It's the return of Peter Bently and Charles Fuge's awesome "Home" series, this time with Bramble the Badger having a serious problem watering his garden in "A Home on the River".

As idyllic as it sounds, life by the side of the river takes an unexpected turn for Bramble when he turns on the tap one day to find no water.

His friends and neighbours all have the same problem - and it's only when Bramble treks down to the river that the answer is obvious - there's absolutely no water in the river, not a single drop.

Bramble decides to take a perilous trip further up the river to find out what's going on...

What could be the cause? Or more importantly WHO could have stopped the river dead in its tracks? When Bramble discovers the answer he's as surprised as everyone else.

A hose is no use if there's no water coming out of it!

We just love the gentleness of these stories, with glorious illustrations from Charles too.

Living by the river was idyllic, until one day all the water disappeared!

Reminiscent of the sort of stories I'd read as a kid (anyone who's familiar with the Brambly Hedge books will absolutely love these stories too). Beautiful!

"A Home on the River" by Peter Bently and Charles Fuge is out now, published by Hodder Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

There's nothing better than snuggling up in your own home, in your own bed with a nice full belly - but what if others aren't as fortunate as you?

Are you starting to get that warm cuddly feeling about Christmas yet? No? Well OK it is only October 2nd I'll grant you but today there's an extra special yuletide feeling on the blog as another Christmas cracker pops through our letterbox early, to be added to the roster of awesome Christmas books to add to your shopping list.

"Tooth Fairy's Christmas" by Peter (I'm nearly as busy as Santa this year!) Bently and Garry (No pooping dinosaurs inside - guaranteed!) Parsons have come up with a belter of a story featuring not one but TWO busy mythical folk.

You see Santa isn't the only one who has to work through the holiday, the poor Tooth Fairy does too, but while on her way to retrieve Tim Tucker's first lost tooth, The Tooth Fairy gets blown off course into a huge snowdrift. Thankfully Santa spots the poor waif in the snow, and offers to help get her back on course. Santa could also do with a helping hand so together Fairy and Father Christmas soon make short work of the evening's rounds, with more than a little bit of magic thrown in.

Stories like this are so warm and snuggly that you can almost picture the first flakes of snow falling on Christmas Eve, taste that first sip of mulled wine, and imagine turning the living room into a paper mountain opening all your presents on the big day. Charlotte is currently campaigning for The Tooth Fairy to become a regular fixture at Christmas because she thinks she does all the hard work anyway!

Charlotte's best bit: Santa and Fairy ALMOST getting caught! Eeks!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A lovely festive story as warm and snuggly as a reindeer onesie! Love it!

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

We've seen many a pirate yarn on this 'ere blog but how about a nautical tale from the parrot's perspective? Polly (to be precise) who is getting a little bit fed up of staying around the same old island, in the same old tree, with the same old annoying monkeys to put up with. Surely there's more to the world than this?

Polly hits on the idea of adopting a pirate "pet" so that she can swan off on a ship, sail the seven seas, eat a cracker or two and find lots and lots of treasure!

It's not as easy as she thinks though, you see Polly's pirate pick is a poorly bunch at best. Most are fairly gross, some are just plain clumsy, others spend too much time looking in the mirror to even contemplate looking for treasure so what on earth is Polly to do?

She spots a calamitous sea battle going on between two of the most fearsome pirates. Redbeard and Pegleg Pete are going at it hammer and tongs, each trying to prove who is the best pirate on the briny deep. Polly thinks that the best idea will be to let the two duke it out, and then 'adopt' the winner! Hooray!

Polly gets more than she bargained for though. One of these pirates is not like the others...!

A fantastic twist to an entertaining romp of a tale, that proves that you really can never have too many pirate stories for children. You will have to read the book yourself to find out what happens to Polly - but it will definitely provide plenty of giggles and riotous uproar along the way. Brilliant stuff from Peter and Penny!

Charlotte's best bit: The twist at the end had her giggling but we won't spoil it for you! Eek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Pacey piratical puns, parrot paraphernalia and pristine piccies! Perfecto!

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

A charming little bedtime treat this book is! With gentle rhymes and fun illustrations, "A Recipe for Bedtime" takes us tip-toeing through the bedtime ritual of a snuggly little baby as he toddles up the wooden hill to Beddington.

The perfect recipe for a perfect bedtime involves lots of cuddles, a drop or two of milk, some tummy pie (Charlotte pointed out that Peter made a mistake saying "Raspberries" - everyone knows that blowing raspberries on your baby's tummy is universally known as "Tummy Pie" right?) and a warm snuggly blanket or two.

Reading this book just before bedtime had exactly the desired effect, in fact it worked a little too well because I struggled to stay awake for the rest of the evening myself (in a good way).

Lovely cuddly stuff!

Charlotte's best bit: "Tummy Pie" recipe!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Perfect rhymes, lovely snuggly illustrations, an instant bedtime classic!

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

When we originally reviewed this cheeky and irreverent little book back in 2011, We couldn't quite believe a book like this could exist. It popped up in the library stacks again last week and we couldn't resist another peek - if anything, to make sure we hadn't imagined the whole thing.

As you can possibly glean from the title, "The Great Dog Bottom Swap" contains words and elements that immediately catch children of a certain age's attention. Dogs. Check! Bottoms. Check! Swapping. Check! But no, it surely can't mean what it says can it?

It's the night of the most fabulous doggy event of the year (or should that be rear? Oh you bet we're going to be wheeling out the bum puns for this one!) Dogs from far and wide gather at the theatre for an evening of variety and entertainment. Dogs are rather polite when in their own company (no leaving huge brown marks on your brand new cream carpet, or licking their - OK we'll stop there) - and all good dogs know that before one partakes of an evening of theatre, one must check one's O-Ring in at the doggy cloakroom.

"So, are those their bums? Their actual bums? That's disgusting!" - Charlotte.

I said in the original review that this book was entirely responsible for putting me off Cheerios for a very long time (in fact I don't think I've eaten them since). You'll see why as Mei Matsuoka's fab illustrations curl themselves lovingly around Peter Bently's cheeky story.

Once the dogs have deposited their derrieres, they're ready for the show. But things take a disastrous turn. A mishap sees the theatre catch fire, and soon it's every dog for themselves as they struggle to leave the theatre. But what about their butts? In the mad dash and panic, dogs grab the nearest one and make a run for it.

There is a purpose to this story, and I won't ruin the pay-off, it's very funny and explains a lot about doggy behaviour. We still love it, it's immensely funny, cheeky and I'm still leaving that well known breakfast cereal well alone on the basis of this book, in fact I don't think I'll even be able to look at hula hoops or ring doughnuts in the same way either. Ew!

Charlotte's best bit: Getting over the whole 'bum' thing by falling in love with a rather natty dalmatian.

Daddy's Favourite bit: I love the cheekiness of this, Peter Bently has a knack for ticking our funny bones!

It's a well known fact that parents are amazingly adaptive, creative, clever and sometimes quite lovely (we are, aren't we?) But it's not often that children see all those qualities every day so it's fantastic to see Peter Bently teaming up with one of our absolute FAVOURITE children's book artists, Sara Ogilvie (one half of the talented pair responsible for one of our all-time favourite books, "The Worst Princess" along with Anna Kemp), for this corker of a book.

In "Meet the Parents", you'll get to read about and see all the things a parent is capable of. Quite talented and multitasking comes naturally. We're also brilliant at perfecting those looks of sheer exasperation as our little ones manage to do something new that completely befuddles us (and if there's one thing Sara is absolutely fantastic at, it's capturing those expressions - both on parent and child - perfectly in her work!)

There's a rather neat little panel in this where a dad is reading a book while simultaneously trying to prop up a rather saggy den. Er, that'd be me then!

This book is the perfect antidote to all those slightly schmaltzy and loved-up "I Wuv You Mummy and Daddy" books you might get given on Mothers Day or Fathers day, this book REALLY tells it how it actually is - and it's nigh on perfect!

Charlotte's best bit: Of course, the bit she found the most entertaining was the panel where Mum is getting squirted with a hose and dad is on the wrong end of a ketchup squirt!

Daddy's Favourite bit: TICKLING!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

The dynamic duo of Peter Bently and Russell Ayto are back and they've arrived just in time to be included in our #ReadItMD13 theme week all about dads in books, in the run up to Father's Day on June 16th.

So does this character sound familiar to you?

He often says "Waste not, want not" before filching your pizza crusts...

He never scrapes your leftover porridge into the food recycling bin but it still manages to disappear...

He has a nice big round comfortable tummy (which is actually nice to lie on when you're being read to).

If that sounds like your dad (or you, for that matter) then you'll love Dustbin Dad. As you'd expect from Peter and Russell it's a crazy chaotic tale that ties delicious mouth-watering rhymes with succulent and sweet illustrations, enough to get your tummy rumbling before you've even turned the first page.

Dustbin Dad in the story just cannot keep his hands off food, mostly the food that everyone else leaves behind (as I said before, I'm sure a lot of you identify with this and have become highly skilled at clearing your children's plates when they leave all the best bits after dinner. Tsk!)

His greediness is his undoing, however. After the family cat is given a rather special tincture by the dentist - and dad mistakes it for a nice pot of leftover soup, things go horribly awry.

Dad starts to sprout a ginger beard. EEEK! Dad starts to sprout a tail! AAGHH! Worse yet, Dad completely transforms into a gigantic round tummied bewhiskered moggy! YIPES!

I'm not sure about your children but I think Charlotte would secretly rather like me to transform into a cat, but after seeing some of the things Dustbin Dad does (including the rather shocking antics in next door's garden) she might've changed her mind a little.

We expect the best from Bently and Ayto and we get the best. This is a rip-roaring busy and hilarious tale and I particularly loved the presentation (labels on everything!) and the easy rhyming style that makes it a joy to read.

Perhaps I'll think twice the next time Charlotte refuses to eat the (best bits) dried up ends of fish fingers, or leaves her last few mouthfuls of a blueberry muffin and just put them in the composter like I should...

Charlotte's best bit: I am sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that Peter and Russell included the unfortunate incident with next door's lawn, purely because they knew that would be every child's favourite bit. Right guys?

Daddy's favourite bit: Love DaddyMoggy's expression as he innocently rubs up against the welsh dresser and completely destroys the best crockery. Oops!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

We are in severe danger of becoming Peter Bently's unofficial fan club here at ReadItDaddy. We love his books and in particular, one of the weirdest and most bizarre children's books ever written - "The Great Dog Bottom Swap" which you should go and hunt down NOW!

In "Farmer Clegg's Night Out" Peter Bently and Jim Field take a wry look at what might happen if The X-Factor got spliced together with Animal Farm.

One night while Farmer Clegg is safely tucked up in bed after a hard day's work, the farm animals get together for a huge talent show, under the ever-watchful eye of a rather surly judge called 'Simon' (now where have I heard that before?). Everyone gives it their all. The pig mariachi band dazzle, the moonwalking breakdancing horse pulls some fancy moves but the star of the show is a huge surprise. Who crashes in on the contest and steals the limelight? None other than Farmer Clegg himself!

This is one of the funniest children's books we've read in ages. Even if you're a cynical old telly dodger like me, you can't fail to miss the references to TV talent shows in here and the rather wry and hilarious way Bently spins this into an animal caper full of chaos and giggles. Once again Charlotte had a great time picking out animal characters she'd like to be, and once again Bently's storytelling underpinned by Jim Field's absolutely brilliant comical panels make this a complete winner.

You're through to the final, kiddo! Book of the Week!

Charlotte's best bit: I'm slightly worried that she knew exactly who the singing sheep twins were supposed to be. We are now scouring the house to ensure there are no traces of Jedward fan material anywhere!

Daddy's favourite bit: Such a neat idea, I'm really surprised no one's done this before but it's been done expertly with a truckload of humour and charm. Brilliant!

If there's one thing that should make our nation swell with pride, it's the sheer quality and class of our children's books. Time and again on ReadItDaddy I'm asked why most of the books we review rate so highly. The simple answer is that they really are that good, and it's almost impossible to find anything negative to say about the majority of books that come our way.

Which is why it's lovely to show Charlotte books like "The Yoga Ogre" that are funny, well written, deliciously illustrated and set the bar so high that it makes you wonder how you'd ever break into children's writing or illustration yourself (I'm trying, believe me I'm trying!)

Ogden, the Ogre in this story is a lovely well-meaning fellow (who doesn't eat goats, just an entertaining array of pies 12 times a day). Waking up with that all too familiar (to me) feeling that his tum is wider than it is tall, our Ogre chum decides to embark on some exercise and tries various sports (with hilarious results).

"How about Yoga?" the townspeople suggest, after Ogden's various failed attempts at keep fit end up nearly levelling the town's most important buildings. So Ogden dutifully tries it out.

Here at ReadItDaddy we already love Simon Rickerty's illustrations (as seen in our previous Book of the Week "Unfortunately") and coupled with Peter Bently's entertaining rhymes, The Yoga Ogre is another surefire hit.

Charlotte's best bit: The horses hiding when Odgen decides to take up being a jockey

Daddy's favourite bit: Identifying all too readily with Ogden's woes about his large tum

Rating: A well deserved 5 out of 5 stars - Book of the Week

(This book was kindly supplied for review by Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

Every now and again you happen across a kid's book that makes you think "Wait, WHAT?"
Skimming through the library boxes for new books, I stumbled across The Great Dog Bottom Swap and instantly thought "Well, no, it couldn't possibly be about...er...dog's bottoms could it?"

My initial fears were compounded by a quick flick through the book. In fact I don't think I'd like to spoil the surprise for other parents too much, suffice to say that you'll get to the end of this book and say "Oh, so THAT'S why dogs do that!"

Peter Bently's excellent nonsense rhymes are coupled with Mei Matsuoka's rather too literal drawings but the whole book is a treat. It's just a bit...well, you know. Unsavoury? But if you've got kids at home who think blowoffs, poo and wee jokes are the very nadir of humour, they'll laugh themselves to bits over this book, as we did. 


Charlotte's best bit: The emergency doggie contingency plan for dealing with fires. 

Daddy's favourite bit: The slow realisation that I'm never ever going to eat cheerios ever again. 

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