The Mr Men are back! And Forward! And winging it too! Here's a timely re-release of "Mr Men: The Rugby Match" by Roger Hargreaves for little ones tuning into the Rugby World Cup!

I grew up with the Mr Men Books, and later I couldn't wait to introduce the Mr Men and Little Miss books to Charlotte. We've collected quite a few now, and it's always cause for great excitement when a new one arrives.

Particularly this latest adventure for the Mr Men and Little Miss crew. They're on a day trip to London with Mr Busy, and are taking in the sights of our glorious capital (which is also one of our favourite real-life destinations too!)

Mr Bump ends up coming a cropper in the fountains at Trafalgar Square. Mr Uppity insists on not using public transport, opting for a chauffeur driven limousine around the capital instead. As for Little Miss Splendid, will she still feel like the queen of bling when faced with the real queen's crown jewels? And what happens when Mr Tickle is let loose on a bus?

It's a fabulous travelogue and story for little ones covering some of our favourite bits of London in crazy chaotic Mr Men fashion. Roger Hargreaves' legacy of fun characters continues with his son Adam now writing and illustrating the books, and bringing them bang up to date with fabulous stories like these.

Charlotte's best bit: Mr Tickle livening up a boring bus journey!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Poor Mr Bump falling headfirst into the fountains at Trafalgar Square

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Publishing UK)

Mr Men books have been staple fodder for a couple of generations of our family. I still remember the awesome animated TV series narrated by Arthur Lowe, and back when I was at primary school the Mr Men books were extremely popular, kids would draw them on their scrap books or pencil cases and there was even a brilliant range of plush toys (my sister had a Mr Bump complete with bandages!)

Along came the Little Miss books to join the male-dominated range, and now there are even more books than ever.

For our Booky Advent Calendar we've picked out one of Egmont's new stories with a christmas twist. It's time for the grand Christmas Party and all the Little Misses and Mr Men are invited. Mr Happy will be the genial host, and he soon sends out invitations to everyone.

One person is in two minds about coming along though. Little Miss Shy. She really wants to go but doesn't know if she can sum up enough courage to go along. What if she blushes and gets embarrassed? It's quite the quandary to be in!

Luckily on the day of the party it snows really heavily. Everyone is downcast and sad because it looks like the party will have to be cancelled. All but Little Miss Shy who doesn't have to worry about going or not going any more. But Mr Christmas has a fantastic idea. He's going to borrow Santa's sled to ensure everyone gets to the party on time, and it can go ahead! CATASTROPHE (for Little Miss Shy at least!)

So does she make it to the big yuletide bash, or does her shyness stop her?

You'll have to read this awesome little christmas story to find out. The Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as great as they ever were, and this story in particular struck a chord with Charlotte - who is quite shy herself. Maybe if you can gather enough courage to do the things that scare you, you'll end up having the most brilliant time ever! What a great message, not just for christmas but for any time of the year!

Charlotte's best bit: Mr Silly's amazing crazy band and their weird instruments!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great little message and it's so good to see that the Little Miss / Mr Men books are still as fantastic as ever they were!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Publishing)

I can remember very clearly the very first Mr Men book I ever had. It was Mr Snow (another festive Mr Men treat!) and it's so good to see that the Mr Men books are still as wildly popular as ever with children.

You can get both Mr and Little Miss Christmas books, but we managed to snaffle a much sought-after copy of Mr Christmas from our excellent local library.

When the festive triangular Mister gets a frantic phone call from his Uncle (you know the fellah, wears a red suit, very jolly, says "ho ho ho" a lot), he pitches in to help out on Christmas Eve. Soon Mr Christmas finds out just how much work is involved in making sure each and every child gets their presents on time, reindeers are fed, mince pies are munched and Santa's sled is kept in tip top condition.

Mr Men books are absolutely perfect stocking fillers (I love the fact they still do those dinky sized books and now Roger Hargreaves' son, Christopher,  has taken over drawing and writing duties along with his dad there are even more books - and a TV show - than ever before!)

(For older 'kids' I bet you can still remember Arthur Lowe's dulcet tones reading out some of the original books way back in the 70s when they first hit TV, can't you! If not, here's a little reminder below!)


Charlotte's best bit: Mr Christmas and his sparkly decorations!

Daddy's favourite bit: The fact that the Mr Men and Little Miss books are still as popular as ever, and better still - are still great little stories the perfect length for bedtime reading.