Day 5 on our festive roundup of amazing children's books, and a new bouncy rhyming book from the genius team behind "Supertato"

"Oh Christmas Tree!" by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet is perfect for busy little ones who love a jape or two in the festive build-up.

It’s Christmas time and every tree on Sidney Street is beautifully decorated – except for one! 

Oh my, there's nothing worse than losing one of your favourite socks. What happens to those poor discarded odd socks once their other half has been lost?

Can a humble spud become a superhero? You'd better believe it. Here's Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet back for another exciting adventure in "Supertato: Run Veggies Run!"

Sue and Paul are back and yet again they've come up trumps with a totally brilliant and original new story featuring yet another slightly bonkers character. This time, of all things, it's a happy balloon!

Look! Up in the sky above the chiller section! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's a...er..it's a potato. But not just any potato...

Norman the Slug is back and this time he's just the mollusc to lend a helping...er...feeler in "Norman the Slug who Saved Christmas"...

"Charlotte, why are you wiggling? Do you need a wee?"

"No!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

(20 mins from home, in the middle of nowhere, no loos to be seen, just as we're getting under way to our intended destination)

"I NEED A WEE!!"

Parents, you've all been there, right? Your little ones haven't quite mastered the lesson that Alan the adorable knitted bear learns the hard way in Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet's latest book "I Need a Wee!" Alan is so busy having fun at the fairground on the helter skelter that the very last thing he wants to do is pause for a tinkle. But his friends notice his frantic dancing, and haul him off towards the loos.

Alan is constantly distracted by other things. One more go on the helter skelter. A piece of cake from the penguin's party. Just one more balloon! But when Alan and friends finally get to the toilets, calamities, there's a huge queue!

A helpful dolly suggests that Alan can come round to her house to use the facilities, but dolly's toilet is too tiny.

Alan eyes up a monkey's tea pot but it's a tea pot, not a pee pot!! As for the magician's hat incident, the less said the better.

Poor Alan is wriggling fit to bust - and when his friends suggest he ducks behind a curtain to take care of business, Alan doesn't realise that he's on stage in front of hundreds of people, under the spotlight! OH NO!

We won't spoil the hilarious pay-off (or should that be pee-off) as the book draws to a close. I always feel slightly guilty for finding children's books that deal with bodily functions funny, but this is acutely well observed and Alan is just such a superstar (we LOVE him, even if he has a bladder the size of a Smartie!)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I knew I shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee...

Charlotte's best bit: Alan attempting to squat over a magician's hat, with hilarious results. Eeps!

Daddy's Favourite bit: We probably really shouldn't find this as funny as we did, but it is hilarious and we just couldn't stop laughing (thankfully we didn't giggle till we wet ourselves, at least!) Brilliant!

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

Like this? We think you'll love these too!

Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat by Sue Hendra

No-Bot, the Robot with no bottom by Sue Hendra

Look, up in the sky, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's actually a rather dashing lantern-jawed tuber-licious superhero name of Supertato!

Sue Hendra's latest book following on from brilliant stories like "Barry the Fish with Fingers" and "Keith, the Cat with the Magic Hat" tells a tale of tempestuous torment in the kitchen. A rogue pea has escaped and is causing abject mayhem. As any child will tell you, peas are extremely tricky customers and they are always looking for an opportunity to escape (and in our case at home, usually end up squished under your sock-clad foot when you least expect it, ew!)

There's only one fella in the veg rack capable of dealing with dastardly peas. Send for Supertato!

This is a truly fabulous superhero romp from Sue, who always injects a bucketful of humour into her books, and a heck of a pace too. One thing that stands out is just how absolutely HORRIBLE the antagonist in this story is. That is one evil pea, and if your child really doesn't like peas, they'll be on the edge of their seats waiting to see if Supertato can triumph against such an unspeakable rotter!

Supertato, from Sue Hendra, coming to a vegetable rack near you today, 19th June 2014 from Simon and Schuster Children's Books

Charlotte's best bit: That one point in the story where it truly looks like Supertato is going to be baked in his jacket! Eek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Funny, fast paced, glorious to look at. All the things we have come to expect from a rollicking Sue Hendra story. It's supertatotastic!

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

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)

You'd think we were slightly obsessive about Sue Hendra's books if you look back through the blog archives. After all, we've met and loved Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat, No-Bot the Robot with No Bottom (which was a book of the week, no less!), Barry the Fish with Fingers, but somehow we've missed out on Dave the Farting Cat and Nigel the Snail with the Silly Shell (but rest assured we'll track them down eventually!)

So what of young Doug, a bug - and his best friend Trevor. They're happily playing a game of Berry Ball in the garden (with a juicy blueberry, YUM!) when a little over-enthusiasm sees the berry trapped in the petals of a tall flower. Doug and Trevor argue over who should go and grab the berry - luckless Doug ends up climbing up to recover their ball but before he can get back to his friend, the flower is unceremoniously dug up and displayed in a pot on the windowsill high, high above the garden! EEK!

Poor Doug is stuck, but thankfully he meets a new friend who is a bit dim and dizzy but happens to possess a pair of wings! Can the duo escape from the house to the freedom and fresh air of the garden before it's too late?

Sue has a gift for making us smile with her books, her characters are always funny and colourful, her illustrations are always fab (Charlotte LOVED poor Doug getting stuck in what looks like the world's tastiest fried breakfast, NOM!) and the stories bounce along beautifully - just like Doug himself once he realises that bugs are pretty tough and can stand up to all sorts of mishaps, even being propelled through a slice of toast!

If you've loved Sue's other books, don't miss Doug!

Charlotte's best bit: How comfortable would it be to land in a giant fried egg? (She loved the breakfast bit!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Lovely tale of friendship with Sue's trademark cheeky happy storytelling and illustration. Wonderful!

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

So we've finally tracked down one of the Sue Hendra books we've sorely missed. Barry, the Fish with Fingers, is a book we've heard lots of folk tweeting and talking about but never got round to reading and reviewing ourselves. Hooray for our local Library, who had a copy so we snaffled it up quicker than you can say "Tartare Sauce!"

We love Sue's books, and it's not hard to see why Barry, the Fish with Fingers, is so well loved. With the lovely breadcrumb-y cover you know you're in for a fishy treat inside.

Our tale starts with Puffy the Puffer Fish, star of the oceans, who is renowned far and wide for his utterly amazing bubble displays. Big bubbles, small bubbles, round bubbles and square bubbles are all part of Puffy's repertoire.

But soon, a newcomer on the scene threatens to burst Puffy's bubble. Meet Barry, the Fish with Fingers. The other fish have never seen anything like Barry. He can tickle (hee hee), he can give lovely massages, and he can wave. All those useful things that flippers just cannot do. Unfortunately, Barry is such a draw that the other fish soon forget all about Puffy and his antics, so he quietly mopes off for a good long sulk.

Soon though, Barry proves that he's not just a fish with fingers, he's also a hero! We'll leave you to find out what happens when Puffy needs Barry's help.

I shouldn't really say so, but this book made me crave fish finger sandwiches with tartare sauce all the way through. Funny, knockabout, and with Sue's trademark eye for brilliant characters and situations, it's an absolute winner.

If you enjoyed Barry's adventures, look out for his next book "Barry The Fish with Fingers and the Hairy Scary Monster" (which is another one we really need to add to our reading pile very soon indeed!)

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a rumbling tum and a date with Captain Birdseye!

Charlotte's best bit: The lovely sparkly breadcrumby cover

Daddy's favourite bit: Barry's awesome tickling abilities

As soon as we saw Sue Hendra's latest book, we knew we'd love it. Sue's books are always cute in spades, hilariously funny and have the sort of characters that stick in the mind (we've loved Normal the Snail with the Funny Shell and Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat). How many books off the top of your head can get away with being so downright cheeky yet so endearing?

"No-Bot - The Robot With No Bottom" tells us the tale of Bernard the Robot (such a great name, more children should be called Bernard!) While playing on the swings one day, Bernard realises he's left behind a rather vital part of his anatomy. His bottom!

Fruitless searching back at the playground doesn't reveal its whereabouts, and soon Bernard enlists the help of his animal friends on a great bot-bottom hunt! Has Bird used it as a nest? Has Bear used it as part of his drum kit? Has dog taken it to use as a rather novel window box?

When Bernard finally tracks down his bottom, all seems lost. Will Bernard the No-Bot win the day and get his butt back?

It goes without saying that anything vaguely relating to bottoms - specially robot ones -  is utterly and completely hilarious. This is one of those rare books that has Charlotte giggling her head off all the way through, and even more so at the very end when Bernard neatly sets things up for a sequel (pleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE Sue, we want more Bernard!)

Fantastic, and as our last book of the week for 2012, it's a corker! Look out for it on 3rd January 2013!

Charlotte's best bit: That final frame! So brilliantly funny!

Daddy's favoutite bit: I love Sue's illustrations, and her great characters. Can't wait to see whether Bernard gets a sequel.

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

Excited enough to do a celebratory bot-wiggling dance? Definitely!

(Thanks to Simon and Schuster / Sue Hendra for another corker. Review to follow soon!)

If we were crazy enough to have cats at ReadItDaddy Towers I would definitely ensure that at least one of them was A) A ginger tom and B) called Keith. Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat is the latest children's book from Sue (Barry, the Fish with Fingers) Hendra. As you'd expect from Sue, it's a slightly surreal but ridiculously adorable story of a young cat trying to impress his peers when an unfortunate incident with an ice cream cone makes him look a bit daft in front of them.

Keith shrugs off the incident by claiming that the ice cream cone is, in fact, a magic hat - and the chocolate flake is Keith's all-powerful magic wand. By pure luck Keith's magic fakery impresses his friends enough, but can Keith summon enough magic to defeat an angry dog?

You'll have to read the book to find out. Sue Hendra's style is to compliment her superbly sharp and cute illustrations with entertaining stories, and Keith the Cat is no exception. If you loved Barry the Fish with Fingers or Norman the Slug with a Silly Shell, then this is more charming silliness in the same mould and we love it!

Charlotte's best bit - Keith waving his magic wand and coming up with a very long string of magic words

Daddy's favourite bit - Sue Hendra's pin-sharp and beautiful illustrative style.

Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

(Please note - This book was kindly supplied by Simon and Schuster for review)