Jenny Colgan's endearing series continues with a special festive edition of her much loved "Polly and the Puffin" books, with fab illustrations from Thomas Docherty...

Our Chapter Book of the Week this week is the third book in a delightful little series about a girl and her best friend (who just happens to be a Puffin!)

We're not sure how we missed the first of these books, but we're catching up - so here's a double Book of the Week for the utterly adorable "Polly and the Puffin" and "Polly and the Puffin - The Stormy Day" by Jenny Colgan and Thomas Docherty...

Poor William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet, his timeless tale of love and loss has been spun, folded and (some might say) mutilated by so many folk for the last few hundred years. The Montagues and Capulets have been reimagined as everything from streetgangs to gnomes but no one thought to do what Thomas Docherty has now so masterfully done. Reimagining the tale of Romeo and Juliet as the tails of George and Celia, Thomas's utterly beautiful "The Driftwood Ball" conveys a glorious message of difference and understanding.

George is a Badger you see. Not just any badger, but part of a tribe of dancing badgers who have very specific views about how one should dance. Celia, however, is a sea otter - and Sea Otters love to dance but not at all like badgers do. Jigging is not for them, they prefer to sashay and shimmy, footloose and fancy free.

The badgers and otters don't really see eye to eye, but Celia and George are different - and on one fabulous night at the sumptuous "Driftwood Ball" Celia and George get the chance to show both badgers and otters how to dance without all those daft rules and regulations.

With perfect timing, this is a book that would slide wonderfully into a valentine's day bookpile with ease. Celia and George are so adorable and irresistible as characters, and Thomas's brilliant illustrations and flowing text are dazzling and charming.

A truly beautiful book conveying a fantastic message. Always dance like no-one's watching!

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loved Celia to bits, particularly her groovy leaf skirt

Daddy's Favourite bit: We interpreted this as a lovely spin on Romeo and Juliet, with a strong message shouting "vive la difference!"

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)

What on EARTH is a Snorgh? Well, in truth it's a bit of a grumpy little soul that prefers to live alone in a remote marsh, eat delicious samphire soup (which it keeps to itself) and absolutely, positively never entertains visitors.

Until, that is, a sailor arrives one day and crashes in on the Snorgh's solitary existence uninvited (how rude!)

The sailor, an effervescent and energetic hare soon makes himself at home, sharing the Snorgh's soup and even taking up the Snorgh's favourite chair near the fire. The cheek of it!

Soon though, the Snorgh's life changes completely when the sailor begins to tell tales of his adventures out at sea. Giant islands that turn out to be whales, giant sea monsters that threaten to dash a boat against the rocks, mysterious lands that lay undiscovered as you sail the seven seas.

As they settle down for the night, the Snorgh has a vivid dream. A dream of adventure but instead of the sailor, it's the Snorgh who seeks excitement and discovery.

When the Snorgh wakes up the next morning, eager to hear the sailor finish his tales, he finds the sailor has gone but spies his boat far out to sea. Using his trusty barnacle-covered bath the Snorgh gives chase, and then the real adventure begins!

A great tale of an unlikely friendship and a subtle moral lesson about playing it safe, wrapping yourself up in a mundane existence rather than getting "out there" and finding out what a big beautiful world we live in. We rather liked the Snorgh for all his initial grumpiness (Charlotte had a bit of an issue with the Snorgh's gender, he does have rather beautiful eyelashes so she set her mind to calling Snorgh "She" - which is fine and dandy, doesn't change a thing about the story either!)

Charlotte's best bit: Rich descriptions of samphire soup (which I'm now going to try and cook and let her try) and the lovely Snorgh's eyelashes (oh and the whale island bit is ace!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: A book that feels like a wonderful modern fable, with great characters and lots of excitement to grip little readers (and big ones too!). A brilliant find in our library but it's still in print too, so go grab!