun intended, a subject that's obviously very dear to Nicholas Allan's heart. A classic and for a wonderful cause. Go buy it!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Hachette Children's Books)

When children's books are at their very best, they spur your child on to find out more about their subject matter.

We love Nicholas Allan's cheeky homage to Her Majesty (in The Queen's Knickers) and Cinderella (in Cinderella's Bum) but for Picasso's Trousers, he tones down his cheeky schoolboy side for a book that opens a child's mind to the world of art.

Now Charlotte is beginning to read, books like "Picasso's Trousers" are brilliant. They don't overcook the text, they use repetition in a way that engages and helps the book and the subject to really stick fast in their inquisitive little minds, and the effect is dazzling - as were the questions this book prompted.

"Who was Picasso, Daddy?" We looked at Nicholas Allan's homages and choices of Picasso artworks to include in the book (big nod of approval from me too!) We talked about why some of Picasso's paintings look dazzling and realistic, while others look almost child-like.

Best of all though, I could dust down some of my big fat Taschen art books and show her more Picasso works, and more works by other artists who (I secretly hope) one day she'll come to adore just as I do, and in fact just as Mr Allan does himself!

There are a lot of brilliant books that gently introduce children to the sometimes complicated and always fascinating world of art but this is easily one of the most approachable and satisfying we've seen.

Charlotte's best bit: "The Heavy Lady, she's beautiful!" and shouting "No, No Picasso!" and "Yes Yes!" at the top of her voice. Superb!

Daddy's favourite bit: You can feel Nicholas Allan's admiration for the great man seeping from every page. Lovely characterisations of Picasso, beautiful fold out (and lift-the-flap) pages, a top notch introduction to the world of art from someone who knows how to speak the right language to children.

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