Subversive, cheeky, fantastic. Just three words to describe the late great Babette Cole - whose "Dr Dog" books were demanded almost nightly by C back in the days when our blog began. We originally borrowed these from our local library before buying our own copies as it was just easier than borrowing and renewing them.

"Dr Dog" introduces the titular medical hound and his irrepressibly terrible family, the Gumboyles. It's quite handy having a doctor on the premises as each of the Gumboyles seems hell bent on a path to destruction, gloriously described by Babette's cheeky storytelling and equally cheeky illustrations.

Kurt Gumboyles likes nothing better than sneaking off for a crafy cigarette behind the bike sheds, while Grandad Gumboyle can't resist a huge plate of baked beans and a couple of pints of beer - before blowing the house down with his mighty farts.

It's enough to stress a dog out, even a doctor so it's rather nice when poor Doc Dog flits off at the end of the book for some much needed R & R - sadly short lived when his family join him on holiday...leading perfectly into...

"A Dose of Dr Dog" - That rare thing, a sequel that's every bit as brilliant as the original book this time with Dr Dog aided by the long lost Professor Dash Hund, who assists the good doctor with a series of useful topical cures for the family's holiday ailments.

From a gigantic (and rather over-zealously depicted) boil on the bum to a serious case of sunburn Doc and Dash keep the family out of trouble once again, up to the point when the nasty nosenips threaten to make a meal of the Gumboyles once and for all.

Babette brilliantly works in some neat facts into a story that bounces along superbly, as the long suffering doctor triumphs. We always wondered if Babette would ever write another one, but sadly she was taken from us, a hugely sad loss of an amazingly talented lady whose books have been beloved by generations of kids.

Original Review Links:

Dr Dog

A Dose of Dr. Dog by Babette Cole (Jonathan Cape Ltd)

 Our #Booky100Keeper books for Day 10 hark right back to the very beginning of the blog, in fact it was a review of "No Roses for Harry" that was our very first review published, back on August 12th 2010.

Ten years later, the "Harry" books are still read and loved, in particular "Harry by the Sea" and "Harry the Dirty Dog" which are easily our two favourites in this series. I have a vague childhood memory of these books (they're coming up for their 60th birthday fairly soon) and I'm sure I remember more titles, but these are the only ones remaining in print or easy to get hold of so let's have a closer look at them all, as they really are fantastic and have stood the test of time.

In "Harry by the Sea", Harry and his family go to the beach on one of the hottest days of the year. Poor Harry finds it difficult to find shade under the family's tiny beach brolly, so tries a number of ways to keep cool (slightly politically incorrect ways in one case, but remember this is a book from the 60s, things were a little different back then!)
 Harry soon ends up in the sea, covered in seaweed and mistaken for a nasty sea monster by a couple of twerpy beach patrol staff, but manages to have a fine adventure in between, before being reunited with his family. A great romp this one, filled with awesome poochy behaviour and funny little comical details thanks to Margaret Bloy Graham's quite child-like but brilliant art.

In "Harry the Dirty Dog" Harry behaves a lot like C - ie avoiding baths at all costs. In fact he takes the family scrubbing brush, buries it in the garden and then runs away. Of course being a dog Harry chooses a unique form of revenge for this hideous bath threatening behaviour - he gets as dirty as possible, so dirty in fact that he becomes a black dog with white spots - completely unrecognisable to his family when he crawls back with his tail between his legs as hunger gets the better of him. Will the family realise it's Harry after all?

"No Roses for Harry" is fab for those of you who (like us) have been knitted something by a relative for a birthday or christmas present. Something you really
don\t ever want to be seen dead in public in. Harry's "Grandma" knits him a "lovely" sweater, lime green and covered in yellow roses. Despite his best efforts, Harry can't rid himself of the dratted thing, and no matter how much he tries to leave it behind or lose it, some helpful soul always brings it back.

Thankfully in the end a bird picks at a loose thread and, encouraged by Harry, pulls the whole thing apart and flies off with it. Harry is delighted, but Grandma is very sad!

Harry realises the error of his ways and takes the family on a jumper hunt that ends with quite a delightful surprise.

Fab fun this one!

Finally there's a book that actually did the whole 'middle grade bridging book' years before modern formats claimed to have invented it.
In "Harry and the Lady Next Door" Harry's adventures are still highly illustrated, but the book's format will be instantly recognisable to modern kidlit fans as one of those fantastic early titles with a hefty word count but still plenty of pictures to drive the story along.

This time Harry's poor ears are being assaulted by a new neighbour who fancies herself as an opera singer. To Harry her sweet singing is like fingernails down a blackboard, so he uses all his canine intelligence to subvert her wailing practice sessions, even enlisting the help of a herd of cows, a brass marching band and a load of frogs.

Harry actually wins out in the end, despite the lady's continued noisemaking, and she wins a singing contest that sees her cruising off into the distance to become a famous singer abroad. I love the neat solution in this one.

These books may or may not still be in print but they're well worth tracking down - they're still brilliant reads even though some of the strange things that crop up in the illustrations may be completely 'of the era' these books were written in.

Original Review Links: 

No Roses for Harry

Harry by the sea

Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry and the Lady Next Door - N/A

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

Our Second Picture Book of the week is just the sort of lovely book we adore at this time of year. Perfect for cuddling up with on chilly nights when the moon is full...

We're celebrating the publication of a fantastic book, the first collaboration between two of our fave kidlit folk.

Teresa Heapy and David Litchfield have combined their considerable talents, coming up with a beautiful tale of friendship, determination and a fantastic quest. "The Marvellous Moon Map" is out today, but before you dash off to pick up a copy, we're lucky enough to have Teresa guesting on the blog, submitting herself to a "This or That" grilling, ReadItDaddy style.

Teresa and David have come up with some fantastic answers to our tricky questions, so let's dive straight in!

Q1 - Welcome to the blog, tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book

Teresa:
I’m a children’s author - hooray! What a wonderful job to have. I’ve written the four Very Little picture books (including the award-winning Very Little Red Riding Hood), illustrated by Sue Heap, and I’ve got three new picture books coming out next year, which is very exciting.

In The Marvellous Moon Map, Mouse wants to find the Moon, so he makes a Marvellous Map and sets off on his own. But when he gets lost in the dark Woods, he finds he really needs his friend Bear to help him along the way. And he needs his Map too - but not in the way he thought he would!...

The story was inspired by lots of different things - a show in which I acted (where I had to make lots of paper boats!), various pieces of music and a particular phrase of my daughter’s. I’m so proud of the book. David’s illustrations are completely stunning and it’s a joy to be working with him.

I’m David. I’m an illustrator and I draw pictures in my attic. I loved drawing The Marvellous Moon Map. Teresa’s story is so incredibly sweet and it was a very happy experience turning her words into pictures.

Q2 - Chocolate or Cheese?
Teresa:

Our Book(s) of the week this week see the welcome return of Heapy and Heap to the "Book of the Week" slot with another two awesome "Very Little" stories!

The late, great Babette Cole was definitely a force to be reckoned with in children's literature. A fabulous character, often outspoken and very much a huge influence on other authors and illustrators, her books are beloved by millions.

On this very day 6 years ago we started ReadItDaddy. Or to be more accurate, my wife came up with this crazy idea of me starting a book blog to try and build up a list of the many, many books we hauled home from the library every week.

Abingdon Library - as we've mentioned many times on the blog - is still our go-to place for awesome and astounding books, and we're so very lucky that the library is still well stocked and funded enough to keep going when so many others have had their funding slashed, and have been forced to close.

We definitely do not take the place for granted and if there's one message we've come across many many times on our blog voyage, it's that libraries need your help and your support so PLEASE use this fantastic resource if you've got it, and if you can.

Our first review was for a book that has since been read and re-read so many times that we almost know it off by heart. Coming from that magical era of US children's publishing that spawned so many classic children's books, and also built the strong foundations and templates for children's books to follow for decades and generations to come, Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham's sublime "No Roses for Harry" tells the simple tale of a black and white dog who gets the most terrible lime green and yellow-rose decorated sweater from his doting Grandma. Harry, being a mischievous pup, tries all sorts of ways to accidentally 'lose' that terrible sweater but in the end a bird comes to his aid. Has Harry really seen the last of that dreadful thing?

So THAT'S where it got to!

One of the reasons I made a bee-line for this book for Charlotte's library pile was because I had such strong memories of the "Harry" books as a kid. There were several in my school library (and sadly although there are only four still in print, there were quite a few more if I recall correctly so if any publishers fancy reprinting the rest, you'd win a fan for life!)

Charlotte was 2 at the time we started the blog but both my wife and I had been reading books to her from birth. By the time "Harry" came around she was an inquisitive, curious little book-lover and delighted in this tale of a naughty little dog and his antics. We borrowed the other Harry books from the library and eventually bought our own copies because we ended up adding them to our library loans pile so frequently it seemed rude not to actually buy the durned things! So "Harry the Dirty Dog", "Harry by the Sea" (Charlotte's absolute favourite by a mile), and "Harry and the Lady Next Door" are now in our collection.

On our 6th anniversary of writing the blog, so much has changed in all our reading tastes. Picture books are still loved but we find ourselves increasingly working through piles of awesome middle grade and chapter books, and of course covering as many non-fiction titles as we can lay our hands on.

We never expected to be sent books to review. We still find that hugely satisfying and we also love the fact that even though we don't cover self-published titles, authors of those titles still regularly try their luck and value our opinion enough to drop us a line. Sometimes it's just nice to hear from folk who are doing something different, writing new and original stories that they're trying to get 'out there'.

There have been so many happy memories of people we've met through the blog, including fabulous authors and illustrators who we're still humbly a bit embarrassed to introduce ourselves to (and it's still such a giggle when they know us, and the blog AND like what we do!) We'd get out there more, but holding down a full time job and Charlotte being at school during the week really does mean we only get out on special occasions when the timing is perfect  - Always fantastic to get to do that from time to time.

Without a doubt it's been such a huge benefit to Charlotte's reading, writing and English skills, such a huge boost to her curiosity and imagination from reading all those books and writing about them between the two of us (and I should point out that my wife is definitely the unsung hero of this blog, who puts in just as much effort as I do when it comes to sourcing and reading the most amazing stories, or catching up with the most brilliant non-fiction titles we can find).

As we move more towards chapter books, non fiction books, comics and material for older readers we still can't 'quit' picture books and we're still delighted and dazzled every week when we see what's new, what's coming, and just how hard publishers, PRs, authors, artists, designers and everyone else in the children's publishing industry work to bring us such amazing titles week after week, month after month and year after year.

Finally the last words should come from Charlotte. I asked her recently what she thought about the prospect of "Read It Daddy" one day closing its doors, publishing our last article and she was adamant that she would NOT let that happen, no way no day!

She also regularly talks about one day being "Read it, Charlotte" and taking over entirely. Her typing skills are coming along and though most of the time she's far too busy to write up our articles, she's still the beating heart of what we do here and always will be.

So you're stuck with us for the time being.

So Happy 6th Blog Birthday to us and a solidly heartfelt and huge thank you to all the amazing people who've helped us carry on with the blog and thank you so much to all the folk who regularly drop by to read what we have to say.

We have a huge huge HUGE soft spot for the Alfie books in our hearts. Shirley Hughes is an absolute superstar and you're probably very used to seeing us telling you so. Some of Shirley's 'Alfie' books are being reprinted in new softcover formats, so it's time to fall in love with these timeless and gorgeously observed little stories all over again.

In this tale, Alfie and Annie Rose are off to Grandma's house for a visit. Grandma lives in a lovely house in a picturesque village. Alfie and his little sister can't wait to go off exploring, but the rain pours down leaving no choice but to stay at home.

Kids landlocked inside on a rainy day? Even Alfie's amazing Grandma might find that a little difficult to cope with so it's on with the rain gear and out into the lovely countryside for adventures to see what they can find!

This story is nicely broken up into several mini stories so we get to explore and join in the fun. There are lost tortoises to be found, naughty sheep to round up - all told in Shirley's gentle style and gorgeously illustrated with her expert observational eye.

We always love any book with a good map in it too, and this has an absolute corker! Don't miss it!

"Alfie and Grandma is out on 26th February 2015 from Red Fox Picture Books

Charlotte's best bit: Spotting the naughty runaway tortoise along with Alfie, and loving exploring Alfie's Grandma's village with the gorgeous map at the back of the book

Daddy's Favourite bit: Beautifully observed, timeless and brilliant stories with the most gorgeous illustrations. No wonder we can't get enough of Shirley's books!

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

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Alfie has, deservedly, been one of the best loved children's characters for generations and his awesome creator Shirley Hughes has a knack for creating the most charming and timeless stories.

I'm in awe of her illustrative style and her ease with storytelling so it's great to see a timely reprint from Red Fox of the sublime "Alfie's Christmas" getting us ready for our own family yuletide gathering.

Alfie and his little sister Annie Rose are preparing for the big day. Along with mum and dad, Alfie goes christmas shopping and makes decorations and cards for all his friends. There are secrets too as Alfie has to hide dad's special present (a plant in a wonderfully decorated pot) and mum's too (a lovely blue beaded necklace).

Though Annie Rose is too young to understand what Christmas is all about, she's soon swept up in the yuletide preparations and gets excited about the presents and the wrapping paper.

Christmas Eve arrives, and though there's no snow (which in a Christmas book is rare but actually quite realistic and refreshing to see, nice one Shirley!) Alfie snuggles down in bed eyes shut tight so that Santa will visit.

Annie Rose has other ideas though...!

We got drawn into this book, feeling at once like a traditional christmas tale but with timely observations and a goodly dose of family life to make it feel contemporary and relevant. It's part of why Shirley Hughes is such an important voice in children's literature, she has a canny knack for producing the sort of blissfully brilliant stories that both adults love to read, and children love to read and hear.

Charlotte's best bit: Great Uncle Will talking about an Australian christmas with sun, barbecues and koala bears!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Such utterly sublime storytelling, gorgeous artwork, from a truly inspirational lady! Awesome work Shirley!

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

Who would mourn the death of the traditional fairy story? Perhaps Disney would, because they'd have nothing left to plunder for their hugely successful movies. We would, because traditional fairy stories often hide a dark heart and sometimes the heroes don't always win. You would, because everyone who ever read a book would always remember at least one or two traditional stories from their childhood that have stuck in the memory long after other less finely crafted stories have faded.

Colin Thompson's "The Last Alchemist" feels very much like a traditional fairy story. It doesn't mess around dumbing down its dictionary to get its point across. It's illustrated with fabulous attention to detail, and yes, the story has a dark heart and a moral twist whispering about the vice of avarice, and the lust for wealth (something you wish had stuck in the mind of a few bankers when they were first counting out their plastic money as kids).

To the tale itself. The king has a lust for gold unparalleled, and generations of alchemists have sought the secret of turning everyday objects into gold. Spinifex is the last alchemist, and with his assistant Arthur, seeks to finally solve the greatest riddle known to man. Spinifex is driven and determined to achieve this goal, while Arthur gently daydreams about sunflowers and ears of corn - for riches mean nothing to a humble alchemist's assistant.

The king's demands grow more sinister as he sets spinifex a final deadline. "Achieve alchemy by the turn of the millennium or you're finished!" the king screams.

As the deadline looms, Spinifex is a hollow shell of his former self. Driven quite mad by his quest, even Arthur's best attempts to help result in only the tiniest pool of gold, melted from the riches and belongings stolen from the kingdom.

Can Spinifex achieve his terrible aim? Will the king's insatiable greed ever be satisfied?

Colin Thompson's art is surreal, reminiscent of Heironymous Bosch in some places, and with shades of Korky Paul's brilliant and bizarre ink scribbles in others. It's a feast for the eyes but the real feast is for the ears, as reading this book aloud is an absolute pleasure, and the effect it had on Charlotte was astounding as she didn't want this book to end.

It's a rare little treasure this one (don't go looking at the prices on Amazon, they'll make you sob!) but if you ever spot any of Colin Thompson's books in your local charity shop or secondhand book shop, grab them with both hands, they're truly fantastic.

Charlotte's best bit: The amazing and quite terrifying machine Spinifex manages to build to harvest gold

Daddy's Favourite bit: A stunning book from a supreme talent. Colin's work really needs to be reprinted, it's utterly amazing.

My lovely other half is such a huge fan of "A Streetcat named Bob" by James Bowen - that I thought I'd hand over the reins and let her take over for this week's Book of the Week.

So take it away StrollingMum!

I've been given the chance to take over read it daddy's blog for one post, nothing to do with days out but because of a lovely cat book.

My name is Bob landed on the door step and the moment readitdaddy saw it he knew I had to be the first to get my paws on it (sorry), as a few years ago my mum loaned me "A Streetcat Named Bob" and I loved it.

This illistrated book is equally well written and goes back to the time before James (Bowen) and Bob met. The start of the book is fictional (you would only know this
if you had read the original book) but it draws on the point of two lost souls finding each other at just the right time in their lives.

The rest of the story summaries the paperback book into a few pages of James nursing Bob back to health (which Charlotte thought was lovely and she loved the art work that went with this) and how they go about their days together.

Near the back are some lovely photos of James and Bob busking together and on the last page is a short summary about James and Bob for those who wish to know a little more about their touching story.

Its a lovely book, extremely well illistrated and prompted a few questions from Charlotte about nursing a cat, what do you think happened to the old lady, why are some
street cats scary and not Bob. She loved James' guitar but didn't ask many questions about busking. Even the cover is well thought out and she loved the paw print facts
on the back. I think Grandma is going to enjoy looking at this book too.

Here's a wonderful YouTube Link of James reading the book to Bob (who seems suitably impressed!)

Here's another brilliant video about the book, this time showing Gerard Kelley producing the gorgeous artwork for the story (I want that Cintiq - Daddy!)

Charlotte's best bit: When Bob is hurt but James is making him better, also the picture of Bob in his tuxedo.

Mummy's Favourite bit: The way the book introduces homelessness in a way that adults would probably pick up on but not younger children, explaining how Bob is homeless through no fault of his own, how lonely life is and how you struggle to make friends.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Red Fox Picture Books - and thank you Mummy for writing such a cracking post!)

So far we've been immune to the scatological charms of this well known dinosaur and his equally well known creators. Tom and Dougie from McFly created a poop-fuelled yuletide classic in "The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas" (Which we still haven't read) but we're catching up with them as they head into space. Along with talented illustrator Garry Parsons, they find out what happens when young Danny get up to mischief when they visit the science museum. They hijack a rocket and soon they're jetting off into the inky blackness of space! (Charlotte kept pointing out how naughty Danny and Dinosaur were for stealing exhibits from the museum and misusing them. I did point out that it's a 'boy' thing but she was unconvinced).

In their haste to explore outer space, Danny and Dinosaur forget their lunches - and soon Dinosaur's tummy is rumbling. With nothing around to eat, Dinosaur picks the nearest thing to satisfy his humungous appetite - the spaceship! Eeek!

Can Danny and Dino make it back home for tea? Or will Dino's huge appetite and equally huge bottom mean serious trouble for the milky way?

Charlotte lapped this book up and I'd imagine a huge amount of kids her age would. There's just something about it that really switches me off. Don't get me wrong, I think Tom, Dougie and Garry are fantastic talented folk but I just couldn't really get past the book's core draw. Dino poo.

Having only read this book, I can't comment on the more festive version - and a quick glance at Amazon suggests that there are more dino-poop-fests on the way (The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past is on its way in September 2014). As ever with books we disagree on though, the sound of Charlotte snorting with laughter at any book (even if I don't like it) is one of the best sounds in the world, so I'm willing to read it with her whenever she asks.

Charlotte's best bit: Martian cats (with extremely groovy hats!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Some nice Seuss-ian rhyming going on but I had little stomach for the brown stuff later in the book! Ew!

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

I'm quite surprised we haven't reviewed Mini Grey's "Egg Drop" before. Mini is a superstar when it comes to writing and illustrating some of our favourite children's books. We really love her "Traction Man" series, and we've had our eye out for "Egg Drop" for quite a while.

Up it popped in our library stack, so we grabbed it.

It's the story of a young chicken. A very young chicken. In fact, a chicken that hasn't even hatched yet - but dreams of flight, of soaring through the air with the greatest of ease. Our egg-bound chum is smart but very very impatient, and immediately starts making plans for a first flight. Dreaming of rockets and wings, of zeppelins and various other means, Egg comes up with the ultimate idea. Gain some height, take a leap of faith and see what happens...

Eggs and gravity - bad mix, right?

We'll leave you to discover what happens to plucky little egg in this fun tale. Mini's trademark humour and beautiful illustrations make this book soar through the clouds as light as a feather. Which is more than we can say for our eggy chum!

Charlotte's best bit: Poor egg's post-crash patch-up job (those screws and nails look like they hurt!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Patience is a virtue and this tale tells it like it is perfectly.

It goes without saying that we always make a bee-line for Shirley Hughes' books whenever we spot them in our local library. "Abel's Moon" is such a dreamy and lovely tale that it's definitely worth shouting about.

Abel is a travelling man, and when he comes home to his wife and children, he always has the best stories to tell of his travels and adventures. The children hang on his every word, wanting to listen to his stories again and again.

Abel comes up with an idea to write some of his stories down so that he won't forget them - but writing in a house full of noisy children isn't an easy task (I am guessing that Shirley is speaking from experience here! I'd certainly have to agree too!)

Abel sets up the folding table under his favourite apple tree in the garden - but all too soon it's time to leave home again in search of work.

The table stays put, as the grass and trees grow up around it the children discover that the humble table can lead to even more adventures. As a boat, or as a moon machine! Imagine the stories they'll be able to tell when Abel gets home...!

There are so many things about this book that make you want to cuddle it. It's a great "Dad" book - Abel willing to make a huge sacrifice and leave his family behind just to ensure that they want for nothing. It's a book that celebrates the wonderful imaginations of children as they weave their own tales through play. Of course we always love Shirley's masterful way with words and her gorgeous art. The book draws you into its warming embrace and its timelessness ensures that it can be enjoyed by children of all ages.

Charlotte's best bit: Abel and Mable's little baby, who is a little ball of mischief!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A marvellous celebratory book, a great dad character (we could do with more of these), and yet another fab book from the grand-dame of children's literature.

Sue Hendra's books are always such a treat! Bold, colourful, full of fun and giggles - and a pinch or two of cheekiness never goes amiss. It's great news to hear that Wanda and the Alien are soon to become megastars of their own children's TV show - but let's enjoy them here in book form first!

Wanda the Rabbit and her best friend (who just happens to be an alien) find a fuzzy and cute little creature who looks lost and alone. The poor little mite (eliciting coos of "Awww, he's so so CUTE!" from Charlotte) does look scared and hungry, so Wanda and the Alien decide to take the creature back home with them.

Neither Wanda or the Alien has ever had a pet before - what on earth do you feed them? How do you stop them from scampering off into the garden? And why do they only like eating custard! Surely that's not good for little alien tummies is it?

We love Sue's books, we've seen fish with fish fingers, we've seen snails with crazy shells and a cat with a magic hat - and here in the first of a whole series of books and TV episodes for Wanda and the Alien, a nice little tale of friendship and fuzziness. We absolutely loved the way this ends too - like a manic homage to Star Trek's "The Trouble with Tribbles!"

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte fell absolutely in love with the tiny little creature and his cute custard-scoffing ways

Daddy's Favourite bit: Sue's magic touch with children's books is once again your guarantee that your kids will absolutely love this story!

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

Jez Alborough has a knack for coming up with brilliant animal characters and stories. His books are lyrical, boldly illustrated and a real treat for a range of ages.

Here we meet Hugo the Hare. Hugo loves life but if there's one thing Hugo really doesn't like, it's rain (probably not a happy hare at the moment then with the sort of weather we've been having!)

Hugo fortunately has a colourful umbrella to keep his cotton-tail dry, but as Hugo heads out for a walk, he soon meets friends along the way who also want to squeeze under his brolly to keep dry.

Poor Hugo! The more friends he tries to keep dry, the more he gets wet himself until someone comes up with a fantastic suggestion! Why dodge the rain when you can really enjoy it by getting splashy and squishy!

A super little book, with really eye-catching illustrations, perfect for the wettest start to the year on record!

Charlotte's best bit: Hugo the Hare's rather fetchingly colourful umbrella!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great book to read when the weather is dismal, enjoy the rain just like Hugo does (eventually!)

(Kindly sent to us by Random House / Red Fox Picture Books)

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!

Shirley Hughes is as close as it's possible to get to being "Children's Book Royalty". Her fabulous books have entertained children for years, and it's been brilliant discovering her books along with Charlotte over the last few years. So even though we're late to the party, we're huge fans and every time we spy a Shirley Hughes book in our local library, we nab it!

Many authors and illustrators have put their own spin on well-loved fairy tales. Sometimes they're fairly low-level treatments of the original that don't really enhance the story or bring anything new along for the ride.

Not the case with "Ella's Big Chance" by Shirley Hughes, which is an utterly masterful retelling of "Cinderella".

You all know the story but Shirley's take on it nips and tucks all the good bits like an expert tailor, as we open the tale with Ella and her father as successful dressmakers, producing some of the most beautiful dresses in the land. When Ella's father remarries a rather mean and crabby woman, and brings her and her two daughters into their home, things change. The new wife has grand ideas for their humble business and sets about turning it into a reputable fashion outlet - meaning lots more work for poor Ella! Her new stepmother and stepsisters treat her poorly, and her father seems to become more withdrawn by the day. Luckily Ella has a friend in Buttons, the store's busy delivery boy who always makes time for Ella and cheers her up.

Consigned to the basement, poor Ella dreams of a world of glamour and music - and when a lord and lady announce a grand ball that's being thrown for their son, Ella hopes she might have a chance to shine.

Alas her stepmother and stepsisters have other ideas. THEY will be the belles of the ball, not poor Ella. Alone and thoroughly miserable, and despite Buttons' attempts to cheer her up, a timely intervention from a magical and mysterious old lady soon has Ella clad in the most beautiful ballgown ever, with a gorgeous limousine and driver ready to whisk her off to the ball!

Here's where we'll pause. You see, you're probably second-guessing how the story ends based on the original, but with a twinkle in her eye and deft strokes, Shirley Hughes has a surprise or two up her sleeves for you. We'll leave you to discover what happens to Ella yourself (trust us, you'll love it as much as Charlotte did).

It's a gorgeous book. Shirley Hughes effortlessly produces the most beautiful illustrations, weaves the original story into a wonderful roaring twenties style twist on the tale, we fell hopelessly in love with this book and we're pretty sure you will too.


Charlotte's best bit: Ella's utterly amazing ballgown. "Wow, it's so so so beautiful!" (I think she liked it)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Probably the best retelling of a traditional tale that we've ever seen. Shirley Hughes - national treasure without a doubt!

Apart from giving me a near heart-attack trying to fit the name of this book into my header template, I do love John Burningham's books. He has a way of delving into the subversive, dark and sometimes quite menacing side of children's picture books to serve up tales that are guiltily pleasurable - and for children, stories that are wicked and funny.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy set off along the road to learn...but through no fault of his own, a series of mishaps always made him late for school.

His teacher, not the lovely cuddly and wonderful kind but the kind cut from the same cloth as the teacher in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is horrid, and does not believe any of JPNM's (what, you thought I was going to type that out every time? Wrong!) excuses for tardiness - and puts poor JP in detention, with lines to complete.

(I actually had an amusing moment where I had to explain to Charlotte what "Doing lines" was - and a harrowing moment thinking about what modern celebrities might have said in explanation instead, eek!)

There is a delicious pay off, as there always is in John Burningham's books but naturally I'm going to let you discover what it is.

This is a fantastic book to read aloud (no, you don't have to read the lines unless you REALLY want to, or unless your children demand it!) and a bit of an obscure classic we were so glad to find in our local library.

Charlotte's best bit: "That'll teach the teacher!" sayeth she at the end

Daddy's Favourite bit: A rumbunctuous read-aloud classic that we just couldn't resist.