This is one very special book, and though I first read it when Charlotte was possibly a bit too young to appreciate the story and the message it conveys, we were lucky enough to be sent a copy in time for the book's recent softcover reprint (re-released on 7th May 2015 so available in all good indie bookstores now!)

"Azzi In Between" is the story of a young girl (Azzi) who at first seems to live a fairly ordinary and happy life. But her country is gripped by war. Soldiers march outside her house, helicopter gunships cruise overhead and though Azzi's life continues fairly normally, one night her father receives a phone call that will change the whole family's life forever.

Quickly bundling Azzi and her mother into the family car, but painfully and sadly leaving Grandma behind to look after the house, her father embarks on a perilous journey to try and catch one of the last refugee ships leaving for a new country. With Azzi hidden under her grandma's blanket, they make their way past roadside checkpoints, and soon have to join the chaotic struggle to find a place on the boat before it leaves.

They make it by the skin of their teeth, destined for the unknown.

Azzi's new country is different, the family find a new place to live but it's uncomfortable and shabby. Azzi's father won't be allowed to work to earn the money they need, so the family face lean times. Thankfully Azzi manages to enrol at a new school, but wonders how she'll fit in when she has nothing in common with her classmates and can't even speak their language.

Azzi's story is simply told but its impact is colossal, particularly for its chosen audience who (like Charlotte) may not be much younger or older than Azzi but also may never have known the fear and the hardship that many refugee children will know during their early lives. From an adult perspective, the terrifying prospect of being displaced from your home and country by war is something that is largely lost on folk who live a comfortable and safe existence.

Charlotte was (quite rightly) gripped by "Azzi In Between" from start to finish. I won't give away the end of the story but to have your child come running up to you when you come home from work to tell you (joyfully) how much they loved a book is rewarding and fulfilling, but having your child want to discuss the story's meaning and what happens to all the other children like Azzi is vital and important and equally fulfilling too.

"Azzi in between" has deservedly won a ton of awards and humbly we add it to our roster of hugely important books that have made a gigantic impact on us during the course of writing this blog. It should be on every shelf in every children's home or in every school or local library.

Charlotte's best bit: Azzi's reunion

Daddy's Favourite bit: A vital, emotional and impactive book that will be read, re-read and celebrated as one of the most important children's books of all time

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

We love outdoorsy stuff but if there's one thing I really can't stand, it's camping! I love my comfort too much but when The Strolling Mum and I first got together, we bought a tent and borrowed some camping gear for a couple of holidays (we even spent our honeymoon driving around New Zealand in a camper van - which is a really great way to discover whether you're going to stay married for very long :)

To be fair, it was pretty exciting snuggling up in a tiny tent on a windswept camping site in deepest darkest Cornwall, but swap that for lazing in a hot tub outside my comfortable lodge with all mod cons? No way! Not this daddy!

Mummy and Charlotte do talk about going camping a lot and this book could almost sway me in the right direction. Almost.

Eddie and his sisters Lily and Tilly, and Mum and Tom all decide it's time to break out the tent and the gear and go camping. After some very sensible packing (from Eddie) and some quite frantic attempts to stuff everything they own into pillowcases (Lily and Tilly), the family set off on an epic traffic-filled journey to a quiet camping spot by the coast.

They find the perfect place to pitch a tent, and while everyone's still snoring the next morning, Eddie goes off to explore his new surroundings.

It's an exciting adventure as the family learn to cook outside, play outside and build their own tents and dens. Eddie meets a new friend called Max and his Grandad, and joins them fishing. But can Eddie help out when Max loses his beloved puppy, Bouncer?

Part story, part instruction manual (as you dip into the last few pages of the book you'll be able to learn all the cool skills that Eddie and family use while they're camping), a really nice little book that comfortably nods in the direction of the modern family unit (as you'd expect from Sarah, the author and illustrator of the hugely impressive "Azzi In Between").

Only tiny tiny minus point (which doesn't detract from this excellent book at all really) is that Max's Grandad is accidentally described as his dad part way through the story (Charlotte noticed this with her eagle eyes - See if your kids notice!) I'd also love to live anywhere where you could pack all your gear into the car, head off and find a camping spot as idyllic as the family find in this story - I just don't think it's possible any more (I'm not even sure there ARE places like that in this country but I'm all ears - feel free to comment and tell me I'm wrong!)

Charlotte's best bit: Learning how to make cool outdoor camping stuff like a plate rack out of twigs, and even a mug stand! Oh and of course, CHOCOLATE BANANAS!

Daddy's Favourite bit: The "Eddie" series is brilliant for children, giving them a taste of outdoor excitement as the kids go camping for the first time (it almost - ALMOST makes me want to give up my lifelong pledge never to sleep under canvas again!)

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

Azzi In Between by Sarah Garland (Frances Lincoln Children's Books). Deep, thought provoking, vital.

We've delved into the world of comics and children's magazines for our #ReadItMD13 Theme Week this week, and often dealt with the light-hearted and knockabout world of children's comics. But there is a more serious side to comics that parents and children don't often expect to be there.

The visual impact of a story laid out in comic strip format often feels more cinematic and immediate than in other forms of written and illustrated media. As the emphasis is on dialogue and character, and often seeing through the eyes of the central characters, it's a powerful medium to use to deliver the most important messages of our times.

In the header, you can see the fantastic "Azzi In Between" - a children's book by Sarah Garland that deals with a tough and sensitive issue - that of the plight of millions of refugees around the world, forced to flee their countries for numerous reasons. We meet the strong character Azzi, in some respects an ordinary little girl placed in the most extraordinary circumstances purely because of where she was born.

Approved by Amnesty International, Azzi In Between raises awareness in children (and adults) in an impactive and direct way, triggers further discussion and investigation into what happens when war, famine or oppression affect people's lives.

Sarah's child-friendly artwork and the story's curve between Azzi's initial fairly normal life, and what happens when war arrives on the doorstep, is compelling and gritty stuff but produced in a way that children will understand and digest, and best of all, raise their own questions about long after you've turned the last page.

It's easy to see why this book is held in such high regard and it's not the only comic or children's book that's out there doing this. There are more than you'd imagine.

A Child's Garden by Michael Foreman (Walker Books)

In "A Child's Garden", which we recently borrowed from our excellent local library, the message of hope is beautifully woven into a story that begins with dark and fairly disturbing imagery. A young boy lives in a shattered landscape and an ever-present barbed wire fence reminds him that the world he once knew, a world without boundaries where people were free to roam and enjoy the countryside, has now changed as war arrives and land is divided.

Seeing a tiny scrap of greenery within the shattered landscape, the boy endeavours to nurture and grow the plant - until eventually it turns into a strong vine that envelopes the fence, covering it with leaves and flowers.

Soldiers destroy the vine, tossing it carelessly into a ditch. But soon the vine's seeds, scattered by the soldiers' thoughtless actions, start to grow again and a girl on the other side of the fence soon follows the boy's actions, watering the vine once again until it grows, and springs up on both sides, creating a beautiful garden for children to play in.

The message of hope is subtle but utterly beautifully delivered. At home this is a book that raised more questions than it answered, and proved the point that children's books and of course comics have impact, their messages do sink in, and best of all they stay as the comics and books are demanded and read again and again.

There are just two examples of brilliant comics and books that do this so well. If you have any more, we would dearly love to hear about them so please leave a comment below or tweet us @readitdaddy and we'll add them to this article.