This week's Chapter Book of the Week may not be new, but it's new to us - and we absolutely loved it so here we are with "Millions" by Frank Cottrell-Boyce...

There are just SO MANY great books around at the moment. So we couldn't resist cramming in one more "Book of the Week" winner this week for a chapter book par excellence...

The fabulous bakin' boys are back, and this time they're ready for a festive adventure in the latest awesome middle grade book from Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton.

In "Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Jingle Bells" the awesome pooches are all set for a festive mystery, and must pitch in to help Santa solve a terrible crime.

Someone has stolen all the christmas presents! It might take a sensitive doggy nose or two, and perhaps even a smattering of snow for these two intrepid hounds to piece together all the clues and reveal the nefarious thief! And that's just the start of their adventures as there's also a sea monster and a rather bizarre moggy to deal with too!

Three hilarious read-aloud stories give kids a head start as they make the shift from picture books to early readers, with characters that are already familiar from their many picture book adventures.

Following on from "Spooky School" and "Up, Up and Away" this is a fab festive adventure from Tracey and Steven, who have once again absolutely nailed it with a brilliant page-turning early reader book.

"Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Jingle Bells" by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton is out now, published by Nosy Crow (kindly supplied for review). 

We're well and truly back into the swing of things and today (Jan 12th) is definitely a red letter day for plenty of artists and authors, as the first big launch push of the year begins in earnest.

Well hello there, lovely books! We're very pleased to make your acquaintance. We've been delving into three new titles from ace award-winning publisher Nosy Crow that are absolutely perfect for a bit of autumnal reading.

Pitched perfectly to arrive just in time for Halloween, our first book is the start of a great little early readers series for a pair of awesome pooches who have already wowed us in their picture book adventures.

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam, once cat-burgling dogs (yes, I know, confusing isn't it!) are now bakers extraordinaire. But far from leading a boring baking-soda-fuelled life, Shifty and Sam are never far from adventure or mystery.

In "The Spooky School" the dynamic duo are gearing up for Halloween at a rather strange school. All seems fine until they meet a new nefarious baddie who wants to put paid to their plans for the perfect bake-off. Meet Red Rocket, dastardly fiend and all round bad-egg - the very last thing a baker needs!

This is a great fun title with three fab stories inside that perfectly bridges the gap between picture books and early readers, featuring characters children will already know and love. A fab way to encourage self-reading and get them off to a flying start with an exciting and rather spooky adventure!

"Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam - The Spooky School" by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton is out on 6th October, published by Nosy Crow. 

Our next book had Charlotte cooing with delight. She is a complete sucker for cute stories with even cuter animals...

Helen Peters has written a new animal-based series, her first for younger readers building on her fabulous characterisations and stories for older kids.

In the first book in the series, "A Piglet Called Truffle", you'll meet Jasmine, a little girl who loves life at home on her farm.

Jasmine rescues a tiny little piglet from certain death. But Jasmine’s parents don’t believe in farm animals being pets and insist that Truffle must be sold as soon as she’s big enough.  Just a few days before Christmas, young Maya accidentally witnesses a couple arguing violently amongst the christmas shoppers packed onto Regent Street. 

"A Scribble of Illustrators" (Click image above for the full details!)

Join in with workshops, art sales and rub shoulders with the likes of Jo ("Rabbityness") Empson, Steven (Princess Daisy and the Dragon and the Nincompoop Knights) Lenton and Joe (Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble) Berger and a whole host of other astonishing and amazing scribblers.

More details can be found on the event's Facebook page via http://goo.gl/SoXi0k

Come along and meet some enormously talented folk and join in with your little ones too!

Super-talented top illustrative guy Steven Lenton very kindly got in touch with us to ask if we'd like to take a look at his latest book. "WOULD WE!" we shouted with glee. You see we happen to know that not only is Steven a supremely talented chap, but he's also the type of guy who's not going to settle for just any wishy washy tale of princesses and dragons, oh no.

Step forward the wonderful hero of "The Princess and the Dragon and the Nincompoop Knights", written and illustrated by Steven. Princess Daisy is definitely not content to be a stay-at-home Princess despite the King's wishes. So when mysterious rumblings and growlings disturb the good townsfolk, who come to the king for help, Princess Daisy wants to join the quest to discover the source of all that kerfuffle.

Dad (the King, who we read with a sort of broad brummie accent for some reason!) is a bit of a clod so insists Daisy stays home while three (nincompoop) knights vow to slay whatever beast is making all the fuss, in exchange for the usual gratuities (a huge bag of gold, vaaaaaaaast tracts of land and Princess Daisy's fair hand! Poor Daisy!!)

One Knight is vain, but a complete coward, skittering off at the first sign of trouble (in case he gets his perfectly teased tresses in a mess). One knight is all brawns and no brain (with a builder's bum to boot, eeks!) who looks more likely to trip over his sword than defeat the dragon. The last knight is clever, but perhaps a bit too clever for his own good (this fellah incurred Charlotte's wrath, how DARE he use a cute kitten as a lure for his big snappy trap! He should be ashamed of himself!) Thankfully the silly brainbox knight's trap backfires spectacularly with no kittens harmed in the process (and for that matter no dragons either, just a goodly chunk of armour lost around the botty area for the silly fool!)

A mysterious figure steps forward, clad in a haphazard collection of armour and riding a cow (of all things!) The stranger steps bravely into the cave armed with a rather strange array of weapons. A story book? A baby's bottle full of milk? What craziness is this?

When the stranger emerges unsinged with the cutest (and we really do mean the CUTEST!) baby dragon you've ever seen in tow, the story takes an unexpected and delightful twist but even more so when you find out just who that mysterious stranger is (we won't spoil the surprise for you but you may have already guessed!)

Steven's story rhymes beautifully, is wholly entertaining from start to finish, and sends out the sort of awesome mighty girl messages that we just love to see in children's books. His illustrations are (as ever) utterly brilliant. We loved the depiction of Princess Daisy, she's adorable - and we even loved those nincompoop knights but the gorgeous baby dragon steals the show - particularly loved the fact that Steven drew a doodle of her (and Charlotte insisted it was a she!) in the front too!

If your little ones want a refreshing change from the usual "brave knight rescuing hapless damsel while biffing dragon" stories of yore, then "Princess Daisy and the Dragon and the Nincompoop Knights" will delight them for sure!

Charlotte's best bit: Sheer outrage at the use of kittens as dragon bait in the brainy knight's trap! How very DARE he!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Pitch-perfect rhyming, glorious illustrations and a novel and neat twist cutting a dash through tired old fairytale tropes to deliver a stunner of a story! We likey!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Steven Lenton, what a top dude he is!)

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Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton (Nosy Crow Books)